Moscow’s forces have seized control of three settlements in the north of the Ukrainian-controlled pocket Russia has liberated three villages in Kursk Region, marking a new advance against the Ukrainian invasion force in the area, the Defense Ministry in Moscow announced on Saturday. The villages […]
The March 8 celebrations do not have any connection with Russian history and culture, a senior cleric has said The Russian Orthodox Church does not support the celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, as it is not connected to Russian cultural and spiritual […]
The Russian military has taken out a rare resupply vehicle for the US-supplied system, footage released by the military shows The Russian military has destroyed a rare Ukrainian US-supplied HIMARS resupply vehicle in a ballistic missile strike, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said on Saturday. […]
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said talking may clear the way for peace negotiations Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has described the present dialogue between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, as promising, in an interview published on Sunday. A call between […]
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said talking may clear the way for peace negotiations
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has described the present dialogue between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, as promising, in an interview published on Sunday.
A call between Trump and Putin on Feb 12 was followed by a meeting of Russian and US delegations in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last week to advance efforts toward resolving the Ukraine conflict.
Speaking to Russia 1 TV journalist Pavel Zarubin, Peskov said the exchange between Putin and Trump was a step forward in a dialogue that both sides view as important.
“The dialogue is taking place between two truly outstanding presidents. It is promising. It is important that nothing hinders the realization of their political will,” Peskov added.
He went on to say that Russia is closely analyzing the situation regarding mutual criticism exchanged between Trump and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky.
The public feud escalated this week when the US president claimed that the Ukrainian leader was “a dictator without elections” and accused him of funneling US aid into a “war that couldn’t be won.” Trump also suggested that Zelensky could not win an election in Ukraine due to what he claimed was an approval rating of 4%.
Zelensky responded on Wednesday by claiming that Trump is “living in a disinformation space” created by Moscow.
He also dismissed Trump’s assessment of his approval rating.
“For us it is important that nothing hinders us from realizing this political will of the two heads of state to enter into a process of peaceful resolution,” Peskov added.
The US State Department has hailed Tuesday’s high-level discussions between American and Russian officials as a significant stride towards resolving the Ukraine conflict. It was the first such meeting since the conflict began in 2022.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who was part of the delegation, said the meeting in Riyadh was on the initiative of the Russian and US presidents, who also agreed that preparations for a summit should be started.
To achieve this, foreign ministers and national security advisers were tasked with meeting and determining what needs to be worked out before the two presidents “can negotiate specific dates and timelines for the summit.”
Putin said he would be glad to meet with Trump, though he called it too early to name a specific date for a summit. He added that a simple “coffee hour” would not be enough to remedy relations between the two nations, and both sides need to thoroughly prepare. Moscow and Washington nevertheless “do not need any mediators” to sort out their differences, he added.
Each big topic last year soon turned into a meme, and each meme tells a story about modern Russians Russian memes are in a peculiar place right now. Most of them have a short lifespan, and once they gain popularity and start appearing in ads, […]
Each big topic last year soon turned into a meme, and each meme tells a story about modern Russians
Russian memes are in a peculiar place right now. Most of them have a short lifespan, and once they gain popularity and start appearing in ads, they lose relevance even faster. However, memes have become an essential part of discussing any news. When things are constantly changing and new events capture public attention daily, memes often give a better idea of the situation than traditional news articles. And they are definitely more memorable.
Moreover, Russian memes are thriving in other countries. Just look at ‘Sigma Boy’ – a song by two Russian middle school girls that took TikTok by storm and even made an impact in the European Parliament.
So, when reflecting on last year, people in Russia are likely to remember not the headlines, but the memes. To grasp the reasons behind the laughter, frustration, and contemplation of Russians, one only needs to take a glance at these memes.
Sigma boy
A Russian military choir singing a song about “the real sigma boy,” who is “strong and brave” and “will soon return home with victory,” while images of combat operations from the war front play in the background. This is just the latest iteration of the viral song “Sigma Boy,” whose virality has even raised concerns in the West.
The song, released in October by 11‑year‑old Sveta Chertishcheva and 12‑year‑old Masha Yankovskaya, was initially expected to be a hit. Both girls are well‑known bloggers, and Sveta’s father is a successful producer. But they probably didn’t foresee such explosive hype – the song went viral on TikTok, and even reached top 10 on the Billboard, and has already amassed over 87 million views on YouTube.
