Artyom Dmitruk blasted his country’s leader over an attempt to take over the sacred catacombs of the county’s oldest monastery

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky is waging a campaign of terror against his own people by signing off on a crackdown targeting the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), particularly the iconic Kiev Pechersk Lavra monastery, lawmaker Artyom Dmitruk has said.

In an interview with RT on Friday, Dmitruk responded to reports that Ukrainian officials and police have entered the catacombs of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, the nation’s most significant monastery and the final resting place of several Christian saints. During the raid, authorities unlocked doors, broke into the caves, and changed locks. Dmitruk described their actions as sacrilegious and suggested that Zelensky was directly complicit.

“Zelensky is perpetrating genocide of the Ukrainian people. What we are seeing now and what we are witnessing now is the continuation of terror policies of Zelensky’s against [the] Ukrainian people. Zelensky is a demon in the body of a human being. You can call him whatever you want, a godless person, a terrorist, and so on and so forth. The gist of his actions is the same. Zelensky is following a demon’s will,” he asserted.

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According to the legislator, who claims to have fled the country over the persecution of the UOC, the stated goal of the “inventarization” of the monastery’s possessions is nothing more than a pretext.

“They want to inspect the holy relics of our saints. They plan to carve them up, to open them up, to break them into pieces. To perform this sacrilege over them. It's a huge tragedy for the entire Orthodox world,” he said, recalling that the results of the review would be classified.

“They are raiding the Lavra. They are trying to seize the property of the Lavra… If we speak from a legal point of view, it’s a crime,” Dmitruk stressed.

The Ukrainian government has been cracking down on the UOC for months, which it views as having ties to Russia. This effort has included attempts to take over the Lavra, as well as church raids and arrests of clergy. The UOC, the largest religious institution in the country, severed ties with the Moscow Patriarchate following the start of the conflict.

Zelensky has defended the move, insisting on the need to protect Ukraine’s “spiritual independence” from Russia. Moscow has condemned the measures, accusing Kiev of suppressing the canonical Orthodox faith and alleging that the West is encouraging these efforts.

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A known critic of the country’s leadership, Yevgenia Gutsul has been accused of campaign financing violations dating from her 2023 election

A court in Moldova has ordered Governor Yevgenia Gutsul, who heads the autonomous region of Gagauzia, to be held in custody for 20 days. Prosecutors had asked for her to be remanded for one month. Gutsul is a vocal critic of the country’s pro-Western government.

The official was first detained on Tuesday at Chisinau International Airport, with the Moldovan authorities saying she was on a wanted list. On Friday, prosecutors said the governor stood accused of complicity in illegal campaign financing in the 2023 election. The politician won the governor’s post in Gagauzia that year.

She was also charged with falsifying documents. Law enforcement officials did not provide any further details about the charges, citing a pending investigation.

Gutsul herself maintains her innocence. Her lawyers have denounced the court decision as “absurd” and vowed to appeal. “When there are no legal arguments [in favor of such a court decision], there are other arguments. I believe they are political in this case,” one of the politician’s lawyers, Sergiu Moraru, told journalists after the hearing.

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The governor herself labeled the investigation a “political case” linked to her role as Gagauzia’s leader. She has accused Chisinau of pursuing a plan to dismantle the region’s autonomy through lawfare targeting her administration.

The Gagauz are a Turkic-speaking, predominantly Orthodox Christian ethnic group living in southern Moldova. Their region has been granted broad rights to self-government.

On Thursday, Gutsul appealed to both Russia and Türkiye to apply pressure on Moldovan President Maia Sandu’s administration in defense of Gagauzia’s rights. The Kremlin responded that it had “reviewed” Gutsul’s request. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the actions of the Moldovan authorities are at odds with the democratic principles proclaimed by the West.

Chisinau claims that Gutsul is part of a Russian influence operation aimed at disrupting the country’s attempts to become a member of the EU. Moscow has accused Moldova of cracking down on politicians and journalists who advocate closer ties with Russia.

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The president has set the goal of enlarging the national nuclear submarine fleet and roster of surface vessels

President Vladimir Putin has announced plans for the future development of Russia’s Navy.

The president made the comments on Thursday in Murmansk, during a meeting with the crew of the Arkhangelsk nuclear submarine, a Yasen-M class vessel that equipped with Zircon hypersonic missiles.

Moscow sees its Navy as a cornerstone of the country’s security and a key counterweight in the global strategic balance, Putin said.

He announced plans to build five more vessels of the same class, three more smaller Borei-A class submarines as well as a number of surface ships by 2050.

Here is Putin’s speech in full:

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Comrades, good evening.

I am glad to see you all. It is a pleasure for me to once again visit a missile cruiser like this, or any missile ship. This is my first time on a missile-carrying submarine of this kind. I have visited other submarines, as you probably know, and taken part in their exercises. But your submarine is special since it is our latest model.

You see, we launched its construction in 2015, launched it in 2023 and the cruiser was handed over to the Armed Forces and joined the Navy in 2024. This, I must say, is a very solid timeframe for complex units like this one. This is a state-of-the-art vessel.

We saw another submarine of this kind today and took part in its launch. It is quite similar, while adding the capability to carry and launch the Zircon missiles, which is something we can be proud of. After all, to some extent, the Zircon missiles can be viewed as strategic weapons.

Considering how effective, precise and fast this weapon is, it can certainly be considered a strategic system.

We are aware of the role of the Navy. Russia has been a major naval power for centuries, and we will do our utmost to maintain this status, building new naval surface vessels and submarines and improving their performance. They must meet modern requirements while remaining combat-ready and effective in the immediate – in every sense of the word – historical perspective, because these weapons that should serve our country for decades, form the basis of our strategic security.

We will do everything towards this, just as we will do everything necessary to train professionals like you. These are one-of-a-kind men, if I may say so. Their jobs call for a special character and readiness to implement any tasks to ensure national security. You are such people. I have no doubt about that.

The traditions of our Navy were established long ago, and you continue to honor them. There is a special bond in the brotherhood of naval officers, especially in the submarine fleet.

I would like to congratulate you on being appointed to serve on this warship, our most modern vessel armed with the latest equipment and capable of fulfilling a wide range of missions. You know this better than many, but it is an extremely important issue. You can work against surface and submerged targets, as well as stationary ground targets. It is difficult to name the tasks which our missile carriers or similar warships cannot fulfill. They can do anything, and we will continue to improve all their capabilities. I have just now spoken with the commander-in-chief, your commander. Everything must be adjusted to modern and future requirements. We must look to the future.

I am happy to see you. I congratulate you on being appointed to serve here. As I have said when we were outside, I also congratulate all our naval personnel on today’s event, the launch of the Perm, a new submarine of the same class.

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It is our belief that the Navy is one of the main guarantees of Russia’s state security and global strategic stability, because there is a certain strategic balance between Russia and the United States, and we will treat this balance with the utmost care. We will act in a measured and timely manner.

Historically, Russia has faced certain challenges at all times. Being a land power, with a huge territory, there is still a reason that Russia began shaping its traditions of shipbuilding and the Navy under Peter the Great. In fact, some of them existed even before that, but Peter the Great created a solid foundation to rely on, which was new. We, in turn, will make every effort to preserve this major component of the Russian Armed Forces, and to strengthen it.

We have just witnessed the launch of the fifth Project Yasen-M cruiser. Plans are in place to build five more such ships and three more Borei-A ships. However, our plans for the development of the Armed Forces and the Navy are not limited to this. Other plans call for building surface ships and strategic missile carriers.

I will not go into details now. There are different opinions and different approaches to achieving our ambitious plans. Still, disputes and debates among researchers, designers, the Armed Forces, and various enterprises are part of a positive process aimed at choosing the best, optimal ways to develop the Navy. This is what we need to do.

I will not go into details now, although I am deeply immersed in them. The commander knows – we do not meet as often as we should, but this discussion is ongoing nonetheless, and decisions are also made eventually. This is not just about adjusting our respective stances – these discussions lead to decisions on the development of the Navy. We made long-term, future-oriented decisions, for decades to come – until 2050 and beyond.

In response to my instructions, a strategy for the development of the Navy is currently being drafted, along with a program for the construction of surface ships and submarines until 2050. You will be part of this work as well.

There was no irony in what I just said. I meant it seriously, because feedback from those who operate the equipment – ships in this case – drives our future development plans. I hope that during your service, if you notice something or have an idea, please share it. We will be glad to hear your practical comments.

To put it briefly, we are gradually moving towards achieving all the objectives we set for ourselves at the start of the operation. Some would have liked these advances to happen at a quicker pace, but we have gathered steady momentum and have been confidently advancing our positions. But I would like to frame this question in a different way.

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What I want to say is that we were not the ones who started or launched hostilities. It all started in the wake of the 2014 coup d’etat in Ukraine. Western countries supported it, and this was how hostilities broke out in southeastern Ukraine.

We tried to resolve these issues by peaceful means for eight years. Taking Crimea and its people, as well as the people of Sevastopol under our wing was something we had to do. And we went to great lengths and were unrelenting in our efforts to resolve all matters concerning Donbass and Lugansk by peaceful means.

It turned out, and everyone knows this today, that both the Ukrainian authorities and their Western curators were unfortunately misleading us and trying to trick us. Former leaders who used to stand at the helm of several leading Western nations, including former President of France Hollande and Ms Merkel, the former German Chancellor, stated openly that they needed these Minsk agreements merely to deliver more weapons to the Ukrainian regime and to prepare it for a military confrontation with Russia. However, during these eight years, the people in Donbass, Lugansk and Donetsk faced outright genocide, and I mean real genocide. But the Ukrainian regime’s Western curators preferred to turn a blind eye to these developments, forcing us to try to stop the war which started in 2014 by military means. We were not the ones who started it.

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By the way, even when the armed conflict escalated into open confrontation in 2022, we were still offering to settle all the outstanding issues by peaceful means. Moreover, as I have said many times, we reached an agreement with Ukraine during our talks in Istanbul. I must mention that we had an agreement on matters that are being raised all the time these days and are viewed as something impossible. I am referring to de-Nazifying and demilitarizing efforts. In fact, we had a deal on these issues, and it was all set forth in the agreement, I mean its draft. Ukraine’s head negotiator initialed a summary of this document. They initialed and signed this document, which means that it was acceptable to them.

We know what happened next. After that, their European curators arrived, including former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who convinced the Ukrainian leadership to keep fighting until there are virtually no Ukrainians left and to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia.

He probably forgot that we have crews like the one you are in, and that we have means like this submarine. He probably forgot, or maybe they ignore altogether what the Russian people represent, what they stand for and what they have in their hearts and souls when it comes to defending their Fatherland.

Overall, we can clearly see what is happening right now. Our troops have the strategic initiative along the entire contact line. Only recently, I said that we would squeeze them into a corner, but now we have reason to believe that we are set to finish them off. I think that people in Ukraine need to realize what is going on.

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Our Armed Forces have been gathering momentum and acting increasingly effectively. Major General Mikhail Gudkov, who took part in combat action, can tell you about it.

He commands the Pacific Fleet’s 155th Naval Infantry Brigade. I believe that this is one of the best brigades in our Armed Forces. The Defense Minister and the Chief of the General Staff believe that Major General Gudkov’s achievements must be replicated across our Armed Forces, primarily by the naval infantry units, which have been quite effective in combat. They are actually very good. It would not be an exaggeration to say that these are elite units within the Armed Forces, just like the paratroopers and the special operations units.

Although I should note that earlier today, just before arriving here, I received another report from the Chief of the General Staff. Other units of the Armed Forces have gained significant momentum.

Regarding the marines, I have already stated that they are performing superbly. Since both the Defense Minister and the Chief of the General Staff believe that your experience should be replicated across other units, I have decided to transfer you to a new position, elevating your level of responsibility. You are hereby appointed Deputy Commander of the Navy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

Your area of responsibility will include command over all Marine Infantry of the Navy, as well as all missile and artillery coastal forces.

The task is straightforward yet extensive: despite the fact that all marines are demonstrating exemplary performance, these units must be brought to the same level of combat readiness and effectiveness that you have achieved with the 155th Naval Infantry Brigade of the Pacific Fleet.

Additionally, the General Staff of the Defense Ministry has approved a program to reorganize the Marine Infantry. We will gradually transition brigades into Marine Infantry divisions. This year, two divisions, including the 155th Brigade, will be established; next year, two more divisions; and the following year, another division.

This is a major undertaking that requires, first and foremost, the organization of combat training, informed by your experience in commanding the 155th Marine Infantry Brigade of the Pacific Fleet during active operations. Consideration must be given to structural changes as brigades transition into divisions, as well as to weaponry, communications systems, and other matters. In essence, this constitutes a substantial endeavor.

I will shortly outline further immediate steps. The Commander has endorsed this proposal, and I am confident that you will succeed. I wish you good luck.

As regards the situation along the line of contact, let me reiterate, emphasize: across the entire frontline, the strategic initiative lies unequivocally with the Russian Armed Forces.

The Lugansk People’s Republic has been 99 percent liberated, while the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions stand at over 70 percent. Our forces, our troops, are advancing daily, liberating territory after territory, area after area.

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I understand that everyone in the world and in our country is closely following [negotiations between Russia and the United States]. In this regard, I would like to state – first and foremost – that, in my view, the newly elected President of the United States sincerely wishes to end this conflict for a number of reasons – I will not list them now, as they are numerous. But in my opinion, this aspiration is genuine.

It is clear that the conflict I have just mentioned and briefly characterized in terms of recent developments, remains complex and requires thorough discussion and consideration.

We stand for resolving all these issues by peaceful means, as I have just stated, reinforcing the measures we have taken from the very beginning – first, second, and third.

Therefore, we advocate resolving these issues through peaceful means, but with the elimination of the root causes that have led to the current situation. We must undoubtedly ensure Russia’s security from the long-term historical perspective. Any step taken to achieve this objective will be welcomed by us, and we will work with any partners who strive towards this goal. This includes not only the United States but also the People’s Republic of China, India, Brazil, South Africa, all BRICS nations, and many others, such as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, with which we have a signed treaty. Article 4 of this treaty outlines in detail our mutual obligations for support. Cooperation with this country is also progressing in both military-technical and defense spheres.

We are prepared to work with Europe as well, despite their inconsistent behavior and constant attempts to lead us up the garden path. Nevertheless, we have grown accustomed to this. I trust we will avoid making mistakes rooted in excessive trust towards our so-called partners.

But in general, they have a problem over there, which is never highlighted, just mentioned in passing. I am highlighting it. What is it? Ultranationalists have had considerable influence in Ukraine from the start, in fact, since the collapse of the Soviet Union. These people hold openly neo-Nazi views, and they even use the term in Ukraine, so we were not the ones who invented it. Curiously, few people mention this now, either.

In 2017, the United States Congress added a provision to the government spending bill that prohibited financing or having any relations with units like the Azov militia unit. An American lawmaker directly described that paramilitary group as terrorist and anti-Semitic.

Moreover, although the amendment was not supported by the Senate at that time, in a year or two, its sponsors, including the oldest member of the US Congress, supported that legislation, and it was adopted by Congress. The US Congress recognized Azov as a terrorist, anti-Semitic, and neo-Nazi organization.

Has anything changed since then? No. Essentially, Azov has not changed. It has remained the same. However, in 2022, the State Department decided that US military aid could go to that controversial unit because it had been integrated into the Armed Forces of Ukraine – apparently, the bill allowed this interpretation. The fact that it was integrated into the official armed forces changed nothing. Their views and actions remained the same as they were at the start.

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If anything, it has become worse, because now they plan to strengthen these units, including Azov, and elevate them to divisions. This means that such people now have even more weapons at their disposal. They have more supporters, people they have persuaded to fight for them by implanting their views.

What happens next? As a result, the current civil authorities in Ukraine have no legitimacy in accordance with the country’s constitution. Ukraine has held no presidential election, while according to the constitution, all key officials are to be appointed by the president, including regional government bodies, governors and so on. So, if the president is illegitimate, so are all the others.

So, under these circumstances of de facto illegitimacy, neo-Nazi formations receive additional weapons and recruit new personnel. What does this lead to, what could it lead to? It results in de facto power being in their hands. This, in turn, means that it is already unclear with whom to sign documents and what effect such documents might carry, for tomorrow new leaders may come to power through elections and declare: “We do not know who signed those papers, so goodbye.”

The issue is not just this uncertainty; it is that these neo-Nazi formations, such as Azov, among others, are effectively beginning to run the country. This raises the question: how is it possible to conduct negotiations with them?

In such situations, international practice follows a well-established path. Within the framework of the United Nations peacekeeping operations, there have been several cases of what is termed external governance or temporary administration. This occurred in East Timor, I believe in 1999, in parts of the former Yugoslavia, and in New Guinea. In short, such precedents exist.

In principle, it would indeed be possible to discuss, under UN auspices with the United States and even European countries – and certainly with our partners and allies – the possibility of establishing a temporary administration in Ukraine. To what end? To conduct democratic elections, to bring to power a competent government that enjoys public trust, and only then to begin negotiations on a peace treaty and sign legitimate agreements that would be recognized worldwide as consistent and reliable.

This is just one option; I do not claim that others do not exist. They certainly do. At present, there is no opportunity – and perhaps no possibility – to lay out every detail, as the situation is evolving rapidly. But this remains a viable option, and such precedents exist within UN practice, as I have already noted.

Ultimately, we advocate for the resolution of all conflicts, including this one, through peaceful means. But not at our expense.

As you know, the economy and finance of our state can be described, thankfully, as satisfactory, to put it mildly. The situation is stable in terms of government finances and the economy as a whole.

Of course, there is never enough money. I do not remember in my current capacity over the past years anyone in charge of the economy and finance saying, “We have money to spare.” This never happens. On the other hand, when oil prices were high, we had enough money to keep it in a reserve fund. It had a different name, but this does not matter.

Overall, even when we had enough money to keep in reserve, it was never sufficient. Here is what I mean: if you do not keep money in reserve, you will have macroeconomic problems, including inflation. You must have a reserve fund, using the rest to devise programs connected with budget spending.

The situation is the same now. It is stable and normal. With a 4.1 percent economic growth rate, Russia is the fourth largest country in the world in terms of the size of its economy and purchasing power parity. The top three are China, the United States and India, then Russia. All the other economies, including Japan and Germany, are smaller.

I am not talking about Great Britain, which is pouncing at us and otherwise behaving aggressively, while its economy is only the ninth or tenth largest. This explains the size of its armed forces, which 170,000 or 180,000 personnel. This is the armed forces Great Britain has.

What did I say? I said that you are always short of something. The commander-in-chief [of the Navy] attended a meeting today. As for the development of closed towns, the Closed Administrative-Territorial Unit, I believe that we have allocated over 39 billion rubles over the past two or three years for this purpose, for the development and improvement of these closed towns.

Today I listened to what your commander-in-chief reported on the development plans for these closed towns in light of the growing size of our armed forces and navy, as well as the build-up of our ground forces.

That is why I have issued instructions for the Government and the Finance Ministry, which will implement them, to approve the allocation of at least ten billion rubles annually over the next few years.

I hope that our achievements are visible to all. I mean spending on kindergartens and schools, on the improvement of housing and utility services, your streets and courtyard spaces, etc. I hope this is something you can see.

In short, we will do it. We have a program, and the funds will be earmarked for it.

Thank you.

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The strike violates the ceasefire deal and negates the possibility of quickly restoring service to the EU, according to Moscow

Ukraine has “destroyed” a key border energy facility in Kursk Region, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. The Sudzha gas metering station was part of a major pipeline, which for decades had delivered fuel to EU customers.

Here is what happened and the possible consequences of the attack.

Ukraine finishes off Sudzha station

According to the report by the Russian military, Ukrainian forces used US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems to strike the Sudzha gas pipeline facility on Friday, causing a blaze. The defense ministry in Moscow claimed that the metering station is no longer operational.

Last week, Moscow accused Kiev of sabotaging the same site using planted explosives. Ukrainian forces seized the station last August as part of their incursion into Kursk Region, but have been largely pushed out over recent weeks.

The Russian military said the Ukrainians had damaged the station during their retreat, as they could no longer use it for military logistics.

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Ceasefire violation

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted a proposal from his US counterpart, Donald Trump, to suspend attacks against Ukrainian energy infrastructure; Kiev agreed to the mutual moratorium.

The Russian military has since reported multiple violations by Ukraine, which it said demonstrates Kiev’s duplicity. Moscow claims it is honoring its obligations under the deal as part of an effort to normalize relations with Washington.

However, commenting on the destruction of the Sudzha station on Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow reserves the right to withdraw from the agreement, since “it would be illogical for us to observe it, when every night we face attempted strikes on our energy infrastructure.”

End of EU transit

The Sudzha station was part of an energy route connecting gas fields in Western Siberia with Uzhhorod, a city on the Ukrainian border with Hungary, feeding the fuel to gas pipelines in the EU.

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Originally built by the USSR with German help in what the press dubbed “the deal of the century,” the pipeline provided Europe with access to cheap fuel for decades. Last year, over 15 billion cubic meters of Russian gas was delivered through Ukraine, despite the two nations engaging in an armed conflict. Kiev has received hundreds of millions of dollars in transit fees annually under the scheme.

Kiev, however, refused to renew the contract with Russia that expired at the end of 2024, claiming that it wanted to deny Moscow the opportunity to sell gas to the EU.

