‘Zelensky Ultimate Loser': Ex-Pentagon Official Drops Bombshell; Reveals Ukraine Will Lose War
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Hindustan Times
a few seconds ago
- Hindustan Times
‘We are ready to be punished': Russian TikTokers apologise for video in front of flaming oil depot blown up by Ukraine
Two Russian TikTokers who were detained after sharing a video in front of a flaming oil depot destroyed during a Ukrainian strike have issued a grovelling apology. Reportedly, they said that they had made a mistake and were ready for their punishments under Russian law. In recent times, the country has implemented strict laws regarding social media content, especially those that show Ukraine's success in any manner. Dasha Vladimirovna, 21, and Karina Evgenyevna, 19, were detained for their video in front of a burning oil depot in Russia. (Screengrab (TikTok)) The influencers were paraded in a Russian court. Following this, they issued an apology. 'We sincerely apologise for filming the video against the backdrop of a fire and posting it on a social network. We did not post the video with the intention of insulting or offending anyone,' the TikTokers said in a new video, reported the Sun. They added, 'We pledge not to make such mistakes again. We are ready to be punished under Russian law.' Why were the content creators detained? The two content creators recorded a video of themselves in front of a burning oil depot after it was hit during a Ukrainian drone attack. The influencers are identified as Dasha Vladimirovna, 21, and Karina Evgenyevna, 19. How were they detained? 'During Internet monitoring, a publication was found showing two girls filming a video against the backdrop of a fire in Sochi,' read a report shared by authorities after the video of the TikTokers' in front of the flaming plant went viral. 'The police have initiated an investigation, measures are being taken to identify the girls, and their actions will be legally assessed." According to a Sun report, the duo was detained later. There was reportedly a cry from pro-war outlets for their apology, which they later issued. A Ukrainian outlet, as per the Sun, mocked the incident. 'Russian zoomers are happy about the burning oil depot in [Sochi] - a new location for selfies. Ukrainian defence forces will definitely try to create as many such locations as possible.' "Sochi suffered a drone attack by the Kyiv regime last night," the governor of Russia's Krasnodar region, Veniamin Kondratiev, said on Telegram, cited the outlet. He said there were no victims.
The Hindu
a few seconds ago
- The Hindu
MEA's latest statement indicates India may change tack to face U.S. tariffs, E.U. sanctions on Russian oil
The statement by the Ministry of External Affairs issued on Monday (August 4, 2025), defending India's purchases of Russian oil, is its most explicit since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and the subsequent retaliatory western sanctions, making it clear that it will take 'all necessary measures' to safeguard its interests. The MEA's outburst followed the new threats by U.S. President Donald Trump, to impose penalty tariffs over and above the massive 25% reciprocal tariffs the U.S. will impose on Indian goods as tariffs kick in worldwide on Thursday (August 7). It also followed E.U. sanctions imposed in July against Rosneft's partially-owned Vadinar refinery and other Indian companies engaged in reprocessing Russian oil. On Monday (August 4), Mr. Trump said on his social media that India was selling 'massive amounts' of Russian oil on the open market for 'big profits' without 'caring how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian war machine', which was why he would raise tariffs 'substantially'. The MEA statement called out both the United States and the European Union for their double standards, given they themselves continued to purchase Russian energy, critical minerals, fertilizers, iron and steel etc. India shifted its oil purchases to Russia after 2022, when Ural imports made up less than a percent of its oil imports, increasing to as much as 40% by 2023. However, the MEA statement said that India's purchases are 'compelled' by the global market and the need for affordable energy costs. It added that in comparison the U.S. and E.U. imports from Russia weren't even a 'vital national compulsion', calling the targeting of India 'unjustified and unreasonable'. The MEA statement left other double standards unsaid, such as the U.S. and Europe's continued funding and arming of Israel's war in Gaza, that has led to the killing of at least 60,000 Palestinians, including 18,000 children. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump himself, just a few months ago was much less critical of the Russian war, and had even threatened Ukrainian President Volodymyr directly for not engaging with Russia. Also read | Takeaways for India from Trump moment: strategic autonomy is alive, neoliberalism is dead 'Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security', said the MEA in a statement issued late on Monday (August 4) night. The statement marks a decided shift from the past few years, when New Delhi's responses to a number of low-impact U.S. and E.U. sanctions of Indian companies for Russian transactions was submissive. In 2017, the Modi government even agreed to 'zero out' all its oil imports from Iran and Venezuela, even though they were cheaper and higher quality, after threats from the previous Trump administration. In 2022, India refused to submit to threats from the Biden administration, possibly as it didn't believe it would carry out those threats, as Mr. Trump is quite clearly capable of doing. MEA's statement signals change to third tack As a result the MEA's latest statement could indicate that it is prepared to change to a third tack — that of considering 'measures' against any further costs imposed by the West, even though Indian oil companies have begun reducing their Russian intake in the wake of the threats. These measures, according to experts could be three-fold: maintaining status quo, looking for alternative partners, and retaliatory actions . The first option, would be to continue to buy Russian energy at competitive prices and even double down on them, while weathering sanctions imposed by the U.S. and E.U., and continuing to pursue free trade agreements with both in the hope these would lessen such penalties. This was the strategy that the government had employed thus far. The next option, to search for alternative options for trading to circumvent U.S.-E.U. sanctions, could include moving to quickly conclude other FTA negotiations, ongoing with the GCC, EAEU, Australia, New Zealand etc. It could also conclude talks on revising the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) or even a re-look at joining the 15-nation ASEAN-led RCEP that India withdrew from in 2019, largely due to concerns about China. While this was not a possibility even a few weeks ago, when Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal referred to ASEAN as the 'B-team of China', and the AITIGA as a 'mistake', the Government's outlook may change given Mr. Trump's relentless tirades. The third option, of counter-measures, could involve suspending talks with the E.U. on the BTIA, and with the U.S. on trade, nuclear energy, defence purchases and others until they prove more reasonable on the issue. India could also consider restarting Iran and Venezuela oil supplies, which could prove cost-effective, but could also incur further sanctions. Experts also point out that the Russian penalties are only one of a barrage of actions by Washington that may lead New Delhi to reconsider its ties with the U.S. in other spheres as well — with divergences emerging on trade and investment, repercussions on technology transfer, counter-terrorism strategy (given Mr. Trump's moves with Pakistan and counter-narrative on Operation Sindoor), and multilateralism with Mr. Trump's threats against BRICS. All eyes are now on whether all the turbulence will impact the strongest pillar of India-US ties in the past decade- their shared Indo-Pacific strategy and the Quad summit that India is due to host this year.
