Recent Appearances...

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Recent Appearances...

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

After 5th round of nuclear talks, Iran says discussions with US ‘complicated’

2025-05-24

[IsraelTimes] Oman’s FM says ‘some but not conclusive progress’ made in negotiations

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday that Tehran’s discussions with the United States over its nuclear program were "complicated," as the fifth round of talks concluded in Rome.

"The negotiations are too complicated to be resolved in two or three meetings," said Araghchi, who leads the Iranian negotiating team in the talks mediated by Oman.

Araghchi said there was potential for progress in nuclear negotiations after Oman made several proposals.

Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said "some but not conclusive progress" was made. "We hope to clarify the remaining issues in the coming days to allow us to proceed toward the common goal of reaching a sustainable and honorable agreement."

The talks, which began in April, are the highest-level contact between the foes since the United States quit a landmark 2015 nuclear accord during President Donald Trump
...The tack in the backside of the Democratic Party...
’s first term.

Since returning to office, Trump has revived his "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran, backing talks but warning of military action if diplomacy fails.

Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate ~~Jews~~ ~~Zionists~~ Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
wants a new deal that would ease the sanctions, which have battered its economy.

The fourth round of talks, in the Omani capital Muscat, ended with a public spat over enrichment. Witkoff said Washington "could not authorize even one percent" enrichment — a position Tehran called a red line, citing its rights under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Ahead of Friday’s talks, Araghchi said "fundamental differences" remained with the United States, while adding that Tehran was open to its nuclear sites undergoing more inspections.

"We will not have an agreement at all" if the United States wants to prevent Iran from enriching uranium, he said.

The talks came ahead of a June meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog, the Vienna-based ineffective International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the October expiry of the 2015 accord.

The deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, aimed to allay Western suspicions that Iran was seeking a nuclear weapons capability, an ambition that Tehran has denied, while enriching uranium to levels that have no civilian application.

In return for curbs on its nuclear program, Iran had received relief from international sanctions. But the accord was torpedoed in 2018 when Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States and reimposed sanctions. Iran responded by ramping up its nuclear activities.

It is now enriching uranium to 60 percent — far above the deal’s 3.67 percent cap but below, though close to, the 90 percent level needed for a nuclear warhead.

Analysts in Tehran said Iran was unlikely to back down.

"It’s quite simple; if the US expects Iran to halt nuclear enrichment, then there can’t be a deal," said Mohammad Marandi, a political scientist who was once an adviser on the nuclear issue.

The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran says the country’s nuclear industry employs 17,000 people, similar to other countries where uranium is enriched for civilian use.

"The Netherlands, Belgium, South Korea, Brazil and Japan enrich without possessing nuclear weapons," its front man Behrouz Kamalvandi said.

Iran’s enmity with Israel, whose main backer is the United States, has been a constant backdrop to the talks.

In a letter to the United Nations
...the Oyster Bay money pit...
, Araghchi wrote: "We believe that in the event of any attack on the nuclear facilities of the Islamic Theocratic Republic of Iran by the Zionist regime, the US government will also be involved and bear legal responsibility."

The warning came after CNN
...formerly the Cable News Network, now who know what it might stand for...
, citing unnamed US officials, reported Israel was making preparations to carry out such a strike.

The White House said Trump had a "productive discussion" with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday about Iran and the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staff in Washington.

Friday’s talks took place before an IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna in June, during which Iran’s nuclear activities will be reviewed.

The 2015 deal provides for the possibility of UN sanctions being reimposed through a mechanism called "snapback" if Iran fails to fulfil its commitments.

The agreement’s three European parties — Britannia, La Belle France and Germany — have warned they will trigger the mechanism if the continent’s security is threatened.

Araghchi said such a move would have "consequences — not only the end of Europe’s role in the agreement, but also an escalation of tensions that could become irreversible."

Mosssd
Mosssd

...sees all, knows all, gets 'em all in the end...
chief David Barnea and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer met US negotiator Steve Witkoff in Rome on Friday on the talks’ sidelines.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to unleash ~~Arclight~~ airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s targeting Iran’s program if a deal isn’t reached. Iranian officials increasingly warn they could pursue a nuclear weapon if the nation is threatened.

"Iran almost certainly is not producing nuclear weapons, but Iran has undertaken activities in recent years that better position it to produce them, if it chooses to do so," a new report from the US Defense Intelligence Agency said.

"These actions reduce the time required to produce sufficient weapons-grade uranium for a first nuclear device to probably less than one week."

However,
corruption finds a dozen alibis for its evil deeds...
it likely still would take Iran months to make a working bomb, experts say.

Asked about the negotiations, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said "we believe that we are going to succeed" in the talks and in Washington’s push for no enrichment.

"The Iranians are at that table, so they also understand what our position is, and they continue to go," Bruce said Thursday.

One idea floated so far that might allow Iran to stop enrichment within the country but maintain a supply of uranium could be a consortium in the Mideast backed by regional countries and the US.

There are also multiple countries offering low-enriched uranium that can be used for peaceful purposes by countries.

However,
corruption finds a dozen alibis for its evil deeds...
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has maintained that enrichment must continue within the country’s borders, and a similar fuel-swap proposal failed to gain traction in negotiations in 2010.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

PM recalls top members of Doha negotiating team, citing ‘Hamas refusal’ of hostage deal

2025-05-21

[IsraelTimes] Source involved in talks disputes Netanyahu’s claim that Israel accepted Witkoff’s proposal; hostage families accuse government of having ‘no real plan to return the last hostage’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Tuesday evening that after a week of "intensive" hostage talks in Doha, high-level members of Israel’s negotiating team have been recalled to Israel, while a number of working-level representatives will remain in the Qatar
...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi...
i capital.

The announcement followed reports that the renewed ceasefire and hostage deal talks in Qatar, which began last week following the release of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, had yet to make any progress.

In a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office, Netanyahu said that the high-level delegation members would be returning to Israel for consultations, "after about a week of intensive talks in Doha."

The Prime Minister’s Office reiterated that "Israel agrees to the American proposal for the return of the hostages, which is based on the Witkoff framework."

"This proposal was recently conveyed to Hamas
..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
via the mediators, but so far, it continues to cling to its refusal," it said.

The framework in question, presented by US special envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, calls for a short-term ceasefire in the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
Strip in exchange for the release of roughly half of the living hostages.

Earlier this week, the Axios news site reported that Witkoff was pressuring both Israel and Hamas to accept a proposal for the release of 10 living hostages in exchange for a 45-60 day truce, and the release of an unspecified number of Paleostinian security prisoners.

The report also said that US offer included modified language aimed at providing Hamas with guarantees that the temporary ceasefire could lead to a permanent one.

It was unclear whether the statement from the Prime Minister’s Office was referring to Witkoff’s original proposal or one with modified language.

Disputing Netanyahu’s claims regarding Israel’s willingness and Hamas’s refusal to accept the Witkoff proposal, a source involved in the negotiations told the Times of Israel that the premier mischaracterized the current status of the talks.

According to the source, mediators were still working to coax both sides, not just Hamas, to compromise on a number of issues.

"This is not a matter of just waiting for Hamas to say ’yes,'" the source said.

The source explained that negotiators were trying to come up with a temporary hostage deal that allows Hamas to claim the agreement will lead to the eventual end of the war, while also allowing Israel to continue claiming that it has not committed to doing so.

Given the lack of trust between the sides, this has been a difficult task to accomplish, the source said, while insisting that a deal is still possible.

The source noted that the senior members of Israel’s negotiating team called back from Qatar from the get-go did not play an integral role in the current round of talks, as Witkoff — who is also not in Doha — has been in continued contact with Netanyahu and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.

At the same time, Paleostinian-American political activist Bishara Bahbah has continued to operate a backchannel between the US and Hamas leaders in Qatar, where he arrived on Monday.

Netanyahu’s decision to recall the senior negotiators was nevertheless met with fury by the families of the hostages, who accused the government of having "no real plan to return the last hostage," despite frequently stating that it is working to do so.

"A majority of the nation supports the return of all the hostages, even at the price of ending the war," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said. "Only the return of everyone, in one stage, will allow a process of rehabilitation and renewal for the country and the army."

"Hamas will not be defeated without the return of the last hostage," it added. "Until then, there will be no victory, nor even the appearance of victory."

Expressing a similar distaste for a deal which would free some captives while others remain in Gaza, bigwigs in the defense establishment were said on Tuesday to have informed Netanyahu that they are not willing to compile a partial list of hostages for release.

