Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🎙️ Comment by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on the developments in Lebanon (April 17, 2026)
💬 On April 16, a ten-day cessation of hostilities was announced in the Lebanese Republic.
We welcome the ceasefire agreement, which has helped bring an end to the bloodshed. We hope it will be strictly observed, creating conditions for sustainable de-escalation in Lebanon and improving the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation there.
From the very beginning of the large-scale escalation in the Middle East, which further aggravated the already difficult situation in Lebanon, we have consistently called for an end to armed confrontation and a transition to a political and diplomatic settlement.
In this context, we view the direct contact between representatives of Lebanon and Israel on April 14, held for the first time in 33 years, as a step in the right direction.
☝️ Russia unequivocally and unconditionally supports the parties’ desire for peace, provided it is genuine and sustained.
We hope that Tel Aviv and Beirut will be able to find common ground and move toward improving bilateral relations.
We believe that a complete renunciation of the use of force and a return to political and diplomatic efforts to ensure the comprehensive implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 can pave the way for sustainable, long-term normalisation in the Lebanese Republic.
💬 On April 16, a ten-day cessation of hostilities was announced in the Lebanese Republic.
We welcome the ceasefire agreement, which has helped bring an end to the bloodshed. We hope it will be strictly observed, creating conditions for sustainable de-escalation in Lebanon and improving the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation there.
From the very beginning of the large-scale escalation in the Middle East, which further aggravated the already difficult situation in Lebanon, we have consistently called for an end to armed confrontation and a transition to a political and diplomatic settlement.
In this context, we view the direct contact between representatives of Lebanon and Israel on April 14, held for the first time in 33 years, as a step in the right direction.
☝️ Russia unequivocally and unconditionally supports the parties’ desire for peace, provided it is genuine and sustained.
We hope that Tel Aviv and Beirut will be able to find common ground and move toward improving bilateral relations.
We believe that a complete renunciation of the use of force and a return to political and diplomatic efforts to ensure the comprehensive implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 can pave the way for sustainable, long-term normalisation in the Lebanese Republic.
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🇷🇺🇹🇷 On April 18, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov, at the invitation of Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye Hakan Fidan, took part in the Fifth Antalya Diplomatic Forum.
During a bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the event with Hakan Fidan, the two Ministers thoroughly discussed key aspects of the international and regional agenda, including the situation in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East.
The mutual commitment of Russia and Türkiye to further constructive cooperation aimed at finding effective solutions for resolving crisis situations was reaffirmed.
An exchange of views was held on current political issues of the Russian-Turkish dialogue, and the main objectives of trade, economic, and energy cooperation were discussed.
The schedule of upcoming contacts was outlined.
#RussiaTürkiye
During a bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the event with Hakan Fidan, the two Ministers thoroughly discussed key aspects of the international and regional agenda, including the situation in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East.
The mutual commitment of Russia and Türkiye to further constructive cooperation aimed at finding effective solutions for resolving crisis situations was reaffirmed.
An exchange of views was held on current political issues of the Russian-Turkish dialogue, and the main objectives of trade, economic, and energy cooperation were discussed.
The schedule of upcoming contacts was outlined.
#RussiaTürkiye
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🎙 Video address by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the occasion of Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Genocide of the Soviet People committed by Nazis and their accomplices during 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War (Moscow, April 19, 2026)
💬 Friends,
This year will be the first time that we mark a mournful date, namely, Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Genocide of the Soviet People committed by Nazis and their accomplices during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. This new commemorative day - April 19 - was established in December 2025. Events in memory of the victims of Nazis and the immortal feat of the Soviet people will take place at Russian missions abroad as well.
April 19 was chosen for a reason. On that day in 1943, Decree No. 39 of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet “On measures of punishment for German Nazi perpetrators guilty of killings and torture of Soviet civilian population and captured Red Army soldiers, for spies, traitors to the Motherland from among Soviet citizens, and for their accomplices” was issued.
The decree became the first document to provide a legal qualification of the systematic policy pursued by the Nazis and collaborationists to exterminate the civilian population, and laid the groundwork for bringing them to justice. Among the first trials subsequently organised against German war criminals were the Krasnodar and Kharkov trials. Their outcomes significantly influenced the work of the Nuremberg Military Tribunal.
The evidence presented in the materials of the Nuremberg Tribunal and their legal assessments made it possible to speak of genocide of peoples in the territories occupied by Germany, primarily the territory of the USSR. The enemy was open about it waging a war of extermination against our Fatherland. As early as September 16, 1941, by order of the Chief of Staff of the High Command of the Wehrmacht, General Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, German troops were instructed to show no mercy to civilians. The atrocities reached an unprecedented scale.
▪️ The total number of civilian victims in the USSR during the occupation amounted to around 14 million people.
These crimes have no statute of limitations.
The outcomes of the Nuremberg Tribunal laid the foundation for drafting the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The very term “genocide” gained currency in 1944 to define a policy of obliteration of national, racial, and religious groups.
