🇷🇺🇿🇦📞 On February 10, President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa spoke over the phone.

Issues related to the further development of mutually beneficial cooperation in the trade, economic and investment spheres were discussed, in line with the Russia-South Africa Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The situation around Ukraine was also addressed. Cyril Ramaphosa expressed support for Russia’s efforts aimed at achieving a political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict.

During an exchange of views on current international affairs, the Presidents noted the importance of continuing coordination between Russia and South Africa, including within the frameworks of the #G20 and #BRICS.

#RussiaSouthAfrica

⚡️ Statement by Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on the terrorist attack in Islamabad (February 10, 2026)

On February 6, a suicide bomber carried out an attack on a mosque in Islamabad, killing 32 people and injuring 170.

We strongly condemn this barbaric act, carried out during Friday prayers amid a large gathering of worshippers, once again demonstrating the inhuman nature of terrorism.

Moscow has consistently advocated for uniting the efforts of all members of the international community in combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

We stand ready to step up cooperation with Islamabad in countering this common threat.

▪️ We express our sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to those injured.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin sent his condolences to President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

🎙 Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's response to a media question regarding the decision of the Israeli Government to tighten control in the West Bank (10 February 2026)

❓ Question: According to incoming reports, on February 8, the Israeli Government, at a meeting of its inter-ministerial Commission on National Security, approved a package of measures that unilaterally revises the rules for land registration and property acquisition in the West Bank. This may imply the lifting of a long-standing ban on non-Muslims acquiring land in the area. At the same time, Israeli authorities would assume control over holy sites revered by followers of all Abrahamic religions, as well as oversight of compliance with environmental legislation. What is the position of the Russian MFA on this matter?

💬 Maria Zakharova: The official text of this decision has not yet been published. However, it has already provoked sharp criticism from Palestinians and across the Arab-Muslim world. The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) views it as an open attempt to “legalize the expansion of settlements, land confiscation and the destruction of Palestinian property in areas under Palestinian sovereignty”.

The new Israeli decisions concerning the West Bank warrant condemnation by the international community and give rise to serious concern.

An attempt has been made to depart from the spirit and provisions of the Oslo II Accord, concluded in 1995 between Israel and the PNA.

Another blow is being dealt to the prospects for stabilizing the situation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone and for a final settlement of the Palestinian issue on the well-known international legal basis, with the two-State solution at its core.

☝️ We call on the Israeli authorities to reconsider the planned steps aimed at altering the status quo in the West Bank, in order to avoid further dangerous escalation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone and throughout the region.

🎙 Remarks by Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov following the wreath-laying ceremony on the occasion of Russian Diplomatic Workers' Day (February 10, 2026)

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💬 Sergey Lavrov: It is a great honour to welcome our friends and allies to this ceremony today. I greatly appreciate the presence of representatives of the #CIS and senior officials from the executive bodies of the Eurasian integration associations.

We are confident that respect for our shared history and devotion to the unparalleled heroism of our fathers and grandfathers during the Great Patriotic War constitute a vital foundation for deepening cooperation between our diplomatic services and states, while also providing a solid basis for the successful implementation of unifying initiatives across the Eurasian space.

Preserving the memory of our struggle against Nazism is of particular importance in preventing this hateful ideology from re-emerging in any form or manifestation. This year marks 80 years since the conclusion of the Nuremberg Trials, when history delivered its final and irrevocable verdict on the war criminals of the Third Reich for the genocide of the peoples of the former Soviet Union.

We will continue our efforts to ensure that the rulings of the Tribunal remain inviolable and that the crimes once condemned never occur again – whether in Ukraine or anywhere else in Europe where attempts are being made to disguise Nazism as something acceptable.

In close coordination with our allies, strategic partners and friends from the Global Majority, we will continue to promote a constructive international agenda, strengthen security throughout Eurasia and advance various forms of integration in line with the initiatives put forward by Russia's President Vladimir Putin. Through these efforts, we aim to facilitate the formation of a #MultipolarWorld firmly grounded in the principles of the UN Charter in their entirety and interconnection.

❗️ We will continue to resolutely defend Russia's national interests, do everything necessary to protect the lives and dignity of our citizens and compatriots, preserve and build upon the historical, spiritual and moral legacy passed down to us by our ancestors.

I am strongly convinced that the staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is fully prepared to meet these challenges. You have my sincere gratitude.

In conclusion, I would like to extend my congratulations on Russian Diplomatic Workers' Day to all employees of the Ministry’s central office in Moscow, its territorial missions in Russia's regions, our diplomatic missions abroad, and our dear veterans of the diplomatic service.

#DiplomatsDay2026

On 8 February, SBS aired the film The Anti-Soviet Fighters (French-Lithuanian co-production), which is built entirely on lies and a cynical falsification of history.

