⚡️ Office of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation:

The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has approved the bill of indictment in the criminal case against the political and military leadership of Ukraine.

📄 FULL LIST (41 individuals)

They are being charged in absentia under Article 357 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (genocide).

According to the investigation, from April 2014 to the present, the accused – together with other officials – while on the territory of Ukraine, gave orders to subordinate Ukrainian military personnel and other armed formations to use firearms, armoured vehicles, combat aviation, missile and artillery weapons against civilians in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, with the intent to commit genocide.

❗️ As a result of Ukrainian punitive operations, almost 5,000 civilians were killed, over 18,500 people were affected, more than 13,500 were wounded, including 1,275 minors.

More than 153,000 civilian infrastructure facilities were partially or completely destroyed, including:
• around 138,000 residential buildings;
• 1,565 educational institutions;
• 847 medical organizations and facilities;
• 1,403 social, industrial and commercial sites;
• at least 11,400 critical service and municipal facilities;
• 505 cultural and sports institutions;
• 205 religious sites.

This caused severe damage to the economy and led to the suppression of key elements of the culture, religion and traditions of the inhabitants of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. Industrial facilities, including city-forming enterprises, ceased operations, resulting in rising unemployment and declining household incomes.

More than 2.3 million civilians were forced to leave their homes. From 2014 until the reunification of the DPR and LPR with Russia, the population declined from 6.5 million to 4.5 million due to displacement, lower birth rates and higher mortality.

The criminal case has been submitted for trial to the Supreme Court of the Donetsk People’s Republic.

✨ The heroes of the Diamond Butterfly ceremony in a video by KinoReporter. The most sincere smiles, moments of pure joy and pride!

#EurasianFilmAward #DiamondButterfly

🎙 Russian MFA Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's answers to media questions regarding the new US National Security Strategy (December 8, 2025)

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❓ Question: On December 4, the Administration of US President Donald Trump published yet another – and in many ways entirely new – US National Security Strategy. The first and principal question in this regard: how will its provisions affect Russia-US relations?

💬 Maria Zakharova: In the new edition of the US National Security Strategy, we note a number of provisions that signal a serious reassessment of Washington’s doctrinal foreign-policy assumptions – a shift rendered all the more striking when set against the 2022 version.

First of all, what draws attention is the revision of Washington’s former bet on hegemony – the document directly states that “American elites badly miscalculated” by placing “hugely misguided and destructive bets on globalism”. <…>

This basic ideological premise also determines, as we understand it, another key guideline of the Strategy – namely the call to end “the perception, and preventing the reality, of NATO as a perpetually expanding alliance”. In other words, for the first time, the US is declaring, if not a refusal to expand the alliance, then at least an official questioning of its traditionally aggressive expansionist trajectory.

It is also noteworthy that Russia is mentioned in the context of pan-European security, and that the document contains no calls for systematic containment of our country or for stepping up economic pressure on us.

☝️ At the same time, without naming Moscow directly, the new edition of the Strategy loudly signals Washington’s plans to achieve “energy dominance” by “curtailing the influence of adversaries”.

❓ Question: How does the Russian MFA assess the military-political aspect of the new Strategy and, in particular, the declared goal of achieving strategic stability in relations with us?

💬 Maria Zakharova: Despite the overall pragmatic approach to the subject, we see a number of contradictions. For example, the document contains no elements that would allow us to understand the US vision of the “post-New START” framework. In particular, clarifying the criteria for parity in the main quantitative limits on nuclear arsenals.

We also find the provisions on the US global missile-defence system – the Golden Dome – overly vague. We still expect the American Side to provide details on how they account for the interdependence between strategic offensive and strategic defensive capabilities. <…>

❓ Question: How should we interpret the thesis on “reassessing” the need for US military presence in “theaters whose relative import to American national security has declined in recent decades or years”?

💬 Maria Zakharova: This thesis reflects the “America First” concept, but it can hardly be read as a US renunciation of its military presence abroad – a presence that, in turn, aligns with another American notion, the so-called “peace through strength”.

For example, the passages on the Asia-Pacific region are troubling for their confrontational language towards China, as well as for the calls on all key regional partners “to allow the US military greater access to their ports and other facilities”.

