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#Opinion “In earlier periods of diplomatic practice, conduct of this nature could easily have triggered recall or resignation. Ambassadors have historically been required to step down for statements far less provocative than publicly refusing condolences following the death of a head of state. Yet in the present case Dr Olexander Scherba appears able to operate with considerable freedom inside South Africa’s public sphere.” ✍️ Read the article by Gillian Schutte on IOL about the situation involving Ukrainian ambassador to South Africa A.Scherba, who used the moment to mock the deaths of hundreds of Iraniansfollowing the unprovoked aggression by the United States and Israel against Iran. 👉https://iol.co.za/news/opinion/2026-03-06-ukraines-diplomatic-impunity-in-pretoria/ Ukraine's Diplomatic Impunity in Pretoria

#Opinion 👉 From the article Russians switched on to the benefits of floating nuclear power units published in the Business Day media (July 14, 2025) ✍️ As SA awaits the finalisation of the country’s long-term plan for electricity generation, Russian state atomic energy corporation Rosatom is proposing the introduction of floating nuclear power stations as part of the future energy mix. The only such power station in the world, the 70MW Akademik Lomonosov has been in operation in the arctic port of Pevek in northeast Siberia, where it has been providing electricity to the Russian town since 2019. Rosatom is now building another four such reactor vessels that will be deployed in the other cities along Russia’s northern sea route, also known as the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor. Ryan Collyer, CEO of Rosatom Central and Southern Africa says such floating power units (FPU) offer a flexible, scalable and environmentally responsible solution, it minimises the need for complex land-based infrastructure, reduces the time and cost of deployment, and can be relocated based on evolving energy needs. <...> Collyer says the FPU represents a revolutionary step forward in addressing Africa’s pressing energy challenges: “Across the continent, energy security remains a critical issue, and many remote coastal regions face limitations in grid connectivity. This technology provides not only reliable baseload electricity, but also opens opportunities for desalination, industrial development and local job creation.” <...> The coal technology was replaced with the Akademic Lomonosov’s clean nuclear technology. Now the snow is white as it should be, and residents don’t have to wash their windows as frequently as before. Read in full

#Opinion ✍️ Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs, former State Secretary, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (in 2005-2019) Grigory Karasin(May 17, 2025) 💬 Grigory Karasin: It is clear that Istanbul marked a crucial turning point. Despite the camouflage sheen of certain Kiev negotiators and the traditionally cunning faces of the European masterminds constantly surrounding Zelensky, thetalks in Türkiye should be regarded as a serious milestone on the path towards resolving the crisis in Ukraine. The first face-to-face meeting between the two delegations after the three years of fierce military confrontation — despite all the Western propaganda tricks — has nonetheless opened the door to contacts and solutions on specific, sensitive issues. 👉 Credit should be given to the calm and confident manner in which the Russian delegation conducted the dialogue. The POWs exchange and the agreement to continue negotiations are significant outcomes of a difficult and complex process. Russia’s objectives remain unchanged and were clearly stated by the President in June 2024. There is a growing sense that these goals are now being perceived with greater clarity, both by Kiev and its handlers. ❗️ The important thing is that the process has begun.

