📅#OTD in 1943, Soviet forces launched Operation "Iskra" (Spark), which broke the Siege of Leningrad. During the offensive, units of the Red Army from the Leningrad and Volkhov Fronts overcame enemy defenses, re-establishing a land connection between the city and the rest of the Soviet Union.
The siege ring around Leningrad had fully closed on September 8, 1941. More than 2.8 million people, including 400,000 children, were trapped under harsh winter conditions, enduring hunger and relentless bombings.
Attempts to break the blockade were made several times: in September and October 1941, during the general counteroffensive in January 1942, and again in August-September 1942. Favorable conditions only arose in January 1943, when the bulk of the Wehrmacht's forces were concentrated at Stalingrad.
By the end of January 1943, the troops of the Volkhov and Leningrad Fronts, delivering powerful blows, pierced the enemy's defenses and pushed them 12 km away from the shores of Lake Ladoga.
The combined strike groups of the Volkhov and Leningrad fronts included 302,800 soldiers and officers, approximately 4,900 artillery pieces and mortars (caliber 76mm and above), over 600 tanks, and 809 aircraft.
🎖 For their heroism, bravery, and courage during the breakthrough of the blockade, about 19,000 soldiers of the Leningrad and Volkhov Fronts, as well as the Baltic Fleet, were awarded orders and medals.
Although Leningrad was not fully liberated until January 27, 1944, the political, economic, and symbolic significance of breaking the blockade cannot be overstated.
The Soviet forces managed to partially lift the siege, easing the plight of the city's residents. Within three weeks of the breakthrough, a railway was built, and the first trains carrying food and ammunition reached Leningrad. The threat of German and Finnish forces linking up was eliminated, and the initiative in the Leningrad region shifted decisively to the Red Army.
🇷🇺 August 22 is the State Flag Day in Russia, established on August 20, 1994, in accordance with Presidential Executive Order "On the State Flag Day of the Russian Federation".
#OTD, we pay tribute to Russia’s official state symbol which, alongside its emblem and the national anthem, stands as a symbol of and the testimonyto the country’s sovereignty and independence, while asserting the generational continuity for our multicultural and multi-ethnic nation.
The Russian tricoloured flag is over three hundred years old. Tsar Peter I is considered to be its creator: he ordered “commercial vessels of all kinds” to sail under the white-blue-red flag. However, it was only in 1896 that this flag obtained its official status, not long before Emperor Nicholas II’s coronation.
⚪️🔵🔴 While there is no official interpretation of the national flag colours, it is widely accepted that white symbolizes purity, independence and peace, blue embodies faith, loyalty and justice, while red stands for courage, might and valour.
☝️ Today, the tricoloured flag has become an integral part of our lives as a symbol of the Russian state, national unity and our people's devotion to the Fatherland, as well as the commitment to assert and promote the national interests.
🇷🇺🇧🇾 On April 2, the peoples of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus celebrate their Day of Unity.
🗓#OTD in 1996, they signed a treaty on the formation of the Community of Russia and Belarus, which served as the first step towards the creation of the Union State of Russia and Belarus.
The Treaty on the Union of Russia and Belarus came into force a year later, and on December 8, 1999, the Treaty on the Creation of the Union State was signed.
🤝 Today, the Union State implements programmes in industry, energy and IT, to name a few. Trade between Russia and Belarus grows at record high rates every year, given the considerable degree of mutual complementarity of their economies.
💬 Addressing a meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State on January 29, 2024, President Vladimir Putin said:
We have been working together to build the Union State for almost 25 years. Along this path, we have managed to achieve a great deal. Thanks to the successful implementation of 28 sectoral Union programmes, Russian and Belarusian legislation was harmonised, the legal and organisational foundations for a common economic space formed, and conditions created for the implementation of a unified macroeconomic and monetary policy, and for joint work to minimise damage from illegal Western restrictions.
☝️ The Unity Day of the Peoples of Russia and Belarus confirms the cohesion of the two fraternal peoples and their striving to continue strengthening their interaction based on the centuries-old traditions of friendship and close cultural and spiritual ties.
📃 On the occasion of the Day of Unity of the Peoples of Russia and Belarus President Vladimir Putin sent his greetings to President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko.
🎊 We congratulate our Belarusian friends on a holiday that is a symbol of unbreakable ties of brotherly friendship between our countries and peoples!
🛰On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union paved humanity’s way to the stars!