The facts of genocide in the occupied territories of the former USSR have been confirmed in court in all constituent entities of the Russian Federation where, during the Great Patriotic War, crimes against the civilian population were committed by German Nazis and their accomplices from among those in other countries who stood under Nazi banners. Russian diplomacy will seek recognition by the international community of the crimes committed by the Nazis and their accomplices against citizens of the Soviet Union as genocide of the Soviet people. The qualification to this end has been enshrined in a number of documents adopted within the CIS and the CSTO.
In Russia, rehabilitation of Nazism, including actions that desecrate the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Genocide, has been criminalised.
We will continue to resolutely defend historical truth and counter attempts to whitewash Nazi criminals and their acolytes, and to revise the internationally recognised outcomes of the Second World War. The majority of states stand in solidarity with us. There is clear broad support for Russian thematic initiatives, primarily at the UN, where Russian draft resolutions on combatting the glorification of Nazism are adopted annually.
Preserving the memory of millions of victims of the genocide of the Soviet people is our sacred duty.
We will not allow these atrocities to be consigned to oblivion, no matter how hard those who today seek once again to steer Europe down the well-trodden path of racial superiority may try.
💬 Friends,
This year will be the first time that we mark a mournful date, namely, Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Genocide of the Soviet People committed by Nazis and their accomplices during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. This new commemorative day - April 19 - was established in December 2025. Events in memory of the victims of Nazis and the immortal feat of the Soviet people will take place at Russian missions abroad as well.
April 19 was chosen for a reason. On that day in 1943, Decree No. 39 of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet “On measures of punishment for German Nazi perpetrators guilty of killings and torture of Soviet civilian population and captured Red Army soldiers, for spies, traitors to the Motherland from among Soviet citizens, and for their accomplices” was issued.
The decree became the first document to provide a legal qualification of the systematic policy pursued by the Nazis and collaborationists to exterminate the civilian population, and laid the groundwork for bringing them to justice. Among the first trials subsequently organised against German war criminals were the Krasnodar and Kharkov trials. Their outcomes significantly influenced the work of the Nuremberg Military Tribunal.
The evidence presented in the materials of the Nuremberg Tribunal and their legal assessments made it possible to speak of genocide of peoples in the territories occupied by Germany, primarily the territory of the USSR. The enemy was open about it waging a war of extermination against our Fatherland. As early as September 16, 1941, by order of the Chief of Staff of the High Command of the Wehrmacht, General Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, German troops were instructed to show no mercy to civilians. The atrocities reached an unprecedented scale.
▪️ The total number of civilian victims in the USSR during the occupation amounted to around 14 million people.
These crimes have no statute of limitations.
The outcomes of the Nuremberg Tribunal laid the foundation for drafting the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The very term “genocide” gained currency in 1944 to define a policy of obliteration of national, racial, and religious groups.
The facts of genocide in the occupied territories of the former USSR have been confirmed in court in all constituent entities of the Russian Federation where, during the Great Patriotic War, crimes against the civilian population were committed by German Nazis and their accomplices from among those in other countries who stood under Nazi banners. Russian diplomacy will seek recognition by the international community of the crimes committed by the Nazis and their accomplices against citizens of the Soviet Union as genocide of the Soviet people. The qualification to this end has been enshrined in a number of documents adopted within the CIS and the CSTO.
In Russia, rehabilitation of Nazism, including actions that desecrate the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Genocide, has been criminalised.
We will continue to resolutely defend historical truth and counter attempts to whitewash Nazi criminals and their acolytes, and to revise the internationally recognised outcomes of the Second World War. The majority of states stand in solidarity with us. There is clear broad support for Russian thematic initiatives, primarily at the UN, where Russian draft resolutions on combatting the glorification of Nazism are adopted annually.
Preserving the memory of millions of victims of the genocide of the Soviet people is our sacred duty.
We will not allow these atrocities to be consigned to oblivion, no matter how hard those who today seek once again to steer Europe down the well-trodden path of racial superiority may try.
April 19 is the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Genocide of the Soviet People, declared by the President of the Russian Federation in December 2025.
On December 29, 2025, the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, signed a decree establishing April 19 as the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Genocide of the Soviet People, committed by the Nazis and their accomplices during the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945.
In recent years, Russia has also annually observed April 19 as the Day of Unified Actions (#DayOfUnifiedActions), aimed at preserving the memory of those who perished at the hands of Nazi executioners and their accomplices.
📑 Read more about the Day of Unified Actions in the extended material by Rosarkhiv
It was on April 19, 1943, that Decree No. 39 of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR was issued:
“On Measures of Punishment for German-Fascist Villains Guilty of the Killing and Torture of Soviet Civilians and Captured Red Army Soldiers, for Spies, Traitors to the Motherland from among Soviet Citizens, and for Their Accomplices.”👉 This document provided a legal assessment that, for the first time, recognized the fact of a deliberate and large-scale policy pursued by the Nazis and their accomplices aimed at the extermination of the civilian population of our country.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, in cooperation with the Investigative Committee, other law-enforcement authorities, as well as the National Center for Historical Memory under the President of the Russian Federation, is conducting systematic work to consolidate the legal qualification of the crimes of the fascist invaders as GENOCIDE of the peoples of the Soviet Union.
