🎙 Greetings of President Vladimir Putin on Defender of the Fatherland Day (February 23, 2026)

💬 Vladimir Putin: Comrades, friends,

I cordially congratulate all citizens of Russia, our veterans, military and civilian personnel of the Armed Forces on Defender of the Fatherland Day.

February 23 has been marked in our country for many decades now as one of the most important national holidays. It has become a symbol of the people’s sincere love for our defenders, of pride in the Army and Navy, in those who have devoted their lives to serving the Fatherland, who reliably stand guard over its sovereignty and security, who are loyal to their military oath and conscientiously fulfil their professional duty.

For generations, we have been cherishing the memory of every chapter of our Fatherland’s military history. It was created thanks to the military art of the great commanders, the unbending will and courage of soldiers and commanders, our ancestors, who, at the first call of the Motherland, stood up and took their place in the ranks alongside their comrades-in-arms.

The year 2026 has been declared the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia. We honour this sacred cohesion and know that throughout history, people of different ethnicities and confessions have risen to defend the country. A sense of patriotism and responsibility for the fate of the Motherland bound them together and inspired feats of arms and great immortal victories.

Today’s generation of Russian military honourably carries on the traditions of valour and honour bequeathed by their forefathers. Today, in the course of the special military operation, representatives of all the peoples of our vast country are heroically, shoulder to shoulder defending Russia’s interests.

The ability to come together and to achieve victory in the name of common goals exemplifies the tremendous strength of our Army and our multiethnic society. It has been that way for many centuries and, I am confident, it will always be so.

Our deepest respect goes to all who fight for the Fatherland. Eternal memory to the heroes who fell defending our people.

Comrades,

We will continue large-scale work to strengthen the Army and Navy with due regard to international developments, building on the combat experience gained during the special military operation, relying on the powerful capabilities of our industry, science, and industrial and high-tech companies.

The development of the nuclear triad, which guarantees Russia’s security and enables us to effectively ensure strategic deterrence and balance of power in the world, remains our unconditional priority.

We will continue to enhance the quality and the potential of all other branches and services of the Armed Forces, improve their combat readiness and mobility, their ability to operate in any, including the most difficult, conditions. And, of course, we will speed up the development of advanced systems for the Armed Forces.

I am confident that this equipment will always be in reliable hands, which is the most important thing. Our soldiers and officers – the pillar and support of the state and society – are true patriots and people of special breed and unbending will.

I thank all Russia’s military personnel for their valiant service. My very best wishes to your families and friends.

The people of Russia stand with you and believe in you.

Happy holiday!

🎙 Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's answer to a question from RIA Novosti regarding allegations that Russia violated the Budapest Memorandum (February 24, 2026)

❓ Question: Zelensky has repeatedly claimed that by launching the special military operation, Russia violated the Budapest Memorandum. However, the head of the Kiev regime forgets that by enshrining NATO membership as a constitutional objective and engaging in military-technical cooperation with the North Atlantic Alliance, Ukraine itself violated, inter alia, the Budapest Memorandum. Could you elaborate on the groundlessness of Ukraine’s accusations and on other documents it has breached?

💬 Maria Zakharova: To answer this question, let us recall that the Budapest Memorandum – or the Memorandum on security assurances in connection with Ukraine’s accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons – is an act that does not constitute an international treaty. It was signed on December 5, 1994 by the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, the US and the UK.

Under this document, Ukraine agreed to transfer to Russia the portion of the former Soviet nuclear arsenal located on its territory and to become a fully non-nuclear state. In turn, Russia, the US and the UK provided security assurances to Ukraine.

It should also be recalled that, simultaneously with the Memorandum, a joint statement was adopted in Budapest by the leaders of Russia, the UK, the US and Ukraine. Among other things, it reaffirmed the importance of #OSCE commitments aimed at countering the rise of aggressive nationalism and chauvinism. It is evident that the Ukrainian side failed to fulfil these commitments and for many years tolerated the growth of highly aggressive nationalism.

