Brian McDonald
@BrianMcDonaldIE • 26,812 subscribers
Irish. Long time Russia-based journalist. Interested in facts and objectivity. Not interested in ideology or wishful thinking.
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Russian media is noting that Putin appears to have received a higher-level airport reception in Beijing than Trump did last week. Putin was personally greeted by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, a serving Politburo member, whereas Trump was met by Vice President Han Zheng, who no longer sits on either the Politburo or the Communist Party’s Central Committee. Some Chinese protocol analysts explain that sending a Politburo member to the airport signals that Beijing considers the visitor an especially important guest.
Brian McDonald2,650,026 次观看 • 24 天前
A guy from Yekaterinburg has gone viral in Russia after waking up following a night out and discovering he was travelling to Siberia's Tyumen inside a freight train wagon full of coal. Still half-asleep and clearly horrified, he still found the professionalism to send his colleague a video message first explaining that he probably wouldn’t make it into work that day.
Brian McDonald981,482 次观看 • 1 个月前
People in southern Russia are reporting a surge in unusually aggressive Hyalomma ticks, which reportedly actively chase hosts instead of simply waiting in grass like ordinary forest ticks. Russian media say the large ticks have become particularly active across regions including Rostov, Krasnodar, Stavropol, Astrakhan and Kalmykia. The main concern is that Hyalomma ticks can carry Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, a potentially deadly disease with a high fatality rate if untreated. Some reports also claim the ticks are far less responsive to standard repellents than ordinary species.
Brian McDonald928,765 次观看 • 1 个月前
Horrifying scene in Russia's Voronezh: a drunk father reportedly lowered his underage son from a 7th-floor balcony on a rope as some kind of “stunt” while friends filmed instead of stopping him. Prosecutors say it posed a real threat to the boy’s life. Police are investigating. The child, incredibly, wasn’t physically hurt.
Brian McDonald4,028,734 次观看 • 4 个月前
![Russian politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who died in 2022, warned more than a decade ago that the US would eventually strike Iran and predicted a fallout far bigger than Washington expects (my translation): "I’m the only one making predictions while everyone else stays quiet. So ask your questions now. I’ll be gone soon, and you won’t get another chance to hear the real answers. Then in 20 years you’ll say, 'You know, Mr Zhirinovsky was already telling us back then what we should’ve done, and we didn’t listen?' "So what’s their plan? Occupy another bunch of Arab countries, finish off Syria, then hit Iran by force. What’s the trigger here? Where is the pressure on Iran really coming from? It's under the banner of 'democratisation by force,' but in reality it’s about taking control of energy resources. Because the crisis everyone talks about as being in the future is already here." "The US needs to weaken China. If Iran is attacked, oil goes to $200 a barrel. China can’t handle that. The EU can’t either. One strike on Iran weakens both Europe and China at once. But then there’s Russia. How do you weaken Russia? Iranian refugees can only go one way [and that's] north. To the south is Syria, where a pro-American regime would already be in place. To the south is Iraq, where they’ve been fighting for years and can easily stir things up again. So north it is, through Azerbaijan."](https://image.24vids.com/tw-2027706733867462736/amplify_video_thumb/2027705745274216449/img/Z1AE2DX-MnRv0X07.jpg)
Russian politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who died in 2022, warned more than a decade ago that the US would eventually strike Iran and predicted a fallout far bigger than Washington expects (my translation): "I’m the only one making predictions while everyone else stays quiet. So ask your questions now. I’ll be gone soon, and you won’t get another chance to hear the real answers. Then in 20 years you’ll say, 'You know, Mr Zhirinovsky was already telling us back then what we should’ve done, and we didn’t listen?' "So what’s their plan? Occupy another bunch of Arab countries, finish off Syria, then hit Iran by force. What’s the trigger here? Where is the pressure on Iran really coming from? It's under the banner of 'democratisation by force,' but in reality it’s about taking control of energy resources. Because the crisis everyone talks about as being in the future is already here." "The US needs to weaken China. If Iran is attacked, oil goes to $200 a barrel. China can’t handle that. The EU can’t either. One strike on Iran weakens both Europe and China at once. But then there’s Russia. How do you weaken Russia? Iranian refugees can only go one way [and that's] north. To the south is Syria, where a pro-American regime would already be in place. To the south is Iraq, where they’ve been fighting for years and can easily stir things up again. So north it is, through Azerbaijan."
