Fired Russian transport minister commits suicide hours after dismissal
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Russia Today
27 minutes ago
- Russia Today
Germany becoming dangerous again
Germany is becoming 'dangerous again,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday, responding to remarks by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius who proclaimed the readiness of the country's troops to kill Russian servicemen. Speaking to RBK business daily, Peskov said it was hard to believe that Pistorius actually made such statements. 'But, unfortunately, this is so,' he said. 'Germany is becoming dangerous again,' Peskov added. Pistorius made the warlike comments in an interview with the Financial Times published on Sunday, lauding the battle-readiness of German troops and their resolve to take lethal action against Russian forces if necessary. 'If deterrence doesn't work and Russia attacks, is it going to happen? Yes,' Pistorius said. 'But I would recommend that you simply go to Vilnius and talk to the representatives of the German brigade there. They know exactly what their job is.' Any talk about peace can only be possible 'on equal terms' and 'from a position of strength,' Pistorius insisted. While Berlin has not been seeking to 'intimidate anyone,' one should not 'think that we're weak or that we won't defend ourselves,' he added. The purported Russian threat has long been one of the key talking points for various officials from NATO countries. Moscow has repeatedly dismissed speculation that Russia plans to attack the US-led bloc as 'nonsense.' Last month, Peskov suggested that the bloc merely needs a 'monster' to justify its existence and ever-growing defense costs. 'They have made a monster out of Russia in order to justify the decision to increase NATO defense spending to 5% of GDP,' the Kremlin spokesman said at the time.
Russia Today
2 hours ago
- Russia Today
Dmitry Trenin: World War III has already begun
Many now speak of humanity's drift towards World War III, imagining events similar to those of the 20th century. But war evolves. It will not begin with a June 1941 Barbarossa-style invasion or a Cuban Missile Crisis-style nuclear standoff. In fact, the new world war is already underway – it's just that not everyone has recognized it yet. For Russia, the pre-war period ended in 2014. For China, it was 2017. For Iran, 2023. Since then, war – in its modern, diffuse form – has intensified. This is not a new Cold War. Since 2022, the West's campaign against Russia has grown more decisive. The risk of direct nuclear confrontation with NATO over the Ukraine conflict is rising. Donald Trump's return to the White House created a temporary window in which such a clash could be avoided, but by mid-2025, hawks in the US and Western Europe had pushed us dangerously close again. This war involves the world's leading powers: the United States and its allies on one side, China and Russia on the other. It is global, not because of its scale, but because of the stakes: the future balance of power. The West sees the rise of China and the resurgence of Russia as existential threats. Its counteroffensive, economic and ideological, is meant to put a halt to that shift. It is a war of survival for the West, not just geopolitically but ideologically. Western globalism – whether economic, political, or cultural – cannot tolerate alternative civilizational models. Post-national elites in the US and Western Europe are committed to preserving their dominance. A diversity of worldviews, civilizational autonomy, and national sovereignty are seen not as options, but as threats. This explains the severity of the West's response. When Joe Biden told Brazil's President Lula that he wanted to 'destroy' Russia, he revealed the truth behind euphemisms like 'strategic defeat.' Western-backed Israel has shown how total this doctrine is – first in Gaza, then Lebanon, and finally Iran. In early June, a similar strategy was used in attacks on Russian airfields. Reports suggest US and British involvement in both cases. To Western planners, Russia, Iran, China and North Korea are part of a single axis. That belief shapes military planning. Compromise is no longer part of the game. What we're seeing are not temporary crises but rolling conflicts. Eastern Europe and the Middle East are the two current flashpoints. A third has long been identified: East Asia, particularly Taiwan. Russia is directly engaged in Ukraine, holds stakes in the Middle East, and may become involved in the Pacific. The war is no longer about occupation, but destabilization. The new strategy focuses on sowing internal disorder: economic sabotage, social unrest, and psychological attrition. The West's plan for Russia is not defeat on the battlefield, but gradual internal collapse. Its tactics are all-encompassing. Drone strikes target infrastructure and nuclear facilities. Political assassinations are no longer off-limits. Journalists, negotiators, scientists, and even their families are being hunted. Residential neighborhoods, schools, and hospitals are not collateral damage – they are targets. This is total war. This is underpinned by dehumanization. Russians are portrayed not just as enemies but as subhuman. Western societies are manipulated to accept this. Information control, censorship, and historical revisionism are used to justify the war. Those who question the dominant narrative are labelled traitors. Meanwhile, the West exploits the more open systems of its adversaries. After refusing to interfere in foreign politics for decades, Russia now finds itself on the defensive. But those days must end. As our enemies coordinate their attacks, we must disrupt their unity. The European Union is not a monolith. Hungary, Slovakia, and much of southern Europe are not eager for escalation. These internal