The strategic value of Ukraine is clearly understood not only in the West, and this is our problem. In addition to mineral wealth, the geographical location of the country, which is the gateway to Europe, is of particular interest to the East. The gas and oil pipelines laid across Ukrainian territory brought huge profits to the USSR, and then to Russia. An even more powerful source of power could be the transportation arteries that will carry goods from Asia to the EU through Ukraine. For this reason, the invasion of the Russian army, which is pushing its way to European borders and markets, finds a lot of support in the East. The White House also understands that trade arteries are the "new oil." No wonder the Trump administration has set itself the goal of controlling routes past Greenland, through the Panama Canal and the Drake Passage. We cannot predict how the struggle for sea lanes will end. But we do know that today the Armed Forces of Ukraine are defending the most important of the land routes.

Massive repressions against religious communities have been recorded in the occupied by #Russia territories of #Ukraine. In Donbas, Protestant churches were turned into ammunition depots, and preachers were tortured and executed. Orthodox clergymen loyal to Ukraine were kidnapped and forced to confess to espionage. In Crimea, searches of mosques, criminal cases for possession of religious literature, and intimidation of imams became instruments of occupation control. Over the past three years, Russians have killed about fifty pastors in Ukraine, and destroyed or damaged 630 churches. More than 70% of Ukrainians call themselves believers. So the Armed Forces are fighting not only for freedom, for our homes and families, but also for religious freedom. Our resistance preserves the chance for priests to perform services openly, for parishioners to turn to God without fear. How can we surrender our territories if it also means giving up our faith? It is obvious that the Russian Orthodox Church is not about faith and God, but only about justifying violence, mass murder, genocide...

We believe in God’s judgment upon Russian war criminals, but we will not let them rest even in this life. And even if, thanks to the cynicism of certain state leaders, the individual #Putin manages to evade arrest under the International Criminal Court’s warrant, new institutions with greater powers and capabilities will emerge. The creation of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine is a highly promising initiative. At the preparatory stage alone, 38 countries, including all #EU member states, have already supported the idea. Judging by their choice of villas and yachts, Russian leaders once dreamed of spending the rest of their lives in Europe. May their dreams come true—forever. In the appropriate prison cells…

The shocking report of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission confirms the systematic nature of Russian #warcrimes: since August 2024, the occupiers have shot at least 79 captured Ukrainian soldiers. The scale shows that we are dealing with a well-established and approved by the Russian command murder pipeline. Such actions are a cynical blow to the military code of honor and Christian morality from a regime that tries to present itself as a "defender of traditional values." For centuries, it was the humane treatment of prisoners that distinguished civilized nations from barbarians. Today, Russian troops are blatantly defaming the principles of mercy and respect for human life, fundamental to Western civilization. Rf is not only attacking #Ukraine, it is attacking the very foundations of morality. Therefore, there is no greater Phariseeism than to call yourself a Christian and at the same time support the invasion of Putin's executioners. And most importantly, to wait for the possibility of a fair agreement with the barbarians of the twenty-first century...

Some North Korean units have been pulled back from the front line in the #Kursk region, according to reports from Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces. It turns out that even Kim Jong-un values the lives of his subjects more than #Putin values Russians. The Eastern monarch considers losses of 40% of personnel unacceptable. Meanwhile, Putin sends wave after wave of people from Russia’s poorest regions to storm Ukrainian positions—on old Ladas, motorcycles, scooters, and even crutches. The once seemingly endless stockpiles of Soviet-era equipment have been depleted. Experts predicted this would bring the war to an end. But the aggression continues, fueled by Putin’s boundless cruelty toward both his own people and others. And though more Russian soldiers have died in Ukraine than the Soviet and Russian armies lost in all wars since World War II combined, Putin is willing to sacrifice millions. He doesn’t care about millions of lives, but he does care about his billions of dollars. That’s why Russian diplomats endlessly whine about frozen reserves and demand the lifting of sanctions. We all understand that to end the war, the opposite must be done: sanctions must be expanded, Russian exports must be restricted, and Putin’s economy must be crushed. Russia shouldn’t just borrow North Korean soldiers—it should also adopt North Korean living standards.

