Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
💬 Russia's Ministry of Sport:
🎮 On July 29, the opening ceremony of the 3rd International Multisport Tournament Games of the Future (#GOTF) was held at Barys Arena in Astana.
The Presidents of 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov and 🇹🇯 Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon arrived in Kazakhstan's capital to attend the official launch of the third Games.
🇷🇺 In his address to the participants, guests and spectators, President of Russia Vladimir Putin noted that Russia pioneered the phygital movement and continues to create every opportunity for this innovative sport to develop:
The Russian delegation was headed by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, who also attended several competitions.
🇰🇿 President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev officially declared the 3rd Games of the Future open.
This year, 112 teams from more than 30 countries will compete, with Russian athletes taking part in six disciplines.
🤝 Russia remains committed to preserving and developing the legacy of the Games of the Future, supporting innovative sports, advancing the phygital movement and expanding international cooperation.
***
#GOTF is an international multi-sport tournament that brings together phygital sports, esports, and tech sports under one roof. It is the world's leading global competition dedicated to disciplines that combine digital and physical performance. The tournament is overseen by Phygital International which owns the rights to the name and which also chooses the host city.
The event spans three competition categories: Phygital sports | Esports | Tech sports
🎮 On July 29, the opening ceremony of the 3rd International Multisport Tournament Games of the Future (#GOTF) was held at Barys Arena in Astana.
The Presidents of 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov and 🇹🇯 Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon arrived in Kazakhstan's capital to attend the official launch of the third Games.
🇷🇺 In his address to the participants, guests and spectators, President of Russia Vladimir Putin noted that Russia pioneered the phygital movement and continues to create every opportunity for this innovative sport to develop:
I would like to emphasise that from the very outset these Games have remained free from political confrontation, discrimination in any form, and double standards.
It is also important that the geography of the Games continues to expand. This year, the baton has passed from last year’s host, Abu Dhabi, to Astana – a vibrant, modern, and dynamically developing city.
The Russian delegation was headed by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, who also attended several competitions.
🇰🇿 President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev officially declared the 3rd Games of the Future open.
This year, 112 teams from more than 30 countries will compete, with Russian athletes taking part in six disciplines.
🤝 Russia remains committed to preserving and developing the legacy of the Games of the Future, supporting innovative sports, advancing the phygital movement and expanding international cooperation.
***
#GOTF is an international multi-sport tournament that brings together phygital sports, esports, and tech sports under one roof. It is the world's leading global competition dedicated to disciplines that combine digital and physical performance. The tournament is overseen by Phygital International which owns the rights to the name and which also chooses the host city.
The event spans three competition categories: Phygital sports | Esports | Tech sports
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
#Victory81
🌟 On July 30, 1942, the Rzhev–Sychyovka offensive operation (during the Battle of Rzhev) was launched by the Red Army to crush the 'Rzhev-Vyazma' salient and neutralise the main troops of the Nazi army group 'Centre' — Reich’s most formidable military force — and make it impossible for Wehrmacht to send part of those troops to Stalingrad and to the Caucasus.
Nazis made the Rzhev bridgehead a heavy fortified defence line to contain our forces and launch further counter-offensive on Moscow.
❗️ The enemy troops stood barely 150 kilometres from our capital, posing a threat that needed to be eliminated by any costs.
It was decided by the Soviet command to use the forces of the Kalinin and Western fronts manned by experienced units that had already fought the fascists during the winter battles for #Rzhev. After 20 days of brutal combat, the Red Army liberated the village of Polunino, approached the north-eastern suburbs of Rzhev, and captured an area on the Volga River between Rzhev and Zubtsov. They forced the enemy out of vital strategic points on the 'Rzhev salient' — Zubtsov, Karmanovo and Pogoreloye Gorodishche, and destroyed most combat-capable units of the Nazi army group 'Centre', which the enemy had deployed to the Rzhev area.
Thanks to the heroism and unparalleled courage of our soldiers, the Red Army advanced 40–45 kilometres westward, liberating previously-occupied large areas on the 'Rzhev salient' and eliminating major enemy troops which the German command planned to use in other vital sectors of the frontline.
