Media is too big
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🎙 Excerpt from Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks to the media following the 23rd meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club (Moscow Region, 29 September 2026)
❓ Question: We hear Russia and the West accuse each other. The West is increasingly accusing Russia of waging hybrid warfare against European countries. You recently accused the West of resorting to brute force. Do you acknowledge that Russia is waging a covert hybrid war against European countries? If so, to what end?
💬 Sergey Lavrov: Are you talking about us destroying drones and missiles that Britain and continental Europe supply to Ukraine, which it then fires at us? Is that what you are talking about?
❓ Question: This may be one example of what I’m talking about.
💬 Sergey Lavrov: If you acknowledge that your weapons are being used to attack us, and we shoot them down, call it whatever you like. I have no doubt, though, that this is a war that Europe is waging against us. We’ve been making this point for a long time now.
❓ Question: What about brute force? You accuse the West of resorting to brute force.
💬 Sergey Lavrov: I do not remember ever using the collocation “brute force.”
❓ Question: You said not long ago that the West resorts to brute force.
💬 Sergey Lavrov: Was what they did in Venezuela soft power or brute force? What they did to the Nord Stream pipelines was that soft power or brute force? Bombing and destroying the Iranian leadership and their families, including children, was that brute force or not?
❓ Question: Does Russia not resort to brute force in Ukraine on a daily basis?
💬 Sergey Lavrov: If you mean destroying the infrastructure that is being used by the Nazi regime, with Western support, to wage war against the Russian Federation, then we do resort to brute force to suppress direct threat.
❓ Question: We hear Russia and the West accuse each other. The West is increasingly accusing Russia of waging hybrid warfare against European countries. You recently accused the West of resorting to brute force. Do you acknowledge that Russia is waging a covert hybrid war against European countries? If so, to what end?
💬 Sergey Lavrov: Are you talking about us destroying drones and missiles that Britain and continental Europe supply to Ukraine, which it then fires at us? Is that what you are talking about?
❓ Question: This may be one example of what I’m talking about.
💬 Sergey Lavrov: If you acknowledge that your weapons are being used to attack us, and we shoot them down, call it whatever you like. I have no doubt, though, that this is a war that Europe is waging against us. We’ve been making this point for a long time now.
❓ Question: What about brute force? You accuse the West of resorting to brute force.
💬 Sergey Lavrov: I do not remember ever using the collocation “brute force.”
❓ Question: You said not long ago that the West resorts to brute force.
💬 Sergey Lavrov: Was what they did in Venezuela soft power or brute force? What they did to the Nord Stream pipelines was that soft power or brute force? Bombing and destroying the Iranian leadership and their families, including children, was that brute force or not?
❓ Question: Does Russia not resort to brute force in Ukraine on a daily basis?
💬 Sergey Lavrov: If you mean destroying the infrastructure that is being used by the Nazi regime, with Western support, to wage war against the Russian Federation, then we do resort to brute force to suppress direct threat.
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Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🗓 On September 30, 2022, following referendums, the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions officially became part of the Russian Federation.
✍️ Looking back at #HowItHappened (Signing of the treaties on the accession of the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions to Russia)
In the referendums held on September 23-27, 2022, residents of the four regions made a historic decision that determined their future. International observers from Italy, Germany, Venezuela, Latvia and other countries (133 in total) who monitored the voting recognised the results as legitimate.
In 2014, the Kiev regime unleashed full-scale hostilities against the civilian population of Donbass, while neo-Nazis and radicals intimidated and attacked people in Zaporozhye and other regions as well. For eight long years, people endured relentless shelling, terrorist attacks and persecution.
Despite shelling and numerous provocations by the Kiev regime, people went to the polls and expressed their will.
🗳 Four years ago, the people voted in favour of joining Russia:
• DPR – 99.23%, with a turnout of 97.5%;
• LPR – 98.42%, with a turnout of 92.6%;
• Zaporozhye Region – 93.11%, with a turnout of 85.4%;
• Kherson Region – 87.05%, with a turnout of 76.9%.