The main export product of #Russia is misery. For hundreds of years, millions of people have become accustomed to enduring repression from their government, transferring this type of relationship into their families. Raised in an environment of violence from a young age, they find their greatest satisfaction in it. In 2022, no fewer volunteers joined the Russian army for low wages than later, after million-ruble payments were introduced. For Russians, money is secondary when there is an opportunity to harm their neighbor. It is clear why Finland, which managed to break free from the Russian Empire in 1917, fought the Soviet Union for its freedom, and finally joined NATO in 2023, ranks at the top of the global life satisfaction index. The boundary between happiness and misery, light and darkness, humanity and savagery, truly lies along the securely protected border with Russia. Establishing such a border is a mandatory condition for ending the war. Russians have caused #Ukraine too much suffering—patience has been completely exhausted.

@kajakallas impeccable performance)…

Selling oil has remained the only way for Putin to keep his economy, which has been depleted by the war against #Ukraine, afloat. In recent years, Moscow has been making huge profits from the sale of hydrocarbons. This allowed it to finance its aggression while dodging economic shocks. The previous White House administration was cautious about sanctions on Russian oil because of the possible impact on inflation. However, these fears turned out to be far-fetched, as Rf is not an indispensable energy supplier on the planet. The share of Russian commodity exports on a global scale is less than 10%. The world can do without Russian barrels, and for the #Kremlin, stopping the flow of petrodollars would mean a financial fiasco. It is an effective restriction on the export of Russian energy resources that could be the key to unlocking the door to peace.

The logic is clear... It is necessary to deprive RF of resources to finance the war, to sharply limit its "energy profitability" on global markets, and to significantly raise the cost of war for it. And in order to do this, it is still necessary to take a key step - to significantly lower oil prices...

A very impressive formula for bringing Rf to a more or less adequate state has just been proposed by President Trump @POTUS - "killing Russian exports". It remains to be decided whether to do it lightning fast or a little slower, and most importantly, when to launch full-fledged coercion...

About the negotiation paradox that our partners constantly talk about… With the subject “Putin,” as they see it, of course, it’s possible to talk. But only to personally understand and assess his true psycho-emotional state, political inadequacy, absolute unwillingness to abandon war as the only effective tool of Russian foreign policy, inability to take any responsibility for his own decisions, and failure to adhere even to the simplest agreements… #Ukraine knows all this perfectly well. What remains is for democracies (partner countries) to finally shed their illusions and realize that without political transformation in #Russia and the end of the “Putin era,” global risks will only catastrophically escalate.

Russia is not interested in any other outcome to end the war except for the total conquest of #Ukraine and the subjugation of its people. However, they understand that achieving their goal by brute force is beyond their reach. Even a “resource-rich army” cannot endlessly sacrifice hundreds of soldiers for every kilometer of scorched earth. Moreover, an economy of Russia’s type cannot sustain the current level of military spending, especially as its raw material exports are being gradually (albeit slowly!) restricted. The #Kremlin is now pinning all its hopes on the collapse of the pro-Ukrainian alliance of states, aiming to leave Ukraine alone in its fight. Endless discussions, false signals, disinformation – the war of attrition has moved from the battlefields and forests into conference halls. Russia’s current strategy is to manipulate, lie, refuse genuine negotiations, and wait for Ukraine’s partners to lose interest. This will not work. The Kremlin’s traditional game is entirely predictable, and therefore futile. Primitive, it always primitive...

The 2024 brought Rf the biggest losses since the beginning of the great war with #Ukraine, catastrophic by the standards of modern history. We are talking about hundreds of thousands of killed and wounded Russians, the exhaustion of Soviet arsenals, the decimation of the fleet, and the depletion of the air defense system. #Putin has sacrificed all this for the sake of increasing the occupation zone by 3% or 0.5% of the pre-war area of Ukraine. Now the aggressor is bleeding blood and fuel from damaged oil refineries and storage bases, and can no longer count on even a "pyrrhic victory". The Rf of 2025 – a territory deprived of the status of a superpower, unable to defend its borders either in the air or on the ground.