The remaining units of the German army group near Rzhev were completely destroyed during operation 'Mars' (the second Rzhev-Sychyovka offensive held in the autumn and winter of 1942) and during the operation in March of 1943. Losing the battles near Stalingrad and in the Caucasus, the German armies had to leave the Rzhev salient. The Red Army seized the strategic initiative in the central section of the Soviet-German front, moving the frontline another 150 kilometres away from Moscow and liberating Rzhev and adjacent territories from the Nazi invaders.
The Nazi threat to Moscow was finally removed.
The title of #HeroOfTheSovietUnion was awarded to 43 Red Army servicemen for the fortitude and courage in the Battle of Rzhev.
📖 Excerpt from the memoirs 'People, Years, Life' by Soviet writer and military correspondent Ilya Ehrenburg:
***
The heroism of Soviet soldiers who fell in the battle of Rzhev has been immortalised in the Rzhev memorial — a 25-metre statue of a warrior supported by a flock of cranes as a symbol of the souls of fallen soldiers ... who perished but were not forgotten.
💬 Russian MFA Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova:
(From the briefing of the Russian MFA Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on July 27, 2026)
Nazis made the Rzhev bridgehead a heavy fortified defence line to contain our forces and launch further counter-offensive on Moscow.
❗️ The enemy troops stood barely 150 kilometres from our capital, posing a threat that needed to be eliminated by any costs.
It was decided by the Soviet command to use the forces of the Kalinin and Western fronts manned by experienced units that had already fought the fascists during the winter battles for #Rzhev. After 20 days of brutal combat, the Red Army liberated the village of Polunino, approached the north-eastern suburbs of Rzhev, and captured an area on the Volga River between Rzhev and Zubtsov. They forced the enemy out of vital strategic points on the 'Rzhev salient' — Zubtsov, Karmanovo and Pogoreloye Gorodishche, and destroyed most combat-capable units of the Nazi army group 'Centre', which the enemy had deployed to the Rzhev area.
Thanks to the heroism and unparalleled courage of our soldiers, the Red Army advanced 40–45 kilometres westward, liberating previously-occupied large areas on the 'Rzhev salient' and eliminating major enemy troops which the German command planned to use in other vital sectors of the frontline.
The remaining units of the German army group near Rzhev were completely destroyed during operation 'Mars' (the second Rzhev-Sychyovka offensive held in the autumn and winter of 1942) and during the operation in March of 1943. Losing the battles near Stalingrad and in the Caucasus, the German armies had to leave the Rzhev salient. The Red Army seized the strategic initiative in the central section of the Soviet-German front, moving the frontline another 150 kilometres away from Moscow and liberating Rzhev and adjacent territories from the Nazi invaders.
The Nazi threat to Moscow was finally removed.
The title of #HeroOfTheSovietUnion was awarded to 43 Red Army servicemen for the fortitude and courage in the Battle of Rzhev.
📖 Excerpt from the memoirs 'People, Years, Life' by Soviet writer and military correspondent Ilya Ehrenburg:
I will never forget Rzhev.
There may be other battles that claimed more lives, but it seemed there was never anything quite so sad, with weeks of fighting for five or six broken trees, the wall of a destroyed building, and a little mound.
***
The heroism of Soviet soldiers who fell in the battle of Rzhev has been immortalised in the Rzhev memorial — a 25-metre statue of a warrior supported by a flock of cranes as a symbol of the souls of fallen soldiers ... who perished but were not forgotten.
💬 Russian MFA Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova:
For 438 days, a fierce battle raged near this ancient Russian city. Over this period, the Red Army carried out four strategic offensive operations against Germany’s Army Group Centre. <...>
The German command referred to Rzhev as the “cornerstone of the Eastern front.” It deployed one of its biggest army groups with over 1.5 million fighters. <...>
The offensive operations in the Rzhev theatre played an important role in achieving a tipping point in Red Army’s favour along the entire Soviet-German front.
(From the briefing of the Russian MFA Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on July 27, 2026)
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🎙Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova (Moscow, July 30, 2026)
🧸Helping a Boy Return to Russia to Be Reunited with His Mother. Four Children Are Being Reunited with Loved Ones in Ukraine and Third Countries
A five-year-old boy has recently returned to Russia. In 2020, the child remained with his father in Ukraine; for various reasons, his mother was unable to bring him back. In March 2026, she learned of the child’s father’s death, and the Office of the Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights assisted in arranging the family reunification.
