«Имя твоё неизвестно, подвиг твой бессмертен»
🕯 3 декабря в России отмечается День Неизвестного Cолдата.
Эта дата призвана увековечить память о подвигах и воинской доблести погибших в боевых действиях российских и советских военнослужащих, чьи имена так и не удалось установить.
В этот день советник-посланник Посольства России в Великобритании Василий Цыганов возложил цветы к Советскому военному мемориалу в Лондоне. Памятник был возведён в 1999 году в парке Джералдин Мэри Хармсворт в знак уважения к 27 миллионам гражданам СССР, погибшим в годы Второй мировой войны.
День Неизвестного Cолдата был установлен указом Президента Российской Федерации в 2014 году. Дата выбрана неслучайно — 3 декабря 1966 года в Александровском саду у стен Кремля был перезахоронен прах безымянного бойца, павшего в ходе Великой Отечественной войны. Позднее — 8 мая 1967 года — на месте захоронения был открыт мемориал «Могила Неизвестного солдата» и зажжён Вечный огонь.
🕯 3 декабря в России отмечается День Неизвестного Cолдата.
Эта дата призвана увековечить память о подвигах и воинской доблести погибших в боевых действиях российских и советских военнослужащих, чьи имена так и не удалось установить.
В этот день советник-посланник Посольства России в Великобритании Василий Цыганов возложил цветы к Советскому военному мемориалу в Лондоне. Памятник был возведён в 1999 году в парке Джералдин Мэри Хармсворт в знак уважения к 27 миллионам гражданам СССР, погибшим в годы Второй мировой войны.
День Неизвестного Cолдата был установлен указом Президента Российской Федерации в 2014 году. Дата выбрана неслучайно — 3 декабря 1966 года в Александровском саду у стен Кремля был перезахоронен прах безымянного бойца, павшего в ходе Великой Отечественной войны. Позднее — 8 мая 1967 года — на месте захоронения был открыт мемориал «Могила Неизвестного солдата» и зажжён Вечный огонь.
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Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
⚡️ Statement by Aide to the President of Russia Yuri Ushakov on President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with the Special Envoy of the US President Stephen Witkoff (December 3, 2025, Moscow)
💬 Yuri Ushakov: The conversation was very useful, constructive, substantive, and lasted five hours. This made it possible to thoroughly discuss prospects for further joint work aimed at achieving a long-term peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.
Naturally, together with our American colleagues, we discussed the contents of the documents that the US had handed over to Moscow some time ago. We did not discuss specific wording or specific American proposals – we discussed the substance behind the proposals contained in these documents.
There were points with which we could agree, and the President confirmed this to his interlocutors; and there were points that drew criticism, and the President likewise did not conceal our critical, even negative, attitude to a number of proposals.
What matters most is that the discussion was very productive. And most importantly, I would stress once again that both Sides expressed readiness to continue joint work to achieve a long-term peaceful settlement in Ukraine.
Specific territorial issues were discussed, since without addressing them, we do not see a way to resolve the crisis. Of course, the enormous prospects for future economic cooperation between Russia and the US were also discussed. By the way, this has been raised repeatedly at earlier meetings. But today it was emphasized that if we genuinely want to cooperate – and the opportunities for this are immense – then real determination must now be shown, both in Moscow and in Washington.
Overall, it was a very useful, positive conversation. And, of course, the meeting began with the Trump representatives conveying greetings and best wishes from their President to Vladimir Putin. In turn, our President asked them to convey his friendly greetings to President Trump. Moreover, he passed on not only friendly greetings, but also a number of important political signals, which will be delivered to Washington.
Answers to media questions:
• It was agreed that at the level of aides and other representatives we will continue contacts with the US Side, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner who visited the Kremlin today. As for a possible meeting at the presidential level, this will depend on the progress we manage to achieve along this path as we work persistently and consistently through the channels of aides, foreign ministries, and other agencies.
• There was a document containing 27 points. It was handed to us, and we studied it. Although we did not work on the specific wording or engage in discussions with our American colleagues on that matter. Then we received several more documents – four documents, to be specific – which were also discussed today at the meeting . All of them concern a long-term peaceful settlement of the crisis in Ukraine. Initially there was one version; then that version was revised, and instead of one document, four appeared.
