🎙 Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview with Channel One (Moscow, March 25, 2025)
Key talking points
• We will need clear-cut guarantees [regarding any agreements]. Given the disappointing experiences of our past agreements with Kiev, the guarantees can only exist in the form of a directive coming from Washington to Zelensky and his team to do so and so and not otherwise. I think our US partners are receptive of this signal.
• Europe, led by Germany - starting with Ursula von der Leyen and everyone else on that list - is beginning to seriously ponder remilitarisation that will set them back outlandish amounts running into hundreds of billions of euros in a situation where its economy and social sphere are circling the drain after the Biden administration let them off the leash and sent them to wage war against the Russian Federation.
• Europe is not only disregarding Donald Trump and his team’s assessment that territorial issues must be resolved outside NATO’s influence – it is actively encouraging Zelensky’s stance.
• We sensed before the Riyadh meeting that the Americans wanted to place Russians and Ukrainians in adjacent rooms, engaging in shuttle diplomacy to ultimately produce a coordinated document. However, we have reiterated what our presidents discussed – our unequivocal stance, which has been agreed by our presidents, is that progress must be reliable and there must not be any unsubstantiated documents.
• Zelensky knows that his days are numbered, and that his positive image he has been cultivating among the people has long since faded, with the exception of those (quite numerous) who hold radical, far-right and revenge-seeking Bandera views.
• The fact that we have resumed dialogue [with the USA] despite all our differences signals a return to normalcy. We need this kind of dialogue, especially since it is not limited to Ukraine.
Read in full
Key talking points
• We will need clear-cut guarantees [regarding any agreements]. Given the disappointing experiences of our past agreements with Kiev, the guarantees can only exist in the form of a directive coming from Washington to Zelensky and his team to do so and so and not otherwise. I think our US partners are receptive of this signal.
• Europe, led by Germany - starting with Ursula von der Leyen and everyone else on that list - is beginning to seriously ponder remilitarisation that will set them back outlandish amounts running into hundreds of billions of euros in a situation where its economy and social sphere are circling the drain after the Biden administration let them off the leash and sent them to wage war against the Russian Federation.
• Europe is not only disregarding Donald Trump and his team’s assessment that territorial issues must be resolved outside NATO’s influence – it is actively encouraging Zelensky’s stance.
• We sensed before the Riyadh meeting that the Americans wanted to place Russians and Ukrainians in adjacent rooms, engaging in shuttle diplomacy to ultimately produce a coordinated document. However, we have reiterated what our presidents discussed – our unequivocal stance, which has been agreed by our presidents, is that progress must be reliable and there must not be any unsubstantiated documents.
• Zelensky knows that his days are numbered, and that his positive image he has been cultivating among the people has long since faded, with the exception of those (quite numerous) who hold radical, far-right and revenge-seeking Bandera views.
• The fact that we have resumed dialogue [with the USA] despite all our differences signals a return to normalcy. We need this kind of dialogue, especially since it is not limited to Ukraine.
Read in full
🎙 Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview with Vesti news programme (Moscow, March 26, 2025)
❓ Question: What core geopolitical principles were established by the decisions of the Yalta Conference?
💬 Sergey Lavrov: The principles were straightforward. I recently addressed this topic and even authored an article <...> The legal embodiment of Yalta and Potsdam resides in the United Nations Charter. Who could possibly oppose its principles? <...>
The imperative remains to uphold equality and the right of nations to self-determination. This very principle underpinned the decolonisation process that unfolded fifteen years after the UN establishment and the Charter’s ratification. African peoples will ultimately conclude that those governing them from metropolitan capitals – through “overseers on the ground” – fail to represent their interests. <...>
Plainly, Ukraine’s current leadership – manipulated by Western puppeteers – fails to represent vast swathes of its population. Crimea, Donbass, and Novorossiya constitute settled matters, particularly given how referenda outcomes in these territories have been enshrined in our Constitution.
The principle of territorial integrity, already addressed, demands reciprocity: respect your people if you expect your borders to be respected. Do not prohibit native languages, historical memory, or ancestral child-rearing traditions. This, too, resonates with the UN Charter, which mandates respect for human rights irrespective of race, sex, language, or religion. <...>
Ursula von der Leyen, alluding to President Donald Trump’s return to power in the United States, recently claimed European values (democracy, human rights, rule of law) face grave peril. This comes from an official who wilfully ignores laws exterminating the Russian language, media, culture, and the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church – sister institution to Russia’s Orthodox Church – enacted by the Nazi regime of Vladimir Zelensky and his predecessor Petr Poroshenko.
Western hypocrisy reveals one truth: refusal to accept the emergent multipolar era. All nations must stand equal, mutual respect must prevail, and competition must be honourable. When the Soviet Union dissolved, the West lectured us about a new epoch and “end of history.” We are all on the same page now: globalisation, fair competition, and presumption of innocence. These principles now lie discarded.
In recent pronouncements by Ursula von der Leyen and other European Union leaders (I do not intend to offend all, but the majority), it is conspicuously evident that, irrespective of circumstances, “the way we interpret democracy is how it must be.” In Ukraine, it is permissible to prohibit the Russian language. In Switzerland, envisage a ban on French, or in Ireland, English (currently, the English and the Irish are at odds there). Were the English language to be banned in Ireland, one would witness an outcry reaching the heavens. Numerous analogous examples abound.
It was determined that in Romania, Călin Georgescu would not run for the presidency, notwithstanding the Constitutional Court of the country having cleared him of all suspicions. Yet the Central Electoral Commission declared: “We do not care about the Constitutional Court; the President has ordered us not to allow ‘this one’ to proceed because he does not denounce Vladimir Putin and Russia.”
The genetic inclination of the West to perpetually perceive itself as a hegemon thus continues to undermine the foundations of the Yalta-Potsdam system. This is a profoundly just system.
Read in full
❓ Question: What core geopolitical principles were established by the decisions of the Yalta Conference?
💬 Sergey Lavrov: The principles were straightforward. I recently addressed this topic and even authored an article <...> The legal embodiment of Yalta and Potsdam resides in the United Nations Charter. Who could possibly oppose its principles? <...>
The imperative remains to uphold equality and the right of nations to self-determination. This very principle underpinned the decolonisation process that unfolded fifteen years after the UN establishment and the Charter’s ratification. African peoples will ultimately conclude that those governing them from metropolitan capitals – through “overseers on the ground” – fail to represent their interests. <...>
Plainly, Ukraine’s current leadership – manipulated by Western puppeteers – fails to represent vast swathes of its population. Crimea, Donbass, and Novorossiya constitute settled matters, particularly given how referenda outcomes in these territories have been enshrined in our Constitution.
The principle of territorial integrity, already addressed, demands reciprocity: respect your people if you expect your borders to be respected. Do not prohibit native languages, historical memory, or ancestral child-rearing traditions. This, too, resonates with the UN Charter, which mandates respect for human rights irrespective of race, sex, language, or religion. <...>
Ursula von der Leyen, alluding to President Donald Trump’s return to power in the United States, recently claimed European values (democracy, human rights, rule of law) face grave peril. This comes from an official who wilfully ignores laws exterminating the Russian language, media, culture, and the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church – sister institution to Russia’s Orthodox Church – enacted by the Nazi regime of Vladimir Zelensky and his predecessor Petr Poroshenko.
