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Slavyangrad.org — Nuestra Ira No Tiene Limites — There is No Limit to Our Anger — (c) V. M. Molotov
The United States no longer intends to play the role of mediator in negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said at a briefing for journalists.
"We will not be intermediaries. We will not fly to the other side of the world at the drop of a hat to moderate meetings. The work must now be done between the two sides."
- Military Informant
@Slavyangrad
Zou Lan, of the People’s Bank of China, told a briefing this week that the investment portfolio was already effectively diversified and that “the impact of fluctuations in any single market or single asset on China’s foreign exchange reserves is generally limited”.
But many advisers, scholars and academics are voicing concern. “The safety of US Treasuries is no longer a given,” said Yang Panpan and Xu Qiyuan, two senior fellows at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, in an article in April. “That era is behind us, and we should be concerned about that change from the safeguarding perspective of our Treasury holdings.”
As Trump unravels the global trade system and publicly criticises the Federal Reserve, investors more widely are starting to question the haven status of the dollar and Treasuries.
The April sell-off in US Treasuries following Trump’s announcement of sweeping tariffs on America’s trading partners fuelled a long-standing fear in Washington and elsewhere: that China could attack the US by revenge-selling its Treasuries. Doing so could trigger alarming volatility in an asset coveted by central banks, asset managers and pension funds around the world for its stability.
But officials with knowledge of Safe’s workings say the agency does not regard massive dumping as a sensible option, preferring a gradual transition from Treasuries to other short-term assets and gold over a period of years.
Yet the volatility and unpredictability of policymaking in Washington presents a problem for a slow-moving Safe, with some arguing that tengnuo now looks increasingly unsustainable.
Media speculation about a “Mar-a-Lago accord” along the lines of the 1985 Plaza Accord. Based on an essay by Stephen Miran, now chair of Trump’s Council of Economic Advisers, the aim of such a plan would be to weaken the dollar and persuade other governments to swap their Treasury holdings for 100-year zero-coupon bonds in return for more lenient trade tariffs.
Few in financial markets believe this plan will ever be implemented. But for Yu, it is still a concern. Such a swap would constitute a default, he argued. “That poses a huge threat to China, and we may end up paying a steep price,” he added.
China’s dollar-denominated reserves peaked at nearly $4tn in 2014, according to central bank data, and have remained above $3tn since 2016. Despite their relatively low returns, Treasuries accounted for much of the pile because they were safe, liquid and (unlike gold) offered some yield.
Safe began to shift the composition of its dollar-denominated portfolio in 2017 and the pace picked up after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Even though Moscow had reduced its dollar-denominated reserves since Crimea in 2014, Chinese officials saw how easily Russia’s overseas dollar assets were frozen — and worried that, in the event of a serious confrontation with the US, China’s much larger holdings could face a similar fate.
Scholars from Tsinghua University warned in a 2024 research paper that the freezing of Moscow’s overseas assets “is a stark reminder of the financial hegemony the US wields through the dollar-based international system”, and that “the lesson for China is clear”.
Between January 2022 and December 2024, China cut its official Treasury holdings by more than 27% to $759bn, US Treasury department data shows, far outpacing the 17% decline between 2015 and 2022.
Instead, Zeng says it “makes more sense for China to increase its gold holdings”. After three years of almost no growth, official data shows a sharp 18% increase in the volume of China’s gold holdings since late 2022. Gold now accounts for about 6% of China’s total reserves, up from just 2% a few years ago.
For Chinese policymakers the stakes are now too high to ignore and the search for non-dollar alternatives continues. “We may sacrifice some yields by investing in other countries’ bonds,”
“But if conflict between the US and China escalates, sticking with the US Treasuries could mean us losing our entire [investment].”
@Slavyangrad
🇺🇸US Vice President Vance called Waltz's dismissal a "promotion":
It's not a question of firing him. He's being appointed ambassador to the UN, which is, of course, a position that requires Senate confirmation. I think it's fair to say it's a promotion. We brought Mike in specifically to do some serious reforms to the National Security Council, and he's done that. I have a good opinion of him, I think he's a great guy. He has the trust of both me and the president. But we also concluded that at this point, with the NSC reforms in place, he would be even more useful as ambassador to the UN.
@Slavyangrad
Bogatyry direction
Our assault units have secured a foothold on the southeastern outskirts of Bogatyr . The village is being stormed.