The decision caused a crisis in the EU, as Hungary and Slovakia called on Brussels to apply pressure on Ukraine and secure continued supplies. Friday’s attack will delay the restoration of gas flows to the continent if a peace agreement between Moscow and Kiev is reached.

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Kiev’s move backfires

The end of transit backfired on Ukrainian forces in Kursk Region this month, as Russian troops infiltrated behind their defensive positions by traveling through the unused pipeline.

‘Operation Flow,’ as Moscow dubbed it, hastened the collapse of the Ukrainian incursion and led to the liberation of the town of Sudzha, which had previously served as the linchpin of Kiev’s attempts to seize Russian territory.

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Kiev’s push to inventory the UNESCO site’s sacred relics is “blasphemous,” a UOC bishop has said

Ukrainian government officials and police have broken into the catacombs of the country’s most important monastery, the Union of Orthodox Journalists (UOJ) has reported. The caves of Kiev Pechersk Lavra are the final resting spot of some of the country’s earliest Christian saints.

The Lavra, which was founded in around 1050, has been the epicenter of religious and political turmoil in recent years. The government of Vladimir Zelensky supports the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), which was created in 2018 and has been trying for months to wrest control of the monastery and countless other church properties from the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).

The Ukrainian culture ministry had set up a special commission tasked with creating an inventory and evaluating the sacred relics kept at the monastery’s Near and Far Caves. The commission is expected to complete its work by the end of May and the results will be classified.

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The UOJ said on its Telegram channel on Friday that the representatives of the ministry and police officers “have begun the takeover” of the caves at Kiev Pechersk Lavra. They used an angle grinder to cut down the padlocks which had been placed on the doors of the underground facilities by UOC monks.

Bishop Gedeon Makarovsky of the UOC told RIA Novosti that Kiev’s push to make an inventory of the relics is “blasphemous.”

“Why would they make a list of the relics? In order to be able to take them out, hide them, steal them, move them and so on,” the cleric insisted.

When asked to comment on the actions of the Ukrainian authorities, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told RIA Novosti: “The Viy has returned to Kiev.” The Viy is a demonic creature from a classic 1835 story of the same name by Ukrainian-born Russian writer Nikolay Gogol which is depicted as rampaging through a church.

The persecution of the UOC by the Ukrainian authorities intensified after the conflict between Moscow and Kiev escalated in February 2022. Zelensky justified the clampdown by alleging that the religious organization retained ties to the Moscow Patriarchate, despite it declaring full independence in May 2022.

Zelensky has asserted the need to protect Ukraine’s “spiritual independence” and deprive Russia of an opportunity to “to manipulate the spirituality of our people.”

READ MORE: Russia will ‘finish off’ Kiev’s forces – Putin

Several churches have been seized by force from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church since the conflict escalated, and criminal cases have been opened against its clerics. A law banning the activities of the UOC in Ukraine officially came into force last September.

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British specialists set coordinates for a Ukrainian missile system that struck a gas metering station, the Foreign Ministry has said

France and the UK actively aided Kiev in a strike on the Sudzha pipeline infrastructure in Russia’s Kursk Region on Friday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has told journalists. Earlier the Russian Defense Ministry said that a metering facility was “de facto destroyed” in a Ukrainian HIMARS attack.

“[We] have reasons to believe that targeting and navigation were facilitated through French satellites and British specialists input [target] coordinates and launched [the missiles],” Zakharova said, commenting on the strike.

“The command came from London,” she said, branding the attack part of a Ukrainian “terror” campaign targeting Russian energy infrastructure. The spokeswoman added that such actions demonstrate that Kiev is “impossible to negotiate with.”

Although Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky “publicly supported” a temporary suspension of strikes on energy infrastructure agreed by Moscow and Washington, he “did nothing to observe it,” according to Zakharova.

Moscow ordered that attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure cease on March 18, following a phone call between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. Russia and the US also agreed on a list of energy facilities that should not be targeted as part of a truce earlier this week. The list included gas facilities.

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Kiev also agreed to a US-proposed 30-day partial ceasefire following talks between Ukrainian and American delegations in Saudi Arabia on March 15. Zelensky hailed the development and even described it as a diplomatic “victory” for Ukraine, but did not publicly mention any relevant orders to the Ukrainian military.

The Russian Defense Ministry has regularly reported on Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure over the past few weeks. Earlier on Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists that the strike suggested that the Ukrainian military no longer follows Kiev’s orders due to a “total lack of supervision.”

Paris and London have emerged as the staunchest supporters of Ukraine in the face of a gradual shift in Washington’s position under the new Trump administration. In early March, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron said that their nations were ready to lead a “coalition of the willing”—a group of pro-Ukrainian countries prepared to support Kiev with troops and aircraft.

Russia has vehemently rejected any possibility of NATO-aligned European troops deploying to the conflict zone. It has accused France and Britain of hatching plans for “military intervention in Ukraine,” which could lead to a direct armed clash between Russia and NATO.

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Ukrainian forces continue to attack Russian energy infrastructure in violation of the US-backed ceasefire, according to Dmitry Peskov

Kiev’s troops are apparently refusing to take orders from its political leaders, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Friday. While Ukraine publicly supported the 30-day partial ceasefire which Russia brokered with the US, its airstrikes continue, he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a halt to attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on March 18 following a phone call with his US counterpart Donald Trump. The two leaders discussed the initiative put forward by Washington and Moscow said it supported the idea at the time.

“Russia can state that the [Ukrainian] leadership has no control over its Armed Forces that do not follow its orders when it comes to attacks on the energy infrastructure facilities,” Peskov said, adding that attempts to strike Russian infrastructure “take place on a daily basis.”

Russia and the US also agreed on a list of energy facilities that should not be targeted as part of the truce earlier this week. The list included nuclear power plants, oil and gas facilities, and hydroelectric power plants. However, it is unclear if the Ukrainian government gave any orders to its troops afterwards.

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The Kremlin then said that it intended to maintain the 30-day partial ceasefire as a gesture of goodwill to Washington, even if Kiev fails to honor it. The Russian Foreign Ministry has warned that Moscow reserves the right to withdraw from the agreement.

“If Ukraine had joined the [ceasefire] and gave relevant orders to its Armed Forces, they are apparently not being followed,” Peskov said on Friday, calling it a sign of Kiev’s “total lack of supervision” over the military’s actions.

Earlier on Friday, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that Kiev’s troops had attacked the country’s energy infrastructure in three separate regions, in violation of a US-mediated moratorium. The incidents, recorded over the past 24 hours, took place in Russia’s Belgorod, Kursk, and Saratov Regions, according to the ministry, which has published some video showing the aftermath of one of the attacks. The Russian military has been reporting similar violations among Ukrainian troops regularly since the agreement was made.

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“Elevated” football figures are reportedly willing to reinstate the country to competitions “tomorrow,” according to the outlet

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is reportedly taking steps to lift a ban on Russian participation in international competition, The Independent reported on Thursday, citing a senior source in the organization.

A number of international sports organizations, including UEFA and its global counterpart FIFA, banned Russian teams from participating in tournaments following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022.

According to The Independent, however, the issue of lifting the UEFA ban could come up during the organization’s congress scheduled for the Serbian capital Belgrade next week.

“Moves are currently happening to get Russia back into football,” the British outlet quoted one senior UEFA source as saying, adding that there are “elevated football figures who would ‘have them back tomorrow.’” Other figures within UEFA have reportedly insisted that the ban shouldn’t have been imposed in the first place.

According to The Independent, senior UEFA officials are already setting out a roadmap for Russia’s return, which would appear especially likely once a ceasefire is established in the Ukraine conflict.

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A source further claimed that “Zurich-based politics” means that the International Olympic Committee would be the first to “normalize” Russia once a truce between Moscow and Kiev is agreed, followed by the International Hockey Federation and football organizations.

Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, agreed during a phone call that they aim to normalize relations between the two countries and continue discussions on global security, economic, and cultural cooperation.

Following the talks, the Kremlin reported that both leaders had expressed support for organizing hockey matches between the US and Russia involving players from the National Hockey League (NHL) and Russia’s Continental Hockey League (KHL). The idea has since been approved by the Russian Olympic Committee and the Russian Ministry of Sport.

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The president has urged sustainable development of the region and addressed the global implications of the US claim to Greenland

Russian President Vladimir Putin has detailed the country’s priorities for the future development of the Arctic region.

Moscow sees huge potential for resource extraction and transportation, which requires major infrastructure investments and careful consideration for the environment, Putin said on Thursday in a speech at the International Arctic Forum in Murmansk. He also addressed the military aspects of Russian plans and US President Donald Trump’s bid to acquire Greenland from Denmark.

Here is Putin’s speech in full:

The International Arctic Forum is a key platform to discuss current issues regarding the comprehensive development of Arctic territories, establishing effective mechanisms for the joint use and exploration of the Arctic region’s abundant resources at various levels.

In 2025, the forum’s events are being held in Murmansk on March 26–27 under the motto “To Live in the North!”

* * *

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Colleagues, friends, ladies and gentlemen.

I welcome the participants and guests of the 6th International Forum, The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue. For the first time, it is being hosted by Murmansk – the capital of the Russian Arctic, a Hero City, which is developing dynamically today, as are our other northern cities and regions, while launching landmark projects for the entire country.

Russia is the largest Arctic power. We have consistently advocated for equitable cooperation in the region, encompassing scientific research, biodiversity protection, climate issues, emergencies response, and, of course, the economic and industrial development of the Arctic. We are prepared to collaborate not only with Arctic states but with all who, like us, share responsibility for ensuring a stable and sustainable future for the planet and are capable of adopting balanced decisions for decades to come.

Regrettably, international cooperation in northern latitudes is currently facing significant challenges. In the past few years, numerous Western nations have opted for confrontation, cutting off economic connections with Russia and ceasing scientific, educational, and cultural exchanges. Discussions on safeguarding Arctic ecosystems have come to a standstill. Politicians, party leaders, and even the so-called greens in some Western countries address their citizens and electorates about the significance of the climate agenda and environmental conservation, yet in practice, their policies are entirely contradictory.

As a reminder, the Arctic Council was set up to cooperate in addressing environmental issues, to prevent emergencies above the Arctic Circle and to jointly respond to them if they emerge. However, this tool has degraded by now. Meanwhile, Russia did not refuse to communicate in this format – it was the choice of our Western partners, Western nations. As they say in such situations: Don’t do it if you don’t want it. We will work with those who want it.

Meanwhile, the role and importance of the Arctic for Russia and for the entire world are obviously growing. Regrettably, the geopolitical competition and fighting for positions in this region are also escalating.

Suffice it to say about the plans of the United States to annex Greenland, as everyone is aware. But you know, it can surprise someone only at first glance. It is a profound mistake to treat it as some preposterous talk by the new US administration. Nothing of the sort.

In fact, the United States had such plans as far back as the 1860s. As early as that, the US administration was considering possible annexation of Greenland and Iceland. However, the idea did not enjoy support in Congress then.

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Let me remind you, by the way, that by 1868, the purchase of Alaska from Russia was ridiculed in the American press – it was called “madness,” “an ice box” and “President Andrew Johnson’s polar bear garden.” Therefore, the Greenland proposal failed.

But that acquisition, I mean the purchase of Alaska, is probably viewed very differently in the United States today, just as President Andrew Johnson’s actions are.

Thus what is happening today is not really surprising, particularly since this story only began back then, and it went on and on. In 1910, for example, a trilateral land swap deal was negotiated between the United States, Germany and Denmark. As a result, Greenland would have gone to the United States but the deal fell through then.

During World War II, the United States stationed military bases in Greenland to protect it from Nazi takeover. After the war, the United States suggested Denmark should sell the island. This was quite recently in terms of world history.

In short, the United States has serious plans regarding Greenland. These plans have long historical roots, as I have just mentioned, and it is obvious that the United States will continue to consistently advance its geo-strategic, military-political and economic interests in the Arctic.

As to Greenland, this is an issue that concerns two specific nations and has nothing to do with us. But at the same time, of course, we are concerned about the fact that NATO countries are increasingly often designating the Far North as a springboard for possible conflicts and are practicing the use of troops in these conditions, including by their “new recruits” – Finland and Sweden, with whom, incidentally, until recently we had no problems at all. They are creating problems with their own hands for some reason. Why? It is impossible to understand. But nevertheless, we will proceed from current realities and will respond to all this.

I must emphasise: Russia has never threatened anyone in the Arctic. However, we are closely monitoring developments in the region, formulating an appropriate response strategy, enhancing the combat capabilities of the Armed Forces, and modernising military infrastructure facilities.

We will not tolerate any encroachments on our country’s sovereignty and will steadfastly safeguard our national interests. By upholding peace and stability in the Arctic region, we will ensure its long-term socio-economic development, improve the quality of life for its residents, and preserve its unique natural environment.

The stronger our positions and the more substantial our achievements, the greater our opportunities will be to launch global international projects in the Arctic involving partner nations, friendly states, and perhaps even Western countries – provided, however, that they demonstrate a genuine interest in cooperative efforts. I am confident that the time for such projects will undoubtedly come.

Friends,

The Arctic Zone accounts for over a quarter of the Russian Federation’s territory. Nearly two and a half million our citizens live and work here, making a significant contribution to the nation’s progress. Current estimates indicate that the Arctic generates 7% of Russia’s gross domestic product and approximately 11% of our exports. At the same time, we see enormous potential for the region’s further comprehensive development. A critical priority is strengthening the Arctic’s transport and logistical framework.

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Let me note that this year marks the 500th anniversary of the first historical records mentioning the daring concept proposed by Russian seafarers and Pomor trappers: a prospective trade route through the northern seas to the East, reaching China via the so-called Northeast Passage – the precursor to the Northern Sea Route.

Over the past decade, cargo traffic along the Northern Sea Route – spanning from the Kara Gates Strait to the Bering Strait – has substantially increased. In 2014, a mere four million tonnes of cargo were transported via this corridor. By last year, that figure had risen to nearly 38 million tonnes – five times the Soviet-era record. We anticipate, with confidence, that volumes will reach 70–100 million tonnes by 2030.

Yet our plans – in terms of cargo volumes, geographical reach, and expansion of the Arctic fleet – are far more ambitious. The Northern Sea Route is poised to become a pivotal segment of the Transarctic Transport Corridor, stretching from St Petersburg through Murmansk to Vladivostok. This corridor is designed to connect global industrial, agricultural, and energy hubs with consumer markets via a shorter, safer, and more economically viable route. This is widely acknowledged – experts across the East and West recognise its significance.

Cargo shipments along the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor are set to increase on the back of growing minerals production and the advanced processing of these resources right here in the Arctic, and due to rising international transits. I would like to stress the importance of linking this Trans-Arctic corridor with our domestic railway network everywhere from the northwest to Russia’s Far East, reaching all the way to the Baikal-Amur Mainline and the Trans-Siberian Railway.

By the way, even today the concept of building the Trans-Siberian Railway, which stretches across the entire country to the Pacific, exemplifies a strategic, forward-looking vision for us. It addressed not only the country’s immediate needs and circumstances but also took into account our national interests within a horizon of several centuries. We must be guided by this approach as we develop the Trans-Arctic corridor.

What are the priority objectives in this regard?

First, Russia already operates the world’s biggest icebreaker fleet. We must consolidate our leadership in this sector by building new-generation icebreakers, including nuclear icebreakers. Today, only Russia has them – no other country has a nuclear icebreaker fleet.

Four of these icebreakers belong to the latest Project 22220, and are already operating in the Arctic. Three more nuclear icebreakers from the same series – Chukotka, Leningrad and Stalingrad – are currently under construction. There is also the mighty 120 Mw icebreaker Rossiya. It will allow for more efficient year-round icebreaker support to large-tonnage ships in high latitudes.

Let me emphasise that icebreaker support costs and shipping costs for the Trans-Arctic Corridor in general must be competitive and acceptable to the market. This is a major prerequisite for guaranteeing that this route is relevant for businesses and creates added value for them. My colleagues from the Government and I have recently discussed these matters, and I fully agree that this offering must be competitive on the market.

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Second, Russia is a sovereign nation, and as such it needs a merchant fleet of its own in the Arctic, including cargo, search and rescue ships for operating shipments in northern seas, as well as within our internal waters in the Arctic. We must recognise that for now we cannot rely exclusively on our domestic shipbuilding capabilities.

In this connection, we must work on all fronts by building and ordering ships that have already been built, working with manufacturers around the world and developing the domestic shipbuilding industry based on the strategic objectives we have.

Of course, this message is primarily intended for the Government: we must support our shipbuilding corporations and shipyards in their efforts to upgrade and expand their capabilities and build international manufacturing chains. I also ask the Government to review opportunities for building new, cutting-edge, advanced, high-technology shipyards in Russia.

Third, Russian shipping companies that transport petroleum products and liquefied natural gas are already successfully operating in the northern seas. Now we need to create enabling conditions for effective domestic operators who will be shipping containers, coal, bulk and other goods across the Arctic. We are also open to create joint ventures in this segment. International logistics operators could make profitable investments in such companies. Moreover, in addition to capital and technology, they could contribute part of their merchant fleet to such projects.

Fourth, plans are in place to increase the capacity and turnover of our northern ports through the introduction of innovative and environmentally friendly solutions, including unmanned and automated cargo handling equipment. This will happen soon enough. For example, the capacity of the Murmansk transport hub should be amplified at least three times over in the next few years due to the construction of new terminals and the expansion of railway links.

I would like to add that our partners from Belarus, China, the United Arab Emirates and other countries are showing keen interest in this project and in the development of the Arctic transport infrastructure in general. It is a very interesting undertaking from a business point of view.

We plan to create large multimodal hubs to operate as key logistics centres of the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor. Not only will these hubs serve as ports where convoys of ships are formed or Russian and foreign cargos are handled; they will include industrial facilities for the production of manufactured goods.

To improve the logistical stability of the Trans-Arctic Corridor, I ask the Government to draft plans to expand the capacity of existing seaports in the Arctic, and decide where on the Arctic coast new ports should be built, and how soon the adjacent infrastructure needs to be developed. I am primarily referring to the links between the sea harbours and the national railway network.

In this regard, fifth, we will need to develop the Arctic Operating Domain – similar to the Eastern Operating Domain, which includes the Baikal-Amur Mainline and the Trans-Siberian Railway. The project must include the modernisation of the Northern Railway in the Komi Republic and the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area.

We are aware of the situation at Russian Railways today; we know what challenges the company is facing. However, we need to think about what I just said, about the development of the Northern Railway – and we need to start today.

What opportunities will this open? The regions of Siberia, the Urals, and Russia’s North-West will receive direct access to the North, to the Arctic ports, which will lessen the load on the Trans-Siberian Railway and promote effective use of sea transport. In addition, there will be new points of access to the Arctic from the North-South corridor, which connects us with Central Asia and the Gulf states.

And of course, the potential of the Arctic’s inland waterways, our great rivers – the Lena, Yenisei, and Ob – must be unlocked at a new technological level to develop the Trans-Arctic route. This will help, among other things, to enhance the Northern Supply Haul system so as to ensure a reliable supply of foodstuffs and other goods for Arctic residents.

I want to stress specially that the resources of the state, regions, and businesses, including both state-owned and private banks, must be combined to pursue these and other major initiatives. The capabilities of the domestic stock market must also be utilised to attract capital to the Arctic infrastructure.

Infrastructure projects are indeed complex, costly and have a long pay-back period. But it is these projects that provide Russia’s real transport sovereignty at a new level. And I am confident that if our foreign partners join these projects, it will guarantee them long-term investments with good returns. Therefore, we cannot put off these projects for later, we must launch and start pursuing them now, as soon as possible.

Apparently, it is important to resort to flexible approaches here, to attract both Russian and foreign investors, as I have just mentioned. In this regard, I propose that we consider creating a special project office under the auspices of our leading development institution, VEB, which will provide support for transport, logistics, and infrastructure projects in the Arctic, as well as urban development projects in the region. It will also become an entity where potential investors can address directly and receive support they need. I ask the Government to prepare respective proposals.

In addition, I instruct the Government to join hands with Rosatom, VEB and the State Council’s dedicated commission to endorse the financial, economic and organisational model for the development of the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor by August 1 of this year.

Colleagues,

Currently, deposits of oil and gas, metals and other minerals are being developed in the Russian Arctic. We will continue massive geological exploration there, primarily within the framework of the Geology: Revival of the Legend federal project.

Concurrently, the task is to launch enterprises of deep processing of raw materials in the Arctic regions using the powerful resource base there; to create high value-added production facilities in petrochemistry, natural gas conversion, rare earth metals, and other industries related to machine building, production of sophisticated machinery and industrial equipment, while preserving the unique nature of the Arctic.

By way of example, I would like to mention the Centre for the Construction of Large-Capacity Offshore Structures in Belokamenka, where technologies for natural gas liquefaction are being localised and the most up-to-date domestic solutions are being utilised.

I’d like to draw the attention of colleagues in the Government and regional authorities to the following: it is essential not only to propose but also to effectively refine tools for supporting investment and business activity in the Arctic. This includes tax incentives, administrative privileges, infrastructure preparation of land plots, and other measures.

In particular, I remind colleagues of the need to strictly fulfil plans for the gas infrastructure coverage of the Murmansk Region. This must be completed by 2030. I emphasise: this objective remains in force.

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Of course, we should also develop promising areas such as tourism. The North and the Arctic are unique concentrations of natural, historical, and spiritual landmarks. The region boasts an extraordinarily rich cultural mosaic. Over a million tourists visit the Arctic annually to explore its landscapes, witness the northern lights, engage in Arctic fishing, ride dog sleds, or journey to polar archipelagos.

