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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Freed Russian Armed Forces Soldiers Tell About Torture in Captivity — 1186th Day of the SVO
2025-05-26
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[REGNUM] Russian servicemen who arrived on May 24 as part of a large-scale prisoner exchange according to the formula "1000 for 1000" spoke about atrocities in captivity. The soldiers told Izvestia that in addition to regular beatings and humiliation, some were subjected to torture. One serviceman added that he does not even want to remember what he experienced. The new, 1186th day of the special military operation (SVO) in Ukraine was marked by discussions of this news, among other things.

The large-scale exchange of prisoners of war was the result of the Istanbul talks initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The first meeting of the parties after a three-year break took place on May 16. The first 390 Russians, including 270 military personnel and 120 civilians, returned to their homeland on May 23. Another 307 were released from Ukrainian captivity the day before, on May 24. The Defense Ministry confirmed that the exchange will continue.

Meanwhile, the International Public Tribunal for Crimes of Ukrainian Neo-Nazis continues to collect evidence of the Kiev regime's crimes, including against Russian servicemen. The story told by a fighter with the call sign Anzhi was published on Telegram by the chairman of the tribunal, member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation Maxim Grigoriev, on May 24. The Russian fighter told how a Kiev militant mocked his wound, in which a bullet remained: " He pulled the wound, spat in it."

" I was interrogated by a Crimean Tatar from Kraken (an organization whose activities are banned in the Russian Federation). He said: "You are a Muslim, you should kill Russians." I answered him with the words of Rasul Gamzatov : "I am an Avar in Dagestan, a Dagestani throughout Russia, and beyond its borders, I am Russian." For this, they began to beat me with bats - on the legs, on the body. I was there for four days," Anzhi shared.

Former prisoner of war with call sign Anzhi spoke about the atrocities of Kyiv militants and doctors

Among other episodes of torture, the Russian fighter said that he was even beaten by a Red Cross employee and medics. This happened when the prisoners were brought to the Kharkiv pretrial detention center (SIZO).

"When we were unloading, I saw that the building had "Red Cross" written on it. One of those who accompanied us turned out to be a Red Cross employee. He beat me too," Anzhi explained.

He added that they also beat him in the pre-trial detention center - with sticks and hands.

"There was no medical assistance. I had a wound, a bullet in my body, shrapnel, my arm wouldn't straighten, my leg was festering. I asked for help - the doctor said: "Let the Russians pull me out." Other doctors beat me. They beat me right on my wounded leg," Anzhi said.

Link


Science & Technology
The cruiser Arkhangelsk conducted a Kalibr firing at a coastal target at a range of 600 km
2025-05-24
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] As part of planned combat training activities, the Northern Fleet's nuclear submarine cruiser Arkhangelsk successfully fired a Kalibr cruise missile at a coastal target. The launch was made from the Barents Sea at the Chizha test site in the Arkhangelsk Region. The distance to the target position was more than 600 km.



As reported by the Ministry of Defense, the missile launch was successful and confirmed all flight and technical parameters. According to objective control data, the launch was carried out in accordance with the plan and without any comments.

Northern Fleet Commander Vice-Admiral Konstantin Kabantsov noted the professionalism and naval training of the crew during the preparation and execution of the shooting.

As reported by the Regnum news agency, during a trip to Murmansk on March 27, Russian President Vladimir Putin inspected the Arkhangelsk.

The Arkhangelsk submarine of Project 885M Yasen-M is the newest fourth-generation multi-purpose nuclear ship, which was accepted into the Navy on December 27, 2024.

Arkhangelsk became the fifth ship of the Yasen-M project in the fleet.

Link


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Kirill Dmitriev on US-Russia negotiations on Ukraine
2025-05-21
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Text taken from a news article posted on kadmitriev

Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin is in italics:
[ColonelCassad] One of the participants in direct negotiations with the US, Kirill Dmitriev, on the current state of the negotiation process between the US and Russia on Ukraine.

The dialogue between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump is extremely important for the US to understand the root causes, essence and possible solutions to the conflict in Ukraine. The fact that this dialogue contributes to the balanced and constructive position of the Trump administration so far is causing hysteria among European politicians, European and British media.

Titanic efforts of Western politicians and media are aimed at disrupting the constructive dialogue between Russia and the US.