Behind these figures are the lives of millions of people and their hopes for safety, for the freedom to speak their native language, to honour their ancestors – true heroes of the Great Patriotic War (instead of Hitler’s henchmen) – to preserve their culture and raise their children without fearing for their lives.
❗️ Russia’s position remains unchanged: the people of Donbass and Novorossiya exercised their legitimate right to self-determination, enshrined in the UN Charter, the 1966 International Covenants on Human Rights and the 1975 CSCE Helsinki Final Act.
💬 Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s address at the General Debate of #UNGA81 (New York, September 26, 2026):
And we will do this #TOGETHER.
✍️ Looking back at #HowItHappened (Signing of the treaties on the accession of the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions to Russia)
In the referendums held on September 23-27, 2022, residents of the four regions made a historic decision that determined their future. International observers from Italy, Germany, Venezuela, Latvia and other countries (133 in total) who monitored the voting recognised the results as legitimate.
In 2014, the Kiev regime unleashed full-scale hostilities against the civilian population of Donbass, while neo-Nazis and radicals intimidated and attacked people in Zaporozhye and other regions as well. For eight long years, people endured relentless shelling, terrorist attacks and persecution.
Despite shelling and numerous provocations by the Kiev regime, people went to the polls and expressed their will.
🗳 Four years ago, the people voted in favour of joining Russia:
• DPR – 99.23%, with a turnout of 97.5%;
• LPR – 98.42%, with a turnout of 92.6%;
• Zaporozhye Region – 93.11%, with a turnout of 85.4%;
• Kherson Region – 87.05%, with a turnout of 76.9%.
Behind these figures are the lives of millions of people and their hopes for safety, for the freedom to speak their native language, to honour their ancestors – true heroes of the Great Patriotic War (instead of Hitler’s henchmen) – to preserve their culture and raise their children without fearing for their lives.
❗️ Russia’s position remains unchanged: the people of Donbass and Novorossiya exercised their legitimate right to self-determination, enshrined in the UN Charter, the 1966 International Covenants on Human Rights and the 1975 CSCE Helsinki Final Act.
💬 Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s address at the General Debate of #UNGA81 (New York, September 26, 2026):
Having launched the special military operation in 2022 to protect the people of Donbass and Novorossiya from extermination by the Kiev regime, Russia continues to fight for their security and rights in full accordance with the letter and spirit of the UN Charter.
Our struggle for truth and justice will be carried through to the end: the objectives of the special military operation will be achieved, threats to Russia’s security will be eliminated, and peaceful life will be restored.
And we will do this #TOGETHER.
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🎙 Excerpt from President Vladimir Putin's address at the first meeting of the ninth State Duma
💬 The State Duma's first meeting is taking place on a significant date: exactly four years ago, the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions became full-fledged constituent entities of the Russian Federation, reuniting with Greater Russia.
I am pleased to congratulate all citizens of our country on Unification Day. This holiday embodies our people’s unwavering aspiration to restore historical unity and the righteous struggle of the Russian people, our entire nation and the people of Donbass and Novorossiya for freedom and justice.
It commemorates the heroic deeds of the 2014 militias and the heroes of the special military operation who stood up to defend the Motherland and our people. The will and dreams of our brothers and sisters – our compatriots – who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Despite the most challenging conditions close to the front line, millions of people took part in referendums, and I would like to emphasise that they did so in strict compliance with international law. Their choice was absolutely clear and unequivocal: to reunite with Russia and its people.
Today, we are fighting together, and together we are rebuilding and reviving Donbass and Novorossiya.
Read in full
💬 The State Duma's first meeting is taking place on a significant date: exactly four years ago, the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions became full-fledged constituent entities of the Russian Federation, reuniting with Greater Russia.
