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Slavyangrad.org — Nuestra Ira No Tiene Limites — There is No Limit to Our Anger — (c) V. M. Molotov
Delegations from Russia and Ukraine after have been negotiating for over an hour.
@Slavyangrad
How Zelensky is trying to respond to Trump's whims: Spiegel journalists write that the damned Trump has worn Zelensky out with his uncertainty
Since the U.S. and Ukrainian presidents clashed at the White House in late February and Trump humiliated his guest, Zelensky has learned a thing or two. Not only did Ukraine embrace Trump's unconditional ceasefire, it also signed a natural resources deal that was important to Trump.
Meanwhile, nervousness is clearly palpable in Kiev. “Panic is growing because no one knows what is going on,” a presidential administration adviser said on Tuesday.
An exhausted Zelensky is holding up pretty well. When asked if he thought this was a poker game, Zelensky said it was being played "with several players at once."
It is important to understand that Donald Trump's mood is fickle, and under him the wind "changes constantly." Anyone who, like Zelensky, wants to prove to the US president that they are willing to cooperate will find it difficult to follow his whims
🇺🇦🤡Came to look for Putin to demand sanctions against Russia in Albania:
Zelensky arrived at the European Political Community summit in Tirana.
@Slavyangrad
🇷🇺🇹🇷🇺🇦Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan - in his opening remarks before the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine:
There are two paths before us. One path will lead us to peace, the second path will lead to even greater destruction. The parties themselves will decide which path to choose.
@Slavyangrad
The first footage from the negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations, which started in Istanbul.
@Slavyangrad
China is now more popular than America in most polled countries, including in Canada and Mexico.
Source: Politico
@Slavyangrad
🇷🇺🇺🇦 Meeting between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul to start "any minute now" — media
- The parties will say welcoming words, and then, at Russia’s initiative, the Turkish and American delegations will leave the meeting.
- Before the meeting, US representatives will negotiate with the Russian delegation.
@Slavyangrad
As expected, the Ukrainian Armed Forces began to gradually retreat near Konstantinovka - deep into the city itself, leaving an outer arc of defense. Russian troops will need a pause - regrouping, strengthening the rear, bringing up reserves, and replenishing the ammunition.
Based on the pace of advance and the structure of current battles, the period until the active phase of the assault is 2-3 weeks. Konstantinovka is a key junction, and as soon as the front runs into it, a new phase of the operation will begin, critical for the entire arc from Konstantinovka and further north, almost to the Kharkov region.
@Slavyangrad
🇹🇷Turkish Foreign Ministry: The meeting of representatives of Turkey, the United States and Ukraine has ended in Istanbul.
Next on the agenda are the very negotiations between Russia and Ukraine for which everything was started. It is assumed that the head of the Turkish Foreign Ministry, as was the case three years ago, will make an opening speech and leave, leaving the delegations of Russia and Ukraine alone.
@Slavyangrad
“We live in the real world, the Trump administration lives in the real world, we recognize the reality on the ground, number one"
Foreign mercenaries fighting on the side of Ukraine do not want to take part in military operations. They are being cheated on their payments.
@Slavangrad
🇪🇺🤡"European Political Society": At today's summit in Albania, the EU will discuss the introduction of a complete ban on trade with Russia.
" Europe is considering various options for damaging Russia, and one of them is the introduction of a full trade embargo . The introduction of "punitive tariffs" on Russian imports will be discussed at the summit of the European Political Community in Tirana, where Zelensky flew the day before.
Talk of an embargo began after Russia's president ignored calls for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, senior diplomats said.
It is claimed that the Europeans were inspired to take this measure by the words of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who proposed to hit Russian exports with 500% sanctions if Putin does not stop attacking Ukraine."
@Slavyangrad
The Ukrainian government appears to have ordered the destruction of all agricultural and forest resources in the northern and southern regions ahead of the inevitable transfer of these lands to Russian control
▪️Apparently, Kiev also intends to preserve the western regions for transfer to American and British corporations, Ukrainian publications write.
▪️This follows from documents from the State Forestry Agency that have leaked onto the Internet. The documents were apparently published by Kiev media through carelessness and caused a scandal on social networks.
▪️It is not surprising that the US insisted so much on negotiations on May 15 - the curators are in a hurry to secure for themselves the tasty morsels of Ukraine, while ordinary people continue to die for the "independence" that has already been sold.