#OTD in 1957, the first artificial satellite of our planet – Sputnik-1 – was launched into Earth’s orbit. Its simple yet proud “beep-beep” sound stood as mankind’s first signal reaching beyond Earth.
Sputnik-1 was a spherical aluminum spacecraft, 58 cm in diameter and weighing 83.6 kg. Its hermetically sealed body protected the equipment inside from external conditions. Onboard were two radio transmitters operating at 20.005 and 40.002 MHzfrequencies, broadcasting the legendary signals, which were picked up by radio enthusiasts around the world.
Four external antennas, 2.4 to 2.9 meters long, ensured stable transmission. The satellite had no propulsion system and moved in orbit solely by the impulse received at launch.
🚀 To deliver Sputnik-1 into orbit, a two-stage R-7 launch vehicle was used, developed under the guidance of the great Soviet engineer Sergey Korolev. The satellite reached the orbit in 314.5 seconds (just over 5 minutes) after liftoff. Its apogee was 947 km, perigee 228 km, and it orbited Earth every 96 minutes.
In total, Sputnik-1 spent 92 days in space, completing 1,440 orbits and covering more than 60 million kilometers. The last signal was received on January 4, 1958, after which the satellite re-entered the atmosphere and burned up.
🌐 The launch of Sputnik-1 was not only a groundbreaking technological achievement, but also a symbol of a new era – the beginning of humanity’s space age.
Since then, dozens of countries have launched thousands of satellites, transforming science, communications, navigation, and our daily lives.
Yet no matter how many follow, Sputnik-1 will forever be the First!💫
📅#OTD in 1943, Soviet forces launched Operation "Iskra" (Spark), which broke the Siege of Leningrad. During the offensive, units of the Red Army from the Leningrad and Volkhov Fronts overcame enemy defenses, re-establishing a land connection between the city and the rest of the Soviet Union.
The siege ring around Leningrad had fully closed on September 8, 1941. More than 2.8 million people, including 400,000 children, were trapped under harsh winter conditions, enduring hunger and relentless bombings.
Attempts to break the blockade were made several times: in September and October 1941, during the general counteroffensive in January 1942, and again in August-September 1942. Favorable conditions only arose in January 1943, when the bulk of the Wehrmacht's forces were concentrated at Stalingrad.
By the end of January 1943, the troops of the Volkhov and Leningrad Fronts, delivering powerful blows, pierced the enemy's defenses and pushed them 12 km away from the shores of Lake Ladoga.
The combined strike groups of the Volkhov and Leningrad fronts included 302,800 soldiers and officers, approximately 4,900 artillery pieces and mortars (caliber 76mm and above), over 600 tanks, and 809 aircraft.
🎖 For their heroism, bravery, and courage during the breakthrough of the blockade, about 19,000 soldiers of the Leningrad and Volkhov Fronts, as well as the Baltic Fleet, were awarded orders and medals.
Although Leningrad was not fully liberated until January 27, 1944, the political, economic, and symbolic significance of breaking the blockade cannot be overstated.
The Soviet forces managed to partially lift the siege, easing the plight of the city's residents. Within three weeks of the breakthrough, a railway was built, and the first trains carrying food and ammunition reached Leningrad. The threat of German and Finnish forces linking up was eliminated, and the initiative in the Leningrad region shifted decisively to the Red Army.
🇷🇺 On August 22, Russia celebrates National Flag Day, established by Presidential Executive Order On National Flag Day of the Russian Federation dated August 20, 1994.
#OTD, we pay tribute to the official state symbol of Russia, which, along with its emblem and anthem, marks its sovereignty and independence, and reaffirms the continuity of many generations of the country’s multiethnic people.
⚓️ The Russian tricolor is more than three centuries old. Peter the Great is considered the creator: in 1705, he issued an order according to which they should raise a white-blue-and-red flag “on all merchant ships.” However, it was only given official national flag status in 1896, on the eve of the coronation of Nicholas II.
On December 25, 2000, the Federal Constitutional Law On the State Flag of the Russian Federation was adopted, under which the state flag of Russia was a rectangular panel of three equal horizontal stripes: the top one was white, the middle one was blue and the bottom one was red.
⚪️🔵🔴 It is believed that white represents peace and dignity; blue, loyalty and honesty; and red, courage and valour.