To the east of the village, our units advanced along the bank of the Volchya River.
Attacks continue in the direction of Otradny from the southeast and south.
Enemy attacks on Dneproenergiya have been repelled.
In Vesyoloye there are fierce counter battles. The enemy is present in the village.
@Slavyangrad
Sumy direction
The 83rd Airborne Assault Brigade took most of the village of Belovody .
The battles for Vladimirovka, Vodolaghy and Loknya continue. West of Loknya our units are advancing in the direction of Yablonovka , coming out on the flank of Loknya and Yunakovka .
@Slavyangrad
⚡️After the night attacks by UAVs on Crimea and Sevastopol, Iskanders have now left for the rear of the Ukrainian theater of operations.
@Slavyangrad
The first revenues from the Ukrainian subsoil agreement will come only after decades — Reuters
▪️The financial payoff from the new agreement between Ukraine and the US will likely take a decade or more, as investors face many obstacles in launching new mines.
▪️Developing mines that produce strategically important minerals can take between 10 and 20 years, mining consultants told the agency.
▪️In addition, most mineral deposits in Ukraine have little data to support their economic viability.
There are not great mineral deposits, if you think a large mineral discovery wouldn’t have been mined by the Soviet Union or the oligarchs from 1991 onwards then I think you are leaking grey matter.
@Slavyangrad
President Trump Signs Executive Order Defunding NPR and PBS.
@Slavyangrad
Russian troops began to break through into Pokrovsk itself!
▪️The Ukrainian Armed Forces published footage of an attack on a house in the southern part of Pokrovsk, which Russian military entered.
▪️Advance groups of the Russian Armed Forces began to probe the defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the city itself.
Been several non-Russian mappers noting DRG teams had entered into southern Pokvorsk in the past 24 hours.
@Slavyangrad
Vucic promises to come to Moscow on May 9, despite EU threats regarding Serbia's prospects for European integration
➖"One question, what punishment will Vucic and Serbia suffer? They say that they will punish me, that they will put me in chains. Serbia is on the European path, but I am personally ready for all kinds of punishment. I will keep my word, I told President Putin that I will come and I will go"
▪️The Serbian president added that his plans to visit Moscow worry the EU more than the fighting in Ukraine and power outages in Europe.
➖"They don't have any other topic. The world is burning, they don't know what to do with Ukraine, the power is out. Imagine if the power was cut off in Serbia for 24 hours. We would be hanged upside down. But the main and only problem is this"
@Slavyangrad
Turkey plans to build nuclear submarines, reveals Ankara's Navy Chief Tatlioglu
As tensions with Greece in the Mediterranean heat up.
Seems far fetched without a lot of foreign assistance. Handful of countries who could built the reactors and propulsion.
@Slavyangrad
The Russian army continues to repel the enemy's attack on Sevastopol
Governor Razvozhaev: The loud sounds that were heard in the city are our military repelling the drone attack. According to preliminary information, 7 UAVs have already been destroyed in the air over the sea at a great distance from the shore.
@Slavyangrad
“Savage barbarian Huns are once again approaching. Their tanks have blotted our lands in Kursk before being beaten back. Steel yourself men for the hordes approach us once again!”
😉
Note: I may have been researching WWI and WWII propaganda recently…. 👀
@Slavyangrad
US sends decommissioned F-16s to Ukraine from the "dump" (!) at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
Damaged old planes can be used as spare parts , TWZ reports.
➖"These F-16s have been removed from active service in the United States and are not airworthy. What's important is that they are missing critical components like an engine or radar and cannot be restored to operational use," a U.S. Air Force spokesman said.
Could be used as props to draw Russian fire or for parts. The F-16s given to Ukraine are at the end of their life and will require a lot of maintenance.
@Slavyangrad
On the morning of October 7, AI began persistently calling Zlob and asking whether the film had been loaded into the new vehicle at the Armavir warehouse. Zlob responded to calls and messages from AI that he would let them know as soon as the loading was completed and the vehicle was on its way. When ordering the vehicle, Zlob gave Antipov the recipient's contact information. The name was "Ivan Ivanovich."
On the evening of October 7, AI himself called Antipov and asked for the new driver's phone number so he could be in touch with him personally. During the conversation, he "expressed his concerns about the cargo and asked to unload it before the morning of October 8, citing his reluctance to pay the loaders for waiting for the cargo to arrive," Antipov recalled during interrogations.
