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Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged ‘suicide note’ unsealed (PHOTO)

By: RT

The handwritten message was reportedly found by his former cellmate after an earlier suicide attempt

A US federal judge has unsealed an alleged suicide note written by Jeffrey Epstein, nearly seven years after the disgraced financier died in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.

The note was reportedly found in July 2019 by Epstein’s then-cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, after Epstein was discovered injured in what officials later described as a failed suicide attempt. Tartaglione, a former police officer later convicted of quadruple murder, said he found the note tucked inside a book and gave it to his lawyers.

“They investigated me for months – found nothing!!! So 15-year-old charges resurface,” the barely legible handwritten note appears to read.

BREAKING

A federal judge has unsealed a purported suicide note written by Jeffrey Epstein, which was reportedly found by his former cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, after Epstein’s July 2019 suicide attempt.

The note had been under seal for years.

(Link below) pic.twitter.com/JveOpZhkSi

— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) May 6, 2026

“It is a treat to be able to choose one’s time to say goodbye. What do you want me to do – burst out crying!! NO FUN – NOT WORTH IT!!” it adds.

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Mona Juul and Terje Rod-Larsen
Epstein inheritor kills himself

The document was kept under seal in Tartaglione’s court file until a federal judge ordered its release following a petition by the New York Times. Prosecutors reportedly supported making the note public, arguing that transparency is vital.

Epstein was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York in August 2019. His death was officially ruled a suicide, though it has continued to fuel public scrutiny and conspiracy theories because of his connections to wealthy and politically powerful figures.

While his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell was later convicted of sex-trafficking offenses, none of his other high-profile contacts have been charged with any crimes in connection with Epstein’s case.

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US attacks Iranian tanker after Trump’s ultimatum

By: RT

The US president has threatened to resume bombings at much higher “intensity” unless Tehran agrees to a deal

The US military has fired on and disabled an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman after President Donald Trump threatened to resume the bombing campaign unless Tehran agrees to end the war on Washington’s terms.

US Central Command said the unladen tanker, identified as the M/T Hasna, was attempting to sail toward an Iranian port on Wednesday in violation of Washington’s naval blockade, which remains in force despite the president’s abrupt decision a day earlier to pause Project Freedom, a military operation to move ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

US forces issued multiple warnings before an F/A-18 Super Hornet launched from the USS Abraham Lincoln fired several 20mm cannon rounds at the vessel’s rudder, preventing it from continuing toward Iran, according to CENTCOM.

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FILE PHOTO: The Strait of Hormuz and an effigy of US President Donald Trump depicted on the wall of a building in Tehran.
Trump pauses US military escorts in Hormuz

The strike came shortly after Trump issued a fresh ultimatum to Tehran, warning that the “already legendary Epic Fury” would end only if Iran accepted the terms he claimed had already been agreed.

“If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before,” he wrote on Truth Social.

Trump remained optimistic, telling PBS later on Wednesday that there was “a very good chance” the war could end before his planned trip to China. He reiterated, however, that if it did not, the US would “go back to bombing the hell out of them.”

READ MORE: Mapping Hormuz: RT’s Rick Sanchez on strategic edge (VIDEO)

Washington and Tehran are allegedly closing in on a one-page, 14-point memorandum of understanding that would end the war and open a 30-day period for more detailed negotiations, according to Axios sources. The proposed framework would reportedly include an Iranian moratorium on uranium enrichment, enhanced inspections, a gradual lifting of US sanctions, the release of frozen Iranian funds, and the phased easing of restrictions on shipping.

An RT source in Pakistan said progress in the peace process remains “somewhat slow,” with several unresolved issues still under discussion.

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Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz, March 11, 2026.
Iran rolls out new Hormuz rules as ‘Project Freedom’ paused – media

Tehran has yet to formally respond to the US proposal. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the text was still under review, warning that negotiations require “good faith” and must not amount to “dictation,” “deception,” “extortion,” or “coercion.”