Western hypocrisy reveals one truth: refusal to accept the emergent multipolar era. All nations must stand equal, mutual respect must prevail, and competition must be honourable. When the Soviet Union dissolved, the West lectured us about a new epoch and “end of history.” We are all on the same page now: globalisation, fair competition, and presumption of innocence. These principles now lie discarded.
In recent pronouncements by Ursula von der Leyen and other European Union leaders (I do not intend to offend all, but the majority), it is conspicuously evident that, irrespective of circumstances, “the way we interpret democracy is how it must be.” In Ukraine, it is permissible to prohibit the Russian language. In Switzerland, envisage a ban on French, or in Ireland, English (currently, the English and the Irish are at odds there). Were the English language to be banned in Ireland, one would witness an outcry reaching the heavens. Numerous analogous examples abound.
It was determined that in Romania, Călin Georgescu would not run for the presidency, notwithstanding the Constitutional Court of the country having cleared him of all suspicions. Yet the Central Electoral Commission declared: “We do not care about the Constitutional Court; the President has ordered us not to allow ‘this one’ to proceed because he does not denounce Vladimir Putin and Russia.”
The genetic inclination of the West to perpetually perceive itself as a hegemon thus continues to undermine the foundations of the Yalta-Potsdam system. This is a profoundly just system.
Read in full
#Arctic4You
🎙 Remarks by the President of Russia Vladimir Putin at a plenary session of the VI International Arctic Forum "The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue".
💬 Vladimir Putin: Russia is the largest Arctic power.
We have consistently advocated for equitable cooperation in the region, encompassing scientific research, biodiversity protection, climate issues, emergencies response, and, of course, the economic and industrial development of the Arctic. We are prepared to collaborate not only with Arctic states but with all who, like us, share responsibility for ensuring a stable and sustainable future for the planet and are capable of adopting balanced decisions for decades to come. <...>
The role and importance of the Arctic for Russia and for the entire world are obviously growing. Regrettably, the geopolitical competition and fighting for positions in this region are also escalating. <...>
As to Greenland, this is an issue that concerns two specific nations and has nothing to do with us. But at the same time, of course, we are concerned about the fact that NATO countries are increasingly often designating the Far North as a springboard for possible conflicts and are practicing the use of troops in these conditions, including by their “new recruits” – Finland and Sweden, with whom, incidentally, until recently we had no problems at all. <...>
Russia has never threatened anyone in the Arctic. However, we are closely monitoring developments in the region, formulating an appropriate response strategy, enhancing the combat capabilities of the Armed Forces, and modernising military infrastructure facilities.
☝️ We will not tolerate any encroachments on our country’s sovereignty and will steadfastly safeguard our national interests. By upholding peace and stability in the Arctic region, we will ensure its long-term socio-economic development, improve the quality of life for its residents, and preserve its unique natural environment.
Key points:
• Over the past decade, cargo traffic along the Northern Sea Route – spanning from the Kara Gates Strait to the Bering Strait – has substantially increased. In 2014, a mere four million tonnes of cargo were transported via this corridor. By last year, that figure had risen to nearly 38 million tonnes – five times the Soviet-era record.
• The Northern Sea Route is poised to become a pivotal segment of the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor, stretching from St Petersburg through Murmansk to Vladivostok.
• Cargo shipments along the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor are set to increase on the back of growing minerals production and the advanced processing of these resources right here in the Arctic, and due to rising international transits.
• Russia already operates the world’s biggest icebreaker fleet. We must consolidate our leadership in this sector by building new-generation icebreakers, including nuclear icebreakers. Today, only Russia has them – no other country has a nuclear icebreaker fleet.
• Plans are in place to increase the capacity and turnover of our northern ports through the introduction of innovative and environmentally friendly solutions, including unmanned and automated cargo handling equipment. <...> I would like to add that our partners from Belarus, China, the United Arab Emirates and other countries are showing keen interest in [the Murmansk transport hub] and in the development of the Arctic transport infrastructure in general.
• The regions of Siberia, the Urals, and Russia’s North-West will receive direct access to the North, to the Arctic ports, which will lessen the load on the Trans-Siberian Railway and promote effective use of sea transport. In addition, there will be new points of access to the Arctic from the North-South corridor, which connects us with Central Asia and the Gulf states.
Read in full
🎙 Remarks by the President of Russia Vladimir Putin at a plenary session of the VI International Arctic Forum "The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue".
💬 Vladimir Putin: Russia is the largest Arctic power.
We have consistently advocated for equitable cooperation in the region, encompassing scientific research, biodiversity protection, climate issues, emergencies response, and, of course, the economic and industrial development of the Arctic. We are prepared to collaborate not only with Arctic states but with all who, like us, share responsibility for ensuring a stable and sustainable future for the planet and are capable of adopting balanced decisions for decades to come. <...>
The role and importance of the Arctic for Russia and for the entire world are obviously growing. Regrettably, the geopolitical competition and fighting for positions in this region are also escalating. <...>
As to Greenland, this is an issue that concerns two specific nations and has nothing to do with us. But at the same time, of course, we are concerned about the fact that NATO countries are increasingly often designating the Far North as a springboard for possible conflicts and are practicing the use of troops in these conditions, including by their “new recruits” – Finland and Sweden, with whom, incidentally, until recently we had no problems at all. <...>
Russia has never threatened anyone in the Arctic. However, we are closely monitoring developments in the region, formulating an appropriate response strategy, enhancing the combat capabilities of the Armed Forces, and modernising military infrastructure facilities.
☝️ We will not tolerate any encroachments on our country’s sovereignty and will steadfastly safeguard our national interests. By upholding peace and stability in the Arctic region, we will ensure its long-term socio-economic development, improve the quality of life for its residents, and preserve its unique natural environment.
Key points:
• Over the past decade, cargo traffic along the Northern Sea Route – spanning from the Kara Gates Strait to the Bering Strait – has substantially increased. In 2014, a mere four million tonnes of cargo were transported via this corridor. By last year, that figure had risen to nearly 38 million tonnes – five times the Soviet-era record.
• The Northern Sea Route is poised to become a pivotal segment of the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor, stretching from St Petersburg through Murmansk to Vladivostok.
• Cargo shipments along the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor are set to increase on the back of growing minerals production and the advanced processing of these resources right here in the Arctic, and due to rising international transits.
• Russia already operates the world’s biggest icebreaker fleet. We must consolidate our leadership in this sector by building new-generation icebreakers, including nuclear icebreakers. Today, only Russia has them – no other country has a nuclear icebreaker fleet.
• Plans are in place to increase the capacity and turnover of our northern ports through the introduction of innovative and environmentally friendly solutions, including unmanned and automated cargo handling equipment. <...> I would like to add that our partners from Belarus, China, the United Arab Emirates and other countries are showing keen interest in [the Murmansk transport hub] and in the development of the Arctic transport infrastructure in general.
• The regions of Siberia, the Urals, and Russia’s North-West will receive direct access to the North, to the Arctic ports, which will lessen the load on the Trans-Siberian Railway and promote effective use of sea transport. In addition, there will be new points of access to the Arctic from the North-South corridor, which connects us with Central Asia and the Gulf states.
Read in full
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
Media is too big
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🇷🇺 Ministry of Civil Defence, Emergencies and Disaster Relief of the Russian Federation:
⚡️ Russia's EMERCOM dispatches two aircraft carrying rescue personnel to the Republic of Myanmar to assist in earthquake recovery efforts.
