🕯 On March 24, 1999, the #US and its #NATO allies began a 78-day armed aggression against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

▪️ NATO conducted over 35,000 air raids, dropping some 3,000 cruise missiles and over 10,000 tonnes of bombs on the country. In TNT equivalent, this is five times the yield of the nuclear bomb, which the Americans dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.

▪️ Over 2,000 Serbs, including children, women and elderly people, were killed in the bombing raids. They were later cynically described as “collateral damage.”

▪️ NATO’s aggression against Yugoslavia in 1999 was the first armed invasion of a sovereign state in Europe since 1945. That tragic contribution to European history was made by the “purely defensive” alliance.

#Facts 👇

#NATO claims to be a "defensive" alliance & points a finger at Russia.

Meanwhile, its military spending exceeds Russia's ≈1️⃣8️⃣ times, constituting ≈5️⃣6️⃣% of global spending.

And the "Russian threat" is a good excuse to continue the buildup (≈6️⃣% in 2021).

🇷🇺🇫🇮📞 Russia's President Vladimir #Putin had a telephone conversation with Finland President Sauli #Niinistö at the Finnish side’s initiative.

Heads of the two counties had a sincere exchange of views over the announced decision by Finland’s leadership to apply for #NATO membership.

❗️ Vladimir Putin stressed that rejecting the traditional policy of military neutrality would be wrong since there are no threats to Finland’s security.

Such a change in the country’s foreign policy course could have a negative effect on Russia-Finland relations, which have been built over the course of many years in the spirit of neighbourliness and partnership cooperation.

The Presidents also discussed the situation in #Ukraine. In particular, Vladimir Putin shared his opinion of the state of the negotiating process between Russian and Ukrainian representatives. This process has been practically put on hold by #Kiev, which does not show any interest in a serious and constructive dialogue.

❗️Read excerpts from the statement of Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the OSCE Alexander Lukashevich «On ongoing crimes by Ukraine against civilian population with the support of Western alliance of OSCE participating States» (meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council, 22 September 2022)

💬 The #NATO countries, led by the #US 🇺🇸 and #UK 🇬🇧, have ceased to hide their main goal - to weaken, divide and destroy #Russia 🇷🇺 #Ukraine 🇺🇦 is used as a tool for the destruction of Russian statehood. More:

💬 The current situation is a direct result of the actions of the "collective West" in #Ukraine 🇺🇦 , where since 2014 they have nurtured and maintained a bloody puppet regime, the essence of which does not depend on the change of faces of nominal leaders

💬 Russia's 🇷🇺 main goal is not to allow undermining European and global security through the situation in #Ukraine 🇺🇦 , whose inhabitants have been de facto turned into "cannon fodder" by the countries of the #Western alliance

💬 In its confrontation with #Russia 🇷🇺, the #Western alliance does not shun the dirtiest methods. Another staging about some "mass murders" in #Izium is being spun - despite the initial testimonies of journalists and local residents that nothing like this happened

💬 Ukrainian 🇺🇦 formations use 💣 weapons supplied by #NATO countries to shell civilian targets. On September 19, #French 🇫🇷 155-mm self-propelled guns "Caesar" attacked a bus stop in #Donetsk , killing at least 13 people, including 2 children. Where is the reaction of the #OSCE CiO and SG?

💬 The West's indifference to the value of human life in the #DPR and #LPR, in the #Kherson and #Zaporozhie regions is pushing the inhabitants of these regions to take decisive steps to determine their future. #Russia 🇷🇺 will respect their democratic will

💬 #Russia 🇷🇺 has never shut itself off from a mutually respectful dialogue based on equality and mutual consideration of interests. Opportunities for meaningful, result-oriented discussions, including in the #OSCE, still remain

‼️Yesterday, Ukraine’s #Zelensky called #NATO for nuclear “preventive strikes” on #Russia. Irresponsible and criminal incitement for world war, deepening nuclear hysteria in the West. He should be brought to accountability instead of being praised at international fora!

❗️The current security crisis is created by politicians who prefer to rant recklessly rather than act responsibly and listen respectfully to other international community members.

🎙 Read excerpts from the statement of Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the OSCE Maxim Buyakevich “On terrorist attacks by the Kiev regime against critical infrastructure with the direct support from the Western alliance of the OSCE participating States” (meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council, 13 October 2022)

❗️ The murders in #Kupyansk on October 9 and other facts confirm that there is an organized extermination of the local population from among those who are suspected of being disloyal to the #Kievregime. Where is the reaction of the leadership of the #OSCE and its specialized institutions?

