🕯 On the 1st Saturday of February, per a longstanding tradition we commemorate diplomatic couriers who died in the line of duty.

💬 “Commemorative plaques in the foyer of the Russian MFA high-rise include the names of 22 diplomatic couriers who died in the line of duty. Their names will forever remain in our hearts" (From a Feb 3, 2024 interview with Viktor Popov, Director of the Department of Diplomatic Courier Service).

The Diplomatic Courier Memorial Day is timed to coincide with the tragic events of February 1926. Two Soviet diplomatic couriers, Theodor Nette & Johann Mahmastal, were on a Moscow-Riga train, delivering diplomatic mail to Riga & Berlin.

In the early morning of Feb 5, 1926, near the Ikšķile station, Latvia, 2 armed men burst into their car & tried to take away the parcels. Nette was the first to open fire. He seriously wounded one of the attackers & took a bullet in the heart. Mahmastal, with wounds to his arm & abdomen, continued to fight & forced the attackers to retreat.

The shootout lasted a little more than a minute. The shots alerted others. Italian diplomatic couriers on the same train ran up to the wounded Mahmastal. They bandaged his wounds with torn sheets.

💼 Mahmastal delivered the mail to Riga & handed it over to a Soviet embassy employee whom he knew personally at the station. Only then did he agree to be hospitalised.

Nette was buried on Feb 9 at the Vagankovskoye Cemetery in Moscow. Since then, employees of the Department of Diplomatic Courier Service & their relatives come to the cemetery every year, on Nette's death anniversary in February, to honour his memory & pay tribute to their former colleagues also buried there.

📚 Vladimir Mayakovsky’s poem “To Comrade Nette — Steamer & Man” was dedicated to Nette, immortalising the feat of his old friend:

“I could forge ahead
through years and years,
but when life is done,
there’s nothing better
I should wish
than meet the end
when my time nears
in the way
that death was met
by Comrade Nette.”

📅 On February 4, 1945, the Yalta (Crimean) Conference commenced. It was the second meeting of all anti-Hitler coalition countries leaders: Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill & Franklin Roosevelt.

Yalta hosted the conference when successful strategic offensives by the Red Army had liberated the Soviet territories as well as several European nations from fascist occupation. Just on February 3, the Vistula-Oder Operation had concluded, while the Western Carpathian & East Prussian operations were in full swing, marking the final stages of the war against Nazi Germany.

📜 The leaders approved key international documents, including the Declaration of Liberated Europe & documents outlining the fundamental principles for the creation of the UN, which laid the foundation for post-war international relations & defined the contours of the post-war world order.

Certain issues regarding post-war Germany were also resolved. Conference participants expressed their unwavering determination to eliminate German militarism & Nazism. They agreed on France's participation in addressing the German issue, defining the borders of Poland, outlines of the future Polish government & the conditions for the USSR's entry into the war against Japan.

The tremendous growth in the international authority of the Soviet Union, bolstered by the outstanding achievements of the Red Army, had a significant influence on the course & outcomes of the negotiations.

🤝 The Yalta Conference of the leaders of the USSR, the USA, and the UK held immense historical significance, being one of the key summits of the Second World War. It demonstrated the readiness for cooperation & compromise among the three allied powers in their fight against the common enemy.

❗️ The decisions of the Yalta Conference strengthened the anti-fascist coalition in the final stages of the war & contributed to the victory over Germany. In the post-war years Soviet diplomacy largely focused on Implementing the conference's decisions.

#HistoryOfDiplomacy #WeWereAllies

⚡️ Comment by Russia's MFA Spox Maria Zakharova on the Kiev regime’s terrorist attack on residential areas in Lisichansk

💬 According to the Military Commandant’s Office of the Russian Federation’s Lugansk People’s Republic, on Saturday, February 3, the Kiev regime launched rockets at civilian infrastructure in the city of Lisichansk, destroying a bakery. This is yet another cruel terrorist attack perpetrated by the Ukrainian neo-Nazis.

At the time of the attack, the bakery was filled with dozens of local civilians, as is usual on Saturdays, including elderly people and families with children, who had come to buy bread and food. The Ukrainian army chiefs who ordered the attack were well aware of this and acted deliberately.

The building was completely destroyed. The Russian Emergencies Ministry estimates that there may be up to 40 people trapped under the debris. At least 28 civilians have been confirmed dead, and there are numerous other victims. At present, Emergencies Ministry crews are working to find and rescue survivors and recover bodies from the rubble.

According to preliminary information, the rockets were fired from a Western multiple launch system. This new terrorist attack is the Kiev extremists’ way of expressing “gratitude” to the EU countries for their generous financial support.

❗️ EU citizens must be made aware that their taxes are being used to buy deadly weapons, which the Kiev regime uses to kill innocent civilians. <...>

This incident once again demonstrates the criminal nature of the Kiev regime. According to President of Russia Vladimir Putin, the ringleaders on Bankovaya Street and in the Armed Forces of Ukraine are parts of the same terrorist organisation.