I am pleased to congratulate all citizens of our country on Unification Day. This holiday embodies our people’s unwavering aspiration to restore historical unity and the righteous struggle of the Russian people, our entire nation and the people of Donbass and Novorossiya for freedom and justice.
It commemorates the heroic deeds of the 2014 militias and the heroes of the special military operation who stood up to defend the Motherland and our people. The will and dreams of our brothers and sisters – our compatriots – who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Despite the most challenging conditions close to the front line, millions of people took part in referendums, and I would like to emphasise that they did so in strict compliance with international law. Their choice was absolutely clear and unequivocal: to reunite with Russia and its people.
Today, we are fighting together, and together we are rebuilding and reviving Donbass and Novorossiya.
Read in full
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Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
#Victory81
8️⃣5️⃣ years ago, on 30 September 1941, the #BattleOfMoscow commenced — the largest defensive operation carried out by the Red Army during the initial stage of the #GreatPatrioticWar to defend the capital of our Motherland against the Nazi invaders.
The Nazi troops, which sought to seize the city within the shortest possible timeframe, were completely destroyed by the Red Army.
One of the key battles of #WW2 ended in a major and decisive victory for our people. Despite their considerable superiority in manpower and military hardware, the Nazi invaders suffered a crushing defeat, which played a major role in paving the way for the eventual collapse of the Third Reich.
❗️ It was precisely near Moscow that the myth of the invincibility of the Nazi war machine was shattered once and for all.
Hitler’s blitzkrieg strategy, which had previously been successfully employed by the aggressor in the occupation of a number of European countries (Poland, Denmark, the Netherlands, France and Belgium), completely failed on the Soviet soil.
***
By the end of September 1941, the Nazis had occupied the entire Baltic region, Belarus and Moldova, as well as large parts of Soviet Ukraine; they had sieged Leningrad and reached the approaches to Moscow. Given the strategic and political importance of the Soviet capital, Hitler committed a powerful force — 1.8 million Wehrmacht soldiers and officers, 1,700 tanks and around 1,000 aircraft. The Nazi command planned to seize Moscow within the first three to four months and completely destroy its population.
The situation on the Eastern Front in September 1941 was extremely difficult. Nazi troops attacked Red Army positions along several axes simultaneously. In just two days, Guderian’s tank group advanced 80 kilometres, breaking through the front and encircling a considerable number of Red Army units in the areas of Bryansk and Vyazma.
In these circumstances, a state of siege in Moscow and the surrounding areas was put in effect. Preparations for urban combat were intensified throughout the city, while key government and industrial facilities were mined. Ordinary residents of Moscow and cadets of military schools joined Red Army personnel in defending the city. For two weeks, Soviet troops held back around twenty Nazi divisions in fierce fighting, making it possible to strengthen the defensive line and bring reserve forces up to Moscow.
❗️ During #WW2, no other capital had yet put up such determined resistance to Nazism.
In early December, when the Wehrmacht’s forces had been exhausted, the Red Army was able to launch a counter-offensive. The formations of the Western, Kalinin and Southwestern Fronts routed the strike groups of the enemy’s Army Group Centre. German hordes were pushed back 100–350 kilometres from the capital, and the Moscow, Tula, Kalinin and Ryazan regions were completely liberated from the enemy.
It was near Moscow that Hitler suffered his first major defeat of the Second World War.
Around one million defenders of the capital of our Motherland were awarded the Medal “For the Defence of Moscow”, while 110 people were awarded the title of #HeroOfTheSovietUnion.
🎖 In May 1965, on the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the Victory, Moscow was awarded the honorary title of #HeroCity.
#WeRemember #OurVictory
8️⃣5️⃣ years ago, on 30 September 1941, the #BattleOfMoscow commenced — the largest defensive operation carried out by the Red Army during the initial stage of the #GreatPatrioticWar to defend the capital of our Motherland against the Nazi invaders.
The Nazi troops, which sought to seize the city within the shortest possible timeframe, were completely destroyed by the Red Army.