Iranian military officials also struck a defiant tone before reports of the tanker incident emerged. Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, spokesman for the Iranian Armed Forces, warned that if Washington used talks as a cover for further aggression, Iran would respond decisively and deliver a “humiliating defeat.”

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Orthodox temple in Syria reopens after restoration (VIDEO)

By: RT

Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II Karim has attended the consecration ceremony at the St. George Cathedral in Al-Hasakah

St. George Orthodox Cathedral in the Syrian city of Al-Hasakah has reopened its doors following a four-year restoration.

The reconstruction of one of the largest Syriac Orthodox churches in the region began in June 2022, after surveyors identified structural damage caused by a combination of age, weather conditions, and years of war. The restoration project included repairs to the walls and ceilings, as well as the cathedral’s roof, interior and exterior decorative elements, electrical systems, and sewage systems, according to Syria’s SANA state media outlet.

Patriarch Mar Ignatius Aphrem II Karim attended the consecration ceremony on Tuesday, cutting the ribbon to officially reopen the cathedral. Addressing attendees, including both clergy and laity, he noted that “Christians have resided here on their ancestral lands for thousands of years.”

“Despite mass migration and the community’s declining numbers, Christians will continue to live here, restore churches, and build new ones, as it is our duty to send a message to our children that we are here to endure,” the Syriac Orthodox patriarch said.

“There is also a message to the world reflecting the resilience of the Syrian people in preserving life, demonstrating that life will always triumph over death,” the senior cleric stated.

Read more
RT
Suicide bomber attacks Orthodox church in Syria

Home to one of the world’s most ancient Christian communities, Syria had an estimated Christian population of approximately 2.5 million, or 10% of the total, before the conflict broke out in 2011 and quickly escalated into a devastating regional war.

In the intervening years, the Christian community in the Middle Eastern country has fallen victim to targeted terrorist attacks and massacres at the hands of Islamist militants, including Islamic State and Al-Qaeda offshoots. Multiple churches and temples have also been deliberately destroyed. As a result, many members of the community have fled the war-torn country, with some estimates indicating that the number of Christians has fallen by more than 80%.

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Island nation breaks with British Crown

By: RT

Cabinet members in Antigua and Barbuda took office under amended oath rules that removed references to the royal family

Antigua and Barbuda has sworn in a new government under revised constitutional rules that for the first time removed allegiance to the British monarch from the official oath of office.

The twin-island Caribbean state gained independence from Britain in 1981 but remained a constitutional monarchy within the Commonwealth, with the British sovereign serving as head of state.

Tuesday’s swearing-in followed a constitutional amendment approved by Parliament late last year removing references to King Charles III and his heirs from the oath of allegiance. Under the revised wording, elected officials now pledge loyalty to Antigua and Barbuda, its constitution and its laws.

The ceremony came days after Prime Minister Gaston Browne secured a fourth consecutive election victory, extending his party’s more than decade-long hold on power. The election was called nearly two years ahead of schedule by Browne to seek a fresh mandate amid global economic uncertainty and resulted in a landslide victory for his Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party, which secured 15 of the country’s 17 parliamentary seats.

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Then-Prince Charles at the House of Lords Chamber in Westminster on May 10, 2022 in London, England.
Almost half of British Commonwealth wants to ditch monarchy – poll

Antigua and Barbuda remains part of the Commonwealth, with British monarch retaining the role of head of state despite the revised oath.

Fifteen out of 56 countries in the Commonwealth still recognize the British monarch as sovereign. Barbados became the most recent Caribbean nation to become a republic in 2021 while remaining within the Commonwealth.

Debate over the monarchy’s future has also intensified in Britain. A 2025 British Social Attitudes survey found support for the institution had fallen to its lowest level since records began in 1983, with just 51% in favor of keeping it.

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UK nurseries told to report ‘racist’ toddlers to police

By: RT

Welsh childcare workers have been urged to contact police over suspected racist hate incidents involving children

Childcare workers in Wales have been told to call police on children as young as three if they are suspected of “racist” behavior, according to a new official guidance backed by the Labour government.