☝️ Russia will inform international organisations about the latest act of terrorism committed by the Zelensky gang. We expect that these international organisations will promptly issue an unequivocal condemnation of Kiev’s new crime.

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🇷🇺🇺🇳 Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the UN:

🎙 Statement by Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia at UNSC briefing on threats to peace and security posed by US strikes against Iraq and Syria (February 5, 2024)

💬 On the night of February 2 to 3, four US Air Force F-16 tactical fighters and two B-1B Lancer supersonic strategic bombers carried out at least 85 "retaliatory strikes" on the territory of sovereign Iraq and Syria.

The massive air strikes by the American Air Force, which killed civilians and military personnel; destroyed and damaged dozens of facilities once again demonstrated to the entire world the aggressive nature of the US’ policy in the Middle East and Washington's complete disregard for the norms of international law.

☝️ The fact that British Royal Air Force took part in the attacks should not mislead anyone into thinking this was some kind of an international coalition. London has yet to answer for its zeal in supporting the purely provocative actions of the "big brother" in Washington.

Much like the current attacks on Yemen, these actions by the Anglo-Saxons pose a direct threat to international peace and security and undermine the world order based on the rule of universal international law and the central role of the UN.

It is clear that the US airstrikes are specifically designed to further inflame the conflict. <...> Obviously, the presence of the US-led international anti-ISIL coalition in the Republic has become a threat to the country's security and stability, as well as an attempt to involve it in regional and international conflicts.

Recent events confirm that the US does not and has never really looked for solutions to the problems in the region. They only want to keep a dominant position in the world at any cost.

❗️ We call on the international community to unequivocally condemn the irresponsible actions of Washington and its allies in the Middle East that violate the sovereignty of Iraq and Syria.

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🎙Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks at a meeting with Chairperson of the Central Election Commission Ella Pamfilova and the heads of certain Russian regions (Moscow, February 5, 2024)

💬 We have just had a useful conversation at a meeting of the Foreign Ministry Collegium on the preparations for the election of the President of the Russian Federation in our representative offices abroad.

👉 Speaking at today’s meeting of the Foreign Ministry Collegium, Ella Pamfilova described in detail the difficulties that will arise this year, and that will be mounting. They are unprecedented due to the illegitimate sanctions of the Western governments <...>.

👉 The second problem related to the same Russophobic campaign unleashed by Western governments lies in the security of our missions. There have been many attacks at our embassies and consulates general including physical attacks in one form or another.

We are paying heightened attention to the security of our diplomats. When a foreign mission opens its doors to our citizens who want to vote, the risks of a provocation increase enormously. This is why the measures that we have approved today at the Collegium meeting take these risks into account.

☝️ We would like to draw special attention to the development of our relations with Crimea (a Foreign Ministry office has been operating there for 10 years now), as well as with the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic. In August 2023, we established Foreign Ministry offices in these republics and they are already operating.

Of course, we will open our offices in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. For the time being, their functions will be performed via our office in Simferopol. We will prepare for the opening of full offices soon.

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✍️ President Vladimir Putin sent his condolences to President of the Republic of Chile Gabriel Boric Font over the tragic aftermath of wildfires that have hit the country’s central regions.

✉️ The President of Russia asked to convey words of sympathy and support to the victims’ families and friends and wishes for a speedy recovery to all those affected by the disaster.

Официально — преступника СС в прошлом году в парламент пригласил премьер-министр Дж.Трюдо. С подачи канадско-украинской общины, которая 5 месяцев спустя по-прежнему хранит гробовое молчание, хотя знала о нацистском прошлом Гуньки. Отказ осудить=поддержать. Извинятся ли Канадско-украинский конгресс, А.Чижий, Х.Фриланд, Дж.Безан, И.Бэйкер и другие?

Now it’s official — it was PM Trudeau who invited SS criminal to the Parliament last year. As recommended by the Ukrainian Canadian community that 5 months later still dead silent though knew of Hunka’s Nazi past. No condemnation = justification. Will UCC, Alexandra Chyczij, Christya Freeland, James Bezan, Yvan Baker and others apologize?

🇷🇺🇺🇳 Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the UN:

🎙 Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia's remarks at UNSC briefing with regard to the UAF strike against Lisichansk (February 6, 2024)

💬 Ukrainian fighters have become so brutal and brazen that they commit terrorist attacks almost weekly, shelling civilian infrastructure and killing civilians on Russian territory.

• The actions of the Kiev regime are strikingly cruel and sophisticatedly hateful. The attack on Belgorod, the two strikes on Donetsk, and now a strike on Lisichansk took place on off days and holidays in places of mass gathering of civilians.

• Ukrainian armed forces feel total impunity and permissiveness. What’s more, they feel the unconditional support of Washington, London and Brussels, who do not care about the killings of civilians, broken families and ruined lives.

• In its blind hatred of our country and desire to weaken Russia in any way, the West is ready to pay with other people's lives and compromise universal norms of morality.

• Among recent heinous crimes of the Kiev junta is the terrorist attack of January 24 that downed the Russian military transport aircraft IL-76, which was carrying 65 Ukrainian POWs for an exchange.

