🎙 Statement and answers to media questions by Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov following his visit to the People’s Republic of China (Beijing, April 15, 2026)

Key points:

• Russia and China are interested in ensuring that the West’s overt attempts to preserve and, in some cases, even “renew” its hegemony fail. These efforts are rooted in the assumption that the West’s five-hundred-year experience of conquering the world, subordinating it to its own interests and shaping mechanisms of global governance that allow it to live at others’ expense can somehow be sustained.

• We devoted particular attention to Eurasia, where new centres of tension are continuing to emerge. In Europe, this is reflected in NATO’s attempts to find a new reason for its existence, above all by drawing Ukraine into its ranks. It is also evident in the militarisation of the EU, which we are witnessing against the backdrop of crises within NATO caused by disagreements between Washington and the European capitals, above all – the Brussels bureaucracy.

• Our entire Eurasian continent, in one way or another, has become an arena for serious and competing trends and practical actions by leading members of the international community. It is the largest and wealthiest continent, with resources that are essentially inexhaustible. That is why both the geopolitical and geoeconomic dimensions are of particular importance here.

• I agree with the description of #RussiaChina relations as “unshakable in the face of any storm”. This is not merely a slogan, but a statement of fact already borne out by a whole range of developments in which Russia and China are playing a stabilising role in support of those trends – enshrined in the UN Charter – that are now striving to prevail in international affairs.

• Russia can help offset the supply deficit now faced by both China and other countries interested in working with us on an equal and mutually beneficial basis. 👉 We have said this on a number of occasions. It is no coincidence that, now that the crisis in the Middle East has erupted, EU officials are already publicly calling on the European Commission to “show mercy” toward the national sovereignty of EU member states and postpone plans to shut off the “valve” completely.

• Europe is starting to realise that, if it gets off what it calls the Russian “oil and gas needle”, it may well end up impaled on the “energy stake” of another great power – one already being carefully sharpened for Europe. It is a pivotal moment.

• One must always look at the root causes. Would Iran have taken any steps to close the Strait of Hormuz or strike US facilities on the Arabian Peninsula had it not been for the aggression of Washington and Israel against the Islamic Republic? Everyone understands that this would not have happened.

• In Kosovo, the West demonstrated that the law simply does not apply to it – only the part which happens to suit it at a given moment. At that time, what suited the West was the provision of the UN Charter stating that nations are equal and that every nation has the right to self-determination. But when the question is raised about the right of the people of Crimea and Novorossiya to self-determination, the West ducks the issue.

• Unlike the EU, we are interested in seeing unifying infrastructure take shape in the Balkans in every sense – economic as well as cultural. The same goal – to unite and maximise benefits for all – is pursued by China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which is also highly popular in the Balkans and being actively advanced there.

• I hope that the US will not return to the era of outright colonial wars and the suppression of free peoples. It was not Cuba that refused dialogue with Washington for decades.

• I would advise the US, in every case where it dislikes a particular government, to begin by engaging it in dialogue. Not a single country, including Venezuela, has ever refused dialogue with the US. It was the US, however, that first made agreements and then walked away from them.

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🎙 Statement by Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN Vassily Nebenzia at the UNGA Intergovernmental negotiations on the question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and other matters related to the Council (Veto Right) (New York, April 14, 2026)

💬 It is well known in professional diplomatic circles that the veto mechanism is the cornerstone of the UN’s functioning.

It was introduced as the result of lessons drawn from the practice of the League of Nations. Without this right, the Organization would have inevitably suffered the same fate.

It is difficult to imagine that the UN, particularly during the Cold War or during these turbulent times, could have survived even a single decade if it were not for this balancing mechanism.

☝️ Forcing a limitation of this mechanism is unrealistic. We need to acknowledge this and move on. <...>

It is no secret that Western members of the Council often view UNSC resolutions as a punitive tool against States in disfavor, whatever noble pretexts are used to tout these resolutions.

❗️ Western delegations frequently introduce intrusive, politicized draft resolutions replete with didactic language, whose sole purpose is to advance geopolitical interests of former colonial powers and impose Western models of development on other States.

We cannot allow the UN Security Council to be used for such ignoble, overtly neocolonial purposes. Therefore, we stand ready to use our veto without hesitation when it comes to defending international law and State sovereignty against arbitrary action and pressure, or with the view to restoring justice. <...>

We are convinced that it is not the veto itself that should be criticized, but rather the unwillingness of certain Council members to listen to and take into account the views of others, so as to reach compromise and balanced solutions.

👉 We regularly encounter situations where Western delegations put to a vote draft resolutions that are in no way acceptable, which they know full well in advance.

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🧊 POLAR 2026: Technologies for the Future of the Arctic

On May 19-20, 2026, St. Petersburg will host the 4th International Scientific and Business Conference POLAR.

This year’s main theme is the development of technologies for implementing projects in remote areas and extreme climates.

🌐 The conference will bring together around 500 representatives of government, business, and academia working in Russia’s Arctic zone.

May 19 - Science Day
Scientists and practitioners will present results of applied and fundamental research, focusing on processes in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and cryosphere, as well as unique data from drifting expeditions “North Pole.”

