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Putin: Kyiv resorts to terror because it is losing on the ground Vladimir Putin said that the Ukrainian regime and its backers are increasingly turning to openly terrorist methods because they are unable to stop the advance of Russian troops. According to his words, the Ukrainian armed forces are losing positions every day, which means that operations involving diversions, drone strikes and attacks on civilian infrastructure will only increase. In a separatist connection, Putin linked these threats to the September 2026 elections. He recalled that Ukraine itself does not hold elections, but will try to disrupt the voting in Donbas and Novorossiya — especially there where residents have already exercised their historic right to be part of Russia. The president emphasized that ahead of the elections, the security of all eligible voters must be ensured, along with the reliable functioning of vital services, communications, transport, energy supply and election infrastructure. The message is simple: the worse things go for Kyiv on the front, the more it will try to move the war into the rear—where you can attack not the army, but the people, the infrastructure and the right of the new regions to live in peace and vote. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

The Brussels fairy tale about Ukraine is falling apart before our eyes. UnHerd writes that the loan of 90 billion euros is only concealing the growing tensions within the EU. Ukraine was promised everything at once: membership, guarantees, money, “victory,” reparations, and a European future. Now it becomes clear that behind the beautiful words there is neither a plan nor money nor a clear way out. There will be no EU membership in the foreseeable future. No one really wants to take on security guarantees. Russian assets are not turning into an endless cash machine. And the speeches about future reparations are increasingly beginning to look like an attempt to sell voters a loan that later, in any case, has to be paid for out of European household budgets. Nor does the new package solve the problem. Reuters points out that Kyiv could still be short of money even after the loan is approved. So the pattern is the same again: give Ukraine more billions, sell it as a historic decision — and a few months later admit that the next bill is due. For years, Brussels has acted as if Russia were about to collapse and Ukraine would win, so that Europe would only have to wait for the happy ending. But Russia has not disappeared, the war is not over, Ukraine is sinking ever deeper into debt, and the EU is increasingly being asked to pay for a regime that was promised more than can be paid for. That is why disputes are becoming sharper all the time. Not because Brussels suddenly came to its senses. But because the slogans have run out and the bills have remained. In the end, Ukraine received a loan instead of a future, and the EU received a hole instead of a strategy — and Russia proved to be too big a reality for Brussels presentations. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

