Happy New Year...

... and I think this was the best present to all of us, because it said it all)) 

The 2014 Minsk Agreement was indeed a ploy to buy Ukraine time and should be credited for Kiev’s “successful resilience” now, former French president Francois Hollande said on Friday. Confirming former German chancellor Angela Merkel’s assessment of the truce, Hollande also blamed US weakness for the failure to deter Russia. Earlier this month, Merkel described Minsk as “an attempt to give Ukraine time” to build up its military. Speaking with the Kyiv Independent, a pro-government Ukrainian outlet, Hollande agreed, saying Merkel was “right on this point.” “Since 2014, Ukraine has strengthened its military posture. Indeed, the Ukrainian army was completely different from that of 2014. It was better trained and equipped. It is the merit of the Minsk agreements to have given the Ukrainian army this opportunity,” Hollande said, adding that it also stopped the advance of Donbass “separatists” on Mariupol.

Russians always knew it, but it is so nice to know that one is free from any obligations and morality against lowlifes, which West's political "elites" are. This is freedom. 

All the best to all of you in this upcoming and promising to be very turbulent new 2023 and stay safe. Use as the open thread and a little bit of immortal sentimentality and truly great music from the slightly saner times:

They wondered what it will be in the year 1989. What will it be in the year 2023...