By order of Russian President Vladimir Putin and under the instructions of Emergencies Minister Alexander Kurenkov, a contingent of Russian rescue specialists departed from Zhukovsky Airport for Myanmar.
The unit, comprising 120 specialists from the Ministry’s airmobile detachment, Tsentrospas, and the Leader special risk rescue centre. The team also includes K9 search units, anesthesiologists, and psychologists.
👩🚒 Russian emergency responders possess extensive expertise in responding to natural disasters, including major earthquakes. They are equipped with all necessary gear for search and rescue operations.
Help is coming! #RussiaHelps
⚡️ Russia's EMERCOM dispatches two aircraft carrying rescue personnel to the Republic of Myanmar to assist in earthquake recovery efforts.
By order of Russian President Vladimir Putin and under the instructions of Emergencies Minister Alexander Kurenkov, a contingent of Russian rescue specialists departed from Zhukovsky Airport for Myanmar.
The unit, comprising 120 specialists from the Ministry’s airmobile detachment, Tsentrospas, and the Leader special risk rescue centre. The team also includes K9 search units, anesthesiologists, and psychologists.
Help is coming! #RussiaHelps
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On March 28th, the Embassy of Russia in Singapore hosted a lecture on the celebration of Maslenitsa in Russia, followed by a special screening of the film Cheburashka. The event was attended by students from the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University. Guests had the opportunity to enjoy traditional Maslenitsa treats, adding a tasty touch to the cultural experience. The evening was filled with rich discussions, delightful food, and a chance to learn about this unique Russian holiday.
28 марта в Посольстве России в Сингапуре прошел кинопоказ фильма «Чебурашка» и лекция о праздновании Масленицы в России. Мероприятие посетили студенты Национального университета Сингапура и Наньянского технологического университета. Гости смогли попробовать традиционные масленичные угощения, что стало вкусным дополнением к их новому культурному опыту. Вечер был наполнен интересными дискуссиями и позволил сингапурцам узнать больше об этом празднике.
28 марта в Посольстве России в Сингапуре прошел кинопоказ фильма «Чебурашка» и лекция о праздновании Масленицы в России. Мероприятие посетили студенты Национального университета Сингапура и Наньянского технологического университета. Гости смогли попробовать традиционные масленичные угощения, что стало вкусным дополнением к их новому культурному опыту. Вечер был наполнен интересными дискуссиями и позволил сингапурцам узнать больше об этом празднике.
👍6
🎙 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s answer to a media question, Moscow, April 1, 2025 (Moscow, April 1, 2025)
❓ I have a question about strikes on energy infrastructure. We keep hearing mixed messages coming from Kiev. One day they are ready to sit down and talk, and next thing you know they keep attacking our facilities. Could you provide an update on where things stand with regard to the moratorium? Is it being observed, if so, to what extent, and is it still in force for us and the other party?
💬 Sergey Lavrov: At the very beginning of today’s meeting of the Security Council of the Russian Federation and before taking up the main issue of combatting terrorist threats, President Vladimir Putin asked Defence Minister Andrey Belousov and me to provide an update on the status of our relations with the United States on the Ukrainian dossier.
Andrey Belousov spoke precisely about the moratorium that was agreed upon at the suggestion of President Trump on March 18 during the telephone call between the President of Russia and the President of the United States.
❗️ The moratorium is not being observed. All this time, the energy facilities of the Russian Federation have been coming under attacks with occasional short breaks of one to two days between them.
Defence Minister Belousov listed the facilities targeted by Ukrainian drones over the period under review, including last night.
My update went along the same lines. The Russian army is observing the moratorium that President Putin ordered to strictly comply with on March 18 during a telephone conversation with President Trump.
Remember, President Putin said seven drones were on their way to attack targets in Ukraine as they were having this telephone conversation. The drones were destroyed by our air defence forces and a jet fighter on duty that was up in the air at the time. Since then, we have been 100 percent compliant with that agreement with President Trump.
We passed the list of violations cited by Defence Minister Andrey Belousov at the Security Council meeting to US National Security Adviser Michael Waltz. I forwarded this list to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and our representatives at the UN and the OSCE for them to use these concrete facts in their work and let everyone know the real worth of the words uttered by the current Ukrainian authorities, if “this” can even be called authorities.
In addition to this topic, President Putin asked me to provide an update on other areas of work with the Americans, including matters that were discussed on March 24 in Riyadh, when experts from Russia and the United States met to discuss the revivification, resumption, and resuscitation of the grain Black Sea Initiative. During the talks in Riyadh, we highly appreciated - President Putin supported this assessment - the United States’ willingness to help eliminate obstacles created by illegal unilateral sanctions imposed on Russian grain and fertiliser exports. They created tensions on global markets and difficulties for the developing countries, which faced limited access to food and fertiliser.
We supported the US willingness to act in that regard which was laid out on paper after the March 24 meeting, and added specific proposals on how this could be done in practice.
<...>
The third topic of our interaction with the Americans is about eliminating “irritants” that seriously impede the work of our Embassy in Washington D.C. and the US Embassy in Moscow. Clearly, we did not initiate these obstacles. The Obama Administration did quite a lot in that regard. We only responded under the diplomatic law of reciprocity, which no one has torn up yet.
There was a meeting in Istanbul. Preparations are underway to hold a second one. There are contacts by phone and videoconference calls. I’d rather not make any predictions, but we can see signs of progress and our US partners’ willingness to lift these obstacles to normal work of diplomats in our respective capitals that are absolutely unacceptable from the point of view of diplomatic practice.
📄 Read in full
❓ I have a question about strikes on energy infrastructure. We keep hearing mixed messages coming from Kiev. One day they are ready to sit down and talk, and next thing you know they keep attacking our facilities. Could you provide an update on where things stand with regard to the moratorium? Is it being observed, if so, to what extent, and is it still in force for us and the other party?
💬 Sergey Lavrov: At the very beginning of today’s meeting of the Security Council of the Russian Federation and before taking up the main issue of combatting terrorist threats, President Vladimir Putin asked Defence Minister Andrey Belousov and me to provide an update on the status of our relations with the United States on the Ukrainian dossier.
Andrey Belousov spoke precisely about the moratorium that was agreed upon at the suggestion of President Trump on March 18 during the telephone call between the President of Russia and the President of the United States.
❗️ The moratorium is not being observed. All this time, the energy facilities of the Russian Federation have been coming under attacks with occasional short breaks of one to two days between them.
Defence Minister Belousov listed the facilities targeted by Ukrainian drones over the period under review, including last night.
My update went along the same lines. The Russian army is observing the moratorium that President Putin ordered to strictly comply with on March 18 during a telephone conversation with President Trump.
Remember, President Putin said seven drones were on their way to attack targets in Ukraine as they were having this telephone conversation. The drones were destroyed by our air defence forces and a jet fighter on duty that was up in the air at the time. Since then, we have been 100 percent compliant with that agreement with President Trump.
We passed the list of violations cited by Defence Minister Andrey Belousov at the Security Council meeting to US National Security Adviser Michael Waltz. I forwarded this list to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and our representatives at the UN and the OSCE for them to use these concrete facts in their work and let everyone know the real worth of the words uttered by the current Ukrainian authorities, if “this” can even be called authorities.