Today, with the support of the Office, a mother was able to come to Russia to take her daughter home. Three more children will soon be reunited with their loved ones in Ukraine and in the Federal Republic of Germany.
Each family’s circumstances are different. A mother came from Germany to collect her nine-year-old daughter, who had been staying in Russia with her grandmother since 2023. A 15-year-old teenager had been living in Russia with close relatives. His mother, who left for Ukraine in 2022, is unable to come and collect her son on her own. A similar situation concerns a six-year-old boy, who, after his mother left for Ukraine, remained in the care of his grandmother.
Another 15-year-old teenager, following the death of his parents, stayed with relatives. However, his elder sister in Germany wishes to take responsibility for his further upbringing, and the boy himself also wants to live with her. Soon, all the children will be reunited with their loved ones.
📆 On Thursday in Moscow, Maria Lvova-Belova, Chair of the Children's Protection Fund, met with the children and those accompanying them. Humanitarian work to reunite families is being carried out on the instruction of Head of State Vladimir Putin, on the basis of requests from parents or close relatives who possess the necessary legal grounds, with the interests of the children and all circumstances of each case taken into mandatory account.
Special gratitude is due to the First Lady of the United States of America, Melania Trump, for her unwavering commitment and active participation in efforts to reunite children with their families.
The International Committee of the Red Cross traditionally provides support.
❗️In total, with the involvement of the institution of children’s rights commissioners, 31 children from 23 families have been reunited with relatives in Russia, while 145 children from 118 families have been reunited with relatives in Ukraine and third countries.
🇷🇺🇺🇸With the support of Melania Trump, 33 children have been reunited with loved ones in Russia, Ukraine, and third countries.
🧸Helping a Boy Return to Russia to Be Reunited with His Mother. Four Children Are Being Reunited with Loved Ones in Ukraine and Third Countries
A five-year-old boy has recently returned to Russia. In 2020, the child remained with his father in Ukraine; for various reasons, his mother was unable to bring him back. In March 2026, she learned of the child’s father’s death, and the Office of the Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights assisted in arranging the family reunification.
Today, with the support of the Office, a mother was able to come to Russia to take her daughter home. Three more children will soon be reunited with their loved ones in Ukraine and in the Federal Republic of Germany.
Each family’s circumstances are different. A mother came from Germany to collect her nine-year-old daughter, who had been staying in Russia with her grandmother since 2023. A 15-year-old teenager had been living in Russia with close relatives. His mother, who left for Ukraine in 2022, is unable to come and collect her son on her own. A similar situation concerns a six-year-old boy, who, after his mother left for Ukraine, remained in the care of his grandmother.
Another 15-year-old teenager, following the death of his parents, stayed with relatives. However, his elder sister in Germany wishes to take responsibility for his further upbringing, and the boy himself also wants to live with her. Soon, all the children will be reunited with their loved ones.
📆 On Thursday in Moscow, Maria Lvova-Belova, Chair of the Children's Protection Fund, met with the children and those accompanying them. Humanitarian work to reunite families is being carried out on the instruction of Head of State Vladimir Putin, on the basis of requests from parents or close relatives who possess the necessary legal grounds, with the interests of the children and all circumstances of each case taken into mandatory account.
Special gratitude is due to the First Lady of the United States of America, Melania Trump, for her unwavering commitment and active participation in efforts to reunite children with their families.
The International Committee of the Red Cross traditionally provides support.
❗️In total, with the involvement of the institution of children’s rights commissioners, 31 children from 23 families have been reunited with relatives in Russia, while 145 children from 118 families have been reunited with relatives in Ukraine and third countries.
🇷🇺🇺🇸With the support of Melania Trump, 33 children have been reunited with loved ones in Russia, Ukraine, and third countries.
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
☢️ Zaporozhskaya Nuclear Power Plant:
On July 30, an attack on critical infrastructure at the Zaporozhskaya Nuclear Power Plant (#ZNPP) has been thwarted.