• A compromise version has not been found yet. However, some of the American ideas look more or less acceptable, but they require discussion. Some of the proposed wording does not suit us.
• We agreed with our US colleagues that we will not disclose the substance of the talks. This is perfectly reasonable. The talks were completely closed and confidential. Considerable work still lies ahead, both in Washington and in Moscow. This was agreed, and contacts will continue.
Read in full
💬 Yuri Ushakov: The conversation was very useful, constructive, substantive, and lasted five hours. This made it possible to thoroughly discuss prospects for further joint work aimed at achieving a long-term peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.
Naturally, together with our American colleagues, we discussed the contents of the documents that the US had handed over to Moscow some time ago. We did not discuss specific wording or specific American proposals – we discussed the substance behind the proposals contained in these documents.
There were points with which we could agree, and the President confirmed this to his interlocutors; and there were points that drew criticism, and the President likewise did not conceal our critical, even negative, attitude to a number of proposals.
What matters most is that the discussion was very productive. And most importantly, I would stress once again that both Sides expressed readiness to continue joint work to achieve a long-term peaceful settlement in Ukraine.
Specific territorial issues were discussed, since without addressing them, we do not see a way to resolve the crisis. Of course, the enormous prospects for future economic cooperation between Russia and the US were also discussed. By the way, this has been raised repeatedly at earlier meetings. But today it was emphasized that if we genuinely want to cooperate – and the opportunities for this are immense – then real determination must now be shown, both in Moscow and in Washington.
Overall, it was a very useful, positive conversation. And, of course, the meeting began with the Trump representatives conveying greetings and best wishes from their President to Vladimir Putin. In turn, our President asked them to convey his friendly greetings to President Trump. Moreover, he passed on not only friendly greetings, but also a number of important political signals, which will be delivered to Washington.
Answers to media questions:
• It was agreed that at the level of aides and other representatives we will continue contacts with the US Side, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner who visited the Kremlin today. As for a possible meeting at the presidential level, this will depend on the progress we manage to achieve along this path as we work persistently and consistently through the channels of aides, foreign ministries, and other agencies.
• There was a document containing 27 points. It was handed to us, and we studied it. Although we did not work on the specific wording or engage in discussions with our American colleagues on that matter. Then we received several more documents – four documents, to be specific – which were also discussed today at the meeting . All of them concern a long-term peaceful settlement of the crisis in Ukraine. Initially there was one version; then that version was revised, and instead of one document, four appeared.
• A compromise version has not been found yet. However, some of the American ideas look more or less acceptable, but they require discussion. Some of the proposed wording does not suit us.
• We agreed with our US colleagues that we will not disclose the substance of the talks. This is perfectly reasonable. The talks were completely closed and confidential. Considerable work still lies ahead, both in Washington and in Moscow. This was agreed, and contacts will continue.
Read in full
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"Your name is unknown, your deed is immortal"
🕯 On 3 December Russia marks the Day of the Unknown Soldier, an occasion intended to honour the memory, sacrifice and valour of Russian and Soviet servicemen who fell in defence of their Motherland and whose names remain unknown.
On this day, Minister-Counsellor of the Russian Embassy to the UK Vasily Tsyganov laid flowers at the Soviet War Memorial in London. The monument, erected in 1999 in Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park, commemorates the 27 million citizens of the USSR who lost their lives during the Second World War.
The Day of the Unknown Soldier was established by the Presidential decree in 2014. The choice of date is symbolic: on 3 December 1966 the remains of an unidentified soldier who perished in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 were reinterred in the Alexander Garden beside the Kremlin wall. On 8 May 1967 the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was unveiled and the Eternal Flame was lit on the site, which became one of Russia's central places of wartime remembrance.
🕯 On 3 December Russia marks the Day of the Unknown Soldier, an occasion intended to honour the memory, sacrifice and valour of Russian and Soviet servicemen who fell in defence of their Motherland and whose names remain unknown.
On this day, Minister-Counsellor of the Russian Embassy to the UK Vasily Tsyganov laid flowers at the Soviet War Memorial in London. The monument, erected in 1999 in Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park, commemorates the 27 million citizens of the USSR who lost their lives during the Second World War.