Ultimately, concerns were raised in the European Parliament that the song “communicates patriarchal and pro‑Russian worldviews” and is “a viral Russian trope.” Meanwhile, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council’s Center for Countering Disinformation accused the song “Sigma Boy” of being “part of a wider information warfare” and an element of Russia’s “soft power.”
Skufs and Altushkas
One of the major Russian memes of the year, the term ‘skuf’ is used to refer to out of shape middle-aged men with a limited worldview, and no sense of style or life ambitions. Typically, skufs have ordinary jobs and spend their free time drinking beer, watching soccer, or fishing.
Initially, the term was rather derogatory, but over time, people began to see certain positive aspects in this lifestyle – like tranquility, stability, and not being dependent on the opinion of others. This gave rise to a joke that the government will pair up ‘skufs’ with ‘altushkas’ (or ‘alties’) – young women who embrace alternative aesthetics, and that skufs should get their altushkas through Gosuslugi – Russia’s online government portal of state and municipal services.
The meme has inspired local authors and game designers to create games centered around ‘skufs’who receive their government benefits in the form of getting their own ‘altushka’. One of these games has been capturing players’ hearts since last spring, while another is set to launch soon.
The discussion around the pros and cons of this program even inspired some libertarian memes:
The meme has become so popular that it’s a sort of litmus test for knowing Russian internet culture. If someone knows what a ‘skuf’ is and where to find their ‘altushka’, they’re up to date on modern internet culture.
“Buhwhadabout”
Late Millennials and early Zoomers have suddenly realized that they too are gradually aging. And like every generation before them, they’ve started making fun of the younger kids. However, they did it creatively, mocking not just the schoolkids’ obsession with gadgets but also their penchant for drama, unhealthy vaping habits, and the tendency to start every sentence with “anichyetochto” – a meaningless tongue twister that can be roughly translated as “buhwhadabout.”
As usual, the kids paid no attention to the fact that the adults were making fun of them and didn’t care to change their habits.
Kicksharing
Electric scooters are quietly taking over the world. In the right hands, they can be an excellent option for short trips or leisurely rides, but in the wrong hands, they can be quite dangerous. Last year in Russia, we saw both sides of the coin.
While scooter-sharing services were already available in Russia, their popularity skyrocketed this year as people embraced e-scooter rental. In Moscow, a city of 13 million people, the number of e-scooter users surged to four million. Some enthusiasts even customized their scooters.
However, it turned out that without strict regulations, kicksharing could lead to major problems in large cities. Reckless riders sped down crowded sidewalks, rode scooters while drunk, and climbed onto one scooter in groups of two or even three. All this has resulted in hundreds of accidents and serious injuries, and thousands of disgruntled pedestrians and drivers.
As a result, there was a growing demand to ban kicksharing. Instead of shutting down the e-scooter rental services, however, authorities opted for stricter rental rules. The industry quickly complied, and by the end of summer, reckless users faced fines and bans. It seems that next season, kicksharing in Russia will be considerably safer, though many remain wary.
Overall, kicksharing has demonstrated that Russian cities are steadily moving towards transportation modernization. Still, society isn’t quite ready for complete self-regulation – at least not on the roads.
Nikita Kologrivyy
Actor Nikita Kologrivyy had a challenging year. His popularity skyrocketed after the hit series “The Boy’s Word” (even though he was only a supporting actor in the series). This newfound fame was further fueled by sensational interviews and rumors that he would portray Vladimir Zhirinovsky in a biopic about the controversial politician.
However, it soon turned out that Kologrivyy was everywhere, and there was too much of him – in just one year, he appeared in 10 films and series.
The media enthusiastically discussed an incident in which he allegedly bit a waitress, and rumors spread that he’d be giving autographs at polling stations during the Russian presidential elections. The final straw came when he was controversially cast as poet Vladimir Mayakovsky in a play. This prompted some aggressive memes against him.
Pavel Durov’s adventures
Despite the fact that Pavel Durov has long left Russia, people still fondly remember the tech entrepreneur and creator of VKontakte and Telegram and even consider him “their Elon Musk” – largely due to his striking photos and lifestyle. Durov’s arrest in France this August sparked a flurry of reactions in Russia – some people joked about it, others were outraged, some restaurants removed croissants from their menus, and a group of developers even created a video game simulating an escape from a prison in France.
