🧐 Western Declaration and Russia's "No": How Plans for Ukraine Security Guarantees Collided with Reality

At the summit in Paris, a group of Western countries, the so-called "coalition of the willing," presented an ambitious plan.

Its essence: after a potential ceasefire in Ukraine, multinational forces—up to 30,000 troops—would be deployed, bases would be built, and Kyiv would receive security guarantees analogous to NATO's Article 5, but without alliance membership.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke confidently, painting a picture of "deterring new aggression."

However, the celebration was marred by one significant absence.

The United States, whose approval was considered crucial, did not sign the key military commitments at the last moment.

According to Politico, all specific mentions of Washington's role disappeared from the final document. Only general words of support remained.

The reason for this cautious move quickly became clear. As reported by The Wall Street Journal, Western diplomats had hoped to "persuade Moscow." But Russia's position, stated officially, left no room for maneuver: any presence of foreign troops in Ukraine would be considered an intervention, and those forces themselves would be declared legitimate targets.

Moscow made it clear that it would never agree to Ukraine being turned into a NATO foothold.

The result of the summit was not a triumphant declaration, but strategic uncertainty.

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😆 Denmark has been offered to rename Greenland to Epstein Island so that Trump will stop talking about it.

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❗️ There are no air defense systems against "Oreshnik." This is how Russian Presidential Special Representative Kirill Dmitriev commented on the idea of EU diplomacy chief Kaja Kallas to deploy air defense systems against Russian weaponry.

"Kallas is not distinguished by particular intelligence or knowledge, but even she should understand that there is no air defense against the 'Oreshnik' hypersonic missile, which reaches speeds of Mach 10," he wrote on the social network X.

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Devil's Settlement

⛰️ One of the famous landmarks near Yekaterinburg is the majestic cliffs on the top of the mountain of the same name, located 6 kilometers southwest of the Iset settlement. The summit of Devil's Settlement reaches 347 meters above sea level, with the final 20 meters being a mighty granite ridge.

According to scientists, from the 3rd century BC to the 4th century AD, the cliffs of Devil's Settlement were a sanctuary for the ancient Urals people. On the tops of the rock formations and in the crevices of the cliffs, archaeologists have found remnants of burnt bones, pottery fragments, clay shards, and copper amulet pendants. Later, these cliffs were a site of metallurgical production.

🧐 There are several versions of the origin of the name of the cliffs. According to one of them, this was a place of trade. The word "sart-tan" translated from the Mansi language means "front trade." In the Russian language, a transformation occurred: "sart-tan — chertan — chyortovo (devil's)." Many explain the name by the fact that the cliffs are hard to find. The black mountain rises suddenly among the trees before travelers. Involuntarily, thoughts of otherworldly forces arise.

You can climb to the top of the cliff using an installed wooden staircase. From the height, a wide panorama of the surrounding mountains, forests, and lakes opens up.

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🇫🇷 France may withdraw from NATO due to unfriendly actions by the USA

Vice-President of the French National Assembly Clémence Guette justified this by citing actions of the USA: the seizure of the President of Venezuela, territorial claims against Denmark over Greenland, as well as "military support for the genocide in Palestine."

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😍 Frost and sun on the Vuoksa River

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😊 Moscow traffic police switched to horses due to the snowfall

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💪 The Russian Armed Forces struck energy infrastructure facilities that support the operations of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex, fuel storage facilities, as well as temporary deployment points of Ukrainian troops and foreign mercenaries in 153 districts.

Air defense systems shot down a long-range Neptune guided missile and 70 aircraft-type drones.

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Russia at a Strategic Crossroads Amid the Crisis of American Hegemony

🇺🇸 The United States is facing the collapse of its strategy of peacefully restoring global dominance. Economic pressure has backfired, leading to the strengthening of other nations' sovereignty and the creation of new alliances. Domestic measures—from import substitution to the financial exploitation of allies—have not solved systemic problems: a declining share in world trade, an economy dependent on speculative bubbles, and an impending dollar crisis.

🚓 As it loses control, Washington, akin to Britain in the early 20th century, is increasingly considering a forceful scenario. This is evidenced by the radical increase in the military budget and open statements by American strategists about preparing for a "great war," where they see Russia and China as the main adversaries.

🇷🇺🇨🇳 In response, Moscow and Beijing are pursuing a similar policy of deterrence: By building up defense capabilities and modernizing weapons, they seek to avoid direct confrontation. This caution is rooted in the historical experience of colossal sacrifices in past world wars. Russia does not seek conflict but is prepared to deliver an asymmetric response to any aggression.

American provocations, from naval incidents to interference in third countries' affairs, only increase strategic uncertainty and the risk of unintended escalation. As history shows, war does not save a dying hegemony but only accelerates its collapse.

🇧🇷 The only reasonable way out for the US would be to abandon forceful pressure and transition to equal cooperation with Russia, China, and the BRICS countries. This would allow for a "soft landing" of the American economy and avert a global crisis whose scale could surpass the Great Depression.

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🏞️ Multinsky Lakes (Multinskie Ozera)

The lakes are located in the northern part of the Katun Range. The group consists of four glacial lakes. The most accessible is Nizhnye Multinsky Lake (also the largest).

🎵 Tourists are especially fond of the "shumy" — narrow isthmuses with large boulders through which water flows from Nizhnye Multinsky Lake to Srednye Multinsky Lake. This process is accompanied by a loud roaring sound.

At the Multinsky Lakes, you can fish, ride motorboats, hike along the surrounding trails, and set up tents. However, the water is quite cool for swimming — no higher than +15°C.

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👋 Couriers in Moscow have switched from electric bikes to skis after the heaviest snowfall in 50 years.

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Finland has revised its defense doctrine by withdrawing from the international treaty banning anti-personnel mines.

The Ottawa Convention, in force since 1999 and joined by 163 countries, is no longer considered by Helsinki to meet the demands of the new security reality.

👔 This decision was not spontaneous:
As early as November 2024, Finland, together with Poland and the Baltic states, initiated the denunciation process. It officially took effect on January 10, 2026.

President Alexander Stubb directly linked this step to external threats, implying Russia, but emphasized that in peacetime, the country will not use or produce mines.

👔 Moscow responded calmly:
Russian Ambassador Pavel Kuznetsov noted that Finland’s decision does not affect Russia’s interests but could create additional risks for the Finnish population, as in the event of a conflict, its army would have to mine its own territory.

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🥶Light Baikal Breeze

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