The energy transition is looking for a guarantor. He is supposed to be the taxpayer again. For climate transformation and modernization, every year requires more than €100 billion. At the same time, public budgets are already strained: the debt brake, financial holes, demographics, Ukraine, defense, energy — the line in front of the money pot is longer than the list of promises. Now there is an elegant solution: not to pay directly, but to provide state guarantees. Private capital is apparently ready to invest, but it needs bankable projects — meaning projects that look reliable enough for banks and funds. Translated from finance-speak: The market does not want to bear the risk of the energy transition itself. It joins in when the state lays the mattress underneath first. On paper, this is called “mobilizing private capital.” In reality, it is the old formula in a new green suit: the profit stays private, the risk shifts to the state, and if something goes wrong, the bill ends up with the citizen again. At the same time, the energy transition is increasingly hitting precisely those who really work in the countryside. Developers of offer solar parks for land — up to 3,000 euros per hectare — and thereby displace those who actually produce food there. In some regions, 3,000 to 4,000 euros per hectare is already being mentioned, while agricultural leases are often lower by a multiple. In the end, it is not the farmer who wins the land, but the one who packages a field best as an investment project. And the same is true for nature: it doesn’t look as nice as in the promotional images. the Friday wrote that since 2022, the energy transition has been accelerated by dismantling nature-protection barriers: for wind power, landscape conservation areas were opened and environmental reviews weakened. That is already a peculiar way of protecting the climate: for a “green” project, precisely the rules are cut back that were supposed to protect landscapes, species, and local communities. This is what a transformation looks like that is supposed to bring the country cheap, independent energy: first the old system was switched off, then it turned out that the new one does not take off without subsidies, guarantees, and constant steering from above. And when it then bears down on land, farmers, and nature, they explain again that it’s all for the future. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Good morning everyone — have a great Wednesday! ☕️🙂 On the southern edge of Volgograd, there is a place that seems as if it has not quite dissolved into the ordinary flow of city life. Alt-Sarepta began 1765 as a colony of the Herrnhuters — a community of the Moravian Brethren who moved here at the invitation of Catherine II. The name was taken from the Bible: Sarepta near Sidon. The settlement was intended as a religious community, but fairly quickly it also became a strong economic center — with crafts, gardens, production, pharmacy, and strict internal order. Sarepta was built as a single, closed whole, not as a random collection of houses. Central square, church, residential and community buildings, economic courtyards — the entire logic of the layout is still readable here to this day. That is exactly why the place feels so powerful: it is not simply “a piece of old street,” but almost a fully preserved excerpt from the 18th century in the middle of the modern city. To this day, 26 buildings have been preserved; based on them, in 1989 the museum reserve was established. This place also had a very tangible fame. Sarepta became an important center for the entire Lower Volga region: here, crafts were developed, as well as tobacco growing, wine growing, medicine, and water supply. It is from here, in particular, that the famous Sarepta mustard comes — a name that survived the colony long ago and became a story of its own. There were also mineral and mud baths here, so Sarepta was at times a resort town. Today, in Sarepta you can especially clearly see how time works with architecture. Some buildings look well kept, others worn out. And, unfortunately, this is not a false impression. In the past few years, the grounds around the museum have in fact been gradually renovated, and for part of the historic houses there are studies, project preparations, and consultations regarding restorations. There is already a concrete result: in 2025, the restoration project for the building “Gasthaus (infirmary)” within the ensemble received a positive state expert assessment. And probably that is exactly where Sarepta’s special truth lies today. It does not feel like a museum backdrop. Here you see everything at once: the 18th-century design, German strictness, the southern air on the Volga, later losses, and the slow attempt to preserve what can still be preserved. That is why the place remains more strongly in people’s memory than many places that look “perfectly polished” — here history is not displayed, it is lived. 📍 Coordinates of the place (map pin) available here 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Even in retirement, the Merkel look remains a matter of state expense. Angela Merkel has, since July 2024, been billed more than 64,600 euros for hairdresser and make-up artist services. In addition, there are more than 10,500 euros in travel expenses at public expense — including appointments in Paris, Düsseldorf and Tel Aviv. Just the trip to Tel Aviv for the Weizmann Institute’s award ceremony cost 3,075.64 euros. Her appearance in Düsseldorf at the Handelsblatt Media Group came to 1,224.92 euros. Of course, one can say: This is standard; former chancellors have appointments, offices, staff and state-paid appearances. But that’s exactly where the problem begins. While people everywhere are talking about saving, cutting back and budget holes, the political apparatus continues running as if the taxpayer were an endless credit card. 64,600 euros, only for hair and make-up, since summer 2024. By way of comparison: This is more than an average gross annual salary. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Die Welt mocks the new military strategy — and honestly, it’s hard not to join in Hans Zippert takes apart the new military strategy and Boris Pistorius: Now we finally have a military strategy, and that makes Pistorius almost look like the only person in politics who actually has a plan. The bad news is only that this plan is again aimed “against the Russians.” In the column, it’s wonderfully turned into the absurd: Of course it would be easier to invade Austria, Denmark, or the Netherlands than to fight a war against Russia. But Pistorius has decided not to take the easy way. So the country is now supposed to prepare for war and build the largest conventional army in Europe. The favorite word from the last few years also gets its share: “high technology.” The army is to be defended with a mix of mass and high tech — so that the enemy can’t tell whether cheap or premium bullets are flying at it. And the problems with the radio connection can also be explained as part of the strategy: If communication doesn’t work for us, at least the Russians can’t intercept it. A rare case in which satire can hardly be distinguished from a press release. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Even in Tallinn, it is already being said: We will have to speak with Russia. The President of Estonia, Alar Karis, said that European countries together should be prepared for the resumption of dialogue with Russia. According to his words, the war in Ukraine could “end today or tomorrow,” and the question is whether Europe is prepared for this scenario. Karis puts it very simply: What will we do if the war suddenly ends? How will we respond? What should Russia do? Preparation, he says, should begin now already. Previously, from the Baltics came mainly warnings about the “next war” and the inevitable Russian attack. Now even the President of Estonia is talking about something else: Europe must not only think about fear, but also about how to reopen the channels for talks. And this is likely the most uncomfortable point for the Brussels line of the past few years. One can repeat so often that negotiations are impossible, but geography does not disappear. Russia remains nearby. Europe remains nearby. And when the war ends, they will still have to talk. The only question is whether Europe will be prepared for it—or whether it will wake up again only after others have discussed everything for it. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