We will continue to work on possible mutually beneficial projects with the US in the investment and economic spheres.

Western media on the shock of European leaders following the call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump - Part 1

Axios: Trump's compliance with Putin stunned European leaders during the call Barak Ravid, Dave Lawler - Axios

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and five other European leaders joined a conference call with Donald Trump immediately after his conversation with Vladimir Putin on Monday. They were hoping to hear that Putin had agreed to a cease-fire — or that the U.S. would sanction him if he refused.

Instead, Trump said Putin had agreed to talks, emphasized that the U.S. would not participate in those talks, and opposed sanctioning Putin at this stage, two people on the call and one familiar with the details told Axios.

Why It Matters: Trump seemed closer to walking away from the issue entirely, the people said. Some leaders on the call were “surprised” or even “shocked.”

“I think something’s going to happen. If it doesn’t, I’m just going to step aside and they’re going to have to continue on their own. This was a European situation and it should have stayed a European situation,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office hours after the calls.

◾️How it happened: Trump spoke briefly with Zelensky on Monday morning and, according to sources, asked him what to tell Putin.

Zelensky was happy that Trump called him for advice. He asked him to demand an immediate ceasefire, threaten new sanctions against Russia, and not make any concessions to Putin without Ukraine’s approval.

◾️Behind the scenes: After the call with Putin ended, Trump contacted Zelensky again — this time, the leaders of Germany, France, Italy, Finland, and the European Commission also participated in the conversation.

“The second call was longer and different in nature from the first,” Zelensky later said.

While one of the European participants called the conversation “constructive,” another source said Zelensky found it “bad.” The White House declined to comment.

Trump told the leaders that Putin had agreed to immediately begin direct talks on a ceasefire. According to one of the sources, there was a few seconds of confused silence.

Zelensky recalled that Putin had agreed to talks before, with the first round taking place in Istanbul on Friday. Trump, according to the sources, did not respond directly to this.

The sources also say that Zelensky and several other leaders pointed out to Trump that it was he who had previously proposed starting peace talks with an immediate 30-day ceasefire.

Western media on the shock of European leaders after the call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump - part 2

◾️Tension point: Other European leaders on the call asked about the possibility of US sanctions against Russia, but Trump responded that he thought it was a bad idea and stressed that, in his opinion, Putin wanted to make a deal.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni intervened to ask why it was not possible to declare a ceasefire for at least two weeks while the talks were being prepared. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz asked what concessions Russia would be willing to make.

Trump responded that Putin would present a “memorandum of peace” with terms for a ceasefire and an end to the war. One of the sources said Trump asked Putin to come up with “something we can work with,” rather than a proposal that would be rejected out of hand.

Zelensky, according to the sources, noted that previous talks, including meetings last week, had yielded no results and stressed that unless Trump pressed, Putin would not budge.

Between the lines: Participants in the call were surprised that Trump seemed pleased with what Putin had said and presented it as some kind of progress, although the Russian leader’s position had essentially not changed, the sources said.

◾️What’s next: Trump said that Russia and Ukraine could hold direct bilateral talks without intermediaries, since they are the ones who best understand the details of the conflict.

Meloni and Merz disagreed and insisted that the US and European countries should be involved in the negotiations.

“Somebody has to be the judge,” Meloni said. Merz suggested a meeting with all parties.

Trump later suggested the Vatican as a possible venue for the talks.

“I think something will happen. And if not, I’ll just step aside and they’ll have to carry on. This was a European situation and it should have stayed European,” Trump repeated to reporters.

◾️What’s happening now: Finnish President Alexander Stubb asked Trump what the next steps are.

“I don’t know. Somebody has to come out and say whether the talks are going well or not, and then we’ll decide what to do,” Trump replied.

Europe's main problem is that the US and RF did not let it into the negotiating table on Ukraine, although Europe really wanted to.That is why Europe has a great desire to disrupt separate negotiations between the US and RF, where Ukraine is discussed without Ukraine.

Over the past week, the US and RF have turned all the EU's "red lines" into "brown lines".

Yesterday, the cocaine Fuhrer again squealed that Ukraine will not withdraw its troops from the occupied territories and will not recognize them as part of Russia. And he will not refuse to join NATO either. A bid for the summer campaign.