The Day of the Unknown Soldier was established by the Presidential decree in 2014. The choice of date is symbolic: on 3 December 1966 the remains of an unidentified soldier who perished in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 were reinterred in the Alexander Garden beside the Kremlin wall. On 8 May 1967 the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was unveiled and the Eternal Flame was lit on the site, which became one of Russia's central places of wartime remembrance.
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Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
⛓️ December 2 marks the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
◼️ Slavery is one of the darkest and most tragic chapters in world history. A hideous crime against humanity, which went hand in hand with great numbers of forcibly displaced peoples in the colonial era of the modern period, stands behind this short word. The bitter legacy of the slave trade compounded by the aftermath of colonialism still shows itself today in deep economic inequality, persistent social discrimination, and profound cultural trauma in the countries that were victims of, primarily, European powers.
From the 16th to the 19th centuries, the slave trade perpetuated by Euro-Atlantic Powers extended across multiple regions and continents, including Europe, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and North and South America.
Organised slave trading in new times was initiated by the Portuguese who began exploring Africa in the early 15th century. Initial interest in exporting gold and spices soon expanded to the widespread capture of slaves. Later, the forts established by the Portuguese on the West African coast became major slave markets.
The transatlantic slave trade followed the discovery of America. The exploitation of indigenous populations, the extermination of those who resisted, and diseases brought from Europe rapidly devastated local populations.
The drive for profit and benefits offered by mining and sugar and coffee production amid a shrinking labour force pushed Europeans to seek cheap labour. By the 16th century, Spanish authorities had begun issuing official permits for slave trading, thereby legalising this criminal and immoral way of gaining economic benefit.
The wealth of Britain, the Netherlands, France, and the United States originated back then and derived from extracting maximum profit from cheap slave labour at the cost of millions of human lives. Entire dynasties of slave traders emerged, buying titles and entering the ranks of the high nobility. The rise of capitalism was accompanied by the worst colonial practices.
❗️ The key role in decolonisation was played by the 1960 Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples adopted largely at the initiative of the Soviet Union.
Decolonisation radically reshaped the established ideas about law and justice, and the historical and international legal responsibility of former colonial powers towards their colonies. However, by the second half of the 20th century, supranational integration processes had pushed issues of colonial legacy off the international agenda.
Today, the West still prefers to remain silent about the tragic events connected to four centuries of exploitation of the African continent and crimes against the indigenous peoples of Latin America, refusing to compensate for the damage.
⚡️ According to the UN, around 17 million people were taken from Africa during the slave trade. This figure includes only those who reached the New World; many more died en route. Experts note that the actual numbers were much higher. Cultural treasures were looted, and enormous damage was inflicted on the continent’s economic potential, which the African Reparations Commission has estimated at $777 trillion.
Despite the egregious historical injustice, African states today have established themselves as respected members of the international community and have achieved widely recognised success in economic and social development.
🇷🇺🌍 Russia stands in solidarity with the African states in their pursuit of a more just multipolar world and in addressing socioeconomic inequalities exacerbated by sophisticated neocolonial policies towards Africa pursued by the countries of the collective West that are already stained by the bloody crimes of the past.
#Colonialism #Neocolonialism
◼️ Slavery is one of the darkest and most tragic chapters in world history. A hideous crime against humanity, which went hand in hand with great numbers of forcibly displaced peoples in the colonial era of the modern period, stands behind this short word. The bitter legacy of the slave trade compounded by the aftermath of colonialism still shows itself today in deep economic inequality, persistent social discrimination, and profound cultural trauma in the countries that were victims of, primarily, European powers.
From the 16th to the 19th centuries, the slave trade perpetuated by Euro-Atlantic Powers extended across multiple regions and continents, including Europe, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and North and South America.
Organised slave trading in new times was initiated by the Portuguese who began exploring Africa in the early 15th century. Initial interest in exporting gold and spices soon expanded to the widespread capture of slaves. Later, the forts established by the Portuguese on the West African coast became major slave markets.
The transatlantic slave trade followed the discovery of America. The exploitation of indigenous populations, the extermination of those who resisted, and diseases brought from Europe rapidly devastated local populations.
The drive for profit and benefits offered by mining and sugar and coffee production amid a shrinking labour force pushed Europeans to seek cheap labour. By the 16th century, Spanish authorities had begun issuing official permits for slave trading, thereby legalising this criminal and immoral way of gaining economic benefit.