***
The Nazis systematically exterminated the entire population of our country, regardless of ethnic, racial, or religious affiliation. More than 27 million Soviet citizens, including civilians, fell victim to the Nazis and their accomplices during the Great Patriotic War. Among the civilian population of our country alone, according to historians’ estimates, approximately 13.7 million people became victims of the ruthless Nazi policy of extermination.
#FactsOnly
▪️ At least 7.4 million people were deliberately killed (shot, burned, or buried alive) by Nazi executioners.
▪️ Forced labor in concentration camps and inhumane treatment led to the agonizing deaths of another 2.2 million people. More than 1 million children and adolescents were placed in concentration camps.
▪️ In the territories occupied by the enemy, more than 4.1 million people died prematurely due to the overall deterioration of living conditions, disease, and starvation.
▪️ At least 1 million people perished during the Siege of Leningrad — the largest war crime in history.
As part of the “Without Statute of Limitations” online project, and within the broader effort to preserve the memory of the victims of the genocide of the Soviet people, documentary and multimedia materials have been prepared, highlighting the numerous crimes committed by Nazi invaders during the occupation of our Motherland and other countries.
• “Routes of Memory” — guidebooks and audio tours to memorial sites available in Russian, English, and German.
• “The Bryansk Buchenwald”— about the Dulag-142 concentration camp, where tens of thousands of our compatriots were killed by the Germans.
• “‘The Forsaken’: Children under Nazi Occupation” — children and adolescents fully experienced the brutality of Nazi occupation, becoming not only victims of extermination policies but also targets of recruitment.
📖 Learn more about these and many other projects on the Without Statute of Limitations portal.
On December 29, 2025, the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, signed a decree establishing April 19 as the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Genocide of the Soviet People, committed by the Nazis and their accomplices during the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945.
In recent years, Russia has also annually observed April 19 as the Day of Unified Actions (#DayOfUnifiedActions), aimed at preserving the memory of those who perished at the hands of Nazi executioners and their accomplices.
📑 Read more about the Day of Unified Actions in the extended material by Rosarkhiv
It was on April 19, 1943, that Decree No. 39 of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR was issued:
“On Measures of Punishment for German-Fascist Villains Guilty of the Killing and Torture of Soviet Civilians and Captured Red Army Soldiers, for Spies, Traitors to the Motherland from among Soviet Citizens, and for Their Accomplices.”👉 This document provided a legal assessment that, for the first time, recognized the fact of a deliberate and large-scale policy pursued by the Nazis and their accomplices aimed at the extermination of the civilian population of our country.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, in cooperation with the Investigative Committee, other law-enforcement authorities, as well as the National Center for Historical Memory under the President of the Russian Federation, is conducting systematic work to consolidate the legal qualification of the crimes of the fascist invaders as GENOCIDE of the peoples of the Soviet Union.
***
The Nazis systematically exterminated the entire population of our country, regardless of ethnic, racial, or religious affiliation. More than 27 million Soviet citizens, including civilians, fell victim to the Nazis and their accomplices during the Great Patriotic War. Among the civilian population of our country alone, according to historians’ estimates, approximately 13.7 million people became victims of the ruthless Nazi policy of extermination.
#FactsOnly
▪️ At least 7.4 million people were deliberately killed (shot, burned, or buried alive) by Nazi executioners.
▪️ Forced labor in concentration camps and inhumane treatment led to the agonizing deaths of another 2.2 million people. More than 1 million children and adolescents were placed in concentration camps.
▪️ In the territories occupied by the enemy, more than 4.1 million people died prematurely due to the overall deterioration of living conditions, disease, and starvation.
▪️ At least 1 million people perished during the Siege of Leningrad — the largest war crime in history.
As part of the “Without Statute of Limitations” online project, and within the broader effort to preserve the memory of the victims of the genocide of the Soviet people, documentary and multimedia materials have been prepared, highlighting the numerous crimes committed by Nazi invaders during the occupation of our Motherland and other countries.
• “Routes of Memory” — guidebooks and audio tours to memorial sites available in Russian, English, and German.
• “The Bryansk Buchenwald”— about the Dulag-142 concentration camp, where tens of thousands of our compatriots were killed by the Germans.
• “‘The Forsaken’: Children under Nazi Occupation” — children and adolescents fully experienced the brutality of Nazi occupation, becoming not only victims of extermination policies but also targets of recruitment.
📖 Learn more about these and many other projects on the Without Statute of Limitations portal.
#NoStatuteOfLimitations
#OTD we once again turn to archival documents that contain evidence of the crimes committed by the Nazis and their collaborators.
The Russian Military Historical Society has published on its website a selection of documents from the Central Archives of the Russian Defence Ministry. These materials include records related to the Red Army’s liberation of European countries from Nazi occupation and the freeing of concentration camp prisoners, as well as a series of reports describing atrocities of the Banderites.