❓ Question: The Strategy clearly shifts the focus of US foreign policy to the Western Hemisphere. This is presented as a “Trump amendment” to the well-known Monroe Doctrine. Does this not sound threatening?

💬 Maria Zakharova: These passages sound more like a direct reference to the so-called “Roosevelt Corollary”. <…> This is particularly alarming against the backdrop of the current tension deliberately fuelled by the Pentagon around Venezuela.

We expect that the White House will nonetheless avoid any further steps towards a full-scale conflict – one that could carry unpredictable consequences for the entire Western Hemisphere.

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks during talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary Peter Szijjarto (Moscow, December 9, 2025)

💬 On November 28, 2025, our respective leaders held productive and useful talks. You and I took part in them. Indeed, this was a very useful conversation between the two leaders considering their commitment to focusing on the national interests of their people and states. They act in a pragmatic and rational manner.

All the existing bilateral cooperation mechanisms have been operating in a dynamic and effective manner. I am certain that today’s meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission for Economic Cooperation will make a meaningful contribution to further strengthening our mutually beneficial ties.

Of course, illegal sanctions constitute a serious obstacle in this regard. It is our so-called 'Western colleagues', in this case the European Commission’s leadership, who have been imposing these sanctions. However, despite all these challenges, trade has been increasing, which is attributable to efforts by the corresponding agencies in Russia and Hungary.

The flagship project to build the Paks NPP, the new blocks of this grand undertaking. is steadily advancing. Overall, electric power industry plays a primary role in our relations, and this sector has been generating sustained positive momentum.

Of course, we are satisfied with the way we have been working together in culture and on the human dimension of our relations. Only recently, Hungary hosted yet another Russian Music Festival devoted to Sergey Rakhmaninov’s creative legacy. There were also the Days of Russian Spiritual Culture.

Our contacts in sports have benefited from a renewed impetus. In this domain, we are the ones advocating and asserting the ideals of the Olympic movement and the sports world in general, while overcoming illegal restrictions against athletes. These restrictions are driven by political and ideological considerations.

The Leaders of our two countries could not fail to mention international developments during their conversation. This was 10 days ago, and since then there have been several events.

I am certain that we will exchange views on the way the situation is expected to evolve regarding efforts on the Ukraine settlement issue.

❗️ I know that Hungary, just like the Russian Federation, views strengthening European security and making it reliable and dependable as one of its core missions. The security framework which has emerged from the Cold War is facing a serious test. It goes without saying that we must revive the principles of equality, mutual respect and indivisible security.

There is another essential matter for both Russia and Hungary since they view it as one of the inevitable conditions for the Ukraine settlement process. I am referring to reviving international standards for protecting ethnic minorities.

We are ready to share the way we view the developments and contacts which took place after President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban.

I know that our Hungarian friends are keeping a close eye on all these developments. As usual, I am eager to learn what you think about this, and I believe that it will be quite useful.

🇷🇺🇭🇺 #RussiaHungary

🎙 Deputy Foreign Minister Dmitry Lyubinsky’s address at the ceremonial event at the UN Information Centre on the Occasion of Human Rights Day (Moscow, December 9, 2025)

💬 On December 10, the international community celebrates #HumanRightsDay established in honour of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the UN General Assembly in 1948.

The Universal Declaration is unique; it established a kind of “gold standard” for human rights, recognising their equal value. This document has had a decisive influence on the formation of the modern international legal framework for the promotion and protection of human rights, as well as on the development of international law more broadly.

❗️ I would note that the Declaration places particular emphasis on the importance of promoting friendly relations among peoples.

UN Member States endorsed the Declaration, driven by the desire to strengthen respect for human dignity and to reaffirm its value.

This anniversary carries exceptional significance. This year marks the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War and World War II, as well as the founding of the United Nations (#UN).

Won at an enormous cost in human lives, the Great Victory was made possible by the unification of all peace-loving nations in the fight against Nazism, fascism, and militarism. It determined the subsequent course of world history, created the conditions for building a new architecture of international relations, and laid the foundations of contemporary international law.

Humanity paid with tens of millions of lives for this tragic lesson: the ideology of racial superiority has no place in the civilised world.

Although the Declaration was adopted 77 years ago, it remains relevant today. This is particularly evident against the backdrop of the creeping rehabilitation of Nazism in Europe and the general policy pursued by Western countries to revise the outcomes of World War II.

