#Victory80

🗓 On November 28, 1943, the Tehran Conference — a landmark and the first meeting of the Leaders of the 'Big Three' anti-Hitler coalition allies — the Soviet Union, the US, and Britain, represented by Joseph Stalin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill, commenced amid the turning radical point of #WWII.

During four days, gathered in the Soviet Embassy in Iran, the Heads of Governments of the Allied Powers united by a common goal — to defeat Nazism — discussed the coordination of joint efforts aimed at bringing common Victory over Hitler's Germany closer.

💬 “We are gathered here for one purpose — for the purpose of winning the war as soon as possible”, — FDR, President of the United States, at the opening of the Tehran Conference, November 28, 1943.

The Tehran Conference became possible largely thanks to huge success of the Red Army on the front — the triumphs at Stalingrad and near Kursk, as well as in the battles for the Caucasus and Soviet Ukraine. Following a series of successful Soviet offensive operations in 1943, the 'Axis' Nazi allies lost around a quarter of their troops deployed on the Eastern Front.

In the summer of 1943, American and British newspapers wrote with admiration about the Heroism of the Soviet soldiers who were liberating their Motherland and driving Nazi invaders back westward to the USSR's borders. There was no longer any doubt around the world about who was prevailing in crushing the Nazis in WWII — it was undoubtedly the Soviet Union which, essentially alone, inflicted enormous and, in fact, fatal losses on the Nazi Wehrmacht forcing the fascists — for the first time during WWII — to defend their positions on the Eastern front rather than launch counter-offensives.

The Nazis' treacherous attack on our Motherland resulted in the German military suffering the greatest defeats in its history. The collapse of the Third Reich was inevitable and was only a matter of time.

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The Leaders of the 'Big Three' understood that once the Nazi Germany was completely defeated, the Victorious Powers would have to outline the future post-war world order. To prevent wars and aggression in Europe, the negotiators suggested establishing an “international organisation” to ensure peace. Thus, for the first time, the idea of creating an international body, which would become the prototype of the today's #UnitedNations, was discussed.

The key agreement of the Teheran Conference was coordinating the timing for opening the second front — the operation of US and UK forces in northern France. The Allied landing in Europe was designed to significantly complicate the position of Nazi troops on the Soviet-German front, where the Nazis had concentrated the bulk of their military machine. It was also agreed that the Red Army would go on the offensive concurrently with the Allied landing in France, in order to prevent the transfer of Nazi troops from the East to the Western Front.

✍️ The Allies adopted the Declaration of the Three Powers — a landmark document of the Tehran Conference, which reinforced the unity of the Allies and its determination to fight the enemy together till #Victory:

No power on Earth can prevent our destroying the German armies by land, their U-boats by sea, and their war plants from the air.

Our attack will be relentless and increasing.

We came here with hope and determination.

We leave here, friends in fact, in spirit, and in purpose.

As a sign of admiration for the steadfastness and courage of the defenders of Stalingrad, Winston Churchill presented Joseph Stalin with a gift from British King George VI — a sword manufactured by special order, with its grip wound in gold wire and the pommel decorated with rock crystal.

The following inscription was etched on the steel blade:

To the steel-hearted citizens of Stalingrad * The gift of King George VI * In token of the homage of the British people.

The sword became an iconic commemorative relic serving as a symbol of respect paid by American and British Allies to the Soviet Heroic generation that crushed Nazism.

🗓️ 290 years ago, Samuel Greig, a distinguished naval commander during the reign of Catherine the Great, was born in the small coastal town of Inverkeithing in Fife.

This Scotsman from MacGregor Clan made a significant contribution to the development of the Russian Navy, created its Code of Signals and proposed a number of important innovations to ships. As commander of the Kronstadt port, Samuel Greig carried out its large-scale reconstruction.

⚔️ In the Battle of Chesma during the Russo-Turkish War of 1768-1774, Samuel Greig commanded a detachment of ships that blocked the Turkish fleet. For the victory in the battle, he received the Order of St. George, Second Class, becoming the first seaman to receive this award, as well as hereditary nobility.

⚓ During the Russo-Swedish War of 1788-1790, Samuel Greig, promoted to admiral in 1782, commanded the Baltic Fleet. He succeeded in defeating the enemy at the Battle of Hogland and blockading the Swedish fleet at Sveaborg. For his valor, he was granted the highest state award in the Russian Empire – the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called.

💬 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov: It is obvious to everyone that Europe has already removed itself from the talks [on Ukraine].

Europe spoiled the initial deal in February 2014, when it acted as guarantor of the formal agreement between Viktor Yanukovych and the opposition. It did nothing when the opposition seized all government agencies the morning after the agreement was signed.

Similarly, Europe undermined the Minsk agreements when the signatories — then-Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and then-President of France Francois Hollande — subsequently admitted that nobody had intended to fulfil them.

The most recent case occurred in April 2022 when, at the demand of then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and with Europe's full acquiescence, if not connivance, the Istanbul agreements were derailed.

Europe has used up its chances.

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💬 Russian MFA Spox Maria Zakharova: We have taken note of the recent interview that the Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, gave to the Financial Times. Commenting on the bloc’s response to Russia's "hybrid attacks", he said that a "pre-emptive strike" could be considered a "defensive action". He believes that the North Atlantic Alliance should be "more aggressive".

We regard Mr Cavo Dragone's remarks about the possibility of pre-emptive strikes against Russia as extremely irresponsible, demonstrating the alliance's willingness to further escalate the situation. These statements should be viewed as a deliberate attempt to undermine the ongoing efforts to resolve the Ukrainian crisis. Those who engage in such rhetoric must clearly understand the risks and potential consequences, including for NATO's own member states.