Link


The Grand Turk
Türkiye discovers gas reserves in Black Sea worth $30 billion
2025-05-18
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Turkey has discovered a large gas field in the Black Sea, the fuel reserves are preliminarily estimated at $30 billion. This was announced on May 17 by the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Just what the world needs: a neo-Ottoman sultanate with money, instead of living on the charity of former subject Arabian territories.
"A new gas field has been discovered in the Black Sea at the Goktepe-3 well. The volume is 75 billion cubic meters, the economic value is $30 billion," he said, speaking in Istanbul.

According to the head of the Turkish state, this field will be able to provide local households for three and a half years.
Only temporarily wealthy? That’s ok, then.
In addition, Erdogan said that work on the Goktepe-3 well was completed at a depth of 3.5 thousand meters.

As reported by the Regnum news agency, on May 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Erdogan expressed interest in implementing strategic joint projects in the energy sector. During the phone call, the leaders also expressed mutual interest in further expanding trade and investment ties.

In early May, the Turkish leader announced that the construction of the first reactor of the Akkuyu NPP, under the management of the subsidiary of the state corporation Rosatom, JSC Akkuyu Nuclear, would soon be completed. According to him, the nuclear power plant is scheduled to reach full capacity in 2028, which will reduce natural gas imports by 7 billion cubic meters per year and save $2.5 billion.

Türkiye Today
Türkiye discovers major natural gas reserve in Black Sea, worth $30B
Link


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Putin sets 300th anniversary of Suvorov's birth to be celebrated in 2030
2025-05-18
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Russian President Vladimir Putin has established the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the birth of the legendary commander Alexander Suvorov in 2030. The corresponding decree appeared on May 17 on the website of the official publication of legal acts.

“Considering the significant contribution of the legendary commander A. V. Suvorov to strengthening the power of the Russian state and in connection with the upcoming 300th anniversary of his birth, I decree: to accept the proposal of the Government of the Russian Federation to celebrate the 300th anniversary of A. V. Suvorov’s birth in 2030,” the document says.

It is specified that the government must convene an organizing committee for the preparation and holding of the celebration, and approve the plan of events, within six months. At the same time, the authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, local governments, public associations, and scientific and educational organizations are recommended to take part in the preparation and holding of these events.

As reported by the Regnum news agency, on April 29, the Russian president announced that over 10 federal laws on the protection of history had been adopted in the country in recent years. Thus, new days of military glory were established in honor of the Crimean offensive operation in 1944, the Battle of Leningrad, and the procedure for protecting cultural heritage sites became clearer.

Putin also proposed the idea of ​​creating a commission of the Russian Federation and Belarus to preserve historical memory and protect the truth about the Great Patriotic War. On September 5, 2023, he also voiced a proposal to create a National Center for Historical Memory.

Link


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Kremlin has named the conditions for a meeting between Putin and Zelensky
2025-05-17
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[RIA] A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky is possible if the delegations of the two countries reach certain agreements, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"A lot of questions have been received on the topic of a possible meeting between the presidents of the two countries, Ukraine and Russia, Zelensky and Putin. <…> Such a meeting as a result of the work of the delegations of the two sides upon reaching certain agreements of these delegations is possible. We consider it possible. But precisely as a result of work and upon reaching certain results in the form of agreements of the two sides," he said.

Other statements on the negotiations:

Work on the Ukrainian settlement has only just begun, and it will continue.

There is no talk of changing the composition of the Russian delegation.

Moscow and Kyiv have agreed to exchange lists of conditions for a ceasefire; work is underway.

Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are ongoing and should be held behind closed doors.

Before the next round of negotiations, the agreements reached must be implemented.

The fundamental issue for Russia when signing documents is the candidacy of the signatory from Ukraine.

There have been no contacts between the leaders of Russia and the United States since the talks in Istanbul.

The Kremlin will inform if Putin and Trump consider it appropriate to hold a telephone conversation.

Last week, Vladimir Putin proposed that Ukraine resume direct talks without preconditions. He stressed that he does not rule out achieving a real ceasefire that Kiev will observe.

The talks held on Friday lasted almost two hours. Presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky , who heads the Russian delegation, announced a large-scale prisoner exchange of 1,000 for 1,000 with Ukraine. According to him, Moscow and Kiev agreed to present their vision of a possible future ceasefire.