According to Channel 12 news, high-ranking Mosssd
Mosssd

...sees all, knows all, gets 'em all in the end...
officials informed Mossad chief David Barnea that there was "no reasonable way" to create such a list, in which some living hostages would be freed while others remain behind for an unknown length of time, as all the captives are in equal need of being released.

In addition, a senior defense official was said to tell Netanyahu directly that they "will not compile a partial list."

"If it comes to that, I will give the data to Ron Dermer, let him decide, or let the prime minister decide," the official was said to have told the premier. "Or they’ll decide not to decide, and leave it to Hamas to determine the list."

"In any case, I made it clear that I will not be the one to decide who is released in a partial deal like this and who is not," the network quoted the official as saying.

The reported refusal to select which hostages will be freed and which will remain in Gaza differs from the latest ceasefire early this year, for which the list of those eligible for release was drawn up in the middle of 2024.

That list was based partly on information provided by the hostages’ families regarding their loved ones’ health conditions.

This time, however, Channel 12 cited a security bigshot as saying that they have asked "several times to convene a special discussion" to present decision-makers with available data on the hostages, but the request has not been accepted.

"They don’t want to," the official said. "They run away from it like fire. It’s clear to everyone that this is a highly explosive issue."

Netanyahu’s office denied the report and dismissed it as "another piece of fake news from an anonymous and irresponsible source on Channel 12."

"Prime Minister Netanyahu is fully and continuously updated on the condition of the hostages, according to the information available to Israel," the premier’s office added.

Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are holding 58 hostages, including 57 of the 251 kidnapped by Hamas-led bully boyz on October 7, 2023.

They include the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the IDF, and 20 are believed to be alive. There are grave concerns for the well-being of three others, Israeli officials have said.

Hamas released 30 hostages — 20 Israeli civilians, five soldiers and five Thai nationals — and the bodies of eight slain Israeli captives during a ceasefire between January and March, and one additional hostage, a dual American-Israeli citizen, in May as a "gesture" to the United States.

The terror group freed 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November 2023, and four hostages were released before that in the early weeks of the war. In exchange, Israel has freed some 2,000 placed in durance vile
Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw!
Paleostinian terrorists, security prisoners, and Gazook terror suspects detained during the war.

Eight hostages have been rescued from captivity by troops alive, and the bodies of 41 have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the Israeli military as they tried to escape their captors, and the body of a soldier who was killed in 2014.

The body of another soldier killed in 2014, Lt. Hadar Goldin, is still being held by Hamas, and is counted among the 58 hostages.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Israel, Hamas say hostage-ceasefire talks renewed after IDF initiates major new offensive

2025-05-18

[IsraelTimes] Terror group says negotiations in Qatar held ‘without preconditions’; Israel’s Katz argues Gaza op brought Hamas to table; teams said discussing 2-month truce with US involvement

A new round of negotiations for a Gazoo ceasefire and hostage deal between Hamas
Hamas

..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
and Israel began in Qatar
...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi...
on Saturday after the Israeli military launched its new expanded offensive in the Gaza Strip, according to both Israeli and Hamas officials.

Hamas confirmed a new round of talks was underway. Terror group official Taher al-Nono told Rooters that both sides were discussing all issues without "preconditions."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed Israel’s negotiating team to remain in Qatar for the time being, an Israeli official said late Saturday, in a move widely seen as indicating wary optimism about prospects for progress.

Netanyahu was in continuous contact throughout Saturday with the delegation, with Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, and with US envoy Steve Witkoff, "in an effort to dissuade Hamas from its refusal and to advance a deal for the release of our hostages," the official said.

Defense Minister Israel Katz argued that it was the start of the new campaign that had brought Hamas to the table.

Israeli and Hamas delegations had traveled to Qatar earlier in the week after the terror group released American-Israeli hostage soldier Edan Alexander, as part of an agreement with Washington that did not involve Israel and ahead of US President Donald Trump
...They hit him with slander, they impeached him twice. Nancy Pelosi tore up his State of the Union address on national TV. They stole an election and put his adherents in jail. They vilified him. They couldn't crucify him, so they shot him. Still, they can't keep him down...
’s visit to the region.

However,
the hip bone's connected to the leg bone...
according to reports, those talks made little progress, with both sides entrenched in their usual positions: Israel demanding a temporary truce only so long as Hamas is undefeated, and the terror organization insisting on an end to the war.

On Saturday morning, Katz said in a statement: "With the launch of Operation Gideon’s Chariots in Gaza, led with great force by IDF command, the Hamas delegation in Doha announced a return to negotiations on a hostage deal, contrary to the intransigent stance they had taken up until that moment."

He added, "The heroism of IDF soldiers, the unity of the people, and the determination of the politicianship increase the chances of bringing back the hostages."

Hamas’s Nono said the group was "keen to exert all the effort needed" to help mediators make the negotiations a success, adding there was "no certain offer on the table."

The Qatari al-Araby al-Jadeed news site cited an unnamed senior Hamas source as saying negotiators in Doha were discussing a two-month truce deal during which talks would be held on ending the war. According to the source, there would be clear involvement from Washington to ensure that the agreement would be implemented.

Kan news reported that the deal on the table would see the release of 10 living captives for a one-and-a-half-to-two-month-long ceasefire. Around 200-250 Paleostinian prisoners would be released by Israel as part of such a deal, the report said, adding that the specific number remains a point of contention. Hamas would also hand over a list detailing the status of all remaining living and dead hostages on the 10th day of the ceasefire, the report said.

Channel 12 news reported, citing Egyptian sources, that Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya was meeting with Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed al-Thani Saturday night

An Israeli official told Channel 12 that the talks in Doha were "serious," but that "Hamas needs to understand they must agree to the Witkoff framework, and if not, the ground offensive will begin soon" in Gaza.

In March, US Special Envoy Witkoff proposed a temporary ceasefire of some 40 days in exchange for the release of about half of the remaining living hostages, and Israel has hoped to advance such an agreement.

Hamas has so far rejected partial deals, instead insisting on an agreement that would permanently end the war.

A Paleostinian source cited by the Kan public broadcaster on Saturday night asserted that the main obstacle to a deal is whether Israel will agree to give assurances that it won’t resume the war in Gaza after all the hostages are released. Hamas is demanding such international guarantees, including from the United States, in the current negotiations, the source said.

Hamas has said it is prepared to cede control of the Strip and agree to a year-long truce with Israel that includes security guarantees. However,
the hip bone's connected to the leg bone...
it has long refused demands that it permanently disarm.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Trump disapproves of Netanyahu’s Gaza strategy, thinks major offensive will be wasted effort — NBC report

2025-05-12

It’s NBC, so possibly true, possibly not. Or possibly true but it doesn’t matter because that’s their process.

[IsraelTimes] US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are said to be increasingly at odds with one another over their contrasting visions for the Middle East, and in particular for the Gaza Strip.

Citing unnamed US officials, NBC reports that Trump is opposed to Netanyahu’s plans for a new, significantly expanded operation in the Gaza Strip, and has privately called it a wasted effort that will interfere with his vision to rebuild the enclave.

Netanyahu, meanwhile, is said to be growing increasingly frustrated with the US approach to Iran amid the nuclear talks and after Washington struck a deal with the Houthis, agreeing to end its intensive bombing campaign in return for an end to the Iran-backed group’s maritime attacks.

Speaking to NBC, one US official says Israel is “worried about any deal” that the US could sign with Iran to thwart its nuclear ambitions.

To that end, two US officials say Netanyahu has privately dismissed the negotiations as a waste of time, arguing that even if a deal is forged, Tehran will inevitably break it.

Israel would rather take action and strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, the report says, and believes that the opportunity to do so is shrinking more the longer talks continue.

Israeli and US officials have vehemently denied the reported tensions between Trump and Netanyahu, with US Ambassador Mike Huckabee calling the reports “reckless and irresponsible.”

Netanyahu is also said to have denied the reports of a growing rift between him and Trump, in leaked remarks from a closed meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee earlier today.

“There are no gaps between us and the Americans,” Netanyahu is quoted as saying by Channel 12 news pundit Amit Segel.

He adds that Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer is in the US “every few days,” and that reports about disagreements between the prime minister and his American counterpart over Iran or the Houthis “is a campaign” being spread “for political reasons.”

The premier is quoted as saying that Israel “didn’t ask for permission to attack the Houthis, and we’re not asking for permission for our war plans in Gaza. The Americans volunteered to get involved with the Houthis and said they would leave when it ‘stops.’”

