📅 On March 30, 1613, #IvanSusanin, a peasant from Kostroma, performed an unprecedented act of heroism that went down in history as a symbol of selfless loyalty to the Fatherland. At the cost of his own life, Susanin saved the tsar-to-be (elected but not yet crowned), Mikhail Romanov, the founder of a dynasty that ruled Russia for over three centuries.

ℹ️ The period between 1598 and 1613 and the dynasty crisis are known as the Time of Troubles, an era of political chaos and foreign invasions. With the demise of the Rurikids, the country sank into a vortex of infighting, which was taken advantage of by Polish and Lithuanian invaders.

In 1612, the Second Militia forces defeated the foreign invaders and liberated Moscow. During the Zemsky Sobor of 1613, a new Russian ruler was elected. Michael I was the first representative of the Romanov dynasty.

After learning about Mikhail I having been proclaimed tsar, the enemy squads started combing through the Kostroma county to search for the tsar’s hideout, trying to elicit valuable intelligence from local residents. Votchina elder Ivan Susanin found himself among captives. Loyal to his Fatherland and survivor of the Time of Troubles, Susanin never betrayed the future tsar and the Russian people.

📖 There are different versions of this story in history books. According to one of them, Susanin led the enemies into impassable woods and fatally dangerous marshes, for which he was brutally killed. According to another version, he was tortured to death but never betrayed the location of Mikhail I.

Susanin’s feat is confirmed by historical records. In 1619, Mikhail I presented Susanin’s son-in-law Bogdan Sabinin with a letter of commendation praising the hero’s courage in the face of torture, and loyalty to the tsar.

❗️ The memory of this immortal Hero of the Fatherland has been carefully preserved to this day.

In 1851, a granite column was installed in central Kostroma in honour of Ivan Susanin. In 1967, a statue was unveiled with the following inscription on the pedestal: “To Ivan Susanin, the patriot of the Russian land.” The hero also features in the Millennium of Russia monument in Veliky Novgorod.

✍️ President Vladimir Putin sends his greetings to Russia’s Muslims on Eid al-Fitr

💬 Please accept my heartfelt greetings on Eid al-Fitr.

This holiday, which marks the ending of the holy month of Ramadan, is one of the oldest and most cherished holidays for Muslims around the world. It represents striving for personal growth, benevolence and compassion.

It is good to see that Russian Muslims highly value the rich spiritual and historical legacy of their ancestors, respecting customs, covenants and traditions of their grandfathers and great-grandfathers, and cultivating those in the younger generation. This is why Eid al-Fitr is so widely celebrated around Russia by religious communities and families alike.

☝️ The enormous constructive contribution of Muslim organisations to the development of Russia’s public and cultural life, to highly relevant charity, educational and patriotic projects and initiatives, deserves most sincere respect. Of course, I want to specifically praise the effective assistance you offer to participants and veterans of the special military operation, their families and loved ones.

I wish you good health and success in your endeavours.

☪️ We wish happy Eid al-Fitr to all those celebrating, including our dear colleagues and partners!

May you be blessed by happiness and virtue!

#Victory80

📽 On March 27, 2025, the State Protocol Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, together with the Ministry of Culture and the Russian State Film Fund, hosted a special screening of the restored 1944 film Once There Was a Girl for the diplomatic corps at the Illyuzion movie theatre in Moscow. The showing took place as part of this year’s events to mark the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

🎙 Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin welcomed 150 ambassadors and senior diplomats from 50 countries, along with their families. In his opening remarks, he thanked the diplomats for showing interest in the film screening, and emphasised that the event was essentially aimed to preserve the historical truth of the wartime events.

Foreign diplomats praised both the restoration efforts by Russian State Film Fund specialists and the film, which is set in the besieged Leningrad and tells the story of Nasten'ka (aka lil' Anastasia), a seven-year-old girl who endures unimaginable hardships such as hunger, bombings, and the loss of her mother – and yet, just like the city, remains unbroken and keeps on living, dreaming, and believing.

☝ In a departure from the tradition for hosting such events for diplomatic corps, the audience members were greeted with tea and sushki (Russian pretzels). In his remarks, Alexander Pankin noted that this was done to reflect the reality of what Leningrad residents had to go through daily, surviving on just hot water and a small piece of bread.

🎙 President of Russia Vladimir Putin visited Arkhangelsk nuclear-powered cruiser submarine

💬 Vladimir Putin: Comrades, good evening.