In addition to this topic, President Putin asked me to provide an update on other areas of work with the Americans, including matters that were discussed on March 24 in Riyadh, when experts from Russia and the United States met to discuss the revivification, resumption, and resuscitation of the grain Black Sea Initiative. During the talks in Riyadh, we highly appreciated - President Putin supported this assessment - the United States’ willingness to help eliminate obstacles created by illegal unilateral sanctions imposed on Russian grain and fertiliser exports. They created tensions on global markets and difficulties for the developing countries, which faced limited access to food and fertiliser.
We supported the US willingness to act in that regard which was laid out on paper after the March 24 meeting, and added specific proposals on how this could be done in practice.
<...>
The third topic of our interaction with the Americans is about eliminating “irritants” that seriously impede the work of our Embassy in Washington D.C. and the US Embassy in Moscow. Clearly, we did not initiate these obstacles. The Obama Administration did quite a lot in that regard. We only responded under the diplomatic law of reciprocity, which no one has torn up yet.
There was a meeting in Istanbul. Preparations are underway to hold a second one. There are contacts by phone and videoconference calls. I’d rather not make any predictions, but we can see signs of progress and our US partners’ willingness to lift these obstacles to normal work of diplomats in our respective capitals that are absolutely unacceptable from the point of view of diplomatic practice.
📄 Read in full
🗂Russia’s Defence Ministry has been releasing content from its Central Archives on a dedicated website (in Russian) to celebrate the heroicfeats accomplished by the Soviet heroes during the fight against the Nazis & their cronies during the Great Patriotic War & World War II.
This valuable archive data includes award lists, registration cards, photos and personal files illustrating how these heroes served and performed in combat.
The heroes in the project include people of various ethnic backgrounds and coming from all Soviet republics, including the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Estonia.
❗️These archive materials used to be classified. The initiative to bring them into public domain today is designed to protect the historical truth, fight efforts to falsify and distort history, while celebrating the heroic feats accomplished by the Soviet people during the Great Patriotic War.
This valuable archive data includes award lists, registration cards, photos and personal files illustrating how these heroes served and performed in combat.
The heroes in the project include people of various ethnic backgrounds and coming from all Soviet republics, including the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Estonia.
❗️These archive materials used to be classified. The initiative to bring them into public domain today is designed to protect the historical truth, fight efforts to falsify and distort history, while celebrating the heroic feats accomplished by the Soviet people during the Great Patriotic War.
#GreatPatrioticWar
🗓 April 4 marks the 80th Anniversary of the liberation of Bratislava from Nazi invaders, expelled from the capital of Slovakia as a result of the Bratislava-Brno offensive operation (March 25 – May 5, 1945), which involved units of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, commanded by Marshal Rodion Malinovsky.
💬 Marshal Matvey Zakharov, Chief of Staff of the 2nd Ukrainian Front:
🏅 On March 25, Soviet forces launched an offensive on the heavily fortified city. In an effort to minimise civilian casualties and destruction, the Soviet high command opted not to use large-calibre artillery systems, primarily deploying assault infantry units instead.
By April 2, Soviet forces had entered the eastern and north-eastern districts of the city. On April 4, Red Army forces reached Bratislavsky Hrad, a fortress in central Bratislava, where the remaining German garrison was holed up. The city fell by the end of the day, with scattered Nazi units retreating towards Vienna.
Soviet authorities immediately began efforts to restore normal life in the city. Archive documents from the Russian Defence Ministry, declassified ahead of the 75th Anniversary of Bratislava’s liberation, indicate that rubble and debris had been cleared from the city’s central streets and squares by April 10, 1945. The sewage system was reactivated, and people began returning to their homes from nearby villages.
As a result of the Bratislava-Brno operation, the forces of the 2nd Ukrainian Front advanced 200 km, destroyed 9 Wehrmacht divisions and created conditions for further offensive operations towards Prague and Vienna.
The military units that distinguished themselves in the battles for the city were awarded the honorary title of "Bratislava".
A total of 6'845 Soviet officers and soldiers lost their lives while fighting in Bratislava, most of whom are buried at the Slavin military memorial complex in the centre of the Slovak capital.
Every year on April 4, this complex hosts commemorative events dedicated to the city’s liberation from Nazi invaders, with participation from Russian representatives. This year, a delegation of students from MGIMO University will take part in the event.
In total, 63'518 Red Army officers and soldiers were killed while liberating Slovakia.
***
⚔️ Simultaneously, the forces of the 3rd Ukrainian Front halted a major German offensive south of Lake Balaton in Hungary, where the German high command had deployed its best remaining tank units, amid fierce and brutal fighting.
The Red Army pursued the retreating enemy units and completely liberated Hungary by April 4.
The Wehrmacht’s further resistance was futile from a military and strategic perspective, serving only as an attempt by Hitler and his inner circle to delay their inevitable downfall by sacrificing the lives of hundreds of thousands of their compatriots.
🕯 Over 140'000 Soviet officers and soldiers were killed or went missing while liberating Hungary. There are 1'231 Russian (Soviet) burial sites in the country, including 1'036 that date back to the World War II period.
#Victory80
🗓 April 4 marks the 80th Anniversary of the liberation of Bratislava from Nazi invaders, expelled from the capital of Slovakia as a result of the Bratislava-Brno offensive operation (March 25 – May 5, 1945), which involved units of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, commanded by Marshal Rodion Malinovsky.
💬 Marshal Matvey Zakharov, Chief of Staff of the 2nd Ukrainian Front:
Before advancing on Bratislava, the front’s command established communications with Slovak partisans, who proved invaluable. They provided crucial intelligence about the German fortification system, plans for defending specific cities, as well as the strength and organisation of the enemy forces.
By April 2, Soviet forces had entered the eastern and north-eastern districts of the city. On April 4, Red Army forces reached Bratislavsky Hrad, a fortress in central Bratislava, where the remaining German garrison was holed up. The city fell by the end of the day, with scattered Nazi units retreating towards Vienna.
Soviet authorities immediately began efforts to restore normal life in the city. Archive documents from the Russian Defence Ministry, declassified ahead of the 75th Anniversary of Bratislava’s liberation, indicate that rubble and debris had been cleared from the city’s central streets and squares by April 10, 1945. The sewage system was reactivated, and people began returning to their homes from nearby villages.
As a result of the Bratislava-Brno operation, the forces of the 2nd Ukrainian Front advanced 200 km, destroyed 9 Wehrmacht divisions and created conditions for further offensive operations towards Prague and Vienna.
The military units that distinguished themselves in the battles for the city were awarded the honorary title of "Bratislava".
A total of 6'845 Soviet officers and soldiers lost their lives while fighting in Bratislava, most of whom are buried at the Slavin military memorial complex in the centre of the Slovak capital.
Every year on April 4, this complex hosts commemorative events dedicated to the city’s liberation from Nazi invaders, with participation from Russian representatives. This year, a delegation of students from MGIMO University will take part in the event.
In total, 63'518 Red Army officers and soldiers were killed while liberating Slovakia.
***
⚔️ Simultaneously, the forces of the 3rd Ukrainian Front halted a major German offensive south of Lake Balaton in Hungary, where the German high command had deployed its best remaining tank units, amid fierce and brutal fighting.
The Red Army pursued the retreating enemy units and completely liberated Hungary by April 4.
