WW3? Ukraine/US vs. Donbass/Russia

[ThePythonicCow]

Posted by Jaak (here)
It's a messed up world that we live in.

That's for sure.

[Tintin]

Another 'part' article but it continues the theme surrounding the Mindich Tapes.

Source: Events in Ukraine

Fake missiles, billions embezzled
FirePoint leaks: EU gave billions to Mindich. 'That's a lot, brother'.
Events in Ukraine
May 05, 2026 ∙ Paid

We return to the latest revelations about Zelensky’s inner circle, revealed by leaked recordings of their conversations released over the past week. Yesterday, we saw how this was less of a ‘circle’, and more of an organised crime group with strict internal rules for the distribution of grey revenue earned.

Today, we’ll take a look at one of the most explosive aspects of this whole story — the true nature of Fire Point, Ukraine’s most well-financed military concern. All the billions of euros that the Europeans sank into the company were being curated by the mysterious Mr Mindich, a man with no government posts but a well-chosen set of very close friends.

You’ve probably heard of Fire Point from the western press. Back in 2025, Politico, the NYT, and a number of other top publication put out a number of articles claiming that Fire Point had developed a new Ukrainian long-range missile, the Flamingo.



This Flamingo was supposedly capable of flying its 1150 kilogram payload up to 3000 kilometers. Russia stood no chance! Even worse for the Kremlin misogynists, the firm was run by women, and the Flamingo itself was painted bright pink.

But something went not quite right.

Despite receiving massive hype by the western media for almost a year, Ukrainian military analysts reported on April 28, 2026 that there have only been 23 recorded launches of this wunderwaffen. But Denis Shtilerman, official head of the company, claims in interviews that 2-3 Flamingos are produced daily.



And of those 23 launches, six reached their targets. Only 2 actually hit their targets. The rest fell, missed, or were shot down.

2 out of 23.

Meanwhile, Denis Shtilerman, who furiously (and inconsistently) denies Myndich’s ownership of the company, keeps on promising that the rockets will threaten Moscow by mid-2026.

Shtilerman is on the right. He’s being interviewed by one of Ukraine’s greatest ever scammer, the one and only Dmitry Gordon (left).

In fact, it was clear that things weren’t quite right with Fire Point long ago. Western-funded Ukrainian journalists pointed out in 2025 that the company had emerged from nowhere in 2023, and suddenly took up the largest portion of Ukraine’s state military budget — a third of all military spending on drones from 2023-4 went to Fire Point. Of $1 billion USD spent on drones in 2024, $320 million USD went to buying long-range FP-1 drones.

And Fire Point’s managers, feminists or not, had no experience in the sphere of military industry. Sure, sometimes all you need is a good businesswoman. But what really provoked doubts was their work experience — CEO Iryna Terekh previously worked in the NGO sector and in creating concrete installations. Until Fire Point came along, Terekh’s company had a reported annual revenue of $70,000 USD.



Most suspicious was the fact that formal owner Yehor Skalyha, along with working at the same NGO as Terekh, came from Ukraine’s film industry — where he worked alongside Andrey Yermak, Zelensky’s top Capo, head of the presidential administration from 2020 to 2025. Yermak, for whatever reason, appointed Terekh and Scalyha to a new government council of 82 businessmen. Dismissing claims of political support, in late 2025 Terekh jokingly remarked that:

"No one can choose who were associated with, whether it’s Yermak and Mindich"

Terekh

Furthermore, this is all particularly sensitive because Fire Point has received so much money from Ukraine’s generous western European supporters. The company confirmed it was participating in a 5 billion euro deal with the German government finalized in May 2025, for instance. It also received another $1 billion USD from the Ukrainian state budget in 2025. No wonder its revenue grew from $4 million in 2023 to more than $100 million in 2024.

In its August 2025 article on the topic, the western-funded publication Kyiv Independent reported that Ukraine’s EU-supported anti-corruption organs were investigating Fire Point for corruption. They pointed to rumours that the company inflated the cost of its components and the number of drones actually supplied to the army.

Another issue is the whole aim of the company. It focuses on long-range drones to hit flashy targets deep in Russia. This is great in the media, something that the show business veterans behind the company care a lot about. But what really changes the tide of war at the frontlines is not hitting some gas terminal deep in Russia, or even blowing something up in Moscow.