We are aware of the role of the Navy. Russia has been a major naval power for centuries, and we will do our utmost to maintain this status, building new naval surface vessels and submarines and improving their performance. They must meet modern requirements while remaining combat-ready and effective in the immediate — in every sense of the word — historical perspective, because these weapons that should serve our country for decades, form the basis of our strategic security.

In response to my instructions, a strategy for the development of the Navy is currently being drafted, along with a programme for the construction of surface ships and submarines until 2050.

<...>

☝️ To put it briefly, we are gradually moving towards achieving all the objectives we set for ourselves at the start of the [special military] operation. Some would have liked these advances to happen at a quicker pace, but we have gathered steady momentum and have been confidently advancing our positions. But I would like to frame this question in a different way.

What I want to say is that we were not the ones who started or launched hostilities. It all started in the wake of the 2014 coup d’etat in Ukraine. Western countries supported it, and this was how hostilities broke out in southeastern Ukraine.

Overall, we can clearly see what is happening right now. Our troops have the strategic initiative along the entire contact line. Only recently, I said that we would squeeze them into a corner, but now we have reason to believe that we are set to finish them off. I think that people in Ukraine need to realise what is going on.

<…>

In my view, the newly elected President of the United States sincerely wishes to end this conflict for a number of reasons — I will not list them now, as they are numerous. In my opinion, his aspiration is genuine.

<…>

❗️In general, they have a problem over there, which is never highlighted, just mentioned in passing. What is it? Ultranationalists have had considerable influence in Ukraine from the start, in fact, since the collapse of the Soviet Union. These people hold openly neo-Nazi views, and they even use the term in Ukraine, so we were not the ones who invented it. Curiously, few people mention this now, either.

If anything, it has become worse, because now they plan to strengthen these units, including Azov, and elevate them to divisions. This means that such people now have even more weapons at their disposal. They have more supporters, people they have persuaded to fight for them by implanting their views.

As a result, the current civil authorities in Ukraine have no legitimacy in accordance with the country’s constitution. Ukraine has held no presidential election, while according to the constitution, all key officials are to be appointed by the president, including regional government bodies, governors and so on. So, if the president is illegitimate, so are all the others.

The issue is not just this uncertainty; it is that these neo-Nazi formations, such as Azov, among others, are effectively beginning to run the country. This raises the question: how is it possible to conduct negotiations with them?

☝️ In such situations, international practice follows a well-established path. Within the framework of the United Nations peacekeeping operations, there have been several cases of what is termed external governance or temporary administration.

In principle, it would indeed be possible to discuss, under UN auspices with the United States and even European countries — and certainly with our partners and allies — the possibility of establishing a temporary administration in Ukraine. To what end? To conduct democratic elections, to bring to power a competent government that enjoys public trust, and only then to begin negotiations on a peace treaty and sign legitimate agreements that would be recognised worldwide as consistent and reliable.

Read in full

🎙 Briefing by Russia's Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova (Moscow, March 20, 2025)

🔹 FM Sergey Lavrov's schedule
🔹 Murder of Russian media representatives
🔹 Kiev regime crimes
🔹 Third anniversary of the Bucha provocation
🔹 The West's lies regarding Minsk Agreements
🔹 France’s plans to build another naval base on the island of Mayotte
🔹 On the situation with an Italian journalist Andrea Lucidi in Estonia
🔹 VI International Arctic Forum "The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue"
🔹 Artek’s upcoming centenary

📰 Read
📺 Watch

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#CrimesAgainstJournalists

On March 24, Izvestiya’s frontline correspondent Alexander Fedorchak, Zvezda TV channel cameraman Andrey Panov, and Alexander Sirkeli, the crew’s driver, were killed in the Lugansk People’s Republic following a targeted artillery strike carried out by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

On the same day, TASS correspondent Mikhail Skuratov was on an editorial assignment in the Kursk Region’s Sudzha District where the Ukrainian Banderites wounded him.

On March 26, 2025, Channel One’s car with a camera crew in it ran up against a landmine planted by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Belgorod Region. This terrorist attack claimed the life of Anna Prokofyeva, who was a young talented journalist, while cameraman Dmitry Volkov suffered severe wounds.

#KievRegimeCrimes

The Investigative Committee of Russia reports that 167 peaceful residents were killed and 500 more injured in the Kursk Region from 2022 until 2025. The crimes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have impacted 43'000 people. Several thousand civilian infrastructure facilities have been destroyed and damaged.