One of the key battles of #WW2 ended in a major and decisive victory for our people. Despite their considerable superiority in manpower and military hardware, the Nazi invaders suffered a crushing defeat, which played a major role in paving the way for the eventual collapse of the Third Reich.
❗️ It was precisely near Moscow that the myth of the invincibility of the Nazi war machine was shattered once and for all.
Hitler’s blitzkrieg strategy, which had previously been successfully employed by the aggressor in the occupation of a number of European countries (Poland, Denmark, the Netherlands, France and Belgium), completely failed on the Soviet soil.
***
By the end of September 1941, the Nazis had occupied the entire Baltic region, Belarus and Moldova, as well as large parts of Soviet Ukraine; they had sieged Leningrad and reached the approaches to Moscow. Given the strategic and political importance of the Soviet capital, Hitler committed a powerful force — 1.8 million Wehrmacht soldiers and officers, 1,700 tanks and around 1,000 aircraft. The Nazi command planned to seize Moscow within the first three to four months and completely destroy its population.
The situation on the Eastern Front in September 1941 was extremely difficult. Nazi troops attacked Red Army positions along several axes simultaneously. In just two days, Guderian’s tank group advanced 80 kilometres, breaking through the front and encircling a considerable number of Red Army units in the areas of Bryansk and Vyazma.
In these circumstances, a state of siege in Moscow and the surrounding areas was put in effect. Preparations for urban combat were intensified throughout the city, while key government and industrial facilities were mined. Ordinary residents of Moscow and cadets of military schools joined Red Army personnel in defending the city. For two weeks, Soviet troops held back around twenty Nazi divisions in fierce fighting, making it possible to strengthen the defensive line and bring reserve forces up to Moscow.
❗️ During #WW2, no other capital had yet put up such determined resistance to Nazism.
In early December, when the Wehrmacht’s forces had been exhausted, the Red Army was able to launch a counter-offensive. The formations of the Western, Kalinin and Southwestern Fronts routed the strike groups of the enemy’s Army Group Centre. German hordes were pushed back 100–350 kilometres from the capital, and the Moscow, Tula, Kalinin and Ryazan regions were completely liberated from the enemy.
It was near Moscow that Hitler suffered his first major defeat of the Second World War.
Around one million defenders of the capital of our Motherland were awarded the Medal “For the Defence of Moscow”, while 110 people were awarded the title of #HeroOfTheSovietUnion.
🎖 In May 1965, on the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the Victory, Moscow was awarded the honorary title of #HeroCity.
#WeRemember #OurVictory
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💬 Russian MFA Spox Maria Zakharova: Europe has set a course for total militarisation.
The size of its armed forces is being increased, while defence spending by NATO member states bordering Russia is reaching unprecedented levels. The Alliance's military infrastructure is being expanded. New defence industry facilities are being built, while civilian innovations and dual-use technologies are being integrated into the defence sector, all at an accelerated pace.
Aggressive military exercises by NATO member states are being held in close vicinity of our borders, involving the rehearsal of offensive scenarios against our country. These include a possible blockade of the Kaliningrad Region, the isolation of Russian ports in the Baltic, and the deployment of NATO troops through the Suwałki Gap.
Close cooperation has been established with Ukraine in order to adopt its experience of real combat operations against the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Some European leaders allow themselves to muse publicly about the possibility of "razing Russian air defence and missile bases to the ground" in the Kaliningrad Region.
Certain EU countries bordering Russia flaunt their readiness to host nuclear weapons on their territory and are making corresponding changes to their national legislation [...]
Russia poses no threat to European nations and has no intention of doing so. However, there should be no doubt that Russia has all the means necessary to prevent any aggression and defeat any aggressor.
❗️ If Europe attacks Russia, it will be a very different kind of war – and a very short one.