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Hamas set to free US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander Monday in goodwill gesture to Trump

2025-05-12

[IsraelTimes] Israel wasn’t told in advance about release, which is being made unconditionally by Hamas in hope that US will coax Jerusalem to accept deal to end war in exchange for remaining hostages

Hamas
Hamas

..always the voice of sweet reason...
was set to release American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander on Monday after over 580 days in captivity, with the Paleostinian terror group agreeing to the move as a gesture of goodwill to US President Donald Trump
...dictatorial for repealing some (but not all) of the diktats of his predecessor, misogynistic because he likes pretty girls, homophobic because he doesn't think gender bending should be mandatory, truly a man for all seasons...
ahead of his trip to the region, hoping that he will in turn coax Israel to sign a deal freeing the remaining hostages in exchange for an end to the war, a US official, a Paleostinian official and a third source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel on Sunday.

US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff called Alexander’s parents Yael and Adi on Sunday afternoon to inform them of the news, a US official said. The Alexanders flew to Israel with US hostage envoy Adam Boehler on Sunday night in order to arrive in time for Alexander’s release. Witkoff was slated to fly to Israel separately from Oman, where he held the fourth round of nuclear talks with Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate ~~Jews~~ ~~Zionists~~ Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
on Sunday.

"The entire family is now on the way to Israel," Edan’s father, Adi, told the Ynet news site. "We were completely surprised to receive the call from Witkoff. We knew about the negotiations but not about such a dramatic development."

Boehler himself tweeted that the news of Alexander’s release was a positive step forward, adding: "We would also ask that Hamas release the bodies of four other Americans that were taken." The bodies of slain hostages Itay Chen, Omer Neutra, Gadi Haggai and Judith Weinstein Haggai are among the 59 captives still held by Hamas. Up to 24 of those hostages are believed to still be alive.

Hamas has said it is willing to release all of the hostages at once in exchange for an end to the war, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused such an exchange, arguing that it would leave Hamas in power.

Hamas is hoping that releasing Alexander will be enough to convince Trump to push Netanyahu to accept the trade, the source familiar with the matter said.

The source added that Hamas was assured by a mediator that Alexander’s release "would go a long way" with Trump, who wants to see the remaining hostages released and for the war in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
to end.

Certain security measures need to be taken in order for the release to move forward, such as Israel halting military operations and drone surveillance of parts of the Strip, as it has had to do in previous releases, a source involved in the process told The Times of Israel.

Alexander, a dual citizen who grew up in New Jersey, was serving in the Israel Defense Forces at the time of his abduction. He was kidnapped from his base during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led onslaught that started the war in Gaza.

In a statement, Hamas said the decision to release Alexander came after recent talks with US officials and "intensified efforts to achieve a ceasefire, open border crossings, and allow humanitarian aid

into the Gaza Strip."

It did not say when Alexander would be released. The officials who spoke with The Times of Israel said that — contrary to Hamas’s claim — no direct talks were held between the terror group and the US.

Hamas in its statement also said that it was prepared to enter intensified negotiations aimed at reaching a final agreement to end the war, establish a mutually "agreed prisoner exchange, and enable Gaza to be administered by an independent professional authority."

Hamas uses the term "prisoner exchange" to refer to the release of hostages in exchange for Paleostinian security prisoners, including Death Eaters convicted of murdering Israelis.

"This was a step taken in good faith towards the United States and the efforts of the mediators — Qatar
...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi...
and Egypt — to put an end to this very brutal war and return ALL living hostages and remains to their loved ones," Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social on Sunday evening. "Hopefully this is the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict. I look very much forward to that day of celebration!"

Qatar and Egypt welcomed the news in a joint statement, calling it "a gesture of goodwill and an encouraging step toward a return to the negotiating table to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the release of prisoners and detainees, and ensure the safe and unhindered flow of aid to address the tragic conditions in the Strip."

The US did not brief Israel on the effort to release Alexander until after the deal with Hamas was reached, the source familiar with the details of Alexander’s release told The Times of Israel.

Israel was generally aware that efforts were ongoing, but only knew about them from its own intelligence operations. On Sunday evening, Witkoff updated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer about the development, the US official said.

Netanyahu’s office confirmed that the US had informed Israel that Hamas would release Alexander "without any compensation or conditions," and as a gesture of goodwill to the US.

"The US conveyed to Israel that this move is expected to lead to negotiations for the release of additional hostages, based on the original Witkoff proposal — which Israel has already accepted," said the PMO in a statement, referring to a framework that sources have told The Times of Israel was in fact proposed by Israel, under which around half the living hostages would go free in exchange for an extended truce, with the rest being later freed in exchange for an end to the war.

Israel was making preparations for the potential release, the PMO continued, adding that "according to Israeli policy, the negotiation will take place under fire, with a firm commitment to achieving all the objectives of the war."

Earlier Sunday, multiple reports quoted Netanyahu as telling the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Hamas could release Alexander during Trump’s visit, and welcomed the possibility, adding: "These are very critical days."

Backchannel helped secure release of American-Israeli hostage, sources tell ToI
[IsraelTimes] Witkoff was kept in loop about talks 3rd-party mediator held with Hamas that managed to convince the terror group to free the 21-year-old unconditionally after weeks of pushback.

The backchannel was operated by a non-governmental individual who passed along messages between Hamas’s leadership in Qatar and US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, the sources said, while declining to reveal the identity of the person on the record.

The backchannel was opened last month, with the person urging Hamas to release Alexander unconditionally, telling the terror group that the move would go a long way with the Trump administration and potentially open the door to Washington coaxing Israel to agree to a deal that would bring about an end to the war in Gaza in exchange for the release of the remaining hostages — a trade Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has until now rejected, arguing that it would leave Hamas in power.

Hamas for weeks pushed back against freeing Alexander unconditionally and presented the third-party backchannel with proposals that would have seen Israel take various steps in exchange for the 21-year-old’s release.

The go-between warned Hamas last week that such offers wouldn’t fly and that time was not on the group’s side, with Israel planning to launch a major operation to gradually re-occupy the entire Gaza Strip once US President Donald Trump wraps up his trip to the region on Friday. Trump will depart on Monday for Saudi Arabia before making stops in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. He is not slated to visit Israel on this trip.

Over the weekend, Hamas informed the go-between that it had agreed to release Alexander unconditionally but wanted Witkoff to know that the step should not be viewed as a one-off, the sources said. Hamas stressed to the mediator that it was ready to work with the Trump administration to secure a permanent ceasefire in Gaza with security arrangements in order to ensure a yearslong calm until a final settlement of the conflict is reached, the sources said.

PM’s Office: Israel has committed to safe corridor for Alexander’s release, but not to truce
[IsraelTimes] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says Israel has committed to facilitating a safe corridor for hostage Edan Alexander to be released from Gaza back to Israel.

In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office says Jerusalem has made no further promise for a ceasefire or for the release of Palestinian security prisoners.

“The expected release of IDF soldier Edan Alexander [by Hamas] without getting anything in return, will be possible thanks to the determined policy we led, with the backing of [US] President [Donald] Trump, and thanks to IDF troops’ military pressure in the Gaza Strip,” the PMO says.

“We are in critical days in which Hamas is facing a deal that would enable our hostages’ release,” it adds. “Negotiations will continue under fire and amidst preparations for the intensification of the fighting.”

Link

Science & Technology

Army ditches helicopters for new radical air assault planes

2025-05-12

In defense of 'the island chains’
[FoxNews] Tiltrotor planes are replacing Black Hawk helicopters and the Army wants them now

It’s a plane. It’s a helicopter. It’s both. Meet "FLRAA," the Army’s new tiltrotor for Future Long-Range Air Assault. This is how the Army will island hop in the Pacific to fend off China. And by the way, Chinese President Xi Jinping has nothing like it.

With a stunning announcement, the Army did more than ax 40 generals and open the door to AI. The Army bet its future on this radical aircraft, whose engines swivel to take off and land like a helicopter, or fly high and fast like an airplane.

This aircraft was on pace to enter the Army inventory in the early 2030s.

Then came the Army shake-up. On May 1, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth directed the Army to focus more on the Indo-Pacific. In that region, sheer distance and Chinese missile threat rings are locking out current helicopters. For the mission of air assault – when troops move into hostile and contested areas by rotary-wing aircraft – the hard truth is that the Army has a looming capability gap.

"We can't actually do the large-scale, long-range air assault today" with the speed and distance required in modern warfare, Maj. Gen. Brett Sylvia, commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, said last year.

That’s unacceptable, given Xi’s growing appetite for military confrontation.

So now the Army wants its revolutionary plane ASAP. On Wednesday, May 7, Army Chief of Staff General Randy George told Congress he wants to move it up several years, "into the 2028 timeframe." Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll said he met with prime contractor Bell Textron to talk about a rush order.