According to the Russia's Foreign Ministry’s Ambassador at large Rodion Miroshnik, in the past seven days, from March 17 to 23, 16 Russian civilians were killed in the zone of contact, and 134 more injured, including 4 minors, following attacks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

On March 25-26, Ukrainian UAVs hit energy facilities in the Bryansk and Kursk regions. An attempted attack on a gas reservoir was thwarted in Crimea.

#BuchaHoax

April 3 marks the third anniversary of the day when Zelensky’s regime and its Western curators staged a bloody provocation in Bucha and the world was shown "evidence" of the alleged murders of innocent civilians, aimed at denigrating the Russian Armed Forces in the eyes of the international community.

The main goal of the war party campaign was clear: to torpedo the understandings reached during the negotiations in Istanbul, aimed at a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.

Russia has provided multiple refutations of numerous fakes about Bucha. We constantly recall that while this settlement was controlled by the Russian military, the civilians were allowed to move around freely, use mobile communications, and receive humanitarian aid. Our units left Bucha on March 30, 2022.

We know that the Kiev regime is preparing an international conference on Bucha this May with the assistance of Great Britain. We are certain that this provocation is yet another attempt to dust off old narratives and repackage false claims about the alleged involvement of the Russian Armed Forces in the events in Bucha. The goal remains the same: to torpedo efforts for a peaceful settlement.

#France #Mayotte #Colonialism

We have taken note of the statement made by French Minister of the Overseas Manuel Valls in the National Assembly on March 12 regarding the plans to submit a draft law to Parliament on the construction of a second French naval base on the island of Mayotte.

Russia has consistently opposed the unjustified militarisation of any territories, recognising the dangerous consequences this poses for peace and security in certain regions.

We believe that the existing military base in Dzaoudzi on the island of Mayotte is intended not as much for defence against hypothetical external threats (as Paris tries to convince everyone), but rather for control over the illegally held overseas territory – one of the last remnants of the colonial era.

#HistoryOfDiplomacy

📅 March 31, 1872, is the birthday of Alexandra Kollontai, a brilliant statesperson and the first female ambassador in our country (2nd in world history).

Alexandra Kollontai was born into a wealthy noble family. Her father, Mikhail Kollontai, was Major General of the General Headquarters of the Russian Army. Alexandra received extraordinary home schooling and was fluent in French, German, English and Finnish since childhood. She became passionate about social and political issues at a young age, eagerly reading works by Nikolay Chernyshevsky, Alexander Herzen and Western socialists.

After the October Revolution in 1917, by then prominent revolutionary Alexandra Kollontai was appointed People’s Commissar for Social Welfare of the RSFSR, and became the world’s first female cabinet minister.

☝️ Kollontai was a champion of women’s rights, advocating for women’s economic independence, access to education for women, and equality in marriage. Her activism resulted in pregnant women and mothers becoming entitled to maternity leave from work, and the launch of daycare facilities.

Alexandra Kollontai’s appointment as the Minister Plenipotentiary of Soviet Russia to Norway in 1922 became an international sensation. No other European country had previously given a woman an opportunity to hold such a high diplomatic post. While serving in Norway, Alexandra Kollontai secured recognition of the Soviet state by Oslo. The Soviet Union and Norway signed a trade agreement and organised supply of 400,000 tonnes of Norwegian herring to the USSR. Kollontai’s successful diplomatic career continued in Sweden. As a Soviet Minister Plenipotentiary, she facilitated the improvement of USSR-Sweden relations in 1930-1945.

❗️ In September 1944, at the age of 72, Kollontai received an assignment to ensure that Finland withdraw from the war. Alexandra Kollontai was to play a key role in the talks. The Soviet diplomat’s professional competence and personal contacts led to Finland closing the Moscow Armistice with the Soviet Union on September 19, 1944. Finland broke off its alliance with Germany.

Alexandra Kollontai’s diplomatic strategies were guided by deep understanding of people and their motives rather than strict protocols. She was known for her humanism, flexibility and ability to reach compromise even in highly tense situations. Thanks to her talent of persuasion and ability to find common ground with people of all walks of life, she succeeded in changing the Western world’s view of the Soviet Union, and in showcasing the achievements of the new Soviet society.

Alexandra Kollontai was a testament to the fact that a woman can be a successful diplomat even in a conservative international environment. She symbolised the change in women’s social status around the world, and became a role model for many future female diplomats.