For communication, the AI used a virtual SIM card with the Russian prefix +7, purchased for cryptocurrency. After the explosion, the AI's phone did not respond to Antipov's calls and messages.
- Military Informant
Horrific killing of only civilians.
2/2
@Slavyangrad
"This is evidence of their absolutely anti-human nature."
Maria Zakharova was outraged by the blasphemous work of exhuming the remains of Soviet soldiers buried on the Hill of Glory in Lvov.
"What is 80 years of Victory? It is 80 years of peace that did not know the Third World War. And in this anniversary year, the Kiev regime begins to mock the memory of its own ancestors with particular cynicism and cruelty," the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry noted in a conversation with Izvestia.
Romanian authorities have deported RT correspondent Chay Bowes because they fear election fraud will be exposed.
Christopher Helali, Secretary of the International Department of the Communist Party of the USA, stated this on RT:
"He has done some excellent reporting recently from Georgia, Serbia and other countries, exposing the NGO complex, exposing the growing 'color revolutions' in these regions. And I think the Romanian authorities are very concerned that they will be exposed too."
‼️ We publish the full statement of RT correspondent Chay Bowes about his illegal detention in Bucharest and deportation.
@Slavyangrad
‼️According to reports from our soldiers, the village of Belovody has been liberated from the Sumy region.
Information about successes in Vodolaghy has not been confirmed at this time.
@Slavyangrad
🇧🇷🤡 Brazilian President Ignores Six Letters from Zelensky Requesting Meeting
According to Metrópoles, the requests were sent between 2023 and 2024. Among them was a personal letter sent on October 27, 2023, Lula's birthday.
Expired also asked to be invited to the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro in October 2024, but the invitation never arrived, and the Ukrainian delegation did not attend the event.
📝 According to the publication's sources, Brasilia considered the meeting with the former comedian inappropriate, since the summit was dedicated to global topics - the fight against poverty, sustainable development and international governance.
It is also reported that after Lula announced a trip to Moscow to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Victory, Kiev invited him to visit Ukraine before his visit to Russia. However, according to Metrópoles, the Brazilian president has no such plans.
@Slavyangrad
Chay is now free and safe, I'm delighted to report. He travelled to EU member Romania from an EU country using an EU passport. Dark times we're living in. But never forget, repressive power structures are always their most repressive when facing collapse.
Russian air defense forces destroyed 121 Ukrainian drones overnight, including:
89 - drones destroyed over Crimea
23 - over the Black Sea
4 - over the territory of Krasnodar region
2 - over the territory of the Oryol region
1 - over the waters of the Sea of Azov, one - over the territory of the Bryansk region and 1 - over the territory of the Belgorod region.
There hasn't been such a massive attack on Crimea for quite a long time. There is no information yet about the consequences of the attack, we are waiting.
@Slavyangrad
It's time for Russia and Ukraine to present concrete ideas for resolving the conflict, — State Department.
▪️US Secretary of State Rubio, at a meeting with French Foreign Minister Barrot, pointed out the need for greater efforts on the part of Europe to end the war in Ukraine.
▪️The United States is not lifting existing sanctions against Russia, while Trump does not deny the possibility of introducing secondary sanctions, said State Department spokesperson Bruce.
@Slavyangrad
The Russian army seeks to land on the islands of Bugaz and Kozulyisky opposite Kherson to force the Dnepr, - Armed Forces of Ukraine
▪️ Russian troops are trying to create a bridgehead near Kherson,
Russians are trying to land on the islands, said the spokesman for the Southern Defense Forces, Colonel Voloshin.
▪️In the Kherson region, the Russian Armed Forces have become active in the south of the Dnepr Islands and are trying to seize a bridgehead near the village of Kizomis.
@Slavyangrad
Olena Semenyaka, a prominent Azov activist, will give a lecture funded by Soros’s International Renaissance Foundation 🤣
She has been instrumental in establishing Azov’s connections with various far-right groups across the globe, including Italy's CasaPound and Germany’s Der Dritte Weg.
Semenyaka also helped organize the Asgardsrei Black Metal festival in Kiev, which served as a gathering point for neo-Nazi and far-right extremists from across Europe and North America.
