Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Saransk, January 31, 2025

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

1. Air crash over Washington
2. Sergey Lavrov’s meeting with CIS ambassadors
3. Sergey Lavrov’s upcoming participation in a meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club
4. The Foreign Ministry presents its new Department for Partnership with Africa
5. Preserving the historical memory of the Great Patriotic War
6. Republic of Mordovia: International and region-to-region ties, landmarks, culture and traditions
7. Ukrainian crisis update
8. Massacre of civilians in the village of Russkoye Porechnoye, Kursk Region, by Ukrainian armed units
9. German authorities falsifying history
10. Further facts about the crimes of Japanese militarism
11. Repercussions of anti-Russia restrictions for their initiators
12. Deteriorating situation in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
13. The 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Indonesia
14. The 270th anniversary of Lomonosov Moscow State University
15. The 80th anniversary of Yalta Conference

 

Answers to media questions:

1. Development of Russia’s regional exports to Asia-Pacific countries
2. At the Minister’s Side project
3. The Compatriots International festival of Russian theatres
4. Armenia’s economic benefits from EAEU membership
5. Disbanding the OSCE Minsk Group
6. Prospects for conflict settlement in Ukraine
7. Developing regional tourism in Russia
8. Contacts between Finno-Ugric peoples
9. Events in the context of the Russia-China cross years of culture
10. AI development processes in different countries
11. Combating the falsification of history
12. Russia’s policy to develop regional educational centres
13. Prospects for resuming nuclear disarmament talks
14. Japan’s “bid” for permanent membership of the UN Security Council  
15. Russia-Azerbaijan cooperation
16. Opening a consulate general in the Syunik Region
17. Fighting fake news
18. Donald Trump’s plans to resettle the Gaza residents
19. Another wave of Russophobia in Europe
20. NATO’s anti-Russia campaigns
21. Serbia update
22. Ties with the Mordovian people
23. The energy crisis in Moldova
24. Corruption in the EU
25. Humanitarian dialogue with Greater Asia countries
26. Promoting twin-city contacts

 

 

 

Air crash over Washington

 

In the evening of January 29, a tragedy took place in airspace over Washington. According to American reports, a passenger plane and a military helicopter collided in mid-air, killing 67 people. We express our deep condolences to the victims’ families and the American people.

It has been confirmed that there were Russian compatriots on the plane, including former world champions in pairs figure skating Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, as well as Soviet figure skater Inna Volyanskaya, who worked in the United States as coaches. There were American athletes on that flight as well. The American side reported that nobody survived in the crash.

I would like to answer questions regarding citizenship and Russian citizens on that plane. The Russian Embassy has told us that three of the victims held Russian passports, and one more person likely had a Russian passport. This information is being checked now. We regard all the others as our compatriots. The Russian Embassy in the US has published a hot line number which you can use to ask questions or request information and assistance. As I have said, there are Russian citizens and Russian compatriots among the crash victims.

As for contacts, we have received many questions, including in connection with official statements made in Washington. Our Embassy maintains contacts with the US Department of State regarding the entire range of related issues. However, this looks more like a one-way road, with our Embassy asking questions without receiving detailed answers. But at least we maintain contact and receive general answers.

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Sergey Lavrov’s meeting with CIS ambassadors

 

On February 3 in Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will hold a traditional working breakfast with the ambassadors of the CIS countries accredited in Russia.

The Minister is expected to review the results of multifaceted cooperation within the CIS, which Russia chaired in 2024, and to discuss priority cooperation spheres in 2025. Sergey Lavrov will brief his colleagues on Russia’s stance on the key issues on the international and regional agenda, including the situation around Ukraine.

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Sergey Lavrov’s upcoming participation in a meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club

 

On February 4, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend the 14th Middle East Conference of the Valdai International Discussion Club.

The conference will take place against the backdrop of dynamic developments in the Middle East and North Africa.  It will focus on the latest events in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone and the situation in Syria and other crisis spots.

The list of invitees includes prominent foreign political scientists and analysts. The declared theme of the conference is The Middle East – 2025: Learning Lessons from the Past, Surviving the Present, and Designing the Future.

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The Foreign Ministry presents its new Department for Partnership with Africa

 

On February 4, the Foreign Ministry will hold an official presentation of its newly created Department for Partnership with Africa. The ceremony will be attended by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Invited to the event are heads of African diplomatic missions accredited in Moscow, ambassadors of friendly states, representatives of federal executive authorities of the Russian Federation, business circles, related research and public organisations, and media outlets.

A photo documentary exhibition based on materials from the Foreign Ministry archives and Russian news agencies will be unveiled as part of the presentation. The display is dedicated to the emergence of the African dimension at the Foreign Ministry and this country’s cooperation with African states, covering both retrospective and at current aspects. A rundown of the aims and objectives facing the new structural division will be made public.

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Preserving the historical memory of the Great Patriotic War

 

Just days ago, on January 27, we marked a date of profound significance not only for our country and people, but for fraternal peoples and the entire world – the Day of the Complete Liberation of Leningrad from the Nazi Siege. I stress that this represents a singular chapter in the chronicle of the Great Patriotic War, and indeed of civilisation itself.

The siege of Leningrad – unprecedented in duration, harrowing in its consequences, and marked by tragedy, deprivation, and loss – persisted for 872 days, from September 8, 1941 to January 27, 1944. During this period, over one million people perished from starvation, disease, and bombardment, according to varying estimates. We commend the scholars and public figures who steadfastly preserve the memory of this siege, refusing to close the chapter or abandon its chronicle, while continuing their research to unearth new details, including updated casualty figures. Up to 4,000 residents of the city on the Neva succumbed daily to exhaustion. Tens of thousands more perished during evacuation efforts.

This sacred date for all Russians – and particularly the residents of St Petersburg – was honoured through a series of commemorations held earlier this week in the Leningrad Region and St Petersburg. President of Russia Vladimir Putin participated in several events. On Monday, January 27, wreaths were laid at the Rubezhny Kamen (the Landmark Stone) memorial, followed by wreath-laying ceremonies at the Motherland monument at the Piskarevskoye Memorial Cemetery. A gala concert, Leningrad Victory, was held at the Oktyabrsky Grand Concert Hall, during which the President of Russia presented veterans with jubilee medals 80th Years of Victory.

Siege survivors residing in other Russian regions – including the new territories or, as we now refer to them, new historical regions – as well as in Abkhazia, Armenia, Belarus, Germany, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Moldova, Uzbekistan, and Estonia were traditionally invited to St Petersburg for these observances.

Across many regions of Russia, the nationwide Siege of Leningrad –  History of the Country marathon took place. This initiative reinforces our unified historical space and memory about each region’s contribution to supporting besieged Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War. Staff from our ministry and department participated actively in these events.

January 27 also marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day, when the world honours the memory of those innocent people who were brutally tortured and murdered in Nazi concentration camps and punitive operations. It was on this date 80 years ago that Red Army soldiers liberated the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp and rescued its survivors. I addressed this extensively during our previous briefing but must revisit it briefly today, compelled by current circumstances. Let me furnish you with a historical fact.

Nearly 1.5 million people perished in this camp – victims of gas chambers, starvation, torture, and lethal medical experimentation. While the majority were Jewish, there were people of dozens of other nationalities among them. Their deaths resulted not from ineffective or poor-quality medicines, but from being subjected to medical trials. The tragedy of Auschwitz remains a grim testament to what UN General Assembly resolution terms the Holocaust.

In our country, despite the fact that we celebrate Victory Day as a common holiday for all those who defeated Nazism and for their descendants now, who uphold their forebears’ legacy, we never segment this day, this celebration, this memorable date by nationality or geography. It is our shared triumph, for the victory itself was collective.

Numerous events dedicated to that period are held in Russia. These encompass exhibitions, concerts, expositions, meetings, and lectures.

We assert that it is imperative to approach with attention, sympathy, and empathy those who retain this pain about the events as if they were reliving it anew each day. This is genuinely the case. Those who sincerely feel the tragedy are reliving it now, for they witness how the memory of both heroes and victims is being forgotten.

Why am I addressing this once more? Because the events that occurred directly on the site where the camp used to be located, and now the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum stands, were held according to another principle – the principle of segregation and division into those who were permitted and those who were not permitted to honour the memory, to be present as officials, representing their nations. These events were organised with absolute indifference to the sentiments of those who not only keep the memory of their ancestors but also actively work to preserve it.

Russia was once again excluded from participation. The organisers’ justification – absurd and cynical – was articulated by the Memorial Museum Director, Piotr Cywiński: “It is hard to imagine the presence of Russia... I would like it to be possible again someday, but let’s be serious – it certainly won’t be in the next four months.”

I would like to point out that we have observed this attitude towards our country, our people, and the exposition itself for more than the last two years. Now we are told that it is connected with the situation surrounding Ukraine. It is nothing like that. This narrative has been ongoing for many years. Russia, our multinational people, have been squeezed out of the history of these places. As if nothing had ever transpired. Why and what for? The answer is obvious and comprehensible.

The collective West is bent on erasing all positive developments from historical memory and smearing the Red Army rather than preserving memory and thanking their liberators, our soldiers, who defeated the Third Reich war machine. They make up all kinds of tall tales to this end. For example, they use another word when they mention the Red Army liberating Auschwitz. The operative term now is “entry,” not “liberation,” which clearly shows where they are going with this. It’s a place that stinks to high heaven. Next thing you know they will be talking about the occupation of Auschwitz-Birkenau thus taking their dehumanisation efforts up a notch. It’s as if the Red Army units were formed based exclusively on ethnicity. This was their interpretation of the Ukrainian Front units. Now, what about Armenians, Azerbaijanis, and Georgians, or soldiers from Central Asia, whose ethnic backgrounds were not used in naming the units? Did they not fight as part of the Red Army? Clearly, all of that is sheer nonsense targeted at annihilating historical memory. The war effort included 37 ethnicities of the Soviet Union. Do I need to mention it now? I think the best way to put it is to say that is was common Victory. We did not argue over it in trenches, but instead fought shoulder to shoulder to bring it closer.

Whenever I talk with our frontline soldiers, I see that they share the same stance. When I asked this question to a Buryat soldier - we discussed this issue as well, because the servicemen come from different regions and are of different ethnicities, religions and faiths – he told me that as soon as you start sharing food (including “chocolate bars,”) people tend to become brothers. That is, as soon as people start sharing moments of trouble and joy, the way they are doing now, they begin sharing the sense of kinship.

I believe that’s exactly how they saw it back then during the Great Patriotic War. They couldn’t even imagine someone who identified themselves as our allies back then would, 80 years later, draw dividing lines between us by blocking out some of them and pitting some allies against other.

Now that I’m in Saransk, the capital of the Republic of Mordovia, I would like to say a few words about the contribution to Victory made by the residents of this city and the entire region. I am not saying this to the audience here, because the regional media members know this better than anyone else. I just wanted to take this opportunity and to tell the international audiences about it, considering that our briefings are translated into several languages. Their contribution was invaluable. Let us take a closer look at it.

During the years marked by the most challenging trials, the residents of Saransk showed unparalleled courage, steadfastness and selflessness. They became a symbol of true patriotism and devotion to the Motherland. From the first days of the war, thousands of Saransk residents volunteered to go to the front to defend their Fatherland. About 10,000 of them did not return from the battlefields. Many were honoured with high state awards, and their feats are forever inscribed in the history of not only our country, but the world history as well. We will do our best to make sure that their names are not blotted out from the world history. Five thousand war veterans were awarded orders and medals. Seven residents of Saransk became Heroes of the Soviet Union, and two people - Alexander Peregudin and - became full cavaliers of the Order of Glory.

Fortunately, Saransk was not occupied during the war, and no bloody battles were fought near it. The city welcomed and accommodated 3,770 evacuees.

Living and working during the war years under the motto “Everything for the front, everything for victory,” Saransk became an important manufacturer of military products and provided the front with everything it needed. The city’s enterprises produced ammunition, uniforms and food, and local collective and state farms worked non-stop to support the army and the country. The contribution of the Saransk residents to preserving cultural heritage and maintaining the morale of Soviet citizens deserves special mention. They did everything they could to help. They sent warm clothes, food and tobacco to the front and wrote letters to the frontline soldiers to support them.

I have more to say about my communication with the frontline troops today. As you know firsthand, they needed everything, especially during the first days. They were happy to get just about anything. I could never even think of how important it was for them to receive letters. It’s like a living bridge, a lifeblood for them. I’m quoting them. They may be speaking simple and straightforward language, but the point is that they get a sense that they are not alone when they get letters, and that they are doing what they are doing for those who empathise with them, even though many kilometres of distance lie between them.

The Foreign Ministry, our schools, and embassies are not just holding drives or campaigns (I wouldn’t call it that), but write letters. We pass them on to our combatants. We are taking part in the events and major rallies held by our NGOs and public entities. I encourage everyone to write letters: every letter matters. They are invaluable. Do not forget to write letters to our frontline soldiers. It is important. The letters sustain them.

Coming back to Saransk, six evacuation hospitals for 15,800 beds for wounded soldiers were set up in the city. Many locals took part in donor drives and helped the frontline soldier families. They contributed 4 million roubles to the defence fund, 513,000 roubles to the fund to help the front-line soldier families and children, and 62,000 roubles to the orphan children fund.

During WW II, military units and groups of forces, as well as the people’s militia units were formed in Saransk. The first steps to form the 326th Infantry Division, popularly referred to as the Mordovian Division, were taken on August 31, 1941, in line with the directive issued by the Moscow Military District. Its first combat took place near the village of Dubrovka, Tula Region, during the Battle of Moscow, and its last combat was on the Baltic Sea coast near the island of Rügen. It took part in liberating Estonia and Poland from Nazi invaders, and then defeating Nazis in Germany. Over 11,000 soldiers and officers from that division were awarded orders and medals.

This year, we as a country and the rest of the world will mark 80 years of Victory. Today, we remember with deep gratitude the heroic pages of Saransk history and pay tribute to all those who fought at the front and worked on the home front. Their feat will be remembered for centuries to come and will remain an eternal symbol of courage, unity and love for the Motherland. The memory of Great Victory and Saransk’s contribution to the common cause will live in the hearts of generations as a reminder that standing together, being devoted to our country, and knowing that we are all in it as a common cause, will help us overcome any and all difficulties. We, on our part, will defend history on the diplomatic frontiers. We will do our best to make sure history remains undistorted, and will fight back the attempts to misrepresent it.

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Republic of Mordovia: International and region-to-region ties, landmarks, culture and traditions

 

Today, the Republic of Mordovia is a modern and fast-growing region. This constituent entity of the Russian Federation is actively expanding its external ties despite the current geopolitical challenges. Mordovia has achieved significant progress in redirecting its economy towards a closer partnership with friendly states and is looking for new opportunities.

At the moment, Mordovia trades with 78 countries, its foreign trade showing steady growth. In January-September 2024, it reached $427.4 million, an increase of 181.3 percent compared to the same period in 2023, with exports up 159.4 percent to $228.6 million, and imports up 220 percent to $198.8 million.

Its priority foreign trade partners include the CIS member states, as well as China, India, Iran, Türkiye, and the states of the Asia-Pacific region. Most of its exports go to Kazakhstan (42.5 percent), Belarus (16.9 percent) and Guinea (8.3 percent). Mordovia’s trade is dominated by machinery and equipment, manufactured goods, metals and metal products, and chemical products. Most of its imports come from China (56.2 percent), Kyrgyzstan (20.6 percent) and Belarus (7.8 percent).

The region is enhancing its trade and economic ties under eight agreements signed with its foreign partners including Belarus and Hungary, with the Chinese provinces of Hunan, Sichuan, Anhui, and Hubei, and one of China’s national central cities, Chongqing. The geography of contacts is constantly expanding: in 2024, Head of Mordovia Artyom Zdunov paid working visits to China and Cuba, while Mordovian official delegations also made trips to Azerbaijan, India, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan.

Mordovia is also famous for its natural beauty and cultural heritage sites, as well as unique local traditions. The region was widely represented at a recent exhibition, Ladya, hosted by Moscow. However, while traditions can be described, a region’s natural beauty can only be appreciated by visiting it, which is something I suggest everyone do. Mordovia is home to 855 architectural and historical landmarks of federal and local significance, six theatres, and the Volga Centre for Finno-Ugric Cultures.