The document, produced by Diversity and Anti‑Racist Professional Learning (DARPL), an organization that has received over £1.3 million ($1.7 million) from the Welsh government, advises childcare workers to assess whether a child’s behavior could be deemed a “hate crime” and, if so, to call authorities.

The guidance applies to children aged 12 and under, even though the age of criminal responsibility in Wales is ten. Staff are told to record whether the alleged racism is “child to child,” “adult to child,” or “systemic.” Workers are also encouraged to assess their own “white privilege” and audit toys, books, dolls, posters and even snacks to ensure an “anti‑racist stance is visible.”

The guidance is part of the Welsh government’s wider plan to make Wales an “anti-racist nation” by 2030. Other projects under the initiative have included spending £10,000 ($13,500) to “decolonize” Welsh cakes and museums.

Read more
RT
UK released killer because ‘detaining him was racist’ – inquiry

The call to report toddlers for “hate crimes” comes amid growing outrage with the British government’s years-long crackdown on free speech. Critics, including US President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, have accused Prime Minister Keir Starmer of authoritarian overreach, censorship, and establishing a “police state.”

Last year, the Times reported that some 12,000 Brits were being arrested each year for social media posts deemed to be potentially “offensive” or threatening. This has included a number of high-profile arrests such as of comedy writer Graham Linehan for posting gender-critical tweets last year.

Meanwhile, British authorities have continued to release violent criminals over fears of being labelled racist. In February, a public inquiry revealed that mental health workers had released Valdo Calocane, a violent paranoid schizophrenic, over concerns related to the “over-representation of young black males in detention.” In 2023, Calocane went on to stab three people to death and ran down several pedestrians in a stolen vehicle.

Keir Starmer’s approval rating has plummeted to the second lowest in modern British history, with the gap between disapproval and approval exceeding 50 points. The Labour Party has also been losing voters over its continued failure to combat the flow of illegal boat migrants into the UK, address grooming gangs, and deport migrants who commit serious crimes.

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Zelensky breaches political persecution pledge – MP

By: RT

The Ukrainian leader had promised lawmakers to stop sanctioning the country’s nationals yet walked away from the deal, an opposition lawmaker has claimed

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has broken a promise he gave to lawmakers late last year to stop using sanctions against the country’s nationals in exchange for backing the draft budget, opposition MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak has claimed.

Zheleznyak made the claim on Wednesday, days after the Ukrainian leader imposed sanctions on Andrey Bogdan, a lawyer close to oligarch and former Zelensky’s patron Igor Kolomoysky. Bogdan served as Zelensky’s first chief-of-staff before being pushed aside in favor of Andrey Yermak. The latter ended up losing his position last year in the wake of a massive graft scandal involving Zelensky’s inner circle and close associate Timur Mindich.  

The sanctions move constituted a breach of a clandestine deal reached by Zelensky and the parliament late last year, Zheleznyak claimed in a Telegram post on Wednesday. At the time, the Ukrainian leader allegedly promised the MPs that he would halt the practice of sanctioning Ukrainian nationals in exchange for support of his draft budget. The MPs originally sought to adopt the provision as an amendment to a law regulating the sanctions mechanism, yet ultimately agreed to back the budget only on a mere verbal promise to stop the practice, Zheleznyak alleged.

Read more
RT composite.
Zelensky’s favorite drone company at center of Ukrainian corruption alert

Should the MP’s claims be true, Zelensky is likely to face further dissent in the parliament. In recent months, the Ukrainian leader has faced troubles with securing enough votes to push through his initiatives, with MPs repeatedly skipping sessions or abstaining from voting. Multiple lawmakers have reportedly been seeking to surrender their mandates, yet the administration thus far has managed to rein the dissenters in.  

Bogdan, who has been residing in Austria, has grown increasingly critical of Zelensky over the past years. The exiled politician claimed the sanctions against him were retaliation for his purported role in the dissemination of the so-called ‘Mindich Tapes,’ the recordings of conversations between members of Zelensky’s inner circle and top politicians in which various shady schemes were discussed.