The enemy attacks Crimea and Sevastopol: the Russian army repels a massive attack
Numerous explosions in the sky, air defense shoots down Ukrainian drones. About 5 UAVs were shot down over Sevastopol.
Reports are that it a combined sea and air based drone attack on Crimea. US supplied naval suicide drone boats had been spotted moving towards Crimea earlier.
@Slavyangrad
A kindergarten in Dagestan celebrates the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. 🥰
@Slavyangrad
Donald Trump has confirmed the firing of Mike Waltz as his national security adviser.
Marco Rubio will serve as interim national security adviser while also serving as Secretary of State.
Waltz will be appointed (effectively demoted) as US Ambassador to the UN, replacing Elise Stefanik, who was vying for the post.
Meanwhile, Axios reported that one of the reasons for Waltz's dismissal could have been a conflict with White House Chief of Staff Susan "Susie" Wiles, which arose because of Waltz's dismissive attitude toward her. And such things are not forgiven in relation to political strategists who have worked in the Republican Party for almost half a century, and she has many more necessary "strings" in the District of Columbia.
- Military Informant
@Slavyangrad
The BBC Ukraine publication published an article about the SBU operation to blow up the Crimean Bridge on October 8, 2022.
In April 2021, Roman Solomko, an entrepreneur from the Kherson region, ordered fertilizer production equipment from China. But due to the outbreak of the war, the cargo got stuck in Turkey.
He was advised to transport the cargo to Poti, Georgia. A company headed by Levan Benashvili took care of the cargo. He proposed a scheme: he would re-register the cargo in his name, then in Poti the goods would be loaded onto a truck that would be sent to Armenia. There the cargo would be officially cleared through customs and then sent again through Georgia to Russia. Since the cargo, according to the documents, was arriving in Russia from Armenia, it should have been allowed through without any problems.
Before sending the cargo to Crimea, it had to be reloaded at a warehouse in the south of Russia; he asked his friend Vladimir Zloba to find it.
In August, Zlob contacted Artem Azatyan , a lawyer for Agro-Business LLC, which had a large warehouse in Armavir. Later, this same route and these same people would play a role in the bombing.
The story of the second cargo – construction film in rolls with explosives – began with a telephone conversation between Denis Kovacs, Solomko’s neighbor in an apartment building in Kherson, with whom he traveled to Georgia. All information about Kovacs is known only from Solomko’s testimony.
In Georgia, Kovacs, according to Solomka, constantly talked with a certain "Misha the smuggler" - Mikhail Tsyurkalo . When Tsyurkalo heard that the men were busy delivering cargo by a roundabout route to Russia, he became interested and asked for contacts.
Tsyurkalo suggested Solomko use the route he had found to transport goods to the Kherson region. He almost immediately told Solomko that he had "film in Bulgaria that has buyers" and asked for Benashvili's contacts.
From then on, Tsyurkalo and Benashvili communicated mainly directly. Kovacs volunteered to accompany the cargo with construction film. Benashvili indicated the fictitious LLC "Lider", created in the fall of 2021, as the final recipient of the film.
The cargo from Poti to Russia was transported by Artur Terchanyan . On September 25, his boss from the Georgian transport company called him and said that there was a new order. The trucker knew nothing about the origin of the cargo, and the boss did not explain who the owner of the cargo and the customer were.
At the loading, as Terchanyan said during interrogations, there were four unknown men. In the sea container on pallets in two rows were rolls of cellophane wrapped in transparent film.
Terchanyan arrived at the Verkhniy Lars checkpoint on October 5. Then a stranger called him (the investigation later established that it was Denis Kovacs) and asked, "You're carrying cellophane, right?" Kovacs asked the driver to call Azatyan while approaching Armavir. The next day, Terchanyan arrived at the warehouse of the Agro-Business company, unloaded, and left.
After unloading in Armavir, the cargo had to be loaded into a new truck and sent to Simferopol. Zlob asked Alexander Bilin to help find a car, but he forwarded the request to Oleg Antipov , who officially accepted the order. Within an hour, a private entrepreneur, for whom Makhir Yusubov worked as a driver, responded to the ad.
Then a certain "Ivan Ivanovich" (hereinafter - AI) appears in the case. His contacts were sent to Solomka by Kovacs. Kovacs, presumably, received them from Tsyurkal.
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@Slavyangrad