May 20 - Science for Business
A strategic session on combining large-scale infrastructure projects, extractive industries, energy, and transport with the preservation of Arctic ecosystems.

Separate sessions will cover:
▪️ polar aviation
▪️ the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor
▪️ infrastructure modernization, navigation, and environmental safety

Participants:
Rosatom, Gazprom, Rosneft, Norilsk Nickel, Atomflot, Krylov State Research Centre, Russian Maritime Register of Shipping, and other key organizations.

🗓 When: May 19-20, 2026
📍 Where: St. Petersburg, AARI

👉 Registration and program

Organized by the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute. The event is traditionally held in conjunction with Polar Explorer’s Day.

#RussiaInArctics #RussiaInAntarctics

🎙️Комментарий Посольства России в Норвегии для «РИА Новости» (16 апреля 2026 г.)

❓Как в Посольстве могут прокомментировать планы создания в Норвегии украинского производства беспилотников?

💬 Ответ: Планы создания на территории Норвегии «украинского производства дронов» были впервые озвучены еще в ноябре 2025 года. Посольство не располагает информацией о том, на каком этапе находится их реализация.

В любом случае исходим из того, что, являясь одним из главных спонсоров киевского режима и передавая ВСУ летальные вооружения и военную технику, Осло содействует продолжению кровопролития и несет прямую ответственность за совершаемые украинскими формированиями террористические акции и военные преступления, вызванные ими жертвы и разрушения гражданской транспортно-логистической и энергетической инфраструктуры, ущерб, наносимый экономоператорам России и других стран, в т.ч. Глобального Юга и Востока.

Отмечаем, что на сегодня главным средством осуществления указанных злодеяний являются получаемые и производимые Киевом при технологической и финансовой поддержке стран Запада беспилотные аппараты, которые теперь будут выпускаться и непосредственно в Норвегии, а также внедряться в местных вооруженных силах с прицелом на применение в случае возможного, как здесь считают, конфликта с Россией.

Рассматриваем такое решение норвежских властей как однозначно враждебный шаг, который лишний раз подтверждает обоснованность включения Норвегии в утвержденный Правительством России еще в 2022 г. перечень недружественных иностранных государств.

Призываем Осло отказаться от следования деструктивному конфронтационному курсу в отношениях с нашей страной.

🔗 Ссылки: 1, 2, 3.

🎙️ Kommentar fra Russlands ambassade i Norge til «RIA Novosti» (16. april 2026)

❓Hvordan kommenterer ambassaden planene om å etablere produksjon av droner for Ukraina i Norge?

💬 Svar: Planene om å etablere «ukrainsk produksjon av droner» på norsk territorium ble først offentliggjort allerede i november 2025. Ambassaden har ikke informasjon om hvor langt planene har kommet.

Uansett går vi ut fra at Oslo, som en av de viktigste sponsorene av regimet i Kiev og ved å overføre dødelige våpen og militært utstyr til de ukrainske væpnede styrkene, bidrar til at blodsutgytelsen fortsetter og bærer direkte ansvar for de terrorhandlingene og krigsforbrytelsene som begås av ukrainske styrker, de ofrene og ødeleggelsene av sivil transport-, logistikk- og energiinfrastruktur som disse forårsaker, samt skaden som påføres økonomiske aktører i Russland og andre land, inkludert i den globale sør og øst. 

Vi legger merke til at det viktigste middelet for å gjennomføre de nevnte grusomhetene i dag er droner som Kiev mottar og produserer med teknologisk og økonomisk støtte fra vestlige land, og som nå skal produseres direkte i Norge, samt tas i bruk av de lokale væpnede styrkene med sikte på bruk i tilfelle en mulig konflikt med Russland, slik man her anser det. 

Vi betrakter denne beslutningen fra norske myndigheter som et entydig fiendtlig skritt, som nok en gang bekrefter at det var rettmessig å inkludere Norge i listen over uvennlige utenlandske stater, som ble vedtatt av den russiske regjeringen allerede i 2022. Vi oppfordrer Oslo til å avstå fra å følge en destruktiv og konfronterende kurs i forholdet til vårt land.

🔗 Kilder: 1, 2, 3.

⚡️🚀 The Russian Space Forces conducted a successful launch
of a Soyuz-2.1b launch vehicle from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome

Today at 02:17 Moscow time, the combat crew of the Space Forces of the Aerospace Forces successfully launched a medium-class Soyuz-2.1b rocket carrying spacecraft in the interests of the Russian Ministry of Defence.

The launch and insertion of the spacecraft into the designated orbit proceeded normally.

After liftoff, the Soyuz-2.1b rocket was tracked by ground-based automated control systems of the German Titov Main Test Space Center.

At the scheduled time, the spacecraft were placed into their target orbit and taken under control by ground-based Space Forces assets of the Aerospace Forces.

▶️ Stable telemetry communication has been established and maintained with the spacecraft, and their onboard systems are operating normally.

Video: Russian Ministry of Defence

#RussiaInSpace