There are numerous Orthodox churches and monasteries in the capital of Mordovia, Saransk, and in other areas around the region, frequently visited by tourists and pilgrims. There is the Cathedral of St Theodore Ushakov. I was just passing this fantastic building, a masterpiece of architecture, and I was left speechless by its beauty. I hope that I will have the opportunity to go inside later. There is also the Church of St John the Theologian, the St John the Theologian Monastery, and the Sanaksar Monastery of the Nativity of the Mother of God.

Ethnographic tourism deserves special mention as one of the most popular types of tourism in Mordovia in recent years. The Tavla wooden toys art school in the village of Podlesnaya Tavla, the felt boots museum in Urusovo, and the Moksha cultural centre in Staraya Terizmorga (Mordovian embroidery) are the most popular destinations. Knitted products from Tengushevo, known as Tengushevo seven-colour knitting are also quite famous (I have already become an ambassador of this seven-colour pattern in the good sense of the word, because in our country, they know how to use these seven colours in the right context), and so is unique pottery from Shishkeyevo.

Mordovia has a rich potential for eco-tourism, with over 100 protected natural areas, including the Smolny National Park and the Smidovich Mordovia State Nature Reserve.

We support the regional leadership and its business community in their policy to seek new promising economic partners and expand cultural and humanitarian ties with foreign partners. The Saransk branch of the Foreign Ministry Office in Nizhny Novgorod is providing practical assistance to the regional administration. I would also like to personally thank its head, Svetlana Startseva, for her help in the implementation of all the above-mentioned projects.

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Ukrainian crisis update

 

I have already told you about the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Oswiecim, Poland, and the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp by the Red Army, which was marked on January 27, 2025.

I would like to say a few more words about it in the current context.  Who guarded that camp, even if the word “guard” has a positive connotation? Who were the camp’s wardens? I will remind you: the Nazi death camp was guarded by OUN-UPA punitive forces.

Why am I speaking about this now? The thing is that they have not been anathemised or damned in all eternity. Quite the opposite – they have been glorified and celebrated as heroes by the Kiev regime. Here is the latest example. These days, the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory is celebrating the 130th birth anniversary of artist Boris Kryukov, who collaborated with the Nazis, which is a historical fact.

At the same time, Kiev is doing its utmost to erase the memory of the liberator soldiers, who were Russians and people of other Soviet nationalities, including many Ukrainians. As I said, we did not distinguish people by nationality. They sang different songs, cooked national dishes from the products they could find, and shared stories about life in their native regions and cities. But they never distinguished each other by nationality. Today, nationalists are maniacally demolishing the monuments and graves of Red Army soldiers throughout Ukraine, or rather in what’s left of Ukraine due to actions of the Kiev regime and its Western sponsors. Verkhovna Rada deputy Maxim Buzhansky has admitted that everything possible has been done in Ukraine under the pretext of decolonisation and decommunisation to make people forget about the real heroes and the labour and military heroism of millions of people, and to deprive the country of the place it justly held among the winners of the Second World War.

That is why it was especially disgusting to see Vladimir Zelensky in the sacred places – Baby Yar and Poland’s Oswiecim – at the January 27 events, the day that was designed by the UN General Assembly as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. How did the head of the Kiev regime dare to make a show of expressing sympathy for the Holocaust victims if he personally signed documents and issued orders to dismantle monuments to the liberators and to glorify Nazi collaborators and henchmen? How could he do that if he knows that the Ukrainian armed forces include nationalist battalions which have SS symbols on their uniforms? Why didn’t he tell the audience about his daily efforts to glorify and immortalise Stepan Bandera, Roman Shukhevich and other Nazi collaborators?  Why didn’t he tell them that those who are guilty of the death of hundreds of thousands of innocent women, the aged and children of different nationalities are celebrated as heroes in Ukraine? They killed Jews, Poles, Ukrainians, Russians and Belarusians without any distinction. This is cynicism of the highest order, or rather of the lowest order.

Zelensky’s appearance in Oswiecim sparked an outrage among Poland’s religious Jewish community. Poland’s Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich said its representatives refused to go to an event attended by a dictator who has domesticated Nazis.

Thanks go to Michael Schudrich for his civic courage. Courage it is. You can’t find a better word for it. This regime is running the remnants of a state, which it laid to waste itself. It operates through tame Nazis sporting Nazi insignia, marching under Nazi banners, embracing Nazi ideology, and glorifying Nazi heroes. All of that laid the basis for this extremist and neo-Nazi regime morphing into a terrorist one.

The modern-day Bandera followers are trying to keep up with their ideological cult figures and continue to terrorise the civilians and to attack civilian infrastructure in the Russian regions.

From January 21 to 23, the Ukrainian military used attack UAVs in the village of Novostroevka-Pervaya, Belgorod Region, on a section of the Yasniye Zori - Cheremoshnoye Motorway, the Bessonovka - Orlovka Motorway, and on Oktyabrsky - Malinovka road wounding five people.

On January 29, a two-year-old child and his mother were killed, and another child and his father were injured in a UAV attack on Razumnoye town.

On January 21, Ukrainian Nazis attacked the village of Khoromnoye, Klimovsky District, Bryansk Region. A private house was destroyed, and a fire truck that arrived on the scene was damaged as well.

Between January 21 and 26, the Ukrainian military continued shelling Gorlovka, DPR, with cluster munitions, among other shells, killing four people and injuring 23 more, including a child.

Russian courts continue to hand down sentences for war crimes committed by Ukrainian neo-Nazis and mercenaries.

Azov battalion member N. Berianidze, a mercenary from Georgia, was sentenced to life in prison for killing three Russian servicemen in Mariupol in March 2022.

Mercenaries from Georgia E. Eibov, G. Kakhabrishvili, R. Zhangidze, T. Eliav, and a mercenary from Latvia A. Sverchkov were sentenced in absentia to 14 years of prison each. Mercenaries from Georgia A.Kadzhai and G.Gigauri were sentenced to six and seven years in prison, each. All of them are on an international wanted list.

A “soldier of fortune” from Colombia, P. Borges, who was taken prisoner in the Kursk Region, has been taken into custody.

Russia’s law enforcement agencies will continue bringing Ukrainian Nazis and foreign mercenaries to justice for war crimes, among others.

Europe is keeping a close eye on President Trump’s first steps, trying to glean where Washington stands in its Ukrainian policies and, most importantly, whether the United States will continue to provide military aid to Kiev and how far they will go in “providing assistance” to the Kiev regime. So far, Europeans have not had too many reasons to be optimistic.

In his interactions with the journalists, President Trump said he would look into the possibility of continuing to ship weapons and military equipment to the Ukrainian military. Word is that people in the White House and the Pentagon who were in charge of military aid to Ukraine have been fired. Foreign military analysts claim that on January 22 the United States recalled all its logistics requests via Rzeszow, Constanta and Varna. NATO bases in Europe suspended Ukraine-bound shipments.

New FBI head Kash Patel will investigate the alleged misuse of funds set aside for the Kiev regime. All these years, we have been talking not even about inappropriate spending, but a sweeping corruption scheme built on blood by the White House officials under President Biden in collaboration with the people from Bankovaya Street. The Kiev regime is a creature brought into the world by Anglo-Saxons in order to set this corruption machine in motion in order to steal hundreds of billions of dollars. Back in December 2024, Mr Patel said he would initiate a procedure to track tens of billions of dollars that the United States had allocated to Ukraine as financial aid. As you may recall, we provided real-life examples of this aid never even reaching Ukraine. It simply dissolved into thin air. It left the White House in the form of decisions and tranches of cash, but never reached Ukraine or its armed forces. We also let everyone know that the lethal weapons and material and technical assets that were shipped to Ukraine later showed up in other parts of the world. All of that calls for an investigation. Mr Patel admitted that Zelensky could not be trusted, because he had been lying too often for too long. According to the US General Accountability Office, Congress allocated over $170bn to the Kiev regime under the Biden administration.

On January 25, Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued an order to immediately put on hold for 90 days the funding under almost all foreign aid programmes, noting that the decisions to continue, modify or terminate funding programmes will be made based on the outcomes of an inspection to be conducted by the State Department. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has suspended projects related to providing assistance to Ukraine. As you may be aware, this agency was shipping fire suppression systems to Ukraine at a time when California was in dire need of them. In 2024, the assistance amounted to over $4 billion. The Verkhovnaya Rada openly recognised the formidable problems which Ukraine was not prepared to deal with. According to head of the Ukrainian Institute of Mass Information Oksana Romaniuk, almost 90 percent of the country’s media were kept afloat by grants.

What does this tell us? If these grants come from the United States, the recipients must work these funds off. This is not humanitarian aid, not is it charity, where a giver remains anonymous and makes a donation out of empathy. It’s a job order. Grants are issued to advance a certain agenda, which is stating the obvious. This is not a donation, or funds that don’t have to be accounted for. This is the grant money provided by the United States to Ukrainian media, which were supposed to do some work in keeping with the goals set before them. To reiterate, 90 percent of Ukraine’s mass media were kept alive with the US grant money which was provided not by some charity foundations, NGOs, or civil society organisations, but by the United States Agency for International Development. You don’t need me to tell you what this agency is known for.

NATO and the EU got nervous when they received these signals, and their officials began to compete with each other in aggressive Russophobic rhetoric in an effort to frighten themselves and the Europeans with the mythical Russian threat. In other words, the change took place in Washington, but they see Russia as a threat again. It’s nothing short of a fantastic story.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, invoking obsolete playbooks, has warned that Ukraine’s defeat would cost the Alliance not billions, but trillions of dollars. One must ponder: what kind of mathematics underlies such assertions? European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius contends that, “Every day Ukraine fights on, is a day the European Union and NATO can grow stronger.” Here, the discourse shifts from mathematics to physics. What school of perversion teaches such mathematics and physics? The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, having highlighted Brussels’ allocation of €50 billion for Ukrainian weaponry, has now urged EU states to further inflate defence spending by slashing budgets for education and healthcare.

This is absurd. If those who call themselves “beacons of democracy” had put this to popular referenda, one can only imagine the responses they would have received. In Switzerland, for instance, any matter is brought to a referendum. That is their tradition and approach. Imagine the questions concerning the future of the European continent at stake. Against the backdrop of migration issues – which they have devised for themselves – manipulations in the regions of the Middle East and North Africa, the lack of a unifying agenda, and amid the alarming de-ideologisation of society (it is fragmented; nothing unites them: neither culture, which currently serves as a pretext for clashes in the West, nor religion, nor shared goals and objectives), based on ideological chaos (no one can explain the philosophy of the future), they are reducing expenditures on the humanitarian sphere and persisting in their attempts to fuel a conflict around Ukraine in the heart of Europe. They cannot fail to comprehend that this pertains to a terrorist regime already. Experts are well aware of what transpires when a terrorist regime receives weapons, money, and a mandate for impunity unchecked for years. They know examples showing that once this dreadful “genie” is out of the bottle, it cannot be put back. Despite this, the EU continues to find ways to finance the strengthening of the terrorist Kiev regime at the expense of their own citizens.

Vladimir Zelensky continues to lie brazenly and shamelessly, trying to justify his decision made in spring 2022 to withdraw from the negotiating process and fight to the last Ukrainian.

On January 25, at a news conference in Kiev with Moldova’s President Maia Sandu, he stated that the ban on direct negotiations with Russia was necessary to curb the threat of separatism in Ukraine: “I swiftly halted separatism in our state. I simply forbade anyone, any political figures in the country, from conducting any negotiations with the Russian side or supporters of Vladimir Putin during wartime.”

In Vladimir Zelensky’s fevered imagination, Moscow allegedly sought to put pressure on Verkhovna Rada deputies, EU officials, and US officials, using “numerous shadowy negotiation channels,” which was a threat to Ukraine’s independence. “I realised that we and our relevant bodies could not control this,” he disclosed, calling the imposed ban a “just decision”. “I am the leader of those or any other negotiations – I prohibited everyone else from them,” summarised the head of the Kiev junta.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin already commented on these fabrications on January 28 of this year.

Anticipating the collapse of his policy – his terrorist activity actually – Vladimir Zelensky will continue to lie about anything like this. He won’t be manipulating facts now – he will tell outright lies, while even Western handlers of the Kiev regime (Britain, Joe Biden’s United States, and NATO) admit to having pressured the Kiev regime into terminating the peace talks in 2022. Now Vladimir Zelensky says it was a “cunning move” and a political decision to curb separatism. Everyone, including Boris Johnson, have admitted it was a Western decision to remove the Kiev regime from the negotiation process because they had other plans. They have actually made those plans known – some parts were mentioned directly in official interviews, while others were leaked to the media: their goal is to prolong the conflict and kill (as George W. Bush said) as many Russians as possible. This idea was further elaborated by many Western representatives. The talks were terminated because they did not want a peaceful settlement. Josep Borrell and many others said as much, too. Do you remember his tweets saying “the war will be won on the battlefield,” and that “Ukraine will prevail and rise back even stronger”? Similar statements continued to be made until recently. Antony Blinken said that the time has not yet come for talks. Now Vladimir Zelensky suddenly begins spouting about this being an important “strategy” to preserve Ukraine’s territorial integrity. In fact, his new fantasies have been largely prompted by the growing controversy over his legitimacy (or rather, illegitimacy), even in Ukraine proper. More statements made by Zelensky reveal the true meaning of his decision to terminate the peace talks in 2022. In particular, he called on the international community to put pressure on Moscow and bring peace closer by force. That means what he did in 2022 was not part of some strategy to preserve Ukraine; he banked on a military solution to the problem. It is clear why he is contradicting himself now.

The situation in the Armed Forces of Ukraine remains deplorable. They are retreating and continue to suffer heavy losses. It appears that the quality of the reserves trained by Western instructors in a number of NATO countries is far below the Kiev “strategists’” expectations. The German-trained 153rd Brigade is now struggling with mass desertion due to substandard supplies and equipment, just like the 155th Brigade, which was trained in France, before it.

In an interview with the Italian media, Zelensky said that mobilising men over 25 years is not enough to meet the army’s needs. Will he tell us later that he personally was against lowering the conscription age in Ukraine, but he was misunderstood or mistranslated? In case he does, we will record his every word and quote, because such self-incriminating statements have to be chronicled. On January 24, the deputy head of his office, Colonel Pavel Palisa, told a US news agency that he sees a huge mobilisation reserve in young men aged 18-25. They are betraying their own people. They are neo-Nazis, not only in relation to the Russian-speaking population, but also to all citizens of Ukraine. They no longer divide them into Russian-speakers or non-Russian-speakers. This was the first stage. Now the Kiev regime is exterminating its own citizens. Only someone who sincerely hates his people can say such a thing. There is no other explanation for this. Palisa said that the necessary new legislation to allow their “voluntary conscription” is at the final stage of approval. Have you seen what this “voluntary conscription” process looks like in Ukraine? At the same time, officials sitting on Bankova Street are consciously taking this step to fulfil the Anglo-Saxons’ tough demand to refill the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by using young men who are barely of age. No one in Washington or London is pulling any punches; they are being quite blunt about this. Meanwhile, according to a survey by the Ukrainian Democratic Initiative Foundation, every third resident of the country aged 18-29 would go abroad for permanent residence if the borders are opened for all categories of the population. Maybe the young Ukrainian “democracy” should try talking to its people?

Reports appeared on Telegram channels that local military recruitment offices in the Kharkov and Sumy regions and the command of the 92nd detached assault brigade started recruiting minors from among orphans and from dysfunctional families. We have repeatedly talked about this. We were not believed previously, as seemingly this could not be true. However, the units made up of them are to take part in combat operations in the Sudzha border area.

Meanwhile, leaks have appeared in the information space about warnings from the Ukrainian General Staff that the reserves will run out by the summertime without an all-out mobilisation. It is clear what is going on. Ukraine is afraid to call a spade a spade, but I will. Genocide of its own population is underway in Ukraine, and it is committed by those whom the people of Ukraine voted for as their leaders. It is a unique historical situation. Those who pretend to act in the national interests of preserving (as they say) the Ukrainian ethnos, defending Ukrainian culture and history, are destroying the very bearers of this culture and history.