Members of the “Forest Brothers” armed gangs are portrayed as heroes who “waged a decade-long fight against Soviet control in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia”.

In fact, the core of this “movement” was composed of former military personnel of the Baltic states belonging to the territorial SS battalions. They were involved in bloody crimes against civilians. The Nuremberg Tribunal designated all persons officially admitted as members of the SS as criminals.

According to official figures, between 1944 and 1956, the “Forest Brothers” killed more than 25'000 people in Lithuania, including over 1'000 children (52 of them were under the age of two), more than 2'000 in Latvia and 800 in Estonia. The overwhelming majority of the victims were local common people who supported the Soviet authorities or simply refused to assist underground bandit formations.

❗️This film is an attempt to brainwash the SBS audience, revise the outcomes of the Nuremberg Tribunal and glorify murderers depicting them as “freedom fighters”.

Rewriting the history of the Second World War is a dangerous path to revival of Nazism and to tragedies which must never be repeated.

🎙 Remarks by Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the 15th Middle East Conference (Moscow, February 9, 2026)

💬 Sergey Lavrov: The Middle East is the focal point of numerous global processes.

Even if they originate elsewhere, many of these processes spill over into the Middle East in one way or another conflicting with the interests of other countries.

Much to my regret, I don’t think things in this region will calm down anytime soon, despite the vast number of initiatives we are all aware of.

Many of them emerged shortly after the Arab Spring, when in 2011 the West set out to ravage undesirable regimes in Libya and Syria. Thankfully, not much blood was shed in Tunisia. The regime there changed without significant casualties. Iraq is on that list, too, of course, but Iraq was before the Arab Spring. <...>

Developments are underway in Yemen and Sudan. The ripple effect of the developments in Somalia can be felt in the Middle East, especially after Somaliland had been recognised recently by our Israeli colleagues, and the ensuing reaction from Mogadishu.

All of this is unfolding against the backdrop of the principal trend which is driving the Palestinian issue into a hopeless impasse. This isn’t the first time this is happening, as the previous Trump administration promoted the Abraham Accords when the Saudi Arabian King’s 2002 Arab Peace Initiative was turned upside down.

It proclaimed the creation of a Palestinian state and the recognition of Israel by the entire Arab world. Everyone hoped that this would actually come to pass.

Moreover, after the Arab League endorsed this Saudi Arabian initiative, it was also endorsed at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Summit in Beirut. All Islamic countries unanimously backed the initiative to recognise Israel in the context of the creation of a viable Palestinian state in accordance with UN resolutions.

The Abraham Accords dramatically changed the sequence of events. First, everyone was supposed to recognise Israel, and, they said, we’ll see what happens next. We are now observing what stood behind “we’ll see.” <...>

We get convinced on a daily basis that more efforts are needed. Yes, a Peace Council has been established, as have bodies subordinate to it, including an executive body made up of Palestinian technocrats. Their real powers remain unknown.

We hope that these issues will be clarified all the more so as our American colleagues have now suddenly announced a transition to the second phase of implementation of President Trump’s plan. This phase includes reconstruction work and humanitarian issues.

The prospect of creating a Palestinian state remains the key issue. The arrangements can be made to provide temporary housing for the Palestinians. As you may be aware, nothing in this world is more permanent than a temporary solution. Everyone understands this. <...>

I cannot help but say that we are closely following the Iran-related developments. We welcome the mediation efforts offered by the Sultanate of Oman. Yesterday, I spoke at length with my friend, the head of the Sultanate of Oman’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Badr Al Busaidi. We believe this issue must be settled peacefully.

We understand that, as in the case of Palestine, some of the direct participants in the process may be tempted to use force and finish off their opponents, so to speak.

However, this is the wrong approach. It will only lead to more problems and will in no way resolve the issue or ensure the security of any country. I think you are well aware of it. Therefore, we and our Chinese colleagues remain in constant contact with our Iranian friends. <...>

Events are currently unfolding in Syria. In addition to maintaining unity and interethnic and interfaith harmony in the Syrian Arab Republic, the Kurdish issue has also become a pressing issue, affecting not only Syria but many other countries in the region as well. The events currently unfolding around the Syrian Kurds also deserve a separate discussion. This, as I earlier said, is an issue of regional dimension.

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🇷🇺🇿🇦 Russian Embassy in South Africa:

🎙 Russian Ambassador to South Africa Roman Ambarov’s comment to Sputnik Africa:

Diplomacy today is more demanding than ever, but it is also deeply rewarding. <...> Our work here in Africa is both particularly important and deeply responsible.

Africa is confidently moving to the forefront of global politics and the global economy. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has described this process as the continent's new awakening, and we are supporting it at every level.

📈 Over the past five years, trade between Russian and African countries has grown by more than 60 percent from 17 to almost 28 billion dollars.