❌ #OSCE Secretary General H.Schmid and the Polish OSCE Chairmanship in a press release dated October 10 supported the actions of the #Kievregime. And this is two days after the terrorist attack on the #Crimeanbridge arranged by the regime, which claimed the lives of innocent civilians

🚫 Representatives of the #NATO countries in the #OSCE also did not condemn a series of terrorist attacks in #Russia, planned in October by the Ukrainian special services. This is very telling about who and what #Russia is actually fighting against, and who dirtyly uses the people of #Ukraine as expendable material and "cannon fodder"

🎙 Read excerpts from the statement of Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the OSCE Maxim #Buyakevich “On the disregard by the Western alliance of OSCE participating States and its proxies in Ukraine of the right of peoples for self-determination and on ongoing crimes by the Kiev regime” (meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council, 20 October 2022)

❌ In an effort to confront Russia through a proxy war, #NATO countries not only set out to fight "to the last Ukrainian", but are ready to destroy, in principle, all of Ukraine. For them, this is just a foreign people and a foreign land, which are used as a tool in their fight against Russia

🛡 The introduction of martial law in four constituent entities of the Russian Federation formalizes the current de facto situation against the backdrop of hostilities against our country with the active involvement of the aggressive #NATO military bloc

🔴 What is happening in Ukraine is a tragedy fueled by the West. #NATO's maniacal desire to supply the #Kievregime with weapons and immediately dissuade it from a diplomatic settlement proves evidence of this. #Kievregime is being set to carry out attacks on Russian territory

‼️ Evidence that Ukraine commanders issued criminal orders to exterminate civilian population en masse did not receive condemnation either in the West or in the leadership of the #OSCE. We have no illusions with whom the struggle goes on. Russia's actions will be adequate and proportionate to emerging threats

📌 Some international officials do not value either their personal reputation or the authority of the structures they lead. Otherwise, it is impossible to explain their replication of fakes about "aimed shelling of residential areas by the Russian Armed Forces" or supplies of Viagra to Russian soldiers "for mass rapes"

☝️ For several #OSCE PC meetings in a row, US representatives cannot clearly explain to everyone what is the “rules-based order”, which they are promoting, and how it differs from the int'l order based on international law. We understand the difference: it's about the desire to impose hegemony over the world

🎙 Read excerpts from the statement of Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the OSCE Maxim #Buyakevich “On dangerous provocations by the Kiev regime with the support of the Western alliance of OSCE participating States and on the ongoing crimes by it against the civilian population” (meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council, 27 October 2022)

☢️ At today's meeting of the #OSCE Permanent Council, we shared the information of the Russian Defense Ministry about the preparation by the #Kievregime of a provocation with the use of a "dirty bomb"

☝️ The hysterical reaction of Ukrainian and Western opponents spoke for itself: For them, Zelensky’s nuclear ambitions are also a tool to destabilize regional security by creating new threats to #Ukraine's neighbors

❗️ The use of a "dirty bomb" in current events in #Ukraine can only be beneficial for foreign handlers of the #Kievregime. They are looking for a pretext to openly interfere militarily with #NATO forces

⚡️ Threats to use #NATO's military potential against #Russia have become noticeably more frequent - from EU top diplomat J.Borrell to American generals and others. This is a dangerous "playing with fire" which escalates tensions

🤚 At the meeting of the #OSCE Permanent Council on October 27, Russia called on the #Kievregime's handlers in the West to keep it from dangerous provocations and terrorist acts

🔹 The approaches and assessments of #OSCEPA President Cederfelt on #Ukraine demonstrate her intention to artificially deepen confrontation in the OSCE instead of solving problems

🔹 In biased assessments of #OSCEPA President M. Cederfelt to the situation in #Ukraine, there is no desire to comprehensively understand what is going on and see the reasons for what happened

🔹 The reason for the current serious security crisis in the pan-European space is the result of the confrontational path chosen by a number of #NATO countries long before February 2022

🔹 #OSCEPA Predsident Cederfelt is far from being objective: she hushes up crimes committed by the #Kievregime,  talking instead about so-called "Russia's attack on human rights and fundamental freedoms"

🔹 Discriminatory non-admission of Russian parliamentarians to #OSCEPA events doesn't contribute to multilateral cooperation, improvement of the situation & rapprochement of positions

🎙 Read excerpts from the statement of Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the OSCE Alexander Lukashevich «On the presentation of priorities of the North Macedonian OSCE Chairmanship-in-Office» (special meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council, 12 January 2023)