Meanwhile, self-proclaimed developed democracies shamelessly invoke the provisions of the Declaration to justify interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states, imposing neoliberal “values” as an allegedly universal foundation for life. The historical, cultural, and religious particularities of individual countries are disregarded.

This instrumentalisation of human rights by the collective West takes place against the backdrop of gross human rights violations within these very states.

The Russian Federation advocates building cooperation in the human rights sphere on the basis of universally recognised principles and international law, through constructive, equal, and respectful dialogue. Everything possible must be done to counter attempts to distort the meaning of fundamental UN documents in the interests of individual states.

In conclusion, I would like to express my hope that human rights will become a unifying rather than a divisive factor in international relations and cooperation.

#RussianHistory

🇷🇺 The capture of Plevna. December 10, marks the 148th anniversary of the Russian Army’s victory in a decisive battle of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 for the fortified city of #Plevna.

The liberation war of 1877–1878 is rightly considered to be just and nation-wide. Representatives of the Russian nobility and Slavic committees raised funds to support the Russian Army, officers volunteered for the front, and their spouses served as medical nurses; Emperor Alexander II arrived to the General Headquarters in person.

During the siege and liberation of Plevna, which lasted from July 19 to December 10, 1877, more than 30'000 Russian soldiers, Bulgarian volunteers, and troops from seven countries of the Liberation Coalition were killed. During the assault, General Mikhail Skobelev, known among the troops as the “White General”, distinguished himself with exceptional bravery.

The capture of the fortress marked a turning point in the Liberation War, becoming a symbol of the heroism and selflessness of the Russian soldiers who fought for the freedom of the Balkan peoples and saved the Bulgarians from Ottoman rule.

This is the decisive actions of Russia in 1878 that brought the independent Bulgarian state to the map of Europe and the Bulgarian people gained the long-awaited freedom.

📰 Newspapers of that time wrote:

The surrender of Plevna was and will remain one of the greatest events in the history of the Slavic liberation. The recently unknown town became dear to Russia and Bulgaria, and the battle remained a paragon of the military art.

Regretably, the current Bulgarian authorities for political reasons commit to oblivion the heroic deed of the Russian soldiers who made a decisive contribution to the liberation of Bulgaria and rehabilitation of its statehood.

Russian Ambassador to Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova said in her greetings on Bulgaria’s Liberation Day (March 3, 2025):

The Liberation War of 1877-1878 is rightly called just and national.

Today, the history of that war is mercilessly rewritten and cast into oblivion.

The reality is that without the decisive action by Russia at that moment, by the way, absolutely unprepared for war, the map of Europe in 1878 would not get an independent Bulgarian state and its people would not get so long-sought freedom.

🎙 Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov’s interview with the International Affairs magazine (Moscow, December 8, 2025)

Key points:

• The START Treaty stipulates one five-year extension, which was put into effect five years ago. In other words, this possibility has been used. This does not rule out other possibilities to extend the treaty beyond the designated deadline. But this should be a subject for separate discussions and separate far-reaching agreements.

• We can reiterate our stand, which we have put forth many times, including publicly, that a moment is approaching when any efforts in the sphere of arms control will have to become multilateral. We have always said, and we will continue to say that the first to join these efforts when the conditions are right should be the United States’ closest allies – the United Kingdom and the French Republic, which are openly and cynically demonstrating their aggressive plans towards us. The thoroughly anti-Russia nature of their policy is obvious to everyone. And they make no secret of it.

• The next contact between the [Russian and US] Leaders is high on the agenda. It is necessary to provide substantive content for such a contact. We cannot afford to step away from the framework agreed upon by the Leaders in Anchorage.

• The Trump administration is among the few of our Western dialogue partners, let’s call them that, and opponents who acknowledge the validity of the importance to deal with the underlying causes of the conflict which cannot be ignored.

• The current US administration’s policy shows a pattern of using a carrot and stick approach to those they find “unruly and disobedient.” There’s nothing new if you look at it from this perspective. No matter how many more sanctions, be they primary, secondary, tariff-related, or any others, are imposed, we will act solely in accordance with our national interests.