The wealth of Britain, the Netherlands, France, and the United States originated back then and derived from extracting maximum profit from cheap slave labour at the cost of millions of human lives. Entire dynasties of slave traders emerged, buying titles and entering the ranks of the high nobility. The rise of capitalism was accompanied by the worst colonial practices.
❗️ The key role in decolonisation was played by the 1960 Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples adopted largely at the initiative of the Soviet Union.
Decolonisation radically reshaped the established ideas about law and justice, and the historical and international legal responsibility of former colonial powers towards their colonies. However, by the second half of the 20th century, supranational integration processes had pushed issues of colonial legacy off the international agenda.
Today, the West still prefers to remain silent about the tragic events connected to four centuries of exploitation of the African continent and crimes against the indigenous peoples of Latin America, refusing to compensate for the damage.
⚡️ According to the UN, around 17 million people were taken from Africa during the slave trade. This figure includes only those who reached the New World; many more died en route. Experts note that the actual numbers were much higher. Cultural treasures were looted, and enormous damage was inflicted on the continent’s economic potential, which the African Reparations Commission has estimated at $777 trillion.
Despite the egregious historical injustice, African states today have established themselves as respected members of the international community and have achieved widely recognised success in economic and social development.
🇷🇺🌍 Russia stands in solidarity with the African states in their pursuit of a more just multipolar world and in addressing socioeconomic inequalities exacerbated by sophisticated neocolonial policies towards Africa pursued by the countries of the collective West that are already stained by the bloody crimes of the past.
#Colonialism #Neocolonialism
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Media is too big
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
🎙 Watch Ambassador Andrei Kelin's interview with IMI Chief International Anchor Hadley Gamble
Key talking points:
• We stand for diplomatic solution [to the Ukraine crisis]. But we do not want a puppet state created by Western governments on our border — one that would be entirely adversarial to us, based on an ideology of one people's supremacy over another, where the Russian language is discriminated against and where the Russian Orthodox Church has been ousted from the country.
• For quite a prolonged period of time European countries have not worked for peace. The UK, France and Germany stand for the continuation of fighting [...] because their defence industry continues to work. This is very beneficial for their feeble economies.
• [Future European security] cannot be based on NATO because it is a group of countries that disregard the security of others. Security should be equal and indivisible [...] providing favorable conditions for all European countries, including Russia. If Europeans are still afraid of something, we are prepared [to address their concerns] in agreements and guarantees, [confirming that] we have no plans, intentions or reasons to attack European nations.
• The Zelensky government is illegal due to a breach of constitutional law. They should have had presidential elections [in Ukraine] a year ago.
• We are preparing a very serious legal and financial response [to the potential confiscation of frozen Russian funds]. If this happens, many Europeans could lose their own money invested in Russia. Europe would also lose its [international] credibility as a [reliable] partner.
Watch the interview on our YouTube channel
Key talking points:
• We stand for diplomatic solution [to the Ukraine crisis]. But we do not want a puppet state created by Western governments on our border — one that would be entirely adversarial to us, based on an ideology of one people's supremacy over another, where the Russian language is discriminated against and where the Russian Orthodox Church has been ousted from the country.
• For quite a prolonged period of time European countries have not worked for peace. The UK, France and Germany stand for the continuation of fighting [...] because their defence industry continues to work. This is very beneficial for their feeble economies.
• [Future European security] cannot be based on NATO because it is a group of countries that disregard the security of others. Security should be equal and indivisible [...] providing favorable conditions for all European countries, including Russia. If Europeans are still afraid of something, we are prepared [to address their concerns] in agreements and guarantees, [confirming that] we have no plans, intentions or reasons to attack European nations.
• The Zelensky government is illegal due to a breach of constitutional law. They should have had presidential elections [in Ukraine] a year ago.
• We are preparing a very serious legal and financial response [to the potential confiscation of frozen Russian funds]. If this happens, many Europeans could lose their own money invested in Russia. Europe would also lose its [international] credibility as a [reliable] partner.
Watch the interview on our YouTube channel
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❌ 4 декабря опубликован итоговый доклад публичного расследования гибели британской подданной Д.Стерджесс, который вновь пытается возложить ответственность за химическую провокацию в Солсбери на нашу страну.