fractures must be widened. Western strength lies in unity among its elites and their ideological control over their populations. But this unity is not invulnerable. The Trump administration presents tactical opportunities. His return has already reduced US involvement in Ukraine. Yet Trumpism should not be romanticized. The American elite remains largely hostile to Russia. There will be no new détente. The war in Ukraine is becoming a war between Western Europe and Russia. British and French missiles already strike Russian targets. NATO intelligence is embedded in Ukrainian operations. EU countries are training Ukrainian forces and planning attacks together. Ukraine is just a tool. Brussels is preparing for a wider war. What we must ask is: Is Western Europe preparing to defend or attack? Many of its leaders have lost their strategic judgment. But the hostility is real. The goal is no longer containment, but to 'solve the Russian question' once and for all. Any illusion that business as usual will return must be discarded. We are in for a long war. It will not end like in 1945, nor settle into Cold War coexistence. The decades ahead will be turbulent. Russia must fight for its rightful place in a new world order. So, what must we do? First of all, we must strengthen our home front. We need mobilization, but not the rigid models of the Soviet past. We need smart, adaptive mobilization across all sectors – economic, technological, and demographic. Russia's political leadership is a strategic asset. It must remain steady and visionary. We must promote internal unity, social justice, and patriotism. Every citizen must feel the stakes. We must align our fiscal, industrial, and technological policy with the realities of a long-term war. Fertility policy and migration control must reverse our demographic decline. Secondly, we must consolidate our external alliances. Belarus is a strong ally in the west. North Korea has shown reliability in the east. But we lack a similar partner in the south. This gap must be addressed. The Israel-Iran war offers important lessons. Our adversaries coordinate tightly. We must do the same. Not by copying NATO, but by forging our own model of strategic cooperation. We should also pursue tactical engagement with the Trump administration. If it allows us to weaken the US war effort in Europe, we should exploit it. But we must not confuse tactics with strategy. American foreign policy remains fundamentally adversarial. Fellow European powers like Britain, France, and Germany must be made to understand they are vulnerable. Their capitals are not immune. The same message should reach Finland, Poland, and the Baltics. Provocations must be met swiftly and decisively. If escalation is inevitable, we must consider pre-emptive action – firstly with conventional arms. And if necessary, we must be ready to use 'special means', including nuclear weapons, with full awareness of the consequences. Deterrence must be both passive and active. Our mistake in Ukraine was waiting too long. Delay created the illusion of weakness. That must not be repeated. Victory means breaking the enemy's plans, not occupying territory. Finally, we must penetrate the West's information shield. The battlefield now includes narratives, alliances, and public opinion. Russia must once again learn to engage in others' domestic politics, not as an aggressor, but as a defender of truth. The time for illusions is over. We are in a world war. The only path forward is through bold, strategic article was first published by the magazine Profile and was translated and edited by the RT team.
Russia Today
3 hours ago
- Russia Today
Russian court sentences writer on terror-related charges
A court in Russia has sentenced in absentia writer Grigory Chkhartishvili, known by his pen name Boris Akunin, to a lengthy prison term for facilitating and justifying terrorist activities. The author, who made a name for himself in historical fiction, has not lived in Russia since 2014. He has repeatedly criticized Russia's leadership since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine escalated. In January of 2024, Russian authorities designated Akunin a foreign agent. On Monday, a military court sentenced the writer in absentia to 14 years in prison, while imposing a fine on him of 400,000 rubles ($5,000). According to the prosecution, the author has published statements in the public domain on multiple occasions since 2023 calling for the overthrow of the Russian government by force. In February of 2024, Akunin wrote in a Telegram post that he no longer believed in the possibility of 'evolutionary' change in Russia and expressed support for a revolution. In a phone conversation with Russian pranksters Vovan and Lexus in December of 2023, the writer said he was ready to support Ukraine. Responding to the sentence, Akunin wrote in a Telegram post that he does not 'recognize their court,' dismissing the entire process as a farce. Last week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Expert magazine that Russia's current media restrictions are justified. 'This is a time of military censorship that is unprecedented in our country. The war is being fought in the information space as well,' the official argued. Russian authorities have also accused Akunin of breaking the country's 'foreign agent' law by posting content without the mandatory corresponding disclosure. Adopted in 2012, Russia's foreign agent law applies to individuals or entities engaged in financial or political activities in the interests of a foreign state. The designation imposes certain restrictions and requirements: foreign agents must label all their content accordingly, regularly submit detailed financial reports to the Justice Ministry, and disclose their funding sources. Failure to comply is punishable by up to two years in prison.
