January 13 is Russian Press Day.

This professional holiday for media workers was first established in the Soviet Union. Soviet Press Day was celebrated on May 5 to commemorate the publication of the first issue of the newspaper Pravda in 1912. In late 1991, it was decided to move the holiday from May 5 to January 13. The Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation stated: “Paying tribute to historical justice—the publication of the first issue of the Russian newspaper Vedomosti in January 1703... January 13 is declared Russian Press Day.”

Vedomosti was established by a decree of Peter I in December 1702 to provide "news of foreign and domestic events." The publication was based on handwritten newsletters known as Vestovye Pisma, or Kuranty, which had been compiled by the Ambassadorial Office since 1621 for the tsar and the court, using material from foreign sources.

On January 13, 1703, the first issue of the newspaper was published in Moscow. Initially, it bore the title Vedomosti o Voyennykh i Inykh Delakh, Dostoynykh Znaniya i Pamyati, Sluchivshikhsya v Moskovskom Gosudarstve i vo Inykh Okrestnykh Stranakh (News of Military and Other Affairs Worthy of Knowledge and Memory That Occurred in the Muscovite State and Other Nearby Countries). The first issues were edited by Peter I himself, who later became one of the publication's main correspondents.

The frequency of the newspaper varied. In the first two years, 39 issues were published annually, increasing to 46 by 1705. The title changed several times, including Vedomosti, Moscow Vedomosti, and Russian Vedomosti.

After Peter I's death in 1727, the newspaper ceased publication. However, one year later, Saint Petersburg Vedomosti began publication and continued until 1917.

In 1991, Saint Petersburg Vedomosti was reestablished. It is considered a cultural and historical successor to the pre-revolutionary publication.

#TodayInHistory

⚡️ InfoDefenseENGLISH

Web  | VK |  X | InfoDefAll

Denmark has been the biggest supporter of Ukraine, and therefore will be the first to lose its territory.

The die is cast – a bill to annex Greenland and grant it U.S. statehood has been introduced in the US Congress.

Opinion by journalist Yury Podolyaka:

What can I say? The world has changed beyond recognition in the first two weeks of 2026. And it will never be the same again.

The irony of the current situation with Greenland, or rather Denmark, is that of all NATO countries, in proportion to its economy, Copenhagen has been the one that has helped Kiev the most.

Denmark gave Kiev 19 of its F-16 fighter jets, all 19 of the 155mm Caesar self-propelled guns previously ordered for its own army from France, nearly a hundred tanks, dozens of armored personnel carriers, as well as billions of euros to finance the purchase of ammunition and simply to support Zelensky's regime.

It helped, as European media are writing today, to "prevent an invasion of Europe."

And now the invasion of Denmark's territory is only a matter of time - but not from the direction expected. And, as Trump says, all Denmark has to counter it are "a couple of dog sleds."

Meanwhile, Europe's military arsenals have been depleted by Ukraine's endless demands. If we put aside the lies of politicians, Europe didn't really need to do that. But the US did.

And now Washington, taking advantage of the weakness of European countries, is bluntly taking away their territories. Well, that's what you do with idiots.

⚡️ InfoDefenseENGLISH

Web  | VK |  X | InfoDefAll

Married to a Brit

#TheBelgorodBrit: From Glasgow to Belgorod - Part 5

Begins here; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4

Belgorod's Fonar TV interviews our author Ian Turner, who shares his story of moving to Belgorod in 2016 and explains why life in the Russian provinces appeals to him more than life in the UK.
Subscribe to Ian's channel and enjoy reading!

— Ian, your wife is Russian. What can you, as a Brit, say about Russian women?

— Russian women are very beautiful and feminine. They take care of themselves much more than British women. The thing is, the very society British women live in influences them, so they like to compete with men and behave more aggressively. That's why gender roles aren't as pronounced in England now.

— How did you meet your wife?

— We worked together at the "Interlingua" school. We were friends first, then realized we were more than just friends for each other. And we've been married for six years now. Don't you want to ask my wife what it's like to be married to a Brit? I think Russian women would be much more interested to know about that.