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview for the No Statute of Limitations: The Front without a Frontline film project (Moscow, March 30, 2025)

❓ Mr Lavrov, could you please explain why there are attempts today to downplay or even completely deny the role of the Red Army and the Soviet people in the victory over Nazism?

💬 Sergey Lavrov: It is a traditional position of the West to seek to weaken its competitors. Europeans dominated for about 500 years, primarily because they sought to conquer as much land as possible and enslave as many people as possible. Essentially, all of humanity’s tragedies that occurred before 1939, including World War II, were triggered by Europeans. From colonialism, slavery, and the Turkish wars, to the First and Second World Wars, these were all attempts by various powers in Europe to suppress their competitors.

In fact, there is nothing new about competition. People and states have always competed with each other. But the methods used by Europe to suppress its competitors were horrendous. These instincts are deeply ingrained in today's European society, particularly in the elites currently in power in most EU and NATO countries. Although there is growing opposition against such actions, these policies still persist.

The instincts of the ruling class in Europe are clearly evident in what is happening in Ukraine – the war that the West has unleashed against the Russian Federation, using the Kiev regime as its proxy and paving the way for its juggernaut with the bodies of Ukrainians. Just like Napoleon mobilised almost all of Europe during the Patriotic War of 1812, and Hitler, after conquering most of Europe, put the French, Spaniards, and a large part of the continent’s countries under arms, this is also happening now. The French conducted punitive operations, and the Spanish participated in the blockade of Leningrad. This is a well-known fact.

Therefore, we can see even today that almost all of Western Europe has been mobilised to try to prolong the existence of the Nazi Zelensky regime. Just like during Hitler’s era, this is being done under Nazi flags, with SS Totenkopf chevrons, etc, and so on.

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The Baltic States, Poland and a number of other EU countries have long displayed the trend of rewriting history, equating criminals – those labelled as such by the Nuremberg Tribunal – with the liberators of Europe. This trend must be fought against decisively. Among the examples is the closure of the Russian exhibition at the former Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. This has been happening for several years now. We are not allowed to update our display or even speak there. We are simply not invited. It is astonishing that this year, the ceremony marking the anniversary of the liberation of this concentration camp, was attended by those who turned it into a death camp, while those who liberated it were nowhere to be seen.

❓ What additional efforts is Russia making to preserve historical memory and counter the information war being waged against us? Are the current legal proceedings recognising the actions of Nazi invaders in the occupied territories as genocide part of the effort to restore historical justice?

💬 Sergey Lavrov: Absolutely. This is one of our key priorities. Such legal proceedings are taking place in the Russian Federation and in its constituent entities, particularly in the regions that suffered the most severe human and material losses during the war.

<...>

I am convinced that formal recognition of these crimes as genocide against the peoples of the USSR will not happen quickly because the resistance is immense. Acknowledging this reality would call into question the entire ideological foundation of most modern Western elites in Europe. However, this work will inevitably lead to recognition at the international level in the future.

📄 Read in full

Каким образом можно засвидетельствовать верность перевода документа в консульстве❔

1. Согласно Основам законодательства Российской Федерации о нотариате консульские должностные лица могут свидетельствовать верность перевода документов с одного языка на другой при условии владения соответствующими языками.

При этом взимаемый за совершение данного действия консульский сбор будет зависеть от количества страниц документа.

2. Если консул не владеет иностранным языком, на котором составлен документ, перевод может быть сделан переводчиком, подпись которого консул нотариально свидетельствует.

Это уже другое нотариальное действие, консульский сбор за которое взимается по фиксированной ставке без привязки к количеству страниц.

❕Что важно помнить:

▫️Подпись проставляется переводчиком в присутствии консульского должностного лица, т.е. явка переводчика в загранучреждение обязательна.

▫️Квалификация переводчика в обязательном порядке должна быть подтверждена. Соответствующий закон вступил в силу в прошлом году.

В этих целях он может предъявить, например, документ, подтверждающий статус переводчика, либо наличие образования, соответствующего области профессиональной переводческой деятельности, либо образования по иной специальности, не связанной с переводческой, которое при этом подтверждает владение иностранным языком на достаточном уровне.

Такие документы должны соответствовать нормам законодательства иностранного государства, в котором они были выданы, либо нормам законодательства государства пребывания российского загранучреждения, в которое обращается переводчик.

Законодательством предусмотрена возможность представления переводчиками и иных документов (дополнительные разъяснения по данному вопросу можно получить в посольстве или консульстве).

#нотариат@kd_mid