👉 View the archival documents' selection in its entirety
#ArchivesSpeak
◼️ Nazi crimes and Nazi death camps
This selection of archival documents includes declassified materials that contain evidence related to the Nazi extermination camps Sobibor, Auschwitz, Treblinka, and Majdanek, as well as prisoner-of-war camps. Reports submitted by members of the Military Councils of these fronts to the Supreme High Command shed light on the scale and brutality of Nazi crimes.
Not only German forces, but also their collaborators, participated in acts of genocide against concentration camp prisoners. The materials include testimonies from liberated prisoners of war, reports by Soviet command on the extermination of prisoners immediately prior to the liberation of the camps, personal accounts of participants, and records of interrogations of Nazis and their collaborators.
– From a report dated July 30, 1944, on Nazi atrocities at the Sobibor death camp, compiled by a group of Soviet officers led by Captain Turayev. The document includes testimony from a local resident, Lukashuk, who witnessed Nazi crimes:
All the corpses were piled up, doused with fuel, and burned. A huge bonfire began to blaze an hour after the train carrying the unfortunate victims arrived. It burned for days, with the stench of burning human bodies carried by the wind for many kilometres to neighbouring villages.
The Germans later burned the Jewish prisoners who had been forced to work in this death factory, and destroyed the camp in mid-1943. In the fall of 1943, they plowed over the site and sowed it with rye in an attempt to conceal their terrible crimes.
◼️ Banderites’ atrocities
- From the political report by the head of the political department of the Ternopol Regional Military Commissariat, dated November 5, 1945, On the activities of Ukrainian-German nationalist groups in the Ternopol Region, October 1945:
The activities of Ukrainian-German nationalist groups were aimed at disrupting state events, including the procurement of agricultural products. <...> In areas without military garrisons, these groups intensified their hostilities, and terrorist acts, including the killings of local party officials and rural activists, became more frequent. In addition to acts of intimidation and the search for winter clothing, <...> these groups carried out robberies of cooperative stores and private households.
...
In the village of Grigorovo, Monastyrsky District, bandits killed the secretary of the village council for being the first to fulfill the grain supply quota.
...
In the Vishnevsky District, on October 19, bandits executed three young women: one a milk collector, one a postwoman, and one a cafeteria cleaner. The victims were subjected to severe abuse: the bandits cut their hair, slashed their faces with needles, and committed other acts of cruelty.
▪️ A dedicated section on the genocide of the Soviet people at the Russian MFA's website
❗️ Nazi crimes have no statute of limitations and must never be forgotten, or the world will once again face the threat of genocide of prisoners of war, civilians, and entire nations.
#OTD we once again turn to archival documents that contain evidence of the crimes committed by the Nazis and their collaborators.
The Russian Military Historical Society has published on its website a selection of documents from the Central Archives of the Russian Defence Ministry. These materials include records related to the Red Army’s liberation of European countries from Nazi occupation and the freeing of concentration camp prisoners, as well as a series of reports describing atrocities of the Banderites.
👉 View the archival documents' selection in its entirety
#ArchivesSpeak
◼️ Nazi crimes and Nazi death camps
This selection of archival documents includes declassified materials that contain evidence related to the Nazi extermination camps Sobibor, Auschwitz, Treblinka, and Majdanek, as well as prisoner-of-war camps. Reports submitted by members of the Military Councils of these fronts to the Supreme High Command shed light on the scale and brutality of Nazi crimes.
Not only German forces, but also their collaborators, participated in acts of genocide against concentration camp prisoners. The materials include testimonies from liberated prisoners of war, reports by Soviet command on the extermination of prisoners immediately prior to the liberation of the camps, personal accounts of participants, and records of interrogations of Nazis and their collaborators.
– From a report dated July 30, 1944, on Nazi atrocities at the Sobibor death camp, compiled by a group of Soviet officers led by Captain Turayev. The document includes testimony from a local resident, Lukashuk, who witnessed Nazi crimes:
All the corpses were piled up, doused with fuel, and burned. A huge bonfire began to blaze an hour after the train carrying the unfortunate victims arrived. It burned for days, with the stench of burning human bodies carried by the wind for many kilometres to neighbouring villages.
The Germans later burned the Jewish prisoners who had been forced to work in this death factory, and destroyed the camp in mid-1943. In the fall of 1943, they plowed over the site and sowed it with rye in an attempt to conceal their terrible crimes.
◼️ Banderites’ atrocities
- From the political report by the head of the political department of the Ternopol Regional Military Commissariat, dated November 5, 1945, On the activities of Ukrainian-German nationalist groups in the Ternopol Region, October 1945:
The activities of Ukrainian-German nationalist groups were aimed at disrupting state events, including the procurement of agricultural products. <...> In areas without military garrisons, these groups intensified their hostilities, and terrorist acts, including the killings of local party officials and rural activists, became more frequent. In addition to acts of intimidation and the search for winter clothing, <...> these groups carried out robberies of cooperative stores and private households.
...
In the village of Grigorovo, Monastyrsky District, bandits killed the secretary of the village council for being the first to fulfill the grain supply quota.
...