💬 North Macedonian OSCE CiO must learn from the deplorable experience of the Polish predecessors who tried to impose unilateral Russophobic approaches on the Organization

🇲🇰 The readiness of the North Macedonian team to act as an impartial and transparent “manager” will determine the prospects for restoring confidence and maintaining the manageability of the #OSCE, as well as its future

🇷🇺 Russia will continue to actively defend itself against the diverse hybrid aggression by a number of #NATO member countries led by the United States and Great Britain against the very foundations of Russian statehood and sovereignty

🎙 Read excerpts from the statement of Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the OSCE Maxim Buyakevich “On the address by the Chair of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe” (meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council, 19 January 2023)

💬 The #CoE is transforming into a fully EU-controlled human rights structure with clear anti-Russian narratives

☝️ By abusing their majority, #NATO and #EU members states aim at completing the the process of subordinating the #CoE to the objectives of their politico-military and economic expansion eastward and "re-educating” those considered to be unwelcomed

❕ Joining possible anti-Russian decisions of the #CoE summit in #Reykjavik will be regarded as an unfriendly act with unavoidable damage to bilateral relations

🎙 Read excerpts from the statement of Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the OSCE Maxim Buyakevich “On the ongoing crimes by the Kiev regime and dangerous policies of the western alliance to exacerbate tensions” (meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council, 26 January 2023)

💬 For Russians, German "Leopards" in #Ukraine, no doubt, evoke obvious historical analogies. German tanks in Ukraine will follow the fate of their predecessors of 1941-1945: they will be burnt on the battlefield

🇩🇪 On January 25 in #Strasbourg, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock publicly confirmed that the collective West is now "fighting a war against Russia." It is now obvious to everyone that aggression against Russia has been planned&prepared for a long time

🇺🇸 #US and #NATO now approached a dangerous point. Their persistent course towards escalation in military confrontation in #Ukraine is a direct path to a full-scale military conflict in #Europe

🎙 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's interview to the newspaper "Arguments and Facts" (October 21, 2024)

Key Points:

#BRICS

• BRICS epitomises the shifts that have long been underway in the global economy. New centres of economic growth are emerging, and alongside them comes financial influence, which in turn brings political influence.

• BRICS is a consortium where no single nation leads or is led, devoid of the bureaucratic machinery akin to that observed in Brussels, where EU officials impose decisions that contravene the will and interests of several member states, failing to align with the aspirations of voters across many countries.

• BRICS does not stand in opposition to any entity, nor does it orchestrate operations or initiate projects. BRICS is committed to enhancing the combined potential of its nations and devising collaborative strategies for harnessing these potentials for mutual benefit.

• What makes BRICS and other World Majority or Global East associations that do not include Western countries stand out, is that they are not created for the purpose of struggling or fighting with anyone. They are established to collectively benefit from their competitive advantages such as geographical location, shared history, cultural and humanitarian proximity <...>.

#USA

• The US is unwilling to relinquish the reins of power that they have held since World War II through the Bretton Woods institutions and through the role assigned to the US dollar in the international monetary system, even after free exchange of US dollars for gold had been cancelled.

• The key goal of the US ruling class is to make sure no one can undermine their dominance. This goal is illusory. The historical process is objectively heading in a different direction, and this has to be reckoned with.

• We are ready to interact with any administration voted in by the American people, but only if such a dialogue is mutually respectful, and both parties listen and hear what the other party has to say.

#Ukraine

• On multiple occasions, European leaders from Brussels have repeatedly made it clear that they must support Ukraine for as long as it takes, because Ukraine is fighting for the European values.

• It turns out that European leaders are still willing to uphold Nazi values, which is why denazification is not just a motto, but an objective of utmost importance.

#UN

• The United Nations is not a valiant knight expected to “charge in and extinguish the fire” upon witnessing injustice. The UN is an assembly of its member states, each with established rules, including the Security Council's veto rights. The United States has effectively exercised this right five times over the past year, blocking a resolution proposed by several countries, including Russia, demanding an immediate ceasefire. <...> Presently, the United States is taking every measure to avoid antagonising Israel.

• Nations such as India, Brazil, and African representatives should have long held permanent seats on the Security Council. This is essential to ensure representation of the World Majority.

#Finland #Sweden #NATO

• The zeal that the Finns and Swedes are showing in NATO, advocating for defeating Russia, is not only rooted in their historical instincts. They are also eager to show their Big Brothers in the North Atlantic Alliance that they have brought added value <...>.

• I am confident that reasonable people in Europe, who have learned the lessons taught by history, see this too, including in Finland and Sweden.