Today, the tricolor has firmly become part of our lives as an integral element of Russian statehood, a symbol of the unity of the people, their devotion to the Fatherland, and their readiness to defend Russia’s national interests.
#OTD 84 года назад 🥇первый арктический конвой успешно прибыл в Архангельск после 10-дневного путешествия.
В 80-летие Дня Победы в Европе мы отдаем дань всем участникам арктических конвоев, которые проявили невероятное мужество, доставляя жизненно важные грузы через опасные северные воды. Их самоотверженность и храбрость помогли изменить ход истории.
Смотрите обращение Посла Великобритании в России Найджела Кейси по случаю 84-летия операции «Дервиш».
#OTD 6 декабря 1897 года: Лондон стал первым городом в мире, который принял лицензированные такси❕
Знали ли вы, что «такси» 🚖 впервые был использован в конце 1800-х годов, когда кабина конной повозки была усовершенствована и переработана, чтобы включить механизированный таксометр для измерения стоимости поездки.
Впервые он был использован в Лондоне и других городах Великобритании; его патент был быстро принят в других европейских столицах, а затем и в 🇺🇸 США.
Прогуливаясь по улицам Лондона в 1897 году, вы могли бы увидеть одно из электрических такси Уолтера Берси. Да, вы правильно прочли — именно 💡 электрических такси.
К 1897 г. Лондонская электрическая компания Уолтера К. Берси выпустила такси с электрическим приводом с максимальной скоростью 9-12 миль в час.
Тарифы были такими же, как и у конных извозчиков.
Кабина могла вместить двух ✌️ пассажиров и была оснащена электрическим освещением как внутри, так и снаружи.
Популярность автомобиля ускорила кончину хакни-карет и кэбов, последние из которых были изъяты сразу после Второй мировой войны. Хотели бы вы проехаться на такси Берси❓
В фотографии: оригинальный Bersey Electric Cab
#OTD В этот день в 2002 году на саммите НАТО в Праге Болгария, Латвия, Литва, Румыния, Словакия, Словения и Эстония получили официальное приглашение стать новыми членами альянса.
К сожалению, это и подобные события сегодня рассматривается 🇷🇺 Россией как нарушение якобы заключенного договора, в котором НАТО обещала России или СССР, что не будет осуществлять экспансию после холодной войны.
Миф о том, что западные лидеры обещали не принимать новых членов, циркулирует уже много ⏱️ лет и активно используется Кремлем в кампаниях по дезинформации с начала войны России против Украины.
Скорее всего этот ✍️ миф основан на том, что госсекретарь США Джеймс Бейкер и его западногерманский коллега Ганс-Дитрих Геншер поднимали этот вопрос в 1990 г. на начальных этапах обсуждения воссоединения Германии.
Но идея была отброшена, а факт остается фактом — такое соглашение ❕ никогда не заключалось. Ни один договор, подписанный странами НАТО и Россией, никогда не содержал положений о том, что в НАТО не могут вступать новые члены.
«Экспансия НАТО» уже является частью мифа несмотря на то, что НАТО не добивалась 🔗 присоединения новых членов и не ставила своей целью «осуществление экспансии на восток».
Членство в НАТО – это решение, которое принимают в первую очередь те страны, которые 🫳 хотят присоединиться к Североатлантическому союзу.
Сегодня важная дата для всех, кто верит в справедливость и гуманность: #OTD 59 лет назад Великобритания сделала решительный шаг,🫸 отменив смертную казнь за убийство, а затем, в 1998 году, полностью отказавшись от этой меры.
Этот шаг стал мощным сигналом: общество может развиваться и принимать трудные, но жизненно важные решения ради будущего, где ценность 👁️ человеческой жизни стоит на первом месте.
Отмена смертной казни — это не просто отказ от жестокости, а стремление к новым формам правосудия, к системе, основанной на исправлении и защите, а не на 💪 возмездии.
Сегодня в Европе и многих странах мира смертная казнь уходит в прошлое. В России с 1996 года действует мораторий на смертную казнь, и хотя казни не проводятся, ✍️ формально мера остается законной.
Полная отмена смертной казни в мире может быть еще далека, но многовековые корни смертной казни медленно отмирают. В 1991 году только 48 стран не применяли смертную казнь. А на сегодняшний день ее отменили уже 112 стран - это большое достижение❗️
В 59-ю годовщину запрета на смертную казнь, 🇬🇧 Великобритания и дальше будет продолжать поощрять государства к отмене смертной казни.