A short while before the incident, Durov revealed that he had once been a sperm donor, and as a result had over 100 children in different countries. While some rushed to find Durov’s genetic material, others speculated about the future of the Earth:
Kanye West in Moscow
Despite the fact that Russian music is becoming more popular, Russians still love Western singers. So when Kanye West briefly visited Moscow to celebrate his friend, fashion designer Gosha Rubchinskiy’s birthday, rumors quickly spread about a potential concert.
Some media outlets announced the concert five times. Each time, scammers sold tickets to non-existent shows. And each time, just hours later, it became clear that no concert was about to take place. Fans were left to imagine what it would be like to see Kanye in Moscow…
… and speculate on the reasons why he had left so quickly.
Our elephant
’Our Elephant’, ‘Elephanty’, ‘Based Elephant’ – these compliments have been actively handed out on Russian-speaking social networks since the end of 2023. In a short time, this title has been bestowed on a wide range of completely different people: entrepreneur Elon Musk, journalist Tucker Carlson, TikToker Danya Milokhin, and director Lars von Trier.
Despite its name, the ‘elephant’ meme isn’t connected to the animal world. Online, users might call someone ‘our elephant’ if their political stance aligns with their own views, or if they boldly express their opinions against the mainstream.
The word ‘elephant’ is often used to mean ‘cool.’ It is most commonly found in the lexicon of conservative-minded Russians, who typically use it to describe someone who supports Russia or generally holds traditional views on life.
For example, online users dubbed singer Dima Bilan ‘our elephant’ after his trip to Donbass, MMA fighter Conor McGregor – who was seen listening to the Russian national anthem while standing –entrepreneur Elon Musk, who, although not entirely sympathetic toward Moscow, frequently criticizes its opponents, and journalist Tucker Carlson, who interviewed Russian President Vladimir Putin. Carlson was even called our “Russo-American elephant.”
Tucker Carlson’s interviews
The fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to talk to the American journalist didn’t generate much buzz in Russia. Of course, people were curious what Carlson would say about life in Moscow, but when the media began to follow his every move, the hype quickly faded.
In Russia, no one expected anything unusual from this interview – it was clear that the Russian president would mainly repeat everything he has said since February 2022, but this time to a foreign audience. However, in the end, Russians too were intrigued – not so much by Putin’s answers as by his sudden interest in giving the American journalist an overview of Russia’s medieval history. Carlson’s bewildered expression on hearing this account left a stronger impression on Russians than the rest of the interview.
Later, Carlson interviewed controversial Dagestani blogger Hasbik, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. These videos attracted less attention. But then, people noted a possible ulterior motive behind Carlson’s visits to Moscow.
US presidential elections
The 2024 Russian presidential elections were largely uneventful. The only memorable moment came from Communist candidate Nikolay Kharitonov’s campaign video, in which he proclaimed, “We’ve played around with capitalism – enough of that!” while defiantly clenching his fist. This reminded many people of Arthur’s clenched fist:
US elections are always memorable and spark interest in Russia. Many people joked that as the day of the US elections approached, everyone suddenly became an “expert” on American politics.
Traditionally, the candidates were divided into two camps: “our” and “not our” people.
Overall, Russians still enjoyed the drama of American politics and were only mildly interested in the promises of the candidates. Naturally, Trump was viewed as a more “pro-Russian” politician, but there’s also been a noticeable shift in public opinion: most Russians considered the US elections as an interesting spectacle rather than as a key event for Russia. The old belief that Republicans would work with Russia while Democrats would oppose it is gradually fading. Russians are starting to think about the US elections in a more pragmatic way.
Goooall!
Perhaps the most important Russian meme of the year. It is based on the 2016 political cartoon showing a confident-looking bear playing cards with Uncle Sam, who is seated on a woman representing the EU.
This year, the image has been revived. Now, the bear confidently shouts “Goooal!” while Uncle Sam asks, “Are you f*****g out of your mind? We’re playing cards!”
The bear’s self-assured manner was so spot-on that the meme quickly became popular – it was used to refer to all kinds of people and situations, including frontline news (both good and bad), politicians who are disconnected from reality (both conservatives and liberals), and everyday situations (referring to people who stick to their rules with unwavering confidence).
But the classic meaning of the meme hasn’t disappeared either. And, of course, the recent negotiations between the Russian and American delegations in Riyadh have not escaped users’ attention.