Read in full
The size of its armed forces is being increased, while defence spending by NATO member states bordering Russia is reaching unprecedented levels. The Alliance's military infrastructure is being expanded. New defence industry facilities are being built, while civilian innovations and dual-use technologies are being integrated into the defence sector, all at an accelerated pace.
Aggressive military exercises by NATO member states are being held in close vicinity of our borders, involving the rehearsal of offensive scenarios against our country. These include a possible blockade of the Kaliningrad Region, the isolation of Russian ports in the Baltic, and the deployment of NATO troops through the Suwałki Gap.
Close cooperation has been established with Ukraine in order to adopt its experience of real combat operations against the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Some European leaders allow themselves to muse publicly about the possibility of "razing Russian air defence and missile bases to the ground" in the Kaliningrad Region.
Certain EU countries bordering Russia flaunt their readiness to host nuclear weapons on their territory and are making corresponding changes to their national legislation [...]
Russia poses no threat to European nations and has no intention of doing so. However, there should be no doubt that Russia has all the means necessary to prevent any aggression and defeat any aggressor.
❗️ If Europe attacks Russia, it will be a very different kind of war – and a very short one.
Read in full
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🎙 Highlights from Director of the Foreign Ministry’s Second CIS Department Aleksey Polishchuk's interview with Interfax News Agency (30 September 2026)
• We remain open to resolving the Ukraine crisis politically and diplomatically, including negotiating the removal of its root causes and the security threats involved. We reiterate that the special military operation was launched as a forced response to the actions of NATO and the Kiev regime.
• Throughout the negotiations in Belarus, Istanbul, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Geneva and Alaska, Russian diplomacy has consistently demonstrated a constructive approach aimed at achieving a comprehensive, lasting and just peace.
• Peaceful resolution of disagreements is always preferable to military action. However, Kiev and Europe have thus far torpedoed all realistic options for a settlement. If the Europeans had not sought to 'bury' the 2025 Anchorage understandings, peace would have been achieved a year ago. If Boris Johnson had not forced the Ukrainians to abandon negotiations on a peace treaty in 2022, we would all have been living in peace for the past four years.
• The countries of the Alliance openly admit that they are preparing for a direct military confrontation with Russia and Belarus. Their militaristic rhetoric is backed up by practical measures. Industry is being placed on a war footing, the number and scale of military exercises are increasing, and the range of hybrid threats is expanding. In this context, the Ukraine crisis is nothing more than a pretext.
• We remain open to resolving the Ukraine crisis politically and diplomatically, including negotiating the removal of its root causes and the security threats involved. We reiterate that the special military operation was launched as a forced response to the actions of NATO and the Kiev regime.
• Throughout the negotiations in Belarus, Istanbul, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Geneva and Alaska, Russian diplomacy has consistently demonstrated a constructive approach aimed at achieving a comprehensive, lasting and just peace.
• Peaceful resolution of disagreements is always preferable to military action. However, Kiev and Europe have thus far torpedoed all realistic options for a settlement. If the Europeans had not sought to 'bury' the 2025 Anchorage understandings, peace would have been achieved a year ago. If Boris Johnson had not forced the Ukrainians to abandon negotiations on a peace treaty in 2022, we would all have been living in peace for the past four years.
• The countries of the Alliance openly admit that they are preparing for a direct military confrontation with Russia and Belarus. Their militaristic rhetoric is backed up by practical measures. Industry is being placed on a war footing, the number and scale of military exercises are increasing, and the range of hybrid threats is expanding. In this context, the Ukraine crisis is nothing more than a pretext.
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❌ Лондон продолжает свои бессмысленные санкционные упражнения в отношении нашей страны. На этот раз незаконные ограничения введены против торговых судов, а также российских граждан и организаций, которых британские власти бездоказательно обвиняют в нарушениях прав украинцев и «милитаризации» детей.
Особенно цинично разыгрывается «детская тема» – теперь под предлогом того, что Россия якобы индоктринирует «миллионы несовершеннолетних» в новых регионах и лишает их идентичности. Эти утверждения не выдерживают критики.