Brian McDonald2,392,919 次观看 • 3 个月前
Putin has accused Western European elites of “provoking chaos” and trying to drag “more and more countries” into it. He said the current turmoil “didn't arise by itself,” but is the result of the world undergoing “the largest structural transformation in recent decades.” According to Putin, this isn't a normal shift “from one phase of a cycle to another,” but a change in “the very paradigm of global development.”
Brian McDonald129,334 次观看 • 7 天前
Putin met at the Kremlin today with Deputy PM Dmitry Patrushev, a figure often mentioned as his potential eventual successor. Patrushev is 48 and the son of Nikolai Patrushev, the former FSB chief and longtime Security Council secretary, one of the most powerful hardliners in Putin’s inner circle. The subject was earthy: the sowing campaign.
Brian McDonald263,091 次观看 • 16 天前
A surreal scene from St Petersburg: a Russian police officer briefly kept playing the VR game Beat Saber while his colleagues arrested a young Belarusian wanted back home for avoiding military conscription, 47news reports. The man was celebrating his birthday with friends. Staff say police had already come looking for him twice before.
Brian McDonald1,703,259 次观看 • 3 个月前
A viral track repeating just two words,“Yanis Varoufakis,” is spreading across Russia's clubland. Created by a Moscow DJ, the tune has taken off among zoomers, with critics linking its appeal to a revival of 90s/early 2000s techno. The irony is that most listeners likely have no idea who Yanis Varoufakis is, they just like the rhythm of the name.
Brian McDonald1,353,309 次观看 • 2 个月前
![Putin responds to Zelensky’s ‘open letter,’ calling for a direct meeting between the two leaders (my translation): “Yesterday my press secretary, Mr Peskov, showed me this letter. But we had a working meeting, a working dinner with the president of Uzbekistan. Honestly, I didn’t have time to read it. “This morning Peskov slipped the paper to me again. I glanced through it quickly, but still, there are a few things I’d point out. First, the author of the letter mentioned my age. Well, what can I say? Of course, everyone should think about age. But it seems to me that plenty of political figures do their jobs at my age, and some are even older than I am. “The main thing is not age. Age matters, of course, but it’s not the main thing. The main thing is whether a person is capable and able to work. Some of my colleagues, older than me, show plenty of energy. Whether they do their jobs well or badly is another matter. That’s a political judgement. But they are active. “Then I noticed the point about how long someone has held elected office. That’s an important question, of course. But you have to go to elections. You have to go to elections, not be afraid of them, and always act within the Constitution. “Because holding on to power outside the Constitution is called usurpation of power. That’s is a criminal offence. So there is no need to be afraid. Go to elections. I would advise everyone to do that. Especially since in Ukraine they were saying elections would be held soon, and then somehow everyone went quiet. It’s not clear why. “Now, the author also writes that one should not follow the agreements reached in Anchorage. More than that, he says real guarantors for possible agreements between Russia and Ukraine should be found in [Western]Europe. “Well, reliable guarantors never hurt. Of course they don’t. But why the US administration and President Trump are being rejected in that role, I don’t really understand. They want weapons from the United States, but for some reason they don’t want the US administration and President Trump as guarantors. That raises questions. “We all saw Donald, in front of the whole world, educating the author of this letter and pointing out the dress code. You understand? Constantly playing Rambo, First Blood, may be appropriate somewhere. But not everywhere. Not everywhere. “As for the agreements overall, I want to thank Donald for this work. It’s useful, no doubt. But there’s still work to do. We need to continue.”](https://image.24vids.com/tw-2062921877769556002/amplify_video_thumb/2062921749017038848/img/QoDWL3TY13MePS5i.jpg)
Putin responds to Zelensky’s ‘open letter,’ calling for a direct meeting between the two leaders (my translation): “Yesterday my press secretary, Mr Peskov, showed me this letter. But we had a working meeting, a working dinner with the president of Uzbekistan. Honestly, I didn’t have time to read it. “This morning Peskov slipped the paper to me again. I glanced through it quickly, but still, there are a few things I’d point out. First, the author of the letter mentioned my age. Well, what can I say? Of course, everyone should think about age. But it seems to me that plenty of political figures do their jobs at my age, and some are even older than I am. “The main thing is not age. Age matters, of course, but it’s not the main thing. The main thing is whether a person is capable and able to work. Some of my colleagues, older than me, show plenty of energy. Whether they do their jobs well or badly is another matter. That’s a political judgement. But they are active. “Then I noticed the point about how long someone has held elected office. That’s an important question, of course. But you have to go to elections. You have to go to elections, not be afraid of them, and always act within the Constitution. “Because holding on to power outside the Constitution is called usurpation of power. That’s is a criminal offence. So there is no need to be afraid. Go to elections. I would advise everyone to do that. Especially since in Ukraine they were saying elections would be held soon, and then somehow everyone went quiet. It’s not clear why. “Now, the author also writes that one should not follow the agreements reached in Anchorage. More than that, he says real guarantors for possible agreements between Russia and Ukraine should be found in [Western]Europe. “Well, reliable guarantors never hurt. Of course they don’t. But why the US administration and President Trump are being rejected in that role, I don’t really understand. They want weapons from the United States, but for some reason they don’t want the US administration and President Trump as guarantors. That raises questions. “We all saw Donald, in front of the whole world, educating the author of this letter and pointing out the dress code. You understand? Constantly playing Rambo, First Blood, may be appropriate somewhere. But not everywhere. Not everywhere. “As for the agreements overall, I want to thank Donald for this work. It’s useful, no doubt. But there’s still work to do. We need to continue.”