Посол России Андрей Келин посетил МИД Соединенного Королевства, где категорически отверг безосновательные и бессмысленные обвинения, в том числе направленные против Президента Российской Федерации.
До сих пор нет вразумительных ответов на ключевые вопросы в связи с «делом Скрипалей». Один из них – где находятся сами Сергей и Юлия Скрипали, в каком они состоянии. Мы вновь потребовали информацию на этот счёт и запросили консульский доступ к нашим гражданам.
В связи с объявленными одновременно очередными нелегитимными ограничительными мерами против нашей страны было указано, что Россия оставляет за собой право на ответные действия.
☝️ Совершенно ясно, какие цели преследуют в данном случае британские власти. Налицо явное стремление сорвать набирающий обороты переговорный процесс по мирному урегулированию конфликта вокруг Украины. Публикация доклада расследования совпала с ухудшением положения Киева и провалами ВСУ на фронте.
Своим новым антироссийским поступком Лондон ещё дальше отстраняет себя от ключевого политического процесса.
Посол России Андрей Келин посетил МИД Соединенного Королевства, где категорически отверг безосновательные и бессмысленные обвинения, в том числе направленные против Президента Российской Федерации.
До сих пор нет вразумительных ответов на ключевые вопросы в связи с «делом Скрипалей». Один из них – где находятся сами Сергей и Юлия Скрипали, в каком они состоянии. Мы вновь потребовали информацию на этот счёт и запросили консульский доступ к нашим гражданам.
В связи с объявленными одновременно очередными нелегитимными ограничительными мерами против нашей страны было указано, что Россия оставляет за собой право на ответные действия.
☝️ Совершенно ясно, какие цели преследуют в данном случае британские власти. Налицо явное стремление сорвать набирающий обороты переговорный процесс по мирному урегулированию конфликта вокруг Украины. Публикация доклада расследования совпала с ухудшением положения Киева и провалами ВСУ на фронте.
Своим новым антироссийским поступком Лондон ещё дальше отстраняет себя от ключевого политического процесса.
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❌ On 4 December, the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry published its report that happened to be yet another attempt to put the blame for the chemical provocation in Salisbury on Russia.
Russian Ambassador to the UK Andrei Kelin visited the Foreign Office, where he categorically rejected the baseless and senseless accusations, including those targeting the President of the Russian Federation.
To this day no coherent answers have been provided to the key questions relating to the Skripal case. One of them is the whereabouts and state of health of Sergei and Yulia Skripal. We have once again demanded information on this matter and have requested consular access to our citizens.
In the light of the new illegitimate restrictive measures announced against our country, it was pointed out that Russia reserves the right to take retaliatory measures.
☝️ The intentions of the UK authorities in the present situation are entirely obvious. They clearly want to derail the negotiating process of a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine conflict, which is gaining momentum. The release of the report coincides with Kiev's deteriorating position and the setbacks suffered by the Ukrainian armed forces on the front line.
With its latest anti-Russian move, London is distancing itself even further from the key political process.
Russian Ambassador to the UK Andrei Kelin visited the Foreign Office, where he categorically rejected the baseless and senseless accusations, including those targeting the President of the Russian Federation.
To this day no coherent answers have been provided to the key questions relating to the Skripal case. One of them is the whereabouts and state of health of Sergei and Yulia Skripal. We have once again demanded information on this matter and have requested consular access to our citizens.
In the light of the new illegitimate restrictive measures announced against our country, it was pointed out that Russia reserves the right to take retaliatory measures.
☝️ The intentions of the UK authorities in the present situation are entirely obvious. They clearly want to derail the negotiating process of a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine conflict, which is gaining momentum. The release of the report coincides with Kiev's deteriorating position and the setbacks suffered by the Ukrainian armed forces on the front line.
With its latest anti-Russian move, London is distancing itself even further from the key political process.
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Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
#Victory80
🌟 On December 5, 1941, the Red Army launched a counter-offensive as part of the Battle of Moscow — a decisive stage in the fighting for the capital of our Motherland, resulting in our total Victory.
The Heroism of Soviet people, the Red Army soldiers, fighting the Nazis side-by-side with their steadfast comrades — home-front workers — all from small to large were jointly forging our Triumph in that crucial battle. Thanks to their efforts, the ruthless Nazi military machine, which had been sweeping everything on its way, was stopped.