It’s easy to see why. The acronym-happy Army says "FLRAA" will fly 1,700 nautical miles without refueling and carry 12 passengers at a speed near 300 mph. Compare that to the 183 mph for the Black Hawk helicopter it is replacing. For pilots, the extra range, speed and survivability of a tiltrotor is a huge improvement on a helicopter. With a tiltrotor, they can zoom all over the battlespace with impunity and land any time, any place, in any conditions.

Army recruitment surges to 15-year high under Trump administration Video
You may be familiar with the V-22 Osprey, which first flew in 1989 and is now flown by the Marine Corps, Navy and U.S. Air Force special operations forces. As the first operational tiltrotor, the V-22 has had ups and downs, but beyond question, the V-22 proved itself in combat in Afghanistan. In another vivid example, in 2013, three battle-damaged Air Force MV-22s flew 500 miles from South Sudan to Entebbe, Uganda, spewing fuel, to save the lives of wounded Navy SEALs aboard.

No wonder the Army pounced on the tiltrotor concept.

However, the Army FLRAA is an all-new design based on the prototype V-280 Valor, which first flew in 2017. It is slightly smaller than the V-22, with a 47-foot fuselage consisting of an aluminum structure and carbon fiber composite skin.

The big advance for "FLRAA" is in the tilt mechanism. On the older V-22, the whole engine nacelle housing pivoted. For the Army’s aircraft, that headache is gone. The two engine nacelles stay put on the wing. Only the propellors rotate, to switch between helicopter and airplane mode. This is much safer, and the improved rotor design also increases agility and maneuverability in low-speed flight while in helicopter mode.

The other major difference is that the Army’s tiltrotor is designed as a multi-mission aircraft. Door guns on each side mark it as a dedicated air assault platform. Contrast that with the V-22 which only has a tail gun. The new Army tiltrotor also carries so-called "launched effects," which is military lingo for a variety of drones, such as self-protection decoys released to divert enemy fire, sensor drones to hunt targets, drones that do electronic warfare jamming and of course weapons drones for the kill.

With its range capability, the Army tiltrotor can drive these drones deep into the battlespace. With drone operations in mind, software matters, so the plane has an open systems digital backbone ready to plug in new systems anytime.

Even more intriguing, the FLRAA has the potential to fly by itself. At 240 knots it can deploy from Hawaii to the Philippines in 20 hours. In the future, "FLRAA" may also be able to self-deploy, moving to the theater by flying autonomously as an unmanned aircraft and rejoining with crews at a forward location.

It’s easy to see why. The acronym-happy Army says "FLRAA" will fly 1,700 nautical miles without refueling and carry 12 passengers at a speed near 300 mph. Compare that to the 183 mph for the Black Hawk helicopter it is replacing.

The Army sees the Pacific islands like a chessboard. If China threatens, the tiltrotor "FLRAA" can move soldiers rapidly to land in contested areas and block Chinese forces from taking over.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

UAE rejects Israeli request to bankroll Gaza aid initiative, arguing it fails to address crisis — official

2025-05-10

[IsraelTimes] The United Arab Emirates has rejected an Israeli request to bankroll a new initiative to resume the distribution of aid into Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
after an over two-month embargo, a bigwig familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel.

The rejection marks a major blow to the initiative, which hasn’t even fully gotten off the ground, as Israel hoped that Emirati support would help convince other countries and international organizations to follow suit.

Israeli officials have been deeply involved in the recent establishment of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which they want to manage the resumption of aid into Gaza in a manner that prevents its diversion from Hamas
Hamas

..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
But a GHF memo provided to potential donors states that the initiative will only feed about 60% of Gaza’s population in an unspecified initial phase. The UN and international organizations briefed on the plan issued a statement earlier this week saying they won’t cooperate with the initiative, as it fails to sufficiently address the humanitarian crisis and "weaponizes" aid.

Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, who heads the Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories, and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer’s aid Moran Stav visited the UAE yesterday to meet with Emirati Minister for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy, hoping to convince Abu Dhabi to back the plan, the bigwig says, confirming reporting in the Walla news site.

Hashimy told the Israeli officials that the UAE would not be able to provide such financial support because the GHF initiative — as it currently stands — does not properly address the humanitarian crisis, the official says.

The official stresses that Abu Dhabi’s position could change if the initiative is adapted to properly meet the moment.

A Western diplomat told The Times of Israel earlier this week that GHF was planning to go public with the roll-out of its new initiative this week, but the lack of international support appears to be delaying the announcement.

Organizers sufficed with a presser held earlier today by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee where he said that the effort was already underway, but he offered minimal details how the initiative would work, while calling on the international community to back the program.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: May 8, 2025

2025-05-09

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 21.38 Cyber ATESH hackers attacked the main propaganda resource for selling tickets in the temporarily occupied Crimea – Kassa24.ru. This was reported by the ATESH partisan movement on its Telegram channel.

20.58 Russia and the United States are "getting closer" to a meeting between Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said, according to the Russian propaganda news agency RIA Novosti.

20.14 The Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) has refuted another fake from Russian propagandists about a "woman in a well" who was allegedly "tortured by representatives of the TCC and SP." The CCD reported this on its Telegram channel.

19:12 Ukrainian soldiers recently liberated a forest area from Russian invaders, which the enemy called "Berlin". This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on its Telegram channel.

18:56 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky awarded the founder and commander of the 414th separate brigade of strike unmanned aerial systems as part of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (Ptitsy Madyara) Major Robert Brovdy the title Hero of Ukraine and the Order of the Gold Star.

18.31 The European Union will allocate 1 billion euros to Ukraine to support the defense industry. This was stated by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas at a briefing in Warsaw.

16.58 Ukrainian society is exhausted but remains resilient in the fourth year of the full-scale Russian invasion, according to the results of a sociological survey conducted by the Razumkov Center and the Kyiv Security Forum.

Thus, about 30% of respondents are in a depressed mood, but consider democracy to be the most desirable type of government (61.2%), 88.1% trust the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 60.6% consider a military victory of Ukraine in the war with Russia possible, and the majority are not ready to make concessions to the aggressor.

Ukrainians strive for peace, but not by any means and not at any price. Complete liberation from Russian troops as a condition for peace is a demand put forward by the majority of citizens. The absolute majority of Ukrainians are not ready to cede either Ukrainian territories or the pro-Western vector of Ukraine's development. Also, the majority of Ukrainians believe that Ukraine should not refuse NATO membership.

Moreover, the overwhelming majority (more than three quarters, 77.4% of respondents) of Ukrainians believe that Ukraine will be able to win if its partners provide enough weapons or the West helps with human resources.

15.58 The Special Operations Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces shared footage of special operations conducted behind enemy lines. Soldiers from one of the units forced six Russian soldiers to surrender. The Special Operations Forces reported this on their Facebook page.

The MTR captured a group of Russians pic.twitter.com/OUsKFGY5jc

— Maxim (@lipcansmaks1) May 8, 2025

Tweet is a three-minute video — first person shooter style, with the Pink Panther theme as background music.

15:56 The Netherlands will support the establishment of a training center for the maintenance of F-16 fighters at the Fetești air base in Romania - the same place where the European F-16 Training Center (EFTC) operates, the press service of the Dutch Ministry of Defense reported.

The corresponding declaration of intent was signed by the Minister of Defence of the Netherlands, Ruben Brekelmans, and his Romanian counterpart, Angel Tilver.

15.29 On May 8, President Volodymyr Zelensky awarded the head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Malyuk the title of Hero of Ukraine and the Order of the Gold Star. The corresponding decree was published on the website of the head of state.

"For personal courage and heroism demonstrated in the defense of the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, selfless service to the Ukrainian people, I decree: To award the title Hero of Ukraine with the presentation of the Order of the Gold Star to Vasily Vasilyevich Maluk, Lieutenant General," the document says.

15:06 A resident of Kherson, who worked for the Russians during the occupation and tried to join the Ukrainian Armed Forces after deoccupation, received 12 years in prison for collaboration. This was reported by the press service of the State Bureau of Investigation.

14:30 Russian propaganda is expanding the fake about the Ukrainian Armed Forces military preparing a provocation in the area of Seversk and Chasovy Yar in the Donetsk region. This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council. If a "terrorist attack with civilian casualties" is planned. The Center noted that such reports may indicate that Russia is preparing provocations or shelling civilian facilities.

14:10 During a combat mission on May 6, a serviceman, former employee of the Lux TV and Radio Company Vasily Dovbush, died. This was reported by Lux FM presenter Diana Lutsishin.

13.59 The "parade truce" initiated by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, as expected, turned out to be a farce, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga reported . Russian troops continue to attack along the entire front line and have carried out hundreds of attacks.