Regarding the prospective analysis of data... The capture of two North Korean soldiers removes the last doubts about the extent of the DPRK's involvement in the war against #Ukraine. There is no doubt, but important questions remain – not for Ukraine, but for the whole world. What military technologies does Kim receive from Putin in exchange for slave soldiers? How will this change the balance of power in East Asia? To what extent has the threat to peace in the key region for the global economy increased? Until recently, the basis of North Korea's military power, excluding nuclear weapons, was made up of artillery and tactical missile brigades. This is a significant force – Seoul and U.S. bases on its territory are directly threatened by thousands of guns and hundreds of missile launchers. Although the experience of the war in Ukraine showed the insufficient accuracy of Korean weapons supplied to the Russian army, with Moscow's help, these systems can be quickly improved. Adding the DPRK's reinforcement with modern aviation, the transfer of technology for the submarine fleet, and the combat experience gained in #Kursk, all of this will increase the capabilities of the aggressive dictatorial Kim regime by an order of magnitude. Today, the war in Ukraine seems too far away for the countries of the East to help Ukraine end it. But no one can predict where tomorrow the "axis of evil" will open a new front in its attempt to change the world order.

The consequences of any "unjust peace" are kind of clear... The events in #Georgia prove that a bad peace without effective security guarantees becomes an ideal ground for political capture. Even spilled blood and loss of land do not work as a vaccine. The world has watched indifferently as the winner dictates the will to the losers. Russians now control the internal life of the entire sovereign country, distorting democratic procedures and preventing Georgia's rapprochement with Europe. In Ukraine, the #Kremlin will try to use a similar strategy if a full-fledged political process begins before the country is protected from external interference. Using information manipulation and fueling discontent with the terms of the fictitious "peace agreement" Russians will decompose Ukraine from within. Information campaigns about the alleged weakness of the government and the collusion of international partners will disintegrate society, call into question cooperation with the West, and create conditions for pro-Moscow forces to come to power. The Georgian scenario may repeat itself: despite maintaining formal independence, the state will fall under the control of its northern neighbor. Only a victorious end to the war for #Ukraine, military and economic strengthening, and firm security guarantees will help avoid this trap. Otherwise, a fleeting compromise will lead to long-term political dependence. If Ukraine enters Rf's sphere of influence, our resources will be used to continue aggression against Europe.

These days it is especially important to emphasize: #Ukraine has no territorial claims to any country in the world. Neither to the north nor to the south. It never had and it never will. Ukraine has always strictly followed the rules. The best among us give their lives to uphold the fundamental principle of inviolability of borders. To quote a Ukrainian classic, in our home we find truth, strength, and will. Therefore, the goal of Ukraine is to return our people to their homes, from which they were expelled by the Russian occupiers. We do not know, do not want, and do not aspire to a better land.

January 8, 2025. An ordinary day for millions of people in different countries. Work, rest, family, planning for tomorrow… Except for #Ukraine. Today, the Russian military once again carried out a deliberate, large-scale airstrike on the major Ukrainian city of #Zaporizhzhia. Targeting civilians. Deliberately. With a clear and unequivocal goal: the mass murder of innocent people. As a result, dozens of residents of Zaporizhzhia have been killed or injured. Of course, it’s possible to ignore this and continue to regard Russia as part of modern civilization. It’s possible to keep living in the comforting illusion that if Russia isn’t punished for this crime against civilians, tomorrow will be just as ordinary and peaceful for millions of others around the world. It’s possible to keep pretending that a compromise with a criminal is a good deal. The only issue is that the criminal sees it differently. And things will only get worse.

Basic premise… The end of the war, which could be achieved at a real “negotiating table,” must not reward Putin for his aggression. This is a critical interest not only for Ukraine, where it is firmly believed that partial “gains” will inevitably encourage #Russia to launch another attack at the first opportunity. Absolutely no one in the world is interested in establishing a new (read: Russian) order where territorial annexation by force is possible and the victim is forced to be grateful for not being completely destroyed. However, other options seem to disappear from the negotiating table, and not only due to Kremlin efforts. Even allies occasionally hint that… Russia might manage to keep Crimea, while #Ukraine is expected to withdraw its forces from the Kursk region. Strange? Absolutely. Rapid NATO membership, requiring unanimous approval by all member states, is deemed unlikely. Effective security guarantees remain in limbo, and discussions about peacekeepers remain just that—discussions. The prosecution of war criminals will be blocked by the main perpetrator—Putin—and Europe paradoxically still considers frozen Russian assets untouchable property of their owners. By the way, this stands in stark contrast to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which Russian occupiers are preparing to connect to their energy system. What leverage will remain at our disposal? What could compel the Russian aggressor to stop? What demands might arise in response when murderers and thieves lay down an ultimatum to hand over four Ukrainian regions along with their inhabitants? And if there are no levers, what could force Ukraine to essentially accept certain “Russian conditions” when our army has been actively grinding down Russian regiments and North Korean battalions for three years now?