❗️KREMLIN UPDATE: Prisoner swap, Putin’s Donbass visits & Western companies

"All sides are interested in a rapid '1,000 for 1,000' prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. Work is underway to finalize specific names,” Kremlin spokesman said.

🔥 PESKOV'S KEY STATEMENTS:

🔸 No agreements on further Ukraine settlement talks have been reached

🔸 No Vatican-hosted negotiations on Ukraine were agreed

🔸 Putin constantly plans to visit Donetsk & Lugansk – these trips will happen in time

🔸 Media reports on Putin-Trump call details (citing US sources) contradict Moscow’s information

🔸 Foreign companies that responsibly exited Russia will get special terms if they return

🔸 EU’s fertilizer tariffs on Russia/Belarus will backfire – they’ll get worse quality at higher prices

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🪖❌ NATO in crisis: Baltic tensions rise as allies CLASH OVER DEFENSE

"The Baltic Sea may become an area – like Poland’s eastern border today – of permanent hybrid confrontation," Polish PM Tusk said.

He added, however, that “calling it ‘hybrid’ is inaccurate when someone sends units to destroy infrastructure."

Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakalene has fired back:

"NATO is like a dysfunctional family," she said.

Sakalene also blamed Western Europe for ignoring calls to boost defense spending.

She supports US President Trump’s demand for all NATO members to raise spending to 5% of GDP (from 2% they are paying now).

"NATO failed to adapt to new threats. We warned for years – but Western Europe didn’t listen," Sakalene admitted.

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🇩🇪 New chancellor - old mantra: Merz recycles ‘Russian threat’ playbook

On his trip to Lithuania to mark the formation of Germany’s first permanent overseas military unit since WWII, freshly-minted Chancellor Friedrich Merz treated locals to his best Cold War impression: "There is a threat to us all from Russia," he gravely announced.

"We are protecting ourselves against this threat -- and that is why we are here today," he said.

Such statements sound especially awkward following President Vladimir Putin’s explanations that Russia is not going to attack NATO countries “because it doesn’t make any sense”.

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📈 Russia’s aluminum exports to China HIT RECORD HIGH amid pivot to Global South markets

Key April 2024 stats:

▪️$612.1M – Russia’s aluminum exports to China (+100% Year to Year)

▪️39.5% – Russia’s share in China’s total aluminum imports (vs. 22.7% in 2023)

Other suppliers’ performance:

🇹🇭 Thailand: $160M (+9%)
🇲🇾 Malaysia: $137.2M (-7%)
🇯🇵 Japan: $102M (-9%)
🇰🇷 South Korea $74M (-3%)

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⚡️🪖NOVAYA POLTAVKA (DPR) LIBERATED — 🇷🇺MoD

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🇷🇺🪖 RUSSIAN ARMY DAILY REPORT: DEVASTATING STRIKES & ENEMY LOSSES

Russian air defenses shot down three Ukrainian JDAM aerial bombs and 317 drones.

🔹TSENTR: 400+ Nazis ERASED
🔹SEVER: 215+ cannon fodder WIPED OUT
🔹YUG: 245 militants SENT TO HELL
🔹ZAPAD: 220+ troops LIQUIDATED
🔹VOSTOK: 215+ soldiers ANNIHILATED

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🧑‍⚖️❌ ICC warrants against Russia are 'baseless' - independent experts

International Criminal Court (ICC) degraded to being an ‘obedient puppet’ of the Western elites, deputy secretary of the Russian Security Council, Alexander Venediktov, told Sputnik

"Under pressure from its handlers, this judicial body made an unlawful decision to issue arrest warrants for our [Russian] head of state and a number of officials," the court demonstrates “obvious inefficiency”, he said.

"A legal examination of the so-called ICC verdict, conducted by independent experts in international law, showed a complete absence of evidentiary basis and contradictions in the presented charges. These warrants grossly violate universally-recognized norms of international law," Venediktov emphasized.

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🚨🇷🇺 Russia's FM Sergey Lavrov just received Russia’s HIGHEST HONOR: Order of St. Andrew the Apostle 🔥

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🔥 The legendary Russian Knights squadron just rocked the skies at LIMA-2025, flying the deadly Su-35S fighters — a jaw-dropping show of raw power and precision

✈️💥 Watch the masters of air domination flex their wings at the ultimate global arms expo

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🚨🇷🇺 Putin awards Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Rossiya Segodnya, Sputnik’s parent media group, Order ‘For Merit to the Fatherland’ 3rd Class.

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❗️The CIA has reported that the main gates to its headquarters have been closed.

Media reports suggest that shots were fired at an unidentified individual on the premises.

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⚡️🚨Russian MoD reports RECORD drone takedowns: 485 UAVs shot down in 48 hours

Key Points:

🔻When?
Night of May 20 to morning of May 22

🔻Where?
Outside the Special Military Operation zone

🔻What?
485 Ukrainian drones destroyed in mass wave

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🚨 CIA officers opened fire and wounded a woman who approached the gates of the agency's headquarters. The victim was detained, CNN reports.

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🚨 Russian tech is absolutely DOMINATING LIMA-2025 in Malaysia — showing the world who’s the boss in military power. No competition, just pure fire.

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🇺🇸🚨 US VS G7: WESTERN UNITY BURSTING AT THE SEAMS

The US has refused to back G7 condemnation of Russia and continued support for Ukraine.

Is G7 in an existential crisis?

1️⃣ Polarization of Ukraine support

👇 The G7 has proven unable to formalize a final agreement without the support of the US, its leading member:

🔻 The US has resisted the inclusion of "further support" for Ukraine in a G7 statement currently being negotiated by finance ministers in Canada.