The Ukrainian side requested a meeting of the heads of state at the talks, and Moscow took this into account. Medinsky also stated Russia's readiness to continue negotiations with Ukraine.

Link


Europe
Trilateral meeting of Russia, Turkey and Ukraine to be held in Istanbul on Friday
2025-05-16
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Trilateral talks with the participation of representatives of Russia, Ukraine and Turkey will be held in Istanbul on Friday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry reported.

"Tomorrow there will be another series of meetings in different formats. These are the United States, Ukraine, Turkey. Also on the agenda are trilateral talks between the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Turkey," TASS quotes a source from the Turkish Foreign Ministry as saying.

According to the source, it is not yet clear whether the meeting will take place in a four-party format with the participation of the United States, Russia, Ukraine and Turkey.

As reported by the Regnum news agency, the Turkish agency Anadolu wrote earlier that a meeting of delegations from Russia, Ukraine, the United States and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan could take place on Friday.

The talks in Istanbul were scheduled for May 15.

The Russian negotiating team, led by Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, has been in Istanbul since Thursday morning. The head of the Kiev regime, Volodymyr Zelensky, only announced in the afternoon that he would send a delegation to the talks, stating that its main goal was to achieve a ceasefire. The negotiators will be led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

Medinsky stressed that Russia sees the upcoming dialogue in Istanbul as a continuation of the peace process that was interrupted in 2022 by Ukraine. Moscow intends to achieve long-term peace and eliminate the main causes of the conflict.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in March that he was ready to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine, but for this to happen, a number of nuances must be taken into account. There are questions about who will monitor the ceasefire and whether the Ukrainian military is ready to follow Kiev's orders, he noted.

More from ria.ru (Ria Novosti)
Russian delegation will wait for Ukrainian negotiators on the morning of May 16

[RIA] Russia will be expecting the Ukrainian side, which is due to arrive for the meeting in Istanbul, tomorrow from 10 a.m., Russian Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky told reporters.

"Tomorrow morning, literally from 10 am, we will be waiting for the Ukrainian side, which should arrive for the meeting," he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin previously proposed that Ukraine resume direct talks without preconditions in Istanbul on May 15. The head of state did not rule out that the parties could reach a ceasefire agreement during the talks. As the press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov stated, Russia is determined to seriously search for ways to achieve a long-term peaceful settlement. According to him, the goals of the proposed talks with Ukraine are to eliminate the root causes of the conflict and ensure Russia's interests.

An informed source told RIA Novosti that the negotiations between the delegations of the Russian Federation and Ukraine are expected to take place in the same place as in 2022 - in the working office of the administration of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the center of Istanbul.

The Russian delegation is headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky. It also includes Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Galuzin, Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Igor Kostyukov, and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin.

According to the press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov, the Russian delegation has been in Istanbul since the morning and is waiting for the representatives of Ukraine.

Medinsky said in Istanbul that the Russian official delegation was approved by Putin's order and has all the necessary competencies and powers to conduct negotiations. The Russian delegation is set on a constructive mood, on finding possible solutions and points of contact, and the task of direct negotiations with the Ukrainian side is to sooner or later establish long-term peace by eliminating the basic root causes of the conflict, Medinsky said.

Link


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Preparing for Istanbul 2
2025-05-14
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
[ColonelCassad] May 13th arrived and all the threats of the cocaine coalition remained just threats. And so yesterday they were amusingly kicking their legs, counting down, threatening.

As a result, the fighting is still ongoing. And the talks in Istanbul scheduled by Putin for May 15 are in the process of preparation. Russia, the United States, China, Brazil and Turkey support these talks.

Accordingly, the Russian Federation has quite skillfully defused the ultimatum about a 30-day truce.

The cocaine coalition now has to restructure itself and threaten sanctions if Putin does not meet with Zelensky or if Russia does not agree to a truce in Istanbul.

Putin has no reason to meet with Zelensky now. Judging by publications in domestic media, the delegation will include Lavrov, Ushakov and possibly Medinsky (aha-ha). Zelensky said that he will not meet with anyone in Istanbul except Putin. But he may not meet. The issue of negotiations between delegations has been raised, Zelensky is not needed there.