At the OSCE summit in Budapest in 1994, and during related events on its margins, Russia did not undertake any obligation to compel part of Ukraine to remain within its composition against the will of the local population. The provisions of the Budapest Memorandum do not apply to circumstances arising from internal political or socio-economic factors.

❗️ Thus, Ukraine’s loss of territorial integrity was the result of complex internal processes to which Russia and its obligations under the Budapest Memorandum bear no relation. Accordingly, there can be no question of any violation of the Budapest Memorandum by Russia.

At the same time, Russia and Ukraine were bound by a more significant legal instrument – the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership between the Russian Federation and Ukraine – which Ukraine systematically violated prior to the launch of the special military operation.

For many years, the Ukrainian leadership pursued a policy of gross and systematic breaches of this Treaty, which should be qualified as a refusal to comply with its provisions. This, in particular, ultimately led to the decision of the Russian leadership to begin the special military operation.

Ukraine’s strategic course toward acquiring full NATO membership was enshrined at the constitutional level, effectively violating Article 6 of the Treaty. At that moment, Ukraine officially renounced one of the foundations of its international recognition in the 1990s – its neutral and non-aligned status – thereby also breaching the 1994 Budapest Memorandum.

❗️NATO's unchecked geopolitical expansion up to our borders, including Ukraine, became one of the root causes of the conflict. Without addressing this, a settlement is impossible.

When accusing Russia of violating the Budapest Memorandum, they somehow fail to recall the long-standing sabotage of this fundamental bilateral Russian-Ukrainian document.

☝️ The above facts – as well as many others – demonstrate that the goals and objectives of the special military operation remain relevant and will be fulfilled, as repeatedly stated by the Russian leadership.

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⚡️ Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation:

The Press Bureau of the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation (SVR) reports that, according to intelligence received by the SVR, the UK and France are aware that the situation developing in Ukraine leaves no chances for them to achieve the ardently desired victory over Russia with the hands of the Ukrainian armed forces.

However, British and French elites are not ready to accept defeat. It is believed that Ukraine should be supplied with a “Wunderwaffe”. Kiev would be able to aspire to more advantageous terms of ceasing the hostilities if it possesses a nuclear or at least a so-called “dirty” bomb. Berlin has prudently refused to take part in this dangerous venture.

At present, according to the information available to the SVR, London and Paris are actively working over the issue of providing Kiev with a weapon of this kind, as well as with means of its delivery. This involves a covert transfer of relevant European-made components, equipment and technologies to Ukraine.

❗️ As an option, the French small-size TN-75 warhead from the M51.1 submarine-launched ballistic missile is being considered.

The British and French realize that their designs imply a gross violation of the international law, first and foremost the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and carry the risk of destroying the global non-proliferation system. Consequently, the Westerners’ main efforts are focused on making Kiev’s possession of nuclear weapon look like it was developed by Ukrainians themselves.

These extremely dangerous plans of London and Paris prove that they have lost touch with reality. Their hopes to escape from responsibility are baseless, especially bearing in mind that there is nothing hidden that will not eventually be disclosed. In the military, political and diplomatic circles there are plenty of sober-minded people understanding that reckless actions of their leaders pose a threat to the entire world.

⚡️ Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's statement on the reports of the UK and France’s intention to assist Ukraine in acquiring nuclear weapons (February 24, 2026)

🔉Audio statement by Maria Zakharova (in Russian)

💬 Maria Zakharova: On February 24, the press bureau of the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation (aka the SVR) issued an urgent statement reporting that, having realized the absence of any chance of defeating Russia at the hands of the Kiev regime “on the battlefield,” the British and French authorities have deemed it possible to assist Ukraine in acquiring a “powerful argument” so that Kiev could claim more favourable terms for ending hostilities.

According to the SVR, this concerns at a minimum a so-called “dirty bomb”, while the option of providing a full-fledged nuclear weapon, including means of delivery, is also being seriously considered.

London and Paris are already actively working on resolving the relevant issues, including the covert transfer to Ukraine of European components, equipment and technologies. Efforts are also focused on ensuring that the emergence of such weapons in Kiev would appear to be the result of Ukraine’s own development.