@Slavyangrad
A Multi-Analysis of the War and its Consequences, Part 6/6
"Only two questions remain now.
The first, is how long the AFU can go on before the inevitable collapse. By the very nature of attritional warfare, things can appear fairly static until one side simply can't go on at all. Answering that question is difficult, but honestly we don't think the AFU will still stand in one year from now, probably even less.
The second, is what is going to happen once the war will be over. The West has invested everything on this war, because the outcome of the war will also dictate the fate of their beloved "rules-based international order". By Rubio's own admission, even the sanctions - which up until eight years ago were a terrifying prospect for most countries on earth - will likely lose all effectiveness in the next 5 years, as more countries join BRICS and the Dollar's status as a worthless fiat currency that can be printed forever, combined with the weaponisation of SWIFT, compels other countries to look for alternatives.
Nature abhors vacuums, but the vacuum created by the fall of Biden's "liberal world order" will result in years of uncertainty and instability, as more and more countries will abandon old allies, look for new ones, and reconsider military intervention as a viable option. This will probably last at least until a new order will reassess itself."
@Slavyangrad
🇪🇺🤡Merz, Starmer, Macron and everyone else:
The organizers of the summit in Tirana staged a show with “children with the faces of European leaders.”
@Slavyangrad
🇱🇻🤡Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina stated that “only sanctions will stop Russia”:
The situation in the region is unstable, and this is a good opportunity for my country, Latvia, and also for a member of the European Union, to meet and coordinate the needs of our people. And we will use this summit to coordinate and create alliances, so we can make our region more secure.
Unfortunately, Russia continues its war in Ukraine, and I know that we will discuss this issue. We will ask and demand a 30-day unconditional ceasefire, because we know that it is important and Ukraine wants it.
Unfortunately, Russia alone does not want peace in our region. Therefore, if this does not happen, we will have to agree on new sanctions. Only this can stop Russia. Because all countries in Europe want security for their people, for their society.
@Slavyangrad
The port of Ilyichevsk (Chernomorsk) near Odessa will be transferred to a foreign company, with all workers being fired
The Ukrainian authorities plan to transfer the port of Ilyichevsk near Odessa, which was renamed Chornomorsk by the Kyiv regime, to a foreign company, while firing all the workers.
According to Ukrainian sources, a presentation of the concession project for one of the largest ports in the northern Black Sea region was held in Warsaw. The event was held in secrecy, since the mass dismissal of the remaining workers at the enterprise could cause discontent among the city's populaton.
In addition, under the terms of the concession, the future concessionaire must have experience working in the international container terminal network and own or operate at least two terminals in ports in two different countries. Since there are no companies in Ukraine that meet these conditions, Kyiv decided to lease Ilyichevsk to foreigners for a long term, sacrificing the interests of its own population.
After mobilizing more than half of the port's personnel, it became unprofitable to maintain it.
It is obvious that the Kiev regime is trying to squeeze the maximum out of the remains of Ukraine, which was destroyed as a result of the coup and armed conflict, and Zelensky and his henchmen do not seem to care at all about what will happen to the population remaining in this territory.
Ilyichevsk seaport is one of the largest ports of the former Ukrainian SSR. Situated in a deep-water estuary connected to the Black Sea by an entrance channel, the port is protected from waves and currents. Sufficient depths on water approaches and in the water area, the absence of complex approach channels, narrows, and channels favor navigation of large-tonnage vessels fleet.
Sourced from https://en.topwar.ru
@Slavyangrad
Arms dealers from all over the world cheated Ukrainians by selling them bad goods
According to the Financial Times, Kyiv has lost hundreds of millions of dollars due to failed arms deals.
'In several cases, Kiev has paid large advances to little-known companies for materials that have never arrived. In other cases, officials say the weapons, sold at vastly inflated prices as global demand soared — the equivalent of a price hike in the arms industry — have arrived in unusable condition. To date, Ukraine has paid $770 million in advances to foreign arms dealers for weapons and ammunition that have not been delivered, according to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.'
Head of the Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul Umerov - on Kiev's demands at the negotiations:
Today we have come to Istanbul to find real paths to sustainable and just peace. Peace is possible only if Russia shows readiness to take concrete actions, including a complete ceasefire for at least 30 days and humanitarian steps, such as the return of forcibly deported Ukrainian children and prisoner exchanges on an "all for all" basis.