What actually matters is the ability to saturate everywhere 50 kilometers within the frontline with drones, paralyzing enemy logistics. This requires huge amounts of cheap drones — Fire Point, meanwhile, ‘boasted’ of selling only 2,000 drones for about $55,000 each in 2024. According to the Ukrainian army, Russia deployed 6,000 drones daily in March. Many of these cost under $1000 each.

Fire Point claimed it would produce 9,000 drones in 2025, which is still a pitiful amount. And as we’ve already seen, Fire Point’s long-range strike capacities remain rather dubious.

Of course, this focus probably makes sense in the mind of Fire Point’s owners. Long-range drones are more expensive. And their strikes look better in the news, which is what you need to attract further financing.

So who are these owners?

And throughout 2025, there were persistent rumors in the western-funded press that the true owner of Fire Point was none other than Timur Mindich. We saw Terekh allude to this before. Mindich, of course, is that very old friend of both Zelensky and Yermak. I wrote all about him here, but suffice to say that this is a wily businessman no one had ever heard of until 2024/25, when it turned out that this man who’d never occupied any government posts in one of the most powerful men in the country.

Mindich was forced to flee to his beloved Israel in November 2025 because of corruption charges against him. When Ukrainian journalists finally tracked him down there (enduring physical attacks from his bodyguards in the process) in early 2026, he gave a characteristically colorful answer to the question of his relationship to Fire Point. Feel free to skip the following dialogue, but I find it very entertaining.

In short, he denies all connection, though he admits being friends with Denis Shtilerman, a prominent public figure in Fire Point. Shtilerman also denies that Mindich has ever been part of Fire Point, but gives a number of confusing and sometimes contradictory accounts of how Mindich was supposedly planning to buy the company, but then didn’t, or something. Trying to pick through the narratives of the Family is quite a tiring affair.

Mindich: I am not in FirePoint.
Journalist Mikhail Tkach: You are not. But are you a beneficiary? Did you receive any benefit from FirePoint, from its activity, from contracts?
Mindich: I am not in FirePoint. That’s the truth. Period.
Tkach: There is Mr. Shtilerman there, but are you a beneficiary of FirePoint? Did you receive any money?
Mindich: I already answered. Let’s do it like this—
Tkach: Did you receive money or not?
Mindich: This is your first interview, I hope it isn’t the last, ad it’ll go like this. For now, I answer the questions. No. Where we can go deeper, we can go deeper. Not against it.
Tkach: Did you receive anything from the company’s activity?
Mindich: Mikhail, did I answer the question?
Tkach: No
Mindich: Am I an owner or do I have a position in FirePoint?
Tkach: No. You already said that—but did you receive money?
Mindich: If I am not an owner—
Tkach: But you know how it is in Ukraine. Some companies have front personnel.
Mindich: I have no idea what you’re talking about. I know one thing… that you… I will not accuse you, so that the conversation remains correct, but that the views accumulated in corridors of offices.
Tkach: Uh-huh.
Mindich: The number of people engaged in journalism today—not you, others. These are opinions, rumors, gossip.
Tkach: Well, look, we
Mindich: Let me finish.
These are opinions. Someone says another guy has a daughter who is a prostitute—go prove that his daughter... And he says: “I don’t have a daughter.” Go prove it. That is, it’s a constructed myth. They say he is FirePoint. I say again: I am not in FirePoint. Period.
I’ll say it one last time: I am neither a shareholder nor a beneficiary in any situation.
I am familiar with a gentleman there, Shtilerman. An awesome guy, great, I’m glad he’s doing that. It’s a cool story, patriotic, I think all these rumours and gossip damage that company. Right now we’re in the middle of a war, I think we should help each other out and not engage in this rubbish.
Tkach: So, do you think that the success of the company FirePoint is simply connected to the fact that they produce unique things, right? Not any lobbying, not your arrangements?
Mindich: That’s what I think. No—look, Misha, don’t set these traps.
Tkach: No, no traps—
Mindich: Look you’re trying to get me to say that ‘my agreements’ didn’t help—that’s a trap, you’re trying to set a trap. We’ve already closed this topic regarding drone companies—both large and small drones. I believe that today Ukraine has achieved great success in this sector. I believe that a huge number of drones and all these military-related developments have been created by Ukraine today.

