Russian Consulate in Cape Town

⛓️ 65 years ago, on December 14, 1960, the 15th UN General Assembly adopted a landmark document: the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. This historic step was taken on the initiative of the Soviet Union. The Declaration, drafted and promoted largely through Soviet efforts, became a true milestone in dismantling Western colonial rule in Africa and Asia, providing a powerful impetus for liberation from the grip of European empires. 🌍 Soviet proposals to end colonialism, segregation, and racial discrimination were incorporated into the final text. The Declaration was adopted and entered into force despite strong objections from colonial powers like Britain and France. The USSR did not just oppose colonialism by word alone, speaking out at multilateral foras and the UN. We actively supported African nations in their fight for freedom, backing the liberation movements of Angola, Ethiopia, Egypt, Mozambique and others. 1960 went down in history as the Year of Africa, witnessing the birth of 17 new independent states. According to the UN, the great wave of decolonisation that followed ultimately freed some 750 million people, with 80 former colonies gaining their sovereignty. The Soviet Union was among the first to establish diplomatic relations with these young states. We provided comprehensive support: helping to build government institutions, developing industrial production, and constructing vital infrastructure. The Soviet Union played a key role in establishing national education systems and training personnel. Humanitarian aid was delivered both directly and through the UN and its agencies like WHO and UNICEF. The adoption and implementation of the Declaration is rightfully considered one of the most significant events in modern history. Yet, the struggle for full decolonisation unfortunately did not end with the achievement of political independence. ❗️ Today, the former colonial powers’ reluctance to relinquish global dominance has morphed into neocolonial policies. These target the nations of the Global Majority through illegal sanctions, manipulation of global trade, and the imposition of neoliberal beliefs that deepen worldwide socioeconomic inequality. Attempts to replace the established international legal order with a so-called “rules-based” international order are a clear manifestation of this neocolonialism. Together with a broad coalition of like-minded partners, Russia continues to spearhead systemic efforts against colonialism. We work through the UN, BRICS, the Standing Committee of the International Movement “For the Freedom of Nations”, and inter-parliamentary channels. 👉 A key recent achievement on this track was the adoption on December 5 of the resolution International Day Against Colonialism in All Its Forms and Manifestations, drafted by the Group of Friends in Defence of the UN Charter. It is telling that during the vote, as in 1960, the former Western powers once again lacked the courage to support a decision that would bring justice to the nations of the Global Majority. 🗓 With resolution A/RES/80/106, the United Nations has officially proclaimed December 14 the International Day Against Colonialism in All Its Forms and Manifestations. This Day reaffirms the principles of the UN Charter and the 1960 Declaration, emphasising the urgent need to end colonialism in all its forms, completely and unconditionally. The legacy of the 1960 Declaration is profound: it paved the way for the truly global, polycentric world we see actively taking shape today. #Colonialism#Neocolonialism

🎙Briefing by Russia's Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova(Moscow, March 20, 2025) 🔹 FM Sergey Lavrov's schedule 🔹Murder of Russian media representatives 🔹 Kiev regime crimes 🔹 Third anniversary of the Bucha provocation 🔹 The West's lies regarding Minsk Agreements 🔹 France’s plans to build another naval base on the island of Mayotte 🔹 On the situation with an Italian journalist Andrea Lucidi in Estonia 🔹VI International Arctic Forum "The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue" 🔹 Artek’s upcoming centenary 📰Read 📺Watch *** #CrimesAgainstJournalists On March 24, Izvestiya’s frontline correspondent Alexander Fedorchak, Zvezda TV channel cameraman Andrey Panov, and Alexander Sirkeli, the crew’s driver, were killed in the Lugansk People’s Republic following a targeted artillery strike carried out by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. On the same day, TASS correspondent Mikhail Skuratov was on an editorial assignment in the Kursk Region’s Sudzha District where the Ukrainian Banderites wounded him. On March 26, 2025, Channel One’s car with a camera crew in it ran up against a landmine planted by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Belgorod Region. This terrorist attack claimed the life of Anna Prokofyeva, who was a young talented journalist, while cameraman Dmitry Volkov suffered severe wounds. #KievRegimeCrimes The Investigative Committee of Russia reports that 167 peaceful residents were killed and 500 more injured in the Kursk Region from 2022 until 2025. The crimes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have impacted 43'000 people. Several thousand civilian infrastructure facilities have been destroyed and damaged. According to the Russia's Foreign Ministry’s Ambassador at large Rodion Miroshnik, in the past seven days, from March 17 to 23, 16 Russian civilians were killed in the zone of contact, and 134 more injured, including 4 minors, following attacks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On March 25-26, Ukrainian UAVs hitenergy facilities in the Bryansk and Kursk regions. An attempted attack on a gas reservoir was thwarted in Crimea. #BuchaHoax April 3 marks the third anniversary of the day when Zelensky’s regime and its Western curators staged a bloody provocation in Bucha and the world was shown "evidence" of the alleged murders of innocent civilians, aimed at denigrating the Russian Armed Forces in the eyes of the international community. The main goal of the war party campaign was clear: to torpedo the understandings reached during the negotiations in Istanbul, aimed at a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis. Russia has provided multiple refutations of numerous fakes about Bucha. We constantly recall that while this settlement was controlled by the Russian military, the civilians were allowed to move around freely, use mobile communications, and receive humanitarian aid. Our units left Bucha on March 30, 2022. We know that the Kiev regime is preparing an international conference on Bucha this May with the assistance of Great Britain. We are certain that this provocation is yet another attempt to dust off old narratives and repackage false claims about the alleged involvement of the Russian Armed Forces in the events in Bucha. The goal remains the same: to torpedo efforts for a peaceful settlement. #France#Mayotte#Colonialism We have taken note of the statement made by French Minister of the Overseas Manuel Valls in the National Assembly on March 12 regarding the plans to submit a draft law to Parliament on the construction of a second French naval base on the island of Mayotte. Russia has consistently opposed the unjustified militarisation of any territories, recognising the dangerous consequences this poses for peace and security in certain regions. We believe that the existing military base in Dzaoudzi on the island of Mayotte is intended not as much for defence against hypothetical external threats (as Paris tries to convince everyone), but rather for control over the illegally held overseas territory – one of the last remnants of the colonial era.