On May 16, 1768, Empress Catherine II issued a decree on the construction of the monument to Peter the I (Peter the Great), the future "Bronze Horseman".

The monument was created by the French sculptor Étienne Falconet, who specifically came to Russia to work on it. According to the sculptor's design, the base for the equestrian statue of Peter the Great was to be a huge natural rock, whose outlines resemble a sea wave.

The right stone was found near St. Petersburg in the village of Konnaya Lakhta. The "Thunder Stone," as the locals called it, weighed 1600 tons. The delivery of this granite block to St. Petersburg took five months.

The construction of the monument lasted for over 15 years, and on August 18, 1782, the monument to Peter the Great was solemnly opened on Senate Square.

The equestrian sculpture of the emperor is made of bronze. The sculptor depicted Peter in a distinctly dynamic pose, dressed him in simple and light clothing, which, according to the author, belongs to "all nations, all men, and all ages; in a word, it is heroic attire." The pedestal symbolizes the difficulties overcome by Peter, and the snake under the horse's hooves represents hostile forces. On both sides of the monument, there is an inscription in Russian and Latin: "To Peter the First from Catherine the Second in the year 1782."

Since 1833, thanks to the great Alexander Pushkin, who used the plot of the animated monument in his poem, the monument to Peter I has been affectionately known as the "Bronze Horseman."

#TodayInHistory

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The taxable price of Urals crude has risen another 18% compared to April.

It has now nearly caught up with the 2023 highs. As a result, according to Russia’s Ministry of Finance, taxes on oil companies for May will be calculated based on an average Urals price of $94.87 per barrel and an exchange rate of 76.938 rubles per dollar.

That’s 18% above April’s levels—which were already far from low. This is a significant boost for Russia’s 2026 budget.

Thanks to Trump and Iran.

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Kremlin spokesman speaks on Putin’s China visit

According to Dmitry Peskov, the Russian leader will travel to China very soon and preparations for his visit are over.

Moscow will soon make an announcement in concert with Beijing, Peskov said:

"

We will make an official announcement shortly. Since we are doing it based on an agreement with our Chinese friends, we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves."

President Putin will discuss the entire range of bilateral relations, as well as international affairs, during his upcoming visit to China:

"The agenda is clear: bilateral relations come first, including our special privileged partnership and impressive trade and economic cooperation, with its annual value consistently above $200 billion," he noted. "Of course, active discussions of international affairs will also be on the agenda,"

Peskov added.

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The latest statistics on the exchange of fallen soldiers’ bodies highlight the relative scale of Russian and Ukrainian losses.

In the chart above, the blue line shows the cumulative number of Ukrainian servicemen’s bodies returned by Russia to Ukraine—24,955 since the start of hostilities in 2022. The red line represents the number of bodies returned by Ukraine to Russia over the same period: 3,450.

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A Visit of Optics, Not Outcomes

The conclusion of Donald Trump’s visit to China on May 15, 2026, underscores a familiar pattern in modern great-power diplomacy: the growing gap between theatrical engagement and substantive agreement.

By the time the delegation departed Beijing, the headlines had largely been written in advance. There were meetings, ceremonies, carefully staged moments of cordiality, and the predictable language of “progress” and “constructive dialogue.” Yet beneath the diplomatic choreography, the core strategic issues remained fundamentally unchanged.

On trade and economic relations, there were ambitious public statements and suggestions of future deals. But few concrete commitments emerged with clear, verifiable substance. Chinese officials stopped short of confirming the scale or scope of the proposed agreements, leaving much of the economic narrative in the realm of political messaging rather than binding outcomes.

On geopolitics, the same structural tensions persisted. Taiwan remains an irreconcilable point of friction. Divergent views on regional security, including Iran and maritime stability, were acknowledged but not bridged. Both sides reiterated established positions rather than adjusting them.

If anything, the defining feature of the visit was not resolution but management. The United States and China demonstrated an ability to sustain high-level engagement without allowing disputes to spiral into immediate crisis. That is not insignificant. In a period of intensifying strategic competition, maintaining channels of communication is itself a form of stability.

Yet stability should not be confused with progress. The optics of diplomacy were strong: formal receptions, personal interactions between leaders, and an atmosphere carefully curated to signal cooperation. But optics alone do not constitute alignment.