The West has deceived humanity, different nations many times. This morning I read that another representative of the American legislature officially declared that the occupation and aggression of the United States against Iraq had been built on a monstrous lie. They have deceived many people, but the way they deceived Ukraine and the Ukrainian people is unprecedented in the degree of cynicism, cruelty and fierceness of the desire to exterminate this country and its people. They are already proposing to use weapons to force people to join the Ukrainian Armed Forces. We understand that it is already being done, because when people are taken out of their homes, cars, public transport or simply attacked on the streets of Ukrainian cities, it is done only by the rule of force and the right of the strongest. People realise that force will be used against them. And not only fists. The patrols taking part in such raids are armed. This will be enforced as the norm. If now they justify their actions by “extreme emergency” or “urgent necessity”, then later they will just break into houses and openly drag people to recruitment centres under armed escort. The Kiev regime is ready for brutal repression against its own people, just to drive them into the trenches for its own selfish interests. This includes preserving the power of those who no longer have it under the rule of law, and covering up all the crimes that have been committed, including those committed as part of a colossal corrupt transatlantic scheme in which various states, regimes and communities are involved.

The Kiev regime continues to deride the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church reported on its website on January 23 about a “solemn” transfer of parts of the relics of St Andrew the First-Called and Prince Vladimir by the “metropolitan” of the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine Alexander Drabinko to the “head” of the Uniates Svyatoslav (Shevchuk) under the slogans of “unity within the Ukrainian people and the Church of Kiev”.

We would like to remind you that the holy apostle Andrew the First-Called is especially revered in Orthodoxy all over the world and, according to a number of legends, is considered the first enlightener of the Russian land. The holy equal-to-the-apostles Prince Vladimir is the Baptiser of Russia. Parts of their relics transferred to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church belong to the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. However, in 2018, the Kiev Transfiguration Cathedral, where they were kept, was seized by self-ordained monks from the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The church’s rector, defrocked priest Alexander Drabinko, helped in this. He seems to think that these Orthodox relics are in his possession and he can do whatever he pleases with them. You can say that he is a defrocked priest or a schismatic, but in fact, he is just a fraud who is an apostate and traitor to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and all Orthodoxy.

The schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine speculates cynically on illegally appropriated relics that it has no relation to. Schismatics and Uniates have repeatedly spoken publicly about the importance of creating a “united Christian church” in Ukraine. However, by their action to transfer parts of the great saints’ relics they only confirmed that achieving their declared goal in fact implies raiding and theft of the property of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which they are ready to eliminate by any means, even if by dirty, illegal and immoral methods. And now they are talking about unity and complacency.

Surprisingly, all of this coincided with the speech that Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople gave at the PACE session on January 27, in which he noted that the tomos (a church decree that enshrines the decision of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople on granting independence to a particular church) he granted to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in 2019 allegedly “healed the wounds and disagreements of centuries.” However, people who are supposed to pray together continue to slaughter each other. They kill each other, kidnap, beat priests, set churches on fire, while he pays lip service to “healing wounds and disagreements.” The Westerners have always been behind the lawlessness and legal chaos in Ukraine. They use the dirtiest methods to destroy Orthodoxy in Ukraine, distort it beyond recognition, and replace concepts.

***

On January 29, the Foreign Ministry published an updated version (as of November 30, 2024) of its report. The document has eight sections.

On February 4, Special Representative of the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation for Cooperation in Ensuring the Right to Freedom of Religion, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry Gennady Askaldovich will present this report at the Foreign Ministry Press Centre. We would like to invite representatives of international human rights associations, confessions, the media and simply those who care about the fate of millions of Orthodox believers in Ukraine to read it.

Over the eighteen months that passed since the first version of the report was published (July 2023), the situation in the religious sphere of Ukraine continued to rapidly deteriorate. Persecution of canonical Orthodoxy, as well as bullying and harassment of believers are intensifying.

I will not prejudge the presentation of this report. Please join it online, send your questions and, most importantly, read the report. Let me stress once again that you can find it on the ministry’s website.

***

All these facts reaffirm once again the importance of the special military operation to demilitarise Ukraine and eliminate the threats emanating from its territory. As the Russian leadership has repeatedly stated, all the goals set will be reached.

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Massacre of civilians in the village of Russkoye Porechnoye, Kursk Region, by Ukrainian armed units

 

As you know, the Kiev terrorist regime has perpetrated much more than one cruel crackdown on peaceful civilians in the regions that they consider their own. Indeed, they consider those they abuse to be their citizens, even though those citizens haven’t considered themselves Ukrainian citizens for a long time. More than that, they committed massacres of the peaceful residents of our country, who have no relation to them at all.

The new cases of violence committed by the militants of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were recorded in the village of Russkoye Porechnoye, Sudzha District, Kursk Region, recently liberated by the Russian Armed Forces. We have repeatedly commented on this topic during our briefings. We believe it is necessary, extremely important to talk about this crime constantly. This is necessary not only for the residents of the Kursk Region, but for the whole world, because the world must understand who is being sponsored by Western countries, and what the Kiev regime is committing with this Western money, with these hundreds of billions of dollars and euros. These inhuman crimes are evidence of the terrorist and neo-Nazi essence of the Kiev regime, which in its evil military and political impotence, given its defeat on the frontline, has committed a literally cannibalistic action against peaceful civilians.

On January 18, Russian servicemen discovered in the cellars of rural residential buildings in Russkoye Porechnoye village mutilated bodies of local residents. First, they were tortured and abused by Ukrainian neo-Nazis, and then either shot to death or exploded by grenades.

We live in the 21st century. Everything has been ratified: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, countless declarations, innumerable summits have been held. Western powers literally inscribed provisions on human rights, tolerance, and humanism into every document. Now, all this has been erased in an instant. These verbiage and proclamations are rendered invisible and inaudible. Today, following this briefing, we will disclose and release photographic evidence obtained from Russian law enforcement agencies. You will see for yourselves.

I warn you now: these images are unbearable to view. Yet they must be seen. The documentary footage and photographs (captured by Russian military personnel at the scene) provide proof of monstrous, blood-soaked crimes and violations of all that is human. Utter moral degradation. Mutilated bodies, predominantly elderly Russian citizens, have been discovered. These seniors were tortured! But what else could we expect? Recall where this began: with the Alley of Angels – children were slaughtered there.

How can anyone fail to recognise that this is not an exception to Western policy towards our nation? Recall the acts of terror in the North Caucasus during the 1990s and early 2000s. Whom did they target? These acts were executed by those whom the United States Department of State, Downing Street, and Her Majesty’s Foreign Office later embraced as champions of democracy, as their closest allies. Against whom did these monsters commit their terrorist attacks? Let me remind you of Budyonnovsk. What was it? A hospital accommodating mothers, new-borns, and pregnant women. Beslan – a school amidst a new academic year celebration. Children were compelled to drink urine merely to survive. These are the so-called heroes of the ultra-liberal agenda, “democracy” in the Western style.

Here we witness the same pattern. Elderly civilians were subjected not merely to violence, but to torture: hands bound with tape, signs of beatings, gunshot wounds. Human remains were found alongside animal carcasses. I truly lack words. I believe, I have witnessed everything, answered every conceivable question, yet I cannot find words for this. One must be devoid of humanity to beat, wound, torture elderly people, civilians, and then blow them up with grenades.

The Russian Investigative Committee’s Main Military Investigative Department has initiated criminal proceedings against members of Ukrainian armed formations implicated in this act of terror against civilians in the Kursk Region under para (b) Article 205.3 of the Russian Criminal Code (“Terrorist act resulting in loss of life”).

A low bow to the law enforcement officers engaged in this work. I cannot imagine the fortitude required to maintain composure and resist emotional turmoil. One photograph (even I witnessed the reactions of grown men) suffices to shatter the calm essential for performing such duties. This is unbearable to watch. And remember, this is not merely dealing with photographs; it involves handling human remains.

Preliminary investigations have established the involvement of several Ukrainian servicemen from the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade in this crime. Among them are serviceman Yevgeny Fabrisenko, along with the commander of the 11th Company of the 4th Battalion with the call sign Kum, and three servicemen with the call signs Moth, Guide, and Artist. As if from horror films. Even their call signs resemble such. Notice, “Artist,” evidently targeting the elderly. They are suspected of committing a terrorist act (para (b) of Article 205.3 of the Russian Criminal Code), rape (paras (a) and (b) of Article 131.2 of the Russian Criminal Code), and violent sexual acts committed by a group with premeditation (paras (a) and (b) of Article 132.2 of the Russian Criminal Code).

In September 2024, these individuals illegally crossed Russia’s state border into Kursk Region. During combat operations in Sudzha district, Yevgeny Fabrisenko was apprehended by Russian Armed Forces. During interrogation, the suspect confessed fully, providing detailed testimony regarding grave crimes committed alongside his accomplices.

From September 28 to November 24, 2024, Yevgeny Fabrisenko, Motyl, Provodnik, and Khudozhnik, following the orders of their commander with the call sign “Kum,” killed 11 men and three women in the village of Russkoye Porechnoye. They also raped and sexually assaulted eight women, whom they also killed later. Next, they moved the bodies of the 22 murdered citizens to the basements of private homes in Russkoye Porechnoye.

Today, investigators, jointly with servicemen of the Russian Defence Ministry, have extracted the bodies of murdered civilians from the places the accused showed. The necessary examinations are being carried out. However, the investigation carried out in Russkoye Porechnoye so far indicates the mass nature of the crimes committed by Ukrainian militants.

What does this mean? Law enforcement officials will give their assessment. Obviously, all this must adhere to the laws and specific legal norms. This proves that these were not isolated individuals, those who have become worse than animals and who may have been drugged or motivated by something. The point is that this is a mass action; it is not an isolated case. This also indicates that, despite all the monstrous findings, all those who have been sponsoring the Kiev regime for years know what it is doing and still continue to supply it with money and weapons.

During the ongoing preliminary investigation, the commanders of the Ukrainian armed formations who gave criminal orders as well as other accomplices to these crimes will be identified and a criminal-legal assessment of their actions will be given.

We strongly believe that everyone involved in these crimes will be identified and brought to justice as provided by law. We call all witnesses of the Kiev regime’s atrocities (this is very important; we call on everyone) to report anything they know to the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation.

The Investigative Committee has published the contact details for reporting any information. Indeed, this is challenging; I can imagine how impossibly difficult it is to tell about this things for those who have survived – even as witnesses – and even recall what they saw, heard, and experienced. But this has to be done for every victim, those who were murdered and tortured before being killed.

Look at these photos. This must be done for the generations to come, who must know the truth, and for the victims’ families, who must know that we stand united in our rejection of crimes and ideology like these, and that we, as a country and a nation, protect people and make every effort to prevent such things happening on our land to our citizens and compatriots. We call on everyone who can share information to do so, to find this moral strength inside. This is extremely important now.

Speaking about war crimes in Russkoye Porechnoye, I cannot but note that the Vladimir Zelensky regime’s neo-Nazis have not invented anything new. Western elites, which the Kiev regime aspires to be like and which the Kiev gang extensively depends on, have committed brutal repressions against the civilian population on numerous occasions in the history of Western states.

There have been so many instances. Even if we disregard the history of the Middle Ages, when, during the European religious wars that followed the Reformation, the armies of both Protestant and Catholic kingdoms ruined peaceful cities, destroyed the cathedrals of the opposing side, and publicly executed in the squares all “those who prayed in a different rite.” If we disregard that – although this terrible tradition turned out to be one of the most persistent in the practice of armed conflicts – there are hundreds of such examples. Meanwhile, researchers note that the repressions against civilians were particularly impacted by the introduction of national and then nationalist rhetoric in propaganda. If we skip that and take a look instead at more recent times – at the new history passing into the contemporary period – we will see similar things done to the Orthodox populace of Malorossiya whose territories were temporarily under Austrian and then Polish occupation during World War I and the Civil War. Often civilians who spoke Russian were killed by the occupiers without trial, merely on the grounds of rejection. According to the authors of the Thalerhof Almanac, dedicated to the ethnic cleansing by the Austrians against Russian and Malorossiyan population, the occupiers took some peasants to concentration camps, including Thalerhof and Terezin, while others were executed on the spot.

But even this inhuman experience pales in comparison with the atrocities committed by the predecessors of the current militants in the Kursk Region alone in the course of its occupation during the Great Patriotic War. Essentially, this is why the Kiev regime glorifies Nazi collaborators, because now in the Kursk Region they are committing the same things that were committed by those worshipped by the bastards they glorified. Recall that during the Kursk Region’s occupation during the Great Patriotic War, the Nazi invaders and their proxies killed over 18,000 civilians and 9,826 POWs in the Kursk land.

Now someone might ask – and one can say anything, but let us look at the facts – are there any documents? There are. A report on atrocities in the village of Apanasovka, Korenevsky district, says, “At 11 a.m. on March 15, 1943, a group of 80 German thugs broke into the village and committed massacre over peaceful inhabitants, with 29 people shot with automatic rifles and machine guns...”. You won’t believe it, but the following sentence sounds like a verdict on the Kiev regime: “...5 people were killed by grenades.”

In an effort to subdue the local population, the occupiers extensively used various forms of repression and terror. Particularly severe punishment awaited those who knew but concealed the whereabouts of the partisans.

The July 22, 1943 report on the atrocities of the Nazi invaders in the village of Kochetovka, Ivnyansky district, stated the execution of A. Kostromitsky, 39, F. Kostromitsky, 47, and a 14-year-old teenager, N. Kostromitsky, on July 17, who were just shot down by the Nazis. German officers did not allow burying the bodies of the killed farmers for two days. In December 1941 in Sapogov, the occupiers poisoned 538 patients of the local hospital, while 330 people died of hunger. After the liberation of Kursk, the remains of more than a thousand innocent people killed by the Nazis were discovered in seven holes in a sand pit near the village of Shchetinka.

[Now we see] the same “moulds” and patterns and the same ideology. When will the global community wake up and realise that they send hundreds of billions of dollars to those who kill and torture the elderly and children instead of sending it for helping those actually in need of food, medicines, and education?

A little more than 80 years have passed, and now “spiritual heirs” (we actually should not say “spiritual,” because they have no soul, or what they have cannot be called a soul), ideological heirs of those inhumans, carry out their punitive actions and repressions against the civilian population on the same land. Yes, it is tragic to talk about it. There is one thing though: the outcome for them will be the same. Maybe they are unaware of it because they do not know history, but we do.

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German authorities falsifying history

 

We heard all kinds of stories recently. Who do you think saved Germany from the Nazism? According to Olaf Scholz, it was Americans. I don’t know when to expect yet another piece of nonsense, like an American mariner raising the flag over the Reichstag, or when we will see streams of fakes and deepfakes (I think they will soon find “pseudo-photo chronicles” and colour footage) that testify to the fact that it was some Anglo-Saxon who did this risking his life. With all due respect to the alliance, we can see how their descendants distort the historical truth.

Look at what is happening in Germany. History is being revised at the state level. It has been done consistently for a long time. The Third Reich is not yet (“yet” being the key word) being directly rehabilitated; it is done like a bypass. But the goal is clear. First, through the efforts of the European Parliament, they falsely tried to put it on the same level with the Soviet Union, declaring that our countries were allegedly equally responsible for starting World War II. As if there was no Munich Agreement, or Europeans feeling satisfaction at the sight of ghettos, or the transit of Nazi troops through all European countries and their absolutely peaceful coexistence with the local population, who provided them with water, food and clothing, and entertained them. Now they are talking about some kind of equal responsibility.

To those talking about equal responsibility: just recall all these concentration camps and, first of all, ghettos where people were clearly sent on a ‘one-way trip.’ You saw this, and your grandfathers did. You lived on the same streets as them. But no one did anything either at the state or public level. And the anti-fascists who saw it were also persecuted.