#Europe

• To reiterate, the so-called right-wing conservatives are loyal to their countries and their people. We will engage with anyone who approaches us with a proposal to talk, to seek common ground, and to think about how we can jointly make the lives of our citizens better.

#EurasianSecurity

• We suggest discussing the Eurasian continent-wide security architecture, emphasising the fact that its doors will be open to everyone, including countries from the West of the Eurasian continent.

Read in full (Telegraph)

🎙 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's interview to the newspaper "Arguments and Facts" (October 21, 2024)

Key Points:

#BRICS

• BRICS epitomises the shifts that have long been underway in the global economy. New centres of economic growth are emerging, and alongside them comes financial influence, which in turn brings political influence.

• BRICS is a consortium where no single nation leads or is led, devoid of the bureaucratic machinery akin to that observed in Brussels, where EU officials impose decisions that contravene the will and interests of several member states, failing to align with the aspirations of voters across many countries.

• BRICS does not stand in opposition to any entity, nor does it orchestrate operations or initiate projects. BRICS is committed to enhancing the combined potential of its nations and devising collaborative strategies for harnessing these potentials for mutual benefit.

• What makes BRICS and other World Majority or Global East associations that do not include Western countries stand out, is that they are not created for the purpose of struggling or fighting with anyone. They are established to collectively benefit from their competitive advantages such as geographical location, shared history, cultural and humanitarian proximity <...>.

#USA

• The US is unwilling to relinquish the reins of power that they have held since World War II through the Bretton Woods institutions and through the role assigned to the US dollar in the international monetary system, even after free exchange of US dollars for gold had been cancelled.

• The key goal of the US ruling class is to make sure no one can undermine their dominance. This goal is illusory. The historical process is objectively heading in a different direction, and this has to be reckoned with.

• We are ready to interact with any administration voted in by the American people, but only if such a dialogue is mutually respectful, and both parties listen and hear what the other party has to say.

#Ukraine

• On multiple occasions, European leaders from Brussels have repeatedly made it clear that they must support Ukraine for as long as it takes, because Ukraine is fighting for the European values.

• It turns out that European leaders are still willing to uphold Nazi values, which is why denazification is not just a motto, but an objective of utmost importance.

#UN

• The United Nations is not a valiant knight expected to “charge in and extinguish the fire” upon witnessing injustice. The UN is an assembly of its member states, each with established rules, including the Security Council's veto rights. The United States has effectively exercised this right five times over the past year, blocking a resolution proposed by several countries, including Russia, demanding an immediate ceasefire. <...> Presently, the United States is taking every measure to avoid antagonising Israel.

• Nations such as India, Brazil, and African representatives should have long held permanent seats on the Security Council. This is essential to ensure representation of the World Majority.

#Finland #Sweden #NATO

• The zeal that the Finns and Swedes are showing in NATO, advocating for defeating Russia, is not only rooted in their historical instincts. They are also eager to show their Big Brothers in the North Atlantic Alliance that they have brought added value <...>.

• I am confident that reasonable people in Europe, who have learned the lessons taught by history, see this too, including in Finland and Sweden.

#Europe

• To reiterate, the so-called right-wing conservatives are loyal to their countries and their people. We will engage with anyone who approaches us with a proposal to talk, to seek common ground, and to think about how we can jointly make the lives of our citizens better.

#EurasianSecurity

• We suggest discussing the Eurasian continent-wide security architecture, emphasising the fact that its doors will be open to everyone, including countries from the West of the Eurasian continent.

Read in full (Telegraph)

🎙 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview with Kommersant newspaper (Moscow, April 14, 2025)

READ IN FULL

#RussiaUSA

• Restoring our dialogue with President of the United States Donald Trump is a natural step. Importantly, both Sides are willing to move in this direction despite the many challenges and the divergence of our national interests on several, if not most of the international matters. We need to hold meetings and treat each other as well-educated and polite people by listening and hearing each other.

• The sincere desire to transition to normality shown by President Donald Trump is met with resistance after recent political upheavals that have rocked the Washington-based elites. They are preparing some moves behind the scenes, using their lobbies and the media. Their aim is to prevent President Donald Trump from mending relations with Russia and putting them back on track as they should be between two great powers and between all countries, for that matter.

#NATO #Ukraine

• International humanitarian law explicitly prohibits placement of military facilities and weapons in or around civilian sites.

• Since the onset of the [Ukrainian] crisis, there have been countless instances of artillery and air defence systems deployed in [Ukrainian] city quarters next to kindergartens. The internet was full of videos showing Ukrainian women yelling at the military telling them to leave retail outlets and playgrounds, but they keep doing so to this day.