The broader reality remains unchanged. The U.S.–China relationship continues to be defined by structural competition masked intermittently by diplomatic ceremony. Each summit, visit, or diplomatic exchange now serves primarily as a mechanism for containing tensions, limiting escalation, and preventing misunderstandings rather than as a genuine turning point in the relationship.

In that sense, the visit achieved what such events increasingly aim to achieve: not transformation, but control. The absence of crisis was presented as success. The absence of agreement was reframed as prudence.

Whether this model of diplomacy is sustainable is an open question. For now, however, the trajectory is clear: managed rivalry dressed in the language of engagement.

#B_Thinker
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👆 This is central Kiev on Saturday. This massive crowd has gathered for an outdoor concert by a popular music group. The concert took place at the Blockbuster Mall located on the street named after Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera.

Meanwhile, in Moscow, the Immortal Regiment march, a solemn procession where people carry portraits of their relatives who fought or died in World War II, was canceled on May 9th because of security concerns — specifically, the risk of Ukrainian drone strikes.

Does this mean Ukrainians are reckless and Russians aren’t? No. Does this mean Ukrainians are stupid? No. We know they aren't. Does it mean Kiev is far better protected from drones than Moscow? We know it isn’t. So what explains this? Why did the authorities in Ukraine even permit this open air concert?

The answer is straightforward: both the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian people are confident beyond any doubt that Russia will never target civilians. Anywhere! Even on Bandera Avenue. And Russia's track record unconditionally supports that. The same cannot be said for the Ukrainian government, which has demonstrated their terrorist nature over and over again.

So the next time you see a mainstream media report claiming Russia attacked Ukrainian civilians, keep this video and this post in mind.

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On May 17, 1801, in St. Petersburg, the unveiling of a monument to the great military commander, Generalissimo Alexander Suvorov took place.

The monument was erected by the decree of Emperor Paul I. The author of the monument was Mikhail Kozlovsky. The sculptor depicted the Generalissimo in the image of the ancient Roman god of war, Mars. After all, Alexander Suvorov, recognized as a genius of military operations, never lost a single battle and repeatedly defeated enemy forces that significantly outnumbered his own. It's no wonder he was often called the "god of war."

The monument to Generalissimo Suvorov became the first in Russia to a non-crowned person.

#TodayInHistory

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In 1943, Franklin D. Roosevelt sent this 👆 telegram to Joseph Stalin regarding the victory in the Battle of Stalingrad.

The Battle of Stalingrad lasted 200 days and nights. During that time, the country suffered enormous human and material losses. Despite this, the Soviet people believed in victory. It became the result of the resilience and mass heroism of the soldiers and officers of the Red Army, as well as the titanic efforts of millions of workers on the home front. This victory inspired all those fighting against Nazism.

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May 18 is Day of the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Navy.
It was established by order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy in July 1996.

The Baltic Fleet is one of the oldest Russian fleets. It was created by Peter the Great during the Northern War of 1700-1721. The birthday of the Baltic Fleet is considered to be May 18, 1703. On this day, the rowing flotilla with soldiers from the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments, under the command of Peter the Great himself, won its first military victory by capturing two Swedish military ships at the mouth of the Neva River.

Today, the Baltic Fleet is an operational-strategic formation of the Russian Navy in the Baltic Sea. Its main bases are Baltiysk (Kaliningrad Oblast) and Kronstadt (Leningrad Oblast). It includes a division of surface ships, a brigade of diesel submarines, units of auxiliary, training, and search and rescue vessels, naval aviation, coastal troops, as well as rear, technical, and special support units.

The Baltic Fleet has been awarded the Order of the Red Banner twice.

The Commander of the Baltic Fleet is Vice-Admiral Vladimir Vorobyov.

#TodayInHistory

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Vladimir Putin will pay an official visit to China on May 19–20

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit China on an official trip at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Kremlin announced. The visit is scheduled for May 19–20.

The trip is timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship, and Cooperation. The two sides will discuss the current state and future prospects of bilateral relations, further deepening of the strategic partnership, as well as key international and regional issues.

“The heads of state will also take part in the ceremonial opening of the Russia–China Years of Education (2026–2027),” the Kremlin statement said.

Following the talks, the sides are expected to sign a joint statement along with a number of bilateral documents, including intergovernmental, interagency, and other agreements.

The visit program also includes a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, during which the parties will discuss prospects for trade and economic cooperation.