In the Vishnevsky District, on October 19, bandits executed three young women: one a milk collector, one a postwoman, and one a cafeteria cleaner. The victims were subjected to severe abuse: the bandits cut their hair, slashed their faces with needles, and committed other acts of cruelty.
▪️ A dedicated section on the genocide of the Soviet people at the Russian MFA's website
❗️ Nazi crimes have no statute of limitations and must never be forgotten, or the world will once again face the threat of genocide of prisoners of war, civilians, and entire nations.
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🗓 On April 19, 1783, Russia's Empress Catherine II the Great signed the Imperial Manifesto on the Accession of Crimea, Taman and Kuban into the Russian Empire. In accordance with Federal Law No. 336-FZ of August 3, 2018, this day was declared a commemorative date in Russian history.
Russia’s victory in the Russo-Turkish War of 1768-1774 brought an end to Ottoman rule in the northern parts of the Black Sea region, as enshrined in the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca. By 1783, Crimea, Taman and the right bank of the Kuban River had become part of the Russian Empire.
📜 In the Manifesto, the Empress assured her new subjects:
The accession of Crimea to Russia gave a powerful impetus to the region’s development: the economy, trade and culture grew rapidly, and the cultivation of vast fertile lands began. In a very short time, new cities and ports emerged on the Black Sea steppe, and the Russian fleet firmly established itself in the Black Sea, securing our southern borders and opening up new opportunities for the country’s development.
Prince Grigory Potemkin, appointed Governor-General of Novorossiya by Catherine II, played a key role in the incorporation and development of the Crimean Peninsula. In June 1783, on the flat summit of Mount Ak-Kaya, he accepted the oath of allegiance to Russia from the Crimean nobility and representatives of all segments of the Crimean population.
On December 28, 1783, Sultan Abdul Hamid I of the Ottoman Empire formally recognised Russia’s authority over Crimea in writing. That was a remarkable diplomatic achievement for Russian Ambassador Yakov Bulgakov. “Your firmness, energy and intelligence have averted war,” Prince Potemkin wrote to Bulgakov. The Sublime Porte could not forgive that: from 1787 to 1789, the Russian diplomat was imprisoned in the Yedikule Fortress.
The outcome of the Russo-Turkish War of 1787-1791 and the Treaty of Jassy sealed the deal: Crimea is Russia.
💬 From a briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova:
At the same time, Crimea’s incorporation into the Russian Empire under Catherine the Great had deep historical roots. As early as the second half of the 10th century, the eastern part of the peninsula became part of the Tmutarakan Principality, thus becoming part of Ancient Rus.
Ties were strengthened after Grand Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich’s successful campaign in 988 against the Byzantine city of Korsun (Tauric Chersonesos). It was there that he was baptised, defining the historical path of our Fatherland.
Several centuries later, in 1783, Crimea rejoined the Russian Empire – and in 2014, following a Crimean referendum, it finally returned “to its native harbour,” becoming an integral part of the Russian Federation. The peninsula’s return was a logical continuation of the shared historical journey of Crimea and Russia – a journey spanning over a thousand years.
Russia’s victory in the Russo-Turkish War of 1768-1774 brought an end to Ottoman rule in the northern parts of the Black Sea region, as enshrined in the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca. By 1783, Crimea, Taman and the right bank of the Kuban River had become part of the Russian Empire.
📜 In the Manifesto, the Empress assured her new subjects:
“...We promise, sacredly and unwaveringly, for ourselves and the successors to our throne, to maintain them on an equal footing with our natural subjects, to protect and defend their persons, property, churches and their native faith, the free practice of which, with all lawful rites, shall remain inviolable; and to grant them, ultimately, all the rights and privileges enjoyed by those in Russia...”
The accession of Crimea to Russia gave a powerful impetus to the region’s development: the economy, trade and culture grew rapidly, and the cultivation of vast fertile lands began. In a very short time, new cities and ports emerged on the Black Sea steppe, and the Russian fleet firmly established itself in the Black Sea, securing our southern borders and opening up new opportunities for the country’s development.
Prince Grigory Potemkin, appointed Governor-General of Novorossiya by Catherine II, played a key role in the incorporation and development of the Crimean Peninsula. In June 1783, on the flat summit of Mount Ak-Kaya, he accepted the oath of allegiance to Russia from the Crimean nobility and representatives of all segments of the Crimean population.
On December 28, 1783, Sultan Abdul Hamid I of the Ottoman Empire formally recognised Russia’s authority over Crimea in writing. That was a remarkable diplomatic achievement for Russian Ambassador Yakov Bulgakov. “Your firmness, energy and intelligence have averted war,” Prince Potemkin wrote to Bulgakov. The Sublime Porte could not forgive that: from 1787 to 1789, the Russian diplomat was imprisoned in the Yedikule Fortress.
The outcome of the Russo-Turkish War of 1787-1791 and the Treaty of Jassy sealed the deal: Crimea is Russia.