Perhaps the bear’s popularity is due to how well it conveys people’s perception of life during the last year – its absurdity, unpredictability, and demand for a good deal of unwarranted self-assurance.
The Ukrainian leader has dismissed President Trump’s demand for $350 billion, insisting that Kiev received $100 billion as a grant Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has said his country will not repay the assistance it has received from the US since the start of the conflict […]
The Ukrainian leader has dismissed President Trump’s demand for $350 billion, insisting that Kiev received $100 billion as a grant
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has said his country will not repay the assistance it has received from the US since the start of the conflict with Russia. He also suggested that US President Donald Trump’s estimate that Kiev owes $350 billion is grossly exaggerated.
In recent weeks, the US president has ramped up his demands that Kiev reimburse Washington for all the aid provided since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. Trump has argued that if the country is short on cash, it should sign over the rights to its natural resources as a form of compensation. Zelensky however, has refused, apparently deeming the terms too unfavorable.
Speaking at the ‘Ukraine. Year – 2025’ forum in Kiev on Sunday, Zelensky stated that “Ukraine received $100 billion [in aid] from the US, not $350, not $500, not $700,” stressing that he was “not ready to recognize even $100 billion” as debt. He claimed that he had reached an agreement with former US President Joe Biden that the money was being provided as a grant, and that no repayment had been expected.
Zelensky stressed that if the Trump administration is not ready to give Ukraine a blank check, Kiev is prepared to enter into a “new agreement,” and that it should be considered carefully, in order for the parties to “remain friends and partners.”
“I think I’m justified in my desire for dialogue [with the US],” the Ukrainian leader said, emphasizing that “I do not sign something which ten generations of Ukrainians would have to repay.”
According to Zelensky, the original deal on Ukraine’s rare earths drafted by the Trump administration made no mention of security guarantees to Kiev and was therefore turned down. He claimed that his negotiators were making good progress in talks with the Americans, who had supposedly dropped their initial $500 billion demand.
Meanwhile, in an article on Saturday, the New York Times, citing anonymous Ukrainian officials, claimed that Washington’s revised version of the accord appeared “even tougher” than its previous iteration.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday, Trump warned that “we’re going to either sign a deal or there’s gonna be a lot of problems with [Ukraine].” He clarified that he expected Kiev to acquiesce “in the next fairly short period of time,” lamenting that “we’re spending our treasure on… a country that’s very, very far away.”
According to the 2024 World Economic Forum report, Ukraine “holds immense potential as a major global supplier of critical raw materials” that could be “essential” for defense, the technology sector, and green energy. Much of those resources are, however, located in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, which joined Russia in 2022.
Authorities in Rivne celebrated the 120th birthday of Ulas Samchuk who called for the elimination of “Jewish chimpanzees” and Poles during WWII The Ukrainian city of Rivne has celebrated the 120th birthday of Nazi collaborator and prominent anti-Semitic propagandist Ulas Samchuk, who welcomed the mass […]
Authorities in Rivne celebrated the 120th birthday of Ulas Samchuk who called for the elimination of “Jewish chimpanzees” and Poles during WWII
The Ukrainian city of Rivne has celebrated the 120th birthday of Nazi collaborator and prominent anti-Semitic propagandist Ulas Samchuk, who welcomed the mass killings of Jews during World War II.
Russia has consistently claimed that the current Ukrainian leadership has been embracing neo-Nazi ideology and whitewashing known WWII-era collaborators. When the conflict between Moscow and Kiev escalated into open hostilities in February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin named the “denazification” of Ukraine as one of the objectives of his special operation.
On Thursday, regional officials in Rivne held a ceremony to commemorate Samchuk, who was born in the area, presenting a book: ‘Ulas Samchuk – Warrior of the Word.’ According to local media, it includes personal letters he wrote and is part of a wider project to include his works in the school curriculum across Ukraine.
The publications described him as a writer, a member of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, and the editor of the ‘Volyn’ newspaper during World War II.
In 2019, the Israeli embassy in Ukraine asked the country’s parliament to remove Samchuk from its ‘List of Heroes,’ describing him as among those who “oversaw massacres of Jews or supported the Nazi regime.”
In an article last September, the Russian Foreign Ministry characterized Samchuk as a “Nazi writer and member of the Nazi organizations,” who “published articles calling for killing Jews.”
This description echoes the assessments of the head of Ukraine’s Jewish Committee as well as some Ukrainian historians, who have pointed out that in his newspaper, Samchuk routinely wrote about “Jewish chimpanzees” and the need to cleanse the country of Jews and Poles.
