Moscow. December 12.
The Moscow City Court has sentenced in absentia the prosecutor and eight judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the unlawful prosecution of citizens of the Russian Federation.

“(ICC Prosecutor) Karim Khan has been sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment, with the first nine years to be served in prison and the remainder in a strict-regime penal colony,” the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office reported on Friday.

The remaining representatives of the International Criminal Court were sentenced to terms of imprisonment ranging from 3.5 to 15 years.

“The court established that between February and March 2022, in The Hague, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan unlawfully initiated criminal proceedings against citizens of the Russian Federation. The ICC Presidency, in the absence of lawful grounds, instructed chamber judges to issue knowingly unlawful arrest warrants against them,” the Russian supervisory authority stated.

The Investigative Committee of Russia, for its part, reported that the convicted ICC judges include Tomoko Akane, Rosario Salvatore Aitala, Sergio Gerardo Ugalde Godínez, Haikel Ben Mahfoud, as well as ICC President Piotr Józef Hofmański, his deputies Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza, Bertram Schmitt, and Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini-Gansou. All of them were found guilty of violating Russian legislation related to the unlawful prosecution of Russian citizens (Part 2 of Article 299, Part 2 of Article 301, Part 1 of Article 30 in conjunction with Part 2 of Article 360 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

The prosecutor and judges have been placed on an international wanted list.

As previously reported, on March 17, 2023, the Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova. Three days later, on March 20, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened a criminal case against the ICC judges who issued the arrest warrants.

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US National Security Strategy: Promoting European Greatness.

The new US National Security Strategy (NSS) devotes only 2.5 of its 33 pages to Europe.

To this arithmetic, add one key quote:

"Continental Europe has been losing share of global GDP—down from 25 percent in 1990 to 14 percent today—partly owing to national and transnational regulations
that undermine creativity and industriousness.
But this economic decline is eclipsed by the real and more stark prospect of civilizational erasure. The larger issues facing Europe include activities of the European Union and other transnational bodies that undermine political liberty and
sovereignty, migration policies that are transforming the continent and creating strife, censorship of free speech and suppression of political opposition, cratering birthrates, and loss of national identities and self-confidence."

The next quote from the NSS contains a forecast—monstrously politically incorrect by European standards, yet arguably the most plausible—regarding the consequences of Europe's migration policy:

"Over the long term, it is more than plausible that within a few decades at the latest, certain NATO members will become majority non-European."

Completing this puzzle is the title of the "European" section: "Promoting European Greatness." Clearly, the United States casts itself as the agent of this promotion—after all, not the EU, whose activities, according to the NSS, generate many of Europe's problems.

Washington's claim to agency over Europe's domestic politics is stated not between the lines, but in black and white:

"We will oppose elite-driven,
anti-democratic restrictions on core liberties in Europe, the Anglosphere, and the rest of the democratic world, especially among our allies (…) Our goal should be to help Europe correct its current trajectory. We will need a strong Europe to help us successfully compete, and to work in concert with us to prevent any adversary from dominating Europe. We want Europe to remain European, to regain its civilizational self-confidence, and to abandon its failed focus on regulatory suffocation."

This is the very rhetoric once used by the "collective West" toward Third World countries—now wielded by Washington to lecture the "old continent."

As for the Russo-Ukrainian war, its resolution is framed as a "vital US interest" in order to:

1. "stabilize European economies";
2. “prevent unintended escalation or expansion of the war”;
3. “reestablish strategic stability with Russia”;
4. “enable the post-hostilities reconstruction of Ukraine to enable its survival as a viable state.”

Regarding point 1, the NSS argues that the Ukrainian conflict has increased Europe's dependence on… China (not, as one might assume, on expensive American LNG replacing cheap Russian pipeline gas). The document notes, for example:

"Today, German chemical companies are building some of the world’s largest processing plants in China, using Russian gas that they cannot obtain at home.”

As for Russia, the US regards it as an "existential threat" to Europe—but not to the United States—yet emphasizes "strategic stability" and mediation.
The text sharply states:

"The Trump Administration finds itself at odds with European officials who hold unrealistic expectations for the war perched in unstable minority governments, many of which trample on basic principles of
democracy to suppress opposition."


The "suppressed opposition" here refers to European national-conservatives, while the country with an "unstable minority government" is, unmistakably, France.

NB: Beyond signaling a desire to restore strategic stability with Russia, the NSS also indicates US readiness to manage Europe's relations with Russia—as if Europeans were incapable of doing so themselves. (No further comment necessary.)

