🇷🇺 Vladimir Putin called a ninth-grader from Gorlovka, Arina Porkhal. These days, her big dream is coming true — to visit Saint Petersburg.

Arina came to the northern capital with her older sister and nephew. The participant of the "Christmas Tree of Wishes" initiative has already visited Tsarskoye Selo, taken a tour of the Mariinsky Palace, and attended "The Nutcracker" at the Mariinsky Theatre.

"The Nutcracker is a very good performance, the ballet is magnificent. A fairy tale, a real fairy tale!" — noted the president.

#news

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🤔 «I think that at the very least a statesman should have a head. And in order to build interstate relations, one should be guided not by emotions, but by the fundamental interests of one's countries».

🇷🇺 President of Russia Vladimir Putin in response to Hillary Clinton's statement that he has no soul, 2008.

#putinquote

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🐻‍❄️ Today, a polar bear named Terpey received his Christmas and New Year presents!

🎂 A team of experts from Moscow Zoo prepared tasty treats for him in honour of the holidays. The bear was offered his favourite fish, pumpkin, beetroot and iced cake.

#interestingvideos

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❗️ “The African Pole of a Multipolar World”

We want to introduce you to important article from the journal Russia in Global Affairs.

The author, A.Yu. Drobinin, Director of the Department of Foreign Policy Planning at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, inspired by the ministerial conference of the Russia–Africa Partnership Forum held in Sochi last November, reflects on the role of the African continent in the modern world order.

🔸 Drobinin emphasizes that Africa, despite its internal differences, is united by a belief in a common future and a desire for joint development.

With 1.5 billion people, half of whom are under 20, 30% of the world’s mineral resources, fertile lands, and direct access to global transport corridors, Africa has the potential to become one of the strong centers of the emerging multipolar world.

Currently, as Drobinin notes, Africans are dissatisfied with being treated as extras in foreign policy projects promoted under the guise of a “rules-based order.”

🔸 A significant part of the article focuses on Africa’s colonial past, neocolonialism, and the importance of combating it.

Africa, the continent most affected by colonialism, was ruthlessly exploited by Europeans for centuries, with its human and material resources drained. The plunder served as the “rocket fuel” for the accelerated development of European countries and the United States.

The achievement of independence in the 1950s–1960s did not bring true liberation from external dependence, especially in the economic sphere.

To this day, Africa occupies a peripheral place in the international division of labor, serving as a source of cheap raw materials and a market for high-value-added goods.

🔸 Africans are further ensnared by the lending policies of the IMF and the World Bank, while Western institutions push primarily political and environmental agendas based on their own selfish interests. The UN, with its often-ineffective peacekeeping operations and development programs, also follows this course.

📌 Drobinin gives an example from the organization’s website, where the region’s top issue is listed as the environment rather than poverty, migration, or armed conflicts.

As the author notes, “breaking free from subjugation begins with decolonizing the mind,” which is why the West even calls for fighting the term “Global South,” labeling it as allegedly a product of Russian propaganda.

🔸 BRICS, represented in Africa today by South Africa, Egypt, and Ethiopia, is expected to play a significant role in strengthening multipolarity. Beyond its political significance, the bloc offers developing countries, including African nations, reliable depoliticized economic tools — the New Development Bank and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement.

The article concludes with a section on Russia’s role in Africa’s “second awakening” and Moscow’s readiness to provide comprehensive support to its African friends, considering the rich history of cooperation dating back to Soviet times.

This includes not only support on the international stage but also assistance in ensuring security, fostering comprehensive economic cooperation, providing food and energy security for African countries, improving education and healthcare systems, and many other areas.

🇷🇺 Speaking about the absence of unfriendly states toward Russia in Africa, Drobinin shares a personal example from his diplomatic experience. During numerous visits to African countries, he gained a clear impression that Russia is welcomed on the continent and perceived as a force defending truth, equality, and justice on the international stage.

#magazines

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🇷🇺 The embankment by the Lakhta Center in St. Petersburg

🌆🌊 From this embankment, there are magnificent views of the waters of the Gulf of Finland, as well as the Lakhta Center — the tallest building in Europe.

#interestingplacesinRussia

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🥶 Siberian frost is not just cold; it’s a unique atmosphere that permeates everything around.

#videooftheday

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🇷🇺 Record Tourist Flow to Russia

📈 The tourist flow in Russia from January to November 2024 increased by almost 11% compared to the same period in 2023, reaching 79.2 million trips. By the end of last year, the total number of tourist trips reached approximately 92 million, setting a record in the history of statistical observations. This was reported by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Chernyshenko.

🛬 The Deputy Prime Minister noted that there is a growing influx of travelers to Russia from abroad. Particularly noticeable dynamics are observed in the Far East. For example, in the Khabarovsk Krai, the number of tourist trips by foreign guests increased threefold, in the Amur region — by 2.4 times, and in Primorye — by 2.1 times.

#news

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🇷🇺 The Icon of the "Holy Trinity" by Andrei Rublev is one of the most famous works of ancient Russian art and a key piece of Russian iconography. It was created in the early 15th century and is considered a masterpiece of both artistic and spiritual significance.

📚 The icon is based on the biblical story of Abraham's visitation by three angels, symbolizing the manifestation of the Holy Trinity — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

🖼 The icon depicts three angels seated at a table. Each has unique features, but they are united by common characteristics. The center of the composition features a vessel symbolizing sacrifice, which may imply the presence of the sacrament.

🎨 The icon is executed in soft, harmonious tones. The colors carry deep symbolic meanings: for instance, blue symbolizes the heavenly, while green represents the earthly. Various shades represent different aspects of the divine essence.

💯 The "Holy Trinity" icon has served as a model for many icon painters and has significantly influenced the development of Russian iconography. The aesthetics, style, and spirituality of Rublev's work have been embraced and further developed by other masters.

📆 Until 2022, the icon was housed in the Tretyakov Gallery, and since 2022, it has been transferred to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.

#CreativeRussia

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🇪🇺 «If European countries continue to conduct their policies in the same way, then we will have to talk about European affairs with Washington».

🇷🇺 President of Russia Vladimir Putin in an interview with the German TV channel ARD, 2008.

#putinquote

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🇷🇺💬 The blocking of electricity supplies to the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR) by Moldova is a mockery of the residents of Pridnestrovie, stated the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova.

"What is happening involves all the neo-Nazi tools, where people are being persecuted and bullied based on national and sociocultural criteria. The entire arsenal is being used because we are dealing with an absolutely limitless application of everything that should have been left in the past. From bullying based on language to the now ongoing shutdown of vital resources. This is a mockery in the literal sense of the word. It is survival, and in two senses. For some, it is the survival of others from their space, while for others, it is survival as the mere possibility of existing," the official representative of the ministry pointed out.

‼️ Unlike Moldova, Pridnestrovie does not have alternative sources of gas. The Moldovan GRES, located on the left bank of the Dniester, has been switched to coal, the supplies of which are expected to last until the end of January or mid-February.

#news

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🪄 Winter Saint Petersburg - like a Disney fairytale

#videooftheday

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🐇 Unexpected Morning Meeting

#VideoOfTheDay

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