#Opinion ✍️Eduard Popov, Director of Center for Public and Information Cooperation "Europe" Nation-building in post-Maidan Ukraine: historical parallels Read in full 🔸The coup-d'état of February 21-22, 2014, meant more than a change of political regime in Ukraine. It was the end of symbolic history of the Soviet Ukraine and the beginning of something fundamentally different. 🔸 Euromaidan meant full rejection of the principles of social contract. The first legislative act of the new post-coup powers was to revoke the the Kivalov-Kolesnichenko language law that guaranteed a minimum rights for Russian-speaking population and ethnic minorities. After this, the total and radical offensive on everything Russian and non-Ukrainian started. 🔸 The Ukrainian state has a brief history. In post‑Maidan Ukraine, the origin of the Ukrainian state rests with the Ukrainian People's Republic. Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Andrey Parubiy called for recognizing and legislating the succession and continuity of the present Ukrainian state from the Ukrainian People's Republic (formally existed from November 1917 to November 1920 - 3 years!), and for the period between "the Republic" and independent Ukraine... [i.e. from 1920 to 1991 when Ukraine prospered and became one of the most developed parts of the then Europe] to be considered a "Soviet occupation". ❗️ The historical myth of modern Ukraine is built on the absolute non-recognition of the Soviet historical inheritance. This results in a combination of incompatible things: based on the use of achievements of the tsarist, imperial and Soviet periods with a total negation of everything Russian and Soviet. 🔸 A research, carried out by Google, turned out that 76% of users from Ukraine use the Russian language while searching on the Internet. 10,1% of users only prefer to use Ukrainian – fewer than the number of those who use English (13,5%). However, immediately after the victory of Euromaidan, Ukraine launched an attack on the Russian language and the Russian national minority as a whole. 🔸 Books in Russian are removed from Ukrainian libraries and demonstratively thrown into landfills; streets in Ukrainian cities named after Russian writers and historical figures are renamed. Amid this Third Reich-style policy, the silence of Western leaders, who actually brought the guardians of ethnic Ukrainian purity to power, looks especially outrageous. 🔸 The so-called state language ombudsman makes a statement about offensive Ukrainization onthe 10th anniversary of the burning of the Odessa Trade Unions House, when, according to official data alone, 48 people – supporters of the Russian World and random persons – were killed. ☝️ It is not too difficult to see that policy adherence by the Ukrainian post‑Maidan authorities to the tradition of Ukrainian integral nationalism – a variety of Nazism. They act according to the principle: "One country – one people – one language."

Putin in the Labyrinth: how Moscow can avoid losing in the Middle East - International Affairs ⚡#opinion https://en.interaffairs.ru/article/putin-in-the-labyrinth-how-moscow-can-avoid-losing-in-the-middle-east/

#Opinion by Russian MFA Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova Nuclear DisInfo (Read in full) Mechanisms for information attacks with a new thesis that target the public space have been launched in the West at the highest level in a transboundary and trans-format manner. The premise is primitive and completely horrifying: the Russians are threatening a nuclear war, and the Russians are waving the nuclear stick. ⁉️ Do I even need to say that this thesis is absolutely incorrect and false? Apparently, I do. They are pushing this exact thesis because it plays on basic human fears, the experience of the older generation, which throughout the second half of the 20th century was bracing for the Third World War against global communism, and Western youth, for which their respective governments have come up with a new mechanism called “cancel culture” (cancelling everything Russian this time). Moreover, the West absolutely does not care what Moscow really says, and the meaning of words is distorted and outwardly perverted. Let’s consider the specifics. Two days ago, in his answer to a question by Dimitri Simes during an interview, Sergey Lavrov said literally the following 👉full quote What are the takeaways? 1. It was Russia that, with great difficulty, convinced the United States during lengthy talks to reaffirm the Gorbachev-Reagan formula that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. 2. It was Russia that persuaded the group of five nuclear nations to adopt a statement with the same content. 3. There are risks; they should not be blown out of proportion or underestimated. We did everything possible to prevent a nuclear war, to create all the necessary obstacles on the way to slipping into this scenario (fortunately, they justified themselves during the Cold War and are working today), because we understand the real risks and threats posed by irresponsible behaviour in this area. We cannot allow the very thought of a nuclear war. Now acting in the worst traditions of disinformation, Western officials are feeding the media, in a coordinated effort, fake news about Moscow’s alleged nuclear threats. The foreign ministries from the NATO countries started convincing the people in their countries that the Russians were “rattling their weapons.” <...> Notice how clumsy this was in terms of media work. First, all the put-up quotes against our country were repeated by the journalist, and then they were again mentioned by Ned Price. A presentation designed for a not too sophisticated public. No one even paid attention to what the Foreign Minister said about the risks and Russia’s attempts to prevent the unthinkable. It’s unthinkable to us, but, mindful of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it is, unfortunately, possible for our colleagues from overseas. The next day, the media started mass brainwashing. The British tabloids (the Daily Mail and others) and the high-quality analytical US press, French television and German tabloid magazines started talking with one voice that Moscow was threatening with a Third World Nuclear War. And this was already being discussed in Europe; French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that the Russian Foreign Minister’s words were the “rhetoric of intimidation.” I would like to ask this Frenchman whether he at least saw what Sergey Lavrov said? We have translated the interview. Our country is against any nuclear war, and this is exactly what the Russian Minister said, and this is what guides our diplomacy in its work. Could it be that the Western capitals read the interviews as presented by the Western media? This is the only thing that can justify their words. To avoid that, one should simply DON'T turn off alternative sources of information, and listen to what Russia has to say close to the original text, rather than as interpreted by your media under NATO guidelines.

