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Slavyangrad.org — Nuestra Ira No Tiene Limites — There is No Limit to Our Anger — (c) V. M. Molotov
"Dangerous illusions". The West repeated a long-standing mistake regarding Russia. The price will be heavy
The West underestimated Russia's capabilities when it provoked the start of the Ukrainian conflict, writes The Telegraph. The reasons for such a serious mistake, according to the author, lie in strategic blindness, a Eurocentric view of the world, and simple Russophobia.
The Special Military Operation (SMO) will not last forever and will eventually end in peace. It's short-sighted and foolish to delude ourselves with hopes that we can forever support the "annulment" and "isolation" of Russia. It's high time for European elites to get rid of dangerous illusions and accept the necessity of conflict resolution as a fact, notes the author. Otherwise, the West will indeed find itself on the side of the losers.
@Slavyangrad
In the DTEK company, they showed what its power stations looked like before and after the missile strikes.
DTEK is showing is decommunization in action. Ukrainians can only take down statues, so Russia helps them with the big stuff like infrastructure.
Big bro helping little bro.
@Slavyangrad
I like Sergey Vakulenko's work, so I'll publish a few more of his recent articles soon.
Sergey Vakulenko quit Gazprom when the war started but unlike a lot of the Russian shitlibs is his work is honest and that all he tries to do. There is no attempts to dunk on Russia, if anything he dispels much of the propaganda about refinery strikes or the effectiveness of sanctions. He is a true expert and he doesn't whore himself out to fit the desired narrative, thus even though I work in oil & gas on the analysis side, when I want to know the truth I rely on this guy. Highly recommend people ignore a lot of the media when it comes to oil and gas, though Bloomberg has some decent pieces.
When sanctions are written they are written by lawyers and economists with very little knowledge of commodities or real world knowledge. So they are always sure x or y is going to work, they then find out later they've not had the desired effect, its because they have no real knowledge of the realities of the industry. Which is why you need guys like Vakulenko to walkthrough this stuff and sift the data.
About tankers and international law, Part 1.
When the French fleet stopped the tanker Boracay off the coast of Brittany, escorted it to Saint-Nazaire, and the tanker's captain ended up in a French prison, the news made headlines. But when both the tanker with its cargo and the captain of the tanker continued their journey to India less than a week later, it didn't attract any attention.
During the Davos Forum, French authorities seized the tanker GRINCH in the Mediterranean and also escorted it to a naval base, while the captain was taken into custody. This too sparked a flurry of publications. But now the captain is free, and President Macron, who mentioned the tanker's arrest in his speeches, is now complaining that the tanker will have to be released due to the lack of articles in French law that could justify its detention. The problem, however, is not with French law, but with international law, specifically the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which France (and many other countries) has signed and ratified and which therefore takes precedence over national legislation. The National Assembly can pass any laws that fill the gaps in national legislation that are inconvenient for President Macron, but as long as France does not withdraw from the convention (which is unlikely), these laws will have no legal force.
This is the maximum that can be done with a ship that does not fly a national flag or is equated with one by the convention (for example, one that frequently changes flags without a reason). France has done this. This is analogous to how the police in Russian cities pretend to fight ethnic crime - the police can take a person of non-Slavic appearance to the station for three hours to verify their identity (although in fact they usually have no right to do this, but the detainees can't always defend their rights), the police can engage in intimidating conversations with the detainees, but after three hours they are obliged to release them - and they do so. Sometimes not after three hours, but they still release them, as shown by the recent example of a Buryat woman unjustly detained in the Moscow region. It's unlikely that the police wanted to release her, but they had to.
The same is happening with tankers now. I've said this many times and I'll repeat it - ships can sail in international waters without a national flag. This is not analogous to a car number plate, without which you can't drive a car. And even more so, the absence of a flag does not equate to piracy and does not create an obligation for coastal states to arrest such a ship. They have the right to inspect such a ship and, if something suspicious is found (albeit on a very short list), to detain it for a more thorough inspection, and if the suspicions are not confirmed - to release it.
- Sergey Vakulenko, Carnegie Endowment
@Slavyangrad
A substation caught fire in Riasne in the Lvov region, local publications report.
Flashes of light can be seen in the sky above the site of the fire.