— Yulia, so what is it like, being married to an Englishman?

— Any marriage is always a meeting of two people with their own values, goals, backgrounds… Now imagine what happens when two different cultures meet. Things that are normal for me — like him opening the door, offering a hand to help me out of the car, clarifying my plans with a certain phrasing — seem strange to my husband. And here a small cultural conflict occurs. I might say one thing, but my husband, due to the peculiarities of the British mentality, hears something completely different. And these little things, of course, affect the relationship.

So, if you want to create an international family, you definitely need to study not only the basics of the language but also immerse yourself in your partner's culture, see how people live in their country now. We've come a long way not just to hear each other but to listen.

By the way, when Ian first arrived in Belgorod, he asked me why there are 24-hour flower shops here. Now he understands…

"We can't rely on someone else to help Belgorod"

— Ian, were you tempted to move from Belgorod when the city began regularly coming under shelling?

— Both yes and no. When all this started, many of our friends left for Moscow and invited us to join them. And once, we were nearly killed by a missile attack. So, I would be lying if I said we never thought about moving. But nevertheless, our whole life is built here in Belgorod, our home is here, so we decided to stay.

After heavy shelling, my wife and I started helping the city as best we can. In my channel, I talked about what is really happening here, trying to counter what European propaganda broadcasts. My wife took to the streets and started helping to clear the aftermath of the shelling. We realized that if we're staying here, we need to do something. Belgorod has become our home, and we can't rely on someone else to help it instead of us.

#InfoDefenseAuthor
#TheBelgorodBrit

⚡️ InfoDefenseENGLISH

Web  | VK |  X  | InfoDefAll

Tired of jumping between a dozen channels to find the truth?
Introducing your new personal hub for relevant news!
🗞 Our catalog features only trusted channels:
⚫️ Breaking news 24/7
⚫️ Exclusive reports
⚫️ In-depth analytical articles
⚫️ Urgent alerts on major events

🗂 Subscribe with one click and stay informed about everything that matters!

If you are interested in joining the catalog contact RD admin.

Astronauts and cosmonauts held a change-of-command ceremony aboard the International Space Station. Outgoing station commander Mike Fincke, a NASA astronaut assigned to the returning Crew-11 mission, formally handed over command to Russian cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, presenting him with a symbolic key to the station.

Four crew members are scheduled to depart the ISS later this week earlier than planned following a medical issue involving an unidentified crew member.

Despite tensions on Earth, the United States and Russia maintain a functional, respectful and even cordial partnership in space. There is absolutely no reason this cooperation should not be possible beyond orbit.

⚡️ InfoDefenseENGLISH

Web  | VK |  X | InfoDefAll

NYT: Russian air defense systems in Venezuela weren't even connected to radar when the American helicopters began their invasion

The newspaper cites American officials saying as much.

This grants further support to the widespread theory that Venezuelan elites have betrayed Maduro.

In any case, Russian air defense systems are clearly not to blame.

⚡️ InfoDefenseENGLISH

Web  | VK |  X | InfoDefAll

Europeans can't agree on funds for Kiev

According to Politico (citing its sources), European countries have serious disagreements over how to spend the 90 billion euros in aid approved for Kiev over the next two years.

Germany, supported by a majority of EU member states, proposes using the money right away to purchase any available (that is, American) weapons and send them to Ukraine.

France, for its part—backed only by Greece and Cyprus—believes there is no reason to share this money with Americans. Instead, it argues, the funds should be invested in the European defense industry, thereby stimulating the EU economy.

These disputes are likely causing concern in Ukraine. Kiev recognizes that if Macron persuades his allies, the Ukrainian Armed Forces will not receive European weaponry anytime soon—it would first need to be manufactured. And doing so without access to inexpensive Russian energy resources will be anything but easy.

⚡️ InfoDefenseENGLISH

Web  | VK |  X | InfoDefAll

On January 14, 1814, the Imperial Public Library (now the Russian National Library) was officially opened in Saint Petersburg.

