"Russia views the African continent as a global centre with its own unique identity in the emerging multipolar global architecture. The fact that our African friends have made great strides in their national development is a source of great satisfaction for us. This is largely attributable to proactive youth engagement in political, economic and humanitarian processes. Russia reaffirms its commitment to helping African countries strengthen their sovereignty and security in all aspects and dimensions."

Read the text of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s video message to the participants in the 3rd international youth forum "Russia-Africa: What Next?" taking place in Moscow on April 24

👉 IN FULL

⚡️ Talented individuals and socially responsible organizations from around the globe are invited to compete in the #WeAreTogether International Prize.

The Prize is a reward for selfless contribution to solving important humanitarian problems and strengthening international humanitarian cooperation.

The official theme of the 2024 Prize is Social partnership for Global development.

Laureates are selected from 6 regions of the world:
• the CIS,
• Europe,
• the Asia-Pacific region,
• the Middle East and North Africa,
• North and South America,
• Sub-Saharan Africa.

Timeline of the Prize:
🗓 until May 20, 2024 – application campaign conculdes
🗓 June 25 – October 20, 2024 – evaluation of applications
🗓 December 5-8, 2024 – award ceremony

The winners of the Prize will:
✔️ have a unique opportunity to tell the world about their activities;
✔️ receive financial and expert support from representatives of Russian and international organisations during the year following the announcement of the results.

🌐 Over the past years more than 1300 projects rendering selfless aid from 100 countries have participated in the International Prize.

👉 Learn more

🗓 Today we commemorate #ElbeDay, dedicated to the historic encounter between Soviet and American forces on the banks of the Elbe River.

On April 25, 1945, the two allied armies met for the first time near Torgau in Germany. This contact marked an important step toward the end of World War II in Europe, heralding the final downfall of the Nazi regime.

Watch the documentary "Encounters at the Elbe: Springtime Before the Cold War" to explore and take a close look at the full story and key details of that landmark event imbued by the spirit of the soldier's brotherhood and hope for a lasting and happy peace.

#WeWereAllies

On April 26, the Russian Consulate General hosted a charity event to support the residents of the township of Khayelitsha whose dwellings were burnt in a recent fire. With the support of the ANC Youth League in WC, Russian diplomats gave those affected some warm clothes, school supplies, toys.

The Primakov Centre:

🎙 The Primakov Readings Forum Youth Session 2024 will be held in Moscow on 22−27 June (see the programme).

This year's forum is titled 'Russia in Changing World Order: Challenges and Opportunities'. Graduate and postgraduate students, representatives of higher education institutions and research institutes, community-based and non-profit organisations, as well as independent experts aged from 21 to 35 years, who specialise in the issues of world economy and politics, international relations and security, international law, sociology and demography, and modern and contemporary history are invited to participate.

Based on the results of the applications process, a list of participants, who will have the opportunity to present a report at one of the panels of the Primakov Readings Youth Session will be determined.

📚 Choose one of the following topics:

• BRICS+: Trends in Political and Economic Development
• Greater Eurasia: Challenges and Prospects for Cooperation
• The Global South on the Threshold of Change (marking the 95th anniversary of Evgeniy Primakov)
• Africa in the New Global Context: Challenges and Horizons of Development
• Technology and the Transformation of the World Order: Between Risks and Opportunities

👨‍💻 Write a 4-5 page report;

✍️ Get a letter of recommendation from your supervisor;

📨 Submit your application by May 5.

👉 For further details, please visit the official website

🎙 MFA Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’s answer to a media question about Kiev’s recent statements regarding the events in Bucha in the Spring of 2022

❓ On April 24, Kiev’s UN mission came up with its own “version” of the events in Bucha, thus replying to a note circulated by the Russian Permanent Mission to the UN at the UNSC and the UNGA. Kiev and the West are persisting in their attempts to put the blame for the gory show they had staged themselves on Russia. How would you comment on these statements?

💬 Maria Zakharova: Russia has repeatedly proved with facts in hand that the so-called Bucha massacre is a cynical ploy.

As usual, the message circulated by the Ukrainian mission contains no evidence, just unfounded accusations and references to the “firm conclusions” by the so-called Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine and research by the OSCE’s derelict Moscow Mechanism. <...>

According to the Ukrainian figures, the Russian military committed 272 crimes per day... <...> which is completely unrealistic.

In addition, they managed to provide humanitarian aid to the local population. In total, 452 tonnes of Russian humanitarian cargoes were delivered and distributed in Bucha and other localities in the Kiev Region.

The local mobile communications networks remained in operation while the city was under Russian military control. Not a single local resident reported any instances of violence. <...>

It is important to note that, following the Russian withdrawal on March 31, 2022, Bucha mayor Anatoly Fedorchuk posted a video that conspicuously did not mention “extensive Ukrainian casualties.” <...>

❗️ However, the most important point is that a full-scale investigation into the Bucha tragedy has yet to begin. There is still no information available about the victims’ names, places of residence, time, location and cause of death, and autopsy results. <...>

👉 This can only mean one thing: the leaders of the Kiev regime fear an investigation as it could implicate themselves.