💬 From a briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova:
“The Manifesto represented the logical culmination of our country’s centuries-long struggle for the return of primordially Russian lands, ensured the security of its frontiers, and cemented the legitimate incorporation of the Crimean Peninsula and other territories into Russia.”
At the same time, Crimea’s incorporation into the Russian Empire under Catherine the Great had deep historical roots. As early as the second half of the 10th century, the eastern part of the peninsula became part of the Tmutarakan Principality, thus becoming part of Ancient Rus.
Ties were strengthened after Grand Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich’s successful campaign in 988 against the Byzantine city of Korsun (Tauric Chersonesos). It was there that he was baptised, defining the historical path of our Fatherland.
Several centuries later, in 1783, Crimea rejoined the Russian Empire – and in 2014, following a Crimean referendum, it finally returned “to its native harbour,” becoming an integral part of the Russian Federation. The peninsula’s return was a logical continuation of the shared historical journey of Crimea and Russia – a journey spanning over a thousand years.
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
#KievRegimeCrimes
⚡️ Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rodion Miroshnik:
PHOTO FACTS & EVIDENCE of crimes committed by Ukrainian armed forces over the week of April 13 – 19, 2026:
▪️April 13 – a UAV strike targeted an ambulance in the Belovsky district of the Kursk Region. Two staff members of the Belovsky Central District Hospital were injured.
▪️April 13 – a fixed-wing UAV struck a private home in Pervomaisk, the LPR.
▪️April 15 – an FPV drone struck a civilian passenger car in Malomikhaylovka, Belgorod Region. Three civilians were injured.
▪️April 15 – a UAV strike targeted civilian freight transport in Shebekino, Belgorod Region.
▪️April 16 – a UAV struck a grocery store in Velikaya Lepetikha, Kherson Region.
▪️April 16 – residential neighbourhoods in Tuapse, Krasnodar Territory, came under a massive UAV raid. Two people were killed and five others injured.
▪️April 16 – an FPV drone struck an administrative building in Shebekino, Belgorod Region. Three female employees were injured.
▪️April 17 – a UAV struck a passenger bus in Nikolskoye, Belgorod Region.
▪️April 17 – a UAV struck a grocery store in Shebekino, Belgorod Region. A woman was injured.
⚡️ Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rodion Miroshnik:
PHOTO FACTS & EVIDENCE of crimes committed by Ukrainian armed forces over the week of April 13 – 19, 2026:
▪️April 13 – a UAV strike targeted an ambulance in the Belovsky district of the Kursk Region. Two staff members of the Belovsky Central District Hospital were injured.
▪️April 13 – a fixed-wing UAV struck a private home in Pervomaisk, the LPR.
▪️April 15 – an FPV drone struck a civilian passenger car in Malomikhaylovka, Belgorod Region. Three civilians were injured.
▪️April 15 – a UAV strike targeted civilian freight transport in Shebekino, Belgorod Region.
▪️April 16 – a UAV struck a grocery store in Velikaya Lepetikha, Kherson Region.
▪️April 16 – residential neighbourhoods in Tuapse, Krasnodar Territory, came under a massive UAV raid. Two people were killed and five others injured.
▪️April 16 – an FPV drone struck an administrative building in Shebekino, Belgorod Region. Three female employees were injured.
▪️April 17 – a UAV struck a passenger bus in Nikolskoye, Belgorod Region.
▪️April 17 – a UAV struck a grocery store in Shebekino, Belgorod Region. A woman was injured.
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks during the 9th Ministerial Meeting of Russia and Central Asia (Moscow, April 17, 2026)
💬 Sergey Lavrov: I am pleased to welcome you to Moscow. We began our joint work yesterday at the CIS Foreign Ministers Council, and today we are holding the ninth meeting of Foreign Ministers of Russia and Central Asia. This in itself underscores the relevance of this six-party dialogue mechanism. In our view, it is developing successfully and dynamically, to the benefit of all participants.
In October 2025, the Second Russia – Central Asia Summit was held in the welcoming city of Dushanbe. During the summit, our leaders approved a Joint Action Plan for 2025-2027 and put forward a number of important initiatives. Our task now is to translate these decisions into concrete steps. The Action Plan serves as a framework document, outlining the key areas of our cooperation: trade, economic and investment ties, transport, energy, healthcare, environmental protection, security, cultural and humanitarian engagement, and migration.
Specific projects and initiatives are currently being developed within the six-party working groups established by the relevant agencies of Russia and your countries. As we noted today during the #CIS meeting, our relations are grounded in equality, mutual respect, and careful consideration of each other’s interests. They truly deserve the highest recognition as an example of a modern and forward-looking model of international partnership.
Our leaders maintain close and regular communication, both bilaterally and within integration frameworks such as the #CIS, the #EAEU, the #CSTO, and the #SCO. Active contacts are also sustained among heads of government, deputy prime ministers, and the leadership of parliaments, ministries, and agencies.
Despite the current geopolitical turbulence – which we examined in detail during today’s CIS meetings – we have succeeded in maintaining a consistently high level of trade turnover. In 2025, it continued to grow, approaching the $50 billion mark.