• We have verified information about who was inside the building that was struck in Sumy. It was yet another gathering of Ukrainian military commanders alongside their Western counterparts operating under the guise of mercenaries, or someone else.

• NATO military personnel are there and are directly in charge of the operations. Everyone is aware of that. Even The New York Times has reported that U.S. military staff have played a central role in orchestrating attacks on Russia from the outset. Without their involvement, the vast majority of long-range missile strikes would never have happened.

• President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that the decision by the Joe Biden administration to drag Ukraine into NATO was a major mistake. Among other things, it served as a trigger, or one of the triggers, in terms of what is happening today in Ukraine. President Trump has recognised in public several times that he viewed this as one of the root causes.

#UkraineCrisis

• Speaking at the Russia's Foreign Ministry on June 14, 2024, President Vladimir Putin laid out a clear framework for a lasting, reliable and just settlement [of the Ukraine crisis] which would primarily focus on fulfilling the interests of the people and ensuring that human rights are respected <...> as per the UN Charter.

• For us the future of the people is what matters most, and saying the territorial integrity of Ukraine cannot be violated means letting Russians, the Russian-speaking people who escaped from the Nazi regime end up at the mercy of these beasts.

• All peacekeeping “arrangements” painted by “macrons” and “starmers” seek to preserve at least a small piece of land as home to the blatantly Nazi and Russophobic regime designed to be used for preparing another war against Russia. This poses a major challenge for the West’s reputation and credibility.

🎙 Following the EAEU summit, President of Russia Vladimir Putin answered questions from Russian journalists

📍 Minsk, June 27, 2025

#EAEU

As for the outcomes of today’s EAEU summit, we are satisfied with the results and have drawn certain conclusions.

The President of Belarus has already noted that our development strategy, which was designed to run until this year, is nearing completion. We are considering how to structure our joint efforts moving forward. However, overall, the results of our work cannot but satisfy us. They satisfy all of us. Why? Because the key aggregate indicator of economic performance is the growth rate.

In the EAEU, it exceeds the global average. As is known, global growth stands at 3.3 percent. The EAEU’s growth is over 4 percent – significantly higher. In some countries, it is substantially greater, reaching 5 percent or even approaching 6 percent, in my view. This is, among other things, a direct result of our joint efforts, as the very purpose of our work is to eliminate trade and other economic barriers to cooperation. Without exaggeration, this multiplies the potential for economic growth.

#Ukraine

Regarding the memorandums [Russian and Ukrainian], as expected, there were no surprises. I will not tell you anything surprising, either. These are two absolutely opposing memorandums, but that is precisely why talks are set up and held – to find ways to bring positions closer. The fact that they were diametrically opposed does not seem surprising to me, either. I would not like to go into details, as I believe it would be counterproductive – even harmful – to get ahead of the talks.

With regard to what has been achieved so far following the talks, I think you can see it for yourself. Today, if I am not mistaken, another exchange took place… or was it yesterday? Today, right? And this is important. The humanitarian aspect matters because, as diplomats say, it creates conditions for substantive discussions on core issues. We agreed that after completing these exchanges and the humanitarian operation which we proposed – specifically, the transfer of the servicemen’s bodies – we would press ahead with more contacts.

We have already handed over more than 6,000 bodies and are ready to transfer nearly 3,000 more, but it is now up to the Ukrainian side to agree to accept the remains of their fallen soldiers.

We agreed that after this phase is completed, we would hold the third round of talks. We are ready for it overall. The venue and the time need to be agreed upon. I expect President Erdogan to keep unchanged his supportive stance with regard to this process. We are very grateful to him for that. We stand ready to hold this meeting in Istanbul. As for the exact timeframe, the heads of the negotiating teams from both sides – who remain in constant, direct contact and regularly get on the phone with each other (which, I believe, is a good sign) – are discussing the date for the next meeting.

The agenda? In my opinion, the discussion should focus on the memoranda from both sides.

#EU #NATO

We are planning to cut the defence expenses next year and the year after, as well during the next three years. The Defence Ministry, the Finance Ministry and the Ministry of Economic Development have yet to reach the final agreement, still, in general, everybody is thinking along these lines. And Europe is thinking about raising its defence expenses.

So, who is getting ready for any aggressive actions, us or them?

Yes, we do want to complete the special military operation with the result we need. Certainly. This is what we take into account when planning our defence expenses, not aggressive aspirations against Europe and NATO countries. And we want to decrease the expenses, while they want to increase them.

📄 Read in full