13:52 Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky reported that he had a video conference with the Head of the Military Committee of the European Union General Robert Briger. They discussed proposals for optimizing and expanding cooperation in the direction of training fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

13.36 The Ministry of Defense has codified and approved for use in the Defense Forces three modifications of smoothbore pump-action shotguns of Ukrainian production. This was reported by the Main Directorate for Support of the Life Cycle of Weapons and Military Equipment.

13.34 The military has already recorded more than 50 combat clashes on the front, despite the "ceasefire" declared by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are responding in kind to the actions of the occupiers. This was reported by Nazar Voloshin, spokesman for the OSGV Khortytsia.

According to him, the Russians carried out assault operations in almost all directions of the front. But most of the clashes were recorded in the key directions - Pokrovsk and Novopavlovsk.

13.22 On May 8, the Lithuanian Seimas unanimously voted for a resolution in which it stated that it does not recognize the territories of Ukraine seized by Russia as Russian "neither de jure nor de facto." This is reported by LRT.

12.48 A 59-year-old man, who was injured on April 23 when a drone hit a bus carrying workers of the mining and processing plant in Marganets, died in hospital. This was reported by the head of the Dnipropetrovsk OVA, Serhiy Lysak. Thus, the death toll as a result of the Russian strike has increased to 10.

12.40 At night, in the coastal zone of the Kherson region, Russian military dropped explosives from a drone on a patrol police department service vehicle. As a result of the strike, two police officers, aged 32 and 40, were injured, they suffered concussions and shrapnel wounds to their limbs. The vehicle was damaged.

12.23 The executions of 268 Ukrainian prisoners of war are currently under investigation: 208 were executed on the battlefield and 59 in the Elenovka prison colony, the Prosecutor General's Office reported .

11.10 Viktor Tregubov, spokesman for the Khortytsia Operational-Strategic Group of Forces, said that fighting continues on the front in Ukraine, despite Russia's statements about the start of the so-called "ceasefire." Therefore, it is impossible to talk about a ceasefire on the contact line. He said this on the air of the telethon.

10.57 German Chancellor Friedrich Merz does not expect that German soldiers will be sent to Ukraine. This is reported by ntv.

10.36 Fighters from the 13th NGU Charter Brigade liberated a forest area north of Liptsy in the Kharkov region with an area of over 200 hectares; fighting for this section of the front continued for almost half a year.

The Russians were pushed back and control over an important natural and tactically significant area was restored. During this time, the Russian troops lost about 1,500 soldiers killed and wounded, more than 200 weapons and 175 pieces of equipment.

10.23 On the morning of May 8, the Russian troops struck a civilian car with an FPV drone that was moving along the road near the village of Bolshiye Prokhody in the Kharkiv district; there are casualties. This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General. It is noted that three women aged 18, 30 and 58 were hospitalized with shrapnel wounds.

10.09 Russia has intensified shelling of the Sumy region even though the head of the Kremlin Vladimir Putin declared a three-day "ceasefire". There is a victim. This was reported by the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the State Emergency Service in the Sumy region.

9.35 President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed Ukrainians on the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II. The head of state recorded a video message in the center of Kiev.

"Today is the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism. The day we celebrate together with the whole world, with everyone who fought for life 80 years ago, so that evil would lose, so that 'never again'. Unfortunately, three years ago it happened again, and just like once, the air raid siren roared over Kiev again, evil came to our Ukrainian land again," the president said.

Zelensky noted that the difference between us and the Russians of the Russian Federation is shown every May 9.

"The difference between life on Independence Square and the parade of fear on Red Square. Columns of tanks, marching boxes of murderers, dressed-up extras, half-dead faces who will look down on this procession... Tomorrow, the organizer of the mass graves in Bucha will talk about the atrocities of the Nazis. And those who staged the blockade of Mariupol will talk about the siege of Leningrad," the head of state said.

The President also called the Russian celebration a "parade of cynicism and bile." Ukraine has not forgotten that 80 years ago dozens of nations fought Nazism and more than 8 million Ukrainians died in this fight.

9.10 As of 8:00 on May 8, no missile strikes or use of attack drones were recorded in Ukrainian airspace. However, during the night, the Russians intensified tactical air strikes using guided aerial bombs in Sumy region.

On the afternoon of May 7, air defense forces shot down 20 Russian drones in the skies over Ukraine, and six more UAV imitators were lost. Cherkasy region suffered as a result of the Russian attack.

8.55 Over the past 24 hours, 196 combat clashes have been recorded at the front. Aviation, missile troops, and artillery of the Defense Forces hit ten areas of concentration of personnel and equipment, two unmanned aerial vehicle control points, six artillery systems, one fuel and lubricants warehouse, and a radar station of the Russian invaders. This was reported on May 8 by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

8.36 Late in the evening of May 7, Russian troops dropped an aerial bomb on a multi-story building in Konstantinovka. 12 people were wounded, one woman is probably under the rubble. This was reported by the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor's Office.

7.50 Over the past 24 hours, the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed 1,200 Russian occupiers. The total combat losses of the enemy from 02/24/22 to 05/08/25 were approximately 961,970 people. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this.

7.23 In the Moscow region, a representative of the Ukrainian underground carried out a successful act of sabotage, as a result of which communications were disrupted at several military facilities of the Russian Armed Forces. This was reported by the ATESH partisan movement. It is noted that the operation was carried out in the settlement of Mogiltsy. There, an agent of the movement destroyed the equipment of a transformer substation. It provided the region's electrical and telecommunications infrastructure. According to the underground fighters, due to the destruction of this substation, "communication interruptions occurred at a number of important military facilities at once."

Among them are the 629th anti-aircraft missile regiment (military unit 51857), the 21st separate operational brigade (military unit 3641), and the military town where 3/2 of 51084 are stationed. Problems also arose in the 483rd military investigative department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation and in the distribution warehouse of the SberLogistics company, which fulfills contracts for the Russian Ministry of Defense.

04.44 The Russian army attacked Cherkasy region with attack UAVs throughout the day on May 7, there is damage to infrastructure, a man was injured.

04.26 During the war in Ukraine, Russia has damaged and destroyed more than 2,300 medical infrastructure facilities. Of these, 2,020 were partially damaged, and another 305 were completely destroyed.

03.55 German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who became a member of the government following the vote in the Bundestag on May 6, confirmed Germany and Europe's support for Ukraine.

"Everyone in Moscow should know that we will have to be taken into account. Europe will defend and support Ukraine by all means," Wadephul said on the sidelines of the EU Foreign Ministers' meeting in Warsaw.

03.11 The European Union, as part of the 17th package of sanctions against Russia, is discussing the introduction of restrictions against individuals involved in the use of chemical weapons in Ukraine. In particular, the proposal of the European Commission includes a list of 15 legal entities and individuals associated with hybrid threats from Russia, as well as persons suspected of using chemical weapons in Ukraine.

01.22 US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent admitted that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is a war criminal. This happened during a hearing in Congress, where Bessent reported on the situation in the international financial system. When he was directly asked whether he considered the ruler of the Russian Federation a war criminal, the American minister answered: "Yes".

00.25 The attack of Russian occupation forces on the Chernobyl nuclear power plant caused enormous damage. We are talking about the drone strike on the sarcophagus of the 4th power unit, which occurred in February 2025. According to The Guardian, according to preliminary estimates by engineering experts, we are talking about losses of more than 25 million euros. And they were inflicted by a Russian drone worth up to 75,000 pounds sterling (about 80 thousand euros).

Link

China-Japan-Koreas

Strategic partnership between Russia and China

2025-05-09

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
[ColonelCassad] During Comrade Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow, in addition to agreements on strengthening strategic cooperation between Russia and China, a large number of agreements were signed.

1. Joint Statement of the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China on Further Deepening their Comprehensive Partnership and Strategic Cooperation in the New Era in Commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of the Victory of the Soviet Union in the Great Patriotic War, the Victory of the Chinese People in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the Founding of the United Nations

2. Joint Statement of the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China on Global Strategic Stability

3. Joint Declaration of the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China on Further Strengthening Cooperation to Uphold the Authority of International Law

4. Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Promotion and Mutual Protection of Investments and Letters Constituting an Understanding between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Application of Measures, the Introduction of Which is Regulated by the Rules of the World Trade Organization on National Security Exceptions, General Exceptions, and Prudential Measures

5. Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Establishment of a Bilateral Consultative Commission on Ensuring Biological Security 6.