As I have already noted, cultural and humanitarian cooperation continues to develop. Through our joint efforts, and at the initiative of President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the International Organisation of the Russian Language was established. The Russian language remains a key means of communication not only between Russia and the Central Asian states, but also among the peoples of the broader post-Soviet space. Our approaches to international issues are closely aligned and, in most cases, coincide.
We greatly appreciate that, despite unprecedented external pressure, the Central Asian countries remain committed to their allied obligations, thereby contributing to the dynamic development of our friendly and mutually beneficial relations, both bilaterally and within multilateral frameworks, including the Russia – Central Asia mechanism.
I hope that today we will be able to make a tangible contribution to the implementation of the decisions adopted at the second Russia – Central Asia Summit in Dushanbe.
💬 Sergey Lavrov: I am pleased to welcome you to Moscow. We began our joint work yesterday at the CIS Foreign Ministers Council, and today we are holding the ninth meeting of Foreign Ministers of Russia and Central Asia. This in itself underscores the relevance of this six-party dialogue mechanism. In our view, it is developing successfully and dynamically, to the benefit of all participants.
In October 2025, the Second Russia – Central Asia Summit was held in the welcoming city of Dushanbe. During the summit, our leaders approved a Joint Action Plan for 2025-2027 and put forward a number of important initiatives. Our task now is to translate these decisions into concrete steps. The Action Plan serves as a framework document, outlining the key areas of our cooperation: trade, economic and investment ties, transport, energy, healthcare, environmental protection, security, cultural and humanitarian engagement, and migration.
Specific projects and initiatives are currently being developed within the six-party working groups established by the relevant agencies of Russia and your countries. As we noted today during the #CIS meeting, our relations are grounded in equality, mutual respect, and careful consideration of each other’s interests. They truly deserve the highest recognition as an example of a modern and forward-looking model of international partnership.
Our leaders maintain close and regular communication, both bilaterally and within integration frameworks such as the #CIS, the #EAEU, the #CSTO, and the #SCO. Active contacts are also sustained among heads of government, deputy prime ministers, and the leadership of parliaments, ministries, and agencies.
Despite the current geopolitical turbulence – which we examined in detail during today’s CIS meetings – we have succeeded in maintaining a consistently high level of trade turnover. In 2025, it continued to grow, approaching the $50 billion mark.
As I have already noted, cultural and humanitarian cooperation continues to develop. Through our joint efforts, and at the initiative of President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the International Organisation of the Russian Language was established. The Russian language remains a key means of communication not only between Russia and the Central Asian states, but also among the peoples of the broader post-Soviet space. Our approaches to international issues are closely aligned and, in most cases, coincide.
We greatly appreciate that, despite unprecedented external pressure, the Central Asian countries remain committed to their allied obligations, thereby contributing to the dynamic development of our friendly and mutually beneficial relations, both bilaterally and within multilateral frameworks, including the Russia – Central Asia mechanism.
I hope that today we will be able to make a tangible contribution to the implementation of the decisions adopted at the second Russia – Central Asia Summit in Dushanbe.
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🇷🇺🇮🇷📞 On April 20, Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov and Foreign Minister of Iran Abbas Araghchi had a telephone conversation.
Abbas Araghchi informed Sergey Lavrov of Iran’s position regarding the US violations of the ceasefire, including the illegal naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the seizure of an Iranian container ship.
☝️ The Russian Side once again stressed the need to preserve the truce, which must be upheld within the parameters originally agreed and announced by the Pakistani mediators. The importance of continuing diplomatic efforts aimed at preventing the situation from spiralling out of control and averting a renewed armed confrontation was also underscored.
Russia reaffirmed its readiness to facilitate mutually acceptable arrangements between Iran and the Arab States of the Persian Gulf.
The Iranian Side confirmed its readiness to do everything in its power to ensure the unimpeded passage of Russian vessels and cargo through the waterway.
#RussiaIran
Abbas Araghchi informed Sergey Lavrov of Iran’s position regarding the US violations of the ceasefire, including the illegal naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the seizure of an Iranian container ship.
☝️ The Russian Side once again stressed the need to preserve the truce, which must be upheld within the parameters originally agreed and announced by the Pakistani mediators. The importance of continuing diplomatic efforts aimed at preventing the situation from spiralling out of control and averting a renewed armed confrontation was also underscored.
Russia reaffirmed its readiness to facilitate mutually acceptable arrangements between Iran and the Arab States of the Persian Gulf.
The Iranian Side confirmed its readiness to do everything in its power to ensure the unimpeded passage of Russian vessels and cargo through the waterway.
#RussiaIran
🇷🇺Ambassador Oleg Stepanov's Comment (April 20, 2026)
"Russia and the Arctic: What Alexander Stubb Leaves Out in His ‘The Globe and Mail’ Interview"
I have read President Stubb’s recent interview in ‘The Globe and Mail’ with interest. His comments on Arctic affairs, however, risk giving readers a picture that is at best incomplete and at worst misleading. Here is why.