Next, it got worse. They started talking (they have been telling us this for a while, since the 1980s) that all this is proven by the fact that the 1939 Soviet-German non-aggression pact was signed. Does it matter that we were the last to conclude such a treaty, and before that, all the Western countries had concluded numerous treaties like that one, along with the Munich Agreement? They had the very same pacts long before the Soviet Union signed one. This is astonishing. How can this be ignored and hushed? But it turns out that it can be. Have they forgotten the Anschluss of Austria as well? Not a word is spoken about Poland’s aggressive policy. Now the Nazi regime, condemned by the Nuremberg trials, is quite officially equated with the USSR at every opportunity. Just to remind, the Soviet Union was an accuser country at the Nuremberg trials, and a country that was victim of genocide. They no longer talk about the liberation of Europe by the Red Army and the salvation of entire nations. “You did not bring us freedom,” they claim now. We, and our ancestors, brought you life. As for your interpretation of freedom as you viewed it, it is your own matter as to how you built it.

We saved their lives – physically, not figuratively. The Red Army saved lives. Speaking of freedom, the Soviet Union rebuilt cities anew. They were not saving the economy as there was nothing to save, but they restored it. We shared grain and resources even when we ourselves needed it first; we delivered plenty of materials to them, which is demonstrated by numbers. But they are now claiming that we did not bring freedom to them.

This is a European disgrace. All of this will be proven and documented later; I am sure they will repent and sprinkle ashes on their heads, asking how this was possible and saying that they “failed to see it.” It will be similar to the 1940s and 1950s, when people questioned why they didn’t see and understand, how they could back Hitler, and how these Nazi rallies were held in both Western European countries and the US.

All this is orchestrated by the German authorities. Not overtly, though one can no longer say that about the statements of Federal Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz. The most unscrupulous exploitation of elderly people and children is underway, with Berlin equipping them with propagandist scripts and prestigious platforms. Recall the boy (I refuse to even utter his name), who in 2017, speaking at the Bundestag, recounted the purported plight of Wehrmacht prisoners-of-war, who (he forgot to add) also participated in atrocities during the Holocaust? For some reason, he did not speak about that. He merely spoke about their difficult fate. His performance appalled many.

Yet they persist. Similarly orchestrated was the speech of former ghetto prisoner Roman Shvartsman on January 29 this year during the Hour of Remembrance in the Bundestag, marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp by Soviet troops. Until recently, he resided in Odessa, chaired Jewish organisations there, and was awarded the Order of Merit of… which Fatherland? No, you did not guess correctly – not ours – the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. With sorrow and bewilderment, many, including my friends from various nationalities, not only observed but wrote to me saying it was shameful, horrific. How could they sink so low?

They witnessed an elderly man, once the director of one of the factories in  Odessa, reading a prepared speech (the question arises: where? On Bankova Street? Or in the German parliament? Or perhaps somewhere in Brussels?) in an unfamiliar language, evidently Ukrainian, comparing us to Nazi Germany, to Adolf Hitler, and so forth. Evidently, it was precisely for voicing this thesis and demanding new arms supplies to the Kiev regime that a representative of the Bundestag, Bärbel Bas, escorted him to the podium.

Previously, he had the courage to remind people of Ukrainian collaborators, the atrocities of Romanian occupiers, educated on the Holocaust’s singularity (as he put it, one-of-a-kind event), contributed to the creation of a Holocaust museum featuring a large section honouring Jewish veterans adorned with the St George Ribbon and the Order of Victory. But that was then. After the state coup in 2014, he became a witness to the desecration of Holocaust victim memorials, painted out swastikas and antisemitic slogans on the walls of Odessa streets. In 2020, he stated that attacks on recipients of German payments – Holocaust victims in the Odessa region – occurred due to the “systematic transfer of information” about them to robbers. All that was before.

After the commencement of the special military operation, Roman Shvartsman, under the close tutelage of the Berlin NGO Centre for Liberal Modernity (quite a name, isn’t it?), began to be recruited for appearances at events under the auspices of the American Atlantic Council, inserting Bandera slogans into his speeches. I will not utter them; you know them well.

And what is this NGO? Some might say it is a non-governmental institution, possibly representatives of civil society. No, it is an entity funded by the German Foreign Ministry. In 2021, it was declared an undesirable organisation in Russia. Now we see why.

In her address, the aforementioned Bärbel Bas declared: “Historical consciousness is particularly vital today.” Yes, we know that. Because you distort it. She continued: “Conspiratorial myths and propaganda rage across analogue and digital spaces.” What was she referring to? To the censorship of the Soviet flag over the Reichstag in American social networks? No, not about that. No. She was talking about how “the liberation of Auschwitz by the Red Army and its fight against National Socialists are exploited to justify suppression and war.”

Why do they omit that the heroes of the Kiev regime have become those once considered collaborators, criminals, Nazis? But this lies beyond historical consciousness, according to Bärbel Bas.

What we witness now is more horrifying. I thought rewriting and denying history were the worst. No, it turns out one can sink even lower. One can look beneath certain deeper layers. They now use Holocaust victims to legitimise modern neo-Nazism. This surpasses horror. This is truly monstrous.

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Further facts about the crimes of Japanese militarism

 

In the year of the 80th anniversary of Victory over militarist Japan and the end of the Second World war, we want to revisit to the subject of uncovering the historical crimes of Japanese militarism. As you understand, they have no statute of limitations. Proceedings to punish all those responsible continue to this day.

The Office of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation has officially notified the following Japanese nationals of resolutions issued in 2024 cancelling previous rehabilitation reports: Ichiro Hiramura, Saburo Atsumi, Isamu Marafuzi, Shigesada Kawagoe, Yuziro Naguchi, Takeki Ono, Kazuma Otsubo, Taro Kawame, Muneharu Kubo, Shiokichi Kikuchi and Zunzi Minozuma. During the war they took part in sabotage and espionage activities against the Soviet Union.

The results of the review of court judgements at the cassation and supervisory levels established that the above-mentioned persons were not subject to rehabilitation and their guilt had been fully proved.

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Repercussions of anti-Russia restrictions for their initiators

 

We talk much and answer questions about how we arrange our international activities, including foreign economic activities, under the anti-Russia illegal, illegitimate sanctions and a trade war (which is part of the West’s hybrid war against our country). We will release a detailed material on this subject shortly in which we will tell you how the illegitimate anti-Russian sanction measures, primarily of an economic nature, have turned against their creators. I shall give a few figures.

According to the IMF, the global GDP growth rate will remain at 3.2 percent in 2025. The World Bank (WB) estimates are even more pessimistic − 2.6 percent in 2024 and 2.7 percent in 2025−2027.

Illegal unilateral restrictions against Russia, firstly, contributed to this, and secondly, did not achieve the goal they were supposed to pursue, and turned against their creators. They struck a blow to international value chains, provoked unbalanced investment and trade flows, aggravated the debt problem, and reduced access to goods, services, finance, and technology for many countries. In the context of anti-Russian restrictive measures, which damage the principles of fair competition and free trade, geo-economic fragmentation is increasing, and the world economy is splitting into separate blocks while the problem of economic inequality is aggravated.

In other words, everything that was declared by the West as a development goal is now being destroyed by their own methodology and tools. It is important to note that the damaging effects of restrictions have been and continue to be experienced by those who use them in geopolitical confrontation. The growth rates of the developed countries’ economies will not exceed 1.8 percent by the end of 2024. Relatively high GDP growth rates of 2.8 percent are recorded only in the United States (but we understand what this is due to). In the UK, Japan and Canada, the situation balances on the verge of recession. Moreover, this is not a momentary story. It has been ongoing for quite a long time.

According to the estimates of the European Commission, the balance of economic risks for the EU has shifted even more to the negative domain by the end of this year. The “skidding” of the European economy is attributed to the inflated energy prices (taking into account the high cost of American LNG), which was predicted long ago and is obvious even to non-specialists. As the European Commission states, the main spheres of economic activity of countries such as Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and France continue to stagnate steadily. I think it is displayed by the shock (not moral or psychological, but financial one) that the markets have now experienced, including from the technological advances in AI presented by China. Funny? It’s sad and tragic, but true.

While the countries of the West were collectively and individually inventing more and more schemes against the countries of the Global Majority (we are not the only ones), the latter were inventing new technologies. Now everyone has understood and seen it.

At the same time, Brussels is forced to recognise that it is the termination of energy cooperation with Russia that prevents the EU’s largest producers from remaining competitive. As a consequence, the industrial sector, especially energy-intensive industries, is in dire straits. The energy crisis and the policy of ill-conceived decarbonisation carry the risk of deindustrialisation for Europe.

“The specter of deindustrialisation” is also haunting Germany’s once successful automotive industry. According to expert estimates, no more than 4 million cars were manufactured in Germany in 2024, which is 25 percent less than in the pre-pandemic period.

Germany is at risk of losing its status as Europe’s economic powerhouse in the foreseeable future. According to Creditreform agency, high energy prices are driving up the number of bankruptcies, and the number of major businesses that went belly up has increased by over 44 percent.

The appalling situation in the German industrial sector negatively impacts the economy in other European countries. Many companies operate through long-established close ties with their German partners within multi-tier part and component supply chains.

According to Eurostat, the EU has paid almost 200 billion euros more than it should for natural gas since the time the sanctions on Russia were imposed. The Europeans now spend an average of 15.2 billion euros per month to buy fuel from Russia at a time when in 2021 their monthly gas spending was as low as 6 billion euros. Ukraine refusing to renew the gas transit agreement with Russia for the European consumers after December 31, 2024 will only make the problem worse by raising gas tariffs. The United States is set to derive the greatest benefit from the situation at hand, since it made 53 billion euros from gas sales to Europe, leaving other gas market participants far behind.

In addition to high energy prices caused by the European countries turning down energy cooperation with Russia, Russia imposing counter-restrictions in a number of areas of what used to be mutually beneficial cooperation came as an unpleasant surprise for those who initiated the sanctions face-off.

After Russia had closed its skies to airlines from unfriendly countries, their air carriers were hit hard by a decrease in competitiveness due to an abrupt increase in the duration of flights to Asia. Many European companies had to cut the number of flights or to completely halt flights to China. Chinese airlines wasted no time taking advantage of the newly vacated niche. The governments of a number of European countries are now forced to bear tangible expenses in an effort to sustain their airlines, and even have to recur to administrative resources in order to oppose their competitors from China.

The backlash of the anti-Russia restrictions imposed by unfriendly countries forces leading Western experts to recognise inadequacy of the sanctions on Russia and to acknowledge the fact that the European economy is haunted by crisis phenomena caused by the sanctions.

In his September 2024 report, The Future of European Competitiveness, former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi had to admit that “Europe has abruptly lost its most important supplier of energy, Russia.”

Risks are growing in the sphere of US public finances. The national debt now stands in excess of $36 trillion dollars. Interest payments have reached an unprecedented $1 trillion a year, which is 30 percent higher than in 2023. The federal deficit continues to grow with the excess of spending over revenue standing at $1.9 trillion in August 2024, which is 24 percent higher than during the same period earlier.

Western sanctions and weaponising reserve currencies by Washington and its satellites have undermined the international players’ confidence in the global financial architecture based on the dominance of the US dollar and the euro, which has led to an increase in the share of alternative monetary units in international payments and savings. Acting as part of associations such as BRICS, the SCO, ASEAN, and on a bilateral footing, member countries are stepping up the dialogue on using national currencies in mutual trade and taking steps to build the necessary payment and settlement infrastructure that would be independent of Western countries.

Despite growing negative consequences for the global economy, Western countries keep following their suicidal Russophobic policies with persistence worthy of a better cause, and keep churning out anti-Russia restrictive measure packages. Most “free world” leaders are turning a blind eye to the flawed nature of this approach and ignoring considerations of economic sense in order to follow their irresponsible political agenda. In their futile attempts to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, Westerners are, in fact, undermining the foundation of their own well-being with their own hands.

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Deteriorating situation in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

 

We have received numerous inquiries, including from foreign media, regarding the deteriorating situation in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The security situation in this resource-rich region once again deteriorated this January as the March 23 Movement (M23) intensified its offensive. On January 27, M23 captured Goma, the administrative centre of the North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is home to more than one million civilians. The escalation of the conflict has led to catastrophic consequences for the already dire humanitarian situation in this part of the country: Goma is virtually blocked, and the city's residents, along with internally displaced persons who fled there, are cut off from the outside world. According to the UN, there are many casualties and injuries among the civilian population.

M23 attacked the UN Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a peacekeeping force deployed in the region, killing its staff from South Africa and Uruguay. We strongly condemn the crimes committed by M23.

On January 28, a number of foreign embassies in Kinshasa were attacked by demonstrators who took to the streets of the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We are convinced that such actions have nothing to do with peaceful demonstrations. We call on the country's leadership to take appropriate measures to prevent a recurrence of such incidents.

We note that no Russian citizens were injured during the capture of Goma or the street riots in Kinshasa.

We firmly believe that only dialogue between all parties concerned and involved in the conflict can bring an end to the violence in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We are calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities, withdrawal of M23 units from occupied territories and resumption of the negotiation process within the framework of the existing regional peacekeeping formats. We must not allow the escalation to increase, as this could lead to an interstate conflict.

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The 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Indonesia

 

On February 3, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Indonesia are marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

Our countries are traditionally linked by close ties of friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation. In 1950, the Soviet Union was among the first to recognise the young republic in Southeast Asia. The USSR helped Indonesia establish its statehood and rendered it considerable assistance in the area of social and transport infrastructure construction. Suffice it to recall that the first Indonesian President Sukarno paid four visits to the USSR in the 1960s, where he met with the Soviet leaders, who also visited the archipelago.  

Today, despite significant external challenges, Indonesia remains a close friend and one of the prioritised partners of Russia in the Asia Pacific Region. The political dialogue has developed pro-actively, including at the highest level. Its trust-based and constructive nature was fully corroborated last July, when President of Russia Vladimir Putin held talks with President-elect of the Republic of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto in the Kremlin. 

The two countries’ ties in trade, the economy, science, technology, education, humanitarian area and culture have made steady progress. There are good prospects for joint efforts in atom for peace and space exploration. Various bilateral intergovernmental commissions and working groups operate smoothly.

Defence cooperation demonstrates steady dynamism. Russian and Indonesian naval ships make regular port calls on the reciprocal basis. The first Russian-Indonesian joint naval exercise in the Java Sea in 2024, Orruda 2024, was an important event.    

Our countries hold close or identical views on global and regional developments and closely coordinate their activities at the UN and other international venues.

Indonesia’s recent accession to BRICS as a full-fledged member will help to expand Russian-Indonesian interaction in promoting the interests of the Global South states and strengthening the multilateral framework of modern interstate relations.  

Indonesia is a long-standing destination for a considerable number of Russian tourists. The Russian Federation will soon open a consulate general in Denpasar, Bali, to protect their rights and legitimate interests.

Years of accumulated positive experience of cooperation remain a firm foundation for a further buildup of the entire system of bilateral relations, something that meets the fundamental interests of both nations.  

To mark the anniversary, the Foreign Ministry is planning to organise a display of archival documents that reflect the main landmarks in bilateral relations. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov intends to be present at the opening ceremony.  

As usual, we congratulate our Indonesian colleagues on our common holiday. We wish them well-being, prosperity and all the best.  

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The 270th anniversary of Lomonosov Moscow State University

 

On January 25, which is Russian Students Day, Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) - Russia’s largest university and a major international university - marked its 270th anniversary.

I’m not going to list the events that were held as part of the celebration. You have seen them. Indeed, the anniversary was covered by the media internationally. There is something in it that is crucial for us as an agency that engages in international politics. More than 10,000 students from 70 countries study at MSU. Five foreign branches are active, as well as a joint Russian-Chinese MSU-BIT university (a joint venture between MSU and Beijing Institute of Technology) based in Shenzhen, PRC. Not just bilateral, but multilateral formats of inter-university dialogue are in place as well, including through the Russian Union of Rectors. The SCIENCE 0+ national festival is held under the auspices of MSU, and is now a major international platform for popularising science among youth and schoolchildren.

It is particularly important for us that MSU gave a start to and became an “alma mater” not only for students, but other universities as well, including MGIMO, which is our affiliate. MSU trains specialists in Eastern studies who are in high demand at the Foreign Ministry. MSU graduates are highly valued specialists who work at the Foreign Ministry on Smolenskaya Square and at our foreign missions.

Even today, MSU plays a leading and system-building role in the national scientific and educational sphere, enjoys high demand for addressing the tasks facing the country, and is a recognised brand (in all senses of the word) of international education.

My best wishes to you once again. We remain in touch with MSU and will continue to assist the University in its activities to build a basis for a sustainable and equitable international scientific and educational dialogue amid artificially created barriers and restrictions.