Samchuk reportedly welcomed the news of Nazi German troops rounding up Kiev’s Jews and subsequently massacring them at the infamous Babi Yar ravine as a “great day” when the “German authorities [met] the fervent wishes of Ukrainians.”
In nearby Lviv, a Hanukkah menorah installed in memory of local Jews murdered by the Nazis was vandalized in early January, as nationalists celebrated the birthday of prominent World War II Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera.
A month before, Kiev authorities had renamed a street after another Nazi collaborator who had aided the Germans in massacring the Jews of Zhitomir Region, Taras Borovets.
Holocaust scholar Marta Gavryshko denounced the decision as a “symptom of a troubling phenomenon” of Ukraine making the “regional cult of nationalistic heroes who collaborated with Nazis in the Holocaust” national policy.
According to Russian estimates, approximately 1.5 million Jews perished during the Nazi occupation of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian leader has said he is ready to step down if it means an end of the conflict with Russia Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has expressed his readiness to “exchange” his position for NATO membership and step down if it is necessary to achieve […]
The Ukrainian leader has said he is ready to step down if it means an end of the conflict with Russia
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has expressed his readiness to “exchange” his position for NATO membership and step down if it is necessary to achieve peace in Ukraine.
Speaking at the ‘Ukraine. Year 2025’ forum in Kiev on Saturday, Zelensky said he does not intend to remain in power for many years.
“If peace for Ukraine, if you really need me to leave my post, then I’m ready. I can exchange this for NATO, if there are such conditions. I am focusing on the security of Ukraine today, not in 20 years, and I do not intend to be in power for decades,” Zelensky stated.
The Ukrainian leader also touched upon the ongoing row with the US regarding a proposed rare-earths deal, in which Washington is seeking reimbursement for the military aid it has provided with earnings from Ukraine’s natural resources.
Zelensky confirmed he received the proposed deal, introduced by Washington after the first draft was shot down by Kiev, which involves a sum of $500 billion.
“It became clear that we are talking about a debt, that this is not an investment… If this money goes to the fund, and nothing comes from abroad, then we are paying off the debt,” Zelensky stated.
“We had 100 [billion]. I am not ready to pay off 500 [billion]. And I am not even ready to fix it at the 100 [billion mark], because I will not recognize grants as debts. We should not pay off the debt,” he added.
Paying off amounts such as this would put ten generations of Ukrainians in debt, which means the deal is completely unacceptable, Zelensky said.
Zelensky’s presidential term expired in May 2024; critics have accused the Ukrainian leader of seeking to prolong the hostility in order to cling on power. Moscow has said it does not regard him as a legitimate representative of the country and that he lacks the power to sign any comprehensive peace deal. This week, Trump pointed to Zelensky’s shaky legal position as well, branding him a “dictator without elections” and claiming that he currently has an extremely low approval rating in his country.
Kiev reportedly believes Washington’s figure is far too high Ukraine has pushed back on the proposed establishment of a $500 billion fund which would reimburse the US for its aid in exchange for a significant cut of the country’s mineral revenues, according to an unnamed […]
Kiev reportedly believes Washington’s figure is far too high
Ukraine has pushed back on the proposed establishment of a $500 billion fund which would reimburse the US for its aid in exchange for a significant cut of the country’s mineral revenues, according to an unnamed Kiev official cited by Bloomberg. Senior Kiev officials have insisted that actual US assistance was worth roughly $90 billion.
Speaking at a Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday, US President Donald Trump said the deal is “pretty close” and “we’d better be close to a deal.” He also declared, “we’re going to get our money back” and “we’re asking for rare earth and oil – anything we can get.”
Since February 2022, the US Congress has appropriated $183 billion for Ukraine, including more than $66 billion in security assistance, according to the Pentagon and Ukraine Oversight, the interagency group tasked with presenting reports to Congress.
Kiev’s negotiators are pressing for more time to finalize a draft agreement, Bloomberg reported on Saturday. An unnamed person with knowledge of the talks told the outlet that the current version proposed by the US includes “questionable elements” and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky does not want to sign it.
Ukrainian officials discussed the revised minerals accord with US special envoy Keith Kellogg during his visit to Kiev on Wednesday.