The number of tourists is growing. Consequently, new initiatives in this sphere are emerging, such as an Arctic tourism centre with a ski resort component in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area or an aqua-thermal spa and year-round hotel complex in Karelia. I request that both the federal Government and regional authorities support such initiatives, which reveal new facets of the Arctic and help heighten interest in the region.

I also propose considering the inclusion of White Sea tourism infrastructure development in the Five Seas and Lake Baikal federal project.

To make the Arctic accessible for mass tourism, transport connectivity is crucial – from the repair and construction of roads to the development of air travel.

I reiterate that we have extended subsidised airfare rates for flights to Arctic cities. Last year, approximately 800,000 passengers utilised this opportunity. This year, subsidised tickets are available for over 70 air routes.

At the same time, Far Northern airports, particularly smaller ones, require modernisation. In the coming years, under the relevant national project, we will upgrade 16 airfields in the Arctic Zone, including those in Salekhard, Arkhangelsk, Naryan-Mar, and Vorkuta.

Overall, our objective is to maintain an extensive airport network in the Arctic – from large and medium-sized airfields to small landing strips. This is also vital to ensure year-round accessibility of residential areas and the operation of air ambulance services.

Friends,

The key and overarching goal of Russia’s efforts is to improve the quality of life for people living in the Arctic, to ensure modern conditions for study and work, leisure, and the upbringing of children in this harsh region that still lures people with amazing force. I have talked to these people many times. Those who were born in the north, as well as those who have come here, have all said that the north is like a magnet since people develop a sense of belonging to these latitudes, and to this land.

As you know, we have already drafted master plans for the Arctic urban centres, which include not only major cities like Arkhangelsk or Murmansk, but also cover towns like Kirovsk, Apatity and Monchegorsk in the Murmansk Region, Kem and Belomorsk in Karelia, Vorkuta in the Komi Republic, Bilibino and Pevek in Chukotka, Naryan-Mar in the Nenets Autonomous Area, Salekhard, Labytnangi, Novy Urengoi and Noyabrsk in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area, as well as Tiksi and Naiba in Yakutia, and Norilsk, Igarka and Dikson in the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

On a separate note, I would like to thank the VEB.RF and DOM.RF corporations for their involvement and contribution to drafting these master plans.

A master plan is a comprehensive strategic and territorial planning document that sets forth long-term socioeconomic and spatial development visions for cities, towns and villages. They provide for the introduction of the latest urban planning solutions while also ensuring that these settlements retain their unique cityscapes based on suggestions and proposals from local residents and civil society organisations, including associations of Northern ethnic minorities.

I would like to draw the Government’s attention to the need to be more responsive in its efforts to approve a timeline for carrying out these Arctic master plans and ensuring that they receive the funding they need. As I have already mentioned, this includes, among other things, introducing the Arctic agenda as a separate item into our national projects, while also launching mechanisms for engaging businesses and strategic investors working in the Arctic or those who are willing to work here in carrying out these master plans.

In addition, I ask the Government to think about setting up dedicated competence centres for providing urban planning and development training to municipal and regional officials and teaching them best practices in urban planning.

Moving on, we launched a national contest for creating people-friendly urban spaces. Winners will receive budget funding for their projects. I suggest allocating an additional sum from the federal budget as part of this contest. My colleagues from the Government and the Finance Ministry and I have just discussed this matter. I will not give you any final figures, but we need to earmark this disbursement and provide this kind of assistance so that colleagues working on the objectives I have just mentioned have more opportunities for improving embankments, pedestrian areas and playgrounds, building parks, gardens, and so on.

On a separate note, I would like to ask the Government to extend the programme of renovating military settlements, the closed administrative territorial units in the Arctic where our military personnel live with their families. This renovation programme should continue at least until 2030, with the annual federal budget support of at least 10 billion rubles. I would like to emphasise that this is connected with the strengthening of our military presence in the region, where the number of our military personnel will be increased.

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One of the tasks of our master plans and the renovation programme is to determine where new enterprises and jobs should be created, including those linked to the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor, and where schools and kindergartens, outpatient clinics and hospitals, roads and communications, as well as housing are to be built. The defence and construction ministries are to work together with the regional authorities to coordinate plans for each facility, so as to determine the amount of resources needed for implementing this task and the allocation deadlines.

It is a specific Arctic feature that structures are built in conditions of perpetually frozen ground or permafrost, which explains the special requirements for building designs, structure and reliability. At the same time, we should take the dynamics of climate change into account to forecast potential risks. I propose establishing a special research centre to monitor perpetually frozen ground with contribution from the leading federal and regional institutes. Their research projects will provide the scientific basis for the technology of adjusting Arctic infrastructure to the melting of permafrost.

I know that a register of best Arctic construction practices has been compiled. This regional experience should be expanded. I hope that it will incorporate the idea of multipurpose Arctic centres, where social and administrative offices, sports centres and service facilities are located under one roof, in the same building.

Of course, we must always take the opinions and requests of those who live in the North into account. For example, people openly complain about the shortage of the so-called service economy in Arctic cities and towns, meaning recreation facilities, including those for families and children, as well as cultural and educational venues. We must develop this segment and encourage the relevant business initiatives.

We have a special support programme for small and medium-sized enterprises in the Extreme North. Its efficiency must be upgraded. I would like to ask the Government to adjust the parameters of this programme, in particular, to expand the list of sectors with access to this programme and to create additional subsidised loan opportunities for these companies.

I would like to say a few words about healthcare. The accessibility of medical services in the North is objectively limited compared to central Russia; the situation is even worse in remote communities. I ask the Government to prepare a special mechanism for financing medical care in these areas.

In addition, healthcare in the northern regions must be enhanced with the introduction of digital technologies. The residents of these regions must be served by mobile paramedic stations equipped with artificial intelligence tools, which can conduct physical check-ups both remotely and at the scene, diagnose certain diseases and provide recommendations for treatment.

Next, the environment remains a sensitive issue for the Arctic and its residents. Let me remind you that at our first forum, which was initiated by the Russian Geographical Society, we announced the launch of a “general clean-up” of the Arctic, to remove scrap metal, remnants of fuel and lubricants and other waste.

The project, launched by the Russian Geographical Society and supported by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, brought together thousands of volunteers and public organisations. We will certainly continue this effort. We will also ensure comprehensive environmental protection of Russia’s Arctic zone, in particular by clearing Arctic waters of sunken ships, which is a pressing problem that needs to be addressed. Predictably, everything requires funding, so the relevant government agencies will need to work on all these issues, including to earmark the necessary funds year by year.

We will remove technological waste and reclaim land, focusing on bringing Arctic cities and towns up to standard. We will carry out the so-called revitalisation of abandoned areas, buildings and lands, to return them to circulation to serve the interests of local residents.

In fact, we are repaying our debt to the Arctic. We cannot afford to accumulate more debt to its unique nature. With all the plans in place for the region’s economic development, it is essential to maintain a balance between the use of its natural resources and nature conservation.

A new polar station will be built in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area, in the Polar Urals, to test new environmentally friendly technologies. The new scientific research and educational station, Snowflake, will be established by the end of 2028. An international team of researchers will use it to test green technologies being developed for the Arctic, with applications ranging from essential services, telecommunications, and medicine to new materials.

Colleagues,

The Arctic is a territory of great opportunities for specialists in various fields, for entrepreneurs, for young people, and for families who have lived here for generations or have only recently moved and are planning to settle, buy or build a home here.

We have already extended the Arctic mortgage programme until 2030. It offers an annual interest rate of two percent and lowers the requirements for borrowers. This includes cancelling the requirement for teachers and medical workers to have an employment history in the North before applying for a housing loan. Participants in the special military operation can also benefit from these Arctic mortgages along with people working for defence manufacturers.

Substandard and hazardous housing has become an extremely urgent issue for people in the North. I instruct the Government to draft a targeted action plan by September 1, 2025. It must address this issue and cover at least a ten-year period.

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Moving on, the Accessible Rentals programme has been launched in Russia’s Far East, as you know. It offers affordable rentals to young people coming to the Far Eastern regions, graduating there or taking a job there. This programme consists of using regional and federal funds to subsidise rental payments.

I suggest that we expand this programme to include the key Arctic communities. This way, we will make rentals more accessible for people starting their careers in this region, as well as those who want to live and work there. This programme must cover the Arctic in 2026.

We have agreed to extend the Muravyov-Amursky 2030 training programme in public administration to cover the Arctic regions. We have already done this. I am certain that this kind of training will help many talented administrators jump-start their careers and would benefit the Arctic and the country in general.

There is one more thing I would like to mention. The North has always attracted brave people and true leaders. Outstanding researcher, polar explorer and scientist Artur Chilingarov was one of them. I suggest that in his memory we establish a special grant programme for supporting youth initiatives as part of environmental, educational and research projects in the Arctic.

Friends,

Efforts to explore and develop the Russian North and to overcome the challenges related to its harsh climate while enabling the state to reach new promising horizons – all these objectives have inspired many generations of our ancestors, including medieval sailors and Novgorod merchants, those who pioneered Arctic exploration in the 16th and 17th centuries, industrial leaders of the 18th and 19th centuries, researchers, polar explorers, engineers, Soviet workers, and companies in present-day Russia which launched major Arctic projects in the early 2000s.

Today, the North has become central to our development efforts. This is a sovereign and historical choice for us. This means that the objectives we set for and address in the Arctic, and the projects we undertake here must match this historical scale and have a horizon spanning decades, if not centuries.

We will do everything to consolidate Russia’s leadership in the Arctic despite all the challenges and travails we face today. We will provide for the region’s comprehensive development and create a solid foundation for future generations.

Thank you for your attention.

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A giant mobile crane sank in a bog during military exercises near Belarus

The Lithuanian military has called for specialized equipment to lift a sunken US military vehicle, whose four crew members have been classified as missing, following a training incident in a swamp near the country’s border with Belarus on Tuesday.

The M88 Hercules armored vehicle, designed for recovering other military assets and weighing over 60 tons, was located on Wednesday in a bog near Pabrade, where the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division was participating in a joint NATO exercise, according to US Army Europe and Africa command.

Recovery efforts have proven unsuccessful. Rescuers have yet to access the submerged vehicle due to the challenging terrain. The Lithuanian Defense Ministry announced on Friday morning that the country’s most powerful dredger is en route to the site.

”We just need to stop the flow of water from the lake into the swamp so that the mud can be pumped out of the swamp,” Lieutenant Colonel Ausrius Buikus, who is leading the rescue operation, told media on Thursday afternoon.

READ MORE: NATO chief triggers confusion over ‘dead’ American troops

On Wednesday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte extended condolences to the families of the missing US soldiers, who are still declared ‘missing’. His office later issued an apology for “confusion” arising from his implication the crew was deceased.

The US has approximately 1,000 troops in Lithuania. Washington has increased exercises in the Baltic states amid rising tensions with Russia, particularly since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, touting the drills as a NATO confidence-building measure.

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American-designed HIMARS artillery was used in one of the three latest attacks on infrastructure, according to the Defense Ministry

The Ukrainian military has attacked Russia’s energy infrastructure in three separate regions, again violating a US-mediated moratorium on such strikes, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has claimed.

The incidents, recorded over the past 24 hours, took place in Belgorod, Kursk and Saratov Regions of Russia, the Friday statement said. On Thursday, Ukrainian artillery struck an element of the Russian power grid in Belgorod Region, disrupting the power supply in Shchebekino near the international border, the report said.

A separate incident involved HIMARS artillery strikes on the Sudzha gas metering station in Kursk Region, where “the energy site was de facto destroyed.” The ministry had previously accused Kiev of damaging the facility with planted explosive charges as its forces were retreating from the area.

The ministry concluded that “all previous public statements of the Kiev regime about its purported intention to suspend attacks against Russian civilian energy infrastructure are just a smokescreen.” It believes that Ukraine wants to recover its military compatibility with the help of European backers while the US pushes for a complete truce with Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered that attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure stop on March 18, following a phone call with his US counterpart Donald Trump. The Kremlin says it intends to maintain the 30-day partial ceasefire as a gesture of goodwill to Washington, even if Kiev fails to honor it. However, the Russian Foreign Ministry has warned that Moscow reserves the right to withdraw from the agreement.

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The Ukrainian people must realize they were duped by the Western dream of inflicting a “strategic defeat” on Russia, the president has said

President Vladimir Putin has declared that Russian forces are gaining momentum across the entire line of contact and could soon “finish off” Ukraine’s military, while commenting on attempts by Kiev’s European backers to derail a diplomatic resolution of the conflict.

The Russian president made the remarks on Thursday during a meeting with the crew of the Arkhangelsk nuclear submarine, which is equipped with Zircon hypersonic missiles. Putin reiterated that Moscow has always sought to resolve the conflict through diplomatic means but was met with deception and obstruction from the West – first with the failed Minsk Agreements and then during the 2022 Istanbul peace talks.

“Their European handlers… convinced the Ukrainian leadership that they had to continue armed resistance, essentially to the last Ukrainian, with the goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia,” he said.

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Putin accused Western leaders – specifically former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson – of underestimating Russia’s resolve, and warned that the country’s military capabilities should not be taken lightly.

“He must have forgotten that there are people like you – and weapons like your submarine,” Putin told the naval crew. “Apparently, he forgot, or maybe they simply do not understand what the Russian people are made of.”

The Russian president said the conflict is reaching a turning point and expressed confidence in the outcome, noting that “across the entire line of combat engagement, our troops hold the strategic initiative.”

Not long ago I said, ‘We’ll squeeze them.’ Now there’s reason to believe we’ll finish them off. Then, I think a moment of realization must come to the Ukrainian people themselves.

Despite his hardline tone, Putin reiterated that Russia remains open to peace negotiations – as long as the core causes of the conflict are addressed.

“We are in favor of resolving these issues by peaceful means… But the root causes must be eliminated. We must ensure Russia’s security for the long historical perspective,” he said.

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Russia has repeatedly stated that it is open to peace talks, but insists that a true settlement of the conflict requires a permanent and legally-binding solution. Moscow opposes any NATO presence on Ukrainian soil and has demanded that Kiev demilitarize, denazify, adhere to a position of neutrality, and recognize the territorial “realities on the ground.”

On March 18, the Russian military was ordered to refrain from attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure under a deal agreed upon by President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump.

However, the Russian Ministry of Defense has since reported multiple Ukrainian violations, which it described as attempts to undermine Trump’s mediation efforts.

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The current authorities in Kiev have lost the legitimacy needed to sign any peace agreements, the president has said

Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed placing Ukraine under a temporary international administration as one possible way of resolving the ongoing conflict. The idea, he said, draws on international precedent and would aim to restore legitimate governance before any peace deal could be finalized.

During his meeting with Russian nuclear submarine officers on Thursday, President Putin described a possible international mechanism for stabilizing Ukraine – placing it under temporary external administration coordinated by the United Nations.

Here are the key takeaways from Putin’s proposal:

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The president has stated that Moscow will no longer tolerate diplomatic deception

President Vladimir Putin has emphasized that Moscow’s trust in Western Europe has been fundamentally broken, stating that while Russia remains open to working with the EU to resolve the Ukraine conflict, it will no longer do so on the basis of trust.

The remarks came during Putin's meeting with Russian submarine crews following the launch of a new nuclear sub on Thursday, in the context of what he described as a “sincere” effort by US President Donald Trump to find a diplomatic resolution to the conflict.

While expressing cautious optimism toward Washington, the Russian president made it clear that Europe is no longer regarded as a trustworthy interlocutor.

“We are ready to work with Europe,” Putin said. “But they behave inconsistently and keep trying to string us along. That’s fine – we’re used to it now. I hope we won’t make any more mistakes based on trust in our so-called Western partners.”

Putin accused Western leaders – particularly in France, Germany, and the UK – of manipulating previous peace efforts, especially the Minsk Agreements, as a tactic to buy time and rearm Ukraine.

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“Unfortunately, the former leaders of some Western countries... openly and without shame, have admitted that they only needed the Minsk Agreements to rearm the Ukrainian regime and prepare it for military action against us,” Putin said.

“We tried to resolve these issues peacefully for eight years,” even “when the conflict entered a hot phase,” Putin explained, accusing former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson of derailing the 2022 Istanbul peace talks.

“It is well known that Western handlers... arrived and persuaded the Ukrainian leadership to continue armed resistance to the end, essentially to the last Ukrainian, with the goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia,” he said.

Despite the past breaches of trust, Putin maintained that Russia is still open to dialogue – including with European nations – but stressed that future agreements must rest on firm, enforceable guarantees.

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As part of this approach, he floated the idea of placing Ukraine under a temporary international administration. He suggested that a UN-led transitional authority could organize elections and establish a legitimate government capable of negotiating a lasting peace.

“Of course, it would be possible – under the UN’s auspices and together with the United States, European countries, and our partners – to discuss the introduction of a temporary administration in Ukraine,” Putin said. “In order to hold democratic elections and bring a capable, trusted government to power, with whom we could then sign legally binding agreements.”

He concluded by reaffirming that any resolution must address Russia’s long-term strategic interests.

“We must, without question, ensure Russia’s security for the long historical perspective,” he said.

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The tensions around the island should not be dismissed as the “extravagant talk” of the US administration, according to Russia’s president

Washington has long harbored plans to get its hands on Greenland, and the ongoing tensions around the world’s largest island should be taken seriously, Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned.

Speaking at the International Arctic Forum in Murmansk on Thursday, Putin touched upon the ongoing tensions around Greenland, a Danish semi-autonomous territory, and US President Donald Trump’s repeated promises to annex it.

Trump invoked the topic of Greenland once again on Wednesday, claiming that US ownership of the island is needed to “properly defend a large section of this Earth” and would be universally beneficial – including for Denmark.

“We have to have the land because it’s not possible to properly defend a large section of this Earth – not just the US – without it. So we have to have it, and I think we will have it,” he said.

Trump’s statements should be taken seriously, Putin warned, pointing out that the US has been harboring plans to annex Greenland for over a century and a half already.

“Everyone knows about the US plans to annex Greenland. You know, this may surprise someone only at first glance. And it is a deep mistake to believe that this is some kind of extravagant talk of the new American administration,” Putin warned.

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American plans to seize Greenland date back to 1860, but at the time they did not get Congressional support, the Russian president pointed out.

“Let me remind you that by 1868, the Alaska purchase was being ridiculed in American newspapers. It was called madness, an ‘ice box,’ and ‘the polar bear garden’ of Andrew Johnson, then-US president. And his Greenland proposals failed,” Putin said.

The US, Germany, and Denmark also came close to signing a land-swap deal in 1910, which would have resulted in Greenland being ceded to America, Putin noted. However, the agreement ultimately fell through.

From the early 19th century until the 1950s, Greenland was under the full control of Denmark. During World War Two, it was occupied by the US after the Scandinavian country itself was captured by Nazi Germany. Currently, the island hosts an American military base and the infrastructure for an early warning system for ballistic missiles.

In recent decades, the island has grown increasingly autonomous; it was granted home rule in 1979, ultimately receiving the right in 2009 to declare independence if a referendum passes.

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The Russian president has reiterated that the current authorities in Kiev are illegitimate given the lack of elections

Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested discussing the establishment of a temporary government in Ukraine, under the guidance of the UN and several countries. The aim would be to hold fair elections in the country, since Vladimir Zelensky’s presidential term officially expired in May 2024.

Moscow sees no clear way to sign any agreements with Kiev since “other leaders might come tomorrow,” Putin explained on Thursday night while addressing the sailors of the Arkhangelsk nuclear submarine.

“In such cases, international practice follows a well-known path within the framework of the United Nations peacekeeping activities; several instances have already demonstrated what is referred to as external management or temporary administration,” he suggested.

External powers should facilitate elections in Ukraine to “establish a capable government that has the trust of the people”, Putin stressed. After that, the new authorities could begin negotiations with Moscow and sign a peace agreement “that would be recognized around the world and will be reliable and stable.”

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However, Putin also stressed that temporary governance is only one possible option. “In general, we support resolving conflicts peacefully, including this one, but not at our expense,” he concluded.

The US recently brokered a limited ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, placing a moratorium on attacks on energy infrastructure. Zelensky has publicly supported the 30-day partial ceasefire, which is supposed to involve a reciprocal suspension of attacks by Kiev’s forces.

The Russian Ministry of Defense, however, has reported multiple Ukrainian violations of the agreement, which it described as aimed at undermining US President Donald Trump’s efforts to mediate between Moscow and Kiev.

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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that Moscow will honor its obligations despite Ukrainian actions, since the agreement represents positive diplomatic engagement with the Trump administration.

Earlier this week, US officials met separately with Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Saudi Arabia. Following the talks, Moscow said it was willing to revive the Black Sea Grain Initiative, an arrangement that was originally mediated by the UN and Türkiye and expired in 2023.

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Kiev pushed for a deal — now it’s nervous about the outcome

A month of intense diplomacy has paid off. Russia and Ukraine, with US mediation, have reached their first formal agreement – so far limited to reducing hostilities. The deal outlines a 30-day ceasefire in the Black Sea and a moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure. Superficially, this resembles the “fake” air and naval ceasefire once floated by France and Britain to box Russia into a strategic dilemma. But the result turned out very differently.

Notably, Western European players are absent. Discussions about a second phase involving peacekeepers from France and the UK have stalled. Despite the noise, there will be no EU personnel monitoring this ceasefire. Instead, Russia has used the talks to extract valuable concessions from the Trump administration – chief among them, help regaining access to global agricultural markets.