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On December 14, 1943, the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) approved the National Anthem of the USSR.

In the early months following the February Revolution of 1917, the "Russian Marseillaise" (a revolutionary song written by Pyotr Lavrov to the tune of the French "Marseillaise") was used as the anthem. In 1918, it was replaced by "The Internationale."

In 1943, a competition was held to create a new anthem for the USSR, with 170 composers and 19 poets participating. On December 14, 1943, the version composed by Alexander Alexandrov with lyrics by Sergey Mikhalkov and El-Registan (Gabriel Ureklyants) was approved.

On January 1, 1944, the majestic new National Anthem of the USSR—“Unbreakable Union of Freeborn Republics”—was broadcast on the radio for the first time.

The National Anthem of the Russian Federation differs from the USSR anthem in terms of lyrics, also written by Sergey Mikhalkov. However, the music remains unchanged and is still one of the most recognizable and inspiring in the world.

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🇪🇺 HOW THE EU MAY COLLAPSE: KEY SCENARIOS

1️⃣ Euroscepticism surge: national referendums → countries exit euro → EU/eurozone becomes ungovernable → powers return to national governments

Brexit-style exits could be fueled by the rallying cry of France’s Marine Le Pen (National Rally’s ‘Frexit’ rhetoric), Germany’s AfD (floated ‘Dexit’), Hungary's PM Victor Orban, Slovak PM Robert Fico.

2️⃣ Economic crisis: capital flight, rising bond yields, euro depreciation → European Central Bank divided → public debt becomes unsustainable → single market collapses

3️⃣ Institutional decline: EU institutions weakened or disbanded → loss of global influence and coordination

4️⃣ Loss of legitimacy: Member states lose trust in EU leaders → strip them of authority to make decisions on their behalf → promote alternative leaders outside Brussels

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Despite London's anti-Russia rhetoric, British businesses are widely violating sanctions and seeking loopholes to cooperate with Russia, RT has found.

🟩 A report by the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation shows that cases of breaching restrictive measures numbered 147 in the 2021/22 financial year, rising to 473 the following year. A year later, the number remained almost as high at 396.

🟩 British companies conduct business with Russian firms directly or through chains of intermediaries. Most sanctions violations occur in the financial sector.

🟩 Statistics show that bankers and investment funds most frequently ignore the restrictions, followed by lawyers, insurers, and maritime freight representatives.

🟩 Companies are periodically hit with large symbolic fines — for example, £1.16 million for supplying goods to persons linked to Russia — but overall case resolution statistics suggest the system's low effectiveness.

🟩 Dmitry Suslov, Deputy Director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at HSE University, points out that companies deliberately circumvent restrictions due to the high profitability of cooperation.

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Zelensky and Witkoff shake hands at Berlin meet-up, Merz grinning as he looks on

Source: RT news

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#NoComment

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On December 15, 1999, the Moscow Museum of Modern Art (MMOMA) was opened, becoming the first state museum in Russia specializing in 20th and 21st-century art. The museum was established under the initiative of Zurab Tsereteli, the president of the Russian Academy of Arts, with the support of the Moscow Government and the Department of Culture of the city. The museum's collection began with Tsereteli’s personal collection, which included over 2,000 works by renowned 20th-century artists.

Over time, the museum's holdings grew significantly, and today it houses one of the largest collections of Russian art from the 20th century. The museum's collection features masterpieces by iconic Russian artists such as Kazimir Malevich, Marc Chagall, Natalia Goncharova, Mikhail Larionov, El Lissitzky, Ivan Klyun, Olga Rozanova, Vasily Kandinsky, and Pavel Filonov, among others. The museum also showcases works by prominent international artists, including graphic works by Pablo Picasso, sculptures by Salvador Dalí, paintings by Henri Rousseau, and works by Françoise Gilot.

MMOMA serves as a cultural hub for the appreciation of modern art, offering exhibitions, educational programs, and events. Its mission is to preserve, promote, and make accessible the masterpieces of both Russian and global modernism. The museum is committed to expanding its collection, acquiring contemporary works from the new generations of Russian artists.

Annually, the museum attracts more than 70,000 visitors, making it one of the most visited art institutions in Moscow. Its role in the cultural landscape of Russia is continually growing, contributing to the recognition of modern art in the country. MMOMA also supports international collaboration and dialogue, further solidifying its reputation on the global art scene.

#TodayInHistory

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Wise words by Kanwal Sibal (born 18 November 1943), career diplomat who retired as Foreign Secretary to the Government of India.

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