❗️ For all those involved in such reckless actions – and for the international community as a whole – it should be obvious that even raising the issue in such terms constitutes a categorically unacceptable and acutely escalatory step, fraught with the risk of undermining the international legal regime of nuclear non-proliferation.

Ukraine, which acceded to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as a non-nuclear-weapon state, undertook an obligation not to acquire nuclear weapons. The UK and France, as nuclear-weapon states under the Treaty, undertook a commitment not to transfer nuclear weapons to anyone, and in no way to assist, encourage or induce any non-nuclear-weapon state to manufacture or acquire them.

Reports of these plans fall into an already “primed soil”. There is ample evidence of Kiev’s nuclear ambitions. One should recall Zelensky’s statement at the 2022 Munich Security Conference regarding the possibility of revising Ukraine’s non-nuclear status, as well as his subsequent equally provocative remarks on this issue.

There have also been numerous speculations by Ukrainian deputies and officials of various ranks about the “return” of nuclear weapons to Ukraine – allegedly imprudently relinquished upon joining the NPT – or about the deployment of US nuclear weapons on Ukrainian territory.

👉 Russia’s position on this matter is unwavering and unequivocal: we have repeatedly stated that any attempts to revise Ukraine’s non-nuclear status, as well as any effort by the deeply hostile Kiev regime to acquire nuclear weapons, are unacceptable.

☝️ Any steps aimed at assisting Kiev in obtaining a military nuclear capability will be regarded by us as an attempt to create a direct and critical threat to the security of our country and will inevitably be met with a firm response.

In the context of anti-Russian statements and actions by the leadership of a number of European states, which continue to fuel the Western-provoked confrontation linked to the Ukrainian crisis, we once again warn of the risks of a direct military clash between nuclear powers – and of its potentially gravest consequences.

London and Paris are pursuing these dangerous plans virtually on the eve of the NPT Review Conference scheduled for April 2026. We are convinced that the States Parties must give their most serious attention to this egregious issue, as it directly concerns the functioning of the Treaty regime and the preservation of its integrity.

We have promptly initiated active engagement on this issue at relevant multilateral platforms to urge their participants and the leadership of the respective international organizations to restrain the British and French authorities, who have been carried away by anti-Russian zeal.

❗️ The consequences of this reckless course threaten not only Russia’s security.

🗓 On February 24, marking the fourth year since the launch of Russia’s special military operation, the 11th Emergency Special Session of the UN General Assembly on the Ukraine crisis (#ESS) was reconvened at the initiative of Kiev and its European backers.

During the session, this group of countries introduced yet another biased, anti-Russia resolution. This time it was deceptively titled “Support for a Lasting Peace in Ukraine” and, unlike previous resolutions adopted at the 11th ESS, was deliberately kept brief.

The authors of the resolution were compelled to adopt this tactical approach by the steadily declining support for their anti-Russia initiatives at the General Assembly, which have clearly grown tiresome for the overwhelming majority of the international community.

This one-sided, politicised text, in addition to the usual unfounded accusations against Russia, selectively cites the UN Charter while remaining silent on the root causes of the conflict around Ukraine. Without addressing these causes, a lasting and sustainable settlement is simply unattainable. The draft also contains an absurd tribute to the “efforts” of European countries that continue to funnel weapons to the Kiev regime, allegedly “aimed at ending the war”.

In an attempt to broaden its support among General Assembly members, the document is saturated with pseudo-peaceful language, including calls for a ceasefire, prisoner exchanges, and the return of forcibly displaced persons, including children, framed as “confidence-building measures”. Such wording appears particularly cynical in light of the long record of duplicity demonstrated by the Kiev regime and its European sponsors, who have repeatedly shown their inability to negotiate in good faith by undermining every agreement reached, beginning with the Minsk accords.

👉 There is no doubt that this clumsy manoeuvring by Kiev and the Europeans in the General Assembly was intended to create a smokescreen around the trilateral negotiation process.