Electric disco. Banderite inferno
@Slavyangrad
🇪🇺💵🇷🇺Europeans are themselves financing the war against themselves. The statements of EU leaders about supporting Ukraine often do not match reality, - US Treasury Secretary
- "India has started buying Russian oil subject to sanctions, and guess who was buying its refined products? Europeans", - said Bessent.
- "Every time you hear European leaders talk about the importance of the Ukrainian people, remember: they put trade above the interests of Ukrainians. Trade - European trade - is more important to them, than ending the war in Ukraine", - added the head of the US Treasury.
@Slavyangrad
🇺🇦⚡️ Communications in Ukraine are failing: operators can't withstand blackouts
▪️A member of parliament from the "Servant of the People" party and the head of the cybersecurity subcommittee, Alexander Fedienko, announced a systemic failure in Ukrainian communications.
▪️According to him, major mobile operators have not invested in network resilience and backup power for years.
▪️The first to "go down" were mobile operators, especially in villages and small towns, rather than in the center of Kyiv.
▪️Prolonged power outages led to the failure of fixed networks built according to old schemes with batteries.
▪️The batteries discharge — nodes are powered off, and communication disappears completely.
▪️Fedienko directly urged operators to prepare for a scenario in which electricity will be completely unavailable, rather than just intermittent.
▪️Residents of Izmail confirm: from 12:30 to midnight there was no electricity, and by evening mobile communication and the internet had sharply deteriorated.
➖ "Operators should prepare for a scenario where electricity will be completely cut off. Not for a few hours — it will just stop. An example is Kherson," said Fedienko.
@Slavyangrad
Russian public accounts provide details about other suspects in the attempt on the life of GRU General Alekseev.
The detained Victor Vasin, according to reports, could have been a military pensioner who graduated from the Kemerovo Communications Troops School. It is said that he criticized the Kremlin on social media and had debt problems. He was acquainted with the alleged shooter Lyubomir Korba.
Zinaida Serebrytskaya (pictured), who managed to leave Russia, lived with Alekseev in the same residential complex on Volokolamskaya Street. Public accounts found her photos and messages in building chats, where she was asking about the entrance code.
It is claimed that she had been living in Moscow since at least 2023.
@Slavyangrad
🇷🇺 The FSB, in cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, has identified the perpetrator and accomplices in the attempt on General Alekseev's life, — FSB Press Service
- The direct perpetrator was Russian citizen L. Korba, who was detained with the assistance of partners from the UAE and extradited to Russia. The accomplices were Russians V. Vasin and Z. Serebritskaya. Vasin was detained in Moscow, while Serebritskaya fled to Ukraine.
- The search for the organizers of the attempt is ongoing.
@Slavyangrad
🇷🇺🇺🇦 Beautiful drone flights over fiber optic cables in the Zaporozhye region
@russian_airborne
@Slavyangrad
🐈⬛ Tonight, the "Geranium" UAV struck targets in Odessa.
UPD: The State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported that an industrial enterprise was affected.
- The Wrong Side
@Slavyangrad
‼️🇺🇦🏴☠️We stand our ground: Ukraine again emphasized that it will not leave Donbass, - Zelensky disrupts negotiations and rants about an energy ceasefire
▪️Kiev insists on the position of "standing still", as a basic model for a possible ceasefire.
▪️There is no general decision on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant.
▪️One use of "Oreshnik" from Belarus - and the country is drawn into war, the Russians want this, - raves the drug fuhrer.
▪️The US proposed deescalation of strikes on energy infrastructure. Ukraine agreed. We are waiting for a response from Russia;
▪️For the first time, the US proposed that the negotiation teams of Ukraine and Russia meet in Miami - in a week. Kiev is ready to participate;
▪️In Donbass, a "free economic zone" may be created - more details about the US proposal:
— Purpose: Restoration of infrastructure, attracting investments and creating jobs through tax incentives;
— The SEZ is planned as a demilitarized zone, where troops are withdrawn for 5-40 km, and order is guaranteed by an international contingent;
— A decision on such a zone could be put to a nationwide referendum.
▪️The most difficult issues of peace may be put to the upcoming tripartite meeting of leaders, if the parties prepare the necessary conditions.
