Brian McDonald
@BrianMcDonaldIE • 27,391 subscribers
Irish. Long time Russia-based journalist. Interested in facts and objectivity. Not interested in ideology or wishful thinking.
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North Korean street cleaners are too expensive, says the mayor of Russia's Orenburg. The city has been hiring workers from Senegal since spring because locals don’t want the job on the city’s terms of about $730 a month, a six-day week and a one-hour lunch break. Mayor Albert Yumadilov says he's happy with the Senegalese workers because they are willing to do hard work even at weekends. He added that the city tried last year to bring in North Korean workers, but failed because North Koreans would not come for $730 a month. According to him, they earn two to three times more, roughly $1,460 to $2,200 a month, in other Russian regions that have agreements with Pyongyang.
Brian McDonald454,279 次观看 • 12 天前
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 McDonald2,650,517 次观看 • 2 个月前
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Going viral in Russia today: a video said to show a Georgian man attacking a Russian tourist after hearing her speak Russian in a hotel. Russian reports say she suffered a broken nose and that the suspect was subsequently detained by Georgian police. I can’t independently verify the details, but the footage is attracting significant attention in Russia.
Brian McDonald77,390 次观看 • 3 天前
Putin is currently meeting Vladimir Potanin, Russia’s richest or second-richest man, depending on which billionaire ranking you believe, at the Kremlin. The Nornickel chief told him that global demand for Russian metals remains steady, but sanctions have complicated logistics and sales as many countries refuse to buy them. You can assume the private part of the conversation will be more interesting.
Brian McDonald153,406 次观看 • 7 天前
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 McDonald4,030,367 次观看 • 5 个月前
Back in 2009, the late Russian politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who died four years ago, predicted that the ongoing crisis wouldn't end until 2030, and that all current events are a result of the 2008 financial crash. “You don’t even understand when it will end. People say, ‘The crisis will be over soon.’ I’m giving you the date: 2030.” he said at the time. “The Great Depression was smaller than what we have today, and it didn't end until the 1950s.”
Brian McDonald30,475 次观看 • 2 天前
A further consequence of the Wildberries warehouse attacks is that thousands of small businesses may have lost their stock with no guaranteed compensation, various Russian media outlets and bloggers report. One children’s clothing brand says all 12,000 of its items were stored at the Elektrostal site. Sellers say Wildberries changed its terms in early July to exclude compensation for losses caused by emergencies, drone attacks, falling debris or other military activity. It is unclear whether that applies to goods delivered before the new terms took effect. Wildberries says it's not legally obliged to compensate sellers, but is considering financial support.
Brian McDonald56,341 次观看 • 4 天前
![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 McDonald2,393,632 次观看 • 4 个月前
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 McDonald982,401 次观看 • 2 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 McDonald930,612 次观看 • 2 个月前
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 McDonald1,703,775 次观看 • 4 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 McDonald1,355,692 次观看 • 4 个月前
Lukashenko has invited Uzbeks to move to Belarus with their families, saying the country has enough land but not enough workers. “We would dream of Uzbek people, specifically Uzbek people, coming to Belarus with their families, settling here, receiving healthcare support if needed, education, and developing,” he told Uzbekistan’s president Shavkat Mirziyoyev. He said Belarus needs this so that “the Belarusian land does't become empty.” Uzbekistan is a majority-Muslim country, so this is quite a contrast with much of the anti-migration rhetoric elsewhere in Eastern Europe.
Brian McDonald88,938 次观看 • 11 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 McDonald1,409,568 次观看 • 6 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 McDonald1,391,220 次观看 • 6 个月前
