🗓 Fyodor Poletayev was born in the village of Katino in the Ryazan Region on May 14, 1909. During the Great Patriotic War, he fought in the Battle of Moscow alongside the 28th Guards Artillery Regiment. In the summer of 1942, he was wounded, surrounded by enemy soldiers and taken prisoner. He was then transported to concentration camps: Vyazma, Berdichev and Mielec in Poland. Despite several attempts, he was not able to escape. Poletayev was caught while trying to escape from a camp in Slavonski Brod and was sent to a forced labour camp in Italy. There, Italian Communists helped him escape and Poletayev joined the Orestes partisan unit.

⚔️ Starting in 1944, Fyodor Poletayev fought against the German occupiers and took part in multiple combat operations. The Germans decided to carry out a punitive operation in Liguria, where his guerilla unit was stationed. Members of the Waffen SS Turkestan Legion spearheaded the attack.

On February 2, 1945, a battle erupted in Lighting Valley. The partisans defeated the punitive unit, and the Nazis began to surrender. To crush their resistance, Poletayev ordered his men to attack, but he was shot by an SS soldier at the last moment. The partisans completely routed the invaders and took some of them prisoner. Poletayev was mortally wounded and later buried him with full military honours in the small village of Rocchetta.

🎖 After the war, Poletayev, a national hero of the Italian Republic, was reinterred in the old Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno in Genoa. On May 25, 1947, a Soviet diplomat presented Poletayev's family with the Gold Medal for Military Valour and the Bronze Star of the Garibaldi Partisan Brigade Fighter with the name “Fiedar Alexander Poetan” engraved on it.

Soviet writer Sergey Smirnov made efforts to clarify the famous partisan’s biography. He confirmed that the award was intended for Poletayev. In December 1962, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union to Fyodor Poletayev

#FacesOfVictory

🎙 Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova (Moscow, May 8, 2024)

• Victory Day
• BRICS events
• The Ukrainian crisis
• Situation in Moldova
• Aggressive remarks by the French President
• Situation in the Middle East


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#BRICS

Russia’s chairmanship of BRICS is picking up speed. Over 40 events across three main cooperation areas have already taken place, covering politics and security, the economy and finance, as well as cultural and humanitarian exchanges.

#Ukraine

Just a few days ago EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell admitted clearly once again that the Ukrainian conflict had had a quick peaceful solution since the very beginning, but he personally and on behalf of the European Union did not want the combat to cease. We have talked about this many times (citing Mr Borrell and other EU officials) pointing to the EU’s long-term investments in financing arms supplies to Ukraine, with which they expect to prolong the armed confrontation for at least several more years (in their own words).

This confirms the terrible reality: ordinary Ukrainians are just a tool that Vladimir Zelensky "sold" to the EU members in the name of his own enrichment and immorality, which is used to settle the West’s geopolitical scores with Russia.

#France #NATO #EU

We noted the recent aggressive remarks from the French leadership, which seem to be increasingly frequent. <…> It is noteworthy that the belligerent stance of the occupant of the Elysee Palace is not only met with disapproval among many EU and NATO allies but, crucially, among the majority of French citizens, too.

🗓 On May 15, 2018, Crimean Bridge went operational - a solemn opening ceremony and first drive took place. It united mainland Russia with the peninsula via the Kerch Strait.

This impressive infrastructure project symbolises Crimea’s reunification with Russia. This unique road artery has revitalised and completely changed the region, giving a powerful impetus to its socioeconomic development.

⚙️ The construction of the Crimean Bridge, which began in 2016, was a truly historic event. Over 10,000 people took part in the construction of the century - sappers, ecologists, archaeologists, scientists, designers, engineers, and workers.

The 19 km-long bridge – the longest in Europe – consists of two parallel parts – the railway and the motorway. It starts in Taman, passes over Tuzla Island, crosses the Kerch Strait and reaches the Crimean coast. In May 2018, the motorway span was put into service in a record time (27 months). Freight traffic was opened in the autumn of the same year, while the railway bridge was completed a bit later – in December 2019.

📈 The bridge has enhanced logistics access to Crimea, promoting the development of tourism, transport and trade – the key economic sectors that provide the republic with one third of its gross product.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin took part in the opening ceremony. At the head of a convoy of three dozen trucks, he drove a KAMAZ over the bridge in 16 min., thus personally testing its strength.

💬 Russia's President Vladimir Putin (15.05.2018): “In fact, the whole country worked on this bridge. This is an excellent result that has made Crimea and the legendary Sevastopol stronger and brought us closer”

💬 Russia's MFA Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova (12.08.2023): "The Crimean Bridge is a purely civilian infrastructure facility. <...> Unable, despite the massive Western aid, to change the situation on the contact line, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are attempting to retaliate against civilian infrastructure and peaceful civilians by using underhand terrorist methods"

🎙 Acting Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov answers questions during a plenary session of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation (Moscow, May 14, 2024)

Key talking points:

• Western efforts to preserve its hegemony have entered a critical phase. <...> China has emerged as a leader of global growth. This fact does not sit well with the US, which, along with its satellites, having brought the rest of the West to its heel, made a doctrinal statement that they cannot allow anyone to become stronger or more influential than Washington. So, objectively, alongside our Chinese colleagues we are interested in continuing to lead the efforts to establish a fairer and more democratic world order.

🤝 The duo of Moscow and Beijing is playing a crucial balancing role in international affairs. I am confident that the upcoming visit of President Vladimir Putin to China will further strengthen our joint efforts.

• Following the expansion of #BRICS, our representation in the #G20 has increased. Half of the G20 members are either BRICS members or share similar perspectives with us. Therefore, the G20 will undergo positive transformations emphasising the inclusion of the interests of other regions of the world and groups of countries rather than representing the interests of the "collective West".

• We have numerous allies, and I have no doubt that we will have more of them which will contribute to democratising international relations, where every nation will have a rightful place of its own in global affairs based on its fair and actual contribution to the global economy, politics, and security system, as opposed to blackmail, threats, and ultimatums used by the West.

🌍 During the second Russia-Africa Summit, there were numerous plenary sessions and bilateral contacts with individual sub-regional African associations. <...> This is one of the main items on the agenda, including the implementation of the Declaration and Action Plan adopted at the second Summit.

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