diff --git a/src/config.py b/src/config.py
index 9b01676..7dcd68c 100644
--- a/src/config.py
+++ b/src/config.py
@@ -80,6 +80,9 @@ class Settings(BaseSettings):
     # stall, not just a big/slow file. This is the timeout that actually matters
     # day to day; yt_dlp_timeout_sec above is just the outer safety net.
     yt_dlp_stall_timeout_sec: int = 120
+    # Extra attempts after a transient failure (stall/timeout/network hiccup) before
+    # falling back to a link-only post. Permanent failures (private/removed/etc.) never retry.
+    yt_dlp_retry_attempts: int = 2
 
     # Text Styling & Decoration
     header_text: str = ""
diff --git a/src/max_poster.py b/src/max_poster.py
index 2f05296..77d0baf 100644
--- a/src/max_poster.py
+++ b/src/max_poster.py
@@ -304,12 +304,24 @@ class MAXPoster:
             vk_url=vk_url,
         )
 
-        note = build_media_unavailable_note(link_only_media or [], parse_mode="html")
+        note = build_media_unavailable_note(link_only_media or [], parse_mode="html", vk_url=vk_url)
         video_note = build_oversized_video_note(oversized_videos or [], parse_mode="html")
         for extra in (note, video_note):
             if extra:
                 formatted_text = f"{formatted_text}\n\n{extra}" if formatted_text else extra
 
+        # MAX has no OG-style link preview for arbitrary URLs, so a video we couldn't
+        # attach (failed download or over the 250MB cap) would otherwise post as bare
+        # text with no picture. MAX does let `image` attachments reference a remote
+        # `url` directly (no upload needed) - reuse the VK video's own thumbnail as a
+        # stand-in preview so the fallback link post still looks like a real post.
+        preview_attachments = [
+            {"type": "image", "payload": {"url": item.thumbnail_url}}
+            for item in (list(link_only_media or []) + list(oversized_videos or []))
+            if item.media_type == "video" and getattr(item, "thumbnail_url", None)
+        ]
+        attachments = list(attachments) + preview_attachments
+
         chunks = split_message_chunks(formatted_text, self.message_limit)
         # Chunk into groups of MAX_MEDIA_ITEMS instead of silently dropping the excess:
         # the first group rides with the text message, extra groups go out as follow-ups.
diff --git a/src/media_processor.py b/src/media_processor.py
index cde62cb..3a903e7 100644
--- a/src/media_processor.py
+++ b/src/media_processor.py
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ class ProcessedMedia:
     height: Optional[int] = None
     error: Optional[str] = None
     is_link_only: bool = False
+    thumbnail_url: Optional[str] = None
 
 
 class MediaProcessor:
@@ -100,6 +101,26 @@ class MediaProcessor:
 
     async def download_video_ytdlp(
         self, url: str, prefix: str = "video_"
+    ) -> tuple[Optional[Path], Optional[str], bool]:
+        """Retries transient failures (stalls, timeouts, one-off yt-dlp/network hiccups)
+        a couple of times before giving up - a single flaky attempt used to fall straight
+        through to the link-only fallback even though the video was perfectly downloadable."""
+        last_result: tuple[Optional[Path], Optional[str], bool] = (None, "video download failed", False)
+        for attempt in range(1, settings.yt_dlp_retry_attempts + 2):
+            path, err, is_permanent = await self._download_video_ytdlp_attempt(url, prefix)
+            if path or is_permanent:
+                return path, err, is_permanent
+            last_result = (path, err, is_permanent)
+            if attempt <= settings.yt_dlp_retry_attempts:
+                logger.warning(
+                    "yt-dlp attempt {}/{} failed transiently for {}: {} - retrying",
+                    attempt, settings.yt_dlp_retry_attempts + 1, url, err,
+                )
+                await asyncio.sleep(3.0)
+        return last_result
+
+    async def _download_video_ytdlp_attempt(
+        self, url: str, prefix: str = "video_"
     ) -> tuple[Optional[Path], Optional[str], bool]:
         """Returns (path, error_message, is_permanent_error)"""
         output_path = self.cache_dir / f"{prefix}{uuid.uuid4().hex[:12]}.mp4"
@@ -249,6 +270,7 @@ class MediaProcessor:
                                 duration_sec=item.duration_sec,
                                 error="video duration exceeds maximum",
                                 is_link_only=True,
+                                thumbnail_url=item.thumbnail_url,
                             )
                         )
                         continue
@@ -277,6 +299,7 @@ class MediaProcessor:
                                 duration_sec=item.duration_sec,
                                 error=err or "failed to download video",
                                 is_link_only=True,
+                                thumbnail_url=item.thumbnail_url,
                             )
                         )
         return results
diff --git a/src/text_formatter.py b/src/text_formatter.py
index 25af74b..8e05e45 100644
--- a/src/text_formatter.py
+++ b/src/text_formatter.py
@@ -140,7 +140,9 @@ def normalize_wrapper_text(text: str, parse_mode: str = "html") -> str:
     return parser.normalized()
 