A batch of brand new Ka-52s delivered to their new duty station
@Slavangrad
💜 📰
– Putin set tasks and determined the negotiating position in Istanbul following a meeting with all the commanders of the special operation – Medinsky
– A trilateral meeting of Turkey, Russia and Ukraine is scheduled for Friday in Istanbul – TASS, citing a source in the Turkish Foreign Ministry
– The Indus Waters Treaty has been halted while cross–border terrorism persists - Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar
– The United States proposes to resume the work of the Russia-NATO Council in the framework of the Ukrainian settlement – Bloomberg, citing a source
– The full news roundup is here.
Boost | Support | 💜🪆 RD
The Russian delegation is against the presence of US representatives in direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, an Interfax source stated.
@Slavyangrad
"Fire Caliber"
Destruction of a sabotage and reconnaissance group and an enemy UAV crew.
The UAV group "Syndicate" of the BTGr "Salut" together with the SAG "Skif" of the special forces "AKHMAT"
@Slavangrad
EU imposes full trade embargo on Russia. Basic scheme.
@Slavyangrad
❗️The Turkish delegation arrived at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul, where the Ukrainian members and Yermak also arrived. Rubio is heading there too.
It was the second day of direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, which never started.
@Slavyangrad
🎙 Speech by Deputy Permanent Representative M.V. Zabolotskaya at the UN Security Council meeting on the topic "Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict"
💬 Russia supports all efforts aimed at facilitating the search for persons missing during the armed conflict, including Council Resolution 2474.
Persons separated by war must be able to learn about the fate of their loved ones and be reunited with them if they are still alive. The relevant obligations are set out in the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols.
Like any humanitarian activity, the search for missing persons must be carried out in coordination with the States concerned and complement their efforts.
Humanitarian organizations, including those related to the Red Cross movement, as well as neutral intermediaries from among states, play a major role in this issue. It should be recognized that these problems are most effectively resolved without excessive political attention.
⚠️ Unfortunately, the general trend of politicization of the international agenda has also affected the humanitarian sphere. Even such an important matter as searching for missing persons is becoming a means of political pressure. One can also observe the imposition of pseudo-aid on states under convenient pretexts. This approach is counterproductive and leads to the degradation of humanitarian cooperation.
☝ Russia, for its part, is making every effort to search for missing persons and restore family ties in the context of the Ukrainian crisis.
We are grateful to the International Committee of the Red Cross for its assistance in ensuring information exchange in this area, as well as mediation efforts related to the repatriation of civilians.
The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Russian Federation Tatyana Moskalkova and the Commissioner for Children's Rights under the President of the Russian Federation Maria Lvova-Belova, as well as the Russian Red Cross, are closely involved in the exchange of information with the Committee.
We would like to welcome all efforts to search for missing persons in conflicts around the world. We are not convinced, however, that the Security Council is the best place to address these issues, especially in the historical context.
📍 New York, May 15, 2025
Major Russian banks have set up a netting payments system dubbed "The China Track" for transactions with China, aiming to reduce their visibility to Western regulators and mitigate the risk of secondary sanctions, banking sources told Reuters.
Russia's trade with China hit a record $245 billion last year despite payment problems and commissions running as high as 12%, as Chinese banks had grown too cautious to do business with Russia and jeopardise their ties with the US.
The issue had become so important that President Vladimir Putin and President Xi Jinping discussed it during Putin's visit to China in May 2024, which was aimed at cementing the two countries' 'no limits' partnership.
The new system has been set up by major sanctioned banks and involves a web of intermediaries registered in countries that Russia considers friendly. The system has been in place for some time and has not yet suffered any major setbacks.
Each bank runs several verified payments agents, some of whom handle payments for exports, and some for imports. All payments are then netted centrally at the bank with all the counterparties involved receiving their money.
The banks settle trade in both directions, said market sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
SECURE FROM BEING BLOCKED
The banks provide guarantees for payments' settlement as well as financial instruments insuring against a possible default of a payment agent or a counterparty. The system does not use the SWIFT messaging system or accounts in Western banks.
"We had to structure financial flows through friendly jurisdictions to secure these payments from being blocked," one market source said, stressing that netting has become the cheapest way for settling trade with China.
