Russian MFA 🇷🇺

#RussiaDPRK 🇷🇺🇰🇵President of Russia Vladimir Putin congratulated Chairman of State Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Kim Jong-un on his re-election as Chairman of State Affairs of the DPRK(March 23, 2026) ✉️ Please accept my sincere congratulations on your re-election as Chairman of State Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The decision of the deputies of the Supreme People’s Assembly clearly testifies to the unanimous public support for your course aimed at effectively addressing the DPRK’s socio-economic objectives, as well as safeguarding its sovereignty and legitimate interests on the international stage. In Russia, we highly value your personal contribution to strengthening the friendly, allied relations between our countries. We will, of course, continue our close joint work to further develop the comprehensive strategic partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang. This undoubtedly serves the fundamental interests of our peoples. I wish you continued success in your duties, as well as sound health and wellbeing. Best regards, VLADIMIR PUTIN

⚡️Statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry on the unlawful actions of Western countries in the World Ocean(March 23, 2026) The situation unfolding in the World Ocean lately has become absolutely unacceptable. European states such as France, Sweden and Finland are stopping vessels they deem undesirable with impunity and escorting them to their ports, accusing them of violating some so-called “international” sanctions. The pretext invoked is the need to enforce the unlawful restrictions imposed by the EU. In pursuit of their goal of depriving Russia of revenues from international trade, the EU has invented the term “shadow fleet”, which does not exist in international maritime law, and is using it as cover for outright piracy on maritime routes. ❗️Under far-fetched and strained pretexts, vessels that fully meet all the criteria for free and unimpeded navigation are being subjected to inspections and detentions. We remind European leaders that the only sanctions that are truly international are those approved by the UN Security Council. Unilateral illegal restrictions adopted by individual states or limited groupings thereof are neither international nor legitimate. The inconsistency of unilateral sanctions with international law has been repeatedly confirmed in UN General Assembly resolutions. The West seeks to justify its actions by claiming that vessels sailing without a flag are allegedly not entitled to freedom of navigation and must therefore be detained. Interestingly, vessels operating under false flags in the interests of European states themselves somehow do not fall under such restrictions. What matters is not the flag, but the destination. If the oil is intended for Europeans, then no matter what vessel carries it, the European authorities somehow find no grounds for detention. An especially outrageous violation of international law was the terrorist attack carried out by unmanned boats and drones against the LNG tanker Arctic Metagas, sailing under the Russian flag in the Mediterranean Sea. Not a single European state condemned those actions by their Ukrainian protégés. In this case, Europe is not merely a silent witness, but a direct accomplice in the lawlessness of the Kiev regime. The Russian Side regards these practices by EU countries as unacceptable and impermissible, grossly violating both the letter and the spirit of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,and will use all political, legal and other instruments at its disposal to ensure respect for the principle of freedom of navigation. Those intent on turning the Baltic Sea, as well as other maritime areas, into the “internal waters” of NATO and the EU should understand that such acts of piracy and lawlessness will not go unanswered on our part, including through the use of all necessary means. We call upon the international community to take a principled stand in support of the regime established by the 1982 Convention, and on flag states not to yield to neo-colonial diktat, but to unite in defending their legitimate interests and bona fide maritime carriers. ☝️ We are convinced that the Global majority is fully aware of all the threats and risks associated with the attempts by Western states to turn maritime spaces intoa zone of confrontation, establish unilateral control over sea lanes and deprive nations of the world of sources of development.

🇷🇺🇩🇿 March 23 marks the 6️⃣4️⃣th anniversary of Russia-Algeria diplomatic relations. Diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and Algeria were established on March 23, 1962. The USSR was the first state to offer its friendship to the young republic. The Soviet Union provided comprehensive support to the Algerian people: Soviet engineers and specialists participated in building infrastructure and made a significant contribution to Algeria’s economic development. On December 26, 1991, Algeria officially recognised the Russian Federation. The Embassy of Russia in Algeria and the Embassy of Algeria in Russia remain in operation. 🤝 Russia and Algeria maintain an active political dialogue, expand inter-parliamentary relations, and exchange delegations at various levels. In 2025, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held three meetings with Algeria’s Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs, National Community Abroad and African Affairs Ahmed Attaf. A number of intergovernmental agreements, memoranda, and cooperation programmes are in effect between our countries. In particular, the Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, intergovernmental agreements granting Algeria access to the GLONASS system, and agreements on cooperation in intellectual property protection as part of bilateral military-technical cooperation were signed in recent years. In 2023, a Declaration on Enhanced Strategic Cooperation was signed during President of Algeria Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s visit to Moscow. #RussiaAlgeria: Algeria remains one of Russia’s leading trade partners in Africa. In recent years, bilateral trade amounted to around $3 billion annually. Russian exports include primarily high-tech products (machinery, equipment, and vehicles), food, and agricultural products. Key areas of Russian-Algerian cooperation include energy, metallurgy, and iron ore projects, as well as the automotive industry. Cooperation in education is on the rise as well: over 3,000 Algerian students are studying in Russia, and Algeria has approximately 20,000 graduates of Russian civilian and military universities. 🎉 Weextend our best wishes to our Algerian friends and colleagues on this occasion and wish them prosperity, well-being, and continued success.