The Hindu
a few seconds ago
- The Hindu
MEA's latest statement indicates India may change tack to face U.S. tariffs, E.U. sanctions over Russian oil
The statement by the Ministry of External Affairs issued on Monday (August 4, 2025), defending India's purchases of Russian oil, is its most explicit since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and the subsequent retaliatory western sanctions, making it clear that it will take 'all necessary measures' to safeguard its interests. The MEA's outburst followed the new threats by U.S. President Donald Trump, to impose penalty tariffs over and above the massive 25% reciprocal tariffs the U.S. will impose on Indian goods as tariffs kick in worldwide on Thursday (August 7). It also followed E.U. sanctions imposed in July against Rosneft's partially-owned Vadinar refinery and other Indian companies engaged in reprocessing Russian oil. On Monday (August 4), Mr. Trump said on his social media that India was selling 'massive amounts' of Russian oil on the open market for 'big profits' without 'caring how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian war machine', which was why he would raise tariffs 'substantially'. The MEA statement called out both the United States and the European Union for their double standards, given they themselves continued to purchase Russian energy, critical minerals, fertilizers, iron and steel etc. India shifted its oil purchases to Russia after 2022, when Ural imports made up less than a percent of its oil imports, increasing to as much as 40% by 2023. However, the MEA statement said that India's purchases are 'compelled' by the global market and the need for affordable energy costs. It added that in comparison the U.S. and E.U. imports from Russia weren't even a 'vital national compulsion', calling the targeting of India 'unjustified and unreasonable'. The MEA statement left other double standards unsaid, such as the U.S. and Europe's continued funding and arming of Israel's war in Gaza, that has led to the killing of at least 60,000 Palestinians, including 18,000 children. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump himself, just a few months ago was much less critical of the Russian war, and had even threatened Ukrainian President Volodymyr directly for not engaging with Russia. Also read | Takeaways for India from Trump moment: strategic autonomy is alive, neoliberalism is dead 'Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security', said the MEA in a statement issued late on Monday (August 4) night. The statement marks a decided shift from the past few years, when New Delhi's responses to a number of low-impact U.S. and E.U. sanctions of Indian companies for Russian transactions was submissive. In 2017, the Modi government even agreed to 'zero out' all its oil imports from Iran and Venezuela, even though they were cheaper and higher quality, after threats from the previous Trump administration. In 2022, India refused to submit to threats from the Biden administration, possibly as it didn't believe it would carry out those threats, as Mr. Trump is quite clearly capable of doing. MEA's statement signals change to third tack As a result the MEA's latest statement could indicate that it is prepared to change to a third tack — that of considering 'measures' against any further costs imposed by the West, even though Indian oil companies have begun reducing their Russian intake in the wake of the threats. These measures, according to experts could be three-fold: maintaining status quo, looking for alternative partners, and retaliatory actions . The first option, would be to continue to buy Russian energy at competitive prices and even double down on them, while weathering sanctions imposed by the U.S. and E.U., and continuing to pursue free trade agreements with both in the hope these would lessen such penalties. This was the strategy that the government had employed thus far. The next option, to search for alternative options for trading to circumvent U.S.-E.U. sanctions, could include moving to quickly conclude other FTA negotiations, ongoing with the GCC, EAEU, Australia, New Zealand etc. It could also conclude talks on revising the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) or even a re-look at joining the 15-nation ASEAN-led RCEP that India withdrew from in 2019, largely due to concerns about China. While this was not a possibility even a few weeks ago, when Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal referred to ASEAN as the 'B-team of China', and the AITIGA as a 'mistake', the Government's outlook may change given Mr. Trump's relentless tirades. The third option, of counter-measures, could involve suspending talks with the E.U. on the BTIA, and with the U.S. on trade, nuclear energy, defence purchases and others until they prove more reasonable on the issue. India could also consider restarting Iran and Venezuela oil supplies, which could prove cost-effective, but could also incur further sanctions. Experts also point out that the Russian penalties are only one of a barrage of actions by Washington that may lead New Delhi to reconsider its ties with the U.S. in other spheres as well — with divergences emerging on trade and investment, repercussions on technology transfer, counter-terrorism strategy (given Mr. Trump's moves with Pakistan and counter-narrative on Operation Sindoor), and multilateralism with Mr. Trump's threats against BRICS. All eyes are now on whether all the turbulence will impact the strongest pillar of India-US ties in the past decade- their shared Indo-Pacific strategy and the Quad summit that India is due to host this year.