Protocol between the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Russian Federation) and the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China on compliance with inspection and quarantine requirements for rye flour exported from the Russian Federation to the People's Republic of China

7. Protocol between the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Russian Federation) and the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China on compliance with inspection and quarantine requirements for the export of semolina from the Russian Federation to the People's Republic of China

8. Protocol on Amendments to the Protocol between the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Russian Federation) and the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China on phytosanitary requirements for medicinal plant materials for Chinese medicine exported from the Russian Federation to the People's Republic of China, dated May 24, 2023

9. Memorandum between the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and of the Russian Federation and the State Data Administration of the People's Republic of China on cooperation in the field of digital transformation and digital economy

10. Memorandum between the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China on cooperation in the field of creation and development of scientific installations of the "megascience" class

11. Action Plan in the Field of Joint Film Production between the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the State Film Administration of the People's Republic of China until 2030

12. Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Russian Federation) and the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration of the People's Republic of China on Cooperation in the Field of Combating Infectious Diseases

13. Memorandum of Understanding between the Roscosmos State Space Corporation and the China National Space Administration on Cooperation in the Field of Creating a Lunar Power Station for the International Scientific Lunar Station

14. Cooperation Agreement between the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (University) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Russian Direct Investment Fund Management Company, and Tsinghua University (People's Republic of China)

15. Memorandum of Understanding on Joint Cooperation between Moscow State University named after

16. Memorandum of Cooperation between Lomonosov Moscow State University and China Media Corporation 17.

Agreement on Strategic Cooperation between St. Petersburg State University and the State Administration of Foreign Specialists of the People's Republic of China

18. Agreement on Scientific Cooperation between the National Research University Higher School of Economics and Peking University

19. Agreement on Cooperation between the National Research University Higher School of Economics (Russian Federation) and Peking University (People's Republic of China) on the Establishment of the BRICS Research Platform

20. Agreement on Cooperation between the National Research University Higher School of Economics and Tsinghua University

21. Memorandum of Understanding between the D.I. Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia and the University Tsinghua (People's Republic of China)

22. Memorandum on deepening cooperation between the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company" (VGTRK) and the China Media Corporation

23. Memorandum between the International Information Agency "Russia Today" and the Xinhua News Agency (People's Republic of China) on holding the Expert Forum of the SCO countries

24. Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation between the Russia Today TV Channel and the China Media Corporation

25. Memorandum on Strategic Cooperation between Russia Today TV Channel and Xinhua News Agency (People's Republic of China)

26. Memorandum of Cooperation between National Media Group and China Media Corporation

27. Memorandum on Cooperation in the Field of News between Gazprom-Media Holding Joint-Stock Company and Xinhua News Agency (People's Republic of China)

28. Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation between the All-Russian Public Movement of Children and Youth "Movement of the First" and the All-China Youth Federation (2025-2026)

In general, China is now interested in strengthening relations with the Russian Federation, since Beijing sees both increased pressure from the United States and attempts to tear Russia away from China, which the United States views through the prism of a repeat of Nixon's maneuver of the 1970s, when the United States, in the interests of increasing pressure on the USSR, went to normalize relations with China. Now the US is trying to do roughly the same thing, only the other way around.

Russia is interested in strengthening cooperation with China, as this makes it possible to easily avoid economic and political isolation and jointly promote the ideas of multipolarity. And plus, China's indirect assistance in conducting the SVO should not be underestimated either. Without Chinese drones, chips, controllers and various microelectronics, it would be much harder for us.

P.S. And a joint lunar base project in the 2030s looks ambitious and interesting.

More from regnum.ru
Putin and Xi Jinping order to accelerate construction of Power of Siberia 2
During talks in Moscow between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the leaders of the countries instructed to speed up the construction of the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told reporters about this.

"We discussed it, it is a really important project, so a certain part of the work related to the feasibility study has already been done. Now the final negotiations are underway between the companies regarding the economic conditions. The leaders gave instructions to speed up this work," he answered the corresponding question.

At the same time, Novak clarified that during the negotiations, a possible adjustment to the gas pipeline route through Mongolia was not discussed.

As reported by the Regnum news agency, during the meeting Putin called energy the locomotive of Russian-Chinese relations. He noted that in 2024 Russia, the leader in oil exports to China, took first place in pipeline gas supplies, second place in shipments, and third place in liquefied natural gas exports.

The Russian leader also stated that new joint initiatives between Russia and China in the energy sector are already “on the way”: in particular, the launch of the Far Eastern gas route is expected in 2027, which will supply China with up to 10 billion cubic meters per year, and in China itself, construction of Russian-designed nuclear power plants is underway.

Even more from regnum.ru
Putin: Russia and China Suffered the Greatest Losses in World War II
It was Russia and China that suffered the greatest losses during World War II. Russian President Vladimir Putin recalled this during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Kremlin.

"Having gone through unprecedented hardships, having experienced all the horrors of war, our peoples accomplished a great feat and were able to restore peace. At the same time, as is known, they suffered the greatest losses," the Russian leader noted.

Putin added that now Russia and China are jointly and consistently advocating for the preservation of the historical truth about the Great Victory as a common value for all of humanity, and are also jointly opposing attempts to falsify history.

As reported by the Regnum news agency, on April 30, Putin declared that Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War was a triumph for the Russian and Soviet peoples, highlighting the special role of the RSFSR. He reported that all the peoples of the Soviet Union made a huge contribution, the war affected almost every family, and the RSFSR's losses in the war amounted to about 70%.

Earlier, the Russian leader noted that Victory Day is one of the most significant holidays in Russia and many republics of the former Soviet Union. The defeat of fascism in that war is their common heritage.

Link

Europe

Ireland's immigrant backlash: Huge crowds march after 300 percent rise in asylum seekers

2025-05-06

[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] … as protesters blame Irish government for 'inviting the whole third world to come in'

Huge crowds have staged anti-migrant protests in Ireland amid growing anger at the government over an increase in arrivals and asylum claims.

More than a thousand are believed to have joined a march in County Donegal's Letterkenny over the weekend, with several hundred having organised a counter-protest.

Ireland has seen anti-migrant anger growing in recent months, over the sheer number of asylum seekers being housed across the nation. Many of them are unable to get accommodation, forcing them to sleep in tents which has further incited anger.

The 'Letterkenny Peaceful Assembly/Protest Against Illegal Immigration' started at the lower end of Port Road, in the town's eastern side, and and concluded at Market Square.

Over in Carrickmacross, a similar protest, this one attended by around 800, was launched on Friday, where speakers criticised the Irish government and landlords profiting from housing asylum seekers.

Local independent councillor Seamus Treanor said people living in his ward did not feel safe in their own homes, given heightened levels of anti-social behaviour.

'I want to get one thing straight - the reason we have a housing problem in this county is because our government opened our borders, and invited the whole third world to come in.

'They came in their tens of thousands, and communities like Carrickmacross are suffering the consequences.

'The so-called opposition are in step with the government, and agree with their policy.'

Many were seen waving Irish and Donegal flags in protest against what they believed was a surge of illegal migration to the country.

One little girl was seen holding a large sign that read: 'TRAITORS ARE LIVING AMONGST US.'

But hundreds of counter-protesters were also present at the Letterkenny march, railing against the anti-migrant sentiment seen across the nation in recent months.

The United Against Racism Donegal Group invited speakers, who spoke in favour of inclusion, respect and equality for all, and rejected the incitement to hatred.

Cops reportedly managed to watch over the incident without any confrontations, having erected a physical barrier between the two groups.

In February, Ireland saw a wave of violence, with anti-migrant anger at an all time high - after the number of people applying to come into the country rocketed by nearly 300 per cent in five years.

Shocking videos showed Dublin descending into chaos - with fighting thugs throwing themselves into busses, knife fights on their streets and mass brawls sparking in residential roads.

In others, men patrol the capital to keep the city 'safe' while police can be seen using riot shields and pepper spray as they crack down on protests.

As many as 150,000 people moved to Ireland in 2023-24, Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures revealed, the highest number in 17 years.

Many of them are being accommodated in poor areas of central Dublin or small provincial towns. Only 30,000 of these were returning Irish citizens.

There are now nearly 33,000 international protection applicants being housed across the nation, up from 7,244 in 2017. Alongside arrivals from Africa and the Middle East, 100,000 refugees flocked to the country following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Each costs the nation nearly £70 a day, a figure that has increased by a third in two years. At the end of last year the Irish Refugee Council revealed there were a record 3,001 asylum seekers homeless in Ireland.

The budget for housing Ukranian refugees has been slashed from £910million in 2023 to less than £340million this year, with officials saying the reduction is expected to continue.

Once sleepy towns are now homes to hundreds of asylum seekers while tent cities have been set up along Dublin's Grand Canal.