By the Ukrainian people, by Ukrainians. It’s all based on patriotism. It’s all based on the fact that the whole nation is fighting—everyone is fighting on their own front.

Today they’ve made me out to be the reason there is no electricity and that I am an enemy of the people. This has been done, including through the media.

I hope that time will put everything in its place.
Tkach: Look, there just aren’t that many defense companies that actually receive tens of millions.
Mindich: How would I know? That’s not for me—that’s a question for them. That’s great. If they’re receiving that much money, you’re pulling me into this again, Misha. You’re conducting the interview incorrectly. We agreed on something.|
If a company receives large amounts of money and, with that money, supplies some kind of product, then that means it helps us and our front. It brings us closer to victory.

There’s so much gold here it’s hard to unpack. The anecdote about denying one’s daughter is a prostitute is a good one. As is Mindich’s flowery oratory talents about the patriotic efforts of the Ukrainian nation, where ‘everyone is fighting on their own front’, from an ordinary mobilized infantryman to the talented drone producers of Fire Point. No doubt the beaches of Tel Aviv are a particularly dangerous front of the Ukrainian war. Don’t criticize Mr Mindich, because he’s a patriotic Ukrainian bringing us closer to Victory.

And here he walks off into the distance.

By the way. As you might already know, Mindich exclusively talks in Russian. I’ll also note that he pronounces the word ‘Ukrainian’ with the accent on the ‘a’ — vigilant Ukrainian patriots despise this form of pronunciation, since it implies that Ukraine is merely a ‘periphery’ (krai), not a state. In the 2026 interview cited above, he even makes one uncomfortable attempt to use a Ukrainian word, but the interviewer corrects his grammar.

Now, the new leaks from Mindich’s conversation published this past week. They prove definitively that Mindich, despite having no official post in the company, was indeed the actual manager of ‘Fire Point’.

‘6 billion—that’s a lot, brother’

We begin with a July 2025 conversation between Mindich and then-defense minister Rustem Umerov. Note that Mindich was charged by the anti-corruption organs in November 2025, among other things, for exercising undue influence on the defense minister.

Mindich denied influencing him whatsoever in his 2026 interview. But in what comes, both call each other ‘brother’. And Umerov meekly obeys Mindich’s constant demands to increase financing and obey his instructions in choosing cadres and conducting negotiations with the Americans and Emiratis. Mindich has already received ‘a billion’, but he demands another 5.

[Vicus]

"We'll have to respond as promised": A war correspondent assessed Kyiv's refusal to observe the May 9 ceasefire.- today



Advisor to the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Serhiy Sternenko stated that Kyiv will not be Observe the ceasefire declared by Vladimir Putin in honor of Victory Day. Military journalist Dmitry Steishin points to this fact. He argues that it's possible that this was precisely Moscow's intention.

"As an experienced proponent of "cunning planning," I assumed that this refusal concealed our operational plan—to force the enemy to become aggressive in response to our peace initiatives. So that it would be immediately clear who the scum is. The only problem is that we'll have to respond as promised. They're proposing to flush Kyiv out of the room. The Lavra has been desecrated; there's nothing left to regret there, spiritually speaking. Everything else can be repaired and rebuilt. Mariupol is a sad, but shining example."

– states Steshin.

As a reminder, Kyiv's Zelenskyy previously declared a ceasefire effective May 6, calling on Moscow to support his initiative. However, last night, five civilians in Dzhankoy were killed in a Ukrainian Armed Forces attack in northern Crimea.

Russia did not comment on Ukraine's initiative, emphasizing that Vladimir Putin declared a ceasefire on May 8-9 in honor of the 81st anniversary of the Great Victory. Moscow, however, issued advance warning that if the Ukrainian Armed Forces attempted to disrupt the celebrations, the Russian Armed Forces would launch a massive strike on central Kyiv.

Now the Russian military department has every reason to fulfill its promise.

https://en.topcor.ru/71019-pridetsja...ie-9-maja.html

[Tintin]

Finally a non-paywalled full article from Simplicius with a mini-roundup of events along with a summary of the Victory Day preparations, and possible provocations. I'm optimistic, I think, that the rhetoric will amount to nothing, but much like the magnificent and interesting Ray McGovern on the Judging Freedom podcasts, may probably bet on the wrong horse there. In any case I do hope sanity will prevail.