As for the truce, Russia is not against discussing it, but subject to the fulfillment of specific conditions related to the cessation of arms supplies and verification of violations of the truce. Which is unlikely for now.

So for now the war is going on as usual, and on the 15th and a little later we will find out how much the Russian Federation and the US were able to bring their positions closer together and how much the US was able/wanted to bend the cocaine coalition.

More from regnum.ru
US State Department considered the meeting between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul a favorable opportunity
The US State Department considers the likely meeting of Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul a critically favorable opportunity for direct negotiations on the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. This statement was made by Deputy Head of the State Department Press Service Tommy Pigott, broadcast by C-SPAN.

"The President [of the United States Donald Trump ] has spoken out on this issue. He has made it clear that the meeting in Istanbul is a critical opportunity for direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine," he said.

According to Pigott, the head of the White House has already expressed his desire for Russian-Ukrainian talks in Turkey to take place. At the same time, Trump would like a ceasefire to be achieved first.

The diplomat did not disclose any details about the role of the American side at the upcoming meeting in Istanbul. Pigott also did not answer whether the direct participation of Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the negotiations is planned.

As reported by the Regnum news agency, on May 13, Trump announced that Rubio would be traveling to Istanbul from the United States, but did not disclose the details of his trip. Also, the media, citing American sources, wrote that the US President's special envoys for the Middle East and Ukraine, Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, were preparing for a visit to Istanbul. This has not been officially confirmed.

On May 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking to journalists in the Kremlin following the work on the sidelines of the Victory anniversary, suggested that Ukraine return to the negotiation process, which was interrupted in the summer of 2022. The Russian leader noted that he does not put forward any additional conditions to Kiev for starting negotiations.

The head of the Kiev regime, Volodymyr Zelensky, did not immediately agree to Putin's proposal, arguing that a 30-day ceasefire must first be concluded. The result was Trump's words addressed to the Ukrainian authorities, who said that Kiev should "immediately" agree to negotiations on May 15.

More from Russkaya Vesna
Kellogg: Trump Will Come to Istanbul for Talks If Putin Arrives There
The US hopes that Putin will arrive for talks in Istanbul, and then Trump will come there too, said the US leader's special envoy Keith Kellogg.

The United States wants to achieve a comprehensive ceasefire in Ukraine and only then move on to territorial issues, Trump's special envoy said.

Possible direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul could be a "wonderful meeting."

In the context of the conflict in Ukraine, it is necessary to achieve recognition of the realities “on the ground,” including the incorporation of new territories into Russia, said Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov.

Kyiv's inability to negotiate remains one of the key obstacles to the start of negotiations, he noted.

Link


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Putin effectively demanded Ukraine's capitulation - The Times
2025-05-13
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[RUSVESNA] Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his speech on the night of May 11, effectively demanded Ukraine's capitulation, The Times writes.

The Russian leader ruled out an immediate ceasefire (as the Kiev regime and its European masters insisted) and repeated the demand to eliminate the root causes of the conflict.

“This means, at a minimum, the overthrow of the Zelensky regime, Ukraine’s refusal to join NATO and territorial concessions,” The Times lists.

More from Russkaya Vesna:
How important is a 30-day truce for us? — a war correspondent's opinion

A well-known military correspondent for VGTRK, who has been covering the Donbass war for many years, Alexander Sladkov shared his opinion that Russia needs negotiations, not a temporary truce.

“How important is a 30-day ceasefire for us?

Of course, a bad peace is better than a good war.

But the West and Kyiv, Kyiv and the West repeat and repeat this mantra with a long truce, hoping to hypnotize the Kremlin and impose their initiative on us.

Why do we, who are moving forward, need this truce? One of the arguments: to give politicians the opportunity to negotiate a final peace. Wait, who is stopping us from negotiating peace right now?

Come on, let's sit down and negotiate! But we, Russia, have three conditions that the Supreme Commander voiced long ago:

- five regions become Russian,
- denazification of Ukraine,
- and demilitarization.

What if the truce begins, will these conditions disappear? No. New ones will appear - unlikely.

The whole situation shows: Volodymyr Zelensky does not want re-elections, therefore he wants war. Britain wants to get closer to Ukraine, it wants war. Europe, pushed away from the negotiation process in Ukraine, wants, on the contrary, to move closer, therefore it wants war.