Behind these figures are real projects in energy, industry, agriculture, transport, and high-tech sectors. We are significantly strengthening humanitarian cooperation. The number of African students studying in Russia has nearly doubled, and this trend continues. <...>

Our country consistently supports Africa in realizing its potential on the global stage. Last year was especially significant. South Africa chaired the G20 for the first time, and Russia took an active part in all key events of the South African Presidency.

🎙 Russia's Ambassador to Thailand Evgeny Tomikhin to RT on Diplomatic Workers' Day (February 10, 2026)

💬 The point is cooperation between Russia and foreign friends. Of course, first of all through diplomacy. Without any meetings or personal contacts, diplomacy might not be as comprehensive as it should be. But for us, during Diplomats’ Day, we recall our veteran diplomats, older generations, teachers. Because everyone, during his or her diplomatic career, accumulated a lot of experience and knowledge learned from the older generation.

It is very important to learn from history. That is the problem, I think, in many Western countries today. It is quite a basic and obvious principle — if you forget the past, there will be no future. You should learn lessons from history. We have a similar attitude with Thai friends: they pay quite big attention to historical experience and lessons.

🎙 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's interview with the online project “Empatia Manuchi” (Manuchi's Empathy) (February 11, 2026)

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Key outtakes:

• Russia's legitimate interest lies in ensuring its own security. Like any normal country, we are interested in ensuring the continuity of our history and the development of our people in the most favourable external conditions – ones that enable economic growth, fulfilment of social objectives and a steady improvement in the well-being of our citizens.

• Despite the constitutional guarantees of linguistic rights, over the past ten years approximately a dozen laws have been adopted in Ukraine – their passage began long before the special military operation – that effectively eradicate the Russian language from all spheres of public life. I have repeatedly cited this example in interviews and during negotiations: Ukraine is the only country where an entire language has been banned. In no other conflict do the parties prohibit each other’s languages.

• There are very few sober voices in Europe calling for a serious approach to Ukrainian conflict resolution. Not in order to satisfy Zelensky, preserve his hold on power and allow him to continue his "performances" on the international stage, but in order for Europe to create a new security architecture and ensure peace – taking into account not only the legitimate interests of the Ukrainian people (which the Zelensky clique by no means represents), but also those of Russia.

• When the West speaks of security guarantees today, it is not referring to guarantees that include Russia, but to guarantees directed against Russia. I repeat: the Kiev regime says it will not recognize anything de jure, yet claims it is willing to halt hostilities de facto– on the understanding that Europeans will provide ironclad security guarantees, ratified by their parliaments, and deploy troops.

• There is plenty that can be criticized about the UN: its inflated staffing, for instance. Not to the scale of the EU or the European Commission, where matters have gone beyond reasonable bounds, but still significant. At the UN, at least certain limits of propriety are observed.

• In the late Soviet period, despite our objections, permanent contracts were introduced at the UN. Previously, appointments had to be renewed every five years. Now they are indefinite. Once a person secures a permanent contract, they settle in New York – their children study there, roots are put down. This inevitably makes the UN and its Secretariat a highly politicized instrument.

• The root cause of the Ukrainian crisis – created, financed and carried out by the West, which organized a coup d’état through the hands of Ukrainian neo-Nazis – was never seriously considered by the UN, not even remotely. When the then Ukrainian president Poroshenko declared that “our children will go to bright kindergartens and schools, while the children in Donbass will rot in basements”, when, for many years, Crimea was subjected to a water and energy blockade – they kept their silence. Today, they lament the suffering of Ukraine’s energy sector. Yet none of them lifted a finger when, following the coup, the Ukrainian putschists openly proclaimed that they would strangle Crimea – energetically, economically, in terms of food supplies and water deliveries.

⚡️ Following the Security Council’s discussion of the activities of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (#UNRCCA), the Russian Side, traditionally acting as the informal penholder on this dossier, prepared a draft press statement.

However, Western members of the Council, including the US, the UK, Denmark and Latvia, once again insisted on removing from the text a paragraph devoted to UNRCCA’s cooperation with the #CSTO, the #CIS and the #SCO. As a result, the Russian delegation was compelled to discontinue work on the document.

❗️ Cooperation with the said regional organizations constitutes one of UNRCCA’s core functions.

The positive role of the CSTO, the CIS and the SCO in ensuring stability and development in Central Asia has repeatedly been acknowledged by the UN Secretariat and UN Member States, including the Central Asian Five.

The unwillingness of certain Security Council members to accept the realities on the ground, guided by their own narrow self-serving interests, is a clear manifestation of “double standards” and highlights the high degree of politicization underlying such counterproductive initiatives.

The Russian Side will continue to promote deeper, depoliticized and professional dialogue between the UN and constructive regional organizations, in strict accordance with the letter and spirit of Chapter VIII of the UN Charter.