• Today we have irrefutable evidence that a Patriot missile system was used in the strike, which leaves no doubt that Washington is a direct accomplice in this crime.

• Evidence of the Ukrainian armed forces' involvement in the IL-76 plane crash is so solid that even the West cannot ignore it.

• We call on the members of the Security Council and the United Nations leadership to strongly condemn the attack on Lisichansk and all other terrorist acts by the Kiev regime. The Bandera junta views your silence as a carte blanche to commit more crimes.

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⚡️ Statement by the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on the direct responsibility of the collective West countries, which supply weapons to the Kiev regime, for the death of civilians in the Russian Federation

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💬 The Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation firmly protests against the collective West countries continuing to supply the Kiev regime with weapons, munitions and military equipment, which are being used to murder civilians and destroy civilian infrastructure in Russia.

<...>

The Ukrainian armed forces conduct these heinous actions with the use of weapons, munitions and military equipment sent to Ukraine, in part, by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, the Federal Republic of Germany, the French Republic, the Czech Republic and several other member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the European Union.

<...>

☝️ The Federation Council hereby declares that in continuing to deliver weapons, munitions and military equipment, the countries of the collective West are becoming direct accomplices in the crimes of the Kiev regime, responsible for the death of innocent civilians, including women and children, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and gross violations of international law.

❗️ The Federation Council urges the parliaments of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, the Federal Republic of Germany, the French Republic, the Czech Republic and several other member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the European Union to acknowledge the direct responsibility of their countries for the death of innocent civilians in the course of attacks conducted by the Ukrainian armed forces on civilian infrastructure in the Russian Federation and to take urgent measures to stop the supply of weapons, munitions and military equipment to the Kiev regime.

✍️ President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to President of the Republic of Chile Gabriel Boric Font over the tragic death of former Chilean President Sebastian Pinera.

Having been the head of state twice, Sebastian Pinera did much for the socio-economic development of your country and gained great international prestige. He made a substantial personal contribution to the development of friendly Russian-Chilean relations.

I had an opportunity to speak personally to that eminent political leader and will always cherish a fond memory of him.

The President of Russia asked his Chilean counterpart to convey words of sympathy and support to the family and friends of the diseased and to all Chileans.

🗓 On February 7, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a meeting in Moscow with the chairs of the CSTO Member States’ parliamentary committees/commissions, in charge of international relations, defence and security, as well as with the ambassadors of the CSTO Member States to the Russian Federation.

🤝 They discussed the main results of multifaceted cooperation in the CSTO, the key objectives for the future, with a focus on strengthening interparliamentary cooperation and foreign policy coordination within the framework of the organisation and its foreign ties, and exchanged views on current international and regional security issues.

🇷🇺🇦🇿📞 During their telephone conversation, President Vladimir Putin warmly congratulated President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on his landslide victory in the early presidential election and wished him new successes during his work in this high state position.

🤝 Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev reaffirmed their mutual interest in further developing Russian-Azerbaijani strategic partnership and alliance and agreed to continue their personal contacts.

President Putin also sent greetings to Ilham Aliyev. The message reads, in part:

The voting results fully confirm your high political authority and demonstrate nationwide support for your line aimed at expediting the socioeconomic development of Azerbaijan and strengthening its positions on the international scene.

We attach great significance to allied relations with Baku. I am confident that we will continue our active joint work to expand fruitful bilateral cooperation in all spheres, as well as partner-like interaction in addressing topical issues on the international agenda.

This, doubtless, meets the interests of our friendly nations and helps strengthen stability and security in the South Caucasus and the Caspian region.

🇷🇺🇨🇳📞 President Vladimir Putin had an extensive telephone conversation with President of China Xi Jinping.

🎊 The President of Russia offered heartfelt greetings to the President of China and the friendly Chinese nation on the upcoming Spring Festival.

The Presidents summarised the latest results in developing the overarching Russia-China partnership and strategic cooperation. They reaffirmed that the neighbourly links between our countries are at a historically high level.

📈 They stressed, with satisfaction, that bilateral trade exceeded $200 billion a year ahead of the goal set by the leaders, reaching a record of $227.7 billion.

🤝 In the context of the 75th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between Russia and China, marked this year, the presidents expressed mutual interest in promoting cooperation across all areas, including energy, finance, infrastructure, transport, industrial production, agriculture, humanitarian and sport exchanges.

Both Parties expressed willingness to advance coordination in foreign policy within the framework of various multilateral bodies such as the #UN, #BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Xi Jinping supported the priorities of the Russian BRICS Chairmanship.

🌐  President Putin and President Xi had a detailed exchange on the situation in several regions, including the Middle East, where both Russia and China support a political and diplomatic settlement of the Palestinian problem within the generally recognised framework of international law. When discussing the state of affairs in the Asia-Pacific Region, President Putin confirmed Russia’s principled stance on Taiwan, which is support for the One-China policy. The presidents also covered the current situation in Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping specifically stressed that close Russia-China interaction is an important stabilising factor in world affairs.

The Leaders agreed to continue one-on-one contact.

#RussiaChina