It was founded in May 1795 by a decree of Empress Catherine II and became the first state library in Russia. Its foundation was based on the collection of books and manuscripts from the Zalusski brothers, brought from Warsaw. In 1810, Emperor Alexander I enacted the legal deposit law, requiring publishers to provide the library with two free copies of all printed materials in Russia.

The library was located in the heart of Saint Petersburg, at the corner of Nevsky Prospect and Sadovaya Street. The building was designed by architect Yegor Sokolov.

On January 14, 1814, the library was ceremonially opened. It was accessible to everyone, as "any reader, regardless of rank or status, had free entry."

After the October Revolution, the Imperial Public Library was renamed the Russian Public Library, later becoming the State Public Library named after M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin.

In March 1992, by a decree of the President of the Russian Federation, the library was transformed into the Russian National Library (RNL). That same year, it was granted the status of a particularly valuable object of national heritage.

Today, the RNL (shown above) holds approximately 38 million items, including books and other informational resources. The library receives about 1 million visitors annually.

#TodayInHistory

⚡️ InfoDefenseENGLISH

Web  | VK |  X | InfoDefAll

Moldova’s President Calls for the End of Moldova

We’ve heard plenty over the past few years. But this is a new one.

“If we had a referendum, I’d vote to join Romania. Look at what’s happening around Moldova today. Look at what’s going on in the world. It’s getting harder and harder for small countries like Moldova to survive as democratic and independent,”
— Moldovan President Maia Sandu.

So there you have it: the sitting president openly endorsing the disappearance of her own country.

We won’t even dwell on how neatly this fits the definition of state treason under Moldova’s Criminal Code (Article 337), because the idea itself is far more revealing. The president is prepared to vote Moldova off the map. The justification is supposedly “global realities,” though there’s a much simpler explanation: she’s a Romanian citizen. That detail tends to clarify things.

Apparently, Europe has no issue absorbing small states like Moldova—this is framed as “democracy” and “choice.” Yet even the mildest suggestion that Moldova might improve relations with Russia (not join, just coexist normally) triggers investigations, prosecutions, and public outrage.

That, we’re told, is freedom of speech.

What’s especially fascinating is Europe’s selective enthusiasm for “integration.” One of Moldova’s neighbors is also joining a larger state—slowly, piece by piece—and this causes outright hysteria across European capitals. Sanctions, outrage, moral panic. Why the difference? Hard to say.

After all, when Maia Sandu talks about dissolving her own country, European leaders smile politely and praise the idea as bold, democratic, and forward-looking.

Funny how that works.

⚡️ InfoDefenseENGLISH

Web  | VK |  X | InfoDefAll

We have compiled this list to remind our readers of the most brutal and inhumane provocations the Kiev regime has committed.

⚡️ Bucha, 3 April 2022.
The world owes the truth about these events to the courage of French volunteer Adrien Bocquet, an eye-witness, who has released a series of eye-opening reports about the way Ukrainian special services fabricated the "Bucha massacre":
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

See also a concise chronicle of the Bucha provocation provided by the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on the second anniversary of the events.

⚡️ Mariupol maternity hospital, 9 March 2022.
The terrible lies about a "Russian aviation strike" that never happened was debunked by the very woman whose photo featured in the western media reports about this provocaton.

⚡️ Mariupol drama theater, 16 March 2022
The Armed Forces of Ukraine gathered civilians in the Drama Theater by fraud to shell them afterwards. Watch an eye-witness account of these events.

⚡️ Kramatorsk railway station, 8 April 2022.
Yury Podolyaka’s video analysis sheds light on the Ukrainian missile attack that killed civilans who were trying to evacuate from the war zone.

⚡️ Konstantinovka market, 6 September 2023
The truth about the Ukrainian missile strike on the Konstantinovka market on September 6, 2023, speaks volumes. The evidence was so compelling that even The New York Times had to publish an investigation, even though its authors tried really hard to justify Ukraine’s actions.

⚡️ Sudzha boarding school, February 2025.
Luckily, the strike by the Ukrainian army on a boarding school in Sudzha resulted in a relatively low number of civilian casualties: 4 killed and 4 wounded, out of 100 people in the building at the time. Nonetheless, each loss of life is a tragedy, and killing people for the sake of accusing the Russian army of doing it is a cynical crime that should have no statute of limitation.