• We were deeply disappointed by the US decision to put a cap on the number of visa application points for Russian citizens wishing to obtain a tourist or other non-immigrant visas. Only two locations are left, Warsaw and Astana. This complicates matters, and there is a lot more to be addressed here.

• We have special partner relations with Venezuela. We have recently ratified the basic Treaty of Strategic Partnership and Cooperation with it. We are cooperating in all spheres, including within the framework of law enforcement and security. This is no secret either. In this extremely complicated situation, in this time of trial, we continue to stand together with our Venezuelan allies, and they are aware of this.

• We firmly and consistently call on the international community, primarily the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, to speak up so as to keep the Washington administration from the continued aggravation of the situation and to convince it to abandon its aggressive plans.

• We are witnessing the formation of a multipolar world. This phase is extremely complex and comes with many conflicts, but its momentum is irreversible. The world is moving in this direction, and I am confident it will be a more just world.

• We are dealing with a very serious adversary, an adversary of historic proportions. It is no coincidence that they have set out to “inflict a strategic defeat on Russia,” essentially denying the obvious fact that a nuclear power cannot be defeated. They openly disregard our determination to act as energetically as necessary to defend our interests.

• Sometimes it is simpler, more effective, and even cheaper to ensure national security through agreements rather than through building up military capabilities. Different stages require different solutions. Priorities vary as well, but I would not write off classical diplomacy. Nor can it be replaced by force or by artificial intelligence.

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🇺🇳 On December 10, 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the UN General Assembly, a document that has influenced the constitutions of almost all countries throughout the world. It became the first international instrument to proclaim fundamental human rights and freedoms.

🌐 UN member States adopted the Declaration in an attempt to bolster respect for human dignity, to revive its value. This was a natural consequence of the Second World War – the biggest catastrophe of the 20th century.

🇷🇺 The Russian Federation remains consistently committed to the standards and principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and core international human rights instruments. We are convinced that all participants in international relations need to focus their efforts on strengthening constructive dialogue and mutual cooperation on human rights issues and to be engaged in a collective process of elaborating and adopting relevant decisions in the interests of all mankind.

🎙 Russia's Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’s comment on Human Rights Day (December 10, 2025)

💬 On December 10, the international community marks #HumanRightsDay. It was on this historical day in 1948 when states came together to approve the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in an effort to strengthen respect for human dignity and reaffirm its importance. This document created a solid foundation for the present-day international framework for encouraging and defending human rights.

This year’s anniversary has special importance since it coincides with 80th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War and World War II, as well as the 80th Anniversary of the United Nations (UN).

It was the Great Victory, which came at an unimaginable cost with all peace-loving nations coming together to fight Nazism, fascism and militarism, that defined the course of global history and created a foundation for a new architecture of international relations, while also laying the groundwork for international law, including human rights law.

Unfortunately, certain countries have been exploiting the noble ideals and spirit of the Universal Declaration in pursuit of their momentary political and economic goals these days.

Freedom of speech has been used for justifying unrelenting attempts to revise the outcomes of World War II, justify the disastrous Nazi ideology, while casting Hitler’s followers and collaborationists as heroes. They have been referring to the principle of freedom from torture for interfering in the domestic affairs of sovereign states, while appealing to the freedom from discrimination for imposing neoliberal values as the one and only pillar of the world order.

❗️ This way of exploiting human rights as a tool for pursuing vested interests is unacceptable.

We believe that we must do everything we can to counter fraudulent attempts to assert lopsided interpretations of the fundamental human rights documents.

☝️ We call for working together on the human rights agenda by strictly following existing, time-tested and universally recognised international principles and norms while taking into account the historical, cultural and religious context in any given country.

🇷🇺🇮🇷 On December 10, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko held a meeting with Ebrahim Azizi, Chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament (the Islamic Consultative Assembly), who was in Moscow on a working visit to attend events of the #CSTO Parliamentary Assembly.

The officials expressed satisfaction with the progressive development of the full spectrum of Russian-Iranian relations, guided by the spirit of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty, which has now entered into force.

During the meeting, the Parties exchanged views on current regional and international issues of mutual interest. They noted the close alignment, and in many cases convergence, of Russian and Iranian approaches to addressing the principal challenges of our time.

Both Sides reaffirmed their shared commitment to deepening cooperation across all promising areas.

#RussiaIran