The US has now placed sanctions relief for Rosselkhozbank, Russian food and fertiliser exporters, and shipping access to international ports on the agenda. These were the very demands Moscow had raised during the original 2022 Black Sea Grain Initiative, but at the time it received only vague UN assurances. Now, Russia has firm traction.

The energy truce also tilted in Moscow’s favour. Ukraine had wanted it to apply to all critical infrastructure, but the final version – negotiated by Russia and the US – is much narrower. It restricts attacks only on energy-related targets: oil refineries, power plants, hydroelectric stations, pipelines, and so forth. This specificity robs Kiev of opportunities to claim Russian ceasefire violations.

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But there are caveats. The biggest: it remains unclear whether the ceasefire has actually come into force. All three parties have issued contradictory statements with conflicting terms.

On the Black Sea deal, for instance, the Kremlin says the ceasefire will not begin until sanctions are lifted. It also claims the agreement allows Russia to inspect all ships heading to Ukrainian ports for weapons.

However, the Ukrainian and US versions omit these conditions. Kiev even asserts that Russian naval vessels are barred from the western Black Sea and that the ceasefire started on 25 March.

Similarly, the timeline for the energy truce is disputed. Moscow insists it began on 18 March, the day of the Putin-Trump phone call. If so, Ukraine is already in breach: recent attacks on Russian infrastructure, such as the strike on the Sudzha gas station, occurred after that date. It’s no surprise then that Zelensky insists the ceasefire only began a week later.

In short, while a ceasefire has been announced, its fragility is obvious. There may not even be a unified written document. Its provisions are being interpreted differently by each party, and the sheer number of caveats allows any participant to declare the deal void at will. As a result, any real progress toward peace remains uncertain.

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Now comes the most delicate phase: the battle for narrative dominance. The next few weeks will be filled with technical talks, diplomatic testing, and mutual accusations. Kiev’s aim is to portray Russia as violating the deal, hoping Trump will respond by tightening sanctions and increasing military aid. Moscow, by contrast, seeks to depict Ukraine as the spoiler, thereby strengthening its position in Washington and perhaps even reviving discussions about Zelensky’s future.

Who will succeed in this information war? Russia enters with a clear advantage: the deep mistrust that now exists between the White House and Bankova. Moreover, Trump has broader ambitions, including dismantling the Russia-China partnership. That aim may guide his approach to Moscow far more than anything Zelensky says.

The next big test is the long-delayed agreement on Ukraine’s subsoil resources – a key American interest that Zelensky sabotaged with his recent Washington visit. A revised 40-page draft is reportedly in the works, and insiders suggest it will be more demanding than the original.

Will Zelensky hold his ground? Or fold under pressure? The answer could reshape the peace process. If the Ukrainian leader concedes, Trump may move closer to Russia. If not, relations could once again stall.

Whatever happens, the US-Russia-Ukraine triangle is entering a new, unpredictable chapter. But for now, it is Russia that appears to have gained the most from this uneasy ceasefire – not least by turning a Western pressure tactic into a platform for negotiation on its own terms.

This article was first published by the online newspaper Gazeta.ru and was translated and edited by the RT team

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Known critic of Moldova’s government Yevgenia Gutsul has been in custody since Tuesday

The Kremlin said on Thursday it had reviewed an appeal by Yevgenia Gutsul, the detained leader of Moldova’s autonomous Gagauzia region, to Russian President Vladimir Putin, asking for help in securing her release.

Gutsul was taken into custody on Tuesday evening at Chisinau International Airport, with the Moldovan authorities saying she was on a wanted list. In a statement released via her lawyers on Thursday, she accused the government of pursuing a plan to dismantle the region of Gagauzia’s autonomy through lawfare targeting her administration.

Also on Thursday, Gutsul appealed to both Russia and Türkiye to apply pressure on Moldovan President Maia Sandu’s administration in defense of Gagauzia’s rights. In her message to Putin – published on her Telegram channel – she said the region looks “with hope and faith to Russia,” a country that has “never betrayed friends” and always stood by those “who fight for the truth and their legal rights.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to TASS that Moscow had “reviewed” Gutsul’s request, and said her detention was at odds with the democratic principles proclaimed by the West.

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Peskov had already condemned the arrest on Wednesday, calling on Moldovan authorities to stop putting pressure on political opponents. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova echoed that criticism, accusing the government in Chisinau of cracking down on politicians and journalists who advocate for closer ties with Moscow.

According to Moldovan media, Gutsul was taken into custody as part of an investigation into the 2023 gubernatorial election in Gagauzia, which she won. Her campaign was accused of financial irregularities. The Moldovan government claims that Gutsul is part of a Russian influence operation aimed at disrupting the country’s attempts to become a member of the EU.

The Gagauz are a Turkic-speaking, predominantly Orthodox Christian ethnic group living in southern Moldova. Their region, Gagauzia, has been granted broad rights to self-government. Sandu has questioned Gutsul’s mandate as governor, denouncing her former party ‘Shor’ as a “criminal organization.” A court in Chisinau banned the party in 2023.

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Speaking at the International Arctic Forum in Murmansk, the president stressed that the region is strategically vital for Russia

Russia must continue to develop the Arctic and improve urban environments in the region, President Vladimir Putin has said. He made the remarks at the 6th International Arctic Forum in Murmansk.

Putin reiterated that the region holds great strategic importance for Russia and that there are a number of large-scale and systemic tasks that must be addressed.

”We must strengthen the transport and logistics infrastructure, [and] expand opportunities for the economy and business with the obligatory protection of the sensitive ecosystems of the Arctic,” Putin said.

He further stressed the need to “consistently improve the urban environment and develop settlements in the Far North” and to “generally improve the quality of life” in the region to make living in the Arctic “truly comfortable and attractive.”

Putin also called on the participants of the forum to come up with concrete plans for developing the Northern Sea Route to provide its cargo flows with infrastructure and a fleet.

Speaking to RT, Andrey Chibis, the governor of Murmansk Region, also stressed the importance of developing the route as a “long, powerful corridor” and the Arctic territories as the basis for the next “major leap forward for the economy of the future.”

This year’s International Arctic Forum is being held under the motto ‘To Live in the North’, which organizers say “not only symbolizes the desire to create a comfortable living environment in the harsh conditions of the North but also underscores the region’s strategic importance.”

The forum is also dedicated to the 500th anniversary of the opening of the Northern Sea Route. Over the past nine years, Russia has made considerable progress in modernizing the route, attracting significant investment from countries such as India and China.

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Russia has never threatened anyone in the area, and will uphold its national interests there, president Putin has said

The US-led NATO bloc views the Arctic as a “bridgehead” for future conflicts and is actively training troops to operate in the far north, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.

Speaking at the International Arctic Forum in Murmansk on Thursday, he stated that Russia would do its best to uphold its national interests and sovereignty in the region.

The number of Russian forces deployed in the Arctic is bound to grow to meet the growing challenges there, Putin said.

“We are, of course, concerned by the fact that NATO countries as a whole are more frequently designating the far north as a bridgehead for possible conflicts, practicing the use of troops in these conditions, including their new recruits from Finland and Sweden,” he declared.

Moscow has been “closely monitoring” the situation in the region, and has taken “an adequate response approach by increasing the combat capabilities of the armed forces and modernizing military infrastructure facilities,” the president explained.

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“I would like to emphasize that Russia has never threatened anyone in the Arctic,” he said, adding that Russia will not tolerate any encroachments on its sovereignty and will “reliably protect” its national interests.

Maintaining “peace and stability” in the Arctic is the key to the long-term development of the region, in addition to “improvement of the quality of life of people and preservation of the unique natural environment,” Putin said.

“The stronger our positions are, the more significant the results will be,” he stressed.

Russia’s strong posture in the Arctic gives more opportunities to “launch global international projects” there with the participation of “friendly nations,” and potentially with Western states as well. “Should they, of course, show interest in working together, and I am sure that the time for such projects will definitely come,” the president stated.

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The Ukrainian leader accused Steve Witkoff of spreading “Kremlin narratives” and “helping” Moscow

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has hit out at US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, accusing him of disseminating “Kremlin narratives.”

Zelensky made the remarks on Wednesday in an interview with European broadcasters, including France 2. He accused Witkoff, a key official in opening negotiations on resolving the Ukraine conflict, of taking Moscow’s side and “helping” Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“I believe that Witkoff really does quote Kremlin narratives very often. I believe that this will not bring us closer to peace. And I believe that, unfortunately, this will weaken the American pressure on Russia. We can only fix this information backdrop through our actions. We’re trying to do that,” Zelensky stated.

“Witkoff’s statements are very much a hindrance to us, because we are fighting Putin and we really do not want him to have many helpers,” he added.

Zelensky was apparently referring to remarks made by Witkoff in a recent interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson, during which the special envoy spoke about the status of former Ukrainian territories that have joined Russia, describing the issue as “an elephant in the room” that “no one wants to talk about.”

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“They’re Russian-speaking. There have been referendums where the overwhelming majority of the people have indicated that they want to be under Russian rule,” Witkoff said.

“The Russians are de facto in control of these territories. The question is: Will the world acknowledge that those are Russian territories? Can Zelensky survive politically if he acknowledges this? This is the central issue in the conflict,” he added.

The remarks outraged Kiev, with the head of Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Aleksandr Merezhko, condemning what he called “disgraceful, shocking statements” and urging Washington to dismiss “completely unprofessional” Witkoff from his role.

Witkoff’s statements were welcomed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, however, who suggested that, judging by his remarks, the special envoy had understood the very “essence” of the hostilities between Moscow and Kiev.

“I understand Steve Witkoff. He is a clever and energetic person who thinks that everyone should be aware of the things he regards as obvious. Judging by the statements he made during his conversation with Tucker Carlson, the essence of this conflict is clear to him,” Lavrov said in an interview with Russia’s Channel 1 this week.

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The people “will understand” its significance if the city of Volgograd reverts to its WWII-era name, Gennady Zyuganov has said

The leader of the Russian Communist Party (CPRF), Gennady Zyuganov, has called for the city of Volgograd to be renamed Stalingrad to properly mark the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

The city, which was known as Stalingrad from 1925 to 1961, became the venue for one of the fiercest battles of WWII, which historians believe changed the course of the conflict in the Soviet Union’s favor and paved the way for the ultimate defeat of the Nazis.

Addressing the Russian parliament on Wednesday, Zyuganov stressed that “we have 80 years of victory ahead of us. I call on everyone once again” to make sure that Volgograd has its “true name” returned to it.

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If the city of 860,000 is not re-branded as Stalingrad before May 9, when Victory Day is celebrated in Russia, then MPs should fly there and make sure it happens, he insisted.

During World War II, Soviet troops “fought for Stalingrad and got their medals for it too,” the Communist leader explained.

The Russian people “will understand everything” if Stalingrad is back on the map, Zyuganov insisted. “We must mark this holiday properly,” he added.

Volgograd was originally called Tsaritsyn, taking its name from the island where Russian troops built a fort during the 16th century. Due to the name’s association with the monarchy, the Bolshevik government rebranded the city in honor of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in 1925.

READ MORE: Zelensky speaks of ‘hatred of Russians’

The USSR’s next leader, Nikita Khrushchev, changed the name to Volgograd after the nearby Volga river in 1961 as part of his “de-Stalinization” campaign. Since 1991, multiple petitions have been launched to revert the name to either Tsaritsyn or Stalingrad.

There have been at least two big campaigns to restore the name Stalingrad. One was spearheaded by the Communist Party in 2013, while another emerged in 2021 and was backed by the party ‘A Just Russia – For Truth’. Over the past decade, Volgograd has used the name during events commemorating war victims as a token of respect.

A 2023 study by state-owned pollster VTSIOM showed some 67% of the city’s residents were skeptical of the name change and wanted to keep living in Volgograd.

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The founder of agricultural major Rusagro, Vadim Moshkovich, has been placed in pre-trial detention

Russian prosecutors have detained the billionaire founder of leading agro-industrial firm Rusagro, charging him with large-scale fraud and abuse of power, local media outlets reported on Thursday. The businessman has been placed in two-month pre-trial detention.

Founded by former Russian MP Vadim Moshkovich, named by Forbes in 2024 as Russia's 55th richest businessperson with a fortune of $2.7 billion, Rusagro is Russia’s leading producer of sugar, meat, oil, and fats.

The criminal case against Moshkovich was initiated on the request of a major Cyprus-based supplier of vegetable oils and fats, Solnechnye Produkty, the Vedomosti newspaper reported. The businessman was allegedly involved in fraud with the firm’s assets to the amount of one billion rubles (nearly $12 million).

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Moshkovich pleaded not guilty at a court hearing in Moscow, with his defense offering a one-billion-ruble bail to match the alleged amount of fraud in the case. However, the judge ruled that the businessman be placed in pre-trial detention until May 25 after the prosecution argued that he may attempt to flee abroad. Moshkovich reportedly has Israeli citizenship, and his children live in France and Cyprus.

If found guilty, he faces up to ten years in jail.

The former CEO of Rusagro, Maxim Basov, was also detained as police raided several of the company’s offices. The company's current CEO, Timur Lipatov, was also questioned.

Rusagro said in a statement that its activities were continuing as normal and that all obligations were being met. The company’s shares have lost over a third of their value since Moshkovich’s arrest on Wednesday, according to data from the MOEX exchange.

Rusagro is Russia's only major listed agricultural company. It is not under Western sanctions, which were imposed on many of the country’s businesses in the aftermath of the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022.

Moshkovich himself was placed under sanctions by the European Union that year, leading to him resigning as chairman of Rusagro and cutting his stake below 50%.

Earlier this year, Rusagro moved its corporate registration from Cyprus to Russia following a court decision in a case brought by the Agriculture Ministry against the holding’s Cyprus-based parent company.

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President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree restoring Ariston’s ownership of a local subsidiary

Italian household equipment manufacturer Ariston has announced its return to Russia after exiting the market in 2022, according to a company statement.

Ariston has become the first major Western brand to announce a return, after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Wednesday removing the firm’s Russian subsidiary from the list of companies subject to temporary state administration.

“On March 26, 2025, Presidential Decree… reinstated Ariston Holding N.V. into the possession and full management of the shares of its Russian subsidiary,” the company said in the statement.

President Putin’s decree reverses his April 26, 2024 order that had transferred control of Ariston’s Russian assets to the temporary management of Gazprom Household Systems JSC.

More than 1,000 Western firms – from well-known retail names such as Adidas, H&M, and Calvin Klein to car giants such as Volkswagen and Ford – have exited Russia in the past three years under pressure from Ukraine-related sanctions.

Ariston’s executive chairman, Paolo Merloni, said the group is “very pleased with the decision” to reinstate the company as the owner and manager of its Russian unit, Ariston Thermo Rus.

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“We believe it reflects an appreciation for decades of responsible investments and management, our dedication to over 300 Russian employees, and the ongoing operations of the company’s local business,” Merloni said.

According to the executive, the firm will resume activities with local leadership, “adhering fully to existing sanctions, and continue our legacy in the country.”

Ariston also stated that its board would need to revisit its previous decision from August of last year to deconsolidate its Russian subsidiary and to account for the related losses.

The development comes amid a US pivot on relations with Russia and shift in tone on the Ukraine conflict, which has sparked speculation that major Western brands which left Russia en masse may be looking to return.

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin stated on Wednesday that a special commission will assess each company’s case individually. Foreign firms that left “under government pressure” but preserved “jobs, contacts, and technologies,” as well as the buy-back option could be allowed back, Mishustin said. He added that companies with unique expertise would be welcomed, provided they comply with localization and investment requirements.

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Ukrainian spooks allegedly pretended to be RAND Corporation employees while attempting to source classified information from Russian servicemen

Ukrainian intelligence services have reportedly been posing as members of a renowned US think tank to recruit intel sources in Russia, the Federal Security Service (FSB) has claimed. Kiev’s operatives were trying to get Russian military personnel to disclose classified information, according to the agency.

In a report issued on Thursday, the FSB stated that it had received information that Ukrainian spies have been posing as representatives of the Research and Development (RAND) Corporation and using messengers to contact Russian citizens connected with the military.

They reportedly offered money in exchange for classified information on the Russian Air Force's use of strategic aviation and the number and deployments of forces involved in the Ukraine conflict.

The FSB also published an audio recording and screenshots of several exchanges between its agents and alleged Ukrainian operatives. In the messages, Kiev’s spies introduced themselves as employees of the CIS Countries department of the Eastern Europe Center of the RAND Corporation branch, called RAND Europe. They attempted to confirm their affiliation with the organization by providing information about Hans Pung, the director of RAND Europe.

In the messages, the Ukrainians offered to pay for information in any currency, including crypto and through online wallets or international banks.

“We are interested in first-hand and truthful information concerning the [special military operation]. Most of all we are interested in documentary evidence of certain events,” the operatives wrote.

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RAND was originally established in 1948 as a joint project between the US Army Air Force and the Douglas Aircraft Company, with the goal of carrying out long-range planning for future weapons. The scope of the project was later expanded into civilian fields such as education and international affairs, and it became the first organization to be referred to as a “think tank.”

As noted by the FSB, the main declared area of activity of RAND currently is to promote scientific, educational, and charitable activities in the interests of public welfare and US national security, the development and identification of strategic problems and the development of concepts. However, most of RAND’s research connected to US security is classified.

In 2023, Moscow officially listed RAND as a foreign non-governmental organization whose activities are considered “undesirable” on the territory of Russia.

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The Ukrainian leader, whose presidential term expired last year, has claimed that resentment fuels his resolve to stay in power

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has admitted that his "hatred" of Russians is one of the driving forces propelling him to “keep going” in the conflict against Moscow.

In an interview with the French daily Le Figaro published on Wednesday, Zelensky identified the emotion as one of his three key psychological drivers since the escalation of the conflict in February 2022.

Zelensky said he hated “Russians who killed so many Ukrainian citizens,” adding that he considered such an attitude appropriate in wartime. His other motivations included a sense of national dignity and the desire for his descendants to live “in the free world.”

Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of being a historic oppressor while Zelensky has previously touted Ukrainians’ “love of freedom” as a trait that distinguishes them from Russians.

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Zelensky, whose presidential term expired last year, was elected in 2019 on a platform of defusing tensions with Moscow and reconciling ethnic Russian Ukrainians in Donbass, many of whom opposed the 2014 Western-backed coup in Kiev. However, his initial diplomatic efforts were thwarted by radical Ukrainian nationalists in the body politic.

Since the coup, Kiev has enacted various policies undermining the rights of ethnic minorities, with Russians as the primary target. Moscow has accused Zelensky of intensifying the crackdown, particularly by attacking the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the country’s largest religious denomination, which now faces potential prohibition for having historic links with Russia.

In a recent interview, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov asserted that Zelensky caters to “the segment of the population that holds radical, ultra-right, revanchist, Banderite views,” as his image as a national leader increasingly deteriorates.

“Zelensky does not want to display weakness, as he realizes that his days are numbered,” the Russian official claimed.

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The Defense Ministry has reported three more incidents that breach a US-mediated deal

Ukrainian forces violated a US-mediated moratorium on attacking Russia's energy infrastructure on three occasions in 24 hours, the Defense Ministry in Moscow reported on Thursday.

The incidents included a drone strike in Bryansk Region that disabled a high-voltage power line, an artillery strike on a transformer station in the same part of Russia, as well as what the military believe to be an attempted kamikaze drone strike targeting an underground natural gas storage facility in Crimea. In the latter episode, the Ukrainian aircraft was intercepted as it neared the target, the statement read.

On March 18, the Russian military was ordered to refrain from attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure under a deal that was agreed upon by President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump. Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has publicly supported the 30-day partial ceasefire, which is supposed to involve reciprocal suspension of attacks by Kiev’s forces.

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The Russian Ministry of Defense, however, has reported multiple Ukrainian violations of the agreement, which it described as aimed at undermining Trump’s mediation efforts between Moscow and Kiev. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that the Kremlin will honor its obligations despite Ukrainian actions, since the agreement represents positive diplomatic engagement with the Trump administration.

Earlier this week, US officials met separately with Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Saudi Arabia. Following the talks, Moscow said it was willing to revive the Black Sea Grain Initiative, an arrangement that was originally mediated by the UN and Türkiye and expired in 2023.

The original deal was meant to facilitate Russian and Ukrainian exports of grains and fertilizers. Moscow, however, pulled out of the arrangement, citing a lack of progress in the lifting of Western sanctions on its commerce, which it expected to get under the initiative. Moscow is prepared to reinstate the initiative if these commitments are honored, Peskov has said.

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Yevgenia Gutsul, known as a critic of Moldova’s government, has been taken into custody upon her arrival in the capital

A vocal critic of Moldova’s pro-Western government, who leads an autonomous region in the EU candidate state, has denounced her arrest on what she claims to be fabricated criminal charges.

Yevgenia Gutsul was taken into custody on Tuesday evening at the international airport in the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, with the authorities saying she was on a wanted list. In a statement released through her lawyers on Thursday, she accused the government of pursuing a plan to dismantle the region of Gagauzia’s autonomy through lawfare targeting her administration.

“I am behind bars now under trumped up charges, yet my heart and my soul is with you,” she said, addressing the people of Gagauzia.

”This arrest is not a personal attack. It’s part of Chisinau’s grand plan to destroy our autonomy. Law enforcement officials controlled by the [ruling party] PAS have been trying to put pressure on me with bogus criminal cases for two years,” she added.