 
-def build_media_unavailable_note(link_only_items: list, parse_mode: str = "html") -> str:
+def build_media_unavailable_note(
+    link_only_items: list, parse_mode: str = "html", vk_url: Optional[str] = None
+) -> str:
     """Builds a short note listing media that couldn't be attached (too big,
     too long, private, download failed, etc.) with a link to the original,
     so readers aren't left with no idea that media was omitted."""
@@ -152,13 +154,19 @@ def build_media_unavailable_note(link_only_items: list, parse_mode: str = "html"
         media_type = str(getattr(item, "media_type", "медиа") or "медиа")
         if not url:
             continue
+        label = "Смотреть видео" if media_type == "video" else media_type
         if parse_mode == "html":
-            lines.append(f'- {html.escape(media_type)}: <a href="{html.escape(url, quote=True)}">ссылка</a>')
+            lines.append(f'- <a href="{html.escape(url, quote=True)}">{html.escape(label)}</a>')
         else:
-            lines.append(f"- {media_type}: {url}")
+            lines.append(f"- {label}: {url}")
     if not lines:
         return ""
-    header = "Не удалось прикрепить медиа, оригинал:"
+    if vk_url:
+        if parse_mode == "html":
+            lines.append(f'- <a href="{html.escape(vk_url, quote=True)}">Открыть пост в VK</a>')
+        else:
+            lines.append(f"- пост в VK: {vk_url}")
+    header = "Не поместилось в пост:"
     if parse_mode == "html":
         header = f"<i>{html.escape(header)}</i>"
     return header + "\n" + "\n".join(lines)
diff --git a/src/tg_poster.py b/src/tg_poster.py
index 3074ff2..961d13d 100644
--- a/src/tg_poster.py
+++ b/src/tg_poster.py
@@ -393,11 +393,14 @@ class TelegramPoster:
         chunks = split_message_chunks(text, self.message_limit)
         mids: list[int] = []
         for chunk in chunks:
+            # Preview enabled here (unlike the other send sites): this path only fires
+            # for text-only posts, most commonly a media-unavailable fallback link - a
+            # link preview card is the closest thing to the "picture" the post is missing.
             msg = await self.tg_retry(
                 lambda c=chunk: self.bot.send_message(
                     text=c,
                     parse_mode="HTML",
-                    disable_web_page_preview=True,
+                    disable_web_page_preview=False,
                     **self.chat_kwargs(chat_id, thread_id),
                 )
             )
@@ -448,7 +451,7 @@ class TelegramPoster:
 
         valid_media = [m for m in media_items if not m.is_link_only and m.local_path]
         link_only = [m for m in media_items if m.is_link_only]
-        note = build_media_unavailable_note(link_only, parse_mode="html")
+        note = build_media_unavailable_note(link_only, parse_mode="html", vk_url=vk_url)
         if note:
             formatted_text = f"{formatted_text}\n\n{note}" if formatted_text else note
 
diff --git a/src/vk_client.py b/src/vk_client.py
index 882fac4..e7637aa 100644
--- a/src/vk_client.py
+++ b/src/vk_client.py
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ class VKMediaItem:
     height: Optional[int] = None
     duration_sec: Optional[int] = None
     title: Optional[str] = None
+    thumbnail_url: Optional[str] = None
 
 
 @dataclass
@@ -189,6 +190,12 @@ class VKClient:
                     video_url = f"https://vk.com/video{owner_id}_{video_id}"
                     if access_key:
                         video_url += f"_{access_key}"
+                    image_sizes = sorted(
+                        video.get("image", []) or [],
+                        key=lambda s: int(s.get("width") or 0) * int(s.get("height") or 0),
+                        reverse=True,
+                    )
+                    thumbnail_url = str(image_sizes[0].get("url") or "") if image_sizes else None
                     items.append(
                         VKMediaItem(
                             media_type="video",
@@ -198,6 +205,7 @@ class VKClient:
                             height=video.get("height"),
                             duration_sec=video.get("duration"),
                             title=video.get("title"),
+                            thumbnail_url=thumbnail_url,
                         )
                     )
             elif att_type == "link":