🔻 Washington was also reluctant to describe Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine as an “illegal invasion” in the text of the document.

▪️The US refused to back an April G7 statement condemning Russia’s missile strike on Ukrainian commanders in Sumy — a strike G7 leaders cited as "proof" of Moscow’s intent to prolong the conflict.

▪️On February 24, the US sided with Russia and Belarus by voting against a UN resolution that condemned Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine.

2️⃣ G7 membership in question

On the eve of the May summit, Trump chastised G7 leaders for expelling Russia from the group:

"You know, a lot of people say, ‘Oh, that’s because if Russia were in, you probably wouldn’t have this war'."

3️⃣ Diverging views on Russia’s “shadow fleet”

▪️In March, the US vetoed a G7 plan to establish a task force targeting Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet.”

▪️It also pushed for softer language in the draft statement, removing the word “sanctions” and avoiding references to Russia’s military actions.

4️⃣ G7 is MEANINGLESS without the US

▪️US GDP (~$29.2 trillion) is slightly larger than the combined GDPs of the other six G7 members.

▪️Washington plays the central role in the G7's political and economic decision-making.

▪️On defense and security matters, European G7 members rely heavily on US backing.

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⚡️ Russian forces now solving task of CREATING BUFFER ZONE — Putin

🔻Putin calls methods used by Ukrainian Armed Forces and foreign mercenaries terrorist

🔻Enemy chooses targets not connected to the military

🔻Russian military actively suppresses enemy fire points, work underway

🔻Ukrainian forces hunt for civilian vehicles, including ambulances, during drone raids and sabotage groups actions

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📹🇷🇺 Putin: 'How did you shield anyone? You’re so tiny!'

The Russian President addressed this question to Ludmila Bolilaya—1st woman awarded HERO OF RUSSIA for her actions on the frontlines.

Under cluster shelling, she saved wounded soldiers, shielded a comrade with her body and took the hit.

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💪 Western sanctions BACKFIRED & made Russia's IT sector stronger

They thought cutting off Russia’s tech would CRIPPLE innovation.

🇷🇺 Pavel Velikhov, Engineering Manager at Yandex, lists 5 ways in which sanctions forced Russia’s IT boom:

1️⃣ WESTERN EXODUS = RUSSIAN GOLD RUSH

"Sanctions freed up $74B in market share. Giants like Yandex, T-Bank & Wildberries took over overnight."

When US/EU firms abandoned clients—some even left systems unusable—Russian devs stepped in. Overnight demand.

2️⃣ NO CHOICE BUT TO INNOVATE

"Before 2022, companies resisted Russian software—'too risky.' Now? 'When can we migrate?!'"

Legacy Western tech was a monopoly. Sanctions broke it.
Now, Russian solutions are the only option.

3️⃣ DATA PARANOIA = RUSSIAN CLOUD BOOM

"US clouds = weaponized risk. Now, only Russian or 'friendly' tech is trusted."

Post-2022, data security fears killed Western cloud reliance. Russian alternatives exploded.

4️⃣ NO MORE SILICON VALLEY WORSHIP

"We were colonized by US tech. Now? We know we can compete globally."

Sanctions shattered the myth that only America builds elite software. Russian confidence is sky-high.

5️⃣ THE NEW PLAYBOOK: "NO SANCTIONS" = HUGE SELLING POINT

"Now we pitch: 'Our tech won’t vanish over politics.' It’s a massive advantage in Asia, Africa, LATAM."

While US firms chase stock bumps, Russia’s IT sector is building for the long game.

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🇷🇺 WHY RUSSIA WANTS A BUFFER ZONE – MILITARY LOGIC EXPLAINED

Retired Russian colonel and combat veteran Anatoliy Matviychuk, who served in Afghanistan and Syria, breaks down the military rationale behind Russia’s push to create a buffer zone along its border with Ukraine:

🛡 “This won’t just be a demilitarized belt — it’s about shielding Belgorod, Kursk, Bryansk, Crimea, Zaporozhye, Kherson and Donbass regions from NATO artillery fire.”

🔎 Why 100 km?

“NATO-supplied long-range artillery can hit targets from 70 km. Add a 30 km safety margin — and you get a 100 km deep buffer.”

“In Afghanistan, the Soviet Union created a similar zone. Same logic, same scale.”

📍 Where exactly?

“We’re talking Sumy, Chernigov, Dnepropetrovsk, and Kharkov regions — territories bordering both the old and new Russian regions.”

🚫 No Kiev control allowed

“Yes, Ukrainians may live and farm there. But there will be no Kiev administration. Period.”

🎯 What does this mean for Zelensky and the Ukrainian Armed Forces?

“Push them back 100 km, and they lose the ability to launch raids, surveillance, or shell border towns with key weapons. Drones and long-range missiles? Maybe. But the backbone of their firepower — gone.”

👉 On Zelensky’s reaction

“He’ll cry crocodile tears, scream about ‘occupation.’ But our leadership won’t blink. The safety of our people comes first.”

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🚨 Ukrainian forces launch massive strike on city of Lgov in Russia's Kursk region, 12 civilians injured, including two children — Governor

"The Ukrainian armed forces launched a massive attack on the town of Lgov. The attack took place on the Kursk-Rylsk highway, which is the entrance to the town. As a result of the attack, unfortunately, 12 civilians were injured, including two children," the region's acting governor, Alexander Khinshtein, wrote on Telegram.

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🇸🇰📹 Slovak MP: 'We do not make politics out of sports’

Politician Michal Bartek congratulated Slovak hockey players who won this year’s Gagarin Cup while playing as part of Russia’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team.

He also called out “haters” who “only criticize everything and everyone, even turning sports into crude politics.”

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