Extracts follow below:

________________________________

Source: https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/...ass-strikes-on

Published: May 8th, 2026
Avalon library PDF: https://avalonlibrary.net/Ukraine/Ar...Simplicius.pdf

Starting at 00:00 on May 8th in SMO time, Russia has begun a theater-wide ceasefire in accordance with Putin’s yearly routine in honor of Victory Day celebrations.

Contrary to what many have assumed, Russia has never directly officially invited Ukraine to participate in the ceasefire, but rather announced that Russia itself would be implementing it, and that Ukraine was free to join. If it does not join and instead attempts to cause a provocation, Russia threatened to strike the center of Kiev, for which Maria Zakharova earlier warned foreign diplomatic missions to leave the city as a precaution:

The Russian Foreign Ministry called on countries to evacuate their embassies from Kyiv in connection with the inevitability of a strike by the Russian Armed Forces on Kyiv and decision-making centers, if Ukraine launches an attack on Moscow on May 9th.

“The Russian Foreign Ministry urgently calls on the authorities of your country/the leadership of your organization to approach this statement with the utmost responsibility and ensure the early evacuation from the city of Kyiv of personnel of diplomatic and other representative offices, as well as citizens in connection with the inevitability of a retaliatory strike by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on Kyiv, including on decision-making centers, in the event of the Kiev regime implementing its criminal terrorist plans on the days of celebrating the Great Victory,” said Maria Zakharova.

Russia-1 media outlet released a list of potential targets for the strikes:


(see video in link: this is a screenshot of the targets - Tintin)

In haughty defiance, the EU responded that they would not be evacuating:

EU will not evacuate its diplomats from Kiev after Russia warned them to leave amid possible escalation on May 9

“We will not change our position or our presence in Kiev. Russian attacks are unfortunately a daily reality in Kiev and elsewhere in Ukraine” — EU Commission spokesman Anouar El-Announi

On this note, Ukraine has been ramping up attacks on Russia via other neighboring countries, which is bringing Europe closer and closer to war with Russia.

The Russian Aerospace Forces detected a group of UAVs flying over Latvia to attack Russia, - Defense Ministry

▪️The Armed Forces of Ukraine attempted a terrorist attack on civilian infrastructure facilities in the St. Petersburg region.

▪️The Russian Aerospace Forces detected a group of six UAVs in Latvia’s airspace.

▪️At the same time, two French Rafale fighter jets and two F-16 fighter jets were detected in the air.

➖”Around four o’clock in the morning, the tracks of five out of six detected UAVs disappeared in the area of the city of Rezekne in eastern Latvia. The sixth UAV, after entering Russian airspace, was shot down by Russian air defense systems in the area of the settlement of Likhachevo (78 km southeast of Pskov)”, - the message said.

▪️As a result of the examination of the fallen debris, the aerial target attacking from Latvia’s airspace was identified as an An-196 ‘Lutiy’ UAV of Ukrainian production.

The drones were reportedly filmed via multiple angles in the Latvian skies, and were identified clearly as Ukrainian drones of the Lyuti variety, the same drone used to hit Perm, Russia just days ago.

~~~

But what was most interesting about this was that the Latvian authorities—via Brigadier General Egils Lescinskis—stated they refused to shoot down the drones due to the dangers it may pose to civilians:

Drones that flew into Latvia were not shot down due to a lack of certainty that this would not harm the civilian population or infrastructure, said the deputy head of the country’s Joint Staff for Operational Matters, Egils Lesčinskis.

However, they ultimately caused damage.

In other words, Latvia does not shoot down drones, but waves them right through to Russia territory.

This happens to be a very convenient excuse for letting Ukrainian drones transit their territory en route to Russia. The problem is, the drone appeared to target and successfully hit a Latvian oil storage tank, for reasons no one can explain.



~~~

As such, we can see the recent attempts to stir up some kind of drone panic in Russia in a new light: Ukraine is forced to use other countries in order to evade Russian air defenses to obtain the needed PR-boosting hits used daily to manufacture a narrative groundswell around Russia’s war efforts somehow “collapsing” because Ukraine is penetrating “deeper and deeper” into “failing Russian defenses”.

In light of this, several Russian figures have been raising the temperature on the topic of targeting Europe, in line with recent threats emanating from the highest halls of Russian power which we covered in previous weeks.

