❗️Russian ruble strengthens to near pre-war value.

Joe Biden on March 26:

“As a result of unprecedented sanctions, the ruble is reduced to rubble. It takes about 200 rubles to equal one dollar.”

Subscribe to: @RussiaUSA

Putin and Macron held a telephone conversation in which:

— Putin told Macron that a humanitarian operation in Mariupol is not possible before Ukrainian nationalists lay down their arms or are eliminated.

— Macron told Putin that it was not possible for Western gas clients to pay their bills in roubles.

Subscribe to: @RussiaUSA

"We are clear-eyed about the reality of what’s happening on the ground. No one should be fooled by Russia's announcement. We believe any movement of Russian forces from around Kiev is a redeployment, not a withdrawal."

— Reuters citing a U.S. official

Subscribe to: @RussiaUSA

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov recorded a video message, expressing disapproval for Moscow’s peace negotiations with “puppet” Zelensky.

Kadyrov also appealed directly to Putin, saying that fighters on the ground were discouraged by today’s news of a draw back near Kiev and want to complete the task of denazifying Ukraine.

Subscribe to: @RussiaUSA

❗️Kremlin: The transition to ruble payments for Russian gas will not start on March 31. This is going to be a lengthy process.

Subscribe to: @RussiaUSA

“We have information that Putin felt misled by the Russian military. There is now persistent tension between Putin and the MOD (Ministry of Defense), stemming from Putin’s mistrust in MOD leadership.”

— NBC News citing a U.S. official

Subscribe to: @RussiaUSA

Zelensky’s adviser Alexei Arestovich admitted to the Washington Post that Ukrainian forces have been placing heavy military equipment in residential neighborhoods, but defended the tactic saying “international humanitarian laws or the laws of war don’t apply in this conflict."

The same article notes:

Over the past month, Washington Post journalists have witnessed Ukrainian antitank rockets, antiaircraft guns and armored personnel carriers placed near apartment buildings. In one vacant lot, Post journalists spotted a truck carrying a Grad multiple rocket launcher.

Ukraine’s strategy of placing heavy military equipment and other fortifications in civilian zones could weaken Western and Ukrainian efforts to hold Russia legally culpable for possible war crimes, said human rights activists and international humanitarian law experts.

The Ukrainian military has “a responsibility under international law” to remove their forces and equipment from civilian-populated areas, and if that is not possible, to move civilians out of those areas.

“If they don’t do that, that is a violation of the laws of war because they are putting civilians at risk. All that military equipment are legitimate targets.”

Subscribe to: @RussiaUSA

❗️President of South Ossetia, whose independence from Georgia was recognized by Moscow in 2008, says he’s initiating the process of bringing the republic into Russia.

Days earlier, similar statements were made by the heads of the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk.

Subscribe to: @RussiaUSA

Vladimir Putin's approval rating has soared to 83%, according to a recent survey by the Levada Center, Russia's independent pollster.

Subscribe to: @RussiaUSA

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov doubles down on his anti-negotiations rhetoric in regard to Ukraine.

In a new video recording, Kadyrov criticized Moscow’s chief negotiator for making misleading statements and promised to eventually take Kiev if Zelensky fails to surrender.

Subscribe to: @RussiaUSA

❗️Germany: Putin agreed to keep gas payments for Europe in euros.

Following a Scholz-Putin phone call, Germany announced that it has received assurances that European companies could continue paying for gas in euros.

According to German officials, the Russian president told Scholz that under the new scheme payments in euros would be made through Gazprom Bank, which is not affected by sanctions, and then converted into rubles.

Subscribe to: @RussiaUSA

Vast majority of Americans are big fans of Ukraine’s Zelensky.

72% of Americans have confidence in Zelensky, compared to 48% for their own President Joe Biden, and just 6% for Putin, according to a PEW Research survey.

Subscribe to: @RussiaUSA

Kiev’s open glorification of WWII Nazi collaborators draws backlash from Poland, prompting the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine’s legislative body) to delete a post from their official Twitter account.

Subscribe to: @RussiaUSA

Caught on camera: Ukrainian forces using ambulances for transportation, presumably as part of the same dirty tactic of hiding behind civilians and civilian infrastructure.

Subscribe to: @RussiaUSA

❗️Putin signs decree mandating the sale of gas in rubles starting April 1.

European buyers are now required to open ruble accounts in specific Russian banks, which are then to be used for conducting payments.

Refusal to comply with the new scheme will result in a halt of gas supplies, Russia’s leader warned.

Subscribe to: @RussiaUSA

❗️Putin: Europe will face massive deindustrialization and job losses as a consequence of U.S. actions.

Subscribe to: @RussiaUSA

Russia sanctions threaten to erode dominance of U.S. dollar, says IMF.

Financial sanctions imposed on Russia by Western countries threaten to gradually dilute the dominance of the U.S. dollar and could result in a more fragmented international monetary system, Gita Gopinath, IMF's First Deputy Managing Director, told The Financial Times.

Subscribe to: @RussiaUSA

A newly surfaced video reveals captured Russian pilot being threatened with castration.

While transporting the injured POW, Ukrainian soldiers filmed themselves calling the prisoner’s girlfriend and telling her that he will be castrated.

The pilot is believed to be Major Krasnoyartsev, whose capture was reported on March 5. His current condition or whereabouts are unknown.

Subscribe to: @RussiaUSA

A journalist with insight into Russia’s power circles writes what the country’s elites think about the Ukraine war and its consequences.

Those in the West who supported sanctioning Russia will likely find the end result very disappointing.

Subscribe to: @RussiaUSA

🇷🇺🎾 Russian tennis superstar Daniil Medvedev set to be BANNED from Wimbledon unless he signs key declaration denouncing Russian state

Tennis stars from both Russia and Belarus will have to sign declaration forms distancing themselves from their governments, according to new regulation for UK sporting events.

Players wishing to participate in British tournaments will have to give assurances they are not funded by either the Russian or Belarusian govts and that they will not speak out in support of Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine.

Participants will also be barred from wearing Russian or Belarusian colors or compete under their flags.

Politics ruining sports?

Subscribe to: @RussiaUSA

Ukraine delivers a humiliating blow to Russia with a helicopter raid on a fuel depot in the city of Belgorod.

On the morning of April 1, two Ukrainian Mi-24 attack helicopters entered the Russian airspace at very low altitude and managed to successfully execute their strike without any interference.

The fact that the Ukrainian Air Force can operate in the sky undetected, and even crossover into Russian territory 36 days into this war, undoubtedly raises some uncomfortable questions for Moscow.

Subscribe to: @RussiaUSA