NATO has long ceased to conceal its true goals and intentions. Nevertheless, the bloc's leadership continues to make baseless accusations against Russia, alleging "belligerent nuclear rhetoric", intimidation and so-called hybrid attacks, yet fails to present a shred of evidence of our involvement.

Against the backdrop of NATO's intensifying anti-Russia hysteria and persistent fear-mongering about an "imminent attack" by Russia on its member states, such statements not only fuel tensions, but also seriously aggravate the existing confrontation.

Brussels likes to repeat the mantra that the alliance is "purely defensive". Yet Mr Cavo Dragone's own words about the admissibility of pre-emptive strikes effectively dispel this myth.

#Announcement

📺 Coming soon: Ambassador Andrei Kelin's in-depth interview with IMI Chief International Anchor Hadley Gamble.

Recorded at the Ambassador's residence in London, the conversation covers a wide range of topics, including peace initiatives on Ukraine, Moscow's security concerns, Russia-Europe relations, the seizure of Russian sovereign assets, the impact of Western sanctions, the future of European security, cooperation within OPEC+, global AI race and much more.

Stay tuned!

🗓 On December 2, 1763, Alexander Crichton, a distinguished physician and personal doctor to Emperor Alexander I and Empress Maria Feodorovna, was born in Edinburgh.

Crichton studied in the University of Edinburgh, then in several other European medical schools, earning a Doctor of Medicine degree. He then practiced medicine in London. In 1803, the Scotsman was invited to the Russian Empire, where he received the civil rank of Active State Councillor. For 15 years, he treated the imperial family and also worked on organizing the country's healthcare system. For his services, Crichton was awarded the Order of St. Anne, First Class, and St. Vladimir, Second Class. He also conducted successful scientific work. In particular, he was one of the first to describe attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. He became a Foreign Corresponding Member and then an Honorary Member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.

Crichton's interests were not limited to medicine. He also authored several works on geology, and his mineral collection largely consisted of specimens found in Russia. He was also fond of art, and in 1817, seven paintings from his collection were acquired by the Hermitage Museum.

🎙 Excerpt from President Vladimir Putin's answers to media questions (Moscow, 2 December 2025)

💬 The Europeans are insulted by what they perceive as their exclusion from the negotiations [on Ukraine settlement]. However, no one has excluded them. They have excluded themselves.

We once maintained close contact with them. Then they abruptly cut off contact with Russia. That was their initiative.

Why did they do this? Because they embraced the concept of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia and, by all appearances, continue to live under this illusion. Intellectually, they understand perfectly well that this possibility has long since vanished, that it was never feasible [...]

Now, seeing that the outcome does not please them either, they have begun to sabotage the efforts of the current United States administration and President Trump to achieve peace through negotiation. They themselves abandoned peace talks and are now impeding President Trump.

The Europeans have no peace agenda. They are on the side of war.

Even when they ostensibly attempt to introduce amendments to President Trump's proposals, it is clear that all their amendments are directed towards one single aim: to completely obstruct the peace process, to put forward demands that are utterly unacceptable to Russia, and thereby subsequently to place the blame for the collapse of the peace process on Russia.

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⚡️ Statement by Aide to the President of Russia Yuri Ushakov on President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with the Special Envoy of the US President Stephen Witkoff (December 3, 2025, Moscow)

💬 Yuri Ushakov: The conversation was very useful, constructive, substantive, and lasted five hours. This made it possible to thoroughly discuss prospects for further joint work aimed at achieving a long-term peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.

Naturally, together with our American colleagues, we discussed the contents of the documents that the US had handed over to Moscow some time ago. We did not discuss specific wording or specific American proposals – we discussed the substance behind the proposals contained in these documents.

There were points with which we could agree, and the President confirmed this to his interlocutors; and there were points that drew criticism, and the President likewise did not conceal our critical, even negative, attitude to a number of proposals.

What matters most is that the discussion was very productive. And most importantly, I would stress once again that both Sides expressed readiness to continue joint work to achieve a long-term peaceful settlement in Ukraine.

Specific territorial issues were discussed, since without addressing them, we do not see a way to resolve the crisis. Of course, the enormous prospects for future economic cooperation between Russia and the US were also discussed. By the way, this has been raised repeatedly at earlier meetings. But today it was emphasized that if we genuinely want to cooperate – and the opportunities for this are immense – then real determination must now be shown, both in Moscow and in Washington.

Overall, it was a very useful, positive conversation. And, of course, the meeting began with the Trump representatives conveying greetings and best wishes from their President to Vladimir Putin. In turn, our President asked them to convey his friendly greetings to President Trump. Moreover, he passed on not only friendly greetings, but also a number of important political signals, which will be delivered to Washington.

Answers to media questions:

• It was agreed that at the level of aides and other representatives we will continue contacts with the US Side, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner who visited the Kremlin today. As for a possible meeting at the presidential level, this will depend on the progress we manage to achieve along this path as we work persistently and consistently through the channels of aides, foreign ministries, and other agencies.

• There was a document containing 27 points. It was handed to us, and we studied it. Although we did not work on the specific wording or engage in discussions with our American colleagues on that matter. Then we received several more documents – four documents, to be specific – which were also discussed today at the meeting . All of them concern a long-term peaceful settlement of the crisis in Ukraine. Initially there was one version; then that version was revised, and instead of one document, four appeared.

• A compromise version has not been found yet. However, some of the American ideas look more or less acceptable, but they require discussion. Some of the proposed wording does not suit us.

• We agreed with our US colleagues that we will not disclose the substance of the talks. This is perfectly reasonable. The talks were completely closed and confidential. Considerable work still lies ahead, both in Washington and in Moscow. This was agreed, and contacts will continue.

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