Russian political scientist and Kremlin insider Sergei Karaganov was the first, writing an oped that calls for Russia to greatly militarize its nuclear posture against Europe, changing it to allow for limited nuclear strikes against Europe which he believes to be a winnable exchange, one that would not incite a response from the US.

Excerpt:

At the same time, in order to rein in a Washington that has spiraled out of control, we should incorporate into the doctrine governing the use of nuclear and other types of weapons—in the event that the U.S. and the West continue on their current course toward unleashing a world war—a provision regarding a genuine readiness to take action against American and European assets overseas. Even in friendly countries. They should divest themselves of these assets. To this end, it is necessary to further develop the flexibility of our military capabilities. The U.S. and the West are far more dependent on their foreign assets, bases, and logistical and communication bottlenecks than we are. The adversary must feel its vulnerability and know that we are aware of it.

Medvedev followed suit with his own Victory Day-inspired piece, which specifically focuses on Germany and its resurgence toward a path of war against with Russia:



Compellingly, he accuses Germany of never having achieved its full deNazification after WWII:

In fact, the Federal Republic of Germany has seen no real denazification. Archival materials of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, including a reference on the political situation in West Germany from 1952, convincingly show that instead of its implementation, “the Western powers followed the path of justifying Nazi war criminals”.¹ The entire process, carried out with much ado, turned into an empty farce, with the exception of the liquidation of notorious pro-fascist organizations and the purification of public spaces. The Anglo-Saxons, trying to preserve the former leaders of Hitler’s military economy and the major Nazis they needed, campaigned under the slogan ‘hang the small ones – acquit the big ones’.

~~~

Medvedev takes it seriously enough as to propose immediate international intervention in any nascent German nuclear program, as well as calls for Russia to bolster its own nuclear vigilance vis-a-vis Germany.

He ends the piece with a virtuosic threat of total destruction to both Germany and Europe as a whole, should the ‘predatory eastward gaze’ continue to develop into a more serious revanchist strain:

However, rationality can be shattered by militaristic bipolar mania and Teutonic greed. For the German political establishment that has lost itself in its tin-soldier games is no longer willing to be constrained by limitations of the pragmatic diplomacy of Willy Brandt, Helmut Schmidt, Helmut Kohl and Gerhard Schröder. Just as it did 85 years ago, Berlin is once again casting a predatory gaze eastward.

The main task for our country is to prevent the repetition of the tragedy of 1941, which means ensuring that our armed forces are kept in a state of permanent combat readiness, especially on the western borders. It is important to understand that, exactly as before June 22, 1941, the Germans are deliberately laying down a network of forward staging areas along the key operational directions. No trust should be placed in Berlin’s good sense, nor any faith that it will forever refrain from risking war. Nobody should delude themselves that the German establishment will regard itself as finally shackled by a mere slip of paper, even if a treaty outlining new principles of European security is signed.

It is no secret that an attempt is being made to impose on us the doctrine of ‘peace through strength’. Our response, then, can only be ‘the security of Russia through the animal fear of Europe’. Talks, good intentions, goodwill, and unilateral steps to build trust must not be our tools to prevent a massacre. The sole guarantee lies in forcing Germany and the ‘united Europe’ backing it to grasp the inescapable certainty of incurring unacceptable losses if they ever set in motion ‘Operation Barbarossa 2.0’.

Our clear signal to the German elites is as follows: should the most dreadful scenario come to pass, the probability is high of at least mutual destruction, and, in reality, the end of European civilization while our own existence continues. Germany’s much-vaunted industry will not only suffer serious damage. It will face total destruction. Its economy will collapse alongside it, and no one will ever restore it. Simply because the remaining sane and skilled professionals will flee – some to Russia, some to the United States, some to China and to other Asian countries. It appears that only by spelling out such grave consequences will the insolent heirs of the Nazis and their German partners be brought to their senses, and millions of lives be saved on both sides of the front line.