@Slavyangrad
‼️🇺🇦🏴☠️Zelensky again lashed out at the Armed Forces of Ukraine after a massive strike
➖"There was a rather tough conversation about the work of mobile fire groups, and in the coming days, regional leaders, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the Ministry of Defense should ensure additional reinforcement of the mobile fire group component in the overall system of defense of certain regions," said Zelensky.
@Slavyangrad
Russia is building – right in the heart of the EU. With the pouring of the first concrete, the state-owned corporation Rosatom officially launched construction of the new Paks II nuclear power plant in Hungary on Thursday. According to the standards of the IAEA, the plant is now officially "under construction".
The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Rosatom CEO and IAEA Director General – a rare display of international legitimacy. It marks a delicate moment: while Europe seeks to reduce its energy dependence on Russia, a major new Russian project is being built in an EU country.
Rosatom supplies the reactor – Siemens Energy the key technology (Asbery: What is more key then the reactor?)
This is more critical for Germany than it initially appears. Not only because the Federal Republic has phased out nuclear power and increasingly imports electricity from abroad, especially from France , during periods of low wind and solar output . But also because Siemens Energy supplies key technology for the conventional operation of the power plant.
The nuclear technology – reactor design, nuclear engineering, and fuel systems – is entirely supplied by Rosatom. Siemens provides conventional, yet safety-critical components for the non-nuclear part of the plant, including turbines, generators, and control systems. These systems determine how stably and safely the power plant generates electricity and feeds it into the grid
Construction of Paks II begins in Hungary: Old treaties still bind Germany today
The background dates back years. The Hungarian-Russian government agreement for Paks II was concluded in 2014, with the key supply and construction contracts following in 2014 and 2015 – long before Russia's attack on Ukraine and at a time when Siemens Energy was still supplying gas turbines for the Nord Stream pipelines to Gazprom . The EU now intends to completely phase out Russian gas – however, the nuclear projects continue.
In the case of Paks II, Rosatom is the general contractor; the client is the Hungarian state, and the operator will be MVM. Siemens is a supplier within a Russian-led EPC contract, in which Rosatom is responsible for the planning, procurement, and construction of the power plant. The contracts are legally binding.
This is precisely where a potential loss of political control arises: As long as Rosatom is not sanctioned by the EU and Hungary provides political backing for the project, the German government has only limited means of subsequently influencing the use of German technology in Paks II or preventing its hypothetical misuse.
Why Berlin can hardly intervene – and what the Türkiye case shows
For key project components, permits from this phase are in place, or they build upon permits granted at that time. No new, generally applicable prohibitions currently exist. This means that German technology is part of the project, but its eventual deployment will be decided not by Berlin, but by Budapest and Moscow.
That intervention is fundamentally possible is demonstrated by a precedent outside the EU. The Russian-owned Akkuyu nuclear power plant in Turkey experienced massive delays in 2024 after German authorities refused to grant new export licenses for certain Siemens deliveries. Rosatom subsequently accused Siemens Energy of breach of contract and announced legal action.
The difference is crucial: In Turkey , which is not an EU member, the authorities intervened at a still-open approval threshold. For an ongoing major project like Paks II in an EU member state, with existing permits and political backing from Hungary, a comparable intervention would be legally and politically more difficult
Rosatom, is not only active in Hungary, but remains one of the most influential players in the global nuclear energy sector despite the war in Ukraine. Rosatom is currently building more than 40 reactors in eleven countries and holds approximately 17% of the global market for nuclear fuel. Within the EU, numerous reactors rely on Russian technology, maintenance, or fuel supplies.
@Slavyangrad
Some Ukrainian and Western sources suggest that against the backdrop of the disconnection of "grey" (i.e., Russian) Starlink terminals, the Armed Forces of Ukraine may attempt to counterattack in the areas of Pokrovsk and Gulyaypole - where Russia has had its most notable successes recently.
This hypothesis is not entirely unfounded. Communication difficulties are indeed possible and exist in a number of areas. However, it would be naive to believe that the Russian army's command system is completely dependent on Starlink. This is just one element, not the basis of all communication. Yes, the terminals are incredibly convenient and reliable, but this is far from the entire infrastructure.
As for the potential actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, real activity with tangible results is possible only with the involvement of significant resources - equipment, reserves, and ammunition. Local raids won't solve anything here. Both Syrysy and the Russian command understand this.