Достаточно взглянуть на саму Украину, где запрещают русский язык, на котором говорят миллионы людей, преследуют каноническую церковь, уничтожают памятники и переименовывают улицы. Что это, как не попытки стереть историческую и культурную идентичность со стороны Киева?
Ставка британского правительства на давление и эскалацию вместо диалога лишь свидетельствует о его незаинтересованности в политико-дипломатическом урегулировании конфликта.
Наивно полагать, что очередное закручивание «санкционных гаек» что-то изменит: Россия спокойно адаптируется к ограничениям и продолжит добиваться целей СВО. Между тем антироссийский курс Лондона и поддержка киевского режима имеют вполне ощутимые последствия для рядовых британцев. Рекордные цены на дизельное топливо в Соединённом Королевстве – наглядное тому подтверждение.
Особенно цинично разыгрывается «детская тема» – теперь под предлогом того, что Россия якобы индоктринирует «миллионы несовершеннолетних» в новых регионах и лишает их идентичности. Эти утверждения не выдерживают критики.
Достаточно взглянуть на саму Украину, где запрещают русский язык, на котором говорят миллионы людей, преследуют каноническую церковь, уничтожают памятники и переименовывают улицы. Что это, как не попытки стереть историческую и культурную идентичность со стороны Киева?
Ставка британского правительства на давление и эскалацию вместо диалога лишь свидетельствует о его незаинтересованности в политико-дипломатическом урегулировании конфликта.
Наивно полагать, что очередное закручивание «санкционных гаек» что-то изменит: Россия спокойно адаптируется к ограничениям и продолжит добиваться целей СВО. Между тем антироссийский курс Лондона и поддержка киевского режима имеют вполне ощутимые последствия для рядовых британцев. Рекордные цены на дизельное топливо в Соединённом Королевстве – наглядное тому подтверждение.
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❌ London continues its pointless sanctions policy against our country. This time, illegal restrictions have been imposed on commercial vessels, as well as on Russian nationals and organisations whom the British authorities baselessly accuse of violating the rights of Ukrainians and of “militarising” children.
The “children’s issue” is being exploited with particular cynicism – now under the pretext that Russia is allegedly indoctrinating “millions of minors” in the new regions and stripping them of their identity. These claims do not stand up to scrutiny.
One need only look at Ukraine itself, where the Russian language, spoken by millions of people, is banned, the canonical Orthodox Church is persecuted, monuments are destroyed and streets are renamed. What is this if not an attempt by Kiev to erase historical and cultural identity?
The UK government’s reliance on pressure and escalation instead of dialogue merely demonstrates its lack of interest in a political and diplomatic settlement of the Ukraine conflict.
It is naive to believe that yet another tightening of sanctions will change anything: Russia is calmly adapting to the restrictions and will continue to pursue the goals of the special military operation. Meanwhile, London’s anti-Russian course and its support for the Kiev regime have tangible consequences for ordinary Britons. Record diesel prices in the UK are clear evidence of this.
The “children’s issue” is being exploited with particular cynicism – now under the pretext that Russia is allegedly indoctrinating “millions of minors” in the new regions and stripping them of their identity. These claims do not stand up to scrutiny.
One need only look at Ukraine itself, where the Russian language, spoken by millions of people, is banned, the canonical Orthodox Church is persecuted, monuments are destroyed and streets are renamed. What is this if not an attempt by Kiev to erase historical and cultural identity?
The UK government’s reliance on pressure and escalation instead of dialogue merely demonstrates its lack of interest in a political and diplomatic settlement of the Ukraine conflict.
It is naive to believe that yet another tightening of sanctions will change anything: Russia is calmly adapting to the restrictions and will continue to pursue the goals of the special military operation. Meanwhile, London’s anti-Russian course and its support for the Kiev regime have tangible consequences for ordinary Britons. Record diesel prices in the UK are clear evidence of this.
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