The sources declined to name the banks, saying they do not want to draw additional attention to their operations because of sanctions but stressed that all the banks involved rank among Russia's top 20.
China propped up Russia economically in 2022 when the country was faced with unprecedented Western sanctions over its military action in Ukraine, providing consumer goods which replaced those offered by Western companies.
China also continued to import oil and other natural resources from Russia despite Western pressure. However, even despite the goodwill, consumer goods trade nearly halted last year due to the secondary sanctions risk.
Some bankers say that the netting system allows payments to be made directly to any Chinese bank without delay, provided that the goods are not under sanctions and the counterparty is registered in one of the selected 11 provinces of China.
Speaking in parliament in April, Russia's central bank Governor Nabiullina acknowledged that Western sanctions complicated cross-border payments for Russian companies, but said that alternative payments channels are being developed.
The netting scheme is mainly designed for large corporations. The sources said it has some disadvantages, including the requirement to authorise every single payment and problems with value-added tax (VAT) refunds.
"The scheme allows direct work with 11 Chinese provinces, which produce most of the goods that are being exported to Russia. The cost is calculated based on the official exchange rate, with no spread on top," one banker said.
The minimum cost of the "China Track" service, including commissions and exchange rate differences, is about 1% for imports and 0.5% for exports, compared with 2-4% outside the system and up to 12% at the height of the problem last year.
"Today 100% of all the money is being transferred without a glitch, we have not had a single case where the money comes back. The money is normally delivered within 2 days," said another banker involved.
The banker added that currently there is only one clearing session a week each Thursday, but the plan is to hold two sessions from the end of April.
Should note I missed this story last month and it’s gone under the radar, but I can’t say enough of how critical this is.
@Slavyangrad
A Multi-Analysis of the War and its Consequences, Part 5/6
"Ukraine's overall losses are hard to assess. According to the Russian MoD, over 800.000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed thus far, and these only take into account the identified ones. FAB strikes, TOS systems, and missile strikes often leave no body behind, and it is perfectly reasonable to imagine that those casualties, combined with the MIAs, can cause the number to swell to over one million KIAs. Again, following the 3:1 or 4:1 ratio, anywhere between 3.200.000 to 4.000.000 AFU soldiers may have been injured.
Equipment is also running out at an ever accelerating pace. The Collective West has been funnelling unprecedented amounts of materiel into their puppet state, but their stocks are far from limitless and many western countries are scraping the barrel already sending worn down F-16s only fit for spare parts, or vehicles that were considered outdated 50 years ago. This insanity has progressed to such a terminal stage that some armies in the west have parted from their actual combat stocks, rather than going through the reserves, leaving them unable to sustain a prolonged war. Denmark has effectively become a demilitarized country, and couldn't conquer Rhode Island even if the USA were to just sit down and do nothing but eat hamburgers. The parting from so much materiel has effectively reduced most militaries to Potyomkin Villages, fancy to look at when in a parade, but incapable of doing anything else. By Macron's own admission, France's army is effectively neutered and incapable of fighting a high-intensity war in Ukraine. If France's army is like that, then it is fair to say that the same can be said about Germany's, or England's.
Stocks of missiles are running dangerously low; there are very few Storm Shadows or ATACAMS left, and Russian countermeasures have made them ineffective. Germany could still supply Taurus missiles, but if neither the ATACAMs nor the Storm Shadows have yielded much result, how effective the Tauruses could be remains highly questionable.
Probably the only thing that is keeping the AFU in the fight are kamikaze drones. Intensive use of them allows the AFU to considerably slow down - but not entirely stop - Russian advance, however drones alone can't man trenches and machinegun nests, and the RUAF have even more FPVs to throw at Ukrainian positions. Even more importantly, Russians now field fiber optic drones in ever increasing quantities, which cannot be jammed and can go as far as 20, 25, or even 30 kilometres.
Time is running short for the AFU. Stupid decisions taken by a leadership detached from reality and a constantly dwindling amount of soldiers and equipment guarantee a collapse of the AFU at some point, unless a peace on Moscow's terms is achieved first. Much like the stream that is constantly swelling into a raging torrent, the RUAF are constantly increasing their manpower and resources, while the AFU are running out of building materials to reinforce the wall with."
@Slavyangrad