Today, a Ukrainian UAV attack was detected on the premises of the ZNPP, operated by Rosatom, near the dry spent nuclear fuel storage facility.
The drone was discovered in close proximity to the building housing a transporter used to move spent nuclear fuel containers.
❗️ The explosive device was promptly neutralised. No one was injured, and no damage was reported.
Nevertheless, the attack itself constitutes an extremely dangerous incident.
The transporter is a unique piece of specialised equipment with no equivalent. Had it been damaged, the ZNPP could have lost the ability to safely carry out scheduled transport and technological operations involving spent nuclear fuel.
This would have disrupted the plant’s capacity to handle spent nuclear fuel, significantly complicated essential scheduled operations and created additional risks to the facility’s long-term safe operation.
The very fact that a strike targeted infrastructure responsible for the safe handling of spent nuclear fuel indicates that the attack was aimed at critical nuclear power plant infrastructure, damage to which could have had long-term consequences.
On July 30, an attack on critical infrastructure at the Zaporozhskaya Nuclear Power Plant (#ZNPP) has been thwarted.
Today, a Ukrainian UAV attack was detected on the premises of the ZNPP, operated by Rosatom, near the dry spent nuclear fuel storage facility.
The drone was discovered in close proximity to the building housing a transporter used to move spent nuclear fuel containers.
❗️ The explosive device was promptly neutralised. No one was injured, and no damage was reported.
Nevertheless, the attack itself constitutes an extremely dangerous incident.
The transporter is a unique piece of specialised equipment with no equivalent. Had it been damaged, the ZNPP could have lost the ability to safely carry out scheduled transport and technological operations involving spent nuclear fuel.
This would have disrupted the plant’s capacity to handle spent nuclear fuel, significantly complicated essential scheduled operations and created additional risks to the facility’s long-term safe operation.
The very fact that a strike targeted infrastructure responsible for the safe handling of spent nuclear fuel indicates that the attack was aimed at critical nuclear power plant infrastructure, damage to which could have had long-term consequences.
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🎙Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's statement on the Ukrainian attack on the Zaporozhskaya Nuclear Power Plant (July 30, 2026)
💬 On July 30, the Kiev regime attempted to strike a site within the perimeter of the Zaporozhskaya Nuclear Power Plant (#ZNPP).
The target was the dry spent nuclear fuel storage facility, specifically the building housing a transporter used to move spent nuclear fuel containers.
❗️ We strongly condemn this attack, yet another manifestation of Bankova’s cynical and dangerous policy aimed at undermining the nuclear safety and security of this Russian nuclear power plant.
Refusing to heed the voice of reason, the Zelensky clique is moving ever closer to a dangerous line, risking a radiation accident, the consequences of which would be felt across all Europe.
ZNPP personnel and units continue to come under direct Ukrainian strikes, while attacks on civilian infrastructure in the nuclear workers’ city of Energodar have not ceased. Today, Ukrainian militants targeted equipment critical to the operation of the nuclear power plant.
☝️ Such actions by the Kiev regime would be impossible without the constant political support it receives from Western countries. It is this support that gives Zelensky and his entourage the false sense of impunity and encourages them to embark on ever more dangerous ventures.
💬 On July 30, the Kiev regime attempted to strike a site within the perimeter of the Zaporozhskaya Nuclear Power Plant (#ZNPP).
The target was the dry spent nuclear fuel storage facility, specifically the building housing a transporter used to move spent nuclear fuel containers.
❗️ We strongly condemn this attack, yet another manifestation of Bankova’s cynical and dangerous policy aimed at undermining the nuclear safety and security of this Russian nuclear power plant.
Refusing to heed the voice of reason, the Zelensky clique is moving ever closer to a dangerous line, risking a radiation accident, the consequences of which would be felt across all Europe.
ZNPP personnel and units continue to come under direct Ukrainian strikes, while attacks on civilian infrastructure in the nuclear workers’ city of Energodar have not ceased. Today, Ukrainian militants targeted equipment critical to the operation of the nuclear power plant.
☝️ Such actions by the Kiev regime would be impossible without the constant political support it receives from Western countries. It is this support that gives Zelensky and his entourage the false sense of impunity and encourages them to embark on ever more dangerous ventures.