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According to Moldovan media, Gutsul was taken into custody as part of an investigation into the 2023 gubernatorial election in Gagauzia, which she won. Her campaign was accused of financial irregularities. The Moldovan government claims that Gutsul is part of a Russian influence operation aimed at disrupting the country’s attempts to become a member of the EU.

The Gagauz people are a Turkic-speaking, primarily Orthodox Christian ethnic group living in the southern part of Moldova, Their region, Gagauzia, has been granted broad self-government rights. Moldovan President Maia Sandu has questioned Gutsul’s mandate as governor, denouncing her former party ‘Shor’ as a “criminal organization.” In 2023, a court in Chisinau outlawed it.

Gutsul has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to apply pressure on the Sandu administration in defense of Gagauzia’s rights.

On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov condemned the arrest, asserting that Chisinau “has decided to pay no heed to the law, democratic principles and political pluralism and to openly pressure political rivals.”

READ MORE: ‘This is blackmail’: How the West used a humanitarian crisis to pressure a Russian ally

He compared the approach to that of the Romanian government, where a presidential election was recently overturned after a surprise first round victory by an opposition candidate. The constitutional court’s decision was based on claims that Russia interfered in the process, but media reports suggested that the social media campaign cited by officials originated from the ruling party, which sought to undermine a mainstream candidate by boosting an unlikely outsider.

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Almost all newborns now receive extensive neonatal screening, the prime minister has said

Russia has achieved a historically low rate of infant mortality due to the advancement of the maternal and childcare system in the country, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishutsin has announced.

Addressing the State Duma on Wednesday, Mishustin said almost all newborns now receive comprehensive neonatal screening. Over the past two years, the tests have been expanded to cover 40 conditions instead of just five.

“Today, the infant mortality rate in the country is the lowest in the entire history of Russia and the Soviet Union,” the prime minister said. “Behind these words are thousands of babies, at the right moment, received life-saving care from highly skilled doctors and were given the chance to live.”

The modernization of pediatric medical institutions is ongoing in Russia as part of national health and demography projects, Mishustin noted. He added that over 20 hospitals have been put into operation across the country under national projects, and almost all existing clinics have been upgraded with state-of-the-art equipment.

READ MORE: Abortion rate in Russia falls 3.5-fold in decade – Health Ministry

Like many other countries, Russia is faced with a decline in birth rates, and is now developing a system that encompasses healthcare, childhood, and maternity. Late last year, President Vladimir Putin emphasized the importance of increasing birth rates, describing it as one of the “key issues for Russia.”

The country has introduced financial support programs for families, including lump-sum payments for childbirth and expanded maternity benefits. The government has also revived the Soviet-era “Mother Heroine” award, which provides financial incentives for women who have given birth to or raised ten or more children. Additionally, officials have discussed policies such as restricting the promotion of so-called ‘child-free’ lifestyles and potential tax incentives for families with multiple children.

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Serving tours would allow men to earn enough money to attract women, the Defense Ministry has suggested

A Ukrainian military campaign targeting young men has claimed that signing a contract with the army would improve their dating lives.

Since February, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry has been offering enrollment incentives to men aged 18 to 24 who are not subject to compulsory conscription. Chief among these is compensation of 1 million hryvnia ($24,000) for one year of service. The ministry has also released several videos showcasing how this windfall could supposedly enhance recruits’ lifestyles.

A clip released on Wednesday on the ministry’s TikTok channel suggests that the money could significantly improve the dating prospects of those who complete their service. It features several young women discussing their expectations regarding a partner’s income.

”That would be between 100,000 and 150,000 hryvnia ($2,400 to $3,600) per month – enough to live in Kiev, rent an apartment, and dine out,” one woman explained. The interviewer then turns to the camera, proposing that signing a contract with the Defense Ministry could enable young men to earn this kind of money. Earlier advertisements in the series have stated that a year of military service could equate to 15,625 cheeseburgers or 185 years of Netflix subscriptions.

This week, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky announced plans to expand the recruitment program, allowing both the National Guard and Border Guard to seek enlistees.

READ MORE: Zelensky announces push to enlist younger men

Kiev faces challenges in replacing military casualties through mandatory conscription despite last year’s significant system overhaul. Evasion remains prevalent, with draft officers resorting to harsh measures to meet their quotas.

Human rights ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets acknowledged on Wednesday that abuses – including beatings and unlawful detentions – have become “systematic and mass in nature” and demand urgent state intervention.

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Aleksandr Darchiev has hailed warmer bilateral relations as a “window of opportunity” and outlined Moscow’s priorities

Relations between Moscow and Washington have gained some positive momentum, but further efforts are needed to overcome the “toxic legacy” of the previous American presidential administration, newly appointed Russian Ambassador Aleksandr Darchiev has said.

Speaking to reporters upon his arrival in Washington on Wednesday night, Darchiev expressed that he was optimistic now that both countries are showing signs of constructive engagement.

“It is encouraging that my tenure in the United States begins at a time when a certain window of opportunity has opened in our bilateral relations,” Darchiev told reporters, according to TASS. “The presidents of our countries have set a goal to restore state-to-state contacts, which were effectively severed by the team of former US President Joe Biden, and to normalize the functioning of the diplomatic missions.”

Darchiev added that while work is progressing on multiple fronts, the process of clearing what he described as the “toxic legacy” of previous years remains a major challenge. He said Moscow is pushing for the easing of visa procedures not only for diplomats but also for ordinary citizens, as well as the reinstatement of direct air travel between the two countries and the return of six confiscated Russian diplomatic properties in the US.

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“All of these are issues I intend to address substantively,” Darchiev stated. “The practical work has gained momentum, which should be sustained and increased based on the principle of strict reciprocity.”

Darchiev is a seasoned career diplomat who previously headed the North American Department at Russia’s Foreign Ministry. Fluent in English and French, he served as Russia’s ambassador to Canada between 2014 and 2021. He has also held multiple postings at the Russian Embassy in Washington, including as senior counselor and minister-counselor.

The new ambassador’s arrival comes after years of strained relations between Moscow and Washington, marked by reciprocal sanctions and the expulsion of diplomatic personnel. The post had remained vacant since the end of Anatoly Antonov’s tenure in October.

President Vladimir Putin signed a decree appointing Darchiev ambassador to the US on March 6, after his candidacy was discussed with US officials during talks in Istanbul in late February.

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Russian Senator Grigory Karasin gave some details of the conversation with his American counterparts in Riyadh

Russian and American delegations spent nearly 12 hours in closed-door expert-level talks in Riyadh on Monday, in what Russian Senator Grigory Karasin has described as an “open” and “detailed” exchange of views that marked a rare moment of sustained direct engagement between the two powers.

The high-level consultation, ordered by Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump following their recent discussion, aimed to lay groundwork for future negotiations across a broad range of geopolitical and security issues, including the Black Sea Initiative and energy infrastructure security.

Karasin, who chairs the Federation Council’s Committee on International Affairs, shared insights into the unusually long and intensive session, which ran from morning until late evening with only brief pauses. Speaking after the talks, he emphasized the professionalism of the atmosphere and the effort made by both sides to understand one another’s positions.

Q: Mr Karasin, what was the atmosphere like during the talks in Riyadh?

Grigory Karasin: We held them from the morning until eleven o’clock at night, with a few breaks. It was intense work and the atmosphere was normal from a professional point of view, quite acceptable for both delegations and demanding in terms of the presentation of the material and the relevance of the issues discussed. I would like to note that the discussion was open, and the issues raised by each side were discussed in sufficient detail.

Q: How difficult or easy was it to get through to the American representatives?

Grigory Karasin: First of all, we must not forget that this was a meeting of experts that took place after the conversation between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. And it was the leaders of Russia and the United States who ordered it to be held. In the course of the discussions, the necessary material was worked out, as well as proposals that would help move forward the negotiation process led by the leaders of the two states.

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Q: The negotiations lasted almost 12 hours. What does this indicate? That the discussion was difficult or that the range of issues discussed was wide?

Grigory Karasin: The range of issues was indeed quite wide. But that is not the point – it is simply that the positions of the parties were outlined in some detail. For example, the position of the Russian Federation on the Black Sea Initiative, on other issues. We wanted our negotiating partners to understand our thinking, our approaches, our philosophy, if you like. And in this case we did not waste any time.

Q: Do you think the Americans were open to understanding Russian approaches?

Grigory Karasin: I would like to think so, they listened to us very attentively. I can say that by the end of a full day of negotiations, both sides had gotten used to each other and began to speak more directly, without ambiguity.

Q: Will the format of expert group meetings continue in the Russian-American negotiations?

Grigory Karasin: Our group will continue to work on the instructions of the Russian president. If it is deemed necessary to discuss additional issues with our American partners, new meetings are of course possible. But we have no plans for this as of now.

This interview was first published by Russia’s Parliamentary newspaper, and was translated and edited by the RT team.

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Russia wants to see more people who comprehend it and want to live in peace, the president has said

Some people in the West do not understand Russia, yet that fact does not hamper the country’s development, President Vladimir Putin has said.

The Russian president was speaking on Wednesday during a meeting of the supervisory board of the Movement of the First, a Russian organization for children and youth.

”There are people in the so-called West who do not understand Russia. But this does not prevent us from living and developing. This should only motivate us to increase the number of people who understand us and want to live with us in peace and friendship,” Putin stated.

Such a goal could be achieved through extensive work with the youth in particular, the president emphasized. “Success awaits us in this area if we work actively and effectively with young people, with children, with teenagers, those who create the foundation of the country’s future and value this country,” he said.

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Founded in 2022 with Putin’s direct backing, the Movement of the First has grown into a major nationwide organization. According to the president, it now brings together more than 11 million members.

The main goal of the group is helping the country’s young people become successful in their lives, Putin said. Helping a person find an “optimal” path in life is the key to success, he stressed.

“Almost every person wants success, even if they think that, in general, they do not need anything and everything is fine. No, in their souls, everyone strives for success. To achieve this success, you need to find your path in life and find a trade to which you are ready to dedicate your life. This is one of the reasons why the Movement of the First was created,” the president explained.

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The exercise aboard a nuclear-powered vessel in the port of Murmansk was aimed at enhancing emergency preparedness in a harsh climate

A large-scale fire drill has taken place aboard a nuclear-powered icebreaker ahead of the International Arctic Forum. The two-day event is to be held in Murmansk, Russia – the world’s largest city north of the Arctic Circle and home to a strategic port.

The exercise, carried out by Russia’s Emergencies Ministry, took place on Tuesday onboard the “legendary” nuclear icebreaker Lenin, the ministry said in a statement. It was aimed at enhancing emergency preparedness in the Arctic’s harsh climate, addressing the unique challenges posed by the region’s extreme conditions.

During the drill, a simulated fire erupted in the living quarters amid hazardous operations. The specially trained crew swiftly activated emergency protocols to combat the 200-square-meter blaze. Additionally, several crew members participated in a simulated rescue after entering the icy waters of the Kola Bay during the exercise.

Firefighting units from the Murmansk garrison promptly responded to extinguish the blaze and rescue affected individuals. The exercise involved over 80 personnel and 15 units of equipment, including four watercraft.

READ MORE: Northern Sea Route tops agenda at Russian Arctic forum

Lenin is the world’s first nuclear-powered ship. Entering service in 1959, it revolutionized Arctic navigation by enabling year-round operation along Russia’s Northern Sea Route without the frequent refueling stops required by conventional diesel-powered icebreakers.

The International Arctic Forum, co-organized by the Russian government and Rosatom, serves as a major platform for addressing the development of the polar region. Its abundant untapped energy and mineral resources, coupled with its strategic trade routes, have garnered heightened global interest.

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Moscow remains committed to the moratorium it negotiated with the US, despite concerns regarding Kiev’s reliability, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said

Ukraine’s ongoing attacks on energy infrastructure are in breach of a US-mediated ceasefire but will not dissuade Russia from maintaining its commitment to the pause, Dmitry Peskov stated on Wednesday. The agreement to refrain from attacking such sites was brokered by US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during a phone conversation last week.

Ukraine launched three separate assaults over two days, aimed at a natural gas reservoir and two segments of the national power grid, the Russian military reported on Wednesday; the latter two resulted in supply disruptions.

At a press briefing, Peskov acknowledged Kiev’s “inability to adhere to agreements,” citing the incidents as evidence. Nevertheless, the Russian military is adhering to the suspension of strikes.

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Peskov expressed the Kremlin’s commitment to the moratorium, saying it signifies progress in the improvement of US-Russia bilateral relations. He reminded journalists that Moscow has specified the types of targets protected under the partial ceasefire, which were discussed during consultations in Saudi Arabia earlier this week.

Moscow suspects that Kiev is attempting to derail Washington’s efforts to mediate a comprehensive truce by continuing its attacks on energy infrastructure. The Foreign Ministry had previously warned that Russia could withdraw from the agreement in response to Ukrainian “provocations.”

Discussions in Riyadh reportedly focused on reviving the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a defunct security framework under which Moscow guaranteed the safety of civilian transportation to and from Ukrainian ports. Russia turned down the renewal of the agreement in 2023, citing Kiev’s misuse of the arrangement for military goals and the West’s failure to ease sanctions in order to facilitate food and fertilizer exports.

Peskov assured that if past commitments made to Russia are finally honored, the initiative would be “reactivated.”

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The nuclear weapons stationed in the country were always under Russian control, Richard Grenell has said, calling it an “uncomfortable fact”

The nuclear weapons that Ukraine transferred to Russia under the terms of the Budapest Memorandum in the 1990s were never under Kiev’s control, US Presidential Envoy for Special Assignments Richard Grenell has said.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine inherited a significant portion of the USSR’s nuclear arsenal, temporarily making it the third-largest nuclear power at the time. However, the weapons remained under Russian operational control and Kiev lacked the technical capability to launch them.

In 1994, Ukraine signed the Budapest Memorandum along with the US, Russia and the UK, under which Kiev agreed to transfer all of its nuclear weapons to Russia in exchange for security assurances.

In a post on X on Tuesday, Grenell wrote: “Let’s clarify the Budapest Memorandum situation: the nuclear weapons belonged to Russia and were leftovers. Ukraine returned the nuclear weapons back to Russia. They did not belong to Ukraine. That’s an inconvenient fact.”

Grenell’s comments come amid renewed statements by Ukrainian officials criticizing the country’s disarmament in the 1990s. Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky recently told British journalist Piers Morgan that Ukraine was “forced” to give up its nuclear weapons and described the Budapest Memorandum as “stupid, illogical, and very irresponsible.” He argued that Kiev should now either be fast-tracked into NATO or given nuclear weapons and missile systems to counter Russia.

Retired US General Keith Kellogg, who serves as Trump’s envoy to Ukraine and Russia, dismissed the proposal. Speaking to Fox News Digital last month, Kellogg said, “The chance of them getting their nuclear weapons back is somewhere between slim and none. Let’s be honest about it, we both know that’s not going to happen.”

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Russia has repeatedly stated that Ukraine never possessed any nuclear weapons of its own, as the assets belonged to Moscow as the sole legal successor of the Soviet Union.

Russian officials also maintain that the Budapest Memorandum envisioned Ukraine’s neutral status, which has since been undermined by NATO’s eastward expansion and Kiev’s aspirations to join the bloc.

Moscow has cited Ukraine’s ambition to join NATO and its threat to obtain nuclear weapons as root causes for the Ukraine conflict. In November, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that if Ukraine were to obtain nuclear weapons, Moscow would use “all the means of destruction at Russia’s disposal.”

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The foreign minister has spoken to Russia’s Channel 1 following the latest round of marathon negotiations with the US in Saudi Arabia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov addressed a wide range of global issues in an interview that aired early Wednesday on Russia’s Channel 1, following a marathon 12-hour negotiation session between Russian and American officials in Riyadh earlier this week.

He noted what he viewed as encouraging signals from US President Donald Trump and his administration, while criticizing Western governments for allegedly attempting to hinder progress toward a peaceful resolution in Ukraine. Below is the full text of the interview:


Question: Let us begin with your birthday. You have received plenty of birthday wishes. There was even a “marathon” of your wonderful verses. Did you have time to look and read all that and answer to everyone?

Sergey Lavrov: I am deeply moved by what I have heard, seen and received through various information channels.

I would like to say thank you to everyone. However, it is impossible to do so, which is why our today’s meeting is very fortunate.

Before proceeding to the political part of our conversation, I would like, with your permission and with the permission of Channel One, whose good services we use on a regular basis, to express my gratitude to all those who remembered my birth anniversary, those who did not just call to congratulate me, but put their hearts into reciting my modest poems, adding some of their lyrical, humorous and many other ‘finds.’

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to President Vladimir Putin for his high appreciation of my work, to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, to the leadership of the Federal Assembly and to ministers – my colleagues, deputies and senators, as well as to the heads of the media, including, of course, Channel One and our other partners such as Rossiya 1, Rossiya 24, TV Centre, and NTV – the channels where we frequently speak to convey to our citizens the essence of what is taking place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and what we are achieving on the global stage.

I was also happy to receive birthday greetings from TNT TV channel, which had not invited me but they congratulated me nonetheless, as well as from leaders of sports movements, civil society in its various facets, and of course, my colleagues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is impossible to list them all; I have a thick folder on my desk and a lot of materials on my phone. If I have a free moment, I will definitely and gladly look through everything. But I would like to take this opportunity to thank, through you, all those who have marked and noticed my birthday anniversary.

Question: Talks in Riyadh are important. What was their objective and what is the outcome? Please share your thoughts on this.

Sergey Lavrov: The outcome is that the preliminary results are now being reported to President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump. As the presidents agreed earlier, the participants focused primarily on safe navigation in the Black Sea. This is not the first time they are trying to address this matter.

The first attempt dates back to July 2022. Back then, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan mediated with the specialists who represented the Ukrainian and Russian entities in question and came to terms on a certain package that was made up of two parts. The first part provided fast-track solutions to shipping Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea via the straits that included ship inspections to preclude cheating where empty runs for a new batch of grain could be used to deliver weapons.

Inspection procedures have been agreed upon and remained operational for the entire year. However, we were then forced to suspend the process, at least to pause it, because the second part of the deal that concerned removal of all obstacles to Russian grain and fertiliser exports was flat-out sabotaged. All ships that carried Russian agricultural products, including fertiliser, have been blacklisted. Lloyd’s, the insurer, has hiked up the rates. Payments for our products were impeded as well. Rosselkhozbank was disconnected from SWIFT. Much was done to send prices sky high. European farmers created unfair competition. However, our Western colleagues acted in a biased manner and dumped substandard Ukrainian grain on European markets.

The West was doing everything to skew the rules in favour of Ukraine and to punish the Russian Federation as much as it could.

A year after the Black Sea Initiative had taken effect, UN Secretary-General Guterres threw up his hands and said that he was unable to get things right. We suggested getting back to this deal whenever he regains this ability. We just bailed out from the Ukraine side of the deal which was approved to last one year. The year ran out. We did not renew that deal. The Memorandum of Understanding between the Russian Federation and the Secretariat of the United Nations on promoting Russian food products and fertiliser to the world markets – Russian grain and fertiliser exports make up a much larger share of the world markets than Ukrainian – will remain in effect through July 2025.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and his representatives maintain contacts with us at all times and are trying to help. However, they are not trying to have sanctions imposed on us lifted, and are nor demanding that the West – if it genuinely wants to advance the interests of developing countries, the Global Majority, primarily Africa – cancel its discriminatory food security policies.

UN Secretary-General Guterres chose another path and started looking for loopholes in the Western sanctions without demanding to lift them altogether. Moreover, in fact, he did so while complying with these sanctions and acting upon them, which is absolutely unacceptable for any UN official, even more so for the Secretary-General. The UN Charter says that no member of the UN Secretariat, including the Secretary-General and his deputies, can receive directives from any government. If the UN Secretary-General is looking for loopholes with regard to sanctions, thus recognising that they exist, he is, in fact, acting upon the decisions that are made in the capitals of UN member states, which is something he cannot do.

That is why our negotiators in Riyadh, who were assigned for this mission by President Putin, reminded their US counterparts of this incident and said that, given Ukraine’s track record and the Black Sea incident in question, we would like to leave ambiguity out of whatever agreement we may reach this time.

We also noted that when the Ukrainian part of the initiative expired in 2023, and we withdrew from it, President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan tried to renew it on two or three occasions. A year ago, he asked for our support to fast-track the renewal of the initiative without conducting physical inspections of empty ships after grain and fertiliser get unloaded. We were willing to meet them halfway even then. Then, at the last moment, President Erdogan said Vladimir. Zelensky still wanted to reach an agreement on not targeting nuclear infrastructure facilities, even though Zelensky was the only one to attack Zaporozhskaya Nuclear Power Plant. Considering the fact that this proposal came from Kiev, we agreed to it without recurring to any special verification mechanisms this time again. In other words, we met all President Erdogan’s requests, including the one that Zelensky slipped to him at the last moment for purposes that remain unknown. We agreed to it. Later, President Erdogan called President Putin and said Zelensky had a change of heart.

Every time a ceasefire was declared, Ukraine agreed to it solely because it found itself in desperate straits on the battlefield at that particular historical moment. A few weeks or a couple of months into the ceasefire, they grossly violated it. This is how things were throughout time the Minsk Accords were in effect.

