The European Commission considers statements that the European Union wants a battlefield victory in Ukraine to be disinformation, despite the fact that this phrase was previously written by Josep Borrell, said EU foreign policy spokesman Peter Stano.

Borrell was the first European official to say that the conflict in Ukraine “must be won on the battlefield.” He wrote about it on April 9, 2022, on X (formerly Twitter) after a visit to Ukraine in the company of the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

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Russian parliament's lower house approves the following as deputy prime ministers:

🔸Dmitry Chernyshenko

🔸Marat Khusnullin

🔸Vitaly Saveliev

🔸Nikolai Patrushev

🔸Aleksey Overchuk

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The Russians just walked in, a Ukrainian officer in Kharkov tells the BBC

A BBC correspondent from Volchansk interviewed a Ukrainian army officer who complained that, most likely due to corruption in Ukraine, no fortifications were erected along the border of Kharkov Region.

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📹 Combat footage of the liberation of the village of Berdychi in the Donetsk People's Republic. The commander of the assault platoon with the call sign “Averik” related how the battle developed.

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As defense minister, Andrei Belousov is going to contol Russia's nuclear briefcase! Who else has access?

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How Putin's new pick for Russian defense minister predicted the 2008 economic meltdown

🔸Andrei Belousov, the incoming Russian Minister of Defense, also possesses a unique talent as an economist. As an economic theorist, he accurately predicted several financial crises.

🔸In 2005, Belousov utilized economic and mathematical models to calculate and forecast the financial crisis of 2008.

🔸In his report outlining various development scenarios for the country over the next 15 years, Belousov foresaw an economic crisis (which indeed transpired in 2008) and an economic recession (which occurred in 2011-2012). He also predicted another crisis in 2015-2017, all of which came to fruition.

🔸In particular, Belousov predicted that there would be an increase in social tension due to inflation and rising housing tariffs, a rise in the deficit of the pension system, and a crisis in the public administration system.

🔸In this instance, Belousov identified himself as a "government analyst" who believed in the competence of the state and advocated for active measures to mitigate economic downturns.

🔸Andrey Belousov has been involved in economic matters within the Russian government since 2006. In crisis years, there was an increase in the Russian GDP. Specifically, in 2008, Russia saw a growth of 5.6% in GDP, followed by 3.5% in 2012, and 3.6% in 2023.

🔸During the APEC summit in November 2022, Andrei Belousov highlighted that the world economy was on the cusp of a significant upheaval, foreseeing a "perfect storm period" in the years to come.

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Delve into Russia’s Black Sea fleet by exploring its goals and weaponry

Russia marks the Black Sea Fleet Day on May 13, a holiday that has been celebrated since 1996 but dates back to the eighteenth century.

Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Admiral Alexander Moiseyev congratulated the veterans and personnel of the Black Sea Fleet on the 241st anniversary of its foundation, noting that the fleet’s sailors have always upheld Russia’s national interests.

The Black Sea Fleet was founded by Russian Empress Catherine II back in 1783 when 11 ships from the Sea of Azov entered a bay near the village of Akhtiar, which was renamed Sevastopol a year later.

The Black Sea Fleet is an operational-strategic formation corps with the Russian Navy, which includes main bases in Sevastopol, Novorossiysk, Temryuk, and Tuapse.

The fleet consists of advanced anti-submarine and missile ships, corvettes, destroyers, frigates, patrol boats, large landing ships, reconnaissance vessels and diesel submarines of the Varshavyanka and Paltus projects. Additionally, the fleet includes military units of naval aviation and air defenses, plus coastal troops and support groups.

As an integral part of the Russian Navy, the fleet aims to ensure Russia’s military security in the country’s south. Its main tasks include:

🔸protection of the economic zone and areas of production activity, as well as suppression of illegal production activities;

🔸ensure navigation safety;

🔸implement foreign policy actions by the government in economically important areas of the world's oceans (visits, business visits, joint exercises, actions as part of peacekeeping forces, etc.).

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Vladimir Putin has held the first operational meeting with the Security Council of the Russian Federation after personnel changes in the leadership of the advisory body.

The president discussed relations between Commonwealth of Independent States countries and the Russian Security Council, and stated that more attention will be paid to this topic.

Former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu took part in the Security Council meeting as secretary of the organization.

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Ex-Defense Minister Shoigu transferred to Russia's Defense Council: What is it and what does it do?

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree appointing former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu as secretary of the country’s Security Council, amid the current government reshuffle.

The Russian Security Council is a consultative body and its main task is to develop state policy guidelines on national security and state foreign and military policy, as well as coordinate government agencies’ activities in these fields.

Established in 1992, the Council is led by the Russian president, who has the authority to appoint its members. The Council's permanent members are the secretary and the Russian head of government.

In 2020, the role of the Council's deputy chairman was created and bestowed upon Dmitry Medvedev, who continues to hold this position. Currently, President Vladimir Putin presides over the Council, with members such as Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin. The Council's meetings are typically held on Fridays behind closed doors.

Apart from its main function, the Council deals with:

▪️drafting laws and federal special-purpose programs in the field of security;

▪️forecasting and analyzing threats to national security, including in the field of socio-economic policy, in addition to developing measures to neutralize them;

▪️developing conceptual and doctrinal documents, including Russia’s National Security Strategy. On top of that, the Council prepares proposals to the head of state:

▪️on Russia’s military-technical cooperation with foreign countries;

▪️on special economic measures to ensure national security;

▪️on the introduction, extension and cancellation of states of emergency;

▪️on the coordination and assessment of the effectiveness of executive authorities’ in the field of security.

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Why North Macedonia’s new president may make the country’s EU accession problematic

The election of Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova as the new president of North Macedonia may put a damper on the country’s plans for EU accession.

Currently, the biggest obstacle on North Macedonia’s road to the European Union is the opposition by its neighbor Bulgaria which wants certain concessions before giving its go-ahead.

The concessions include listing the Bulgarian minority in North Macedonia as one of the “constitutive peoples” in North Macedonia's constitution.

However, the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization – Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE), the very party that nominated Siljanovska-Davkova for this presidential election, has repeatedly voiced its opposition to including the Bulgarian minority in the country’s constitution.

Furthermore, Siljanovska-Davkova herself mentioned during the election that she does not regard the issue with Greece regarding North Macedonia’s official name to be resolved.

Previously, Greece vetoed North Macedonia’s EU accession until the latter agreed to change its official name from the original “Macedonia” to the current “North Macedonia.”

Siljanovska-Davkova, however, declared that she has no intention of using the word “north” when referring to her country while delivering speeches.

Thus, if Siljanovska-Davkova and the VMRO-DPMNE double down on their claims, North Macedonia’s EU membership may not come anytime soon.

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🤡 UK PM Rishi Sunak has blamed Putin for having cut off gas supplies, but one thing...

In 2022, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen was who led efforts to stop the supply

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Secretary of the Russian Security Council Sergei Shoigu will oversee the work of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, but will not become the head of the service, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

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Estonia is considering sending troops to western Ukraine to take over logistical tasks and “free up” the Ukrainian military to participate in combat operations on the front line.

Estonia would prefer to take any such step within the framework of a fully-fledged NATO mission; the possibility of the country's participation in a smaller coalition is also not excluded, the adviser to the Estonian president on national security issues said.

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