A militaristic Germany is of no use to a shrivelled and feeble-minded Europe, which would like to preserve at least some political subjectivity in a new multipolar world. Such a Germany holds no value for us in the future either; it is both dangerous and unpredictable. For Berlin, only two options remain. Option one is war and the ignominious burial of its own statehood, devoid of any prospect of a new ‘Miracle of the House of Brandenburg’. The second is a return to sobriety and subsequent geopolitical recuperation, accompanied by a fundamental reorientation of its foreign policy through a difficult but indispensable dialogue. We can accept both outcomes. The next move is up to Germany. And I hope we shall not hear those all-too-familiar lines: “If I am destined to perish, let the German people perish as well, for they have proved themselves unworthy of me.”³⁷

_____________________________

(article continues...)

[Ravenlocke]

Aleksey The Great 🇷🇺🎖

❗️🇷🇺🇸🇰The war in Ukraine is nearing its end, says Slovakian Prime Minister in Moscow.

▪️Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has already arrived in Moscow and laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
➖"I am convinced that we are already approaching the end of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict," he told the media upon his arrival.
▪️"The main message I want to convey to President Putin, the main word, is dialogue. We must meet and talk together. I am an absolute supporter of any kind of ceasefire. I believe it is a hundred times better to sit at the table and negotiate," Fico noted.

https://x.com/aleksthgrt/status/2052805454854549666

[Ravenlocke]

Chay Bowes

May 6
Maria Zakharova warns Moscow will respond forcefully to Kiev’s threats against the May 9 Victory Day parade, accusing the EU of trying to silence Zelensky’s aggression.

https://x.com/BowesChay/status/2052218633594511520

MFA Russia 🇷🇺
May 6
⚡️ Russian MFA Spox Maria #Zakharova:

A Note Verbale has been sent to all diplomatic missions accredited to
@mfa_russia
warning on timely personnel evacuation from Kiev.

Read in full: https://t.me/MFARussia/29675

We are acting from a position of an inevitable response to aggression

https://x.com/mfa_russia/status/2052117233980096812

Aleksey The Great 🇷🇺🎖

🚨BREAKING NEWS

▪️Ukrainians are leaving Kiev en masse, with massive traffic jams on the city's exits.

▪️Large traffic jams on the exits of Kiev began at 5 a.m. People say people are also eager to leave the Ukrainian capital before May 9, anticipating Zelenskyy's provocations in Moscow on Victory Day, followed by a massive Russian retaliatory strike.
▪️"We don't even have a bunker," complains the author of one of the videos


https://x.com/aleksthgrt/status/2052771073666478415

[Ravenlocke]

Spetsnaℤ 007 🇷🇺

‼️🇺🇦 Thousands of Ukrainians are fleeing Kiev at the moment after Zelensky broke the May 8-9 ceasefire agreement and proposed an attack on the Victory parade.

People say Zelensky makes threats because he has a bunker but they and their children don't.

https://x.com/Alex_Oloyede2/status/2052732748884820035

[Ravenlocke]

Square profile picture
MFA Russia 🇷🇺

⚡️ Russian Presidential Aide Yury #Ushakov:

We find
@realDonaldTrump
’s initiative concerning a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire on May 9-11 acceptable, in order to conduct a 1,000-for-1,000 POW exchange.

Such an initiative on the eve of #VictoryDay is welcome.

https://t.me/MFARussia/29705

https://x.com/mfa_russia/status/2052850966722990549

[Ravenlocke]

Spetsnaℤ 007 🇷🇺

🇷🇺 The Russian Army dropped a flower at the Ukrainian controlled WW2 memorial in Kherson.

https://x.com/Alex_Oloyede2/status/2053131874503922014

[Ravenlocke]

🅰pocalypsis 🅰pocalypseos 🇷🇺 🇨🇳 🅉 reposted

RT

Man with Russian flag DRAGGED AWAY by police from Treptow Park in Berlin on Victory Day

He asks why Ukrainian flags are allowed but Russian are not — crowd BOOING as he's hauled off

At the Soviet memorial to the Red Army that LIBERATED BERLIN from Nazism

https://x.com/RT_com/status/2053119504608026956

[Ravenlocke]

RussiaNews 🇷🇺

🚨⚡️ UNUSUAL:

Chrome Kalashnikovs in North Korean hands at Red Square.

These aren't for show. In the DPRK, chrome AKs are ONLY given for HEROIC acts in battle.

Those brothers helped liberate Kursk. They earned every crystal. 🇰🇵🤝🇷🇺