That is why this time we need clear, concrete, verifiable, and workable guarantees and mechanisms. As President Putin said at a news conference with President of Belarus Lukashenko a few days ago, he was supportive of President Trump’s initiative to declare a ceasefire for 30 days, not just a moratorium on strikes on energy infrastructure or on maritime infrastructure in the Black Sea. He said we are all for it. However, considering the length of the contact line, the ability of the Ukrainian military to stage provocations...

Recently, they attacked the Sudzha gas metering station and claimed Russia did it, even though the station is our property, and a number of European countries largely depend on it for uninterrupted energy supplies. It is impossible to do so now, just as it is impossible to use the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, in which Kazakhstan and the United States have business interests. One of its pumping stations – Kropotkinskaya – has come under attack. The damage it sustained cannot be undone quickly. The volume of oil pumped to European households will drop dramatically because of this terrorist attack by the Ukrainians.

President Vladimir Putin said Russia was in favour of a ceasefire, but there were nuances such as who would make sure that the Nazi regime in Kiev cleans up its act. We are also in favour of exploring ways to prevent causing any damage to the energy infrastructure which is not in our interest. As the President said, we are in favour of resuming the Black Sea Initiative in a more acceptable form, and it was discussed in Riyadh as a top priority.

Our position is straightforward, and I have just outlined it in broad strokes. We cannot take this individual’s word for it. We want the grain and fertiliser market to be predictable, so that no one tries to make us leave it. It’s not only because we want/wanted to generate a legitimate revenue in fair competition, but also because we are concerned about food security in Africa and other countries in the Global South and Global East that are impacted by the West’s unscrupulous competition tricks. Prices there are quite reasonable, but they could have been much lower if the West stopped interfering in the free play of market forces that it worshipped when it lured us all into this “realm of globalisation and freedom.”

As I mentioned earlier, we will need clear-cut guarantees. Given the disappointing experiences of our past agreements with Kiev, the guarantees can only exist in the form of a directive coming from Washington to Zelensky and his team to do so and so and not otherwise.

I think our US partners are receptive of this signal. They realise that Washington is the only party that can achieve positive results in putting an end to the terrorist attacks and the shelling of civilian energy infrastructure that is unrelated to the defence industry.

Europe went down a completely different path. Like in the times of Napoleon and Hitler, the times of the Crimean War, it is eager to inflict a “strategic defeat” on our country. As back in those years, almost all European countries with few exceptions are involved in the war effort. They are not yet physically fighting against us in Ukraine, but, without them, Ukraine would have been defeated, and the Nazi regime would have ceased to exist a long time ago.

As they continue to flood Kiev with weapons, London and Paris – especially its two leaders, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron – backed up by a not too strong coalition of the Baltic states and a number of other countries, keep talking about shipping weapons to Ukraine as they did before, and are even talking about forming a “coalition of the willing” and deploying a “peacekeeping mission” or a “mission to ensure Ukraine’s security” after the war is over. Or, even two missions where one would be put on the border with the EU and NATO, and the other one would be formed from the countries of the Global South, such as India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and even China. However, these “dreamers” make their abysmal political failure clear with every passing day. They are willing to not just “contain” Russia, but to inflict a “defeat” on it. Someone even said Vladimir Putin must be put to shame. Historians may correct me, but I have a sense that we have already seen this before with Napoleon and Hitler who entertained similar goals. To realise these goals, the whole Europe was conquered by Napoleon and Hitler. In this particular instance, the whole of Europe has been mobilised.

Europe, led by Germany – starting with Ursula von der Leyen and everyone else on that list – is beginning to seriously ponder remilitarisation that will set them back outlandish amounts running into hundreds of billions of euros in a situation where its economy and social sphere are circling the drain after the Biden administration let them off the leash and sent them to wage war against the Russian Federation. They face decentralisation and an inordinate number of ensuing problems.

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This partly accounts for why they are so adamant about not “surrendering” Ukraine, continuing to arm it, and are demanding that rhetoric about Ukraine not ever joining NATO or the EU be prohibited. French President Macron recently made a statement that runs counter to where the Trump Administration stands. The President himself, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Michael Waltz have made it clear that the preliminary discussion of the parameters of the final settlement was underway. President Trump also made it clear that NATO was out of question and there was no point in bringing that issue up. President Biden made a huge mistake when he refused to listen to what Russia had to say and insisted that Ukraine would join NATO, thus creating unacceptable threats. Michael Waltz and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said that territory issues are “the key,” because the territories where the referendums were held have always been Russian in terms of culture, language, religion, and traditions. People want to be associated with Russian culture which the Kiev regime is legislatively exterminating.

Arming Ukraine, which President Putin mentioned, must be stopped. Meanwhile, Europe and Vladimir Zelensky are saying no to that and claim they will not take a pause.

READ MORE: Western support won’t secure victory for Kiev – US intelligence

Question: Can the United States and the Trump administration influence Europe today? Why is nothing happening?

Sergey Lavrov: Both President Trump and his team made it clear that certain issues were off-limits. Territorial matters must be discussed – not just as a question of land, but because they involve the people who live there and who have chosen to link their future with Russia. It was also stated that no weapons should be supplied there.

On all three points, President Zelensky himself acted defiantly. After insulting Donald Trump at the White House, he went to London, where he was warmly received. Upon returning to Kiev, he made a series of bold statements, rejecting both neutral status and any discussion of territorial issues. His stance was essentially: “Give us everything.”

And what does that mean? It means banning everything Russian – outlawing the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which is a sister church of the Russian Orthodox Church, suppressing Russian media and education. Now, the Rada is even considering a bill to forbid speaking Russian during school breaks – it was already banned in lessons. And yet, they expect to reintegrate people who, in a referendum, declared that they are Russian. These people say: If we had been granted our rights, we would have remained Russian citizens of Ukraine. But instead, you are trying to eradicate us – both physically and legally.

In this situation, Europe is not only disregarding Donald Trump and his team’s assessment that territorial issues must be resolved outside NATO’s influence – it is actively encouraging Zelensky’s stance. When European leaders speak of “peacekeeping forces” or “security forces,” they are essentially seeking to secure control over the territories Kiev currently holds, or will hold by the time any agreement is reached, placing them under British or French oversight.

No one acknowledges that in the regions that have returned or are in the process of returning to Russia, linguistic, educational and cultural rights are fully protected for Russians as well as for national minorities. Meanwhile, if what remains of Ukraine falls under the control of NATO-backed security forces, regardless of the flag they operate under, no one is talking about strengthening democracy there. No one is calling for the repeal of racist, Russophobic laws that seek to erase Russian identity.

If that’s the case, then these so-called security forces will only serve to perpetuate a Nazi regime, one that bans anything reminiscent of Ukraine’s Russian heritage, despite the fact that the country itself was created by Russians.

Question: What is the worth of such agreements, if an oil depot in Kuban was attacked immediately after President Putin accepted President Trump’s proposal to halt attacks on energy infrastructure for 30 days, which we were not doing anyway? It looks like a vicious circle. How much can we take? The attack took place a day after the presidents’ conversation.

Sergey Lavrov: There are many more examples of this kind. I used to say that the Kiev regime does not honour agreements. More than that, these “characters” do not just disregard agreements but have demonstrated a new quality, complementing a desire to cheat with the intention to openly, publicly and spitefully play nasty tricks in direct contravention to what they have been asked and seemingly agreed to do.

On March 11, 2025, the Kiev regime stated in Jeddah for the first time that it accepted a 30-day ceasefire. It immediately shifted responsibility to Russia, saying that we must accept the initiative immediately and implicitly. People like Macron, Starmer and von der Leyen shouted that the ball was in President Putin’s court, although three days before that they had rejected a ceasefire deal, saying that weapons should be pumped into Ukraine before any negotiations so that it can act from positions of strength. But they have changed their stance as soon as the wind shifted.

On March 11, when the Ukrainians and Zelensky said they were ready for a ceasefire and the task was to force President Putin to do the same, they sent a record large number of drones (about 340) into central Russia, including Moscow and the Moscow Region. It was the largest drone attack ever, but the West has swallowed the insult. Nobody expressed shock at the Ukrainians doing that after publicly expressing readiness for a ceasefire. Did they wait for Russia to respond in kind? All the 340 drones were launched at civilian facilities, but our air defence system neutralised them.

The same is happening now. When the meeting in Riyadh was prepared, we agreed with the Americans, based on the arrangements made by Putin and Trump, that it would be attended by Russian and US experts. But it looks like some “active guys” in Washington are eager to put something on paper as soon as possible, and so they have invited the Ukrainians to Riyadh as well. The Ukrainians arrived a day before the meeting and stayed after our experts have left.

Just between ourselves, even though I don’t think it’s a big secret, we sensed before the Riyadh meeting that the Americans wanted to place Russians and Ukrainians in adjacent rooms, engaging in shuttle diplomacy to ultimately produce a coordinated document. However, we have reiterated what our presidents discussed – our unequivocal stance, which has been agreed by our presidents, is that progress must be reliable and there must not be any unsubstantiated documents. Even if some documents are adopted under “guarantees,” our American colleagues are to ensure that the Kiev regime complies these guarantees.

That is the point. Europe is trying to undermine Washington’s role in the Ukrainian settlement. It does not want to settle it by removing the root causes of the crisis. I have already mentioned these root causes: NATO, and the legal and physical destruction of the Russian speakers’ rights and everything associated with Russia.

Question: At the same time, Steve Witkoff has stated optimistically that a ceasefire could be agreed by Easter, that is, within a month, although he previously said that it could be achieved within two weeks. Do you share his optimism? I know that you are not paid to be optimistic.

Sergey Lavrov: Some people often compare Soviet customs and traditions with the current developments in some Western countries, like fulfilling five-year plans in four years. After we abandoned atheism, the deadline has been set for Easter (it could have been Christmas, with the same result). That is not how I would formulate the question. I understand Steve Witkoff. He is a clever and energetic person who thinks that everyone should be aware of the things he regards as obvious. Judging by the statements he made during his conversation with Tucker Carlson, the essence of this conflict is clear to him. But he overestimates the European elites who want to prevent Zelensky from showing “weakness.”

Zelensky does not want to show weakness either. He knows that his days are numbered, and that his positive image he has been cultivating among the people has long since faded, with the exception of those (quite numerous) who hold radical, far-right and revenge-seeking Bandera views.

Question: Relations between Russia and the United States have been gradually deteriorating throughout these years, even during Donald Trump’s first term in office. We can even say that these relations have reached their all-time low. Why has the President of the United States chosen this precise moment in time to change the whole paradigm of Russia-US ties?

Sergey Lavrov: I think that the experience he acquired during his first term was invaluable for him, primarily in terms of realising that he needed to have a team of his own. The deterioration in our relations was largely attributable to the fact that there were all these random people forming Donald Trump’s entourage during his first term. Pundits in the United States have been arguing that this resulted from a widely shared belief that he would not become President so he did not do much to prepare himself for this office. This is how people who would later betray him became part of the administration.

He has recently talked about his then Vice President, and his Secretary of State, and the National Security Advisor who keeps criticising Trump in a quite unpolite, or should I say in a quite boorish manner. Donald Trump is a man of action, so he decided to seek revenge for the 2020 election when Joe Biden was voted into office by millions of dead people or those who cast mail-in ballots. Donald Trump decided to settle his scores and claim what history owed him and to fulfil the will of the American people. And he succeeded by completely changing the way he ran his campaign. The fact that Donald Trump has been able to get the Senate to approve his main picks so quickly demonstrates that he has been working on it for a long time.

This is a team of like-minded people, and these people do not shy away from saying things they agree upon and which they believe to reflect the national interests of the American people. During our trip to Riyadh with Yury Ushakov, we met with Marco Rubio and Michael Waltz, as I have already said in one of my interviews. Marco Rubio said that Donald Trump’s foreign policy is designed to serve US national interests with an understanding that other countries, especially major world powers have their own national interests. These interests may not necessarily coincide, and in fact they do not coincide, in most cases. But when they do, it would be a crime not to make use of this convergence for coming up with mutually beneficial tangible joint economic, energy, infrastructure and logistics projects.

He also made a second point by saying that when these interests do not coincide, as it happens in most cases, any power which has a sense of responsibility must do everything to prevent these differences from evolving into a confrontation, let alone allowing an actual confrontation to break out.

We were all in on this approach. I believe that US-China relations rely on these very principles too. These two countries have so many disagreements and have often had tense exchanges on the Taiwan Strait and the South-China Sea with the Chinese condemning the United States and other Western countries for viewing Taiwan as an independent state. China argues that it wants to unite its land by peaceful means. At the same time, it is prepared to use other methods for achieving this goal for the great people of China. How has the United States responded to this posture? Do not even dare. Still, the dialogue between the two countries never stopped.

I believe that what we have experienced under Joe Biden was an anomaly, which did not do any credit to the politicians behind this policy, especially to Joe Biden considering his experience. He prided himself on being such a seasoned politician. But all of a sudden, we had this little-boy-in-a-kindergarten kind of attitude when a boy turns away from a girl or vice versa saying “I will not be friends with you, and will not hang out with you.” What a silly attitude.

The fact that we have resumed dialogue despite all our differences signals a return to normalcy. We need this kind of dialogue, especially since it is not limited to Ukraine.

Joe Biden artificially positioned the Ukraine topic on top of the international agenda. Many friends have been telling us that this topic did not deserve to be treated this way and that the response to Russia’s special military operation was blown out of proportion. In fact, we started signalling dangerous developments 10 years before launching the operation. We shouted about it from all corners after the government coup and to protest NATO’s involvement. Even during his 2007 Munich speech, Vladimir Putin said we were witnessing a new phenomenon of Western impunity, its feeling of excessive integrity and exceptionalism. And it all materialised.

There are differences today too, of course. However, will restoring normal energy supplies to Europe serve only the interests of the United States and Russia? I am referring to the Nord Stream pipelines. It would probably be interesting to see whether the United States uses the leverage it has on Europe to force it to stop buying Russian gas. This is when it all takes on a tint of surrealism. Today, Europe and its businesses are paying several times more for their energy compared to US companies. At the same time, people like Robert Habeck, Ursula von der Leyen and Boris Pistorius have been saying that they would never allow the Nord Stream pipelines to be restored. These people are either sick or suicidal.

There is nothing abnormal in having a conversation. As you know, and I would like to make this point once again, we discussed prospects for removing obstacles so that we can engage in mutually beneficial joint economic projects in energy, space, and the Arctic. Russia and the United States are Arctic nations, after all.

That said, we do not have any illusions. The so-called Biden partners have caused a very deep chasm in our bilateral relations. However, Donald Trump’s people have been seeking to shift to a mutually beneficial relationship whenever possible and to build mutually respectful ties on matters we can agree upon, while preventing the differences between two major nuclear powers from escalating into a confrontation. We have reached a consensus on this matter.

Question: Does “do not have any illusions” mean that we will act differently in these relations? Which mistakes that we possibly made before won’t be repeated?

Sergey Lavrov: “Trust but verify.” It is a signature phrase of Ronald Reagan, which President Trump has recalled. We won’t forget it.

It is a combination of a civilisational view of the current development stage when national interests should become the priority, when it has become clear that globalisation has been destroyed, including through the actions of the previous US administration. They started using the dollar as a weapon. Donald Trump said after the elections but before he assumed office that it was a bad mistake, if not a crime, of Biden to use the dollar to punish certain countries. As a result, not only those he wanted to punish by preventing them from using the dollar but also others critically assessed the situation. They were punishing Russia, Iran, Venezuela and several other countries. But what if they didn’t like someone else? You may remember that Joe Biden offended Saudi Arabia and then had to go there to make peace with it.

All countries think more or less alike – anyone who is not on the black list now might fall out of favour with the US administration any day, considering that each new administration can cancel the agreements made by the previous administration.

To be on the safe side, they are thinking about replacing the dollar and the euro with national currencies in mutual settlements, even if not creating a new currency. Europeans are even less predictable. Discussions of payments mechanisms such as BRICS Pay are underway, and this process can’t be reversed.

President Donald Trump is a man of action. He doesn’t like to be engaged in philosophical speculation; he likes to settle problems. He has said that the United States needs Greenland for national security. We discussed this with the Americans, and my impression is that they understand our position. They accept a comparison according to which Ukraine is much more important for Russia’s national security than Greenland is for US national security. They understand it.

I’d like to say a few words about Greenland. A shameful thing has happened. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte stated before meeting Trump in the White House that he didn’t want the Americans to drag NATO into the Greenland debate. What does this mean? A man who is responsible for protecting the interests of the member states (Denmark, which currently owns Greenland, is a NATO member) and for preventing infringements on their territorial integrity has stated that he would not be dragged into the debate despite his responsibility. At the same time, Rutte has no scruples about declaring unwavering support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine, which is not and will never be a NATO member. He has refused to protect Denmark’s territorial integrity but is ready to stand up for Ukraine. He is ridiculous and pathetic.

READ MORE: Zelensky claims US intel freeze had little impact on Kursk incursion

Question: The United States wants China to join the New START talks. Could this offer a workable solution, in your opinion?

Sergey Lavrov: It is up to the People’s Republic of China to decide, as we have been saying all along. Beijing has commented on this matter many times whenever this topic surfaced in the public space. Its position consists of saying that China’s nuclear arsenal pales in comparison with what the United States and Russia have. The time to review the way nuclear powers interact would come once their arsenals become comparable.

Just as before, we remain engaged with the nuclear five at the level of our representatives at the United Nations. There are also meetings at the level of deputy ministers. It was Russia’s initiatives to convene an online summit in January 2022 for reaffirming the Gorbachev-Reagan formula whereby a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought, within this five-party framework. All five nuclear powers reaffirmed this formula.

We have nothing against continuing to work within this framework. By the way, this has been an ongoing, uninterrupted effort. This format mostly deals with confidence building measures and matters which are not related to any restrictions, limitations or even discussing the sizes of nuclear arsenals or avoiding incidents.

Just like Joe Biden before him, President of the United States Donald Trump has been saying that China had to join these talks. We adopted the following position. First, it is up to Beijing to decide, and the decision it makes – we will fully respect its choice. If we are adding more parties to these talks, what about France and the UK? Together with the United States, these two countries are all members of a single alliance. During the Biden years, and even earlier, this entity said a lot of nasty things about Russia and went on to designate us as the main adversary. If this is the case, while we are told to launch a conversation without touching upon these two aspects, this seems unfair.

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There is a need to restore Russia-US strategic stability dialogue. We agree on this point. Of course, the only way we can do this is by reviving the very principles governing the New START and set forth in its preambular part, including when it mentions the way strategic offensive and defensive weapons are linked, as well as mutual respect and agreements to offer each other equal treatment. How can we talk about stability while doctrines designate us as an adversary?

We stand for talks on all fronts, be it hockey, or football, or what have you. By the way, this goes beyond sports. This is what people want. In the sports world, an overwhelming majority of prominent figures from both Russia and the United States, as well as from any other country, including Western nations, believe that the efforts to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competitions are totally abnormal. They also share the view that it is not okay when a man calls himself a woman and goes on to fight a boxing match against an actual woman. There is a sense within US President Donald Trump administration that you cannot mess with human nature or distort it, and that traditional religious, cultural and moral values must be preserved. This must have a salutary effect on the Western society in general. I hope that this materialises.

The translation of this interview has been provided by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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Kiev is doing everything to sabotage steps by Moscow and Washington to settle the Ukraine conflict, the Defense Ministry has said

Ukraine continues to target Russian energy infrastructure despite claims by Vladimir Zelensky that he accepts an agreement between Moscow and Washington to halt such attacks, the Russian Defense Ministry has said.

The Ukrainian military has made at least three attempts to strike Russian energy facilities over the past 24 hours, the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

Overnight, two Ukrainian drones were shot down by air defenses off the Tarkhankut Peninsula in Russia’s Crimea, the statement read. The UAVs were targeting the Glebovskoye underground gas storage facility, it added.

Also on Wednesday, consumers in a district of Kursk Region were left without electricity after a high-voltage power line was disconnected as a result of a drone attack on an energy facility, according to the ministry.

Another UAV strike on Russian energy infrastructure in Kursk Region on Tuesday led to disruptions of electricity supply that affected around 4,000 people, it added.

The ministry stressed that the attacks are happening “despite a public statement by Zelensky about accepting the Russian-American agreements reached in Riyadh on March 24 to stop attacks on civilian energy facilities.”

“By continuing to deliver damage to Russia’s civilian energy infrastructure, the Kiev regime is, in fact, doing everything to disrupt the Russian-American agreements on implementing step-by-step measures to resolve the Ukrainian conflict,” the statement read.

The suspension of strikes on energy infrastructure by Moscow and Kiev was agreed following a phone call last week between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump.

READ MORE: Another Russian journalist killed in Ukrainian strike

After the talks between Russian and US experts in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Monday, Moscow published a list of energy facilities covered by the deal, which includes oil and gas processing and storage facilities, electricity producing and distribution sites, nuclear power plants, and dams of hydroelectric plants. The pause took effect on March 18 and will last for 30 days, according to the Russian side.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Zelensky expressed readiness to observe the Trump-proposed agreement to mutually halt attacks on energy facilities with Russia as well as to stop fighting in the Black Sea.

“We do not hit their energy. They do not hit our energy. I think there will be a million questions and details, but today it sounds like this: each side does not use the corresponding weaponry against the energy of both sides,” the Ukrainian leader said.

Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Russia intends to continue to uphold the moratorium on strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure despite repeated violations by Kiev.