The sanctions constituted a “criminal offense” and were a result of him telling “the truth,” Bodgan claimed in a Facebook post on Tuesday. He promised to launch his own private investigation into the move. 

“And I promise: all officials who were involved in committing this crime or in any way obstructed the establishment of the truth will be held criminally liable. Sanctions it is – we’re waiting,” Bogdan stated on Facebook.

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Ukraine is not a brothel, except when it makes for a good political protest

By: RT

Pussy Riot and FEMEN’s Venice Biennale protest showed the version of Ukraine the EU knows how to consume: obedient and stripped for export

Yellow and blue smoke rose, and out of it appeared a pair of breasts with “RUSSIA KILLS” written across bare skin. The performance was optimized for the press preview circuit, providing free self-pleasuring material for the Ukrainian-flags-in-bio crowd and their patriarchy-fighting-for-easy-body-access comrades alike.

The Venice Biennale! A handful of balaclava-wearing half-naked performance artists from Pussy Riot and FEMEN barricaded the Russian pavilion for all of 30 minutes to protest against its opening in support of Ukraine. Nadya Tolokonnikova, Pussy Riot’s greatest hits machine, grumbled that she had to sneak in under an assumed name because the organizers wouldn’t book her table. Mission accomplished: the world’s most pretentious artsy crowd got another virtue-signal photo op – cheeky dose of solitary-viewing fuel for the right hand included. It would be best described as museum-grade thirst. A brief deliberate detour into bedroom-Pulitzer territory.

Watching organizations that claim to fight the patriarchy deploy the patriarchy’s oldest currency is quite ironic. Their weaponry doesn’t consist of arguments, intellectualism or difficult work of political thought: they offer up bodies for display, courting the male gaze they claim to loathe. Whether there is a slogan written across naked breasts or not, the ask is the same as it always has been: look at me, look at my flesh. The patriarchy, being neither stupid nor ungrateful, obliges.

Here is what makes this specifically funny, if you have the stomach for it. FEMEN was founded in 2008 after its founder became aware of Ukrainian women being duped into going abroad and sexually exploited. Its original slogan was “Ukraine is not a brothel.” It protested sex tourism, trafficking, and prostitution – the industries that were consuming Ukrainian women’s bodies for foreign money. That was the mission. Fast forward to Venice 2026, and we’re observing the same movement stripping for the cameras of foreign journalists at a European art fair, making sure the lighting is good, giving the gentlemen of the international press something to look at.

Read more
A performance inside the Russian Pavilion during the 61st Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition on May 05, 2026 in Venice, Italy.
Russian pavilion opens at Venice Biennale despite sanctions and protests

Tolokonnikova, for her part, took the logic to its natural conclusion. In 2021, she opened an OnlyFans account selling subscriptions to images of herself for $10 a month. It is, by any functional definition, what FEMEN was founded to fight: a woman selling access to her body to men, for money, on a platform owned by Leonid Radvinsky, born in Odessa, who acquired OnlyFans in 2018 and steered it deliberately toward pornography, extracting hundreds of millions in annual dividends from the arrangement before dying in March of this year.

Though to call this a fall from grace would be to misread the CV. Before Pussy Riot there was art collective Voina: a pregnant Tolokonnikova among couples having sex in a state biology museum days before the 2008 presidential election – the action titled F*ck for the Heir Puppy Bear. Then a supermarket chicken, inserted into a vagina in protest at the police state. Then a giant phallus, painted on a drawbridge in St Petersburg directly opposite the FSB headquarters. The body, provocative; provocation through the body, the body as the only argument ever really being made.