💬⚡️#Opinion by Maria Zakharova 💬 Boris Johnson has urged the Russian government to treat the Briton detained in Mariupol while fighting on the side of the Ukrainian government forces “humanely and compassionately.” Here is what we have to say in this respect. Boris, we know that you personally and your Government have disavowed the British subjects who have fallen victim to British propaganda and went to Ukraine as mercenaries to kill people there. Don’t pretend to be worried. You are utterly unconcerned about the fate of Britons in trouble. They didn’t drink champagne with you at Downing Street, and so they can wait for your protection till kingdom come. I would like to tell the following to those Britons who are concerned about their compatriots: Don’t worry, Russia is taking care of them. They are given food and drink, as well as any other assistance they may need, just as the other foreigners who have surrendered or have been detained. Unlike the Ukrainian fighters who brutally kill prisoners and torture civilians, the Russian Armed Forces are committed to humanitarian law. If there were no media censorship in Britain, everyone there would know this. At the same time, we urge the British authorities to treat the citizens of Ukraine “humanely and compassionately,” as Boris Johnson said, by stopping the delivery of weapons to Ukraine. The more weapons London is sending to Ukraine, the more citizens of Ukraine die as a result. But the BBC will never tell Britons about that.

#Opinion by Maria Zakharova Medvedchuk’s spouse Oksana Marchenko appealed to the British government and people: “I appeal to the relatives and friends of Aiden Eslin and Sean Pinner: Angela Eslin, Nathan and Shannon Wood, Derby and Evan Pinner. It's in your power to ask the Prime Minister of your country, Boris Johnson, to influence the Ukrainian leadership and achieve the release of Aiden and Sean by exchanging them for the Ukrainian opposition politician detained by the Kiev authorities, my husband Viktor Medvedchuk.” 💬 Maria Zakharova: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who recently went to Kiev, must be aware of the developments with Her Majesty’s subjects. He is sure to reply, isn’t he? Meanwhile, Liz Truss might take the opportunity to reveal what exactly the British nationals were doing there [in Mariupol, with Neo-Nazis] anyway.