🇷🇺🇦🇲📞On March 23, President of Russia Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan had a telephone conversationat the Armenian Side's initiative. The Leaders discussed various aspects of the further development of bilateral relations, including cooperation in trade and the economy, energy, and transport. #RussiaArmenia

🇷🇺🇮🇷📞On March 23, Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov and Foreign Minister of Iran Abbas Araghchi had a telephone conversation. The Ministers discussed the situation in the Persian Gulf, which has sharply deteriorated as a result of the US and Israeli aggression. Sergey Lavrov stressed the categorical unacceptability of the US-Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, including the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, which create unacceptable risks for the safety of Russian personnel and could lead to catastrophic environmental consequences for all countries of the region without exception. Both Sides also expressed concern over the dangerous expansion of the conflict provoked by Washington and Tel Aviv into the Caspian region. The Russian Side emphasized the need for an immediate cessation of hostilities and for a political settlement that takes into account the legitimate interests of all parties involved, above all Iran. Russia will continue to adhere to this stance at the UN Security Council. Abbas Araghchi thanked the Russian leadership for the substantial diplomatic and other support being provided to Iran, including the delivery of humanitarian assistance. #RussiaIran

#KievRegimeCrimes ⚡️Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rodion Miroshnik: PHOTO FACTS & EVIDENCE of crimes committed by Ukrainian armed forces over the week of March 16-22, 2026: ▪️ March 16 – a massive drone attack on a hospital in Vasilyevka, Zaporozhye Region. ▪️ March 16 – a strike by two fixed-wing UAVs on a Donbass Post office in Mangush (DPR). ▪️ March 16 – a UAV strike on a private residential house in Otradnoye, Belgorod Region. ▪️ March 17 – a UAV strike on an ambulance in Novaya Kakhovka, Kherson Region. Three medical workers and a female patient were injured. ▪️ March 17 – a UAV strike on a civilian passenger car in Novaya Tavolzhanka, Belgorod Region. ▪️ March 18 – a UAV strike on a civilian passenger car in Grayvoron, Belgorod Region. ▪️ March 18 – a massive raid of fixed-wing UAVs on Krasnodar. One civilian was killed. ▪️ March 21– a strike by two guided aerial bombs on a post office in Smorodino, Belgorod Region. Four women were killed, one more was injured. ▪️ March 22 – a HIMARS MLRS strike on a medical facility in Bytsenkov, Belgorod Region. ▪️ March 22 – a UAV strike on a civilian passenger car in Grayvoron, Belgorod Region. One civilian was injured.

🇷🇺Russia's Olympic Committee: ALEX OVECHKIN – 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣! Captain of the Washington Capitals Alexander Ovechkin has reached the milestone of 1,000 career goals in the NHL, combining regular seasons and playoff games. In a home game against the Colorado Avalanche, the Russian forward “capitalised” on the power play in the 55th minute. After a slick passing play involving rookie Cole Hutson and Dylan Strome, Ovechkin took aim and buried a precise one-timer. The goal sent the game into overtime, where the visitors ultimately came out on top. 🏒 It marked Ovi's 26th goal of the season and his 923rd in NHL regular-season play– extending his record as the league’s all-time leader in that category.With playoffs combined, Alex now has 1,000 career goals. Alexander Ovechkin is just 17 goals shy of Wayne Gretzky. #TheGR8