The Wehrmacht’s further resistance was futile from a military and strategic perspective, serving only as an attempt by Hitler and his inner circle to delay their inevitable downfall by sacrificing the lives of hundreds of thousands of their compatriots.
🕯 Over 140'000 Soviet officers and soldiers were killed or went missing while liberating Hungary. There are 1'231 Russian (Soviet) burial sites in the country, including 1'036 that date back to the World War II period.
#Victory80
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О российско-сингапурских консультациях
4 апреля заместитель Министра иностранных дел Российской Федерации А.Ю.Руденко провел консультации по вопросам двусторонней и международной повестки дня с постоянным секретарем Министерства иностранных дел Республики Сингапур А.Чуа.
Проведен обстоятельный обмен мнениями о состоянии и перспективах российско-сингапурских отношений. С российской стороны вновь указано на контрпродуктивность введенных властями Сингапура в марте 2022 года антироссийских санкций, которые остаются препятствием для полномасштабной реализации внушительного потенциала сотрудничества в областях, представляющих взаимный интерес, в том числе в торгово-экономической и гуманитарной.
Внимание было также уделено ключевым вопросам многосторонней кооперации в Азиатско-Тихоокеанском регионе, совместного противодействия стоящим перед ним вызовам и угрозам. Отмечена особая роль Ассоциации государств Юго-Восточной Азии как системообразующей организации в интеграционных процессах в АТР. В этом контексте стороны высказались за дальнейшее продвижение разноплановых связей по линии диалогового партнерства Россия-АСЕАН.
Были подробно изложены подходы России к развитию ситуации вокруг Украины, обстановки на Корейском полуострове.
4 апреля заместитель Министра иностранных дел Российской Федерации А.Ю.Руденко провел консультации по вопросам двусторонней и международной повестки дня с постоянным секретарем Министерства иностранных дел Республики Сингапур А.Чуа.
Проведен обстоятельный обмен мнениями о состоянии и перспективах российско-сингапурских отношений. С российской стороны вновь указано на контрпродуктивность введенных властями Сингапура в марте 2022 года антироссийских санкций, которые остаются препятствием для полномасштабной реализации внушительного потенциала сотрудничества в областях, представляющих взаимный интерес, в том числе в торгово-экономической и гуманитарной.
Внимание было также уделено ключевым вопросам многосторонней кооперации в Азиатско-Тихоокеанском регионе, совместного противодействия стоящим перед ним вызовам и угрозам. Отмечена особая роль Ассоциации государств Юго-Восточной Азии как системообразующей организации в интеграционных процессах в АТР. В этом контексте стороны высказались за дальнейшее продвижение разноплановых связей по линии диалогового партнерства Россия-АСЕАН.
Были подробно изложены подходы России к развитию ситуации вокруг Украины, обстановки на Корейском полуострове.
👍2🙏2
#GreatPatrioticWar
🛩 On 6 April 1966, Soviet pilots Boris Kapustin and Yury Yanov performed a heroic feat in the skies above West Berlin — they refused to eject from their falling aircraft, instead steering it away from residential areas. They perished but saved the lives of many on the ground.
Both engines of their Yak-28 fighter-bomber, equipped with experimental top-secret technology, failed mid-flight. The aircraft was en-route (returning) from the Sverdlovsk Aviation Plant, and the cause of the malfunction was later determined to be clogged fuel tubes — paper stickers had not been removed during assembly.
Beneath the stricken aircraft lay a densely populated city. Kapustin, the flight commander, manoeuvred to avoid residential neighbourhoods. He offered navigator Yanov the chance to eject, but Yanov remained on board, fearing that his departure might compromise the aircraft’s aerodynamics and lead to total loss of control.
They fought to the last moment to protect civilians, ultimately directing the falling aircraft into Lake Stößensee. The Yak-28 sank, and the crew perished without leaving their combat post.
🕊 On 8 April 1966, a funeral ceremony was held to transfer the remains of the Soviet pilots to representatives of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany. Delegations from cities across both East and West Germany came to pay their respects. Throughout the day, Germans arrived to honour the Soviet heroes.
🌟 Kapustin and Yanov were posthumously awarded the Order of the Red Banner by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on 10 May 1966.
🙏 A memorial plaque was installed at the crash site. In Eberswalde and seven other German cities, grateful residents erected commemorative signs. On 30 March 2001, a memorial was unveiled at the aviation museum at Finow Airfield.
Their sacrifice and eternal bravery continue to live on in the hearts of those who remember to this day.
🛩 On 6 April 1966, Soviet pilots Boris Kapustin and Yury Yanov performed a heroic feat in the skies above West Berlin — they refused to eject from their falling aircraft, instead steering it away from residential areas. They perished but saved the lives of many on the ground.
Both engines of their Yak-28 fighter-bomber, equipped with experimental top-secret technology, failed mid-flight. The aircraft was en-route (returning) from the Sverdlovsk Aviation Plant, and the cause of the malfunction was later determined to be clogged fuel tubes — paper stickers had not been removed during assembly.
Beneath the stricken aircraft lay a densely populated city. Kapustin, the flight commander, manoeuvred to avoid residential neighbourhoods. He offered navigator Yanov the chance to eject, but Yanov remained on board, fearing that his departure might compromise the aircraft’s aerodynamics and lead to total loss of control.
They fought to the last moment to protect civilians, ultimately directing the falling aircraft into Lake Stößensee. The Yak-28 sank, and the crew perished without leaving their combat post.
🕊 On 8 April 1966, a funeral ceremony was held to transfer the remains of the Soviet pilots to representatives of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany. Delegations from cities across both East and West Germany came to pay their respects. Throughout the day, Germans arrived to honour the Soviet heroes.
🌟 Kapustin and Yanov were posthumously awarded the Order of the Red Banner by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on 10 May 1966.
🙏 A memorial plaque was installed at the crash site. In Eberswalde and seven other German cities, grateful residents erected commemorative signs. On 30 March 2001, a memorial was unveiled at the aviation museum at Finow Airfield.
Their sacrifice and eternal bravery continue to live on in the hearts of those who remember to this day.
👍1
🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s statement at the opening ceremony of a TASS photo exhibition, “Their Immortal Heroism,” (Moscow, April 8, 2025)
💬Sergey Lavrov: We are delighted to open a photo exhibition, #TheirImmortalHeroism, at the Foreign Ministry today. It includes archival photographs, official statements and reports by TASS correspondents made in the past few months of the Great Patriotic War.
I would like to begin by expressing gratitude to the TASS management and staff for their contribution to preparing this unique exposition. It opens a series of events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War and organised for the diplomatic corps accredited in our country.
☝️ When speaking about the Great Victory, we recall the combat heroism of Soviet soldiers, who have saved the world from the Nazi plague. The “information army” greatly contributed to the common efforts to defeat the enemy. The courageous TASS correspondents risked their lives every day to create a chronicle of the 1,418 days of that war. To this day, their photographs and reports remain a vital source of reliable information about those events.
TASS played a special role in exposing Nazi propaganda. The Agency’s materials revealed the criminal nature of Nazism and its deadly threat to humanity. Thanks to the journalists’ work, the world learned about the courageous defenders of Moscow, Leningrad and Stalingrad and about the atrocities the invaders committed in the occupied Soviet territories. TASS photographs were included in the verdict of the Nuremberg Trials.