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The 80th anniversary of Yalta Conference

 

Eighty years ago, on February 4, 1945, a conference with the participation of the three Allied leaders opened in Livadia Palace outside Yalta. It has gone down in history as a landmark event of World War II and a compelling example of successful cooperation between the Soviet Union, the United States and Great Britain. Its decisions made a significant contribution to the victorious end of the war and the post-war settlement, and laid the foundation for a new security system in Europe and around the world.

The meeting of Chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin, US President Franklin Roosevelt and Prime Minister of Great Britain Winston Churchill in Crimea took place during the final phase of the war against Nazi Germany. As a result of sweeping Soviet offensives, the combat operations were transferred to the German territory. The Red Army was only 60 kilometres away from Berlin. The collapse of Nazism was clearly soon to come, and defeating Germany was a matter of time. The situation called for urgent practical military and political decisions.

The range of issues discussed at the conference was quite broad. The Allied leaders reviewed the terms of Germany’s unconditional surrender and the general principles of treating defeated Berlin, including agreements on zones of occupation. The participants in the Yalta Conference stated that their main objectives included creating guarantees that “Germany would never again be able to disturb the peace of the world” and to destroy Nazism and militarism. The leaders of the victorious powers were convinced that eradicating anti-human ideology could provide “hope for a decent life for Germans, and a place for them in the comity of Nations.”

The Declaration on Liberated Europe adopted in Crimea formulated the democratic principles underlying Europe’s post-war organisation based on cooperation between the Allies. “The establishment of order in Europe,” said the document, “and the rebuilding of national economic life must be achieved by processes which will enable the liberated peoples to destroy the last vestiges of nazism and fascism and to create democratic institutions of their own choice.”

The post-war territorial organisation of Poland and the recognition of the Polish government by the Allies were at a sharp spotlight during the conference. The Soviet delegation consistently defended the fundamental interests of the Poles, their right to national independence and sovereignty of that East Slavic state created on the liberated territories. Addressing the House of Commons on February 27, 1945, Winston Churchill emphasised the decisive contribution of the Soviet Union to restoring Poland’s statehood, “But for the prodigious exertions and sacrifices of Russia, Poland was doomed to utter destruction at the hands of the Germans. Not only Poland as a State and as a nation, but the Poles as a race were doomed by Hitler to be destroyed or reduced to a servile station.”

The agreement on the Far Eastern issues arrived at by the parties provided for the Soviet Union entering the war against militaristic Japan two or three months after the end of the war in Europe. A number of conditions were stipulated, including international legal recognition of the Mongolian People’s Republic, the return of South Sakhalin to the Soviet Union, and the transfer of the Kuril Islands to it as well.

Establishing a universal international organisation to maintain peace and security after the war was an event of a truly historic significance. The participants in the Livadia Palace talks decided to convene a conference in San Francisco in April 1945 to draw up the Charter of the future United Nations. The leaders of the three Allied powers resolved that it should be based on the principle of unanimity of the five permanent members of the Security Council (the Soviet Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and China) on all major decisions related to maintaining peace, including all measures of military and economic coercion. It is fundamentally important that the Soviet proposal to include the two Soviet republics - the Ukrainian SSR and the Byelorussian SSR - as founding members of the international security organisation was supported by the United States and Great Britain.

Thanks largely to the efforts of Soviet diplomacy, the decisions adopted at the Yalta Conference had a great influence on bringing an early end to the war and the post-war organisation of the world, and became an integral part of the so-called Yalta-Potsdam system of international relations. In the final communiqué, the Allied leaders confirmed their “unity for peace as for war.” It was noted that “only with the continuing and growing cooperation and understanding among our three countries and among all the peace-loving Nations can the highest aspiration of humanity be realised - a secure and lasting peace.”

The participants in the Yalta Forum managed to overcome their differences, and, acting in the spirit of true solidarity, mutual respect and trust, abandoned their fleeting interests for the sake of defeating the common enemy and achieving a common victory, peace and freedom for all countries and peoples.

Unfortunately, much has changed since then. Now, multiple proponents of historical revisionism tend to falsify historical reality and associate the Yalta agreements with the split of Europe and the bloc confrontation of the post-war period. Distorting the true meaning and importance of the decisions taken at that time and ignoring their specific context actually opens a path to revising the foundations of the modern world order and eroding the key principles of international law and security that emerged as a result of World War II.

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Answers to media questions:

Question: Recently, there has been significant growth in regional exports from Russia to countries in the Asia-Pacific Region, and we are seeing similar examples here in Mordovia. As you mentioned earlier, this is primarily focused on the CIS countries. What do you consider to be the main challenges currently facing regional exporters?

Maria Zakharova: These challenges are recognised not only by me and the Foreign Ministry, but by everyone; they are clear and undeniable. We refer to them using political science terms like “illegitimate restrictions,” which have come to be known by the public as illegal sanctions. In reality, this represents a trade war, part of a broader hybrid war against our country and, in fact, the entire world. Looking at the experiences of other countries and regions, we can see similar tactics used by the collective West. Is this the first time in human history? Certainly not.

The merging of economic and trade interests, pursued through illegal means (not through development or competition, but through coercion), with direct, forceful actions, whether open or covert, as we now term hybrid, is not a new phenomenon. History has already seen redivisions of the world, resources, and colonies. The world has experienced this before. There was hope that lessons had been learned from past mistakes, but as we can now observe, some have learned well, while others have not fully grasped the lessons.

Russia and its regions are actively collaborating with friendly nations to establish a secure and sustainable system for mutual settlements in foreign economic transactions. This is one of the most pressing challenges, brought about by restrictions and illegal sanctions. However, the term “challenge” also implies an opportunity for development, which is an important aspect to consider.

We are diversifying payment methods by using national currencies, payment systems, and SWIFT alternatives for transmitting financial data in trade services. The Government frequently addresses these matters.

Russian banks are establishing direct correspondent relationships with financial institutions from Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. Cooperation is progressing in the field of digital settlements and the creation of specialised platforms for digital currencies and financial assets. These areas are under constant attention, especially considering the growing pressure from the West on our partners. The West has come up with new ways to sever not only direct interaction but also all possible channels, attempting to block anyone involved, even indirectly. What has begun is a real global-scale persecution from the collective West, which has already introduced secondary sanctions.

The illegitimate and unlawful sanctions imposed by the West are impacting the supply chains of goods exported from Russian regions, resulting in changes to pricing. Despite this, our companies are finding ways to optimise logistics routes. Combined with high product quality and strong competitive performance, this enables economic operators to grow and navigate the challenges they face.

The development of a new architecture for supply chains, the accelerated modernisation of existing ones, and the expansion of promising international transport corridors are strategic priorities for national development. This is emphasised by the country’s leadership and our Government, particularly in the context of implementing President Vladimir Putin’s initiative to establish the Greater Eurasian Partnership.

Russia is dedicated to collaborating with partners to establish reliable alternative cargo transportation routes, particularly through the development of the international North-South transport corridor and the Northern Sea Route. Utilising these transit routes will notably reduce the delivery time of domestic export products, including to the Asia-Pacific Region.

I am speaking broadly, as we are fully aware that once the details are disclosed, our adversaries are quick to react. The trends have been identified, and the rest is subject to careful and meticulous work.

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Question: I would first like to thank you and the Foreign Ministry for the project Beside the Minister, which is being implemented together with the ARS-PRESS association. This is an opportunity for regional journalists to travel with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and see his work in close proximity to him.

Maria Zakharova: Let me briefly tell you what this is all about. We launched this project about 10 years ago together with the Alliance of Regional Media Heads of Russia.

We don't have a pool as such, as an institutionalised body. We simply invite journalists. This applies not only to our Ministry, but also to other federal authorities and the Presidential Executive Office.

The question refers to the federal media. It is clear why. They cover all the regions. Accordingly, they have mostly always been invited. But first, there is regional cooperation and international activities of the regions. Second, there are pressing problems on the international track, which are covered by the regional press, such as border issues and so on.

There is an understanding that the press needs more than just financial support. Journalism is primarily supported by information and direct access to speakers. We approached the Alliance of Regional Media Heads with such a proposal. Thank them very much for responding. For many years, with a short break during COVID-19 (when everything was on hold due to logistics, including all flights), we have been inviting journalists from different regions to cover foreign visits. For each trip, we mainly invite journalists from those Russian regions that cover the respective track (bilateral or regional, etc.). You were no exception either.

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Question: In Mordovia, the International Festival of Russian Theatres has been held since 2006. It is called Compatriots. During this time, 90 companies from 24 countries have visited Mordovia. The festival is very popular, and all tickets are sold. People come to us from other regions. For a long time, until last year, the festival was supported by Rossotrudnichestvo. In order to maintain this tradition, last year the festival was financed entirely from the budget of the Republic of Mordovia. In 2024, theatres from Armenia and Belarus came to us. However, in order for theatres to continue this good tradition, for the Russian language and Russian culture to develop abroad, it is extremely necessary for this festival to return into the Rossotrudnichestvo programme and continue to be financed. I would like to ask you for assistance in this.

Maria Zakharova: This project is highly praised by both the Foreign Ministry and Rossotrudnichestvo. There is no doubt about this. The financing of the festival was suspended because the agency’s activities in the current conditions are largely aimed at supporting compatriots’ initiatives in the countries they live in. This is how they built this concept.

We believe that the festival organisers have to ask (if you send the relevant requests, documents or letters, I am ready to facilitate their transfer and prompt response on this issue) the Ministry of Culture, whose competence includes touring activities, as well as the implementation of the Support Programme for Russian-language theatres abroad.

In addition, there is the Cultural Initiatives Fund and the Russky Mir Foundation. Let us also contact them together.

Rossotrudnichestvo is ready to provide organiaational and informational support for the festival and work with partner theatres in their countries. For example, in 2024 (I specifically talked with Yevgeny Primakov about this) the agency launched a project for the logistical support of Russian creative associations (studios) abroad.

Gather all the documents you need. We will act on these tracks.

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Question: Judging by what some politicians have to say, Armenia continues to believe that stepping up its trade with the EU as part of its efforts to join the EU can go hand in hand with Yerevan deriving economic benefits from its EAEU membership. What’s your take on that?

Maria Zakharova: There is no need to assess this from a political standpoint, and not because there’s no need for that at all (there is always a place and time for that), but because there are concrete figures and facts. There is the economy, and the EAEU is primarily about economic advantages. Let’s discuss them.

The EAEU membership provides Armenia, just like other EAEU members, with serious economic benefits. Yerevan itself has repeatedly noted that this is indeed the case and described the “bonuses” obtained by the people of Armenia.

This issue was also discussed during the recent talks between foreign ministers of Russia and Armenia held as part of the Armenian Foreign Minister’s working visit to Moscow on January 21. What is it about specifically?

It is about the contribution to the economic growth of the republic through expanded exports primarily to the Russian Federation thanks to the absence of customs borders within the EAEU. The products coming from Armenia enjoy demand and are popular in the EAU member states. This is the concrete advantage obtained by Armenian producers, people, and entrepreneurs.

According to Armenia, its exports to the EAEU member states have increased by over 10 times since 2015, which is a lot. Had they increased by only 50 percent, we could have taken it seriously as well. And here we see exports skyrocket by 10 times. In 2023, they amounted to $3.4 billion. This is not a handout, or a humanitarian aid effort, but honest money earned by Armenian producers for marketing their goods. This is more than revenue. It’s an incentive for continued growth.

We ran our numbers, as well, and arrived at an even larger figure of $3.6 billion. But we’ll chalk it up to different calculation methods.

According to preliminary estimates, the bilateral trade with our country in 2024 was close to a record high of almost $12 billion. This is not just the revenue of one particular enterprise, which derived benefits from its good connections with lobbyists at a time where other companies had no access to these benefits. No, we are talking about the country at large.

As an EAEU member, Armenia is also taking advantage of the opportunities provided by cooperation across a variety of spheres, common technical regulation mechanisms, sanitary and phytosanitary controls, free labour movement, and many other advantages of Eurasian integration.

With regard to Armenia’s course on becoming an EU member, let us not politicise it in terms of black and white, or good and bad. We can look at all of that from a specific angle. Everything I just mentioned above will be lost. Obviously, if you are not a member of an association in question, you have no access to the preferences it has to offer.

We have made our understanding of the situation clear, without prevarication, at different levels. On January 29, Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk once again made it clear that the opening of the markets with the European Union will have the EAEU automatically reinstall its customs regulations with Armenia. Is Yerevan entitled to this choice? Of course, it is. It is the sovereign right of the state to do so. It is vital to be aware of the practical consequences rather than some big theoretical rationales behind such a decision. It is important to be honest about the scale and consequences of such steps. The Armenian leadership should be the one sharing this knowledge with its people. I can provide a general overview of the matter, since you asked this question.

If this scenario plays out, it will involve a painful rupture of production chains that it took decades to build. Capacious EAEU markets will be lost. These are not just words. This is about trading with or without preferences.

It is estimated that Armenian exports may drop by about 80 percent. This is not only about the revenue of a particular company, but about the production and the country’s chances for moving forward.

Using alternative markets to replace Yerevan’s trade with the EAEU countries is impossible even in the medium term. It’s obvious and everyone is aware of it. It’s impossible even if there’s a political will to do so, or even if one were to fast track the efforts towards this end. We see what is happening around the world, and even more so in the European Union. I gave an example of major economies in western Europe, which are on the cusp of recession. One should be clear that the last thing they will be thinking about doing is saving a country, which has nothing to do with them. I mean, they are under no obligation to do so. They are not thinking about anyone as it is, and will be thinking even less if they are hit by a crisis of their own.

Adapting to European standards (we should be open about this as well) will entail high costs for producers. Armenian products will see much higher extra duties slapped on them. This is clear as well. One can take a look at how other countries negotiated this path. No slack will be given to Armenia, and not only because they in Europe don’t do it altogether, and charity is a term that has an exclusively applied meaning for them, but because they themselves are in a woefully bad way.

All this will have Armenia’s GDP growth rates plummet. I believe this is what matters most, because it will hit hard the overall development levels, not just current profits and profitability. Unfortunately, with the scale of production and population of Armenia in mind, it may lead that country to a state of total destitution.

Some experts in Armenia claim that the West, particularly the EU, is allegedly ready to “pick up the tab.” Show me when they have ever paid for everything. They know how to and they really can take everything away. We are aware of this, and we see the examples to that effect. They are good at coming up with new encumbrances. By the way, the EU and, more broadly, Westerners excel at providing subsidies or lending money at jaw-dropping interest rates. In that case, all of the country will work just to cover interest payments alone. This is not a political science rhetoric, but concrete information with figures and facts to back it up.

No one in the EU claims that Europeans are unlikely to increase the amount of their investment. They are hit by a major economic crisis, and all free assets have already been invested into the efforts to achieve their fleeting political goals in other areas, primarily, Ukraine. All you need to do is just open your eyes in order to see that there’s no manufacturing production left in Western Europe. Companies have relocated to the United States, among other countries, because doing business there makes more economic sense for them there. If it made more sense for them to move elsewhere in Europe, they would have done so no questions asked. However, they have left Europe. Every day, the United States keeps saying that Europeans should be encouraged not to grow their economies, but to pay up and to cover Ukraine’s spending.

They have made every commitment to rebuild Ukraine. Who is going to do that? Who will pay for that? Of course, now they need new “members” or “half-members” in order to charge them with rebuilding what’s left of Ukraine.

The hopes of those who are advocating for joining the European family are unlikely to ever come true. Hopes that trade relations with the EU will dramatically improve after Yerevan withdraws from the EAEU are unlikely to come true, either. As we know from the sad experience of certain countries, no one is waiting for goods - in this case from Armenia – to come to Europe, or the United States. If they were waiting for them, they would have taken them by this time. What stops them from taking Armenia’s products now? Why don’t they take them, if they want to help so much and the products are so good and unique?

With regard to the potential readiness of the Europeans or Americans to build up economic cooperation, I suggest looking at the statistics. In 2024, the republic’s trade with the EU and the United States saw a major trough and amounted to about one-sixth of its trade with Russia. This is what the concrete figures are telling us.