💬Russia's Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova in an Izvestia article (March 22, 2026): ✍️ Today marks the anniversary of one of the most heinous crimes committed by the Nazis and their accomplices – the destruction in 1943 of the Belarusian village of Khatyn together with all its inhabitants. 149 people, including 75 children, were burned alive. Since 1969, a memorial complex stands on the site of the burned Khatyn, commemorating the mass murder of civilians on the occupied territory of the USSR. In 2024, I visited the site with my family to personally honor the memory both of those who were brutally killed and of those who, through artistic expression, captured human suffering and preserved the memory of this atrocity for future generations. The punitive operation was carried out by a special SS unit – the Dirlewanger Sonder Battalion and the 118th Schutzmannschaft Battalion (auxiliary police). Local residents remember well: the butchers came from Western Ukraine. The 118th Security Police Battalion was formed in 1942 in Kiev, largely from Ukrainian nationalists. It was commanded by Konstantin Smovsky, a former major in the Polish Army and participant in the Ukrainian nationalist movement; the chief of staff was Grigory Vasyura. The German commander of the unit was SS Sturmbannführer Erich Kerner. Members of the unit had previously taken part in the mass murder of Jews at Babi Yar. Most of those involved in the Khatyn massacre received their just punishment: in 1986 in Minsk, Vasyura was found guilty by a military tribunal andsentenced to death. Only those who managed to flee to the Western occupation zone of Germany at the end of the war escaped justice – under the “protection” of new patrons. The commander of the 118th Battalion, Konstantin Smovsky, later became active in émigré organisations and died in Minneapolis (USA). Ivan Slizhuk was an active member of the OUN émigré movement and died in Lyon in 1994. Iosif Vinnitsky was an activist of the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada and died in Montreal. Since 1951, Vladimir Katryuk lived in Canada. In 1999, after incriminating evidence emerged, he was stripped of his citizenship, but in November 2010 the court reversed that decision. In 2015, Russia’s Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against him, however Canada refused to extradite him. *** The photo shows Konstantin Smovsky’s obituary in the émigré newspaper Svoboda. Not a single word about Khatyn – only supposed “services” to Ukraine, of the same kind that are today attributed to Zelenskyy’s regime: terror, killings, persecution. The fate of this publication reflects, as in a mirror, the history of the formation of political “Ukrainianism.” The newspaper had been published since 1893 in a Galician dialect of Russian – using pre-reform letters such as “Ѣ” and “Ь”. In other words, it was printed in the pre-reform Russian alphabet. Only on October 15, 1914, did Svoboda first appear with the subtitle: “Official organ of the Ukrainian National Union in America”. During the Second World War, the newspaper was banned in Canada for its openly pro-Nazi sympathies. After the war, there were no longer any obstacles to the spread of Bandera propaganda – or to the glorification of Nazi collaborators who had escaped justice, a process that continues to this day. Quite recently, Canadian parliamentarians gave a standing ovation to Nazi collaborator Hunka, while the country’s Foreign Ministry was headed by an outspoken Russophobe and granddaughter of another Nazi collaborator, Mikhailo Khomyak – Chrystia Freeland.

Khatyn Massacre 8️⃣3️⃣ years ago, in Nazi-occupied Belarus, an entire village was wiped out. 149 people were burned alive. 75 of them were children. This atrocity was carried out by Ukrainian collaborators under German command (the 118th Schutzmannschaft Battalion and the SS-Sturmbrigade Dirlewanger). 🇨🇦Canada gave asylum to two Nazi butchers of Khatyn: Joseph Vinnitskii and Vladimir Katriuk. ❗️They were never held accountable for their crimes and died in peace. Memory cannot be selective. No one is forgotten! Nothing is forgotten! #Victory81#WeRemember

📆 On March 22, 1945, the League of Arab States (#ArabLeague) was established in Cairo, Egypt. 🤝 According to its Charter, the League aims to strengthen relations and promote comprehensive cooperation among its member states, coordinate their political efforts, and safeguard their independence and sovereignty. Over time, this regional organisation, which is among the world’s oldest ones, has firmly established itself as an influential and authoritative intergovernmental body across the Middle East and North Africa. It has consistently worked to foster unity among Arab nations and to develop coordinated positions on key international issues. Today, the League continues to play an essential role in shaping a more just global order grounded in the principles of multipolarity. Relations between Russia and the League have beenadvancing dynamically. In 1990, a Representative Office of the League was opened in Moscow, where it continues to operate successfully. #RussiaArabLeague: On September 23, 2003, during a session of the UN General Assembly in New York City, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Russian Foreign Ministry and the General Secretariat of the Arab League. The document provides for close political dialogue on international and regional issues, as well as regular contacts between the parties. Since 2005, the Russian Ambassador to Egypt has also served as the plenipotentiary representative to the League. At present, the core mechanism for cooperation is the Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum, a platform for engagement at the level of foreign ministers. Six sessionshave taken place so far, the most recent one held in December 2023 in Marrakesh. 🎙Excerpt from Sergey Lavrov’s remarks during themeeting with Arab media representatives (Moscow, October 13, 2025): Our relations with our Arab friends are steadily progressing. The League of Arab States has demonstrated its value and is consolidating its role as a key pillar of the emerging multipolar world, authoritatively and actively participating in global affairs such as economics and finance, while increasingly contributing to the resolution of regional and, more broadly, political issues. We have observed sustained growth in trade turnover with the League’s member states, which has now exceeded $34 billion. Active political dialogue between Russia and the League also continues. In recent months, the Russian Foreign Ministry has received Arab League Representative in Moscow Walid Hamid Shiltagh on several occasions. During a meeting on March 10 between Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Borisenko and the ambassadors of Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon accredited in Moscow, along with the Arab League representative, the Russian side stressed the importance of promptly de-escalating and resolving the crisis surrounding Iran through political and diplomatic means. The partners were also briefed on the extensive efforts undertaken by the Russian leadership to bring an end to hostilities. 🤝 Efforts are currently underway to develop new formats of dialogue with the League of Arab States.