An unnamed Ukrainian official told Bloomberg that the lack of assurances for future military and financial aid from the US remains a sticking point in the negotiations. The Associated Press quoted an unnamed official as describing the agreement in its current form as “colonial.”
It came after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was unable to finalize a minerals agreement in Kiev last week. Trump has expressed dissatisfaction with how the Ukrainians treated Bessent, who had made a perilous train journey to reach the Ukrainian capital.
Trump accused Ukraine of derailing the deal and said he plans to “resurrect” it, warning that otherwise “things are not going to make [Zelensky] too happy.”
On Friday, the US presented a revised agreement, which was obtained by The New York Times. IT still lacked security guarantees for Ukraine and introduced even stricter financial terms. Two unnamed Ukrainian officials told the newspaper that Kiev had submitted amendments to the draft agreement on Saturday night.
The updated proposal apparently reiterated the US request for Ukraine to surrender half of its revenues from natural resource extraction, which includes minerals, gas, oil, and earnings from ports and other infrastructure. The plan would channel those revenues into a fund where the US would hold 100% of the financial interest. Ukraine would be required to contribute to the fund until it reaches $500 billion.
“Let’s also be clear as to what this is not. The US would not be taking ownership of physical assets in Ukraine. Nor would it be saddling Ukraine with more debt,” Bessent explained in an opinion piece for the Financial Times on Saturday.
According to a 2024 World Economic Forum report, Ukraine “holds immense potential as a major global supplier of critical raw materials” that could be “essential” for defense, the technology sector, and green energy. However, Zelensky recently admitted that a large chunk of mineral-rich territory is currently under Russian control.
Junior Sergeant Andrey Grigoryev defeated a Ukrainian soldier in a brutal knife fight last autumn Russian President Vladimir Putin has awarded Junior Sergeant Andrey Grigoryev a Gold Star medal after he prevailed in a hand-to-hand fight with a Ukrainian serviceman, the video of which went […]
Junior Sergeant Andrey Grigoryev defeated a Ukrainian soldier in a brutal knife fight last autumn
Russian President Vladimir Putin has awarded Junior Sergeant Andrey Grigoryev a Gold Star medal after he prevailed in a hand-to-hand fight with a Ukrainian serviceman, the video of which went viral on social media.
Grigoryev’s heroics became widely known in early January. The footage, taken from the body of the deceased Ukrainian soldier, showed a fierce battle near the village of Trudovoye in Russia’s Donetsk region last fall. In the clip, a Ukrainian soldier was seen engaging in a close-range firefight with Grigoryev, which later descended into hand-to-hand combat, ending with the Ukrainian being fatally stabbed multiple times by the Russian.
The clip shows the Ukrainian calling Grigoryev, who hails from Russia’s far eastern republic of Yakutia, “the greatest fighter in the world” and asking to be given a chance to “die in peace,” which the Russian granted him.
In early January, Putin awarded Grigoryev the title ‘Hero of Russia’ for the “bravery and heroism” he demonstrated in combat.
On Sunday, which is the Defender of the Fatherland Day in Russia, Grigoryev was invited to the Kremlin and awarded the Gold Star medal that comes with the title.
The video of the ceremony shows Putin shaking Grigoryev’s hand and pinning the award on his chest.
In addition to Grigoryev, Putin presented Gold Star medals to ten other Russian servicemen, ranging in rank from corporal to major general. Defense Minister Andrey Belousov also attended the ceremony.
The former president has marked Defender of the Fatherland Day by honoring heroes and denouncing neo-Nazism in Ukraine February 23 isn’t just another day – it symbolizes our collective memory, glory, and pride, and stands as a testament to our unwavering belief in ultimate victory. This […]
The former president has marked Defender of the Fatherland Day by honoring heroes and denouncing neo-Nazism in Ukraine
February 23 isn’t just another day – it symbolizes our collective memory, glory, and pride, and stands as a testament to our unwavering belief in ultimate victory. This year, its meaning deepens as we honor it during the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland.
We will never forget the heroes of past generations. Their legacy guides us, inspiring us to live by their example. The stirring words of the great commander Alexander Suvorov – ”We will forever serve Russia with faith and truth, shaming our enemies” – beat in every heart.
Our nation has learned the hard art of winning through trials that tested us beyond measure. As new challenges arise, our duty is clear: to confront every threat head-on, channeling all our strength in defense of our homeland.