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Question: Yerevan is signaling that it has revised its former approach and no longer intends to oppose the disbandment of the OSCE Minsk Group for Nagorno-Karabakh Settlement. What is your comment?

Maria Zakharova: I want to remind you that the OSCE Minsk Group ceased operations in February 2022 through the fault of its French and US co-chairs, who unilaterally refused to maintain contacts with the Russian co-chair and cancelled all previously scheduled undertakings. This was done in violation of the mandate that was in force at that time and envisaged consultations and communications, including within the OSCE framework. Washington and Paris are yet to explain the reasons for their conduct. But that was the end of the OSCE Minsk Group.  

On October 6, 2022, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, the President of the French Republic, and the President of the European Council adopted a joint statement in Prague. This led to the OSCE Minsk Group losing its object of activity. Therefore, the Minsk Group, obviously and logically, is subject to disbandment, along with the High-Level Planning Group and the position of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for Nagorno-Karabakh Settlement. This long overdue measure should promote the long-awaited normalisation of relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia.

This is what we should proceed from. This is the basis. I am not sure we should add anything to the previous comments on this matter.

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Question: This is a question that resonates across the entire country today. I believe there isn’t a single family, including those in Mordovia, that hasn’t sent their loved ones to the front. Just a few months ago, journalist Alexey Kuznetsov left our editorial office to join the fight. He is not a war correspondent; he volunteered and is now serving. Is a peaceful resolution to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict possible in the foreseeable future?

Maria Zakharova: Speaking about the foreseeable future, I would like to remind everyone of the foreseeable past. This is not just a play on words but a reality that must be constantly remembered, because it was our country that did everything. This is our shared past, the one we have lived through over the last eight years to propose a peaceful plan for resolving the internal Ukrainian crisis at that time. These were the Minsk agreements.

Allow me to remind you that the initial Minsk plan was essentially developed by our country. The second version was jointly refined and approved by all parties involved, whether directly or indirectly. It became the Minsk agreements, which were later made binding through inclusion in the UN Security Council resolution. Consequently, these agreements were mandatory not just for the signatories but for the entire international community. This was a peace plan. Furthermore, it was step-by-step, entirely realistic, and fair; it was grounded in law, historical understanding, and legal frameworks, both national and international, as well as the laws of historical development in the region. It encompassed the most important aspect – love and care for the people, regardless of whether they spoke Russian or other languages, whether they were drawn to Russia or felt burdened by its proximity. It was a comprehensive plan, developed with genuine care and affection. This is something we must always keep in mind.

We remember and know from experience what was done to it. I was present during the marathon negotiations of the Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov with his colleagues, whom we once considered partners (now, we refer to them as representatives of unfriendly regimes). He made every effort to convince them, providing facts, maps, and plans, urging them to fulfil their obligations. Eventually, it became clear that they had no intention of doing so, a fact later confirmed by the confessions of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former French President Francois Hollande. After 2022, they confirmed that they never intended to take any action from the start. From the very beginning, they showed no interest in peace plans, whether in the foreseeable past, which we now refer to as history, or in the future they once envisioned, which is now our present reality. They have no interest in this, and it is important to recognise and understand this.

Russia initially put forward a peace plan and responded to the call for peace talks in 2022. At no point, whether from the President of the Russian Federation, federal authorities, our ambassadors, or representatives of international organisations, has Russia ever rejected a peaceful settlement. This has never been the case, despite the loud calls for the battlefield. This is the core of the issue, and it is crucial that we understand what we are discussing.

Second, I strongly disagree with framing the situation as a “Russian-Ukrainian conflict.” What exactly are we talking about here? In everyday conversations, such terminology might be used, but we are discussing global events and international politics. This is not a Russian-Ukrainian conflict; it is a hybrid war waged by the West, with the stated goal of delivering a strategic defeat to Russia. In this context, Ukraine is merely a tool. They are conducting this hybrid war, attempting to contain us and, ultimately, achieve a strategic defeat through the actions of the Kiev regime.

I cannot overlook this – it would be unfair. Framing the issue in such a way reduces its scope and minimises the problem. We must acknowledge that this is not a matter of Russia versus Ukraine, but rather that the actions, ranging from military and terrorist to economic and humanitarian, are being carried out against Russia using Ukraine as a tool. This includes the attempted cultural cancellation that was initiated in 2022.

Now, regarding the prospects for a peaceful settlement. I would like to once again draw attention to the fact that President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin addressed this topic in detail during his speech at the Foreign Ministry on June 14, 2024. Speaking to the ministry’s leadership and staff, he publicly outlined Russia’s approach to resolving the situation live, with translation into multiple languages. His address considered national security concerns, regional issues, and the broader global context. This remains our guiding framework.

Discussing the desires of the Kiev regime is pointless; it is merely a tool. While we refer to its backers as the collective West, in reality, they represent a collective force driven by aggression. Within both the European Union and NATO, analytical common sense is increasingly giving way to short-sighted reactions based on immediate consequences, and not even of what they have done to us. Expecting mercy, understanding, or empathy from them is futile. They came to realise what they have done to themselves; they have crippled their own economies and undermined their own development prospects. Whether and how they come to terms with their own mistakes is a question only for them to answer.

A peaceful settlement remains a fundamental priority of Russian foreign policy, both in terms of its own initiatives and the broader assessment of global conflicts. There is no doubt about this. The Russian perspective was thoroughly outlined by President Vladimir Putin on June 14, 2024.

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Question: Do you think the ecological disaster in the Krasnodar Territory and Crimea will impact this year’s tourist season? Where should Russian tourists travel? Where are they welcomed?

Maria Zakharova: I cannot help but say that I am shocked [by your question]. Let me respond with facts before proceeding to the emotional part.

First, there is a Commission for Eliminating Consequences of Oil Spills, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Savelyev. Everything that concerns efforts to relieve the disaster that had led to the current state of affairs in the Black Sea is reported, clarified, and made public (including globally) through this Commission. I will not go into details of how this is done in practical terms.

Obviously, everyone is concerned about this issue. I talked to my friends from Anapa, the city that I often visit and adore, and, of course, is worried about. They told me that a special website, spasaimore.ru, was launched to inform the public on the measures taken to relieve the situation, in addition to the updates from the Commission led by Mr Savelyev. The website publishes a lot of daily updates on all the aspects you have mentioned.

Let me note the statements made by the leadership of the Krasnodar Territory and representatives of the relevant resort towns about the current efforts to prepare the region for the tourist season along with measures to address these problems. Focus on their statements.

Now to the emotional part. You are asking me where our citizens could travel, say, instead of the popular resorts on the Black Sea coast. You had better say that Russian guests are welcomed [here] in Mordovia. You should use this opportunity considering that we are live, with journalists, bloggers and many people tuning in. You should rather speak about the fantastic opportunities you have.

This is the first time I am here, both in Saransk and the region. There is so much I want to see and so many places to visit. This is how it works sometimes: every cloud has a silver lining.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, our citizens suddenly started to explore their own country. They began praising the beauty of Ossetia, Daghestan, Kabardino-Balkaria, Kamchatka, and the Far East. They started travelling to see the northern lights. They found that they can vacation not just during the typical summer tourist season, while ecotourism involves travelling all over the country. They began sharing enthusiastic stories about places they saw. There has been a fantastic revival of interest in the Golden Ring, Moscow, and the Moscow Region.

As for St Petersburg, it is an amazing experience for me every time. I realise that whenever I visit this city, I fall in love with it more and more – and I miss it more, even though every time I try to see some new locations. This city is an open-air museum that offers an endless opportunity not just to be entertained, but learn something new.

As for Tula, Torzhok, and Tver – you just need to choose areas you find more appealing, such as history, archeology, museums, ecology, or gastronomy. We are honored to support an amazing nationwide project, Gastronomic Map of Russia, with its programme offering various gastronomic delicacies as well as a festival.

I am afraid I’ll get carried away, because I find this topic fascinating. There are about a hundred countries with visa-free entry for Russian citizens. You can always pick a travel destination; hundreds of countries await our tourists. Our website has a section with useful information for those travelling abroad.

We do not know our own country. We are just beginning to explore the endless tourism opportunities we have.

Answering your question, I cannot help but share my opinion. I am keen on discovering our incredible cities, regions, and locations whenever I can.

Perhaps I should have mentioned Moscow. It goes without saying. I can see many foreign tourists here; our beautiful capital leaves them stunned. It combines love for the historical part of the city as well as efforts to preserve historical sites and restore them. Every year, something gets restored. I am now waiting for the Pokrovskoye-Streshnevo estate to open. Along with its parks, there are also new technologies and technological opportunities in the city. I will not even mention gastronomic tourism in Moscow; it is another planet.

We have a problem: many Russian citizens have never visited Moscow. Here you have an opportunity to enjoy yourself, see new places and show them to others, and simply feel a sense of pride for our capital and for our country.

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Question: Today's briefing is taking place in Mordovia, home to the largest Finno-Ugric ethnic group in Russia. Until recently, Russia’s Finno-Ugric peoples maintained close ties with their counterparts abroad,  primarily in Finland and Hungary. This cooperation encompassed cultural and humanitarian projects. How do you assess the state of these ties now? Are there any ongoing joint projects, or is there nothing left at this point?

Maria Zakharova: It depends on what we are talking about. The answer is both yes and no.

On the one hand, you are absolutely correct when you say that for many decades our country and other member countries of the Finno-Ugric commonwealth, including Hungary and Finland, actively promoted cooperation in the humanitarian sphere (culture, education) and maintained close ties. They have jointly organised numerous forums and popularised their unique cultural heritage.

However, in recent years, everything has unfortunately begun to transform from this unifying essence into a divisive one, and in a coarse and vulgar manner. For example, while we observe a decrease in activity from Hungary in this area, Finland has adopted a rough and politicised approach to the topic. Contacts between Hungarian officials and representatives of the Finno-Ugric peoples living in Russia have diminished. Nevertheless, it should be noted that representatives of Hungary visit international events organised in our country that are dedicated to the relevant issues.

For example, in July 2024, Hungarian delegates took part in the Second High-Level International Conference entitled World Treasury of Native Languages: To Protect and Cherish. Context, Policies and Practices for the Preservation of Indigenous Languages in St Petersburg, as well as the Days of Finno-Ugric Literature in Khanty-Mansiysk in October 2024.

As for Hungary, we see that while activity is decreasing, they are still participating. It is important to highlight that Hungary’s foreign policy, despite it being part of the Western community, is characterised by pragmatism and foresight. Generally, Russian-Hungarian interaction in the Finno-Ugric area has traditionally been depoliticised and based on a positive-neutral assessment of our Russian experience in the socio-economic and ethno-cultural development of the Finno-Ugric peoples of Russia.

Speaking about Finland, there is a rather aggressive and primitive story here. This became more apparent on a larger scale after 2022 due to the anti-Russia stance taken by Helsinki. The actions of the Finnish side have unfortunately led to the dismantling of the entire system of multifaceted Russian-Finnish cooperation that had been built over decades. This has impacted the participation of relevant Russian organisations in events of the World Finno-Ugric Congress, which were coordinated by the Finland-Russia Society, which adopted an aggressive position. Our participation in it has been suspended, and all cooperation projects with Finland regarding Finno-Ugric issues have been cancelled at this stage. This was not done by us.

We do not refuse to participate in the Finno-Ugric process and reaffirm our readiness to develop it. But this can only be done on the basis of a mutually respectful approach and a constructive start, so that it would be constructive and unifying rather than destructive and harmful.

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Question: Moscow is celebrating the Chinese New Year. The increasingly grand and eventful festivities will last until February 9. This event is part of the Russian-Chinese Cross Years of Culture held in 2024-2025. What are your expectations for the Cross Years in 2025? How, in your opinion, will these festivities deepen the mutual understanding and friendship between the two nations?

Maria Zakharova: I think you should just drop the question mark at the end of your narrative. You have covered the field.

In fact, this is a fundamental part of the interstate plan for the Cross Years of Culture of Russia and China held in 2024-2025. The plan includes over 130 officially endorsed events as well as a huge number of initiatives conducted in the context of people’s diplomacy.  

The Chinese New Year in Moscow Festival is taking place for the second time. It was opened in  2024.

On January 29 of this year, the Izmailovskoye electric engine house in the Moscow Metro presented a thematic red train dedicated to the Chinese New Year. (I can see that red is a special colour in Mordovia.) We are united by these colours. The train bears the symbols of the Chinese New Year and runs on the navy-blue Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya Line of the Moscow Metro. 

These visual projects - I am not mentioning concert tours, exhibitions, discussions, and other events – are very important. It is good that these events are held not only at a high level and not merely for the sake of appearances. The most important thing is that they inspire people in Russia and China to engage in joint creativity and projects. They inform the two nations about each other and promote our cultures.  Under the current circumstances, they exemplify mutually respectful and mutually beneficial cooperation in various areas, which, as I see it, is no less important. This is happening as it should.

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Question: Against the backdrop of a sharp downturn in the stock market, the US has asserted that the success of China’s updated DeepSeek chatbot should serve as a wake-up call for US artificial intelligence developers. Yesterday, the NASDAQ technology index fell by 3 percent, while Nvidia – a leading industry player – lost approximately 17 percent (nearly $600 billion), marking its largest-ever decline. Many media outlets report widespread investor panic over perceived US forfeiture of global AI leadership. How would you comment on these developments?

Maria Zakharova: Perhaps this purported US global leadership never existed? Perhaps it was never properly substantiated? Perhaps they sought to impose their unilateral vision of how artificial intelligence should be developed and regulated? Could this be the core issue? Might they have again succumbed to their own exceptionalism in a field that is shared? Different countries achieve progress in diverse domains. You referenced the technological advancements of the People’s Republic of China, specifically in the form of another engine or application, another capability for generating materials using artificial intelligence.

I cannot say – no one can tell you – what holds lesser or greater value: the purely technological advancements, which many nations possess to varying extents and in diverse domains, or the philosophical insight into utilising such advancements for benevolent purposes rather than malevolent ones. Throughout the annals of civilisation, we have witnessed instances where inventions were met with jubilation, heralding the mastery of a new scientific realm, only for us to later grapple with their application.

Permit me to offer an illustration. Forgive the symbolism, but it bears significance. Our national author and futurist, Alexander Belyaev, penned a novel entitled Eternal Bread. It recounts the creation of a certain alimentary substance, akin to manna from heaven, yet more modern and technological, which ostensibly eradicated hunger. The alimentary crisis was resolved. People consumed it with delight, yet subsequently found themselves at a loss as to how to halt this process.

In our country, a code of ethics for artificial intelligence has been formulated. We endeavour to engage with international platforms, including those in the West, which appear somewhat intoxicated by their own supposed infallibility, to advocate for the development of this sphere as one of equitable and constructive collaboration among all nations. Constructive not only regarding immediate advantages but also with an eye to the future, ensuring it does not devolve into yet another arena for a race of novel technological solutions aimed at supremacy. It should become a domain for the exchange of experiences, interactions between various countries, and possibly even the diversification of opportunities or the division of roles and responsibilities. It is essential to deliberate and analyse the trajectory the international community should pursue. However, one must certainly eschew beginning with aggressive rhetoric proclaiming that they have seized God by the beard and will now govern over all.

Now, concerning the upheaval on global stock exchanges, which precipitated a collapse, indeed, it was a collapse of several American corporations. We must rely on tangible data. If one fails to acknowledge apparent economic indicators, if one resides in a utopian existence – and here I wish to reference several Russian works, such as The Foundation Pit by Andrey Platonov – if one dwells in the belief of their own infallibility and absence of problems, then much will indeed come as shock.

If one comprehends that the US possesses a national debt surpassing its GDP, that they will never settle it, and that their self-constructed infallibility, along with a certain exceptionalism and dominance, are fictitious constructs, then they would not be so startled by the technological achievements and triumphs of other nations in various areas. They would adopt a more realistic view of the world around them and themselves.

I observe that they are already taking initial steps. They have ultimately recognised that there exist only two genders. I consider this to be the most significant achievement of the 21st century for the United States of America. They have suddenly acknowledged the existence of only males and females. This realisation was reached through trial and error. Another matter is that they conducted these trials and errors concerning minors, among others, sacrificing them on the altar of their own madness, unrealistic views, and mythologising of life and destiny, including that of children. Yet, they reached this understanding. It transpired that for decades, they had been proceeding down the wrong path, narrating something entirely different. Perhaps, in the domains of science, technology, economics, and finance, they will gradually reach similar realisations.