❗️ The hour of reckoning was upon the Nazi criminals, who had to pay for their treacherous attack on our Motherland.
It was near Moscow in frosty December of 1941 that the Red Army inflicted on the enemy its first major defeat in WW2. Hitler’s infamous 'Blitzkrieg' strategy, which the aggressor had successfully used in the capture of a number of European states (Poland, Denmark, the Netherlands, France, and Belgium), completely failed.
After its defeat near Moscow, the Wehrmacht further failed to launch any large successful offensive on the Eastern Front. The Nazis, which had steamrolled over Europe without meeting with any resistance, were doomed to the biggest surrender in their history.
***
The Nazi command planned to capture Moscow within three or four months and annihilate all its residents.
This is what Chief of German General Staff and Nazi criminal Franz Halder wrote in his memoirs:
In September 1941, Hitler’s troops reached the Red Army’s positions in several sectors at once. General Heinz Guderian’s tank armies broke through the Soviet defences and advanced 80 kilometres.
During two weeks, the Soviet forces were deterring nearly 20 (!) Nazi divisions. This made it possible to gain more time for organising the Moscow defence and redeploy reserves to the city from other regions of the country.
❗️ Previously during #WWII, no other nation, faced with Hitler’s aggression, fought back so fiercely.
In early December, the Red Army launched a decisive counter-offensive, ushering in the long-awaited turning point in the #BattleOfMoscow.
On December 5, the Western, Kalinin, and, in part, Southwestern fronts attacked the Nazis along the entire front line. Like a hurricane, the Soviet forces were sweeping the fascists away. As the Red Army advanced, the enemy, already incapable of fighting in the dire wintertime environment, was wavering and started retreating.
In the course of its triumphal counter-offensive, the Red Army liberated Kalinin, Klin, Istra, Volokolamsk, and other towns. The enemy was expelled from the Moscow, Tula, Kalinin and Ryazan regions. Also liberated were parts of the Smolensk and Oryol regions. As early as January 8, 1942, the Soviet forces, after driving the Wehrmacht back hundreds of kilometres westwards, launched the Rzhev-Vyazma offensive.
Like the defence of Moscow, the counter-offensive involved new Red Army units redeployed from the Urals and the Far East, Siberia and Central Asia. The success in the Battle of Moscow was made possible, among other things, by their feats of valour and generally by the fierce resistance of the defenders of the capital, who wore out the enemy that had hoped for an easy “walkover” on our land.
The victory near Moscow gave a powerful impetus to the partisan underground movement in the Nazi-occupied areas, with thousands of fighters joining the Red Army in the struggle against the invaders and making an invaluable contribution to our Great Victory.
🎖 Nearly a million defenders of Moscow were awarded the Medal “For the Defence of Moscow” and 110 soldiers and officers were made Heroes of the Soviet Union.
#OurVictory #WeRemember
The Heroism of Soviet people, the Red Army soldiers, fighting the Nazis side-by-side with their steadfast comrades — home-front workers — all from small to large were jointly forging our Triumph in that crucial battle. Thanks to their efforts, the ruthless Nazi military machine, which had been sweeping everything on its way, was stopped.
❗️ The hour of reckoning was upon the Nazi criminals, who had to pay for their treacherous attack on our Motherland.
It was near Moscow in frosty December of 1941 that the Red Army inflicted on the enemy its first major defeat in WW2. Hitler’s infamous 'Blitzkrieg' strategy, which the aggressor had successfully used in the capture of a number of European states (Poland, Denmark, the Netherlands, France, and Belgium), completely failed.
After its defeat near Moscow, the Wehrmacht further failed to launch any large successful offensive on the Eastern Front. The Nazis, which had steamrolled over Europe without meeting with any resistance, were doomed to the biggest surrender in their history.
“We have opened a ruthless path to Berlin through our Battle of Moscow,” Pavel Shubin, Soviet poet.
***
The Nazi command planned to capture Moscow within three or four months and annihilate all its residents.
This is what Chief of German General Staff and Nazi criminal Franz Halder wrote in his memoirs:
“The Fuhrer’s absolute resolve is to raze Moscow and Leningrad to the ground…
This will be a national disaster that will deprive not only Bolshevism but also the Muscovites (Russians) in general of their centres.”