Read in full

❗️Looking back on the Odessa tragedy, it is clear that ten years ago Brussels not only turned a blind eye to the massacre of civilians, but, more importantly, demonstrated its readiness to continue to overlook any further such crimes by Kiev.

Subsequently, the EU began to indulge the Ukrainian regime’s every urge to kill politicians, journalists, civil society activists - all those who disagreed with the post-Maidan developments in the country. All this, however, does not prevent the European Union from insisting at the same time that Ukraine, on its way to the "European family", is making significant progress in guaranteeing fundamental human rights and freedoms.

❓One cannot help but wonder whether the European Union is aware of what neo-Nazism is and whether it intends to address its manifestations in Europe, given that all the resources available to Brussels have been thrown into countering one of the objectives of Russia's special military operation, namely the denazification of Ukraine.

Уважаемые посетители,

Генеральное консульство будет закрыто 9 и 10 мая в связи с государственными праздниками.

***

Dear visitors,

Consulate General of Russia will be closed on May 9-10 due to the public holidays.

✍️ Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s greetings to the participants in and guests of the International Anti-Fascist Forum of Cultural "Guitars in the Line-up (Formation)"

💬 I warmly welcome the organisers, participants and guests of the International Anti-Fascist Forum of Cultural Figures "Guitars in the Line-up (Formation)".

Your remarkable creative project has brought together those who reject the criminal ideas of Nazism. Today, your efforts are especially needed. Almost 80 years after the Great Victory, Nazism – an ideology of hatred, discrimination and suppression – has re-emerged in some European countries, above all in Ukraine.

In this context, it is viral for people from all walks of life, regardless of their country of residence, nationality or ethnic background, to come together to counter these dangerous trends that threaten all of humanity. It is gratifying to see that your forum is also contributing to these noble collective efforts.

I wish all the participants success and the audience a lively and joyful atmosphere and all the best.

On May 7 in 1840, the prominent Russian composer P.Tchaikovsky was born. He made great contribution to the world musical culture - his best works include ‘The Nutcracker’, ‘Swan Lake’ and ‘Sleeping Beauty’.

By the way, Cape Town hosted the ‘Swan Lake’ performance in 2023.

We invite you to enjoy ‘The Nutcracker’ ballet staged in the 'Bolshoi'!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__BxNlTATGY

Vladimir Putin has been inaugurated as President of Russia in a ceremony that took place at the Kremlin.

"To reiterate, we are open to talks, including on security and strategic stability, but not to negotiations from a position of strength. We are open to a conversation without arrogance, conceit or exceptionalism – a dialogue on an equal footing and with respect for each other’s interests.

Together with our partners in Eurasian integration and other sovereign development centres, we will continue to build a multipolar world and an equal and indivisible security system.

In this complex, rapidly-changing world, we must strive to be self-sufficient and competitive, opening up new horizons for Russia, as we have done many times throughout our history."

Read the President's address in full:

http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/73981

⚡️ Foreign Ministry statement on the Russian Armed Forces’ exercises held to practice for the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons

💬 Regarding the upcoming Russian military exercises held to practice for the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons, we would like to point out that these drills should be viewed in the context of the recent militant statements made by Western officials and the highly destabilising actions taken by several NATO countries to increase military pressure on the Russian Federation <...>.

👉 The matter concerns above all the open declaration of support for and the provision of direct assistance to the terrorist attacks against Russia carried out by the Kiev regime with the use of increasingly more advanced Western weapons provided to it. <...>

Apart from the British and French long-range missiles, which have long been used in Ukraine, we have taken special note of the models of US-made ATACMS missiles, which have been recently sent to Ukraine and are capable of reaching targets inside Russia.

At the same time, attempting to build up multifaceted missile threats to Russia, the US has openly and manifestly launched the deployment of ground-based intermediate- and shorter-range missiles, which were previously prohibited under the INF Treaty, around the world. <...>

❗️We hereby expressly declare that we reserve the right to respond in kind, no matter where US-made intermediate- and shorter-range missiles are deployed, which would amount to the termination of Russia’s unilateral moratorium on the deployment of these weapon systems. <...>

These and several other actions by NATO countries actually show that they are deliberately trying to escalate the Ukrainian crisis all the way to an open military confrontation between NATO countries and Russia within the framework of their hostile policy of inflicting a “strategic defeat” on Russia.

Read in full

🕯 Russia has a tradition.

On the eve of the Victory Day over Nazism which is annually celebrated on May 9, Russian schools and kindergartens host so-called 'Lesson of Courage'.

🎖These lessons are aimed at telling children the truth about immortal feat of their ancestors who sacrificed their lives to stop the Nazi war machine striving for the annihilation of the whole nations on the basis of origin.

Another important task of the 'Lessons of Courage' is preservation of the historical memory for the future generations. It's not a secret that nowadays Western countries are trying to rewrite history and hide any trace of the crucial USSR role in the issue of ending Nazism.

☝️We will not allow that to happen.

Today, on May 8, the Russian Children's Center in Cape Town held the "Lesson of Courage" for its little pupils.

#Victory79