The TASS Windows war-time posters made an invaluable contribution to Victory. They showed that art and satire can be a lethal weapon in capable hands. These posters have become widely popular not only in our country but also beyond it, where they could be acquired by subscription and included in the exhibitions held in Washington, Johannesburg, London, Beijing, Istanbul, Stockholm and Tehran.
❗️This TASS legacy is especially important today when more and more attempts are being made in the West to rewrite history and overhaul the political, international legal and moral results of the Great Victory in the Second World War. Our country’s role in defeating the enemy is being deliberately played down. The monstrous crimes committed by the Nazis and their accomplices and collaborators are being justified. The very principle of outlawing the man-hating Nazi ideology is being undermined. I would like to remind you that it is one of the fundamentals principles of the post-war world order, known as the Yalta-Potsdam world order, alongside the primacy of international law and the central role of the UN, and primarily its Security Council, in balancing the interests of states.
👉 In this situation, TASS remains a reliable keeper of historical truth. The archival materials collected during the war are an effective weapon in the battle against the falsification of history.
A relevant example is a letter, which you can see at the exhibition, from the head of Poland’s Provisional Government to the Soviet leadership, dated February 16, 1945, with assurances of eternal friendship between Polish, Russian and all other Soviet peoples. Equally eloquent are the photographs made in the liberated European cities, showing people welcome Soviet soldiers with joy and present them with flowers. The EU prefers to forget about these documents and is trying to eradicate this memory, but facts cannot be erased from history.
🕊Keeping the truth about the war is our common responsibility to those who have given their lives for peace and freedom. I believe that this exhibition can be shown not only in Russia but also beyond it, also based on the possibilities of the embassies and Russia Houses, wherever they exist.
Read in full
💬Sergey Lavrov: We are delighted to open a photo exhibition, #TheirImmortalHeroism, at the Foreign Ministry today. It includes archival photographs, official statements and reports by TASS correspondents made in the past few months of the Great Patriotic War.
I would like to begin by expressing gratitude to the TASS management and staff for their contribution to preparing this unique exposition. It opens a series of events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War and organised for the diplomatic corps accredited in our country.
☝️ When speaking about the Great Victory, we recall the combat heroism of Soviet soldiers, who have saved the world from the Nazi plague. The “information army” greatly contributed to the common efforts to defeat the enemy. The courageous TASS correspondents risked their lives every day to create a chronicle of the 1,418 days of that war. To this day, their photographs and reports remain a vital source of reliable information about those events.
TASS played a special role in exposing Nazi propaganda. The Agency’s materials revealed the criminal nature of Nazism and its deadly threat to humanity. Thanks to the journalists’ work, the world learned about the courageous defenders of Moscow, Leningrad and Stalingrad and about the atrocities the invaders committed in the occupied Soviet territories. TASS photographs were included in the verdict of the Nuremberg Trials.
The TASS Windows war-time posters made an invaluable contribution to Victory. They showed that art and satire can be a lethal weapon in capable hands. These posters have become widely popular not only in our country but also beyond it, where they could be acquired by subscription and included in the exhibitions held in Washington, Johannesburg, London, Beijing, Istanbul, Stockholm and Tehran.
❗️This TASS legacy is especially important today when more and more attempts are being made in the West to rewrite history and overhaul the political, international legal and moral results of the Great Victory in the Second World War. Our country’s role in defeating the enemy is being deliberately played down. The monstrous crimes committed by the Nazis and their accomplices and collaborators are being justified. The very principle of outlawing the man-hating Nazi ideology is being undermined. I would like to remind you that it is one of the fundamentals principles of the post-war world order, known as the Yalta-Potsdam world order, alongside the primacy of international law and the central role of the UN, and primarily its Security Council, in balancing the interests of states.
👉 In this situation, TASS remains a reliable keeper of historical truth. The archival materials collected during the war are an effective weapon in the battle against the falsification of history.
A relevant example is a letter, which you can see at the exhibition, from the head of Poland’s Provisional Government to the Soviet leadership, dated February 16, 1945, with assurances of eternal friendship between Polish, Russian and all other Soviet peoples. Equally eloquent are the photographs made in the liberated European cities, showing people welcome Soviet soldiers with joy and present them with flowers. The EU prefers to forget about these documents and is trying to eradicate this memory, but facts cannot be erased from history.
🕊Keeping the truth about the war is our common responsibility to those who have given their lives for peace and freedom. I believe that this exhibition can be shown not only in Russia but also beyond it, also based on the possibilities of the embassies and Russia Houses, wherever they exist.
Read in full
On April 8–9, the IV Eurasian Meeting of Russian Women Compatriots was held in Doha, Qatar, under the auspices of the Russian Government Commission on Compatriots Living Abroad.
The forum brought together 60 delegates—active members of Russian-speaking communities abroad—from around 50 countries.
During the discussions, participants thoroughly examined the prospects for consolidating the compatriot women's movement and the further development of all areas of their activities. Concrete steps were outlined to protect historical memory and promote Russian spiritual and moral values, language, and culture.
Chairperson of the Russian culture club in Singapore Oksana Melnik represented Singapore.
The forum brought together 60 delegates—active members of Russian-speaking communities abroad—from around 50 countries.
During the discussions, participants thoroughly examined the prospects for consolidating the compatriot women's movement and the further development of all areas of their activities. Concrete steps were outlined to protect historical memory and promote Russian spiritual and moral values, language, and culture.
Chairperson of the Russian culture club in Singapore Oksana Melnik represented Singapore.
🇷🇺🇺🇸 April 10 marked a round of Russian-American expert consultations in Istanbul, aimed at normalising the operations of the diplomatic missions of both nations and addressing accumulated bilateral “irritants.”
The delegations, led by Russian Ambassador to the United States Alexander Darchiev and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Sonata Coulter, exchanged diplomatic notes to formalise agreed commitments. These commitments are designed to facilitate unimpeded banking and financial services for Russian and American diplomatic missions, in addition to ensuring the fulfilment of the Russian Federation’s contributions to the budgets of the UN and other international organisations.
In the context of the issue raised by the Russian side regarding the return of six diplomatic real estate properties confiscated by the United States authorities and lawfully owned by the Russian Federation, the parties agreed to develop a roadmap. Ambassador Alexander Darchiev emphasised the importance of urgent practical measures in this regard, including immediate access for Russian representatives to inspect these premises and assess incurred damages.
Discussions also continued on easing visa processing and travel regulations for diplomatic staff within the host countries. The Russian Ambassador pressed for accelerated progress in resolving pivotal issues to bolster mutual trust and expand bilateral business and social ties, such as resuming direct air flights.
Following the consultations, the parties resolved to promptly refine the proposals tabled. The objective remains to achieve mutually acceptable solutions ahead of the next round, the timing of which is currently under coordination.
#RussiaUS
The delegations, led by Russian Ambassador to the United States Alexander Darchiev and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Sonata Coulter, exchanged diplomatic notes to formalise agreed commitments. These commitments are designed to facilitate unimpeded banking and financial services for Russian and American diplomatic missions, in addition to ensuring the fulfilment of the Russian Federation’s contributions to the budgets of the UN and other international organisations.
In the context of the issue raised by the Russian side regarding the return of six diplomatic real estate properties confiscated by the United States authorities and lawfully owned by the Russian Federation, the parties agreed to develop a roadmap. Ambassador Alexander Darchiev emphasised the importance of urgent practical measures in this regard, including immediate access for Russian representatives to inspect these premises and assess incurred damages.