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The Ukrainian leader faced a backlash from President Donald Trump after challenging his foreign policy during a White House visit

The US decision to temporarily suspend intelligence sharing with Kiev did not doom Ukraine’s hold on part of Russia’s Kursk Region, Vladimir Zelensky has claimed.

President Donald Trump halted intelligence support following Zelensky's challenge to his diplomatic stance toward Russia during a late February visit to the White House. This month, Ukrainian forces in Kursk Region have suffered major setbacks, including the liberation of the town of Sudzha by Russian troops, the largest community to have been occupied since last August’s incursion.

”Any suspension or pause in support certainly does not do anything good for us on the battlefield, and for our defense,” Zelensky stated in an interview with TIME magazine last Friday. “Don’t get me wrong. The state of morale always depends on whether your partners are standing beside you. But I wouldn’t say that the freeze influenced the operation in Kursk.”

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Previously, Western news outlets, including TIME, reported that Trump’s power move had seriously weakened Ukraine’s position in Kursk Region, affecting the morale and capabilities of Kiev’s forces. During a heated exchange in the Oval Office, Trump chastised Zelensky for failing to express gratitude for US assistance and told him he had “no cards” to play without Washington's support.

Ukraine launched the incursion last August, arguing that capturing Russian territory would give it leverage in future peace negotiations with Moscow. As Ukrainian troops faced a pushback, Kiev shifted its narrative, claiming that its military objectives had been met by diverting Russian units from other parts of the front.

According to estimates provided by the Russian Defense Ministry, Ukrainian forces have incurred nearly 70,000 casualties in the Kursk operation and have lost hundreds of valuable pieces of heavy weaponry, including those supplied by Western donors.

In the interview, Zelensky urged the US and its fellow NATO members to continue funding the Ukrainian military in the foreseeable future, asserting that the Russian economy would collapse by 2026 or 2027 under sustained Western sanctions.

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A news correspondent for Channel One, Anna Prokofieva, died while on assignment in Belgorod Region

Anna Prokofieva, war correspondent for Russia’s Channel One, was killed on Wednesday while on assignment in Belgorod Region, which borders Ukraine. The broadcaster confirmed her death and said that cameraman Dmitry Volkov had also been injured during the incident.

Prokofieva was reportedly working in the village of Demidovka, an area near active fighting. According to early reports, the 35-year-old journalist was killed either by a drone strike or a fatal shrapnel wound, although accounts of the incident differ.

Earlier this week, three members of news crews were killed in Ukrainian attacks in the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) and in Kursk Region.

In recent days, Prokofieva had been reporting from the recently liberated town of Sudzha, where she helped evacuate civilians from the area.

“Channel One war correspondent Anna Prokofieva was killed in the line of duty. This happened in Belgorod Region on the border with Ukraine, where the Channel One news crew hit an enemy mine,” the broadcaster said in a statement.

Her death was first reported by military blogger Vladimir Romanov, who wrote that she was killed on Wednesday while carrying out an editorial assignment. Romanov relayed via his Telegram channel that Prokofieva had been working in the village of Demidovka, in Krasnoyaruzhsky District.

Channel One cameraman Dmitry Volkov has been seriously injured and is currently on a ventilator, according to Acting Kursk Governor Alexander Khinshtein. He is being urgently transported to the Kursk Regional Hospital for treatment.

The broadcaster had reported earlier that Volkov had been working alongside Prokofieva at the time of the incident.

READ MORE: Kremlin slams international reaction to Ukraine killing Russian journalists

Prokofieva held a journalism degree from the People’s Friendship University (RUDN) and was fluent in Spanish. Prior to joining Channel One, she worked in the Spanish-language division of Rossiya Segodnya news agency. In 2023, she became a war correspondent for Channel One, covering the Ukraine conflict.

Commenting on the reporter’s death, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Kiev of deliberately targeting journalists and undermining international laws designed to protect members of the press.

Prokofieva covered the special military operation from some of its most intense fighting areas, often from Russian Armed Forces positions, according to TASS. She documented the demining of recently liberated territories, working closely with sappers and sometimes standing just meters from unexploded shells, the outlet said. While filming her reports alongside the troops, she reportedly came under fire on multiple occasions.

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The Russian foreign minister spoke to Channel 1 following 12 hours of negotiations between Moscow and Washington in Saudi Arabia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has addressed a sweeping range of international issues in an interview – broadcast early on Wednesday. He focused heavily on what he described as constructive signals from US President Donald Trump and his team, while simultaneously criticizing Western governments for what he called efforts to sabotage any momentum toward a peaceful resolution in Ukraine.

Below are the key takeaways from Lavrov’s appearance on Russia’s Channel 1, which was broadcast in the early hours of Wednesday morning following a marathon 12-hour negotiation session between Russian and American representatives in Riyadh on Monday.

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Ukraine’s leader has expressed readiness to enter a US-proposed energy truce with Russia

Ukraine’s leader, Vladimir Zelensky, has offered his take on negotiations in Saudi Arabia shortly after the White House released two statements on the US contacts with Kiev’s and Moscow’s respective delegations.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Zelensky expressed readiness to observe US President Donald Trump’s proposed agreement to mutually halt strikes on energy facilities with Russia, as well as to stop fighting in the Black Sea.

According to the White House, Kiev and Washington “have agreed to ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea.”

“We do not hit their energy. They do not hit our energy. I think there will be a million questions and details, but today it sounds like this: each side does not use the corresponding weaponry against the energy of both sides,” Zelensky said.

Zelensky revealed that a list of facilities Kiev wanted listed as “strategic infrastructure” to be protected under a truce did not make the final document. No penalties for violating the truce have been envisioned since the US “really wanted all this not to fall through,” Zelensky claimed.

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Zelensky said the White House statement on US-Ukraine talks contains a commitment to “helping achieve the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilian detainees,” while the statement on US-Russia negotiations outlines Washington’s readiness to “help restore Russia’s access to the world market for agricultural and fertilizer exports, lower maritime insurance costs, and enhance access to ports and payment systems for such transactions.”

He lashed out at the latter provision, accusing the US of discussing the topic with the Russian delegation without properly briefing Ukraine on the matter. “We did not agree to this so that it would be in a joint document. We believe that this is a weakening of positions and a weakening of sanctions,” he said.

“This was not on our agenda. The American side violated this. [Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem] Umerov contacted me. I said that this is not a discussion of an unconditional ceasefire,” Zelensky stressed.

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Earlier in the day, Moscow confirmed that the Russia-US talks in Riyadh largely revolved around the situation in the Black Sea and explored the possibilities of reviving the defunct Black Sea Grain Initiative, originally brokered in July 2022 by the UN and Türkiye. The agreement envisioned the safe passage of Ukrainian agricultural produce in exchange for the West lifting sanctions on Russian grain and fertilizer exports. Moscow ultimately withdrew from the deal, citing the West’s failure to observe its obligations.

Now Moscow needs ironclad guarantees from the US, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said, arguing that only a “direct order issued by Washington to [Ukraine’s Vladimir] Zelensky and his team” could make them observe any deal, given Kiev’s long history of broken promises. Russia’s position now “is simple: we cannot take anyone’s word at face value,” the minister empathized.

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The Belarusian state is sovereign and has much to be proud of, the country’s president has said

Belarus has built a sovereign state based on a “dictatorship of real accomplishments” and national interests – something that half the world aspires to, President Alexander Lukashenko has said.

Lukashenko made the remarks on Tuesday during his inauguration ceremony in Minsk for his seventh term, extending his nearly 30-year rule of the former Soviet republic.

Calling himself a “happy president,” Lukashenko said he is surrounded by true like-minded people who love their homeland. “No other state leader has such hard-working and reliable people,” he noted, adding that Belarus has much to be proud of.

“I will say more: half the world dreams of our dictatorship – a dictatorship of real accomplishments and the interests of our people,” Lukashenko stated.

He pointed out that Belarus was “doing well with freedom of speech” and has “more democracy than those who proclaim themselves its standard.”

However, he warned that freedom of speech would not be allowed to become “a club” to destroy the country or the legacy built by generations of Belarusians.

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Lukashenko has consistently defended his leadership as necessary for maintaining stability and countering foreign influence.

The 70-year-old politician is the country’s only post-independence leader. In early February, the Central Election Commission declared Lukashenko the winner of the January 26 presidential election with 86.82% of the vote. None of the other candidates received more than 5%.

The previous presidential election in 2020 triggered mass protests over what the opposition claimed was widespread fraud. Minsk denied the allegations, insisting that the unrest was orchestrated by the US and its European “satellites,” as well as neighboring Ukraine.

Last November, Lukashenko said Belarus is indeed governed by a “dictatorship,” but one of “stability, security, order, kindness, and hospitality.” He said foreigners were “gladly” visiting Belarus “despite the lies” being spread about the country in the West.

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The 12-hour negotiations in Saudi Arabia focused on maritime security in the Black Sea

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is speaking to Channel 1 about this week’s talks between Moscow and Washington on the Ukraine conflict and maritime security in the Black Sea.

The 12-hour negotiations in Saudi Arabia on Monday primarily revolved around restoring the 2022 grain deal, the Black Sea Grain Intiative, which secured Ukrainian food exports via the Black Sea. Russia withdrew from the agreement in July 2023, citing the West’s failure to uphold its part of the deal, including easing sanctions on Russian agricultural exports.

The US has been positive about the outcome of the lengthy talks in Riyadh, according to reports. Grigory Karasin, who took part in the discussions and is chairman of the International Relations Committee in Russia’s Federation Council, described the meeting as “a rich and difficult dialogue” but “very useful for us and for the Americans.”

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The deal ensures the safety of navigation in the Black Sea, according to a statement

Russia and the US have committed to advancing the Black Sea Initiative as a step towards settling the Ukraine conflict, according to a statement released by the Kremlin on Tuesday.

The agreement follows the 12-hour talks focused on the Ukraine conflict held on Monday in Saudi Arabia by expert groups from the two countries.

The sides discussed steps to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea, including a pledge to avoid the use of force and prevent commercial vessels from being used for military purposes, while agreeing on control measures such as ship inspections.

The US has vowed to “help restore access for Russian agricultural and fertilizer exports to the world market, reduce the cost of insurance for maritime transportation, and enhance access to ports and payment systems for such transactions,” according to the Kremlin statement.

The agreement envisions lifting restrictions on Russian Agricultural Bank and other financial institutions involved in international trade of food and fertilizers, including reconnecting them to the SWIFT payment system. It also includes removing sanctions on Russian-flagged vessels, port services, and the supply of agricultural machinery and related goods to Russia.

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According to the statement, Moscow and Washington have also agreed to develop measures to enforce the 30-day ban on strikes against energy infrastructure in Russia and Ukraine that was agreed last week. There would be an option to extend the arrangement or abandon it if either side fails to comply.

The two sides also welcomed the involvement of third countries in supporting agreements on energy and maritime matters.

The US and Russia “will continue efforts to achieve a lasting and sustainable peace,” the statement concludes.

Originally brokered in July 2022 by the UN and Türkiye, the Black Sea Grain Initiative aimed to ensure the safe passage of Ukrainian agricultural exports in return for the easing of Western restrictions on Russia’s grain and fertilizer trade. Moscow did not renew the deal in 2023, citing the West’s failure to uphold its commitments.

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Moscow has accused the West of violating the previous agreement by not lifting restrictions on shipping

Moscow must receive firm guarantees from the US to renew the defunct Black Sea Grain Initiative, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Channel 1 on Tuesday. Russia did not renew the deal in 2023 after Western restrictions on its exports were not lifted.

The original Türkiye- and UN-brokered agreement, signed in July 2022, had two components: one ensuring the safe passage of Ukrainian agricultural exports, and the other requiring the West to remove restrictions on Russian grain and fertilizer exports. The deal expired in July 2023 when Moscow declined to renew it, citing Ukraine’s misuse of the corridor and the West’s failure to uphold its obligations.

The initiative and wider maritime security in the Black Sea were discussed during Russia-US talks held in Saudi Arabia on Monday. Commenting on the discussions, Lavrov said reviving the deal was treated as a priority, but that it was premature to speak of progress.

“We need the clearest, most specific, verifiable, working guarantees and mechanisms [to revive the deal],” the minister said. Such assurances can “only result from a direct order issued by Washington to [Ukraine’s Vladimir] Zelensky and his team,” Lavrov added.

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The diplomat recalled past diplomatic breakdowns with Kiev, and said Russia’s position “is simple: we cannot take anyone’s word at face value.”

“We want the grain and fertilizer market to be predictable, so that no one tries to kick us out of this market,” Lavrov insisted.

The diplomat reiterated that any renewed deal must meet Russia’s demands, including the removal of obstacles to its food and fertilizer exports. These include sanctions on Russia’s shipping industry and its agricultural lender, Rosselkhozbank.

“We are open to the resumption – in some form more acceptable to all – of the Black Sea Initiative,” Lavrov said. “Our negotiators in Riyadh have reminded their American colleagues of this whole Black Sea story and made clear we would like for it to be free of any ambiguities this time.”

He added that US negotiators appeared to acknowledge Russia’s concerns and “understand that only Washington can achieve positive results” with both the grain deal and a broader Ukraine peace settlement.

READ MORE: US and Russia engaging in ‘creative’ talks – Moscow

The talks in Riyadh lasted more than 12 hours and came as part of a broader diplomatic push to end the Ukraine conflict. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said both sides are evaluating the outcome and have no immediate plans to make further details public.

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Sixteen people have been killed and 134 injured in Ukrainian strikes over the past week alone, Rodion Miroshnik has said

Ukraine has stepped up its attacks on Russian civilians in frontline and border regions, resulting in over 150 casualties in the past week alone, Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s ambassador-at-large tasked with tracking Kiev’s war crimes, has said. This comes amid ongoing Russia-US efforts to settle the Ukraine conflict.

In a statement posted on Telegram on Tuesday, Miroshnik accused Kiev of attacking civilian targets “in the midst of talks about the desire for a peaceful settlement.” He stated that from March 17 to 23, 16 civilians were killed and 134 were injured in Ukrainian attacks.

The bulk of the casualties were recorded in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, and the regions of Belgorod, Kursk, and Kherson, he added, claiming that over the week, Ukraine fired almost 2,000 munitions of various kinds at civilian targets.

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He also provided examples of the most devastating attacks, including a strike in the village of Gorlovka in Donbass which injured 12 civilians. According to Miroshnik, the strike used cluster munitions, which are banned in more than 100 countries. Ukraine is not a signatory to the treaty that bars their use.

Another reported incident was a drone attack in the village of Chubarevka in Russia’s Zaporozhye Region, which killed a paramedic, he added. While most of the attacks targeted border and frontline regions, one UAV strike hit targets in Russia’s Saratov Region – hundreds of kilometers from the battlefield – and injured ten civilians, Miroshnik said.

Russia has accused Ukraine of targeting civilians throughout the conflict, especially in regions near the border. Miroshnik’s comments come as Russia and the US are engaging in diplomacy to explore options for settling the conflict.

As part of the process, Moscow agreed to a 30-day ceasefire on strikes targeting energy infrastructure after a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, last week. Russian officials, however, have said Ukraine violated the agreement almost immediately by targeting oil infrastructure in several locations.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov signaled that Russia plans to abide by the moratorium despite Kiev’s violations. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has warned, however, that Moscow reserves the right to respond to Ukraine’s attacks, including “symmetrically,” if Kiev continues its “destructive course.”

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Moscow and Washington are assessing the outcome of the extensive discussions, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has stated

Details of the extensive talks between Russian and US officials in Saudi Arabia on Monday will not be made public, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.

The two delegations engaged in nearly 12 hours of dialogue in Riyadh, focusing on ways to de-escalate the Ukraine conflict. During a regular press briefing on Tuesday, Peskov emphasized that the specifics will remain undisclosed.

”The outcomes of the marathon Russian-American negotiations have been relayed to the respective capitals and are currently under analysis,” he stated. “These were technical talks, which involved an in-depth exploration of details, so naturally, the content of those discussions will not be made public.”

Peskov said Moscow does not foresee a direct conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, following the latest diplomatic engagement. Additionally, there is no expectation of trilateral talks involving Ukraine at this time. Peskov said further interactions with the Trump administration will occur in due course.

READ MORE: Rubio accuses ‘other countries’ of blocking peace in Ukraine

In recent days, American officials have held separate meetings with Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Saudi Arabia. Reports suggest that the talks centered on the possible revival of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a defunct agreement initially facilitated by the UN and Türkiye.

Moscow withdrew from the deal in July 2023, citing Ukraine’s misuse of its terms and the West’s failure to lift sanctions on Russian exports of fertilizers and foodstuffs, which had been promised in exchange for ensuring the safety of Ukrainian shipments.

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The inauguration ceremony took place at the Minsk Palace of Independence, extending his rule to 2030

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has been sworn in for a seventh term in office, extending his nearly 30-year rule of the former Soviet republic for another five years.

The former Belarusian republic gained its independence in 1991 during the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Lukashenko was first elected in 1994 in the country’s inaugural presidential election after the adoption of a new constitution.

The inauguration ceremony took place at the Palace of Independence in Minsk on Tuesday. According to the Belarusian news agency BelTA, more than 1,100 guests attended the event.

“We have created a sovereign state – we have much to be proud of,” Lukashenko said at the ceremony. He pledged to continue to lead his country on a “path of peace and development, national unity and patriotism, justice and broad opportunities for everyone – what we call a state for the people.”

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He added that taking the oath of office in the year that marks the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory in World War II is “an enormous responsibility.”

“Today we all swear an oath of faithful service to the Fatherland and will not let anyone erase the creative mark in history – our mark and the mark of our predecessors.”

The Central Election Commission declared Lukashenko the winner of the January 26 presidential election with 86.82% of the vote in early February. Under the constitution, the president must take the oath no later than two months after the election in the presence of lawmakers, top judges, and members of the Belarusian People’s Assembly. The 69-year-old politician is the country’s only post-independence leader. His new term runs until 2030.

READ MORE: Putin signs security guarantees for Belarus

His previous reelection in 2020 sparked widespread protests across Belarus and drew sharp criticism from Western governments, which accused Lukashenko of vote rigging. He denied the allegations, calling the accusations politically motivated. He has also faced foreign criticism of his leadership style. In November last year, he acknowledged that Belarus is governed by a “dictatorship,” but described it as one of “stability, security, order, kindness, and hospitality.”

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People tend to “not check what happened in the past,” acting Ambassador to Russia Alexander Ben Zvi has said

Israel opposes Ukraine’s glorification of World War II Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera, the Jewish state’s acting ambassador to Russia, Alexander Ben Zvi, has told TASS. In comments published on Monday, Ben Zvi confirmed that Israeli authorities are aware of the Bandera cult in Ukraine and have raised the issue with Kiev.

Bandera was a leader in the militant Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and headed the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) during World War II. The group collaborated with Nazi Germany to massacre over 100,000 Poles, Jews, Russians, and Soviet-aligned Ukrainians.

Despite the UPA-ordered genocide, Bandera and other UPA members were declared national heroes by former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko in 2010 – a designation reaffirmed by the current Kiev leadership. Ukrainian nationalists continue to celebrate Bandera with annual torchlight marches, referring to him as the “father of the nation.”

“We have stated this more than once. It’s just that people do not check what happened in the past. Our ambassadors to Ukraine even wrote notes of protest at one time,” Ben Zvi said when asked to clarify Israel’s stance on the issue. He added that the Israeli Foreign Ministry is “well aware” of the matter.

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His comments appear to contradict recent remarks by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar. At a press briefing marking Israel’s presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) earlier this month, Sa’ar said he was unaware of Bandera’s veneration in Ukraine.

“First of all, I didn’t know about it. I will check it,” the minister said, adding he would issue a condemnation “if there is a necessity.”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry and its embassy in Kiev have issued several statements denouncing Ukraine’s honoring of Nazi collaborators over the years. However, no such statement has been made since 2022, with embassy officials telling Haaretz they “have made our position clear many times, but apparently there is nothing we can do, at least at the moment.”

READ MORE: German media told to conceal Nazi symbols in Ukraine – Moscow

Moscow has repeatedly warned of a Nazi revival in Ukraine and cited “denazification” as one of the main goals of its military operation against Kiev. Western media and officials, however, have downplayed Nazi imagery in Ukraine, often dismissing criticism as “Russian propaganda.”

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Kiev is lowering its military recruitment age-range as the US nudges it into a truce with Russia

Ukraine must enlist more young men into its armed forces, as a number of units face a pressing need for reinforcements, according to Vladimir Zelensky.

In a regular news briefing on Monday, Zelensky announced that the military leadership had approved an expansion of recruitment targeting citizens aged 18 to 24. While mandatory conscription applies to men over 24, the government is trying to encourage younger individuals to volunteer by offering an array of incentives.

“I visited the front on Saturday. There is a demand from specific brigades, and we will be responding positively to it. There will be more brigades employing young specialists,” Zelensky stated. “This initiative will extend to the National Guard and border guard units, as all effective defense forces should be given every opportunity to enhance their capabilities.”

Under a recruitment campaign launched in February, young adults are promised 1 million hryvnia ($24,000) for a year of military service, as well as free dental care and the option to leave Ukraine after fulfilling their contract – an option not available to regular fighting-age men.

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The Defense Ministry is promoting the offer by showing how much recruits can buy with the money – equating it to 15,625 cheeseburgers or 185 years of Netflix subscriptions. Critics have condemned the ad campaign as demeaning to potential recruits.