In essence, underlying Donald Trump’s rhetoric about restoring America’s strength, greatness, and power is an awareness of the current predicament and the condition to which these myth-makers and architects of American exceptionalism have brought it.

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Question: An important topic - combatting the falsification of history in education - was brought up today. As a teacher, I always take issue with Wikipedia and the definitions it provides.

Maria Zakharova: I envy you. I guess you haven’t lost to it yet.

Question: No, we spare no effort in our desperate fight.

Maria Zakharova: This is a special (sorry, but it’s true) phenomenon in our life, when, on the one hand, the West fights falsifications and fake claims, holds conferences, spends billions, and, on the other hand, invents a model where a person cannot correct wrong or false information about themselves and has to look for some tools or intermediaries to correct information about a person, a phenomenon, or an organisation. This is something truly unique. And yet they blame everyone across the board either for spreading fakes, or for not doing a good enough job of dealing with them.

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Question: We are now in a region of great importance. What part do regional education centres play in mutual integration of Russia and partner countries?

Maria Zakharova: On the one hand, the part they play is immense. On the other hand, we see them trying to either downplay it or literally “undermine” it by canceling or pursuing a painful “cancel culture” policy, blocking efforts in certain segments or clusters, or in the humanitarian track of certain countries.

Just a short while ago, when answering a question from a journalist representing the Chinese media, we talked about how technological innovations in one country caused not just a nervous reaction from other countries, but led to attempts to block this decision and to introduce restrictive measures.

Unfortunately, things in education are the same. We witness erasure of certain blocs, for example, rewriting of history or rejecting science, not just in the humanitarian sphere. We see historiography in the West has been simply ravished. The exact sciences are being rejected to suit the new normal, new ethics, tolerance, and the political agenda. I gave an example about genders. But new expressions and words were being invented to describe something that no longer needs description and is axiomatic. And at the expense of new formulations, words or planted theses, axioms turned into theorems, which is a dead end.

That is if we speak in general terms. Our compatriots send us lots of materials. I think you are aware of this, too, since some of you have friends, or family who went there to pursue their studies. They know how people in educational projects, universities and, more broadly, Western countries, treat everything Russian, the Russian language, or anything related to Russia. The range is wide from discrimination to blocking, from bullying to persecution, squeezing out or trying to win them over.

The humanitarian policy that the Russian Federation pursues abroad is an integral part of our foreign policy efforts. It is designed to form and strengthen an objective image of our country around the world, to promote understanding Russia’s historical path, its role and place in the world history, science and culture, to promote the scientific and technical achievements of Russian researchers, and to expand people-to-people contacts.

I think that by the fact of achieving these very obvious goals, we are also promoting global education. We spent so many decades upholding actual and science-based discussions of gender issues on all platforms, saying that there is science and scientific data, and there are fleeting political interests.

We adopted a proactive stance on many of these issues, and acted almost alone. Even if we were supported, we were supported quietly, without these people taking the centre stage. And we openly stated that all of that was insane.

We promote our educational projects, present or carry out our humanitarian policy not only to talk about ourselves, or to share our experiences, but it turns out (this is the proof that I mentioned) that we also make our contribution to the general civilisational vault, even preventing, perhaps, dehumanisation, some global mistakes, anticipating many topics or trying to minimise the damage, just staying on the positions of true normalcy and not falling into some new “normal.”

Establishing direct links in education at all levels, including the interregional level, helps expand international scientific and educational cooperation, and form a more just and democratic multipolar world order, which reflects the cultural and civilisational diversity of the peoples of the world.

The agenda of traditional values has become part of Russia’s domestic and foreign policy. This presents an opportunity for countries whose voices may not be heard loudly, or who simply do not have enough strength to promote this agenda, to be heard in order to unite the potential of countries and peoples who have been thinking about this or gathering strength for many decades now. This moment has come. We see individual countries and peoples, as well as civilisational achievements, being canceled.

The key to the effectiveness of such interaction is partnership in implementing joint educational projects, the willingness of the participants of the process to take into account mutual interests and to respond to global challenges that are facing humanity.

The General Meeting of the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO met on January 28. This is a concrete example, go ahead and read it. I strongly encourage you to familiarise yourself with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks. He chaired this meeting. He said (I’m not going to paraphrase) that UNESCO was created not for politicisation or engaging in politics, but for upholding issues and addressing problems in the humanitarian sphere, the sphere of culture and education. It turns out that it is the other way around. What UNESCO should be doing, such as protecting journalists, ethnic cultures, and sites, is not engaging, not necessary, or has been turned inside out.

Instead of “standing guard” of the civilisational foundations (again, maybe they can’t operate full force under Audrey Azoulay’s current leadership), the Organisation is engaging in politicising issues. At least, she had an opportunity not to become a part of the global battle and not to play along with one of the sides. But this is exactly what they are doing. I believe that the report prepared by Ms Azoulay on the safety of journalists and the issue of impunity for 2022-2023, in which we did not see the names of the Russian journalists who were killed in the line of duty, is an indelible disgrace to her personally and to the Organisation itself, which we have made clear on many occasions.

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Question: Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, presidents of Russia and the US, stated that it is necessary to resume negotiations on control over nuclear arsenals and nuclear disarmament. If these negotiations begin, does Russia consider it necessary to link them with negotiations on settling the Ukrainian crisis, or should this be a separate track? How do you assess the chances of extending the New START Treaty, which expires in February 2026?

Maria Zakharova: I do not wish to evade your question. I will do everything possible to ensure you leave satisfied. We have come prepared for this topic.

However, I am surprised that you regularly raise this issue. To be honest, I am beginning to think that you are probing for our positions. I don’t know why you are doing this, but I am not going to prevent you from doing so in any way.

I can state immediately that nothing has changed in our general approach in this area. It is not influenced by the political situation surrounding the comings and goings of the American administration. We have a principled position, and I am prepared to reiterate it, even though I have stated it many times before.

This position has been articulated and voiced at the highest level. Please read the statements made by President of Russia Vladimir Putin on this topic more carefully. The comments from the Russian leadership always highlight the prerequisites necessary for a substantive conversation with Washington on these matters. Nothing has been said (I don’t believe you will find any quotes) indicating that we are completely open to resuming dialogue with the US on strategic stability under the current conditions, which includes a hypothetical discussion on nuclear arms control. These prerequisites have been made quite clear: a constructive dialogue is impossible without the US abandoning its highly confrontational course that radically undermines Russia’s security. Russia’s consistent and firm position is that any attempt to separate these issues from the military and political reality is unacceptable.

A strategic dialogue is only possible if it is based on equality and consideration of Russia’s fundamental security interests, as well as a comprehensive approach to the factors affecting strategic stability, which are closely interconnected. Of course, these factors include NATO’s attempts to absorb Ukraine geopolitically and turn its territory into an anti-Russia platform, militarily, politically and strategically.

It would also be useful to remind everyone that the elements of the “strategic equation” are interconnected in the context of the Donald Trump administration’s recent decisions, demonstrating Washington’s intention to actively develop and encourage highly destabilising military and technological programmes. The US President’s executive order to sharply step up the national anti-missile project and expand it to a scale comparable to Ronald Reagan’s Star Wars under the odious Strategic Defence Initiative was the first sign. Do you remember the Strategic Defence Initiative? However, any ambiguities and constraints have been put aside: now the programme is openly focused primarily on undermining the Russian and Chinese potential for strategic deterrence.

Moreover, it directly envisions a significant increase in the American nuclear arsenal of means for warfare in space, including the development and deployment of space-based interception systems.

We regard this as further confirmation of the US’s aim to turn space into an arena of armed confrontation and to deploy weapons there, which completely discredits any initiatives to develop norms, rules, and principles of responsible behaviour in space, promoted by Washington and its allies, as well as to ban “destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite missile” testing.

These steps once again demonstrate that Russia’s proposals on how to prevent an arms race in outer space are in high demand, including a proposal for the development of a legally binding instrument prohibiting the deployment of any types of weapons in space, as well as the use of force or the threat of force in space, from space or in relation to space.

To put it mildly, these US approaches will not help reduce tensions or improve the state of affairs in the strategic sphere, including the creation of a basis for a fruitful dialogue on strategic offensive arms, which is what you asked me about.

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Question: On January 29, 2024, during the Tokyo Global Dialogue symposium, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba articulated Japan’s aspiration to actively participate in “restoring the normal work of the United Nations, which has been disrupted due to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, including a reform of the Security Council.” This statement was perceived as an indication of Japan’s interest in acquiring a permanent seat on this body. Concurrently, Japan’s decision to halt voluntary contributions to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, following a recommendation to amend national legislation on succession to the throne to allow women to ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne, has sparked considerable debate. How would you comment?

Maria Zakharova: Firstly, we frequently provide commentary on the reform of the UN Security Council. I would like to direct your attention once more to the observations of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during the news conference on the performance of Russian diplomacy in 2024. Japan, a nation that follows the United States with blind deference (and, in my view, in a suicidal manner), lacks the requisite independent voice to demand or claim a distinct position within the UN Security Council. There is no realistic prospect for Japan to attain the status of a permanent member.

To what end? For the United States to effectively have an additional seat marked “Japan” on one side and “United States” on the other? For such purpose, there are already three permanent Security Council members who are part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. NATO possesses a clearly defined command and administrative structure, which they openly acknowledge. Decisions taken within this framework are subsequently reflected in the foreign policies of member nations, resulting in a uniform voting pattern. They may occasionally stage non-voting exercises or other manoeuvres in the Security Council, but their fundamental stance is crafted in Brussels under US oversight. There are already three countries in this configuration – three permanent members pursuing a shared trajectory on global matters.

Have you ever witnessed intense debates on fundamental global issues between the United Kingdom and the United States? They may, on occasion, transpose words, yet at their core, their positions are nearly identical.

Another country aspiring to permanent membership in the UN Security Council, despite not being a NATO member, appears to lack the autonomy even to safeguard its own identity from US influence, having been subsumed entirely into the US foreign policy agenda – why should it be there? Merely to provide Washington with another vote?

The expansion of this institution should proceed methodically and equitably, primarily by incorporating states from the Global South, which are currently underrepresented. These nations possess distinct international policies and perspectives on global affairs. Although they are not permanent members, it is apparent that they deserve a permanent seat.

Regarding the matter of female succession and the Japanese throne, this is, indeed, a domestic issue, albeit one that is emblematic within the broader context of Western assertions concerning gender, tolerance, human rights, feminism, and related topics.

Historically, Japan has witnessed the reign of empresses. The legal principle of exclusively male succession was only established in 1947. How did this come to be? Clearly, in the aftermath of World War II. Who instituted and codified this law? It is worth recalling that this occurred under US occupation. For decades, the US has publicly asserted that gender equality is a fundamental principle, advocating equal access for women, particularly in governance. Perhaps the United States and Japan could engage in dialogue to revisit the concept of succession to the throne, thus broadening the opportunity for women to become empresses. Such an initiative would serve as a tangible demonstration of the US’s commitment to women’s rights.

This is their handiwork. I reiterate: if it had always been Japan’s tradition, one might attribute it to their cultural heritage. However, this was a policy imposed during the United States’ occupation of Japan. Therefore, the US might wish to substantiate its stance in this regard as well.

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Question: What can you say about the controversy that followed the publication of information about the Russia House in Baku by Baku TV? Did the Azerbaijani ambassador provide any explanations during a meeting at the Foreign Ministry as to why this report and a number of other materials appeared in the Azerbaijani media that are connected with the anti-Russia-oriented authorities?

Maria Zakharova: I will answer in the same vein I answered the question posed by Reuters, and all other similar questions. Don’t you get how comical a question from an Armenian media member about summoning the Azerbaijani Ambassador to discuss bilateral matters sounds? It’s nothing short of absurd.

I thought you’d ask me about a statement on the Armenian Genocide in Davos, considering that this topic is regularly raised by Armenian media, including in the context of Russia’s foreign policy, or international policy.

You are keen on learning the way we build bilateral relations with Azerbaijan? Why the bilateral track rather than the Baku-Yerevan settlement track, where Russia acts as a mediator? Why are you interested in how we, the two sides, address existing issues or promote our relations, or overcome difficulties? This is becoming absurd.

Question: It affects Armenians. Even bilateral relations between Russia and Azerbaijan affect Armenia in one way or another.

Maria Zakharova: It affects everyone in one way or another. That’s why we have posted a commentary on it. But it is strange that only this affects Armenia, while the other, more large-scale and urgent issues do not.

I get questions from the media and the public. I will reveal a secret as to why Armenian media representatives ask questions to Russian representatives not on Russia-Armenia issues, but exclusively on bilateral relations with other countries.

Question: Almost all of our Azerbaijani colleague’s questions during the briefings concern Azerbaijan-Russia relations.

Maria Zakharova: I don’t want to say the word “untruth.” It is not so. You can check our previous briefings to see that.

The questions from Azerbaijani media touched upon our bilateral agenda, including the Baku-Yerevan settlement, but they primarily or equally concern Russia-Azerbaijan relations. Of course, they concern other issues as well.

You know perfectly well what kind of questions you are asking. Again, I’m ready to answer any of your questions. I can say that this issue was discussed at Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin’s January 27 meeting with the Ambassador of Azerbaijan.  We have published a media note to that effect. It contains all the details that we are willing to share.

The Russian side was bewildered over a series of recent anti-Russia publications in Azerbaijani media regarding the disinformation campaign targeting the Russia House in Baku. The unwarranted nature of such accusations was noted. I think they are not accusations. This is either a mistake or a fake claim. It does not correspond to reality.

We shared these assessments. I answered your question.

Question: What about summoning the Russian ambassador?

Maria Zakharova: He provided his comment on this.

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Question: At a meeting between Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, Mr Lavrov said they discussed opening a Consulate General of Armenia in the Syunik region. Did any specific date emerge during the talks? Is there at least a tentative date for opening it?

Maria Zakharova: As soon as we can provide a public update on the details, I will definitely do so. You may even have an exclusive access to this information.

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Question: Two weeks ago, there were reports of a fake letter purporting to come from the Russian Foreign Minister regarding the crash of the AZAL civilian aircraft, which is currently under investigation. A few days ago, further planted reports emerged in the media, this time attributed to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Spokesperson concerning the same incident. This matter is very sensitive within our bilateral agenda. Who do you think is disseminating these planted reports, and what are they trying to achieve?

Maria Zakharova: I will start with a general answer. Fake news is the plague of our time. On the one hand, we all recognise it as a problem; on the other hand, we must communicate to each other and everybody else that we are taking practical measures to mitigate its impact.

We have a dedicated section on our website. We also organise international forums that yield practical outcomes. It is evident that fake news is being openly used against our country. This goes beyond bot farms and trolls; it constitutes blatant misinformation.

I am still surprised by the statement made by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who claimed that consumers in Germany are not receiving Russian gas at Russia’s decision. As if he were unaware of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 explosions, or the fact that it was Germany that decided not to utilise the part of this infrastructure project that remains undamaged.

What could be done? When German journalists inquired whether gas supplies to German consumers could be resumed, the answer they received was yes. Within a couple of weeks, the same German media outlets faced persecution by German authorities. They were ordered to shut down solely because they chose to refute the fake news presented by a German official.

We are a country that counters such fake news on a daily basis, from the instances I just mentioned to insinuations about Bucha and other fabrications. However, when you ask me who stands behind specific letters, that requires a conversation on a different level. Are you asking me who sent them? To know that, we need specific data.

If you are asking me who would benefit from this, it is obviously those who do not want Russia and Azerbaijan to enjoy normal relations, which have been built over not just decades but centuries. Our peoples have co-existed in peace and mutual respect for all these years, and I hope they will continue to do so for many more.

There are many for whom this relationship is inconvenient, like having something lodged in their throat. They would benefit from its disruption. However, at this moment, I cannot tell you exactly who sent, wrote, or ordered those letters. I do not possess this information; it would require an investigation, which the authorities are currently conducting.