Discussions also continued on easing visa processing and travel regulations for diplomatic staff within the host countries. The Russian Ambassador pressed for accelerated progress in resolving pivotal issues to bolster mutual trust and expand bilateral business and social ties, such as resuming direct air flights.
Following the consultations, the parties resolved to promptly refine the proposals tabled. The objective remains to achieve mutually acceptable solutions ahead of the next round, the timing of which is currently under coordination.
#RussiaUS
🚀 On April 12, 1961, at 9.07 am Moscow Time, the Vostok spacecraft with Yury Gagarin aboard made its historic lift-off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. This first manned space mission in the history of humankind heralded the beginning of the Space Age.
Yury #Gagarin was only 27 years old then. He had experienced various hardships earlier in life, spending his childhood years in his home town in Nazi-occupied territory during the Great Patriotic War. After the war, he joined the Saratov air club, for many years he trained hard to become a professional pilot. Gagarin eventually joined the first Soviet cosmonaut squad.
On that memorable April morning, he was preparing to take off into the unknown where no human being had ever been before. A photographer took images of the cosmonaut’s face before the flight. Gagarin showed absolutely no fear, flashing his famous smile and concentrating on his responsible assignment.
🧑🚀 Yury Gagarin spent 108 minutes in outer space, orbited the Earth and successfully landed near the village of Smelovka in the Saratov Region.
While in orbit, he maintained radio contact with Earth, conducted observations through a porthole, controlled the operation of the spacecraft’s systems and made a few experiments.
📰 The media widely announced Yury Gagarin’s mission 55 minutes after the Vostok rocket lifted off. It became the most quoted news story worldwide. Instantly, a Soviet pilot & cosmonaut became the most famous person on Earth.
Two days later, the residents of the Soviet capital took to the streets, carrying flowers and posters that welcomed Gagarin who had arrived in Moscow. In late April, the first man in space went on a global tour to share his impressions with people all over the world.
🌐 In the next two years following this history-making event, Yury Gagarin visited over 30 countries where he was given a hero’s welcome. His tour was unofficially named the Peace Mission. Despite his immense popularity, Gagarin remained his own usual self and continued to engage in what he liked most – aviation and cosmonautics – for the rest of his life.
Yury #Gagarin was only 27 years old then. He had experienced various hardships earlier in life, spending his childhood years in his home town in Nazi-occupied territory during the Great Patriotic War. After the war, he joined the Saratov air club, for many years he trained hard to become a professional pilot. Gagarin eventually joined the first Soviet cosmonaut squad.
On that memorable April morning, he was preparing to take off into the unknown where no human being had ever been before. A photographer took images of the cosmonaut’s face before the flight. Gagarin showed absolutely no fear, flashing his famous smile and concentrating on his responsible assignment.
🧑🚀 Yury Gagarin spent 108 minutes in outer space, orbited the Earth and successfully landed near the village of Smelovka in the Saratov Region.
While in orbit, he maintained radio contact with Earth, conducted observations through a porthole, controlled the operation of the spacecraft’s systems and made a few experiments.
📰 The media widely announced Yury Gagarin’s mission 55 minutes after the Vostok rocket lifted off. It became the most quoted news story worldwide. Instantly, a Soviet pilot & cosmonaut became the most famous person on Earth.
Two days later, the residents of the Soviet capital took to the streets, carrying flowers and posters that welcomed Gagarin who had arrived in Moscow. In late April, the first man in space went on a global tour to share his impressions with people all over the world.
🌐 In the next two years following this history-making event, Yury Gagarin visited over 30 countries where he was given a hero’s welcome. His tour was unofficially named the Peace Mission. Despite his immense popularity, Gagarin remained his own usual self and continued to engage in what he liked most – aviation and cosmonautics – for the rest of his life.
👍1
🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s answers to the media questions during his remarks at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum (Antalya, April 12, 2025)
Key points:
• More and more countries want to determine their life themselves, to have fair treatment, to have fair competition in economy, trade, in other areas, just in line with the principles of globalization, which were promoted by our Western friends, especially by the United States, for so many decades.
• What we observe is fragmentation of the world economy. This is the time of uncertainty, I would say. Nobody knows how the situation with world trade and investment is going to end.
• The United States recognize that other countries also have their national interests, and those interests would never coincide fully, maybe even half of these interests would not be similar. But when the interests, especially the interests of big countries, coincide, it is essential for them to find ways to materialize them into mutually beneficial economic, logistical, and other projects, while when these interests contradict each other, it is the responsibility and duty of countries, especially if we speak about big powers, not to allow these differences to degenerate into confrontation, especially the hot confrontation.
• I will repeat again what I said then, and I repeated this publicly also, when we speak about eliminating root causes of any conflict, including Ukrainian conflict. This is the only way to resolve the problem and to establish long-lasting peace - remove root causes.
• If Ukrainian nazi regime, I cannot describe it otherwise, enjoys the cover from the European Union, which as I just mentioned, never dropped a word about the situation with human rights in Ukraine, then this is not our problem. We listen to those people who voted at the referendum to join Russia to restore all their rights which belong to them by international law and by history, by justice.
• The European Union is not happy. And instead of doing something about this situation for the sake of their citizens Brussels people threatened to stop importing any grain from Russia. They're very specific leaders. They say that Kaja Kallas, Annalena Baerbock, they were saying yes, when criticized by the people who saying, “We live worse than before”. Yes, we understand, but our electorate should suffer for the sake of Ukraine, while at the same time thousands and thousands of Ukrainians living there in European luxury, buying very expensive vehicles. But this is what the European elite calls European values, which they defend in the person of Zelensky regime.
• I gave to our colleagues from Türkiye, to Minister Hakan Fidan, what we give to Americans, to UN, to OSCE, the list of facts, listing the attacks by Ukraine during the last three weeks against Russian energy infrastructure.
• We understand that Zelensky hates all Russians, so he gives orders. Either he gives orders, and they are not taken, or he is lying, that he is giving these orders. It's a tragedy. It's a tragedy.
Read in full
Key points:
• More and more countries want to determine their life themselves, to have fair treatment, to have fair competition in economy, trade, in other areas, just in line with the principles of globalization, which were promoted by our Western friends, especially by the United States, for so many decades.
• What we observe is fragmentation of the world economy. This is the time of uncertainty, I would say. Nobody knows how the situation with world trade and investment is going to end.
• The United States recognize that other countries also have their national interests, and those interests would never coincide fully, maybe even half of these interests would not be similar. But when the interests, especially the interests of big countries, coincide, it is essential for them to find ways to materialize them into mutually beneficial economic, logistical, and other projects, while when these interests contradict each other, it is the responsibility and duty of countries, especially if we speak about big powers, not to allow these differences to degenerate into confrontation, especially the hot confrontation.
• I will repeat again what I said then, and I repeated this publicly also, when we speak about eliminating root causes of any conflict, including Ukrainian conflict. This is the only way to resolve the problem and to establish long-lasting peace - remove root causes.
• If Ukrainian nazi regime, I cannot describe it otherwise, enjoys the cover from the European Union, which as I just mentioned, never dropped a word about the situation with human rights in Ukraine, then this is not our problem. We listen to those people who voted at the referendum to join Russia to restore all their rights which belong to them by international law and by history, by justice.