This was once again evident during the vote, when the Kiev regime, backed by the European “war party”, positioned itself against the broader international community, which supports genuine efforts to achieve peace in Ukraine, as well as against the other two parties to the negotiations. The US delegation, explicitly stating that the Ukrainian-European initiative at the General Assembly was detrimental to the negotiation process, requested a separate vote on several destructive provisions of the draft.

Ultimately, the General Assembly voted on the original draft: 107 delegations voted in favour, 12 against, 51 states (including the US) abstained, and 23 did not participate.

Rather than a success, Kiev and its backers secured a distinctly unconvincing result and incurred significant political costs, having exposed themselves as opponents of peace. The widening transatlantic rift over the Ukrainian issue is also becoming increasingly apparent.

Overall, the discussions at the UN clearly reflect the international community’s fatigue with the Ukrainian issue – a situation our opponents are attempting to keep artificially alive. Against this backdrop, what is required are genuine efforts toward a peaceful settlement, efforts in which Russia is participating in good faith.

☝️ Moscow hopes that all reasonable members of the international community will likewise support the said efforts, without being distracted by minor obstructions.

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#Антифейк

💬 Комментарий Посольства России в Норвегии для гостелерадиокомпании «НРК» (26 февраля 2026 г.)

Ознакомились со статьей гостелерадиокомпании «НРК» с очередной серией необоснованных обвинений в адрес России.

❌ Рассматриваем данные обвинения не только как абсолютно беспочвенные и политически мотивированные, но и абсурдные, поскольку в автопарке Посольства электроавтомобилей не имеется и зимой грибы, насколько нам известно, не растут.

Со своей стороны отмечаем, что «подозрительная активность» в последнее время возросла вокруг российских загранучреждений в Норвегии, рядом с которыми кружат «Теслы» не только черного цвета.

👆Заявления о «российской угрозе» распространяются авторами намеренно с целью дискредитации России, усиления антироссийских настроений в Норвегии и обоснования необходимости милитаризации норвежской экономики в ущерб решению социальных вопросов.

Такая индоктринация норвежского общества, очевидно, может быть использована в провокационных целях в интересах дальнейшего усиления антироссийского психоза и ухудшения российско-норвежских отношений.

При этом раздувающие истерию явно игнорируют тот факт, что в Норвегии на данный момент продолжают функционировать три российские дипломатические миссии, что уже само по себе является не только гарантией отсутствия каких-либо агрессивных действий и замыслов, но и свидетельством приверженности российской стороны политико-дипломатическим, а не силовым методам защиты своих национальных интересов. Надеемся, что и норвежская сторона будет придерживаться аналогичных подходов.

#Antifake

💬 Kommentar fra Russlands ambassade i Norge til NRK (26. februar 2026)

Vi har gjennomgått NRKs artikkel, som inneholder en rekke ubegrunnede beskyldninger mot Russland.

❌ Vi anser disse beskyldningene ikke bare som fullstendig grunnløse og politisk motiverte, men også absurde, siden det ikke finnes elbiler i ambassadens bilpark og, så vidt vi vet, vokser det ikke sopp om vinteren.

For vår del konstaterer vi at «mistenkelig aktivitet» nylig har økt rundt russiske diplomatiske representasjoner i Norge, hvor det observers ikke bare svarte Teslaer.

👆Uttalelser om den «russiske trusselen» spres bevisst med det formål å diskreditere Russland, styrke anti-russiske holdninger i Norge og rettferdiggjøre behovet for å militarisere norsk økonomi på bekostning av å løse sosiale problemer.

Slik indoktrinering av det norske samfunnet kan åpenbart brukes til provoserende formål for å intensivere den antirussiske hysterien og forverre forholdet mellom Russland og Norge.

Samtidig ignorerer de som hisser opp hysteriet tydeligvis det faktum at tre russiske diplomatiske representasjoner fortsatt opererer i Norge for øyeblikket, noe som i seg selv ikke bare er en garanti for fravær av aggressive handlinger eller intensjoner, men også et bevis på Russlands forpliktelse til politiske og diplomatiske, snarere enn militære, metoder for å beskytte sine nasjonale interesser. Vi håper at Norge vil følge en lignende tilnærming.