But we understand very well that the Western community, primarily the Anglo-Saxons, has a strong desire to pit us against each other and do everything possible to prevent post-Soviet countries from living in peace. This is obvious. It is not merely an order from out there. They are not even hiding the fact that they are paying billions. They are willing to do anything for our continent and the vast Eurasian space to constantly feel pressure through provocation and all the other dirty tricks that the West is using openly these days. We cannot but acknowledge the obvious.

However, we have the ability to counter these attempts by providing true information on each case and discussing these matters with our Azerbaijani colleagues, which we do. We respond publicly. Why? There was a report on your channel about so-called espionage by the Russian House in Baku. I understand that you may have your own opinion, but if you are presenting an opinion, please come to us. We will provide you with our perspective as well. Those claims were groundless and unjustified. Director of Rossotrudnichestvo Yevgeny Primakov also responded to them. I hope you have enough strength and resources to refute these claims or provide solid evidence of such activities by the Russian House in Baku. Our doors are open. Please come to us, take a look, and talk to our fellow citizens, who will tell you what they do there and what this organisation is about.

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Question: Could you comment on US President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate Gaza residents to Egypt and Jordan?

Maria Zakharova: Officials from the countries directly impacted by US President Donald Trump’s statements – Egypt, Jordan, and Palestine – have already provided thorough assessments in response.

Russia’s stance on the future of the Gaza Strip and its residents remains firm and unwavering. We consistently support a comprehensive political resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, grounded in internationally recognised legal frameworks, including the relevant UN General Assembly and Security Council resolutions, as well as the Arab Peace Initiative. The ultimate goal of this process should be the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, coexisting in peace and security alongside Israel.

The Gaza Strip, as well as East Jerusalem and the West Bank, is an integral part of the future Palestinian state. The Palestinian people, including the residents of Gaza, have an unquestionable right to live on their land, a right that must not be challenged or undermined.

The vast majority of countries worldwide, including our Arab partners, share this approach, which is rooted in international law and the principle of historical justice. We firmly believe that the implementation of the two-state solution is the only path to ensuring lasting peace in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone and the broader Middle East region.

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Question: How do you respond to the statement by German MEP Nela Riehl that the Russian song Sigma Boy poses a danger to the minds of teenagers in Ukraine and the European Union due to its role as an instrument of Russian soft power? Or that the song should be banned?

Maria Zakharova: This is outright clinical Russophobia. You might as well try to ban brown bears, clouds, or the sun simply because it shines over Russia. You could even penalise water for touching Russia’s shores as it moves through the world’s oceans. It’s sheer madness. This falls into the same category as the ideological absurdities they have been pushing for decades, like the notion of multiple genders, the idea that a person’s identity should be based on whether they feel like a horned turtle or a balloon, and that official documents must reflect such perceptions. Or the claim that children shouldn’t be called boys or girls, but simply “they,” allowing them to identify however they choose, including, by the way, as something other than a human being.

They are relentlessly pushing this nonsense, fabricating a pseudo-scientific foundation for it while simultaneously undermining real science. They embed it into the international agenda, diverting attention from pressing global issues that transcend borders, such as hunger relief, environmental protection, disaster prevention and mitigation, and pandemic response. Instead, they fixate on this clinical manifestation of nationalism.

I recall how they once condemned the Russian cartoon Masha and the Bear. Not everyone has to like it, just as not everyone has to enjoy certain songs. But they chose to ban these cultural expressions under the pretext that they belong to a people who, in their view, have no right to assert their own identity. This is nationalism – more precisely, an extreme form of it.

They need to start reconnecting with reality. One day, people in America woke up and realised that AI applications from other countries existed; it sent shockwaves across the nation. This is a country that struggles to handle a crisis, whether it be an attack, a man-made disaster, an earthquake, or a volcanic eruption.

It seems they were less alarmed by the wildfires in Los Angeles, California, than by the emergence of a Chinese AI application. Companies are teetering on the edge of bankruptcy due to mass panic. But what actually happened? It’s not as if other countries lack similar technology – they do have it. AI designs are being implemented worldwide, from Russia to India and beyond. The real issue is that the US has built an insular system that blocks the flow of genuine information. Any piece of news that manages to slip through the cracks of this suffocating propaganda bubble hits them like ball lightning.

You know what surprises me? This is both amusing and revealing. They claim to know everything about so-called “Russian hackers” – what they eat, where they go, who they have hacked or plan to hack, how they communicate, and even who they supposedly influence. American intelligence is always on top of that. And then – bang! – they completely miss an application created by a billion people. This, despite the fact that American companies have been manufacturing products with AI in China for decades. Their own technology is developed and produced there, yet somehow, they didn’t see this coming. So, does this mean it was all a lie? If they truly had the ability to track every move of so-called Russian hackers, then the release of a Chinese application wouldn’t have caught them by surprise. Or perhaps it means that their system of information control is so airtight that they exist in a kind of Orwellian utopia. We have pointed this out many times before.

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Question: Tucker Carlson reported that the US authorities under Joe Biden had contemplated making an attempt on the life of President Vladimir Putin. In response, as it were, NATO’s James Appathurai declared that Russia allegedly had been plotting to kill the head of Rheinmetall.   What is your comment?

Maria Zakharova: As I said earlier, I always check the news I read for being or not being false.  What I am reading now seems to be a fake. This man cannot say such things. It is crazy. You would check it, just in case. But they tell you that this is true. The agenda has changed radically.

A couple of years ago, you only focused on detecting fakes in a news feed. But today, you can’t believe something to be true because it sounds absolutely outlandish.  

As for the first part of your question, the Presidential Executive Office has commented on that.

As for Mr Appathurai, his statements represent the classical long-playing NATO information campaign meant to stoke anti-Russia hysteria.  We have seen and heard this for quite a long time. Why are they doing it? Because both the situation in Ukraine and their economic indicators are disastrous (we spoke on both subjects earlier today). Threats are made directly, including by the overseas power, not by Russia. Directives are coming from overseas, whether they concern European businesses or the sovereignty and territorial integrity of European states. Can NATO admit this? If they do, it will become clear that they live under a command-and-administrative system, under a dictatorship, rather than in a democracy.  They cannot explain to their citizens why they have taken this course. Consequently, they have to continue the anti-Russian hysteria and this is exactly what they do, intimidating the public, distracting attention, and planting irrelevant narratives. They should concentrate on doing concrete things. They have a lot to do. 

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order stating that there are just two genders. But even this evokes mixed feelings. It is not US presidential executive orders that determine the number of human genders. This is determined, first, by scientific data, and, second, by society as a whole, based on the accumulated experience of mankind established through trial, with scientists proving it through new laws they discover. 

In an instant, the propaganda rubbish that had been imposed on all and sundry for decades has been balled up and thrown into the wastebasket. How can they explain to people in Western countries why they had to absorb those narratives for decades? This can’t be explained. How can they explain the fact that the United States at first made everyone hang out the flags of the extremist LGBT movement but now is saying that those hanging them out will be hanged?   This is impossible to explain. Accordingly, the only thing for them to do is to say: Wait, don't focus on that, there are more urgent things, such as Russia and the alleged Russian threat. It is as simple as that.

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Question: In recent weeks, Serbia has witnessed sustained mass student demonstrations. How does Russia assess these developments? Is there any information regarding participation by Russian students in the protests, and what impact are the protests generally having on Russian nationals residing in Serbia?

Maria Zakharova: As regards the latter part of your question: we possess no information pertaining to the involvement of Russian citizens in these demonstrations, their interactions, or any connections to the unfolding events.

As for the initial part of your question: a relevant commentary has been published on our official website, where all particulars were comprehensively outlined.

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Question: Your briefings attract a multinational cohort of correspondents from diverse nations. This, coupled with the recognition that Russia’s strength lies in the unity of its peoples – a unique unity, unmatched by any other nation (on the one hand, a rich tapestry of ethnicities, yet on the other, an indivisible cohesion) – has sparked profound interest in the peoples who collectively forge our Fatherland’s singular alloy and invincible might. It is known that you yourself have ties to the Mordvin people. Are there distinct characteristics of this ethnicity that you personally identify with? How do Finno-Ugric and Indo-European heritages blend within one individual?

Maria Zakharova: Let us address these points sequentially. What connects me to this region and its peoples – the Mordvins and Erzyas – I will recount plainly, leaving the conclusions to you.

The matter is this: my paternal grandfather hailed from a village near Samara. Approximately 200 kilometres from Samara lies a settlement named Stepnaya Shentala – a name of striking beauty, though its meaning and etymology remain unclear to me (many theories abound). The landscapes en route from Samara to Stepnaya Shentala are extraordinarily picturesque. Family lore suggested that he had ties to Mordvin culture – a notion I long regarded as a legend, not knowing how it all connected.

In 2018, during activities related to the FIFA World Cup in Samara, including briefings, communications with foreign correspondents, and press tours, I resolved to investigate. Carving out a few hours, we headed straight for Stepnaya Shentala.

Upon arrival, everything was just the way we like it. Locals – adorned in resplendent traditional attire – welcomed us with songs and dances in their native tongues (though linguistically proximate, they remain distinct), offering bread and salt, and telling us that this is indeed a village where the Mordva and Erzya people have always resided.

We did not locate our ancestral home – unsurprising, as no traces endure in memory or records. I simply wished to see the location. Yet confirmation came: my grandfather’s family had indeed resided in this Mordvin village.

There, they still sincerely, lovingly, and truly honour the traditions and maintain knowledge of the language. They regularly hold gatherings in the House of Culture, not by decree but from the heart. There are exhibitions and displays of folk art. My grandfather lived there until the age of five, later relocating to the Moscow Region after the war.

I visited these places. My grandfather identified as Russian. He spoke Russian. They never learned the language. I cannot claim to have any documentary evidence. I neither require it nor am I interested in it. What interests me is that there is a chapter in my family’s history that resonates with these remarkable peoples and their cultures.

I can attest that it resonates with me. When I see these embroideries and national costumes, I feel a call of the heart, and I realise that it is mine. I did not know what it was called, but I was informed that it was a “semitsvetka” (a seven-colour motif), as artisans explained. I purchased them at exhibitions. They are astonishing.

I also wore mittens and a hat for New Year’s Eve. I believe all our citizens and compatriots abroad were incredibly delighted. It is exceedingly beautiful – an interplay of red, purple, lilac, yellow, and green. A unique combination that I believe is characteristic solely of the Mordva and Erzya culture. I am unaware of any pronounced differences, but the most important aspect here is what unites us – beauty, love of life, and love of nature.

You enquire about national symbols. While I cannot claim full ethnic belonging, my childhood persistence and even stubbornness invariably drew the remark: “You take after your Mordvin grandfather.” I do not know why, but that was what they said. In Stepnaya Shentala, we discussed all these topics. I told them about it, and they said, “That’s right, you’re one of us.”

The way they preserve their culture, defend their national and ethnic distinctiveness through culture, demonstrates a commendable degree of stubbornness, tenacity, determination, and special cohesion. I can affirm this with certainty.

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Question: What is the Foreign Ministry doing to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Transnistria amid its energy blockade by Moldova and Ukraine?

Maria Zakharova: I would like to start answering your question by exposing the fake and smear stories promoted by the Chisinau authorities, who are blaming this crisis on Russia. Frankly, this is not just an attempt to shift responsibility but barefaced lies.

There are obvious reasons for the current problems with Russian gas supplies to the territories on both banks of the Dniester. The first reason is the irresponsible behaviour of the Kiev regime, which refused to extend the Russian gas transit contract on January 1, 2025. Ask yourself what would have happened if it acted differently. Russia would have continued to supply gas. So, who is to blame for the current problem? The blame lies with the Kiev vampires. The second reason is the Moldovan authorities’ refusal to repay the republic’s debts to Gazprom. You most likely remember how they wriggled, trying to invent an explanation. This shows what should be done to settle the problem. Kiev should only issue a permit for the transit of Russian gas, and Chisinau should admit the debt.

Since this has not happened, the concerned Russian organisations are taking every possible measure to organise humanitarian gas deliveries to the region via alternative routes. Nobody should have any illusions about the origin of that gas. No matter where it is ultimately delivered from, it initially comes from Russian gas fields. We hope that Brussels and Chisinau are aware of this.

We stand for a long-term and sustainable solution to the problem of energy supplies to the territories on both sides of the Dniester in the interests of their people. We hope that all sides will take a constructive stance in order to resolve the energy crisis in Transnistria as soon as possible.

This will put to test the sincerity of the statements made by the Chisinau authorities, Maia Sandu and their team regarding their defence of democracy, the people and their country. If they really stand for democracy and their people, they should settle the problem in a democratic manner based on the law. They should do what they are obliged to do, that is, take care of their people. For our part, we are ready to continue working towards normalising the situation.

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Question: Could you comment on the fact that any mention of corruption and corruption crimes in the EU countries has disappeared from the policy documents of the EU countries and the European Commission over the past few years? They have been replaced with bureaucratic sophistry. For example, the EU law enforcement agencies are using alternative terms such as “influencing a government official,” “clientelism,” and “conferring unjustified privileges on private companies and individuals.” At the same time, high-ranking EU officials regularly accuse other countries of leniency in combating corruption. Does this mean that the EU has rooted out corruption and so can lecture other countries?

Maria Zakharova: You have not mentioned the main term, lobbying. The West has introduced it to camouflage corruption. But they can do as they wish. I think that you have formulated an interesting problem. Just like you, I have taken notice of their attempts to soften and adjust a vocabulary that should be applied in such cases.

Do you remember the Panama Papers, the Bahamas Leaks, the football file and the like? There was also a horrible story with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the purchase of covid vaccines, when they discussed the purchase of million-dollar batches of vaccines from US producers on the phone or in text messages without the approval of the control authorities. All this was camouflaged by sophistry.

I will take this subject on as my homework and will try to answer it with due regard for its interesting aspects such as doubletalk. I love such subjects.

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Question: The Lunar New Year has begun with many social events underway in Russia. Do these festivities contribute to advancing Russia’s foreign policy goals through people-to-people diplomacy? Is it safe to expect that similar events will continue to help Russia promote its cultural and humanitarian dialogue with China and other Greater Asia countries in the years to come?

Maria Zakharova: Let me bring you back to reality. You are wearing red, which is not part of a tradition of a friendly country that has our respect. There is a phrase in the Russian language –“red maiden” – where “red” implies both colour and beauty. Do not forget about our traditions.

Sure enough, these projects are an important part of what we call humanitarian exchanges, because they bring large numbers of people together. Mass participation events are attended by tens and hundreds of thousands of people, residents of Moscow and visitors alike. However, modern technology makes it possible for millions and even billions of people enjoy these shows.

Believe it or not (this is actual data), the Lunar New Year events in Moscow were watched by 10 billion people worldwide in 2024 which is more than the population of planet Earth. Statistically speaking, some people watched them more than once.

This year, the announcement alone had 6 billion views. That answers your question of whether or not it’s important. Of course, it is.

A positive agenda and joyful attitude underlie these events as opposed to darkness, destructiveness, and suicidal motives, which, unfortunately, permeate a vast number of events that are referred to as “projects.” Love, kindness, and respect for each other and previous generations that created and passed it all on to us, as well as love for future generations, is what drives Lunar New Year celebrations. This is what adds value to such events and makes them invaluable.

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Question: Saransk has streets named after Polish twin cities of Gorzow and Sieradz. It appears that those Polish cities have kept the streets named after Saransk as well. But even if they hadn’t, it’s really inconsequential compared to demolished monuments to Soviet liberator soldiers. What would do you recommend? What are we supposed to do with this state of affairs?

Maria Zakharova: Yes, I understand. These things are extremely sensitive. There is no such thing as a cover-it-all approach. The general recommendation is, of course, to foster cooperation and the sister city culture. That would be my general recommendation.

But there’s always a context. In this particular context, we should be based on concrete steps and actions that are taken with regard to us. We should vary our responses and provide tit-for-tat responses in some cases, symmetrical or asymmetrical responses in other cases, and occasionally not respond at all. It all varies depending on a specific occurrence.

I think, international departments, or international cooperation departments (they are named differently in different regions) shall maintain interaction with the Foreign Ministry’s missions in a particular region and consult with them on each particular case.

This is not just a political or a foreign policy issue, but rather a historical one. We request materials and send inquiries to historians and history societies. By the way, the public opinion is extremely important as well. We make our decision after we get all these inputs.

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