We want peace.

We want real negotiations. Every settlement we liberate is an additional argument in the negotiations, and a truce deprives us of these additional arguments and strengthens the enemy.

"There you have it, a truce."

Link


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
The ceasefire in Ukraine has ended
2025-05-12
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
[ColonelCassad] The "festive truce" officially ended in Ukraine last night.

The fighting officially resumed, although in fact it did not stop, since the enemy did not observe the "holiday truce", and the Russian Armed Forces had instructions to respond to violations of the "holiday truce", so the fighting went on as usual during the "truce".

As expected, the enemy did not comply with it, just as it did not comply with the "Easter truce", and before that did not comply with the "energy truce".

Actually, the current proposals for a new 30-day truce are, of course, aimed at giving the Ukrainian Armed Forces a break, stopping the offensive of the Russian Armed Forces, while continuing shelling and attacks, and in conclusion accusing Russia of breaking the truce and resuming active actions and strikes.

Actually, that is why there is exactly zero sense in a 30-day truce for Russia.

That is why massive strikes by "Geraniya" (multiple flights in 7 regions of Ukraine) + strikes by UMPK resumed at night. The enemy expects that in the coming days there may be a massive missile strike as a salute to the drones' May encroachments in the direction of Moscow. This is, frankly speaking, a given.

Regarding the situation on Earth, the Russian Armed Forces continue to advance in a number of directions, and the enemy's encroachments in the area of ​​Dzerzhinsk and Tetkino have been largely suppressed.

More from regnum.ru
Putin proposed Kyiv to hold talks in Istanbul - 1172nd day of the SVO
Russia is set for serious negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15. Those who truly want peace cannot but support them. Russian leader Vladimir Putin made this statement to journalists in the Kremlin, concluding the festive events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The head of state emphasized that the meaning of the upcoming dialogue is to eliminate the root causes of the conflict, to establish a long-term, lasting peace for the historical perspective. This news marked the new, 1172nd day of the special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin recalled that Russia had repeatedly proposed steps to cease fire and that it was in Istanbul in 2022 that the negotiations were interrupted by the Ukrainian side.

"Let me remind you that as a result of these negotiations, a joint draft document was prepared, and it was initialed by the head of the Kiev negotiating group, but at the insistence of the West, it was simply thrown into the trash," the president emphasized. His words are quoted by the Kremlin website.

Vladimir Putin does not rule out that during the proposed negotiations in Istanbul it will be possible to agree on some new truces, a new ceasefire.

"Moreover, a real ceasefire, which would be observed not only by Russia, but also by the Ukrainian side, would be the first step, I repeat, towards a long-term, sustainable peace, and not a prologue to the continuation of the armed conflict after the rearmament, the replenishment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the feverish digging of trenches and new strongholds. Who needs such a peace? " the Russian president noted.

Details about the negotiations in Istanbul were announced on May 11 by the Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov. In particular, he noted that Russia did not put forward any conditions to Ukraine, so it would not be difficult to start negotiations if the Kiev regime really wants it.

Even more from regnum.ru
An hour after Trump's call, Zelensky promised to personally come to Istanbul Thursday
Less than an hour after US President Donald Trump called for “immediate” agreement to the negotiations proposed by Russia, the head of the Kiev regime, Volodymyr Zelensky, promised to personally come to Istanbul and wait for Russian President Vladimir Putin there.

At the same time, he stated that he was counting on Russia’s agreement to a 30-day ceasefire.

“We expect a ceasefire from tomorrow – complete and long-term, to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy,” the head of the Kiev regime wrote on his Telegram channel.

The head of the Kyiv regime did not specify whether Zelensky intends to come to Istanbul if Russia does not agree to this demand.

As reported by the Regnum news agency, on May 11, Putin proposed resuming direct negotiations with Ukraine without preconditions. He added that Russia is ready to begin dialogue as early as May 15 in Istanbul, where negotiations were held back in 2022 but were interrupted by Kiev.

Putin recalled that the Kiev regime had previously violated all ceasefires and agreements on non-attacks on individual objects (energy infrastructure). The President noted that the issues of a ceasefire (which Zelensky and a number of EU leaders had previously insisted on) could be discussed during negotiations on the root causes of the conflict.