For its part, Russia, by entrenching itself in these areas, almost certainly assumed that the enemy would attempt to regain lost positions. Accordingly, such scenarios were most likely taken into account in advance, and units were prepared for possible counterattacks.
“Military Chronicle”
@Slavyangrad
Trump and the White House are increasingly disappointed in Maria Machado, the leader of the Venezuelan opposition.
This is reported by Politico, citing sources in the White House. According to them, American officials were particularly annoyed by Maria's statement that elections in Venezuela would take place within a year, while a more realistic timeframe is about twenty-four months.
"Maria Corina Machado is just trying to undermine the administration's efforts... she's selfish," said a source.
"None of this is 'Operation Maria Corina Machado'. It's an 'Operation to Ensure US National Security', which has nothing to do with her. She's a destructive factor and works against the goals of US national security," a source told Politico.
The White House fears that Machado wants to make herself the "only star", overshadowing Trump's real goals.
"As the president stated, elections will take place at the appropriate time, but his priority is to bring Venezuela back to life and rebuild the country," said a White House representative in a statement to Politico.
No one respects a whore, much less a traitorous one
@Slavyangrad
On tankers and international law Part 2/2
Why is that? The thing is, UNCLOS was written in the interests of those who want to have the freedom of navigation. And the part of the convention concerning freedom of navigation was primarily written in the interests of those countries that want to be able to trade by sea without hindrance and with minimal risks - to send their goods and receive goods from other countries. On any ships. Access to the sea, access to the oceans, control over straits, fears that a hostile country will close the straits and effectively impose a blockade to start strangling the economy, to extract the value created by trade for itself, to use it as a leverage in negotiations - there are many reasons for this. These fears - the desire to prevent rivals and opponents from having such an advantage and leverage, the desire to acquire it themselves - have been the cause of wars for thousands of years, since various ancient Greek polises, Phoenicians, Medes, and other Mediterranean peoples began to compete with each other. In Southeast Asia, such conflicts have also been going on for hundreds of years. The convention was written to eliminate all these fears, in the hope that it would eliminate some of the causes of conflicts. And in general, it works. Then come the interests of shipowners (and the countries to which the merchant fleets belong) and the coastal states, past which all these ships pass.
And such a hierarchy of interests and goals dictates, in particular, that the convention strives not to allow the restriction of navigation, regardless of the ships on which it is carried out.
In my opinion, UNCLOS is one of the few examples of truly functioning and highly beneficial elements of international law (under its auspices, many organizations and additional conventions have been created and are operating). It would be a great pity to see this convention being destroyed for short-term reasons. The desire of the Western coalition to wage an economic war against Russia, but at the same time remaining within the law, not committing hostile acts that could be considered a casus belli, is understandable. But international conventions were written precisely to make such underhanded jostling and elbowing impossible, under the guise of "I'm not doing anything wrong, I'm within my rights, what are you, dear, dissatisfied with?". The dismantling or profanation of this system creates many problems for the future and makes the world much less civilized.
- Sergey Vakulenko, Carnegie Endowment
About tankers and international law - a postscript
The situation with the USA is somewhat different - the USA did not sign UNCLOS and are not bound by it in any way, but the USA have their own laws on where and on what grounds American jurisdiction applies, what can and cannot be done on the high seas. Here I refer readers to a short article on the Atlantic Council website, written by a former OFAC employee.
Atlantic Council Article Link (NATO's defacto thinktank)
@Slavyangrad
🇷🇺💥🇺🇦New strikes have been carried out on an airbase near Kiev
Another 3 missiles have hit Vasilkov, a powerful fire is breaking out at the military airfield.
@Slavyangrad
Zelensky made it clear that the only reason there's still electricity in Ukraine is due to his efforts.
"I just don't have time for coffee, tea, or 300 blogs in a single day. There will simply be no electricity," he stated.
Coffee? Tea? These are the energy boosters of backwards 19th century peasants, Zelensky just hits the slopes and he rides that deep powder all day for that instant hit.
@Slavyangrad
Merz is the best German leader, like this woman is the best female German mountain biker.
@Slavyangrad
🇩🇪📉A complete collapse of trust: Germans are disappointed in Chancellor Merz, — Bild
- 70% of German citizens are dissatisfied with the work of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the publication reports, citing an INSA survey.