And with hard-right sentiment at fever pitch the country is on a knife edge - with even Ireland's left-wing politicians admitting that the influx of migrants was driving a spike in homelessness.

Aoife Gallagher, from the Institute of Strategic Dialogue, who monitors hard-right activity, has previously said that there has been an escalation in migrants being targeted in Ireland.

'We see consistently, a couple of times every week, horrific attacks on migrants,' she told the BBC.

'We see people standing outside IPAS centres waiting for asylum seekers in order to confront them and intimidate them.

'There's a level of political violence that we haven't seen before.'

The Irish Refugee Council say there are now more than 3,000 asylum seekers homeless in Ireland. Since December 2023, 5,671 of 6,407 have been refused accommodation, while only 736 were immediately accommodated after a vulnerability triage.

Irish Refugee Council CEO, Nick Henderson, said: 'We can’t continue to normalise homelessness and have the State effectively delegate its duties to volunteers and under resourced charities. It puts both people seeking protection and those helping them at risk of harm.'

Last year UK Government ministers flatly rejected Dublin's demands to take back asylum seekers crossing from Northern Ireland.

The Republic has voiced alarm that large numbers are taking advantage of the invisible border on the island to avoid being deported to Rwanda, with ministers saying more than 80 per cent of the country's asylum seekers arrive this way.

Then-Taoiseach Simon Harris vowed to pass new laws to facilitate returns of migrants, after the country's courts declared the UK cannot be classed as 'safe' due to the pact with the African state.

The government has previously spoken favourably about migration. Jamie Drummond, Co-Founder and Executive Director of NGO ONE and a friend of U2 star Bono, told the International Development Committee in 2015 that young immigrants were needed to help with Ireland's 'senile' aging population.

She said: 'Just as this country and this continent will be at its most senile demographically speaking, Africa will be the world’s youth and the supply of the world’s energy, creativity and dynamism.

'If we have invested properly in their education, governance and long-term security and the ability and belief that people can make a contribution in their economies and societies.

'If we fail to make those long-term investments because we are lurching in response from crisis to crisis or because we are indifferent, we will significantly regret the missed opportunity of having their engagement in a positive way and we will regret unfolding increased crises at that time.'

Project Ireland 2040 - an initiative unveiled in 2018 - forecasting nearly two million extra people in Ireland in 15 years time who would need an extra £96billion in investment for infrastructure and housing.

This huge figure was intended to be used to expand cities and settle rural areas, although it has quickly been left in the dust as the number of arrivals has reached more than double the initial estimates, The Telegraph reports.

A study by the London School of Economics found that hard-right protests in Ireland had seen structural racism and existing views 'supercharged' by social media.

And they blamed the government for cutting funding to anti-racism initiatives in the wake of the 2008 financial crash for allowing views to spiral.

They concluded: 'More needs to be done to ensure already woefully neglected communities receive sufficient state resources to facilitate greater community integration of asylum seekers and migrants, allowing these communities to view immigration as beneficial, hence helping to tackle embedded racism.

'It is this issue of distribution which needs to be at the centre of public debate on immigration, rather than the toxic, polarising and racist frames favoured by the far right and, increasingly, some "mainstream" politicians.

The hashtag 'Ireland is full' frequently trends on social media as experts fear sites like X have fanned suspicion within communities.

Researchers from the Institute of Strategic Dialogue (ISD) found misinformation by hard-right Irish figures is rising across all social media platforms in analysis of 13million posts from 1,640 accounts over the last three years.

They found that the pandemic had brought together previously fringe groups including those holding right-wing views and anti-vaxx campaigners around Covid conspiracy theories.

And when this passed the links 'didn't disappear', with many moving on to target refugees and the LGBT community, The Irish Times reports.

X is the most common platform for hateful posts, with researchers finding 1,158 accounts that posted 11.7million tweets between January 2020 and April 2023. The creation of these spiked following 2022 immigration protests and Elon Musk taking over the site in 2023.

Kremlin disinformation also sparked a flood of disinformation following the invasion of Ukraine, including claims the war was started by the West and that Zelensky's government was controlled by Nazis.

ISD said: 'These narratives also aim to downplay the severity of the war and fuel animosity towards Ukrainian refugees by suggesting they receive preferential treatment over the local population.'

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: May 5, 2025

2025-05-06

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22.57 Russia is seeking to negotiate peace with Ukraine due to the sharp drop in oil prices. This was stated by US President Donald Trump during a conversation with journalists.

22.37 Russian troops attack Odessa with attack drones on the evening of May 5. Explosions were heard in the city. This was reported by Odessa Mayor Gennadiya Trukhanova on Telegram.

22.23 Russian troops are redeploying Tu-95MS combat aircraft to Siberia. OSINT researcher MT Anderson reported this on the X social network, citing satellite images.

21.56 US President Donald Trump believes that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's proposal for a so-called "three-day truce" is not that long, but it is "a lot." He said this during a conversation with journalists at the White House.

20.28 New services will appear in the Reserve+ application. This was reported by Deputy Minister of Defense for Digital Development, Digital Transformation and Digitalization Ekaterina Chernogorenko on her Facebook page.

19:29 US President Donald Trump plans to involve his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in ending Russia's war against Ukraine. The American leader wrote about this on his social network Truth Social.

18.38 Ukrainian aviation successfully hit the control point of enemy UAV units in the area of the settlement of Tetkino in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Up to 20 Russian soldiers were eliminated and their equipment was destroyed.

17:59 Ukrainian refugees are integrating well in the Czech Republic, and further progress needs to be made both in terms of their employment and in terms of helping those who want to return home. This was stated by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala at a joint briefing with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Prague.

16.05 Ukrainian military made another breakthrough into the Kursk region of the Russian Federation on Monday morning – in the area of the settlements of Tetkino and Novy Put. This was reported by Russian telegram channels.

15.41 The Czech Republic will train Ukrainian pilots on two types of aircraft – F-16 and L-39 – on its territory. This was stated by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Prague.

15:02 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with the heads of leading defense enterprises of the Czech Republic. Ukrainian-Czech cooperation and joint production can ensure security and prevent a repeat of aggression on the European continent, the head of state noted.

14.17 On the morning of May 5, Russian troops fired cannon artillery at the village of Ivanopolye in the Konstantinovka community. As a result of the shelling, a civilian was killed and two more people were wounded. This was reported by the head of the Donetsk OVA Vadim Filashkin.

13.39 Russian troops are experiencing an acute shortage of armored vehicles at the front. They are forced to send outdated equipment to conduct massive assaults. This was reported by military journalist Andrey Tsaplienko on Monday, May 5.

Thus, in one of the echelons they counted up to 70 T-62MV and T-62M tanks, produced from 1961 to 1975.

Tsaplienko suggested that in frontline workshops they would be made into "tank-sheds" designed for one-time use.

13.27 Since the beginning of the war, the State Bureau of Investigation has been investigating 2,571 criminal cases involving crimes against national security. This was reported by the State Bureau of Investigation's press service.

Under investigation:

1.8 thousand cases - on the facts of high treason,

584 productions - for collaboration activities,

46 cases - for aiding the aggressor state and others.

12.55 The domestically produced Vislyuk ground robotic system has been approved for use in the Defense Forces units . This was reported by the Defense Ministry. The Vislyuk system is manufactured in various modifications - for logistical tasks, evacuation, mining, and installation of engineering barriers. It can also serve as a moving platform for moving radio communication repeater towers, combat modules, and day or night surveillance systems. It has reactive control channels.

12.14 Over three years, the fundraising platform United24 has raised more than UAH 56 billion in support of Ukraine. This was announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"This is not just a number - it is proof that in the pursuit of a common goal, millions of people are capable of the incredible. We are united not by geography, language or origin - we are united by faith.

The United24 platform launched in May 2022. During this time, millions of people and companies from more than 100 countries have made voluntary contributions to support Ukraine.

12.07 The Ministry of Strategic Industries and representatives of the Spanish company Escribano Mechanical and Engineering (EM&M) discussed issues of localizing production of equipment in Ukraine. This was reported on May 5 by the press service of the Ministry of Strategic Industries.

11.55 In one of the villages of the Aleksandrivska community of the Donetsk region, Russian troops attacked an enterprise with drones, the roof of the warehouse caught fire. The fire broke out on an area of 1,100 square meters. Rescuers extinguished it for more than five hours. There were no casualties.

11:29 Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky awarded the soldiers who distinguished themselves during the Kursk operation and ensured the creation of a buffer zone on the border with Russia. He reported this on Facebook .

10:48 The European Union may double its military support for Ukraine this year, European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius said . European money can be used more effectively by investing it in purchasing weapons directly from Ukrainian manufacturers, he noted.