In September 1941, Hitler’s troops reached the Red Army’s positions in several sectors at once. General Heinz Guderian’s tank armies broke through the Soviet defences and advanced 80 kilometres.
During two weeks, the Soviet forces were deterring nearly 20 (!) Nazi divisions. This made it possible to gain more time for organising the Moscow defence and redeploy reserves to the city from other regions of the country.
❗️ Previously during #WWII, no other nation, faced with Hitler’s aggression, fought back so fiercely.
In early December, the Red Army launched a decisive counter-offensive, ushering in the long-awaited turning point in the #BattleOfMoscow.
On December 5, the Western, Kalinin, and, in part, Southwestern fronts attacked the Nazis along the entire front line. Like a hurricane, the Soviet forces were sweeping the fascists away. As the Red Army advanced, the enemy, already incapable of fighting in the dire wintertime environment, was wavering and started retreating.
In the course of its triumphal counter-offensive, the Red Army liberated Kalinin, Klin, Istra, Volokolamsk, and other towns. The enemy was expelled from the Moscow, Tula, Kalinin and Ryazan regions. Also liberated were parts of the Smolensk and Oryol regions. As early as January 8, 1942, the Soviet forces, after driving the Wehrmacht back hundreds of kilometres westwards, launched the Rzhev-Vyazma offensive.
Like the defence of Moscow, the counter-offensive involved new Red Army units redeployed from the Urals and the Far East, Siberia and Central Asia. The success in the Battle of Moscow was made possible, among other things, by their feats of valour and generally by the fierce resistance of the defenders of the capital, who wore out the enemy that had hoped for an easy “walkover” on our land.
The victory near Moscow gave a powerful impetus to the partisan underground movement in the Nazi-occupied areas, with thousands of fighters joining the Red Army in the struggle against the invaders and making an invaluable contribution to our Great Victory.
🎖 Nearly a million defenders of Moscow were awarded the Medal “For the Defence of Moscow” and 110 soldiers and officers were made Heroes of the Soviet Union.
#OurVictory #WeRemember
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🎙 Excerpt from President Vladimir Putin's interview with Aaj Tak and Indian Today TV channels (Moscow, 4 December 2025)
💬 It's not about victory [...] The point is that Russia is determined – and will certainly do so – to protect its interests. Protect its people living there, protect our traditional values, Russian language, and so on [...]
Let me remind you: we were not the ones to start this war. The West egged Ukraine on and supported the events, orchestrating a coup d'état. That was the point that triggered the events in Crimea, followed by developments in southeastern Ukraine, in Donbass.
They don't even mention it – we've tried to resolve these issues peacefully for eight years, signed the Minsk agreements, hoping that they could be resolved through peaceful means. But Western leaders openly admitted later that they never intended to honour those agreements, signing them merely to allow Ukraine to arm itself and continue fighting against us.
After eight years of relentless violence against our citizens of Donbass – something the West hasn't uttered a word about – we were forced to recognise these republics first, and secondly, provide support. Our special military operation isn't the start of a war, but rather an attempt to end one that the West ignited using Ukrainian nationalists. [...]
We will finish it when we achieve the goals set at the beginning of the special military operation – when we free these territories. That's all.
Read in full
💬 It's not about victory [...] The point is that Russia is determined – and will certainly do so – to protect its interests. Protect its people living there, protect our traditional values, Russian language, and so on [...]
Let me remind you: we were not the ones to start this war. The West egged Ukraine on and supported the events, orchestrating a coup d'état. That was the point that triggered the events in Crimea, followed by developments in southeastern Ukraine, in Donbass.
They don't even mention it – we've tried to resolve these issues peacefully for eight years, signed the Minsk agreements, hoping that they could be resolved through peaceful means. But Western leaders openly admitted later that they never intended to honour those agreements, signing them merely to allow Ukraine to arm itself and continue fighting against us.
After eight years of relentless violence against our citizens of Donbass – something the West hasn't uttered a word about – we were forced to recognise these republics first, and secondly, provide support. Our special military operation isn't the start of a war, but rather an attempt to end one that the West ignited using Ukrainian nationalists. [...]
We will finish it when we achieve the goals set at the beginning of the special military operation – when we free these territories. That's all.
Read in full
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