The Islander

📰🇹🇷🇷🇺 Moscow earned €3 billion from secret deliveries of petroleum products through Turkey to the EU – Politico Since February 2023, Turkey has increased its purchases of fuel from Russia by 105% - despite the presence of its own refineries. Moreover, corresponding exports to the EU increased by almost the same amount, the publication writes. The material indicates that Russia continues to circumvent the ban on energy exports using a “loophole” in the legislation, which allows the use of “mixtures” in the EU if it is labeled as non-Russian. Москва заработала €3 млрд на тайных поставках нефтепродуктов через Турцию в ЕС – Politico С февраля 2023 года Турция увеличила закупки горючего у России на 105% – несмотря на наличие своих НПЗ. Причём почти на столько же вырос соответствующий экспорт в ЕС, пишет издание. В материале указывается, что Россия продолжает обходить запрет на экспорт энергоресурсов с помощью «лазейки» в законодательстве, которая допускает использование на территории ЕС «смесей», если она маркируется как нероссийское. Boost the channel! | 💜🇷🇺 RD

From "purely psychologically" taking the Crimea to any other prediction Budanov has ever made, his record in being wrong is as unblemished as Gen. Ben Hodges. @BazaFromOlga

Ukraine may lose Kharkov if it is not given two Patriot systems, - Zelensky ▪️He also made it clear that he was disappointed with Blinken’s visit to Kyiv. ▪️ “ We asked how he thought Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit this week went. Zelensky paused. I could feel his disappointment ,” the author of the article writes. ▪️" Dialogue is good. But we need help now ," replied the overdue president. @BazaFromOlga

🇺🇸🇿🇦 US to raise concerns of South Africa's ties to Russia, China if new government is elected, official says

"We also have issues of concern that you cited, particularly some of South Africa's engagement with Russia and China, and we will continue to raise concerns with any new government if they continue to pursue those policies," said US Assistant Secretary of State Molly Phee.

South Africa's ruling party, known as the African National Congress, has controlled the government for some 30 years, but recent polls project it will lose its parliamentary majority in the general election on May 29 due to poverty and corruption issues. Subscribe to @sputnik_africa 🔸 TikTok | Sputnik Africa |  Boost us on Telegram 🔸

🚨Police charge 71-year-old man with murder attempt on Slovak PM, report says The writer Juraj Cintula attempted to murder Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico out of revenge, the Markiza broadcaster reported, citing police, adding that he faces 25 years in prison to life sentence. Earlier on Thursday, Slovak Defense Minister Robert Kalinak said that doctors had managed to stabilize the condition of Fico, but the situation is still serious. Subscribe to @sputnik_africa 🔸 TikTok | Sputnik Africa |  Boost us on Telegram 🔸

⚡️🇷🇺🇺🇦⚔️ RFAF Advance towards #Berestovoye in #Kupyansk Sector of #Svatovo Direction⚡️ 🇷🇺 The RFAF continue to advance near #Krakhmalnoye and are approaching #Berestovoye. Earlier, assault groups 👉 advanced towards #Peschanoye. 🔴 Map Explanation: #Krakhmalnoye is north of, #Peschanoye west of and #Berestovoye south of the RFAF advance area marked in the pink. #Kupyansk itself is to the northwest. 🗺 Maps: @z_arhiv, the 2nd is a topographical t.me/sitreports /@z_arhiv/#smo/ Join SITREP🔺Map Reports - Top Videos - Analyses

You gotta love Free Europe. @irishmaninrussia

🔴 Wikileaks Editor Calls UK Courts ‘Corrupt' as Key Assange Ruling Approaches Kristinn Hrafnsson has denounced the UK courts as “crooked,” days before Julian Assange's extradition hearing on May 20. He said the US had been allowed to change its case while Assange's arguments of being a political target were ignored. @RiseGS

⏮ ⚔️ , ⤴️ 🏆 🇷🇺 🏆 ☮️ 🇺🇦 AFTER THE WAR, THEN THE CHALLENGE OF RUSSIA WINNING THE PEACE IN UKRAINE ✍️Written by Wassim Morjane✍️ ✍️Edited by Hikaru Kitabayashi✍️ Everywhere in the news, we see stories about Ukraine. Everyone, talks about what is happening. Pro-Russians are talking about how the Ukrainian army is retreating on all fronts, pro-Ukrainians talk about how the USA is finally sending help, and lately how Chasov Yar is strategically unimportant, etc.  But, no one talks about how easily all of this could've been avoided, all the killings and destruction, either Russian or Ukrainian, and all the miseries that struck Ukraine and many of Russia's border areas. And, let's not forget about the human trafficking, mainly of women and children, but also of young men. Neither should we forget forced enslavement and forced prostitution. Nor should we forget the organ harvesting of Ukrainians for the use of Western medical facilities. As this was being written, the Russian Ministry of Defense (MOD) declared that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) lost 500,000 people. There are many numbers out there, many of them higher than what the MOD claimed. Some even go as high as one million. In the end, we are far from the delusional Zelensky number of 31,000. And, lately some NATO officials have expressed a desire to join in the fighting. Not that they don't already have a presence in Ukraine!  Knowing all of this, it's ridiculous to think that, predating 2022, the solution wasn't easy and simple. What the Russian government wanted, wasn't that complicated and it wasn't for lack of trying. They tried Minsk 1 and 2. But, as the former German chancellor, Angela Merkel, said, “We tried to win time for Ukraine”.  It is ridiculous, because, if a country is located near a “GIANT”, what a country needs to do is to remember Admiral Yamamoto's words on Japan attacking Pearl Harbor, when he said "I fear that all we have done is awaken a sleeping giant." Though it's in a nation's best interests to keep good relations with neighboring giants. what Ukraine's leadership did was: 1- threaten Russia's security interests; 2- oppress Ukraine's ethnic Russian population and its language, two things which Russia historically has a special interest in; and,  3- threaten Russia's strategic interests and financial affairs.  The Ukrainian government from 2014 onward, could have easily guaranteed all of those points, by choosing neutrality and protecting the Russian minority. After all, peace with Russia was in Ukraine's best interest. Plus, many Russians and Ukrainians have always had family members residing in both countries. As an example, let's not forget that, Syrsky, the AFU commander in chief was born in Russia and is a Russian by birth.  Unfortunately, the corrupt leaders of Ukraine, insanely decided to betray their country and people, provoking what we can consider a “Civil War" with Russia, a giant that had been sleeping for 30 plus years. So, what will the result be? The disappearance of Ukraine as a nation state seems distinctly possible. But, if Ukraine does disappear and Russia absorbs a large portion of its population, there will be a sizable percentage of the civilian population who will have suffered greatly because of family member deaths, dislocation, destroyed property, and who, for one reason or another, will continue to blame Russia and not Mr. Zelensky's government for their misfortunes. If the experience of the American South after the end of the Civil War can be taken as an example, it will take five generations before blaming the former victors will completely disappear. Winning the war will prove to be the easy part for Russia. Winning the peace among the surviving civilians is going to prove to be much harder. 👉Join Global Depth to boost your TG Feed with my Daily Release Telegram GLOBAL DEPTH from HK This channel aims to unite interested individuals from around the world in an attempt to connect the dots. Subscriber participation is always welcome.