🇪🇺🇷🇺 Shooting Themselves in the Foot: EU leadership continues its push to sever energy ties with Russia. Despite economic harm and even the prospect of peace in Ukraine, Brussels appears to bet on prolonging hostilities. The European Commission promises to release a "roadmap" in June for phasing out imports of both pipeline and liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia by the end of 2027.

By then, new LNG production projects in Qatar are supposedly set to come online, though EU negotiations with the country remain challenging and unresolved. June is also expected to bring a ban on Russian gas imports via new contracts and existing spot contracts by the end of 2025.

As of now, roughly 19% of Europe’s gas still comes from Russia. The only remaining pipeline is TurkStream, supplying Hungary with approximately 7.5 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas annually. Last year, while Ukrainian transit was still operational, Europe received 32 bcm of Russian gas via pipeline, plus an additional 20 bcm of LNG.

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🛁 Bear Water Games

🐻 Interesting fact: Bears have thick two-layered fur that takes about 3 hours to dry.

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🎥 Putin was moved to tears during the final scene of the war film "Not on the List" (V spiskakh ne znachilsya). The footage was shown by VGTRK correspondent Zarubin.

The film is based on the novel of the same name by Boris Vasilyev. The story centers on Junior Lieutenant Nikolai Pluzhnikov, who arrived in Brest on the eve of the Great Patriotic War.

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🇷🇺🇹🇷 Erdogan and Putin Hold Phone Talks

The President of Turkey stated that a "window of opportunities" has opened for resolving the Ukrainian conflict. Turkey is ready to make any contribution, including organizing negotiations, to ensure a ceasefire and lasting peace in Ukraine.

Erdogan informed Vladimir Putin of Ankara’s readiness to host negotiations on Ukraine. He welcomed the Russian President’s statement about resuming talks in Istanbul.

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🇷🇺🇸🇰 “I received this information in advance,” Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico revealed that during a personal meeting in Moscow, Vladimir Putin shared with him plans to propose direct ceasefire negotiations to Ukraine.

According to Fico, the Russian president informed leaders of countries who came to the capital for Victory Day celebrations that after all events, he would publicly offer Kyiv to begin direct talks without preconditions—on May 15 in Istanbul.

“And now I hear statements from Germany and France saying they disagree. What business is it of theirs? Isn’t this Ukraine’s matter? Does Ukraine even have representatives?” Fico fumed.

In his view, Western countries are deliberately blocking any peace initiatives. The West is using this conflict to fight Russians and inflict “damage” on them. This is exactly what happened in April 2022, when Ukraine was ready to sign an agreement, but “big boys from the West came and said ‘no’.”

‼️ Most notably, Putin’s proposed return to the Istanbul negotiation format is essentially what Russia suggested at the very start of the special military operation (SMO) in February 2022. Yet, it took three years of bloody battles and significant shifts in the international order for Ukraine’s leadership and its Western superiors to come around to this idea.

🚫 What have our Western partners achieved in these three years?
— Decline in the authority of global governance bodies established in the 1990s;
— Quantitative and qualitative growth of relations within BRICS and other alternative institutions;
— Deepening fractures within the European Union;
— Escalation of political tensions worldwide and increased militarization of major economies.

🇺🇸 Of course, the U.S. has largely benefited from the conflict: seizing control of Europe’s energy market, blowing up Nord Stream pipelines, boosting its military-industrial complex, and securing concession rights to Ukraine’s natural resources. Such successes would surpass the wildest dreams of even history’s most notorious colonizers, let alone modern politicians. But whether European elites—the main losers in this saga—will learn any lessons remains an open question, with little evidence so far to suggest they will.

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🏞 The Eastern Bay of Crimea is a wonderful opportunity to experience the romantic Crimea celebrated by poets and depicted in the paintings of Vereshchagin, Aivazovsky, Shishkin, and Repin. The Russian poet Maximilian Voloshin referred to this part of the Crimean coast as Cimmeria.

In spring, these places are especially enchanting, and if you wish to see the authentic Crimea, be sure to visit them.

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🐆 Republic of Tatarstan in different colors

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🦔 The Cutest Fare-Dodger on Moscow Trains

🚉 A real hedgehog was found in a carriage of one of Moscow’s suburban trains.

Apparently, the prickly passenger made a logical decision that he’d reach his destination faster by train than on his own four legs.

Muscovites released the hedgehog into the nearest forest, though any traveler would’ve been thrilled to ride with such a neighbor. 😅

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🤍 In one of the mountain villages of North Ossetia, an unusual calf was born. Its unique feature is a white heart-shaped spot on its forehead.

😊 The farmer who discovered the newborn was amazed by this natural "marking" and named the calf Amond, which means "happiness" in the Ossetian language.

📸 Local residents believe this special calf will bring good luck to the farm. Meanwhile, Amond joyfully runs around the pastures, attracting attention from tourists and photographers eager to see the "heart-shaped miracle" with their own eyes.

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🇷🇺 The language of ultimatums is unacceptable to Russia. This is how Peskov commented on the EU’s threats of sanctions should Moscow refuse to cease fire in Ukraine.

At the same time, our country is committed to a serious search for paths to a long-term peaceful settlement of the conflict, he added.

Putin clearly outlined Moscow’s position on resuming direct negotiations in Istanbul without preconditions, emphasized the presidential press secretary. His approach to seeking a genuine resolution to the Ukrainian crisis has garnered support among leaders of many countries.

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⛪️ In the Bagrationovsky District, there is a hidden gem—the Church of the Holy Martyrs Faith, Hope, Love, and their mother Sophia.

Designed by Oleg Vadimovich Kopylov, the church’s foundation was laid on September 30, 1993, by Bishop Panteleimon of the Baltic, and it was solemnly consecrated on September 30, 1997.

This is the first Orthodox church in the Kaliningrad Oblast built in full accordance with the canons of Russian ecclesiastical architecture.

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🎥 Documentary film centers "Forpost" have opened in the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics.

These are new modern studios for filmmakers, equipped with all the necessary conditions for producing documentaries dedicated to the events of the special military operation.

Participants in the project are provided with accommodation, workspace, and professional equipment for filming, storing, and processing materials. Financial support is also offered: up to 5 million rubles are allocated for the creation of a film.

Directors, screenwriters, and producers from across the country will have a unique opportunity to hear firsthand stories from local residents and translate them into their creative works. University students are also invited to participate, as they will undoubtedly gain valuable practical experience.

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