Brian McDonald89,492 次观看 • 7 天前
Sergey Lavrov says Moscow is concerned by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s admission that Washington can’t act as a neutral mediator in the Ukraine conflict. “We’re certainly concerned about the statements, especially from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who recently said at a congressional hearing that the United States can’t be a mediator because it supports Ukraine,” Lavrov said. The Russian foreign minister also accused UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of “openly pandering to the West,” particularly over Ukraine. Lavrov said Moscow wants the next UN chief to be genuinely impartial and to follow the UN Charter “not selectively, but in its entirety.”
Brian McDonald53,457 次观看 • 4 天前
Putin claims that any country could, like Russia, lose access “at any moment” to assets held in dollars and euros and pretexts can always be found, “it could even be about attitudes toward the LGBT community.“ He said sanctions and the blocking of Russia’s international reserves, which he described as “in effect, theft,” have “irreversibly” affected the position of the dollar and euro as global currencies. “This is simply an obvious fact,” Putin said.
Brian McDonald71,102 次观看 • 7 天前
Russian futurologist Sergey Pereslegin says Covid was a critical turning point for humanity, insisting that the pandemic response amounted to a vast social experiment rather than a normal public-health intervention. Pereslegin claims Covid was “a flu like any other,” more serious than the Hong Kong flu but less severe than the Spanish flu, and that previous pandemics never led governments to “shut down the whole world” or confine people to their homes. He says the lockdown era revealed two things: first, that new industries such as remote work had become powerful enough to make mass shutdowns physically possible; and second, that many freedoms associated with the industrial era, including democratic rights and freedom of movement, could be suspended “with one stroke of the pen.”
Brian McDonald160,582 次观看 • 17 天前
Putin has responded to Trump’s invitation to join his new “Peace Council,” and floated a $1 billion contribution using Russian funds frozen under Joe Biden (my translation): "As for the Peace Council, yes we really did receive a personal message from the President of the United States, Donald Trump, inviting us to join a new international body he is setting up, the Peace Council. "First of all, I want to thank the US President for the offer. Russia has always supported, and continues to support, any efforts aimed at strengthening international stability. We also note the role the current US administration is playing in trying to find a way out of the Ukrainian crisis. "As for whether Russia will take part in this Peace Council, the Foreign Ministry has been instructed to carefully review the documents we’ve been sent and consult with our strategic partners. Only after that will we be in a position to give an official answer. "The proposal we’ve received mainly concerns the Middle East, and in particular finding ways to address the urgent problems facing the Palestinian people, as well as the extremely serious humanitarian situation in Gaza. "And here’s the main point: whatever process is launched must actually help move things toward a long-term settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, based on relevant UN decisions. And it must take into account the fundamental needs and wishes of the Palestinian people. "That includes rebuilding Gaza and its basic social infrastructure: healthcare, water supply, and ensuring stable food deliveries. "So even before we decide whether to formally take part in the Peace Council, given Russia’s special ties with the Palestinian people, we could, I believe, send one billion US dollars to the Council. Using Russian assets that were frozen under the previous US administration."