🗓 March 22, 2024… Exactly two years have passed since the horrific terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall, which claimed 149 lives and shattered hundreds of others. As last year, today, people keep coming to the memorial to honour the victims. They bring flowers, candles, toys – anything that can express grief, pain and remembrance, a sign that the memory of those lost is being carefully preserved. Students, volunteers, rescuers, residents of Moscow, as well as those who personally lived through that nightmare or lost loved ones there, came to the “White Cranes” statue. 🕯 We deeply mourn together with the families and loved ones of the victims. On that terrible night, we lost our colleague – Tatiana Repina, a junior specialist of the Department of Linguistic Support. *** Recently, the court has found the evidence collected by the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia sufficient to deliver a verdict against 19 defendants in the criminal case. Russia's Investigative Committee statement of March 12, 2026: It has been reliably established that this inhumane crime was planned and carried out in the interests of the current leadership of Ukraine with the aim of destabilising the political situation in our country. By the court’s verdict, 19 defendants were sentenced – depending on their roles – to terms of imprisonment ranging from 19 years and 11 months to life, as well as fines of up to 2.7 million rubles. 📷© Sergey Bobylev / RIA Novosti #NoStatuteOfLimitations

#NoStatuteOfLimitations 8️⃣3️⃣ years ago, the peaceful Soviet Belarusian village of #Khatyn was wiped out –nearly all of the inhabitants were burned alive and shot by the SS punitive unit Dirlewanger (Sonderkommando Dirlewanger) and the 118th Ukrainian Police Battalion. Khatyn – a small village of just 26 households – was located 54 kilometres northwest of Minsk. On March 22, 1943, Belarusian partisans intercepted a Nazi motor convoy in the area, inflicting casualties, including killing a German officer. In retaliation, the Hitlerites encircled Khatyn and decided to unleash their fury on defenceless civilians – women, the elderly and children. All residents – 149 people, including 75 children – were forced into a wooden barn, locked inside and set ablaze. Those who, in desperation, tried to escape were ruthlessly shot at point-blank range. ✍️ From the interrogation record of Ostap Knap, a collaborator from the 118th Ukrainian Police Battalion, a native of the Lvov region (31 May 1986): “The roof was thatched and immediately caught fire. Screams of horror rose from the barn as those trapped inside, facing certain death, began forcing the door. The policemen surrounding the site opened fire on them”. Only six people managed to escape the inferno alive – five children and one adult, 56-year-old blacksmith Iosif Kaminsky. He regained consciousness late at night after the perpetrators had left the burnt village. Among the bodies of his fellow villagers, he found his son Adam, who died from his wounds in his father’s arms… ❗️ The atrocities in Khatyn were carried out by the 118th Ukrainian Police Battalion, formed in October 1942 in Kiev largely from Ukrainian nationalists and members of the Organisation of Ukrainian nationalists. Earlier, its members took part in mass executions of Jews at Babi Yar. The battalion was commanded by Konstantin Smovsky, born in the Poltava Governorate, who later fled to the US, where he died in 1960. The Supreme court of Belarus has found him guilty of genocide. *** In 1969, one of Belarus’s most revered memorial sites – the Khatyn Memorial Complex – was opened on the site of the destroyed village, a silent witness to the monstrous crimes of Nazism. At its centre stands a six-metre bronze sculpture, The Unconquered Man, depicting Iosif Kaminsky carrying his dead son in his arms. Each of the 26 burned homes is marked by a symbolic log structure with an obelisk in the shape of a chimney, bearing the names of those who perished and a bell that tolls every hour. The tragedy of Khatyn has become a symbol of the inhuman cruelty of Nazism – a living reminder of hundreds of annihilated villages and thousands of innocent civilians of the Soviet Union whose lives were shattered by Nazi perpetrators and their accomplices – a genocide of the Soviet people. Our duty is to ensure that these crimes, which have no statute of limitations, are never forgotten. On April 19, by Presidential Decree, Russia established the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Genocide of the Soviet People during the Great Patriotic War. According to even the most conservative estimates, 13.7 million civilians were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators. 🕯We mourn together with the fraternal people of Belarus.