Tomorrow marks three years since our special military operation began – a bold step taken after crossing a point of no return against what we now call the “collective West.” It was our only way to safeguard our country and its citizens, pushing our adversaries back from our borders. History has proven this tough decision was not only necessary, but the only path forward. The Russian people have united to stand against a ruthless enemy fueled by foreign weapons and money. Although the battle against neo-Nazism and its allies is not yet over, its end is near. The enemy will be defeated, and truth will prevail.
Eighty years ago, our nation triumphed over fascism. Today, its loathsome heirs will face inevitable retribution – not in a modern-day Nuremberg, but on the battlefield, where justice is swift, uncompromising, and true. Our foes, gripped by fear and panic, know this all too well. In their desperate rage, they are capable of anything. We cannot allow a global catastrophe. We must crush any revival of Nazism at its roots, preserve our historical legacy, and leave a worthy inheritance for future generations.
Above all, our mission is to protect our boundless homeland and do everything possible to secure its prosperity – for our children, our grandchildren, and the brilliant future of Russia!
Aleksey Arestovich, should he become Ukraine’s president, has claimed he will jail his former boss, Vladimir Zelensky, and his “gang” Former aide to Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky Aleksey Arestovich has pledged to jail the incumbent Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky and the entirety of his “gang” in […]
Aleksey Arestovich, should he become Ukraine’s president, has claimed he will jail his former boss, Vladimir Zelensky, and his “gang”
Former aide to Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky Aleksey Arestovich has pledged to jail the incumbent Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky and the entirety of his “gang” in case he becomes the country’s new president.
Arestovich, once Ukraine’s top spin doctor, made the remarks on Friday while speaking to journalist Aleksandr Shelest. Asked whether he would arrest Zelensky should he get elected, Arestovich pledged to detain the country’s incumbent leader and his whole “gang,” adding that it was up to a court to ultimately decide their fate.
“I will give the order to detain him. And no foreign power will save him and his gang. We will catch everyone, no matter where they are hiding, we will get them out from under the ground, bring them in and we will deliver the verdict live on air. No, not even a hair will fall from his head. He will get jailed – and I believe – for life,” Arestovich stated.
The ex-aide accused his former boss of killing off Ukrainians “by the tens of thousands” just for the sake of keeping his “beloved” power, which he has been ultimately using to “kill and rob.” Arestovich also pledged to reshape the Ukrainian governing model and make the state “face the people,” adding he will use force if necessary to reach the goal.
Arestovich was a long-time associate of Zelensky, with the ties between the two going back to their time in show business. During Zelensky’s presidency, Arestovich became his informal adviser and a top propagandist, heralding a purportedly imminent victory in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
He left the role in early 2023 after contradicting the official narrative around a deadly missile incident. Arestovich has grown increasingly critical of his former boss and has since moved to the US, claiming that Kiev wants him jailed on politically-motivated charges.
Earlier this month, Arestovich said Ukraine has already “lost the war due to our own stupidity, pride, and stubbornness,” warning that Kiev’s denial of reality would ultimately exclude it from having a say in the conflict’s outcome altogether.
“We have created a society of mutual hatred and intolerance, in which every individual is right and everyone collectively is to blame,” he said.
The US president’s ‘America first’ policy means Kiev will have to pay its own bills As Washington’s push to secure Ukraine’s mineral wealth intensifies, the latest tensions between Donald Trump and Vladimir Zelensky highlight a growing rift. The US president and his team are actively […]
The US president’s ‘America first’ policy means Kiev will have to pay its own bills
As Washington’s push to secure Ukraine’s mineral wealth intensifies, the latest tensions between Donald Trump and Vladimir Zelensky highlight a growing rift. The US president and his team are actively pressing Kiev to sign off on a deal that would grant America access to Ukraine’s rare-earth metals in exchange for continued military aid. But is such an agreement feasible? And how did Ukraine’s underground riches suddenly become a focal point in US-Ukrainian relations?
Family jewels
Ukraine possesses significant reserves of valuable minerals, including lithium (2% of global reserves), graphite (4%), nickel (0.4%), manganese, uranium, and rare-earth metals. Of particular note is titanium, with estimates suggesting Ukraine holds up to 20% of the world’s reserves. However, nearly 40% of these deposits are either under Russian control or located in frontline areas, significantly complicating any Western attempts to exploit them.