• The European Union is not happy. And instead of doing something about this situation for the sake of their citizens Brussels people threatened to stop importing any grain from Russia. They're very specific leaders. They say that Kaja Kallas, Annalena Baerbock, they were saying yes, when criticized by the people who saying, “We live worse than before”. Yes, we understand, but our electorate should suffer for the sake of Ukraine, while at the same time thousands and thousands of Ukrainians living there in European luxury, buying very expensive vehicles. But this is what the European elite calls European values, which they defend in the person of Zelensky regime.
• I gave to our colleagues from Türkiye, to Minister Hakan Fidan, what we give to Americans, to UN, to OSCE, the list of facts, listing the attacks by Ukraine during the last three weeks against Russian energy infrastructure.
• We understand that Zelensky hates all Russians, so he gives orders. Either he gives orders, and they are not taken, or he is lying, that he is giving these orders. It's a tragedy. It's a tragedy.
Read in full
#Victory80🏅
8️⃣0️⃣ years ago, on April 13, 1945, the Soviet forces liberated the capital of Austria during the #Vienna Offensive.
🌟 By the spring of 1945, the Red Army drove the Nazi invaders out of Poland,Hungary and Slovakia and rapidly launched an offensive towards Germany. The Third Reich’s defeat was only a matter of time: the Soviet forces were preparing to attack Berlin.
***
Austria, annexed by the Nazis as a result of anschluss in 1938, served as a shield for the Third Reich’s southern regions during #WWII. The capital of Austria — the city of Vienna — was a strategically important point of the Nazi defence, which the enemy was committed to hold at any cost.
⚔️ In March 1945, during the successful offensive along the Austrian line of advance, the Red Army broke the resistance of the Nazi units deployed between the Danube and Lake Balaton (Hungary) and defeated the troops of the Nazi army group 'South'. Having advanced by that time up to 80 kilometers to Vienna, the Soviet forces launched the operation to liberate the Austrian capital.
The enemy undertook extensive preprations to hold the city. The streets were barricaded and mine-strewn. Firing points were set up in residential buildings. Destroyed houses were used to camouflage tanks and artillery pieces. All bridges over the Danube were prepared by the Nazis for demolition. In the event of retreat, the Nazis were ready to tear down the Austrian capital to the ground, including by destroying (!) itshistorical architectural heritage.
On April 5, 1945, the Soviet forces attacked the Nazi garrison in Vienna. Intense fighting erupted on the city outskirts. The Red Army was confronted by the most prepared enemy units and formations, including SS tank divisions. Soviet soldiers fought to death against the Nazis for every quarter and every building of the city.
With a view to prevent victims among the city's population and protect Vienna from destruction by the Nazis, the Soviet command addressed local residents:
📢The Red Army entered Austria not to occupy its territory but only to defeat the enemy Nazi troops and liberate the country from German occupation. It also called on the Vienna residents to help fight the Nazis — this call was answered by many Austrian patriots.
On April 13, the last enemy point of resistance in the city centre was crushed, with Vienna being completely liberated from the Nazis.
During the fierce and brutal fighting for Vienna, the Red Army crushed Wehrmacht's 11 armoured divisions, destroyed the 6th SS Tank Army, and captured more than 130,000 enemy soldiers and officers. The Soviet people paid a high price for the liberation of Vienna from the Nazis: 38,000 Red Army soldiers gave their lives for saving the city from fascists.
Having liberated Vienna, our country provided aid to the city residents. The population was supplied with food: hundreds of tonnes of grain, meat, sugar, salt and other products were given to the Austrians. After the war, the people of Vienna recalled how their “fear of hunger had disappeared” and spoke with gratitude about the generosity of the Soviet people, which “exceeded all expectations.”
🎙 An excerpt from the briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova (April 9, 2025):
***
🌟 A monument to the Soviet soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the sake of the liberation of Austria from Nazism was unveiled on August 19, 1945, on #Schwarzenbergplatz in the centre of Vienna. The country has 217 monuments and war graves on its territory.
Tens of thousands Red Army soldiers, who saved Europe from the Nazi plague, are buried in Austria.
❗️ In 1955, under the State Treaty for the Re-establishment of Independent and Democratic Austria (Art.19), Vienna took the obligations to respect, preserve and maintain the graves of the soldiers on Austrian territory.
8️⃣0️⃣ years ago, on April 13, 1945, the Soviet forces liberated the capital of Austria during the #Vienna Offensive.
***
Austria, annexed by the Nazis as a result of anschluss in 1938, served as a shield for the Third Reich’s southern regions during #WWII. The capital of Austria — the city of Vienna — was a strategically important point of the Nazi defence, which the enemy was committed to hold at any cost.
⚔️ In March 1945, during the successful offensive along the Austrian line of advance, the Red Army broke the resistance of the Nazi units deployed between the Danube and Lake Balaton (Hungary) and defeated the troops of the Nazi army group 'South'. Having advanced by that time up to 80 kilometers to Vienna, the Soviet forces launched the operation to liberate the Austrian capital.
The enemy undertook extensive preprations to hold the city. The streets were barricaded and mine-strewn. Firing points were set up in residential buildings. Destroyed houses were used to camouflage tanks and artillery pieces. All bridges over the Danube were prepared by the Nazis for demolition. In the event of retreat, the Nazis were ready to tear down the Austrian capital to the ground, including by destroying (!) itshistorical architectural heritage.
On April 5, 1945, the Soviet forces attacked the Nazi garrison in Vienna. Intense fighting erupted on the city outskirts. The Red Army was confronted by the most prepared enemy units and formations, including SS tank divisions. Soviet soldiers fought to death against the Nazis for every quarter and every building of the city.
With a view to prevent victims among the city's population and protect Vienna from destruction by the Nazis, the Soviet command addressed local residents:
📢The Red Army entered Austria not to occupy its territory but only to defeat the enemy Nazi troops and liberate the country from German occupation. It also called on the Vienna residents to help fight the Nazis — this call was answered by many Austrian patriots.
On April 13, the last enemy point of resistance in the city centre was crushed, with Vienna being completely liberated from the Nazis.
During the fierce and brutal fighting for Vienna, the Red Army crushed Wehrmacht's 11 armoured divisions, destroyed the 6th SS Tank Army, and captured more than 130,000 enemy soldiers and officers. The Soviet people paid a high price for the liberation of Vienna from the Nazis: 38,000 Red Army soldiers gave their lives for saving the city from fascists.
Having liberated Vienna, our country provided aid to the city residents. The population was supplied with food: hundreds of tonnes of grain, meat, sugar, salt and other products were given to the Austrians. After the war, the people of Vienna recalled how their “fear of hunger had disappeared” and spoke with gratitude about the generosity of the Soviet people, which “exceeded all expectations.”
🎙 An excerpt from the briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova (April 9, 2025):
💬 “By acting swiftly and selflessly, the Soviet forces prevented the destruction of Vienna.
It was thanks to the decision by the Soviet command not to use artillery that Vienna has preserved its historical outlook.”
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Tens of thousands Red Army soldiers, who saved Europe from the Nazi plague, are buried in Austria.
❗️ In 1955, under the State Treaty for the Re-establishment of Independent and Democratic Austria (Art.19), Vienna took the obligations to respect, preserve and maintain the graves of the soldiers on Austrian territory.
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