The Ukrainian feminist scholar Oksana Kis noticed, back in 2012, when this was all still nascent. “Femen has nothing to do with feminism whatsoever,” she said. “When public nudity becomes the only way to deliver a message, it’s more than strange. And the message itself seems to get lost while media focus on their nakedness.” She would probably need stronger language now. No one is subverting the patriarchy by giving it what it wants and calling the transaction resistance. You are on your knees, sisters. The pink smoke is a nice touch, though.

While FEMEN was founded in Kiev, it is now headquartered in Paris. Pussy Riot’s most prominent members have lived in the West for years. The people staging Ukraine’s grief for the Biennale cameras left Ukraine or Russia long ago and have been performing it for Western audiences ever since. This week’s Biennale delivery was a service rendered to the European cultural establishment, which requires regular injections of morally legible suffering to justify its own self-image.

Read more
FILE PHOTO: The Russian pavilion at the Venice Biennale, Italy.
Venice Biennale jury resigns citing ICC cases against Russia and Israel

The Biennale lost €2 million in EU funding after refusing to reverse the participation of Russia, which has owned its pavilion in Venice since 1914. An on-brand move for the EU: Brussels money always comes with Brussels politics, and Brussels politics require that culture be weaponized on schedule, without nuance or complications.

What no one is asking is whether any of this has anything to do with Ukraine, and whether this really is the representation the Ukrainians – and especially Ukrainian women – want.

Before we get to politics, there is the simple matter of sociology. A Razumkov Centre survey found that 83% of Ukrainians believed a woman’s most important task was caring for home and family, while 78% thought women were more likely than men to be guided by emotions in decision-making. As recently as 2026, the belief that a man should fully provide for his family remained the one gender pillar still supported by a majority across all Ukrainian age groups – at 69%. World Value Survey data from 2022 found that only 10% of Ukrainian women in couples reported being the breadwinner – a strong sign of conformity to traditional gender roles. The “Berehynia” – a folkloric hearth mother, protectress of the home – has gained considerable symbolic traction in post-Soviet Ukrainian identity, with the Orthodox Church actively reinforcing traditional gender roles alongside it. This is the portrait of a country whose grief is being performed in Venice. 

The actual polling data grows more embarrassing the further in you go. As of 2023, 39% of Ukrainians opposed civil partnerships, with only 28% in favor. 42% opposed same-sex marriage legalization outright. The civil partnership bill has sat stalled in parliament for three years, blocked not by the Russians but by Ukrainian legislators who answer to Ukrainian voters. The constitution, unchanged since 1996, defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Ukraine put an EU accession roadmap on paper in May 2025 and included LGBTQ legislative targets in it, because that is what you do when Brussels is writing the cheques. Can we really say that the Ukrainian people freely subscribed to the Western vision of a liberal future? Have they been tricked into an ideological box where any jailbreak points are considered high treason? We already have the examples of Hungary and Poland, countries constantly being punished by Brussels for listening to their citizens’ conservative preferences.

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The Russian pavilion at the 53rd International Art Exhibition, Venice, Italy, June 4, 2009.
Moscow slams EU funding cut to Venice Biennale over Russian participation

Ukraine as a state was already fractured, corrupt, linguistically schizophrenic after Maidan. Then the people in power in Kiev doubled down, deciding at some point in the 2010s that the path forward was to become a copy of somewhere it was never going to be: it scrubbed Russian from schools and streets, toppled statues, memory-holed anything that smelled of the old neighborhood, embraced the shiny simulacrum of unattainable Western cool while the villages and the churches and the actual 70% Orthodox majority quietly kept their traditional script. The identity cosplay spiraled into the very war the virtue-signalers now use as their white horse. Abandon your roots, import the fruitiest aesthetics money can buy, start poking the bear, and act shocked when the bill comes due. 

The result is a country at war not only with Russia but with significant portions of its own past, its own population, its own internal complexity.

Brussels loves this version of Ukraine because it demands nothing in return. The exported Ukraine – topless, sloganeering, OnlyFans-adjacent, eternally photogenic in its suffering – requires only that you feel good about your flag emoji and hit subscribe.