Brian McDonald1,409,424 次观看 • 4 个月前
![The Kremlin has reacted to Viktor Orban's defeat in Hungary's election: DMITRY PESKOV: "Look, Hungary has made its choice. We respect that. We expect to keep up our very pragmatic contacts under the new leadership. We’ve heard they’re open to dialogue, and that would obviously be good for both Moscow and Budapest. "As for what the new government will actually do, we’ll have to wait and see. We’re interested in building good relations with Hungary, just like with any other country. The problem is, with [Western] Europe right now, that kind of openness isn’t really mutual. But Russia is still open to dialogue."](https://image.24vids.com/tw-2043641737776607402/amplify_video_thumb/2043641292018556928/img/WluIoC3DEAGoc6su.jpg)
The Kremlin has reacted to Viktor Orban's defeat in Hungary's election: DMITRY PESKOV: "Look, Hungary has made its choice. We respect that. We expect to keep up our very pragmatic contacts under the new leadership. We’ve heard they’re open to dialogue, and that would obviously be good for both Moscow and Budapest. "As for what the new government will actually do, we’ll have to wait and see. We’re interested in building good relations with Hungary, just like with any other country. The problem is, with [Western] Europe right now, that kind of openness isn’t really mutual. But Russia is still open to dialogue."
Brian McDonald538,413 次观看 • 2 个月前
Sergey Lavrov says Russia will push for international recognition of German Nazi crimes against Soviet civilians as genocide on a par with the Holocaust. He pointed to the scale of the killings: "The atrocities reached a scale unprecedented in history… around 14 million civilians in the Soviet Union were killed during the occupation... [and these crimes have no statute of limitations." Lavrov linked this to the legal framework that followed WWII, noting that "the outcomes of the Nuremberg Tribunal laid the foundation" for the 1948 UN Genocide Convention.
Brian McDonald475,256 次观看 • 1 个月前
![Russian TV managed to find a British guy, called Nick, visiting Far Eastern Yakutsk, where it was -43°C (-45°F). REPORTER: "This is your classic Yakutian winter. It’s below minus forty, there’s this thick icy fog where you can barely see fifty meters ahead, and everyone’s walking fast just to keep warm. In this kind of cold you really can’t stay outside for more than half an hour, [because] you’ll end up with frostbite." NICK: "I’m from the UK, but I live in Khabarovsk [a larger city 2,300km away by road]. I’m 30. I’d always wanted to see Yakutsk properly, in winter, so we decided to come in December. And yeah, the weather is absolutely brutal. The frost today is unreal. But the city itself feels really warm. The atmosphere is warm, and the people are just amazing. So yeah, we’re very happy we came. "It feels kind of surreal, to be honest. At first it doesn’t seem too bad, but after ten or fifteen minutes everything starts hurting if you’re not dressed right. We are dressed properly now, but still your legs start to ache, your face hurts [and] everything hurts. Yes… it’s intense, it’s really intense. "But you know what? People actually manage to live in this climate. And I keep telling everyone, it’s kind of cool in its own way. Come to Yakutia!"](https://image.24vids.com/tw-2003965752789893512/amplify_video_thumb/2003965557905711104/img/DgYegqDY31LGlx2Y.jpg)
Russian TV managed to find a British guy, called Nick, visiting Far Eastern Yakutsk, where it was -43°C (-45°F). REPORTER: "This is your classic Yakutian winter. It’s below minus forty, there’s this thick icy fog where you can barely see fifty meters ahead, and everyone’s walking fast just to keep warm. In this kind of cold you really can’t stay outside for more than half an hour, [because] you’ll end up with frostbite." NICK: "I’m from the UK, but I live in Khabarovsk [a larger city 2,300km away by road]. I’m 30. I’d always wanted to see Yakutsk properly, in winter, so we decided to come in December. And yeah, the weather is absolutely brutal. The frost today is unreal. But the city itself feels really warm. The atmosphere is warm, and the people are just amazing. So yeah, we’re very happy we came. "It feels kind of surreal, to be honest. At first it doesn’t seem too bad, but after ten or fifteen minutes everything starts hurting if you’re not dressed right. We are dressed properly now, but still your legs start to ache, your face hurts [and] everything hurts. Yes… it’s intense, it’s really intense. "But you know what? People actually manage to live in this climate. And I keep telling everyone, it’s kind of cool in its own way. Come to Yakutia!"
Brian McDonald1,391,023 次观看 • 5 个月前