With end-of-WW2 commemorations taking place across the world this week, the surrender of Nazi Germany on May 8th 1945 is remembered very differently in Russia compared with the West, where relatively muted commemorative events were held. This week on Behind the Headlines, we'll be examining the historical and political reasons for this discrepancy.

In addition to being guest of honor at the Moscow Victory Parade on Red Square, China's President Xi Jinping signed a raft of new deals with the Russian government, while Chinese battleships participated in joint war games with the Black Sea Fleet. Somehow, we don't think the promoters of 'isolating Russia' foresaw trans-Eurasian railways resulting from their sanctions...

While president Obama has been rallying Japan and other Pacific Asian countries behind a 'Trans-Pacific Partnership', the only large crowds in the US this week were angry ones, as protests against police brutality continue. We'll be bringing you the latest on that front, and analyzing the surprising results of the UK's general election.

Behind the Headlines airs live this Sunday, 10 May 2015, from 2-4pm EST / 11am-1pm PST / 7-9pm UTC / 8-10pm CET.

Running Time: 01:45:00

Download: MP3

So, France and Russia had a deal. France was to produce a couple of state-of-the-art helicopter carriers for Russia. Russia would make some of the ships, then send them to France to be completed. The deal was signed in 2011. Money was paid ($1.25 billion). The first carrier was supposed to have been delivered in November 2014. But since then, for the past several months, France has been engaging in a prolonged geopolitical hissy fit, delaying the shipment and putting out the idea that maybe they will not honor their end of the deal after all.

All of this has occurred under pressure from the masters of the hysterical hissy fit: the US and the EU. What? Sell Russia stuff? But they're mean! We forbid it. Absolutely forbid it! And don't you get any ideas -- remember, we have those pictures of you doing you know what with you know whom! So, like the cowering, timid, collaborationist little surrender monkey it is, France has caved in, taking orders from its masters like a good little slave.

Russia -- who doesn't really need the ships, but a deal's a deal -- has been understandably upset, saying that if France refuses to give Russia what Russia paid for, then they want their money back, plus €300 million in compensation. Now, as US anti-Russian hysteria continues, it's looking increasingly likely that France will cancel the contract. Officially, Hollande is open to giving Russia its money back. A lot of people see this whole pathetic debacle as a public disgrace for France's international business image, but I'm not so certain. At least they've got a money-back almost-guarantee! So what are they considering doing with the ships after they have paid Russia back?

Sink them.

It is heartwarming that despite all the politics behind the attempts to disregard the glory and contribution of fallen Soviet soldiers who died fighting against Nazi Germany, there are people in the West who acknowledge the real history and salute Russian men and women for their heroism during World War II.

Many western leaders decided to boycott the Moscow Victory Day Parade on May 9 that commemorated the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany 70 years ago. Due to the crisis in Ukraine, political tensions between Russia and the West have deteriorated over the last year, reaching their lowest point since the end of the Cold War.

Despite Western leaders' attempts to brush off historical facts and refuse to recognize the gigantic role of the Soviet Union in winning World War II, many Western readers have begun to call for an end to these lies and are paying proper tribute to the fallen Soviet soldiers, regardless of the current political tensions between Russia and the West.

Twenty Swedish military instructors will be heading to Ukraine this year to offer first-aid medical training to the Ukrainian military, a Swedish newspaper reported Sunday.

The Swedish government decided to more than double the amount of funds it is allocating for a current project to promote "security reforms" in Ukraine.

This year's funding was jacked up to 1.2 million crowns from 500,000 last year, Dagens Nyheter newspaper reported.

Russia and Germany differ greatly in assessing the coup in Ukraine, but have similar stance on resolving the country's crisis through diplomatic means, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Moscow.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Moscow on Sunday to meet with the Russian leader and lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to honor the memory of millions of Soviet people who had been killed during WWII.

"While discussing the international agenda, naturally the situation in Ukraine was the center of attention. [German Chancellor Angela] Merkel and I discuss [this issue] on a regular basis, as well as with the president of France and the president of Ukraine in the so-called Normandy format, which has proven itself quite an effective mechanism of international contribution to the peaceful settlement of the conflict. Yes, we differ greatly in the assessments of the events that led to an anti-constitutional coup in the Ukrainian capital in February 2014," Putin said.

Seventy years after the end of World War II, and twenty-five years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Germany is once again under the grip of 'sturm und drang', but this time barely registered in either East or West.

Without a serious attempt at myth busting, it's impossible to discern what could be interpreted as a new, discreet German attempt at hegemony.

Contrary to a myth currently propagated by US 'Think Tankland', political Berlin under Chancellor Merkel is not a mediator between a still hegemonic US and an "aggressive" Russia.