🎙Excerpts from Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the OSCE Dmitriy Polyanskiy's statement at the OSCE PC meeting "On the ongoing hybrid war waged by NATO and EU against Russia" (Vienna, July 30, 2026)
❗️Ukraine is being cynically used by the West as a battering ram and expendable material in preparation for a direct armed conflict with Russia. In essence, for Ukraine’s European sponsors the Ukrainian conflict has turned into a kind of safari, where for relatively modest sums they are trying to weaken their geopolitical competitor.
***
🔸 Financial and military infusions into the Kiev regime have reached record levels.
🔸 The European defense industry is increasing the production of ammunition, missiles, and air defense systems at a pace unseen since the Cold War.
🔸 Parallel to the arming of Ukraine, the scale of Alliance exercises is growing unprecedentedly.
🔸 A network of advanced maintenance and overhaul hubs for military equipment is being created along Russia’s borders.
🔸 NATO is creating a digital surveillance network using AI, satellites, and drones along the entire eastern flank.
_________
📺 Western media and military experts are already openly publishing real scenarios and even dates for the start of a war with Russia. These are not random leaks, but a consistent, systematic campaign to shape public opinion, zombifying it in a Russophobic spirit.
Read in full
❗️Ukraine is being cynically used by the West as a battering ram and expendable material in preparation for a direct armed conflict with Russia. In essence, for Ukraine’s European sponsors the Ukrainian conflict has turned into a kind of safari, where for relatively modest sums they are trying to weaken their geopolitical competitor.
***
_________
📺 Western media and military experts are already openly publishing real scenarios and even dates for the start of a war with Russia. These are not random leaks, but a consistent, systematic campaign to shape public opinion, zombifying it in a Russophobic spirit.
Read in full
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Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
⚡️ Comment by Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova regarding increased terrorist activities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (31 July 2026)
💬 The Kiev regime, which Western countries are nurturing, has increased its terrorist attacks on civilians within Russia.
From July 24 to 31, at least 61 people have been killed and another 327 wounded in Ukrainian shelling and drone attacks. There are children among these victims: one child was killed and 13 injured.
A recent shocking Ukrainian crime was the drone attack on a regular bus on the Lugansk-Svetlodarsk motorway on July 29, in which ten people – seven women and three men – were wounded.
A drone attack on a car in the Lugansk People’s Republic killed a monk, assistant priest of the Church of the Holy Mandylion in the Cheremenetsky St John the Theologian Monastery, Gatchina Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, and wounded the priest of that church.
The modern Bandera followers not only attacked public and private transport but also apartment buildings and private houses, social support and educational facilities, seriously damaging a school, a kindergarten, a culture centre, food stores, agricultural and commercial facilities, and utility vehicles.
Over a hundred upgraded antipersonnel Butterfly mines found across Donbass and Novorossiya have been dropped from Ukrainian drones to increase the number of civilians victims.
This terror campaign is being waged with the full approval of the Kiev regime’s Western sponsors, who are supplying Ukrainian forces with weapons for attacking civilians in our country.
❗️ Terrorist attacks on those who never held a weapon is a tried and tested tactic of Russia’s enemies, who have never throughout history been able to weaken, let alone defeat our country on the battlefield and are frantically searching for the means and methods of destabilising socio-political situation.
The destructive contribution of the countries involved in attacks on Russian regions does not remain unnoticed and is carefully registered.
There is no doubt whatsoever that those involved in the aforementioned attacks will be called to account after the inevitable collapse of their Ukrainian minions.
They must know already today that this playing with fire is further destabilising the international political situation and undermining the prospects for peace and security on our continent.
☝️ We urge them to immediately condemn the Ukrainian neo-Nazis’ barbarian attacks on civilians in Russia and distance themselves from the military and political support of the criminal Kiev regime.
Russia will continue vigorous efforts to protect its citizens and the security of our state, using all available means precisely and effectively. We have all the necessary resources, political will, and public mandate for this.
💬 The Kiev regime, which Western countries are nurturing, has increased its terrorist attacks on civilians within Russia.