Since gaining independence, Ukraine has struggled to attract foreign investment into its mining sector. The only notable success was ArcelorMittal’s privatization of the Krivoy Rog Metallurgical Plant in the mid-2000s. Beyond that, Western companies have largely refrained from new projects, partly due to Article 13 of Ukraine’s constitution, which explicitly prohibits the privatization of natural resources.
The curse of Senator Graham
The idea of leveraging Ukraine’s mineral wealth to secure US military support was first floated by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a longtime advocate of deeper US-Ukraine ties. Graham has frequently traveled to Kiev during the war, delivering fiery speeches that, in essence, boil down to: You’re doing everything right, but Washington’s politicians are letting you down.
With Trump looming on the horizon, Graham remarked that Trump isn’t particularly interested in values – he’s a businessman who thinks in terms of deals. He suggested that Ukraine should propose something to Trump to convince him to invest in Ukraine’s defense. For example, why not offer him the country’s mineral resources?
Zelensky’s inner circle latched onto this idea and eagerly pitched it to Trump when he took office. According to Ukrainian publications, Kiev believed that in return it would get weapons, investments, new mineral extraction technologies, a significant share of the mined resources, and perhaps even US troops in Ukraine. In essence, they imagined a scenario where everything would happen automatically, and they wouldn’t have to do anything.
Trump’s ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ deal
Trump, however, acted more like a mob boss from a Hollywood film. He dispatched an “accountant” to Kiev, who presented a document for Zelensky to sign and bluntly explained: what’s ours is ours; and what’s yours is also ours. Oh, and you owe us a kidney and an eye, while we owe you nothing at all. Here’s a pen — sign here.
According to Western media reports, Trump’s proposal stipulated that Ukraine would effectively hand over its mineral wealth as retroactive payment for the billions in US military aid already provided. In return, there would be no promise of future weapons shipments or security guarantees. Zelensky, who has spent the past three years desperately seeking such guarantees, was reportedly furious and refused to sign.
The dispute came to a head at the Munich Security Conference, where Zelensky met with US Vice President J.D. Vance. The minerals issue dominated their discussion, and after Zelensky’s continued refusal to sign, the American side was openly frustrated.
No surprises that it caused harsh reactions from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said he “was personally very upset” with the conversation top American officials had with Zelensky over the minerals deal, and suggesting that the Ukrainian leaderhad flip-flopped.
No deal without Russia
Even if Ukraine eventually signs an agreement, it remains unlikely that Trump would gain much from it — at least not without Moscow’s approval.
For one, any major mining initiative would require Russian cooperation. Trump would need Russian president Vladimir Putin’s assurance that US-owned extraction sites wouldn’t become military targets. While this could happen, it would have to be part of a larger deal between Washington and Moscow. Additionally, reports suggesting that American troops or private military contractors might be deployed to secure these sites seem wildly unrealistic. The Kremlin would never tolerate such a scenario.
Beyond security concerns, commercial viability is another issue. Mining rare-earth metals is a low-margin business, and simply having vast deposits doesn’t guarantee profitable extraction. Many of Ukraine’s most promising reserves are either depleted, under Russian control, or in war-torn areas. Developing new sites would require tens of billions of dollars in investment — an unrealistic prospect given the current instability.
The situation bears striking similarities to Trump’s 2017 proposal to mine rare-earth metals in Afghanistan, which he believed could help repay the US for the costs of the war. Despite estimates suggesting Afghanistan had over $1 trillion in untapped mineral wealth, no American company ever mined a single ounce. Instead, three years later, Trump cut a deal with the Taliban and withdrew US forces.
So why is Trump so fixated on this issue? Partly, it’s just his business mindset — exploring potential deals, even if most never materialize. But it’s also a test of Zelensky’s loyalty — how far is the Ukrainian president willing to bend under pressure from the new US administration?
If Zelensky eventually signs, Trump will have a political win to present to his supporters. He can argue that military aid is no longer a giveaway, but rather a business transaction that benefits America. In reality, nothing even needs to be extracted — the optics alone are enough.
For Zelensky, however, signing such a deal could seal his political fate. His domestic critics would frame him as a traitor for selling Ukraine’s resources to a US president who is clearly prioritizing a settlement with Russia over Ukrainian sovereignty.
The choice is bleak: sign the deal and face domestic backlash, or refuse and risk falling out of favor with the one man who could still offer him military aid. Either way, the Ukrainian leader finds himself caught in a no-win situation — a pawn in a game he no longer controls.