The reality is Berlin, at least for the moment, would rather give the impression of singing Washington's tune - with minor variations - while chastising Russia. That's the case even when we consider the solid energy/trade/business ties with Moscow, as in Germany importing a third of its natural gas, and German industry/companies/corporations hugely invested in Russia.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to appoint Ayelet Shaked as justice minister in his fourth government. Shaked is a Member of Knesset (MK) representing the far-right HaBayit HaYehudi ("Jewish Home") party. She is known for her extreme, ultranationalist views.

During Israel's summer 2014 attack on Gaza, MK Shaked essentially called for the genocide of Palestinians. In a Facebook post on July 1 - a day before Israeli extremists kidnapped Palestinian teenager Muhammad Abu Khdeir and burned him alive - the lawmaker asserted that "the entire Palestinian people is the enemy" and called for its destruction, "including its elderly and its women, its cities and its villages, its property and its infrastructure."

On 27th of April 2015, a suicidal lone gunmen shouting "Allahu Akbar" (where have we seen this before?) carried out an attack on a police station in Zvornik, Republika Srpska which is one of two entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina bordering Serbia. The attacker was identified as a 24-year-old Nerdin Ibrić, while some media outlets actually (still) report that he's a 60-year-old, and according to social media, there were actually 3 attackers. Whatever the case, the media finally reached consensus. The attacker stormed the station with an automatic rifle, killed one of the officers, wounded two others before he himself was gunned down. Reports state that he also allegedly knew the timing of the shift change, which is when there's a high number of police present.

Weeks before the attack, Bosnia's intelligence service apparently received information pertaining to a potential terrorist threat. From whom or how they've received this report is not disclosed. Milorad Dodik the president of Republika Srpska blamed the state intelligence agencies for the attack and said that Republika Srpska may withdraw from Bosnian state security structures and establish parallel agencies, which some claimed could "mark a concrete step towards the effective dissolution of Bosnia." Republika Srpska Interior Minister Dragan Lukac said that the attack "could be the start of much worse happenings in Bosnia-Herzegovina."

According to reports Nerdin Ibrić had a cousin who joined a Wahhabi group, he started growing a beard a few years ago and had recently started to 'act stragely.' His neighbours and family say that he rarely left the house, was reclusive, unemployed, lived with his mother and that he "fell under the influence of religious radicals who had fought with Islamic militants in the war in Syria." He was also recently given permission for the acquisition of firearms, no explanation is given as to why.

Not long after, there was a bomb threat in Zvornik, prompting an evacuation of a courthouse, no bomb was actually found. Bosnian intelligence also received reports about new possible terror attacks in the country from certain partnership officials in the region. In light of all this, EU warnings of a partial presence of a 'Balkan Caliphate' in the region is surely doing nothing to help the situation, and they were once again quick to call for closer EU-Balkan ties that "should include the enhancement of intelligence cooperation and information exchange among member states," while they are set to allocate 10 million Euros "to help the Western Balkan countries to cope with the Islamic radicalization and influx of terrorists."

On the 6th of May 2015, and following the attack in Zvornik, Republika Srpska started their Operation Ruben:

Operation Ruben is an ongoing police operation against radical Islamists launched on 6 May 2015 within the Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina following the 27 April 2015 shooting in a Zvornik police station. Several people were arrested, a week after the terrorist attack in the police station that left one police officer dead.

If the government does not like the way that you are raising your kids, they will come in and grab them at any time without giving any warning whatsoever. Of course this is completely and totally unlawful, but it has been happening all over America.

The most recent example of this that has made national headlines is particularly egregious. Joe and Nicole Naugler of Breckinridge County, Kentucky just had their 10 children brutally ripped away from them just because the government does not approve of how they are living their lives and how they are educating their young ones. Let's be very clear about this - Joe and Nicole had done nothing to violate the law whatsoever. All of their kids were happy, healthy and very intelligent. But because the control freaks running things in Kentucky got wind of their "off the grid lifestyle", they have now had all of their children unlawfully abducted from them.

Three militiamen have been injured over the past 24 hours in shelling of Donetsk People's Republic. Ukrainian military action has violated ceasefire arrangements in the war-torn region some 46 times in 24 hours, spokesman Eduard Basurinclaimed.Shelling has been recorded near the settlements of Gorlovka, Shirokino, Spartak, Zhabichevo, Sakhanka, Lozovoye, Novaya Maryevka, Altnoye, Oktyabr, Donetsk airport and Volvo-Centre district.

A decision has been made in principle to demilitarize the village of Shirokino and to pull back medium weapons having calibresunder 100 mm has been agreed at the Contract Group level, Russia's OSCE envoy Andrey Kelin told the media on Thursday."The fundamental agreement does exist. Now the details are to be looked into," Kelin said.The military sub-group hopes Kiev's paramilitary entities of Nazis such as Azov, Donbass battalions will follow accepted decisions. We aren't so sure.