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Brian McDonald

@27khv • 21,570 subscribers

Irish. Long time Russia-based journalist. Interested in facts and objectivity. Not interested in ideology or wishful thinking.

Shorts

In Siberia’s Surgut, a girl in a dress was spotted cycling through –27°C (–16.6°F). Meanwhile, you hear people on X claiming Russia won’t survive the winter. 😉

In Siberia’s Surgut, a girl in a dress was spotted cycling through –27°C (–16.6°F). Meanwhile, you hear people on X claiming Russia won’t survive the winter. 😉

466,279 views

The Russian delegation arriving in Geneva this morning for the third round of peace talks on Ukraine. The twenty strong delegation is led by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky and GRU chief Igor Kostyukov. Talks with Ukrainian and US representatives are scheduled to begin at midday local time and are expected to cover a broader agenda than previous rounds, including territorial issues.

The Russian delegation arriving in Geneva this morning for the third round of peace talks on Ukraine. The twenty strong delegation is led by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky and GRU chief Igor Kostyukov. Talks with Ukrainian and US representatives are scheduled to begin at midday local time and are expected to cover a broader agenda than previous rounds, including territorial issues.

27,208 views

A woman from Novosibirsk casually eating ice cream while sitting in an ice hole during winter swimming. She says she’s been doing cold exposure for 5+ years, “doesn’t prepare at all,” swims all winter and “never gets sick.” Only in Siberia.

A woman from Novosibirsk casually eating ice cream while sitting in an ice hole during winter swimming. She says she’s been doing cold exposure for 5+ years, “doesn’t prepare at all,” swims all winter and “never gets sick.” Only in Siberia.

20,581 views

Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff has just landed in Moscow's Vnukovo airport, accompanied by the US president's son-in-law Jared Kushner. The pair's motorcade is already on its way to the centre of the Russian capital. American media report their talks with Putin will focus on Ukraine, Russia potentially joining Trump’s newly-created “Peace Council,” and a possible trilateral Russia–US–Ukraine meeting. Witkoff’s last Moscow visit was Dec 3, when he reportedly brought a 28-point Trump plan plus additional documents, alongside discussion of possible US–Russia economic cooperation.

Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff has just landed in Moscow's Vnukovo airport, accompanied by the US president's son-in-law Jared Kushner. The pair's motorcade is already on its way to the centre of the Russian capital. American media report their talks with Putin will focus on Ukraine, Russia potentially joining Trump’s newly-created “Peace Council,” and a possible trilateral Russia–US–Ukraine meeting. Witkoff’s last Moscow visit was Dec 3, when he reportedly brought a 28-point Trump plan plus additional documents, alongside discussion of possible US–Russia economic cooperation.

14,648 views

According to Moscow City Hall, services have mobilised 130,000 workers and more than 15,000 vehicles after over 60% of January’s average snowfall fell in just 24 hours. Snow cover has already reached 31 cm (around 12 inches) and may increase further to 65cm, with ongoing delays and cancellations at Moscow’s airports

According to Moscow City Hall, services have mobilised 130,000 workers and more than 15,000 vehicles after over 60% of January’s average snowfall fell in just 24 hours. Snow cover has already reached 31 cm (around 12 inches) and may increase further to 65cm, with ongoing delays and cancellations at Moscow’s airports

14,071 views

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This is bizarre. Emilia Clarke randomly swears in Russian just to buy eggs from a older lady in Moscow, in Peacock’s new Cold War CIA series Ponies.

This is bizarre. Emilia Clarke randomly swears in Russian just to buy eggs from a older lady in Moscow, in Peacock’s new Cold War CIA series Ponies.

1,812,290 views • 8 months ago

Russian PM Mishustin has announced that Putin has approved what will be Europe’s largest ever high-speed rail project: over 4,500 km of new lines, linking Moscow to St Petersburg (construction starts this month), Minsk, Yekaterinburg, Rostov, Krasnodar, Sochi, Nizhny Novgorod & Kazan The domestically produced trains will run at up to 400 km/h. It also hints at what kind of employment Russia will lean on once the guns fall silent...

Russian PM Mishustin has announced that Putin has approved what will be Europe’s largest ever high-speed rail project: over 4,500 km of new lines, linking Moscow to St Petersburg (construction starts this month), Minsk, Yekaterinburg, Rostov, Krasnodar, Sochi, Nizhny Novgorod & Kazan The domestically produced trains will run at up to 400 km/h. It also hints at what kind of employment Russia will lean on once the guns fall silent...

315,705 views • 1 year ago

Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov claims correspondence in all messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal etc) is fully visible to spy agencies: "Any messengers are absolutely transparent systems. People who use them should understand they are transparent... for the security services, of course."

Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov claims correspondence in all messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal etc) is fully visible to spy agencies: "Any messengers are absolutely transparent systems. People who use them should understand they are transparent... for the security services, of course."

221,278 views • 1 year ago

With Iran back on the boil, here's another Vladimir Zhirinovsky “prophecy” from beyond the grave (my translation): "So what’s their plan? Occupy nine more countries, smash Syria, then hit Iran with a military strike. But what’s the spark that sets it all off? Or more like… what’s the fuse? "Where is this pressure on Iran even coming from? The Arab states talk about “democratizing by force”, but let’s be honest: it’s really about getting control of energy resources. And this “future crisis” isn’t future at all. It’s already happening. "The US wants to weaken China if Iran gets hit. Oil prices would go through the roof. China’s economy wouldn’t take it. The EU wouldn’t take it either. One strike on Iran and you hit both China and Europe. But then Russia is still standing. So how do you weaken Russia? "From Iran, there’s only one direction to push: north. South is Syria, they’ll install a pro-American regime there. South is Iraq, they fought there for years and they’re still at it. So the only route is north, especially with that Azerbaijani corridor."

With Iran back on the boil, here's another Vladimir Zhirinovsky “prophecy” from beyond the grave (my translation): "So what’s their plan? Occupy nine more countries, smash Syria, then hit Iran with a military strike. But what’s the spark that sets it all off? Or more like… what’s the fuse? "Where is this pressure on Iran even coming from? The Arab states talk about “democratizing by force”, but let’s be honest: it’s really about getting control of energy resources. And this “future crisis” isn’t future at all. It’s already happening. "The US wants to weaken China if Iran gets hit. Oil prices would go through the roof. China’s economy wouldn’t take it. The EU wouldn’t take it either. One strike on Iran and you hit both China and Europe. But then Russia is still standing. So how do you weaken Russia? "From Iran, there’s only one direction to push: north. South is Syria, they’ll install a pro-American regime there. South is Iraq, they fought there for years and they’re still at it. So the only route is north, especially with that Azerbaijani corridor."

149,600 views • 8 months ago

Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin sounded the alarm on Wednesday about a major labor shortage in the Russian capital (my translation): "We’re short about 400 to 500 thousand workers, and even with the economy 'cooling off,' as people like to put it, that number isn’t really going down. And chances are the shortage is only going to get worse in the coming years because of the demographics we’re dealing with."

Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin sounded the alarm on Wednesday about a major labor shortage in the Russian capital (my translation): "We’re short about 400 to 500 thousand workers, and even with the economy 'cooling off,' as people like to put it, that number isn’t really going down. And chances are the shortage is only going to get worse in the coming years because of the demographics we’re dealing with."

124,540 views • 9 months ago

Ex-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has been accused of cynically rebranding himself as a conservative. He says he was never a "pure liberal," just an economic one, and that today's liberalism is far removed from what he knew in the past: “I was never some kind of pure, textbook liberal, and never an absolute conservative either. People are a mix of things. You called me an economic liberal: sure, if we’re talking strictly about economic policy, that’s one thing. But these days the word liberal means something else entirely, a whole set of values that frankly aren’t close to me at all. "If you ask whether I support a modern market economy? Yes, absolutely. I remember the Soviet economy, and it clearly couldn’t compete with a strong market system. But if we’re talking about ideology, then my views are now very far from those who see themselves as part of today’s liberal camp. And honestly, I never really was one of them anyway."

Ex-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has been accused of cynically rebranding himself as a conservative. He says he was never a "pure liberal," just an economic one, and that today's liberalism is far removed from what he knew in the past: “I was never some kind of pure, textbook liberal, and never an absolute conservative either. People are a mix of things. You called me an economic liberal: sure, if we’re talking strictly about economic policy, that’s one thing. But these days the word liberal means something else entirely, a whole set of values that frankly aren’t close to me at all. "If you ask whether I support a modern market economy? Yes, absolutely. I remember the Soviet economy, and it clearly couldn’t compete with a strong market system. But if we’re talking about ideology, then my views are now very far from those who see themselves as part of today’s liberal camp. And honestly, I never really was one of them anyway."

58,877 views • 8 months ago

It looks like all the world’s snow has been dumped on Kamchatka. Russian media says the peninsula has now seen its biggest snowfall of the 21st century, with drifts reaching up to the 4th floor of buildings. (sorry for the music).

It looks like all the world’s snow has been dumped on Kamchatka. Russian media says the peninsula has now seen its biggest snowfall of the 21st century, with drifts reaching up to the 4th floor of buildings. (sorry for the music).

57,781 views • 8 months ago