#Opinion by Russia's MFA spokeswoman Maria #Zakharova 💬 The Ukrainian social media is packed with the obituaries of Ukrainian military personnel killed on April 13 in the strike on a venue in Sumy that brought together commanders from Ukrainian Seversk Tactical Group. Here is an account of the death of Ukrainian fighter Vladimir Zherebtsov. Here’s an obituary for Ukrainian army colonel Yury Yula. Here’s the statement by the mayor of the Ukrainian city Konotop Artyom Semenikhin containing direct accusation of Head of the Sumy Regional Military Administration Vladimir Artyukh who convened a meeting of Ukrainian combatants with the participation of women and children. Semenikhin openly demanded resignation of General Artyukh, who uses terrorist “civilian human shield” tactics to protect his thugs. This Kiev regime’s war crime was so obvious even to the Ukrainian people and the Kiev-controlled media that voices of outrage were heard among Zelensky’s inner circle as well. Verkhovnaya Rada Deputy Maryana Bezuglaya publicly demanded to find out who, fearing a Russian strike on a legitimate target, ordered to use women and children as human shields during the military event. Zelensky confirmed every accusation coming his way by firing Head of the Sumy Military Administration Artyukh yesterday, thus shifting the responsibility for this hideous war crime, which this time was directed against his own citizens, onto him. Does UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres know about all this? The day that followed the attack on a perfectly legitimate target, he was“deeply alarmed and shocked” by Russia’s Sunday missile strike on Sumy and accused our country of “attacking civilians.” I also have a question for Kallas and Merz who deliberately went ahead with verbal manipulations and poured dirt over Russia on Sunday and Monday. How are you now going to justify what your underling did? For some reason, representatives of our embassies in Sweden and Lithuania were summoned to the local foreign ministries. Apparently, poisoned by the fumes of competitive Russophobia, they were trying to take advantage of anything they could lay their hands on to further damage relations with our country which, as is, are unlikely to get revived for many years to come. When the Ukrainians attacked civilians on the Crimean Bridge, when SBU terrorists blew up Russian journalists in the Moscow suburbs and in St Petersburg, when drones attacked the Moscow Kremlin, and when Ukrainian punishers committed genocide and mass murder in the Kursk Region and buried old people alive in the village of Russkoye Porechnoye, these Euro peacemakers kept silent, and all the UN Secretariat did was diplomatically “call for peace.” When the gunmen get-together was liquidated, everyone started blaming Russia at once... When it became clear that the local authorities purposely used children as a shield to protect these ghouls, everyone went silent. If you think of it, after these publications and dismissals, they should now kneel in repentance before the whole world. The above facts not only prove, but demonstrate with disarming directness that the Kiev regime uses women and children as human shields, and then cast these staged performances as acts of alleged Russian aggression. The Ukrainian Nazi militants are, in fact, taking their own fellow citizens hostage. The blood of civilian victims is on the hands of Zelensky and his henchmen, as well as the conniving Western mob. The hoax in Bucha and the unrelenting attacks by the Ukrainian armed forces on Russian energy facilities even during the negotiated moratorium demonstrably show that this hideous circus has quite a few bloody tricks up its sleeve. https://t.me/MariaVladimirovnaZakharova/10208

#ExpertsSay#Opinion 📆 On 28 February 1992, the historic visit to South Africa by the Russian Foreign Minister culminated in the signing of an agreement to establish embassies and consulates in both countries. 🇷🇺🇿🇦 Until then, the relationship between Russia and South Africa had a complex history, marked by periods of cooperation and deep antagonism. Consular ties between the Soviet Union and the Union of South Africa were first established during World War II, reflecting their shared opposition to Nazi Germany. However, these ties were severed in 1956 by South Africa's apartheid regime, which viewed the Soviet Union as a major ideological adversary. For decades, the Soviet Union was a staunch supporter of the African National Congress in its struggle against apartheid. The support included providing arms, training ANC members, and actively campaigning against apartheid on the international stage. 👉 The late 1980s and early 1990s witnessed a significant shift in the relationship. As the Soviet Union underwent its own political transformations, it began to reassess its approach to South Africa. 👉 In 1991, the two countries agreed to establish "Interest Sections" within the Austrian embassies in Moscow and Pretoria, effectively serving as de facto diplomatic missions. This move signaled a gradual warmingof relations, with both sides engaging in dialogue and exploring avenues for cooperation. ✍️ The formal establishment of full diplomatic relationsin February 1992 occurred following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the emergence of the Russian Federation. The establishment of diplomatic relations was driven by a confluence of factors. For Russia, it represented an opportunity to engage with a strategically important and economically developed country. There was also a sense that establishing ties with the transitional government would pave the way for future cooperation with a post-apartheid South Africa. For South Africa, normalizing relations with Russia was seen as a way to break out of its international isolation and gain recognition from a major world power. It also opened possibilities for trade and economic cooperation. 🇷🇺🤝🇿🇦 The establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and South Africa laid the foundation for a multifaceted partnership that has continued to evolve in the years since. Despite the dramatic changes on the global stage, both countries have maintained a commitment to dialogue and cooperation on a range of issues. *Mr Boris Gorelik - Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Sub-Saharan Africa, Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences #RussiaSouthAfrica