For decades, the Arctic stood out as a rare zone of low tension. Even at the height of the Cold War, Arctic nations managed to separate military rivalry from practical cooperation in areas such as environmental protection, science, navigation, and maritime safety. The clearest expression of this approach became the Arctic Council, where the eight polar States – Russia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the United States – worked side by side on shared priorities: ecology, climate monitoring, search and rescue, the protection of Indigenous communities, and scientific research. Neighbouring countries felt at ease in an atmosphere defined by predictability and good-neighbourliness. That institutional memory has not vanished. For Russia, nothing fundamental has changed in its Arctic approach.
Russia’s military presence in the polar latitudes has always been proportionate to the tasks of safeguarding national security, protecting borders, and ensuring freedom of navigation in northern waters. It is a defensive posture and has undergone no conceptual shift.
On nuclear weapons, Mr. Stubb appears to undercut his own argument. While raising the issue of Russia’s arsenal as a source of concern for northern countries, he also acknowledges that Russian warheads are not aimed at Helsinki, Stockholm, or Oslo. In other words, he recognizes Finland itself facing no such threat in this context.
As for the United States, it is worth recalling the Moscow Declaration of January 14, 1994, under which Russia and the United States agreed to cease targeting their strategic nuclear missiles at one another. A similar joint statement was adopted by Moscow and London on February 15, 1994. Russia’s leadership remains firmly committed to the principle that nuclear war must never be fought: there can be no winners, and it must never be unleashed.
Let’s put it straight. Today, the only genuine risk to the Arctic seems to come from short-sighted political calls to militarize national economies in general, and the Arctic dimension of international politics in particular. Exploiting personal phobias and constructing images of Russia – or any other country – as an enemy will not help such political figures strengthen the security of their states. Politicking risks creating a new arc of tension where none previously existed. Moreover, portraying the ‘Russian threat’ as acute enough to justify ever-increasing defence budgets has already begun to place a growing burden on taxpayers in the Arctic nations of the West, whose quality of life has not been improving in recent years even without this added strain.
❗️To summarize: Russia views the Arctic as a region of peace, stability, and sustainable development. We remain ready to engage with our neighbours and to work for the common good – provided that such willingness is mutual. Ultimately, responsibility for any deterioration of the Arctic environment will lie with those who intentionally choose confrontation over dialogue.
I believe this message from the Russian side distinguished Canadian readers of ‘The Globe and Mail’ deserve to hear.
"Russia and the Arctic: What Alexander Stubb Leaves Out in His ‘The Globe and Mail’ Interview"
I have read President Stubb’s recent interview in ‘The Globe and Mail’ with interest. His comments on Arctic affairs, however, risk giving readers a picture that is at best incomplete and at worst misleading. Here is why.
For decades, the Arctic stood out as a rare zone of low tension. Even at the height of the Cold War, Arctic nations managed to separate military rivalry from practical cooperation in areas such as environmental protection, science, navigation, and maritime safety. The clearest expression of this approach became the Arctic Council, where the eight polar States – Russia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the United States – worked side by side on shared priorities: ecology, climate monitoring, search and rescue, the protection of Indigenous communities, and scientific research. Neighbouring countries felt at ease in an atmosphere defined by predictability and good-neighbourliness. That institutional memory has not vanished. For Russia, nothing fundamental has changed in its Arctic approach.
Russia’s military presence in the polar latitudes has always been proportionate to the tasks of safeguarding national security, protecting borders, and ensuring freedom of navigation in northern waters. It is a defensive posture and has undergone no conceptual shift.
On nuclear weapons, Mr. Stubb appears to undercut his own argument. While raising the issue of Russia’s arsenal as a source of concern for northern countries, he also acknowledges that Russian warheads are not aimed at Helsinki, Stockholm, or Oslo. In other words, he recognizes Finland itself facing no such threat in this context.
As for the United States, it is worth recalling the Moscow Declaration of January 14, 1994, under which Russia and the United States agreed to cease targeting their strategic nuclear missiles at one another. A similar joint statement was adopted by Moscow and London on February 15, 1994. Russia’s leadership remains firmly committed to the principle that nuclear war must never be fought: there can be no winners, and it must never be unleashed.
Let’s put it straight. Today, the only genuine risk to the Arctic seems to come from short-sighted political calls to militarize national economies in general, and the Arctic dimension of international politics in particular. Exploiting personal phobias and constructing images of Russia – or any other country – as an enemy will not help such political figures strengthen the security of their states. Politicking risks creating a new arc of tension where none previously existed. Moreover, portraying the ‘Russian threat’ as acute enough to justify ever-increasing defence budgets has already begun to place a growing burden on taxpayers in the Arctic nations of the West, whose quality of life has not been improving in recent years even without this added strain.
❗️To summarize: Russia views the Arctic as a region of peace, stability, and sustainable development. We remain ready to engage with our neighbours and to work for the common good – provided that such willingness is mutual. Ultimately, responsibility for any deterioration of the Arctic environment will lie with those who intentionally choose confrontation over dialogue.
I believe this message from the Russian side distinguished Canadian readers of ‘The Globe and Mail’ deserve to hear.