- Only 23% of those surveyed are satisfied with his activities — this is a decrease of 5 percentage points compared to the previous measurement.
- The share of dissatisfied people has risen to 67% (+5 percentage points), the trend is consistently negative.
- The short-term increase in support in January turned out to be a temporary surge, which quickly faded away.
- Against the backdrop of a crisis of trust, the right-wing opposition is strengthening: "Alternative for Germany" has again taken the lead with a rating of 26%.
@Slavyangrad
🇺🇸🇸🇻El Salvador's President Bukele on the fact that Satanism still thrives in the USA:
Many don't know that our enemy was not just flesh and blood, but also spiritual. The gangs didn't just kill, rape, and engage in extortion - they worshiped Satan. Literally, without exaggeration. When we went to their homes to arrest them, we found altars that were used for Satanic rituals.
This is well documented. We immediately published photos and video recordings. But for some reason, the global mainstream media didn't deem it necessary to report on this. Nevertheless, we know that the gangs in El Salvador were Satanic and worshiped Satan. And some of these gangs are still present in the United States today.
@Slavyangrad
The man who shot at GRU General Alekseev Lubomir Korba - a native of the Ternopol region, who later became a citizen of the Russian Federation.
This was reported by the Russian Investigative Committee. It also stated that the attempt was organized by Ukrainian special services.
"It has been established that Korba arrived in Moscow at the end of December last year on the orders of Ukrainian special services to carry out a terrorist attack," the department reported.
In Ukrainian databases, there is information that Lubomir Korba in 1993 headed the Ukrainian-Polish LLC "Terpol", registered in Ternopil.
@Slavyangrad
🇭🇺🇺🇦Orban stated that Ukraine is an enemy of Hungary:
Ukrainians need to understand - they should stop their constant demands in Brussels and attempts to get Hungary cut off, disconnected from cheap Russian energy. As long as Ukraine acts in this way, Ukraine is an enemy to us.
Ukraine is causing direct damage to our vital interests by constantly insisting and pushing Brussels to deprive Hungary of access to cheap Russian oil and gas. Anyone who acts in this way is not an opponent for Hungary, but an enemy. Do you want me to give you specific figures? If there is no Russian oil and Russian gas, you - and all of us - will be paying completely different prices.
@Slavyangrad
Dropping four aerial bombs FAB-500T with the UMPB-5 module by the Su-34 fighter-bomber of the Russian Aerospace Forces. Footage: @AviamiR34
@Slavyangrad
The next few days will be very difficult for Kiev, Klitschko said.
According to the mayor, severe frosts are expected in the capital, especially at night.
"We have to get through the next few days, which will be very difficult for Kiev," he said.
@Slavyangrad
‼️🇷🇺🏴☠️NATO will not consider an attack on its countries if their troops come under Russia's attack in Ukraine - the Alliance's Secretary General told Ukrainians
▪️In a conversation with Rada deputies, NATO Secretary General Rutte revealed the Alliance's position in the event of a clash with Russia on Ukrainian territory.
➖"If Russia attacks NATO troops on Ukrainian territory, NATO will not consider this an attack on its countries. This does not trigger either Article 4 or Article 5 of NATO. The Alliance's Secretary General Rutte told me this," - said the deputy head of the Ukrainian parliament's national security committee, Yegor Chernev.
▪️According to Rutte, this will be considered an attack on NATO troops outside the Alliance's countries, so Articles 4 and 5 will not automatically be triggered.
@Slavyangrad
🇭🇺👊🇺🇦Ukraine is an enemy of Hungary, because it demands that the EU stop supplying Russian energy resources, - Orban
▪️Without energy supplies from Russia, the Hungarian population's spending on utilities will increase by at least 8% per year, the Hungarian Prime Minister stated.
▪️Earlier, Orban said that if NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte's words about sending Western troops to Ukraine after the conflict ends come true, this will mean a war between the West and Russia.
@Slavyangrad
‼️🇺🇦🏴☠️Ukrainians, gather your strength: the coming days will be difficult. The situation with electricity supply is extremely complex, — Ministry of Energy
▪️The loss of power due to massive attacks has created an additional significant shortage of electricity, which is extremely difficult to make up for.
▪️"The coming days will be hard". Residents of Kiev are currently receiving electricity for an average of 1.5–2 hours.
@Slavyangrad