Meanwhile the Biennale president, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, held his ground with the only argument that should have mattered – that art is a neutral space – but he forgot that nothing is neutral when the Western establishment controls the invoice. 

The pink smoke cleared. The journalists filed their copy. The right hands have been satisfied. Tolokonnikova did not hear back from the Biennale. Somewhere in Ukraine, the war continued. The bodies there do not have slogans written on them. They are just bodies.

The protesting women have lived in Paris for years, and the country they claim to represent is fighting a war that was at least partly produced by the decision to treat its own cultural complexity as a problem to be eliminated rather than a reality to be navigated. What we saw at the Biennale was European moral ‘high-ground’ display, funded by European money, performed by people who left, for an audience ready to flee to the next big thing.

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IDF soldier puts cigarette in Virgin Mary statue’s mouth

By: RT

The desecration in southern Lebanon follows earlier incidents in which Israeli troops were accused of damaging Christian sites

A photograph appearing to show an Israeli soldier placing a cigarette in the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary in southern Lebanon has sparked outrage online. 

The image, which surfaced on Wednesday, was reportedly taken in the predominantly Christian village of Dibil, near the border with Israel, and uploaded to social media by IDF soldiers.  

In a statement to RT, the IDF said it views the incident “with utmost severity” and that the soldier’s conduct “completely deviates” from its values. The IDF added that the photo was taken several weeks ago and that “command measures” will follow a formal probe, stressing that it respects all holy sites and religious symbols. 

It is the latest in a series of actions widely seen as showing disregard for Lebanon’s Christian community.  

In April, video from the same village showed an Israeli soldier smashing a statue of Jesus Christ in the face with a large mallet during the ongoing ground operation in southern Lebanon. The crucifix was later photographed with its face destroyed alongside the biblical quote, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do,” posted on the town’s official page. 

Read more
An Israeli soldier smashes a statue of Jesus Christ with a hammer in Dibil, southern Lebanon.
IDF withdraws and jails soldiers for smashing statue of Jesus Christ

The IDF later confirmed that two soldiers had been withdrawn from combat duty and jailed for 30 days after footage of the vandalism went viral.  

Christian communities have reported a string of incidents at religious sites in recent years involving Israeli forces. In 2023, an Israeli airstrike in Gaza hit a building next to the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius, the enclave’s oldest Christian shrine, killing at least 18 people. In 2025, shrapnel from an Israeli tank shell damaged Gaza’s Holy Family Church, the territory’s only Catholic parish, killing three. 

Last month, a Catholic nun was assaulted in broad daylight in Jerusalem, in what Church officials described as part of a pattern of harassment against Christians in the Holy Land.  

READ MORE: Israeli settlements will spell ‘end’ for Holy Land Christians – ‘America First’

Lebanese authorities say that more than 2,700 people have been killed and around 1.2 million displaced since March 2, when Israel launched combat operations in Lebanon, where Hezbollah is based, amid the wider US-Israeli war against Iran. Despite a US-mediated ceasefire that began on April 16 and was later extended until mid-May, Israeli troops have continued military operations north of the Litani River, expanding a ‘buffer zone’ that stretches around 10 km into Lebanon.

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Moscow urges foreign missions to evacuate diplomats, citizens from Kiev

By: RT

Russia would respond should Kiev go ahead with its “terrorist plans” to disrupt the upcoming Victory Day celebrations

Moscow has formally warned all diplomatic missions and international organizations about a potential large-scale retaliatory strike on Kiev, urging them to leave the Ukrainian capital immediately, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.

Earlier this week, the Russian Defense Ministry announced a two-day ceasefire on May 8–9 to mark the end of World War II in Europe, urging Kiev to follow suit and warning of a potential large-scale retaliatory strike on Kiev. The ministry pointed to comments made by Vladimir Zelensky earlier in the day, which it said contained threats to target Moscow during the Victory Day celebrations.