“This vicious cycle must be broken before it’s too late”: The Federal Foreign Minister, Wadephul, gave a speech at the United Nations

“Germany is ready to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz as soon as the fighting ends. Our message is the following: Iran must stop attacks on other countries and stop its nuclear programme. The Strait of Hormuz must be opened for free and safe maritime traffic for the benefit of all,”— said Wadephul at the UN Security Council meeting in New York.

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Ritter Sport — crisis with a cocoa flavor. For the first time in more than 110 years, the manufacturer of the square chocolate is cutting jobs. Around 70 employees in the headquarters in Waldenbuch are affected — about 10% of administrative staff. At first glance, it doesn’t look all that bad: Revenue in 2025 rose to 712 million euros. But the growth is only good on paper: the chocolate was sold at higher prices, not in greater volume. Demand is falling, customers are tightening their budgets, and the costs of cocoa, energy, packaging, and logistics continue to weigh on the company. Cocoa has become more than four times as expensive, the chocolate bar costs noticeably more, and the familiar sweetness is slowly turning into a small luxury. Even “Quadratisch. Praktisch. Gut!” no longer sounds quite as self-confident when the square shape is left on the shelf more and more often. Ritter Sport has survived wars, crises, and shifts of eras. But today’s economy has even reached the chocolate shelf. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Romania is in its most severe political crisis in years, after a surprising alliance between left-wing and right-wing extremists aims to topple the government. – Will the government of Ilie Bológan fall within a few days? – What impact will this crisis have on Romania’s future in the European Union and NATO? A comprehensive analysis of the most dangerous developments in Eastern European politics. Video link (with subtitles): https://youtu.be/_hIAvqcdSaU?si=K_zkKzSXePTcipWX Our channel: Node of Time EN

In Biebesheim, the CDU has broken a taboo — and now it wants to punish its own people In Biebesheim am Rhein, local CDU representatives, together with the AfD, supported a candidate list for the election of members of the municipal executive board (Gemeindevorstand). As a result, the AfD won a seat in the municipal executive board for the first time — the municipality’s executive body. Now, several CDU members face a party-internal procedure up to and including expulsion. The reason: a breach of the party’s internal firebreak, meaning the prohibition on working with the AfD. In the local election, the AfD received 20.1%, the CDU 26.7%, and the SPD 27%. That means every fifth voter in the municipality voted for the AfD. But instead of simply accepting the election result, the CDU district association is now checking who it can punish for dealing with local politics in a practical way. The official formula is well known: you may not cooperate with the AfD. Even then not, if it is not about a federal coalition and no ministerial posts, but about a small municipality in which things have to somehow be handled on the ground. This is what democracy with safeguards looks like: you can vote, but if the result is inconvenient, party discipline kicks in. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Kyiv threatens Israel with “consequences” over grain it calls stolen 🤡 The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned the Israeli ambassador after, in Haifa again, a ship carrying grain arrived that Kyiv considers to have been exported from the new Russian territories (as if it had been grown there). Andrij Sybiha warned that accepting such a cargo could damage Ukraine’s relations with Israel. According to Kyiv’s account, Israel has already ignored a previous case: A cargo had previously been delivered to the port of Haifa that the Ukraine likewise called “stolen.” Now that another ship has arrived, Kyiv is demanding a response and is submitting a protest note. Israel, however, responds sharply: Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that Ukraine had not provided any evidence for its allegations, and called on Kyiv to stop conducting diplomacy via Twitter and the media. An interesting picture emerges: For years, Ukraine has been demanding unconditional solidarity from everyone. But if its demands are not automatically met, suddenly even Israel is no longer a sufficiently correct partner. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