From July 24 to 31, at least 61 people have been killed and another 327 wounded in Ukrainian shelling and drone attacks. There are children among these victims: one child was killed and 13 injured.
A recent shocking Ukrainian crime was the drone attack on a regular bus on the Lugansk-Svetlodarsk motorway on July 29, in which ten people – seven women and three men – were wounded.
A drone attack on a car in the Lugansk People’s Republic killed a monk, assistant priest of the Church of the Holy Mandylion in the Cheremenetsky St John the Theologian Monastery, Gatchina Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, and wounded the priest of that church.
The modern Bandera followers not only attacked public and private transport but also apartment buildings and private houses, social support and educational facilities, seriously damaging a school, a kindergarten, a culture centre, food stores, agricultural and commercial facilities, and utility vehicles.
Over a hundred upgraded antipersonnel Butterfly mines found across Donbass and Novorossiya have been dropped from Ukrainian drones to increase the number of civilians victims.
This terror campaign is being waged with the full approval of the Kiev regime’s Western sponsors, who are supplying Ukrainian forces with weapons for attacking civilians in our country.
❗️ Terrorist attacks on those who never held a weapon is a tried and tested tactic of Russia’s enemies, who have never throughout history been able to weaken, let alone defeat our country on the battlefield and are frantically searching for the means and methods of destabilising socio-political situation.
The destructive contribution of the countries involved in attacks on Russian regions does not remain unnoticed and is carefully registered.
There is no doubt whatsoever that those involved in the aforementioned attacks will be called to account after the inevitable collapse of their Ukrainian minions.
They must know already today that this playing with fire is further destabilising the international political situation and undermining the prospects for peace and security on our continent.
☝️ We urge them to immediately condemn the Ukrainian neo-Nazis’ barbarian attacks on civilians in Russia and distance themselves from the military and political support of the criminal Kiev regime.
Russia will continue vigorous efforts to protect its citizens and the security of our state, using all available means precisely and effectively. We have all the necessary resources, political will, and public mandate for this.
🕯Day of Remembrance for Russian Soldiers Who Fell in World War I
🦅 On August 1, Russia commemorates the Day of Remembrance for Russian Soldiers Who Fell in World War I. On this day in 1914, Germany declared war on the Russian Empire, and by August 2, had already invaded its territory.
Thus, our country joined the then largest and bloodiest armed conflict in history.
At the beginning of the XX century, Europe was effectively divided into two opposing blocs — the Entente (the British Empire, France and Russia) and the Triple Alliance (the German Empire, Austro-Hungary, and Italy). Each side had mutual grievances, and their subsequent arms race marked the preparations for a large-scale war.
The immediate trigger for the war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, on June 28, 1914, in Sarajevo. He was killed by Gavrilo Princip, a member of the nationalist organisation "Young Bosnia".
On July 23, Austro-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia, deliberately containing demands that were impossible to meet. The Serbian government responded with restraint, accepting many of the conditions, but rejected some key points, including allowing Austro-Hungarian police onto Serbian territory. As a result, on July 28, Austro-Hungary declared war on Serbia.
🇷🇺 Russia, long regarded as the protector of Orthodox Slavic nations in the Balkans, could not remain uninvolved and on the night of July 31, declared a general mobilisation.
On August 1, the German Empire declared war on the Russian Empire; two days later — on France. On August 4, the British Empire declared war on Germany. On August 6, Austro-Hungary declared war on Russia. Thus, within the span of a single week, the leading European powers were drawn into the conflict.
The war that had begun among a few European countries gradually engulfed 38 nations. The conflict lasted just over four years but surpassed all previous wars in human history in both scale and consequences.
The total number of mobilized soldiers reached 73.5 million. During the hostilities, 10 million people were killed — as many as had died in all European wars over the previous thousand years — and 20 million were wounded, 3.5 million of whom were left permanently disabled.
🥈 The Russian Empire had to fulfill its obligations as an ally while also pursuing its own strategic objectives. The most important directions, from the country's perspective, were the Southwestern and Caucasus fronts, while the Northwestern and Western directions played a less central role. However, due to treaty obligations, the Russian command undertook a full-scale offensive in East Prussia in 1914.
❗️ Under these difficult conditions, our soldiers and officers demonstrated exceptional courage and bravery.
One of the symbols of Russian valour was the defence of the Osowiec Fortress. German troops used chemical weapons — a mixture of chlorine and bromine — killing most of the garrison. To the enemy's shock, the surviving defenders launched a bayonet charge and drove them into retreat. This event went down in history as the "Attack of the Dead Men."
One of the most significant and vivid episodes of World War I, according to many historians, was the famous Brusilov Offensive by the Russian Imperial Army on the Southwestern Front. It pushed Austro-Hungary to the brink of collapse and forced the German Empire to divert substantial forces from Verdun in France to the “Russian theatre of war.”
🕯 The self-sacrifice of Russian soldiers and officers is hard to overestimate. Over the course of the war, over 2 million of them perished.
Our country honours the memory of the heroes of those days: in 2004, the Memorial Park Complex to the Heroes of World War I was opened in Moscow, and in 2014, a monument to the heroes of World War I was unveiled on Poklonnaya Hill. In total, 20 monuments and memorials have been erected across Russia and abroad.
Thus, our country joined the then largest and bloodiest armed conflict in history.
At the beginning of the XX century, Europe was effectively divided into two opposing blocs — the Entente (the British Empire, France and Russia) and the Triple Alliance (the German Empire, Austro-Hungary, and Italy). Each side had mutual grievances, and their subsequent arms race marked the preparations for a large-scale war.
The immediate trigger for the war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, on June 28, 1914, in Sarajevo. He was killed by Gavrilo Princip, a member of the nationalist organisation "Young Bosnia".
On July 23, Austro-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia, deliberately containing demands that were impossible to meet. The Serbian government responded with restraint, accepting many of the conditions, but rejected some key points, including allowing Austro-Hungarian police onto Serbian territory. As a result, on July 28, Austro-Hungary declared war on Serbia.
On August 1, the German Empire declared war on the Russian Empire; two days later — on France. On August 4, the British Empire declared war on Germany. On August 6, Austro-Hungary declared war on Russia. Thus, within the span of a single week, the leading European powers were drawn into the conflict.
The war that had begun among a few European countries gradually engulfed 38 nations. The conflict lasted just over four years but surpassed all previous wars in human history in both scale and consequences.
The total number of mobilized soldiers reached 73.5 million. During the hostilities, 10 million people were killed — as many as had died in all European wars over the previous thousand years — and 20 million were wounded, 3.5 million of whom were left permanently disabled.
One of the symbols of Russian valour was the defence of the Osowiec Fortress. German troops used chemical weapons — a mixture of chlorine and bromine — killing most of the garrison. To the enemy's shock, the surviving defenders launched a bayonet charge and drove them into retreat. This event went down in history as the "Attack of the Dead Men."
One of the most significant and vivid episodes of World War I, according to many historians, was the famous Brusilov Offensive by the Russian Imperial Army on the Southwestern Front. It pushed Austro-Hungary to the brink of collapse and forced the German Empire to divert substantial forces from Verdun in France to the “Russian theatre of war.”
🕯 The self-sacrifice of Russian soldiers and officers is hard to overestimate. Over the course of the war, over 2 million of them perished.
Our country honours the memory of the heroes of those days: in 2004, the Memorial Park Complex to the Heroes of World War I was opened in Moscow, and in 2014, a monument to the heroes of World War I was unveiled on Poklonnaya Hill. In total, 20 monuments and memorials have been erected across Russia and abroad.
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❤3
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
✍️ Russia's President Vladimir Putin extended his greetings to the current and former Airborne Forces personnel on their professional holiday (August 2, 2026)
💬 The ranks of the legendary Airborne Forces have always been filled with men of exceptional fortitude, indomitable spirit, unwavering resolve, a profound sense of comradeship, and mutual support.
You are rightfully proud of the founders of the Airborne Forces, the immortal deeds and outstanding achievements of those who came before you, and you honour your veterans as role models.
I would like to particularly note the skillful and resolute actions of the paratroopers who are defending Russia in the special military operation zone, shoulder to shoulder with their brothers in arms, displaying heroism and courage in the most critical sectors of the front.
💪 I am confident that the personnel of the Airborne Forces will continue to carry out their assigned missions with honour and make a significant contribution to strengthening the defence capability, sovereignty, and national security of our Fatherland.
💬 The ranks of the legendary Airborne Forces have always been filled with men of exceptional fortitude, indomitable spirit, unwavering resolve, a profound sense of comradeship, and mutual support.
You are rightfully proud of the founders of the Airborne Forces, the immortal deeds and outstanding achievements of those who came before you, and you honour your veterans as role models.
I would like to particularly note the skillful and resolute actions of the paratroopers who are defending Russia in the special military operation zone, shoulder to shoulder with their brothers in arms, displaying heroism and courage in the most critical sectors of the front.
💪 I am confident that the personnel of the Airborne Forces will continue to carry out their assigned missions with honour and make a significant contribution to strengthening the defence capability, sovereignty, and national security of our Fatherland.
❤4
#RussiaInMusic | What does August sound like?
🎼 Music, too, tells the story of a country: its landscapes, seasons, history and soul. Today, we are launching a new weekly series exploring Russian classical music: its great composers, masterpieces and traditions that have become an integral part of world culture.
🌾 We begin with August, quite literally.
Between late 1875 and May 1876, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed twelve piano pieces, one for each month of the year. The St.Petersburg music publisher Nikolai Matveyevich Bernard commissioned the set and proposed the titles associated with each month. The pieces appeared one by one throughout 1876 in his music journal Nuvellist. A collected edition followed toward the end of the year under the title The Seasons. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the cycle’s original publication.
“August: The Harvest” is the eighth of the cycle’s twelve “characteristic scenes.” Marked Allegro vivace, it carries the additional designation Scherzo in Tchaikovsky’s autograph manuscript. Brief yet vivid, the piece is energetic, restless and full of motion. Its driving rhythms evoke the intensity of harvest work, the open expanse of the Russian countryside and the atmosphere of late summer.
In the published edition, the piece was prefaced by lines from “The Harvest,” a poem by the Russian poet Alexey Koltsov. The epigraph begins:
Whole families
Set about reaping,
Cutting the tall rye
Down to the root!
🎵We invite you to hear how Tchaikovsky turned the Russian August into music.
***
The spirit of the Russian harvest in art:
1. Alexei Venetsianov. ‘Harvesting. Summer’, Mid-1820s (c) Tretyakov Gallery
2. Grigori Miassoiedow. “Harvest. Russian peasants mowing the wheat”, 1887, (c) Russian Museum
3. Ivan Shishkin. “Rye”, 1878 (c) Tretyakov Gallery
🎼 Music, too, tells the story of a country: its landscapes, seasons, history and soul. Today, we are launching a new weekly series exploring Russian classical music: its great composers, masterpieces and traditions that have become an integral part of world culture.
Between late 1875 and May 1876, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed twelve piano pieces, one for each month of the year. The St.Petersburg music publisher Nikolai Matveyevich Bernard commissioned the set and proposed the titles associated with each month. The pieces appeared one by one throughout 1876 in his music journal Nuvellist. A collected edition followed toward the end of the year under the title The Seasons. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the cycle’s original publication.
“August: The Harvest” is the eighth of the cycle’s twelve “characteristic scenes.” Marked Allegro vivace, it carries the additional designation Scherzo in Tchaikovsky’s autograph manuscript. Brief yet vivid, the piece is energetic, restless and full of motion. Its driving rhythms evoke the intensity of harvest work, the open expanse of the Russian countryside and the atmosphere of late summer.
In the published edition, the piece was prefaced by lines from “The Harvest,” a poem by the Russian poet Alexey Koltsov. The epigraph begins:
Whole families
Set about reaping,
Cutting the tall rye
Down to the root!
🎵We invite you to hear how Tchaikovsky turned the Russian August into music.
***
The spirit of the Russian harvest in art:
1. Alexei Venetsianov. ‘Harvesting. Summer’, Mid-1820s (c) Tretyakov Gallery
2. Grigori Miassoiedow. “Harvest. Russian peasants mowing the wheat”, 1887, (c) Russian Museum
3. Ivan Shishkin. “Rye”, 1878 (c) Tretyakov Gallery
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