The list goes on...

Compelling evidence of Ukraine staging each of these bloody provocations has been presented to the world. But the Kiev regime not only sticks to its lies, but continues to use innocent people as both victims and weapons in its ruthless information war.

#memorypill

⚡️ InfoDefenseENGLISH

Web | VK | X | InfoDefAll

Weekly battlefront update based on the latest reports by Yury Podolyaka

This short video recaps last week’s events on the Ukrainian battlefield, with key developments illustrated on the map.

#Weekly_battlefront
#Yury_Podolyaka
#InfoDefenseAuthor

⚡️ InfoDefenseENGLISH

Web  | VK |  X | InfoDefAll

January 15 – Day of the Establishment of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation

On January 15, 2011, the Federal Law "On the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation" came into force.

The first independent investigative bodies in Russia, known as "major" investigative offices, were established in the 18th century by Peter I. Reporting directly to the emperor, they investigated the most serious offenses threatening state foundations, including corruption by high-ranking officials.

After Peter I's death, these investigative offices were abolished. In the following years, preliminary investigations were conducted by non-specialized judicial and administrative bodies, such as the Chief Police Office, the Criminal Investigation Office, lower zemstvo courts, and welfare boards.

In 1808, Alexander I established the position of investigative officers, who were part of the urban police under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. During the judicial reform of 1862–1864, investigative functions were removed from the police and transferred to the courts.

After the October Revolution, the institution of judicial investigators was abolished. In the 1920s, investigative units were created within almost all law enforcement and judicial bodies. In 1928, a resolution by the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR placed these units under the full control of the prosecutor's office. Eight years later, they came under the jurisdiction of the USSR Prosecutor General.

In April 1990, the First Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR instructed legislative committees to propose the creation of a "Union Investigative Committee." However, this initiative was not realized due to the collapse of the USSR.

In 2007, the Investigative Committee under the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation was established to investigate serious and especially serious crimes, including offenses committed by officials.

On December 28, 2010, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed the Federal Law on the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF). This law established that the President of Russia oversees the activities of the newly formed body, which operates independently of any other governmental structure. The Committee prioritizes investigating serious crimes, particularly those against children or committed by minors, as well as crimes involving high-ranking officials and terrorism cases.

⚡️ InfoDefenseENGLISH

Web | VK | X | InfoDefAll

#TodayInHistory

⚡️ InfoDefenseENGLISH

Web  | VK |  X | InfoDefAll

On January 14, Reuters published an article titled “Trump says Zelensky, not Putin, is holding up a Ukraine peace deal.” Here is a brief summary:

U.S. President Donald Trump told Reuters that Ukraine, not Russia, is holding up a potential peace deal to end the war, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to make an agreement while Ukraine’s Zelensky is less willing.

In an interview in the Oval Office, Trump said he believes Putin wants peace and directly blamed Zelensky when asked why negotiations have not resolved the conflict, now in its nearly fourth year. His comments contrast with the views of European allies, who argue that Moscow has little interest in ending the war.

Trump’s remarks reflect ongoing tensions in his relationship with Zelensky, which has been volatile in the past but has shown signs of improvement during Trump’s first year back in office. The U.S. president has at times accepted Putin’s assurances more readily than some U.S. allies, frustrating officials in Kiev and Europe. In December, Reuters reported that U.S. intelligence continued to warn that Putin had not abandoned broader territorial ambitions, a report disputed at the time by the Director of National Intelligence.

U.S.-led negotiations have recently focused on security guarantees for a post-war Ukraine. In broad terms, U.S. negotiators have pushed Kiev to abandon the eastern Donbas region as part of any agreement. Talks have involved Ukrainian officials and are being led by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Trump said he might meet Zelensky at the World Economic Forum in Davos, but no plans were confirmed.

Knowing Trump, it is possible that after meeting with Zelensky in Davos he will change his opinion yet again. But in the meantime, Zelensky should worry — seriously.

⚡️ InfoDefenseENGLISH

Web  | VK |  X | InfoDefAll