Moscow’s warning must be taken with the utmost seriousness, Zakharova said in a statement on Wednesday. The spokeswoman revealed that the Foreign Ministry had sent a formal note to all diplomatic missions and international organizations accredited in Russia, urging them to withdraw their personnel from the Ukrainian capital ahead of a potential retaliatory strike.

Read more
FILE PHOTO: A military parade is held in Moscow, Russia, on May 9, 2025.
Russia declares Victory Day truce, warns Kiev of strike if Moscow targeted

“The Foreign Ministry urgently calls on the government of your country/the leadership of your organization to treat this statement with the utmost seriousness and to ensure the timely evacuation from the city of Kiev of the personnel of diplomatic and other missions, as well as civilians, in view of the inevitable retaliatory strike by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on Kiev, including against decision-making centers” should Ukraine proceed with its “criminal terrorist plans,” the note reads, as quoted by Zakharova.

Russia is “well-aware” of the Western attitude toward Victory Day and the efforts to “rewrite history” and “systematically destroy Soviet memorial heritage,” Zakharova stated. “As they continue to supply Ukraine with weapons, they are acting as accomplices in the criminal plans hatched by the Kiev regime. However, the instinct for self-preservation should not fail them,” she added.

It still remains unclear whether Kiev would actually heed Moscow’s call and observe the May 8–9 ceasefire. After the Russian Defense Ministry’s announcement, Zelensky branded the truce “unfair” and claimed that “no one officially suggested anything” to Kiev. Hours later, he unilaterally declared a ceasefire starting at midnight on the night of May 5–6, adding that Kiev would “act reciprocally” to Moscow’s actions.

Russia produced no official response to Zelensky’s announcement. While media reports indicated that the intensity of long-range strikes launched by both sides had somewhat waned, the hostilities continued. Despite the lack of any confirmation coming from Russia about its adherence to the Zelensky-proposed truce, the Ukrainian leader has accused it of violating the supposed ceasefire nearly 2,000 times throughout Wednesday and choosing “an obvious spurning… of saving lives.”

Throughout the Ukraine conflict, Russia has repeatedly declared ceasefires during major holidays. The pauses have proven to be successful to varying degrees , with both sides accusing their opponents of numerous violations. Last month, for instance, Moscow declared an Easter truce, which the Russian military said was violated by the Ukrainians more than 6,500 times within just 32 hours.

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Spain urges EU to resist Trump’s sanctions

By: RT

PM Pedro Sanchez has called on Brussels to shield the International Criminal Court from US pressure over its war crimes case against Israel

The European Union should shield the International Criminal Court from US sanctions linked to its case against Israel’s alleged war crimes in Gaza, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said.

In 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged atrocities against Palestinians in the enclave by the Israel Defense Forces.

The ICC’s jurisdiction is currently recognized by 125 countries. However, the US and Israel are not signatories to the Rome Statute.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Sanchez wrote that “sanctioning those who defend international justice puts the entire human rights system at risk.”

“The EU cannot remain idle in the face of this persecution,” the prime minister charged, adding that he had asked the European Commission to “activate the Blocking Statute to protect the independence of the International Criminal Court and the United Nations, and their actions to end the genocide in Gaza.”

Read more
RT
Protesters in Spain demand end to Iran war and expulsion of NATO bases (VIDEOS)

US President Donald Trump first introduced sanctions against the ICC in February 2025, accusing the Hague-based court of “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel.”

These were followed up last June and August, with Washington restricting more ICC judges and prosecutors from access to the US financial system.

Spain has been among the most vocal EU critics of Israel. Commenting on Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon last month, Sanchez described the IDF’s actions as “intolerable,” and accused Netanyahu of displaying “contempt for life and international law.” Madrid also called on the EU to suspend the bloc’s association agreement with Israel.

Spain has also criticized the US-Israeli war against Iran, denying Washington permission to use its joint military bases. In response, Trump threatened to suspend all trade with Madrid.

Sanchez, however, doubled down on his condemnation of Washington’s actions, stating in March that his country was “not going to be complicit in something that is bad for the world simply out of fear of reprisals.”

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