10.22 A 31-year-old local informant for the Russian Federation, who was adjusting strikes on the city's defenders, was detained in Nikolaev. This was reported on May 5 by the SBU.

10.05 A transformer substation was disabled in Saratov (Russia). This was reported by the ATESH partisan movement. It is noted that as a result, the power supply to two cellular base stations was completely disrupted. These stations provided communications in areas where key industrial facilities are located, in particular, the GazPromMash oil refinery, the Pirogroup plant and the mobilization center, which the Russians use to coordinate their criminal activities.

9.45 The Ukrainian Defense Forces shot down 42 Russian drones, and another 21 enemy UAVs were lost. This was reported by the Ukrainian Air Force. The consequences of the drone attack were recorded in the Sumy and Donetsk regions.

8.49 Over the past 24 hours, 269 combat clashes have been recorded at the front, the hottest situation is in the Pokrovsk and Novopavlovsk directions, where 115 and 52 enemy attacks were repelled, respectively. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

8.20 On the night of May 5, Russian troops attacked the Nikopol district of the Dnipropetrovsk region using Grad MLRS, heavy artillery and kamikaze drones. As a result of the shelling, a garage and a car were on fire. This was reported by the head of the OVA Serhiy Lysak.

7.50 Over the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian military has destroyed 1,260 Russian occupiers. The enemy's total losses in personnel amount to about 958,070 servicemen.

7.23 Marines destroyed an enemy Ural truck and a D-30 cannon. The video was published on the page of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

04.30 Russian troops struck Konotop in the Sumy region, using more than a dozen martyrs and two ballistic missiles. An infrastructure facility was destroyed. According to preliminary data, there were no casualties, despite the fact that the Russians struck at intervals to hit rescuers and medics who arrived at the scene of the preliminary strikes.

03.26 Explosions were heard in the Russian Moscow region. The city authorities announced the alleged shooting down of four UAVs. Meanwhile, the Vnukovo airport announced the "Carpet" plan.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

39 million. The true scale of the USSR's losses during the war has become known

2025-05-06

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Andrey Zvorykin

[REGNUM] If there had been no war, then in 1946, 210 million people could have lived in the Soviet Union. "On the contrary, taking into account the Great Patriotic War, such a figure... is about 170 million people. That is, we actually lost 39 million people at the demographic level," said Sergei Galkin, head of Rosstat.

On May 5, on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory, the head of the statistical service presented the collection “ Victory Figures ” - this book and the accompanying multimedia project were created by Rosstat together with the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Economic Development and the Center for Strategic Research Foundation.

"If there had been no war..." If we remember this, even the statistics on the demographic decline begin to echo with pain. After all, the 39 million that the country lost were those killed on the front lines, those who died during the occupation, those who did not survive the siege of Leningrad, those who died in the front-line areas and in the seemingly peaceful rear - from hunger and disease. And the generation of the late 1940s - early 1950s that could have been born. While our overseas allies were experiencing a baby boom, our country was doomed to demographic decline.

Even at the height of the war, statistical facts and data accused Nazism - it is enough to refer to Vyacheslav Molotov's note of April 1942 " On the monstrous crimes, atrocities and violence of the German fascist invaders in the occupied Soviet regions and on the responsibility of the German government and command." "Bleeding" figures helped the chief Soviet prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials, Roman Rudenko, prove the guilt of the leaders of the Third Reich in atrocities on Soviet territory.

Research into the damage the enemy inflicted on our country continued throughout the post-war period, including in recent decades. As the authors of the collection explained, similar collections of statistical data were prepared for the 70th and 75th anniversaries of the Great Victory.

For comparison, if in the mid-2010s researchers estimated the demographic losses of our large country at 25-27 million people, now a study of data on the dead, captured, deceased - together with those never born - has given the above-mentioned monstrous figure of 39 million.

By 1956, when the American baby boom was reaching its peak, the population of the Union was just reaching the level of the beginning of the peaceful 1941. The losses of material wealth of our country continue to be calculated, but already now the "Victory Figures" give approximate data - 30-33% of national income. In France, which survived the occupation, there was a 1.5% drop in national income, the same in Great Britain.

Thanks to the collected documents, the scale of the tragedy experienced by our country becomes even more visible. 1.7 thousand Soviet cities, over 70 thousand villages and hamlets suffered from Nazi bombings and destruction during the occupation. More than 25 million of our compatriots were left homeless.

"Along torn-up roads. And ruined villages. We walked along the stars to the east..." - wrote Alexander Tvardovsky in "Ballad of a Comrade". If translated into the language of statistics, then from June 1941 until the moment of expulsion from our land, the enemy destroyed 36.8 million hectares of arable land. 32 thousand industrial enterprises were destroyed. But statistics allow us to appreciate the feat of those who evacuated factories and plants to the rear in the first, catastrophic months of the war - 218 thousand enterprises were taken deep into the country.

Despite the threat of losing 50-70% of metallurgy, coal production and electricity in the first months of the war, which was threatened by the occupation of the lands of the western part of the country by the Third Reich and its satellites, the country managed to create an industrial base in the Urals and Siberia, the head of the public council at Rosstat, chief economist of VEB.RF Andrei Klepach cited data from the collection "Victory Figures".

By 1948, the USSR had surpassed the pre-war level of industrial production, and by 1950, agricultural production.

"So, at the expense of what? At the expense of both the dedication of people and management, this was achieved... The figures are a lesson in how to develop and restore the country," added Klepach.

“That line of depth, beyond which the flames of the Ural forges rose from behind our backs…” wrote Tvardovsky in the poem “I was killed near Rzhev.”

This combination of poetry with figures and facts is a conscious choice.

“I would like information about the horrors of war, about the Victory, about the feats that our people accomplished, to reach every person in one way or another,” emphasized Pavel Smelov, director of the Center for Strategic Research, addressing those gathered.

After the announced minute of silence, the children's choir "White Steamship" took to the stage and performed the song "Signalers-Buglers" by Alexandra Pakhmutova and Nikolai Dobronravov.

Honored Artist of Russia Vladimir Konkin read a poem by contemporary poet Ivan Kupreyanov that touched everyone present :

"Russian, Georgian, Tatar,

Highlander, Pomor, steppe dweller...

The call of the Motherland is total -

“This is how victory was forged!”

And Deputy Minister of Economic Development Dmitry Vakhrukov acted in an unexpected capacity - he presented an addition to the collection "Numbers of Victory" - the collection "The Hero's Path", which presents routes in memory of the Great Victory that can be visited on the territory of our country.

"Today, the collection that we were able to make, 20 routes from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok, contains the main things that we were able to collect for tourist routes - these are villages, cities, settlements, where the main battles took place, the heroism of our people was manifested. It seems very important to me that our children will be able to learn this not from the pages of textbooks, but to come, lay flowers at the graves of the Unknown Soldier, touch the feat, and then pass it on to their children," the deputy minister emphasized.

Actor and musician Vladislav Demin also performed at the presentation, he performed his song "Friendship Anthem", which he repeatedly sang in front of soldiers in the SVO zone. In his speech, the artist drew attention to the section of the collection dedicated to the performances of theater actors in front of the Great Patriotic War soldiers and called on modern cultural figures to repeat their actions, also supporting soldiers on the front lines of the SVO.

"In 1941, 357 acting groups performed at the front, in 1942 - already 920, while the number of performances increased from 32,500 to 117,000. In 1943, there were 1,215 front-line concert brigades, and the number of performances reached 150,000. Only the artists of the Central Theater of the Red Army, as part of 19 front-line brigades, showed 1,745 performances, plays and concerts at the front..." - the hosts of the event added to the artist.

After Demin, Honored Artist of Russia, President of the Eurasian Art Union Leonid Feodor and Head of the Information Department of the Eurasian Art Union Alena Kovaleva took the stage. They emphasized that artists are now also involved in supporting patriotism in society, including the Union regularly holds exhibitions of works about Russia specifically for Rosstat employees.

The presentation of the collection was concluded by a performance by the winner of the Russian Presidential Prize, Grammy Award winner, guest soloist of the Bolshoi and Mariinsky Theatres, opera singer Nikolai Didenko, who, together with the children's choir "White Steamship", performed the legendary song "Victory Day", familiar to every resident of our country.

"The numbers have spoken and acquired a visible form. The numbers are not only a question of memory, but also a lesson from those victims and losses that were incurred, from that social and economic feat," said Andrey Klepach.

“We must pass this on from generation to generation. Maybe this sounds a bit pompous, but everyone in their place can do [something] to preserve this memory,” added Dmitry Vakhrukov.

Link

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