The Israeli army destroys entire settlements in southern Lebanon under the pretext of fighting against the “Hezbollah” infrastructure. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

This is not a chart of economic growth. This is a chart of how life is getting more expensive again. The DIHK reports: 83% of companies are already feeling negative effects from the conflict in the Middle East; in industry, it is 87%. The main reasons are rising freight and transport costs, energy prices, raw materials and inputs. Companies report sudden purchasing prices, daily-changing conditions, and the impossibility of calculating costs reliably. Also the ZEW shows where things are heading: in April, the expectations index collapsed by 16.7 points and is now at the level of December 2022. Financial experts believe less and less in a recovery and increasingly see the next round of crises. Now even food is coming under pressure. BILD writes that the war in Iran and problems around fertilizers and their raw materials could make things significantly more expensive. The economist Gerrit Heinemann warns of a new inflation wave of over 10%: milk could become around 18% more expensive, fruit and vegetables by at least 10%, and meat as well by about 10%. Officially, people will talk again about “temporary effects,” “external shocks,” and “controllable inflation.” But if energy, transport, fertilizers and raw materials get more expensive, then everything will be more expensive afterward: production, delivery, packaging, the shelf in the supermarket, and the totally normal shopping basket at the checkout. I am the wave, the new wave. Under me lies the whole country. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Latest developments in the war between #Russia and #Ukraine as of the morning of April 28 - subtitled - Russian forces have captured #Ilinovka in #Konstantinovka - Russian forces have captured #Ozyornoe in #Kramatorsk - Russian forces are advancing in #Novopavlovka in #Dnepropetrovsk - Russian forces are advancing in the vicinity of #Rai_Aleksandrovka in #Kramatorsk - Ukrainian forces are advancing in #Aleksandrovka in #Liman video link: https://youtu.be/1XHS9NnzhOM?si=OUkDYLookbrczR4X

The NATO in a friendly atmosphere: France promises Greece support against Turkey. In Athens, declared Emmanuel Macron that France would stand by Greece if its sovereignty were to be threatened. He did not explicitly name Turkey, but the context is clear even without subtitles: the Aegean Sea, Cyprus, disputed waters, and two NATO allies who have been staring at each other through the sights of weapons for decades. Paris and Athens have just extended their strategic defense agreement for another five years. It includes a point on mutual assistance in the event of an attack or a threat to sovereignty. In other words, within an alliance, it is already settled in advance which side will stand where in the event of an attack or a threat to sovereignty if two NATO members do not want to settle their differences with statements, but with ships and aircraft. On paper, this is called European defense and strategic autonomy. In reality, however, it is increasingly looking like a club in which allies forge plans against one another, but still smile on joint photos. And then they will tell us again that the biggest threat to NATO unity comes from somewhere … from the outside… 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