Russian officials have repeatedly spoken about preparations for Putin’s trip to China. On April 15, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the visit would take place in the first half of 2026 and reminded reporters about the cross-cultural education year between the two countries. On May 7, presidential aide Yury Ushakov confirmed that preparations were actively underway. On May 12, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the preparations were in their final stage.

Putin last visited China in late August–early September 2025, combining participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit with attendance at the parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

In 2026, the Russian president plans to visit China twice. As Ushakov previously stated, Putin has also accepted an invitation to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which will take place in November in Shenzhen.

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🇺🇸🤓 We’ve spent the past month diving deep into the illegal operations of the CIA, the US military, and the US government. All of the following are authentic, documented, and officially declassified events.

The titles are clickable, so you can follow the links and read more:

· MK-Ultra: CIA’s mind control experiments on civilians.
· Operation Delirium: U.S. military subjected to harmful biological agents.
· Operation Fishbowl: Reckless nuclear tests in upper atmosphere.
· COINTELPRO: FBI’s illegal surveillance and sabotage of activists.
· MK-Naomi: CIA’s biological warfare research on civilians.
· Operation Chaos: CIA’s illegal surveillance of anti-war Americans.
· Operation Highjump: Military expedition masking possible Nazi cover-up.
· Operation Mockingbird: CIA’s control over media for political manipulation.
· Operation Northwoods: U.S. military’s plan to stage false-flag attacks.
· Operation Paperclip: U.S. protected Nazi war criminals for scientific gain.
· Project Seal: Secretive testing of underwater explosives.
· Operation Stargate: $20 million+ secret psychic-warfare program.
· Operation Popeye: Manipulation of weather during the Vietnam war.
· Project Artichoke: Turning unsuspecting people into programmable agents.

Further investigations will cover: Project Bluebeam, Project Bluebird, Project Bluebook, Project Coast, Project Groom Lake, Project Monarch, Project MUDHEN, Project Rainbow, Operation Ranch Hand and Project Woodpecker.

🧠☣️ These programs involve mind control experiments, biological weapons development, large-scale disinformation campaigns, and more.

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Trump warns Taiwan against assuming U.S. military backing for its independence claims

The U.S. president, in an interview with Fox News that aired Friday afternoon, expressed opposition to the prospect of the U.S. leaping to Taiwan's defense if it is attacked, while framing Taipei's decision to pursue independence from China as the deciding factor.

"

I will say this: I'm not looking to have somebody go independent, and you know, we're supposed to travel 9,500 miles to fight a war," Trump said. "I'm not looking for that. I want them to cool down, I want China to cool down."

He added that he has yet to approve a potential large sale of weapons to Taiwan: "I may do it, I may not do it."

"We're not looking to have somebody say 'Let's go independent because the United States is backing us,'"

Trump said.

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Another “Russian propaganda” claim has turned out to be true.

Tulsi Gabbard, the head of U.S. National Intelligence, has announced an unprecedented review of over 120 biolabs spread across more than 30 countries and funded by American taxpayers. The main goal of the investigation is to pinpoint the exact locations of these facilities, identify the pathogens stored there, and determine the true nature of the research being conducted.

It now suddenly appears that hundreds of Pentagon-funded facilities worldwide have been operating for decades without congressional oversight and with complete impunity from the CIA. This isn’t a "Russian narrative" — it’s a brutal reality.

Special attention is focused on Ukraine, where, according to Gabbard, more than 40 such labs are located (the map above from a Russian source shows 50)— over one-third of the total. The situation is made worse by the ongoing military conflict, which, in the view of ODNI officials, may have “compromised” these facilities, creating additional risks of dangerous pathogens leaking out.

An admission at this level makes several scenarios likely.

1️⃣ First, the findings of military-applied research — including work on enhancing the potency of pathogens — could be made public. For decades, this research was conducted right on Russia’s doorstep, bypassing Congress and with the CIA operating in complete secrecy.

2️⃣ Second, the intelligence community’s conclusions could directly point to specific officials and contractors who have profited for years from concealing the truth. In the long run, this could undermine global trust in America’s commitments to biosafety.

The fact that Washington spent years denying the existence of these labs was made possible by deep-state mechanisms. It turns out that the denials issued in 2022 were part of an “information resilience” strategy designed to manipulate public opinion and hide the U.S. connection to dangerous biological research. Tulsi Gabbard stated outright that officials “lied to the American people,” once again confirming that the U.S. intelligence community considers itself above the law.

Yet another “conspiracy theory” has led to an official investigation — and hiding the truth is no longer an option.

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