Putin's proposals have received a largely positive response in the world media. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country was ready to organize the negotiations. Trump, in turn, stressed that the Kiev regime should immediately agree to Putin's proposal.

Link


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Putin: Gaza is experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe in the full sense of the word
2025-05-11
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Gaza Strip is experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe in the full sense of the word, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on May 10.
Tell Hamas to open their overstuffed warehouses full of stolen humanitarian supplies. That’ll take care of the problem.
At a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the Kremlin, the head of the Russian state stated that Moscow is concerned about the situation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone, is monitoring its development and is providing assistance to the Palestinian people.

"We are following with concern and empathy the tragic events in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone, which have claimed the lives of more than 51,000 people.
So the Hamas official claims. No way of knowing if it’s true, but repeated analysis shows they definitely lie about how many of that number are fighters versus civilians.
Tensions are also growing on the West Bank. The Gaza Strip is experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe in the full sense of the word," Putin said.

The President also noted that the situation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone continues to deteriorate, and a sustainable settlement of the conflict is only possible on the basis of the two-state principle. Putin suggested that Abbas discuss possible additional steps by Russia that would contribute to de-escalation of the conflict.

Abbas, in turn, thanked Putin for his political support for Palestine and the supply of humanitarian aid. He stressed that he is categorically against US President Donald Trump's idea of ​​resettling Palestinians from Gaza as a "way" to resolve the conflict.
They’re in no way related to the Arab population in the West Bank, so he doesn’t care that they have minimal food, no power, clean water, or sanitation, and no roofs over their heads. Though to be fair, only the food and roofs are new — the problems with power, water, and sanitation go back for years.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, Putin previously noted that peace in the Middle East cannot be restored as long as historical injustice against Palestine persists.

The President pointed out that the key condition for peace in the region is the implementation of the two-state formula (Israeli and Palestinian), previously approved by the UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions.
But rejected by Israel so long as the PLO or Hamas are the counterparties, so the UN’s opinion simply does not matter. Come back in a generation or two, and we’ll see if their attitude has improved.
The President also stated that Russia will do everything possible to resolve the grave and long-standing Middle East crisis.
That’s nice.
Earlier in May, Gaza Health Ministry Director General Munir al-Barash noted that the critical food shortage and lack of access to clean drinking water among residents of the sector allowed the UN to officially recognize the enclave as a famine zone.

Link


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Putin: USSR won freedom and peace for humanity at the cost of millions of lives
2025-05-10
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Soviet Union won freedom and peace for all mankind at the cost of millions of lives. This was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking to participants of the Victory Parade on Red Square.

“Today, we are all united by a feeling of joy and sorrow, pride and gratitude, admiration for the generation that crushed Nazism and, at the cost of millions of lives, won freedom and peace for all of humanity,” the Russian leader noted.

As reported by the Regnum news agency, during his speech the head of state also stated that it was the Soviet troops who determined the outcome of the entire Second World War, and Russia will not allow the true victors of Nazism to be slandered.

According to Putin, millions of citizens of the USSR determined the outcome of the entire Second World War with unconditional victories in the major battles near Moscow and Stalingrad, on the Kursk Bulge and the Dnieper, as well as many others.

Putin has repeatedly noted the importance of combating the falsification of history and the glorification of Nazism. The Russian leader emphasized that for this purpose, there are a number of movements and actions in Russia designed to familiarize citizens, including young people, with history and places of military glory.

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Putin: It was the Soviet troops who determined the outcome of World War II

It was the Soviet troops who determined the outcome of the entire Second World War, and Russia will not allow the true victors of Nazism to be slandered. This was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking to participants in the Victory Parade on Red Square.

"The Soviet Union took upon itself the most ferocious, merciless blows of the enemy. Millions of people who knew only peaceful labor took up arms and stood to the death on all heights, bridgeheads and borders. They determined the outcome of the entire Second World War by unconditional victories in the major battles near Moscow and Stalingrad, on the Kursk Bulge and the Dnieper, by the courage of the defenders of Belarus, who were the first to meet the enemy, by the steadfastness of the participants in the defense of the Brest Fortress and Mogilev, Odessa and Sevastopol, Murmansk, Tula, Smolensk," the Russian leader noted.

Putin also stated that Russia will never agree with attempts to justify the executioners and slander the real victors.

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