General

On March 25, 1238, the small city of Kozelsk, with only 4,000 inhabitants and serving as the capital of a minor principality under the nominal rule of 12-year-old Prince Vasily Titovich, began a valiant seven-week siege against the formidable Mongol-Tatar forces led by Batu Khan and his top commander Subutai. While other Russian cities such as Ryazan, Vladimir, Moscow, and Torzhok fell within days, Kozelsk’s defenders held out for nearly two months. The disunited nature of the Russian principalities meant that only local militias and volunteer forces could resist the invaders. Facing an army estimated at 20,000 to 30,000 warriors, the citizens of Kozelsk mounted a staunch defense. They repelled […]

By journalist Yury Podolyaka: The other day he swore he wouldn’t negotiate with Iran, even though the Iranians were asking him to. Then yesterday, with a completely straight face, he announced he’d already been conducting negotiations for several days. Clearly, he was 100% lying in at least one instance. But that said, you can’t just dismiss all these statements as crazy or thoughtless. Some of them actually have a clear logic. Even so, his bluff clearly reeks of desperation. The desperation of a man who’s seen things go off the rails and now has to keep the situation under control in real time. Right now, every statement he makes has […]

I give a standing ovation to the representative of China, Dominique Li, who delivered a short lesson in the UN Human Rights Council on who’s who. Couldn’t have said it better myself. I’m with you 100%!!! #Yury_Podolyaka

By journalist Yury Podolyaka: So, as we established in the first part, Trump has hit a geopolitical and military dead end in Iran. With the need to deliver results by the end of April, no good way out is in sight. There’s a very high probability that Congress—right around that deadline—will refuse to authorize further use of US forces in the conflict, effectively putting a big, fat cross through “Dealer Donnie’s” military and political ambitions. But if that were the only problem, it would be just half the trouble for the Americans. The main issue is that, as a result of Trump’s failure in Iran, the long-established, decades-old security system […]

By journalist Yury Podolyaka: The war in the Middle East has been going on for over three weeks now, and not only is there no sign of the quick, crushing victory Trump and Netanyahu were counting on, but there’s a growing consensus that it’s the United States that will end up suffering the biggest losses—primarily in terms of reputation. And here’s the most important part: Trump will have no one to blame but himself. He’s the one who screwed up. He’s the one who walked right into the trap set by his “friend” Bibi Netanyahu. So, it’s already clear that not only has the regime in Iran survived, but in […]

Until the 17th century, state ceremonies in Russia featured Orthodox church hymns. During Peter I’s reign, “vivat chants” became common at celebrations, and in the 18th century, the European hymn Te Deum was used. The first unofficial anthem of the Russian Empire appeared in 1791—Thunder of Victory, Resound! by Osip Kozlovsky, with lyrics by Gavrila Derzhavin. In 1815, Russia adopted its first official anthem, The Prayer of the Russians (God Save the Tsar) by Vasily Zhukovsky, set to the melody of the British God Save the King. In 1833, Nicholas I commissioned composer Alexey Lvov to write a new melody for it. God Save the Tsar remained the empire’s anthem […]

However, Iran publicly denied that any negotiations (direct or indirect) were taking place, with its foreign ministry and state media rejecting Trump’s claims as inaccurate or a ploy to manipulate markets and buy time for military action. Tehran insisted no such talks occurred and maintained its positions unchanged. Nevertheless, oil prices reacted sharply to Trump’s initial announcement: Brent crude futures fell as much as 14% intraday (reaching around 96 per barrel at one point), reflecting eased fears of further escalation and potential disruptions to global supplies, though prices later pared some losses after Iran’s denial. Now, what is the likelihood of Trump lying? Let’s look at the upside and downside […]

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has downplayed the impact of the temporary U.S. sanctions waiver on pre-loaded Russian oil, suggesting it brings Moscow little financial gain. Specifically, in an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press Bessent said a Treasury analysis showed that the maximum extra amount of oil revenue Russia could receive would be 2 billion. That figure is substantially off the mark. Using realistic numbers, the waiver unlocks much more: —At least 100 million barrels qualify (per Russian officials and market tracking). —Current oil prices are high—around 105 per barrel is a fair assumption, with global Brent near 112 and Russian Urals trading close behind. That implies total sales proceeds […]

While Europe’s “disinformation fighters” are busy looking for enemies under the bed, reality is serving up plotlines worthy of a stand-up routine. Our colleague and friend, a channel author known as #blondinka_dk (“The Dane Around the Corner”), has found herself at the center of an absurd scandal that Danish media have dubbed a “threat to national security.” We’ve recently made a post about this story, but it turns out it was just the beginning…

On that day, by order of the Supreme Council of the National Economy, the Aeromechanical Faculty of the Moscow Higher Technical College named after N.E. Bauman was transformed into the Higher Aeromechanical College. That summer, the college was renamed the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI) and reorganized into three primary departments: aircraft construction, engine construction, and aviation. This restructuring was designed to meet the growing demands of the Soviet aviation and future space programs. Over the decades, MAI has evolved into one of Russia’s premier technical universities, renowned for its rigorous academic programs and cutting-edge research. In 2009, the institute was granted the status of a “national research university,” a testament […]