https://x.com/mog_russEN/status/2053136384140148975

[Ravenlocke]

MFA Russia 🇷🇺

🔴 #LIVE: Statement by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin to the media following events and talks on the Day of the 81st anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945


https://x.com/mfa_russia/status/2053174251352432917

[Ravenlocke]

MFA Russia 🇷🇺
🔴 #LIVE from the #RedSquare: Parade marking the 81st Anniversary of the Victory over Nazism

https://x.com/mfa_russia/status/2053005970603692417

[Ravenlocke]

🇷🇺 STANISLAV KRAPIVNIK 🇷🇺

A frontline veteran, who fought on the roads of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts, personally hands over the Victory Banner to those who are holding the line on the frontlines of the Special Military Operation today.

This is not a staged gesture for a pretty picture — it's a living thread stretching from the Zvenigorodskaya Guards Division to the trenches of Donbass. The crimson banner seems to say: we have only one war, the enemy is essentially the same, and victory will be ours — because behind us is not just an order, but our ancestors, our families, and Russia, which we will not surrender.

At this moment, "Soldiers' Dreams" cease to be a performance and become an oath.

https://t.me/gowithRussia/15482

https://x.com/STANISKRAPIVNIK/status...34757085491469

[Ravenlocke]

∁тепан ∏олосов

Parody account
Translated from Russian
The first woman – Hero of Russia during the SVO, standing behind Putin during the Parade.
Lyudmila Bolyлая is a nurse. During the battle, she pulled several servicemen out from under fire and saved a life by shielding a man from shrapnel with her own body. The fighter survived, while she herself sustained multiple severe wounds.

https://x.com/alse52/status/2053113373756358969

[Ravenlocke]

Alexander Mercouris

PUTIN's phone call to TRUMP on 29th April 2026 was not just for the purpose of giving TRUMP a CEASE AND DESIST demand viz military action against Iran (see my earlier post on X about this).

It is now clear from Ushakov's account that PUTIN also gave TRUMP a CLEAR WARNING that a drone attack on Red Square during the May 9th Victory Parade was unacceptable and would result in a DEVASTATING COUNTER STRIKE, almost certainly with Oreshnik missiles, against Central Kiev.

TRUMP got the message and strong armed ZELENSKY into accepting the 3 day Victory Day ceasefire that PUTIN must have told him he was about to announce. The Red Square Parade accordingly took place without incident.

This is the first occasion I can think of in any matter concerning Ukraine when the US has heeded a Russian warning since the crisis in Ukraine began, arguably with the Orange Revolution of 2004.

As such it amounts to an important turning point not just in the Ukraine war but in the constantly evolving relationship between the US and Russia.


https://x.com/AMercouris/status/2053186369011265636

[Ravenlocke]

☦️Jacob🇷🇺Charite☦️ Иаков reposted

Петр

Translated from Russian
Tears

https://x.com/VerySaintPetr/status/2052977368889741397

[Mike Gorman]

I was hoping the Russians would finally put an end to the center of Kiev, this would have brought this conflict to a conclusive end - symbolically & practically, Russia has certainly been provoked to the Nth degree, removing the mechanisms of the EU/Zelensky for Ukraine's capabilities I think is beyond justified, but that is me.

[Bill Ryan]

Posted by Ravenlocke (here)
☦️Jacob🇷🇺Charite☦️ Иаков reposted

Петр

Translated from Russian
Tears

https://x.com/VerySaintPetr/status/2052977368889741397

That's heart-rendingly beautiful. (In Russia, the white crane is an important traditional symbol of death and mourning. )

Here's another version, just as moving, from 1969, with English subtitles. The famous song has its own Wikipedia page.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=qhqMrc-P96o

[Ravenlocke]

Olga Bazova

Following her revealing interview with Tucker Carlson, the former presidential press secretary Iuliia Mendel has been placed on the Ukrainian "Myrotvorets" site.

Reasons stated:

Participation in acts of humanitarian aggression against Ukraine.

Dissemination of Russian propaganda narratives.
Manipulation of public information during the Russian-Belarusian war to further the interests of the Russian aggressor. Calls for Ukraine's capitulation to the Russian-fascist invaders.

Indirect participation in Russian information and psychological operations against Ukraine by the Russian aggressor and the pro-Russian lobby in the United States.

https://x.com/OlgaBazova/status/2054175049565823325