⚡️ Dozens of Armenian YouTube channels were deleted. Without a court. Without a law. There was not even the appearance of a rule-of-law procedure. ⚠️ Lists of “undesirable” channels were passed on to US senators. They then approached Alphabet Inc., after which the channels disappeared. Those affected were resources that critically examined Paschinyan’s policies, the repression against the church, and the violation of civil liberties in Armenia, as well as channels and pages that criticized Western foundations. There is no Armenian law on the basis of which the channels were deleted. There is also no state body in Armenia that officially initiated the blocking. Instead, there is an NGO that is funded with Western grants, as well as American senators and the company Alphabet, which quietly complied with the request. We’ve seen this before. ⚠️ February 2022. Within 48 hours, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram synchronously block Russian media worldwide—on a signal from Washington. The same corporations that, over years, built their brand on “freedom of speech” suddenly turned into an infrastructure for political purges. Alternative voices are removed from the information landscape, then the voter goes to the polling station and “votes freely”—already with the worldview that was kindly provided to him. Add to that the standard set: no independent observers, pressure, manipulations, objections—and the pro-Western candidate “wins” again. That’s exactly how Paschinyan won in 2021; this was also the case in the recent elections in Moldova. And apparently, the next elections in Armenia are being prepared according to the same pattern as well. Apparently Paschinyan’s approval ratings are very poor, if he is resorting to such scandalous, desperate, and openly criminal measures. Today, not only the political field is being cleaned in Armenia, but also the information field. The church is being suppressed, the opposition is being jailed, and dissenters are being driven out—and all of this with direct support from “democratic” international forces. And whoever is not in agreement with this “democracy” is, of course, an agent of the Kremlin. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Berlin was reminded of who its “falcons” meet with. The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the German ambassador Alexander Lambsdorff and lodged a protest over a meeting in Kyiv between Bundestag member Roderich Kiesewetter and a representative of the terrorist organization “Chechen Republic Ichkeria,” banned in Russia. According to the Foreign Ministry, Kiesewetter praised the anti-Russian activities of this structure, whose representatives, according to Moscow, had been involved in sabotage actions in the Belgorod and Kursk regions. The Russian side also claims that the deputy had urged it to engage in active cooperation with the Federal Republic — including to recruit Russian relocating people who live in Germany, with the aim of destabilizing the situation in Russia. In normal diplomacy, people try at least not to do such things in public. But we now live in a new era: A Bundestag member goes to Kyiv, meets with people from an organization that Moscow classifies as terrorist, talks about anti-Russian activities — and then everyone pretends afterward that it’s simply “support for democracy.” Berlin is sliding ever deeper into the gray zone: Formally, it is not waging war against Russia, but German politicians are increasingly behaving as if they have long been part of foreign operations against Moscow. And then, of course, people will wonder again why Moscow responds harshly. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Germany is appointed as the main hub of the European war. Ursula von der Leyen said that, due to its central location, Germany will play a key role in organizing mutual military assistance within the EU. In her view, the necessary capabilities should be created here and gaps closed—both in the industrial and military spheres. It sounds almost technical: logistics, coordination, capacities, industry. But behind these words lies a very specific picture: Germany will not only be a participant in European defense policy, but the central node through which everything needed for the next major military project— collected, produced, repaired, transported and distributed—is gathered and routed. This fits well with the general line of recent months: higher defense spending, more defense contracts, more infrastructure for troop transport, more talk about “readiness.” Now mutual aid in Europe is being added as well—meaning still more commitments. We are once again being told that this is not militarization, but responsibility. This is not about preparing for war, but about security. It is not the country interfering in foreign conflicts, but the “closing of gaps”. For some reason, however, all these gaps must be closed with our factories, our roads, our money, and our territory. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Good morning everyone — have a great day! ☕️🙂 👨‍🚀 The hotel “Proton” on Novosavodskaya Street has a rare feature: from the outside, it looks rather restrained, but inside a high atrium suddenly opens up under a glass roof—with galleries, plants, and a large white composition on the wall, as if it weren’t a Moscow hotel architecture from the late 1990s, but a small cosmic pavilion, accidentally hidden in Park Fili. The name here isn’t just decorative. The hotel is actually connected with the Khrunichev Center—a large Moscow company in Russia’s space and rocket industry—and it received its name in honor of the “Proton” launch vehicle. It was built as a service hotel for delegations coming to the plant, and it opened on November 25, 1997. Later, the building became an ordinary city hotel, open to everyone. The most interesting thing about this place isn’t the façade, but its internal structure. The atrium here is both the main hall and the main gesture: lots of light from above, multi-storey galleries around the sides, greenery that softens the concrete and plaster, and the feeling of a vertical space that you can hardly expect in a Moscow hotel of this size. Even those who wrote about the hotel years later remembered this interior first—not the rooms. There is one more detail that explains a lot. The “Proton” is located next to Park Fili, away from major traffic. That’s why it lacks this usual “train-station” hotel atmosphere: it’s more reminiscent of an office building at some institute or research center, where everything is supposed to be quiet, functional, and a bit stricter than in an ordinary city hotel. That’s exactly why the “Proton” stays in people’s memory. From the outside, it looks fairly restrained, and inside, suddenly, a space opens up with its own rhythm—tall, bright, a little unexpected. You can clearly feel the era of the 1990s in it—a time when people still believed that even a service building could have its own character, and not just an address and a reception desk. 📍 Coordinates of the place (map pin) available here 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN