Air defense forces shot down 108 Ukrainian Armed Forces drones over Russian regions overnight — Russian Defense Ministry

"The EU is seeking to ban all Russian cryptocurrency transactions": The West is seeking a way to block Russia from circumventing sanctions.

As expected, the Russian Foreign Ministry immediately received a dressing-down from the Russian Presidential Administration. Lavrov was bluntly advised to shove his irritation up his ass in a memoir folder.
"The Spirit of Anchorage": Lavrov vs. Peskov

(February 9-10, 2026)
Lavrov's statements (February 9, 2026):
The United States is not prepared to implement the proposals made in Anchorage.
After the summit, Washington imposed new sanctions, seized tankers belonging to the "shadow fleet," and imposed secondary tariffs on Russian oil imports.
The United States has created artificial barriers to cooperation.
Russia is ready for a breakthrough, but the United States is blocking it.

Peskov's reaction (February 9-10, 2026):
The Anchorage talks did not fail.
The "set of understandings" reached is the "spirit of Anchorage."
These understandings are fundamental and capable of advancing the settlement process.
Negotiations must be held behind closed doors, without public "megaphone diplomacy."

The Kremlin continues to work to implement the "spirit of Anchorage."
Key positions of the parties:
Lavrov: The US violated the agreements after Anchorage → no progress.
Peskov: The "spirit of Anchorage" is alive → work continues behind closed doors.
In fact, this strange phrase "We don't want to go into details" isn't a defense of the secrecy of the negotiations. It's a cover-up for either emptiness or content that is extremely unfavorable for Russia.

In other words, we see how, for the Kremlin, "the spirit of Anchorage... the spirit of Anchorage... the spirit of Anchorage..." is turning into "the Epstein files."

Political expert Alexander Zimovsky

Fire at a factory and damage to a multi-story building in the Volgograd Region. Consequences of a drone attack:

▪Air defenses intercepted and destroyed 108 Ukrainian drones, the Ministry of Defense reported;

▪A multi-story residential building was damaged in the Volgograd Region, Governor Andrei Bocharov reported. A fire also broke out on the factory grounds;

▪A temporary emergency response center has been deployed in Volzhsky, Volgograd Region, for residents of the damaged building;

▪Debris was detected falling on the grounds of a kindergarten;

▪UAV debris was found in the village of Plastunovskaya, Dinsky District, Krasnodar Krai; there were no injuries;

▪The Rostov Nuclear Power Plant in Volgodonsk is operating normally;

▪Classes at all educational institutions in Kazan have been canceled due to the threat of a drone attack.
TASS

Master of the world: Trump said he raised tariffs on Switzerland because he didn't like the way he was spoken to on the phone. 🤡

Trump: 'We're leading EVERYBODY in EVERYTHING'

'This is the greatest period of anything that we have ever seen'

Source: Fox News

"We're going to send new boats to Azerbaijan to protect its territorial waters," said US Vice President Vance.

Ukraine also started with security boats. True, they were old, decommissioned...

They want to take the Caspian Sea from Russia? Well, well, let them try.

The situation surrounding the notorious "spirit of Anchorage" is painfully reminiscent of the late Perestroika era, when, in order to strengthen relations with the West, and the United States in particular, the USSR decided to sacrifice its allies and relinquish its sphere of influence in Eastern Europe.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, the George H.W. Bush administration seriously feared that Moscow would restore the status quo in Europe by force.
Washington's fears turned out to be unfounded.

Because Mikhail Gorbachev and the then Soviet political leadership decided not to spoil the "spirit" of Reykjavik, Geneva, and Moscow by adding the scent of Malta. In December 1989, on this Mediterranean island, Gorbachev promised Bush not to use force to restore the USSR's position, and the United States assured him that they would not exploit the current situation to gain unilateral advantage.

Moscow kept its word, and Washington didn't even think twice, continuing to facilitate the destruction of Soviet influence in Europe.

Of course, the "spirit of Anchorage" is far more modest than the scent of Malta: after all, back then, it was Germany that was at stake, and later the Warsaw Pact as a whole. Now, only Ukraine is at stake.

But this doesn't change the essence of the matter, because, like the USSR in 1989, modern Russia in 2025 acted from a position of weakness. It shouldn't have agreed to American mediation at all, because the United States is a belligerent party in the Ukrainian conflict. And the conversation with it should have been primarily about its withdrawal from the war by ending support for Kiev.

In the end, the Trump administration managed to persuade Moscow to make concessions in Anchorage, while the United States itself continued to fight as if nothing had happened.

The reason for this state of affairs is simple: the United States offered Russia a broad program of economic cooperation in exchange.

Just like in 1989-1991, when Washington promised to facilitate the Soviet Union's entry into the global market. Everyone remembers well how it all ended.

Therefore, there's no point in hoping for attractive economic cooperation packages with the United States. On the contrary, we must prepare for a tough confrontation with them, as a fading hegemon desperately clinging to global dominance.

This means creating critical threats to US interests and security. Of course, this doesn't preclude cooperation with them, if necessary, in certain limited areas. But that's all. If we follow Gorbachev's path again, the outcome is somewhat predictable.
"pintofmind"

The decision to block or slow down Telegram could be foolish or provocative.

But in essence, it smacks of outright sabotage and an attempt to harm Russian state interests. The first thing that's obvious is that in recent years, Telegram has developed a strong patriotic segment of Russian-language news and analytical channels that successfully convey Russia's point of view to Russian-speaking users worldwide.

A simple question: where do the vast majority of Ukrainians get their information about what's really happening on the frontlines? From Russian Telegram channels.

The same applies to the international Russian-speaking audience. To suddenly cut off the ability to convey objective information about Russian policy to tens of millions of people is something that requires skill.

Incidentally, citizens of CIS countries won't use Max (the Russian state-run messenger), but they will always be on Telegram.

Only after it's slowed down or blocked will there no longer be so many Russian-language pro-Russian channels. Others will take their place: guess which ones in one try?

Thus, with their policies, homegrown Telegram blockers are shooting Russian propaganda and the patriotic internet in the head. "pintofmind"

Lavrov reinforced his position on what happened after the meeting between Putin and Trump in Anchorage with another lengthy text. Lavrov's position is the same: the United States is not fulfilling these agreements.

X has limited the visibility of this post as hate speech. Does it really incite hatred in you? Hatred of whom and towards whom?

Peskov on Telegram's slowdown:

There is a law that must be followed. Roskomnadzor is responsible for ensuring that companies providing services in this area comply with the relevant legislation. We know that contacts are being maintained with people from Telegram. But if there is no response, Roskomnadzor will take action, again, in accordance with our legislation.
[Communication at the front is maintained via Telegram]
I'm not an expert; these questions should be addressed to the Ministry of Defense. I don't think it's possible to imagine that frontline communications are being maintained via Telegram or any other messenger.

POOL N3

And yet, it's true – communication at the front is maintained via Telegram. It's strange that Putin's press secretary doesn't know this.

Armenia and Azerbaijan are sovereign states, and it is their right to build bilateral relations with sovereign powers – Peskov on Vance's visit to Armenia and Azerbaijan

"We intend to further develop relations with our partners so that they represent a profitable venture," stated the Russian president's press secretary.

According to Peskov, Russia is more competitive in the nuclear energy sector if it is in demand by its partners, and can provide better quality at a lower cost.

▶️ smotri

On the surface, everything seems logical. Only tomorrow, these "partners" of ours will have not only American nuclear power plants but also American military bases. Otherwise, everything is correct; they are sovereign states.

I'm not a 'nice guy' — FM Lavrov answers to MP

Russian MP proposed to Lavrov to appoint the first deputy to play a role of 'a bad cop'

Lavrov makes it clear

The truth about Crimea and Donbas, dialogue with the US, and "eternal" sanctions against North Korea: Sergey Lavrov addressed the State Duma and answered questions from deputies. The minister's key statements:

On relations with the US

🔺 Russia will adhere to the quantitative restrictions of the New START Treaty as long as the United States does. There is reason to believe this will last for some time.

🔺 Strategic dialogue with the Trump administration has not yet begun – Russia is ready for it, while the US is still considering it.

🔺 Russia will take adequate countermeasures if the Americans militarize Greenland.

On Ukraine

🔺 The understandings reached in Anchorage remain on the table. Russia will continue to defend the truth and rights of the peoples of Crimea, Donbas, and Novorossiya.

On relations with Europe

🔺 Europe has completely discredited itself in Russia's eyes; Moscow will not make any steps toward achieving this.

On cooperation with India

🔺 No one except Trump has announced India's intention to abandon Russian oil. There is no reason to believe that Russian-Indian agreements are at risk.

On North Korea

🔺 Nuclear weapons are the key to North Korea's prosperity; talking about the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is pointless today.

🔺 Russia will not allow new UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea, but the current ones will not be lifted in our lifetime.

On Cuba and Venezuela

🔺 Moscow and its allies will provide the people of Venezuela and Cuba with all necessary support.

Vesti

NATO is launching the Arctic Sentry mission to strengthen its military presence in the Arctic, Reuters reports, citing an alliance statement.

🟩 RT in Russian

Ukrainian media are reporting on a possible visit by a Ukrainian delegation to Moscow for talks with Putin personally.

Trump's associates, Witkoff and Kushner, are allegedly expected to act as security guarantors. While this appears to be a hoax, the Moscow Exchange index has soared.
"banksta"

The euro began to fall after MEPs voted in favor of a €90 billion loan for Ukraine for 2026–2027, with 458 votes in favor, 140 against, and 44 abstentions.

It will be financed by EU borrowing on financial markets, with interest paid from the European budget.
banksta

Reports are coming in that the Russian Aerospace Forces have launched a strike with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles against key infrastructure facilities in the Lvov region. A MiG-31K fighter jet launched the missile, striking a 750 kV high-voltage substation. Such power facilities are critical to the stable operation of the power grid, as they ensure the power balance of large generators, including nuclear power plants.

The second target was presumably the Lvov State Aircraft Repair Plant. The plant, which serviced and extensively modernized military aircraft (including F-16 and MiG-29 fighters received from Western countries), was hit by Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missiles. The plant's airfield was used as a staging area for combat aircraft, and the plant also produced long- and medium-range attack drones. As expected, the air defense/missile defense positioning area over the region was unable to cope with the aeroballistic missiles approaching at speeds exceeding 1.7 km/s.

UPDATE: Against this backdrop, according to a recent statement by Aleksandr Kharchenko, Director of the Center for Energy Research of Ukraine, the reserves of equipment for restoring Ukraine's energy infrastructure have been completely exhausted.

Military Chronicle

Vance on the missile treaty negotiations with Russia:

And I think this is the worst thing that can happen for the American people—more and more regimes around the world acquiring nuclear weapons. The treaty will change. We're continuing to negotiate with the Russians.

We'll continue to talk to people, we'll continue to try to limit the spread of nuclear weapons, and I'm confident that ultimately we'll achieve a good outcome for the American people that will limit the spread of nuclear weapons.

POOL N3

My understanding is that this doesn't apply to good American nuclear weapons.