Last year, Zelensky reduced the minimum conscription age from 27 to 25, but refrained from further adjustments, citing concerns over the economic and demographic impact. Western supporters have urged Kiev to enlist younger men, saying the aging Ukrainian army is struggling to fight effectively.

Ukraine is intensifying its mobilization efforts as the US attempts to mediate a resolution to the conflict with Russia, leveraging Kiev’s reliance on foreign aid. Washington has convinced both sides to agree to a moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure. After several attacks, however, Moscow has accused Kiev of not honoring its obligation and has threatened to pull out of the 30-day partial ceasefire.

Over the past few days, US officials met separately with Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Saudi Arabia to explore the potential resumption of the Black Sea Initiative, aimed at facilitating maritime exports.

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Ukrainian forces targeted two TV crews in separate attacks in a single day

The Russian Foreign Ministry has condemned Ukrainian attacks which killed three members of a news crew and injured several others in the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) and Kursk Region on Monday. The incidents were further proof of Kiev’s “terrorist nature,” spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

According to Moscow, Ukrainian forces launched a “precision-guided artillery strike” on a civilian vehicle in the LPR marked as press transport on Monday. The attack claimed the lives of Aleksandr Fedorchak, a reporter for Izvestia; Andrey Panov, a cameraman for Zvezda TV; and their driver, Aleksandr Sirekli. Another Zvezda correspondent, Nikolai Goldin, was seriously wounded in the same incident.

In a separate attack on the same day, TASS reporter Mikhail Skuratov was injured by shrapnel while on assignment in the Sudzhanskiy district of Russia’s Kursk Region, which borders Ukraine.

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“The Kiev regime has once again demonstrated its terrorist, savage nature,” Zakharova said in a statement early Tuesday morning. “The series of brutal reprisals against Russian journalists by Ukrainian neo-Nazis is yet another proof of their readiness to commit any crimes against the civilian population without hesitation, including media workers, who are protected under international humanitarian law as outlined in the 1949 Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocol I.”

Zakharova accused Kiev of escalating attacks on civilians as a result of its failure to achieve military success. “The number of these terrorist attacks is increasing proportionally to the neo-Nazi regime’s growing understanding of its inability to inflict any damage on the Russian Armed Forces,” she added.

Moscow called on international bodies – including the Director-General of UNESCO, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights – to issue strong condemnations.

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“The continued cold-blooded killings of Russian media workers demand proper attention and response from international institutions,” Zakharova stated, warning that silence or evasive rhetoric would only “demonstrate their inability to uphold their mandates impartially.”

Zvezda TV reported that their crew was allegedly targeted by two projectiles fired from a US-supplied Ukrainian HIMARS multiple rocket launcher system. Moscow has repeatedly said that Kiev cannot operate such advanced systems without direct Western assistance.

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A civilian vehicle carrying the reporters was allegedly hit by two US-made HIMARS missiles

Three members of a Russian news crew have been killed in a Ukrainian attack while reporting from the Lugansk People’s Republic on Monday.

The attack claimed the lives of Aleksandr Fedorchak, a reporter for Izvestia; Andrey Panov, a cameraman for Zvezda TV; and their driver, Aleksandr Sirekli. Their vehicle was reportedly struck by two missiles fired from a US-supplied Ukrainian HIMARS multiple rocket launcher system. Another journalist was critically wounded in the attack, according to Russian media reports.

“A civilian vehicle carrying journalists was targeted by two HIMARS missiles,” Zvezda said in a statement.

The incident is “yet another terrible loss for our team,” Izvestia’s director, Vladimir Tyulin, said. Earlier this year, a freelance reporter for the newspaper, Aleksandr Martemyanov, was killed in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic when the civilian vehicle he was in was attacked by a Ukrainian drone.

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Kiev has been receiving M142 HIMARS and its heavier tracked counterpart, the M270 MLRS, from the US and other Western countries since mid-2022. Initially touted as a key tool for striking high-value Russian military assets, the systems have been routinely used by Kiev for strikes against civilian targets.

Ukraine was reportedly briefly cut off from HIMARS targeting data earlier this month amid the fallout of a heated exchange in the Oval Office between Vladimir Zelensky and US President Donald Trump. Access to targeting data, however, was reinstated soon afterwards.

Moscow has said it is not possible for Kiev to operate sophisticated systems such as the HIMARS without direct Western input, arguing that providing intelligence and targeting data makes Ukraine’s backers complicit in its attacks and a party to the conflict.

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Time magazine has released a photo of the Ukrainian leader in front of a painting depicting the Kremlin engulfed in flames

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has compared Vladimir Zelensky’s office to a “psychiatric hospital” over his choice of paintings.

Photos published by Time magazine on Monday show Zelensky posing in front of two war-themed paintings — one depicting Ukrainian troops fighting on Russian territory, and the other, reportedly his favorite, showing the Kremlin engulfed in flames.

The photo of Zelensky standing beside the paintings was reportedly taken as he gave Time correspondent Simon Shuster a tour of his office one evening earlier in March. The report also mentioned a third painting, showing a Russian warship sinking in the Black Sea, though it was not visible in the photo. Time said Zelensky selected the paintings himself, and that they now hang in a small room behind his main office.

Asked by TASS to comment on the images, Zakharova replied simply “a psych ward,” without further elaboration.

Volodymyr Zelensky's favorite painting in his office shows the Kremlin engulfed in flames. “Each one’s about victory. That’s where I live” https://t.co/AgZtLQnlda pic.twitter.com/Yb5zDV46js

— TIME (@TIME) March 24, 2025

Her view was echoed by Vladimir Dzhabarov, deputy head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Russia’s upper chamber, the Federation Council. He said the painting of the burning Kremlin in Zelensky’s office pointed to the latter’s limited mental capacity.

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“The man is sick in the head,” Dzhabarov told Lenta.ru on Monday. “Would it occur to a normal person to hang such paintings? He made his dreams come true, apparently the dreams of all Ukrainian neo-Nazis…” he said.

Zakharova has previously branded Zelensky a “monster” and a “maniac [gripped by] sick delusions” over his nuclear rhetoric and past remarks about attacking the Kremlin.

In October 2022, Zelensky called on the international community to carry out “preemptive strikes” on the Kremlin if Russia attacked Bankovaya Street, where his office is located.

Zelensky has also expressed regret that he could not strike the Kremlin using long-range weapons supplied to Kiev by Western countries. The Kremlin described the comments as “nothing else than a call to start a world war.”

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Russia has withstood attempts to divide its society, according to Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova

Russia has successfully resisted the ideological blitzkrieg by the West aimed at dividing the country’s society and stirring unrest, according to the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

Addressing students at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics on Monday, Zakharova accused Western countries of trying to isolate and destabilize the country following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict.

The West was counting on “a split within Russian society” and intergenerational conflict, particularly as a result of its economic pressure, according to the official.

“The ideological blitzkrieg was one hundred percent planned. They placed a bet…” on Russia’s defeat, but the country has withstood all the challenges, Zakharova said.

The US and EU have imposed numerous sanctions against Russia since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022 in an effort to isolate the country. Measures include a ban on Russia’s seaborne oil shipments, cutting access to Western financial system, freezing foreign reserves, and many other restrictions.

Russia has repeatedly condemned the Western sanctions as illegal and ineffective, saying they have failed to destabilize its economy, and have instead backfired on the countries that imposed them.

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Speaking at a meeting of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs in Moscow last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West of using the Ukraine conflict as a pretext to eliminate Russia as a competitor. He pointed out that a total of 28,595 sanctions had been imposed against Russian companies and individuals in recent years, more than the total number of restrictions on all other countries combined. He added that the national economy has become more resilient and continues to grow despite the pressure.

Russia’s rivals will always seek to weaken it, Putin told the audience, adding that even if sanctions are eased, the West would find new ways to “throw a wrench in the works.”

US President Donald Trump, who launched talks with Moscow and Kiev last month in an effort to resolve the conflict, has signaled he may use economic sanctions as leverage, suggesting they could be eased if peace is reached or tightened if negotiations fail.

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The targeted facility is part-owned by Chevron and ExxonMobil

An international oil consortium that includes US companies has condemned recent drone attacks attributed to Ukraine on vital energy infrastructure in Russia’s Krasnodar Region. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, a Ukrainian armed drone was shot down overnight near an oil pumping station managed by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC).

CPC operates a major pipeline system carrying crude oil from the oil fields in Kazakhstan and Russia’s Caspian region to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk and on to global markets. The project is jointly owned by several stakeholders from Russia, Kazakhstan, and overseas energy companies, such as US oil giants Chevron and ExxonMobil.

“The actions of the Ukrainian authorities have a destructive impact on CPC’s financial results and, as a consequence, on all of its shareholders, including the Republic of Kazakhstan and companies from the United States,” the consortium said in a statement on Monday.

The latest attack on the Kropotkinskaya oil pumping station in Krasnodar Region reportedly took place in the early hours of Monday morning. Russian air defense systems intercepted a Ukrainian UAV several kilometers from the facility, according to the Defense Ministry.

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The station was targeted by drones laden with explosives and metal shrapnel in mid-February, forcing the CPC to reduce its annual transportation forecast.

The subsequent destruction of another CPC-operated oil transfer station in Krasnodar Region last week led to an indefinite halt of operations, the CPC said. The consortium said it is currently working to restore the Kropotkinskaya station.

The CPC “strongly condemns” such actions, which “undermine the foundations of global energy security,” complicate production and transportation of oil, and also threaten personnel and the environment, the statement said.

The attacks come after Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump approved a partial ceasefire, under which both Moscow and Kiev committed to refraining from strikes on energy infrastructure. The agreement aims to pave the way for a broader truce.

READ MORE: Kiev attacks internationally-operated oil pipeline in Russia – Moscow

Moscow has accused Kiev of a “provocation,” while stressing that it will continue to uphold the moratorium on strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Kiev has not issued an official statement about the attack.

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Residents of Kazachya Loknya recount their experiences of living under Ukrainian occupation

Russian forces recently liberated around 30 settlements in Kursk Region, where Ukrainian forces had looted stores, stolen vehicles, and, according to witnesses who spoke to RT, killed civilians. Residents from Kazachya Loknya have recounted their experiences following several months under occupation by the Ukrainian army.

One local woman told RT that her husband had been murdered in cold blood by Ukrainian troops. Another was forced to abandon her home.

Both still find it difficult to comprehend how they survived the brutal occupation.

Daily struggles and threats

“When the Ukrainians entered Kazachya Loknya, they began firing randomly. Two people were killed near the store. And when they retreated, they set many houses ablaze. It was absolute hell,” Tatyana Ivanenko, 64, said.

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Unable to escape the village before the Ukrainian force arrived, Ivanenko endured 218 days under occupation until Russian soldiers retook Kazachya Loknya.

”We slept on the floor in our neighbors’ hallway; I was afraid to sleep in my bed. All our windows were blown out, and we boarded them up after every shelling to block out the cold. Ukrainian forces distributed food rations once every two months, and we fetched water from a well,” she recounted.

According to Ivanenko, Ukrainian forces took control of Kazachya Loknya on the night of August 7, 2024.

”My daughter called me the morning before it happened – she lived with her family in Sudzha – and pleaded with me to leave for Kursk. I told her, ‘They’ll fire some shots, and it will calm down.’ But the next morning, stepping onto my porch, I heard Ukrainian voices and saw soldiers with blue armbands. I realized the Nazis had reached our village, and it was too late to flee,” Tatyana said.

Looting, violence, and fear

She described how, once established, Ukrainian forces turned to looting and violence.

”Our neighbor Artem, who used to work for the Ministry of Emergency Situations, had his tire shop completely stripped clean. Grocery stores were broken into and robbed. Thankfully, we had some canned preserves,” she said.

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“Another neighbor’s car was stolen after Ukrainian troops broke into his house. One soldier threatened him, saying, ‘I’m a convict; I killed my father and seven others, and I can shoot you easily.’ He put a rifle to my neighbor’s head and took his keys.”

Two people Ivanenko knew personally were killed by the Ukrainians. “When the occupation first began, my neighbor went to church and never returned. Ukrainian soldiers shot him on his way,” she recalled. “Another neighbor was killed by a drone strike right outside his gate while fetching firewood. After that, we were terrified to step outside.”

In December, Tatyana was forced to leave her home after Ukrainian soldiers installed electronic warfare equipment directly in her yard. “They set up a large device with rotating antennas and hid in our cellar to avoid airstrikes,” she explained. Shells repeatedly struck her house, leaving it partially destroyed.

Evacuation and reunion

Tatyana currently lives in a temporary shelter in Kursk alongside her grandchildren, her daughter Olga, and her son-in-law. She was evacuated to a safe zone following the liberation of Kazachya Loknya by Russian troops.

”Thank God we’re all safe. I thought I’d never see my family again,” she said.

Her daughter Olga described seeing her mother in a YouTube video posted by Ukrainian soldiers in January 2025.

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”They filmed civilians in the village. My mom appeared, crying and worried about our survival. That was how we discovered she was alive,” Olga explained. “When our military finally let me talk to my mom, I screamed and cried – I hadn’t heard her voice in seven months. Seeing her alive, despite her frail and exhausted condition, brought me to my knees.”

Death, survival, and uncertain future

Valentina Poleshchuk’s husband was killed by the Ukrainians shortly after they invaded Kursk Region.

”We lived in Kubatkin, and on August 8, we drove to Kazachya Loknya to assess the situation,” Valentina said. “I was sitting in the back seat when they opened fire. Bullets hit our tires first, forcing the car to stop, then another round came in.”

“My husband was hit first in his right arm, then a second bullet struck his neck, killing him instantly,” she recalled. “I lay in the back seat covered in blood and shattered glass for about an hour before managing to escape.”

Valentina found shelter with friends in Kazachya Loknya during the occupation. “We were freezing and starving, but we survived until our troops came,” she said. Now, Valentina stays with her daughter Galina.

”My children took me into their rented home. I need to resolve the paperwork concerning my husband’s death and decide what to do with the house. Who would have imagined losing everything at this age? My husband was murdered, and our home destroyed. I used to weigh 80 kg, and now I’m down to just 40 kg. The horror of what I’ve experienced is beyond words,” she said.

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Vladimir Putin has not issued new orders regarding the 30-day partial ceasefire with Kiev, spokesman Dmitry Peskov says

Russia will continue to uphold the moratorium on strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure, despite Kiev’s numerous violations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Peskov stated that Moscow is still abiding by the partial ceasefire deal, despite Ukraine’s strikes on Russian energy facilities.

“There have been no new commands from [Russian President Vladimir Putin]. Our armed forces are following all instructions from the commander-in-chief,” he said.

The suspension of strikes was agreed to following a phone call last week between Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, during which the two discussed a potential 30-day ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict.

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While Russia did not agree to a full truce, citing the need for a monitoring mechanism and for Kiev to cease its rearmament and mobilization, Putin approved a month-long pause on strikes against energy facilities. Ukraine also signed on to the agreement.

Moscow, however, accused Kiev of violating the deal almost immediately. Russian officials said Ukrainian forces destroyed a gas metering station while retreating from the town of Sudzha in Kursk Region and struck an oil depot in Russia’s Krasnodar Region. Additionally, on Monday night, an armed Ukrainian drone was shot down near an oil pumping station in the same area. The targeted facility is managed by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which is co-owned by American investors.

Addressing the incidents, Peskov stated: “We are monitoring the situation very closely. Our American counterparts also have the opportunity to observe and draw appropriate conclusions.”

On Saturday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned that if “the Kiev regime continues this destructive course,” Russia “reserves the right to retaliate, including symmetrically.”

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Kiev carries out daily attacks on Russian energy infrastructure despite agreeing to a partial truce, the Defense Ministry has said

Ukraine continues to attack Russian civilian infrastructure, proving that Kiev does not actually want peace, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.

Last week, following a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, Moscow and Kiev agreed to a partial ceasefire and pledged to suspend strikes on each other’s energy infrastructure for 30 days.

However, the Russian Defense Ministry has since reported multiple Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian energy facilities such as oil and gas pipelines.

The latest attack reportedly took place at 2 a.m. on Monday on the Kropotkinskaya oil pumping station in Russia’s Krasnodar Region. The station is operated by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), which works with US energy giants such as Mobil and Chevron. Russian air defense systems intercepted a Ukrainian attack UAV some 7km from the facility, with fragments falling in the area of a railway station, according to the Defense Ministry.

READ MORE: Ukraine had plans to blow up nuclear plants – ex-Zelensky aide

In an update on Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that Ukraine had also launched drone strikes on the Glebovskoye gas condensate field in Crimea on March 23 and on a gas distribution center in Belgorod Region on March 22.

Commenting on the recent attacks, Zakharova claimed it is typical of Kiev’s behavior, particularly ahead of international events such as this week's Russia-US talks in Saudi Arabia.

”Every time it's the same story. Before any contacts, including during visits to Moscow by foreign delegations, the Kiev regime commits terrorist acts, attacks on civilian infrastructure, on civilian objects, extremist acts, and so on... They don't need peace. They have stated this repeatedly,” Zakharova told reporters.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has stressed that despite Kiev’s repeated violations, Moscow continues to uphold the energy strike truce and that President Putin has not issued any new commands to the country’s armed forces.

However, Zakharova warned over the weekend that Russia reserves its right to respond to Ukraine’s attacks, including “symmetrically,” if Kiev continues its “destructive course.”

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A possible revival of the Black Sea Initiative is being discussed in Saudi Arabia

The US-Russian talks held in Saudi Arabia are a “creative” endeavor, though they may not yield a diplomatic breakthrough on Monday, a Russian lawmaker who is part of Moscow’s delegation told journalists.

Grigory Karasin, chairman of the International Relations Committee in Russia’s upper chamber of parliament, provided the media an update during a break in the talks in Riyadh. The discussions, which he described as “technical,” focus on maritime security in the Black Sea and the possibility of reviving the Black Sea Initiative, which was originally mediated by the UN and Türkiye. Russia withdrew from the deal in July 2023, citing the West’s failure to provide sanctions relief for its grain exports, as the conditions of the arrangement required.

“Not every negotiation yields a high-profile document or agreement,” Karasin remarked before returning to the closed-door meetings. “What matters is maintaining communication and understanding each other’s positions. In this regard, we are succeeding.”

Alongside Karasin, Russia’s delegation includes Sergey Beseda, an adviser to the director of the Federal Security Service. Their American counterparts, as identified by Reuters, are Andrew Peek, a senior director at the White House National Security Council, and Michael Anton, a senior State Department official.

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When asked about possible outcomes, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov remarked earlier in the day that they “primarily concern the safety of maritime traffic. However, if you recall [the original version] of the deal, there were significant obligations made to our side that were never fulfilled. This remains part of the agenda.”

US President Donald Trump has suggested revisiting the grain deal as part of his efforts to mediate a broader truce between Russia and Ukraine, Peskov added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to Trump’s proposal to suspend attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, while Ukraine committed to reciprocate. However, Kiev has violated the partial ceasefire multiple times, including on Monday morning, according to Russia. Moscow has warned that it reserves the right to withdraw from the arrangement should Ukraine fail to meet its commitments.

A Ukrainian delegation is also present at the same luxury hotel in Riyadh where the US-Russian talks are taking place, but they have no direct contact with the Russian team. The Ukrainians had their own talks with the US delegation the previous day.

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The West is deliberately overlooking Kiev’s transgressions and using Ukraine as a tool against Russia, the foreign minister has claimed

European NATO members are willfully ignoring the “Nazi” character of the Ukrainian government, which they have empowered as an anti-Russian instrument, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has asserted.

On Monday, the senior diplomat expressed concern over the “demons of neo-Nazism, Russophobia, and other hateful ideologies” spreading across multiple EU nations. Member states are deliberately overlooking Kiev’s misconduct, even as it persecutes ethnic Russians and violates human rights, he stressed.

“Ukraine – ‘that’s different.’ Those Nazis have been nurtured for the latest attempt to unite all of Europe under racist, Nazi banners for a war against the Russian Federation,” Lavrov stated.

The minister was speaking in his capacity as a trustee of the Gorchakov Fund, a Russian NGO aimed at enhancing public diplomacy. He emphasized the organization’s mission of presenting an authentic view of Russia and contrasted it sharply with the West’s approach to public messaging that “portrays itself as infallible and suffers from an exceptionalism complex.”

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The EU is pursuing a multibillion-dollar rearmament plan, justified by what Brussels labels a growing Russian threat. European officials have warned that a direct NATO confrontation with Moscow may break out within the next few years. Russia, however, denies any hostile intentions toward the US-led military bloc.

Tensions between European NATO members and Washington resurfaced after President Donald Trump assumed office in January. The new US administration has sought a swift resolution to the Ukraine conflict and intends to shift security responsibilities onto Europe once a truce is achieved.

Moscow’s goal of ‘denazification’ remains central to its stance on the Ukraine conflict. Russian officials have denounced the Ukrainian government as a “neo-Nazi regime” due to its discriminatory domestic policies, alleged war crimes against Russian citizens, and veneration of historical nationalist figures who collaborated with Nazi Germany during World War II.

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A drone intercepted overnight was aimed at key infrastructure co-owned by US investors, the Defense Ministry has said

An armed Ukrainian drone was shot down overnight near an oil pumping station in Russia operated by an international company, the Russian Defense Ministry has said

The interception reportedly occurred early Monday around 7km from the Kropotkinskaya facility, which is part of the energy link managed by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC). The ministry stated that the station was the intended target of the drone, citing a prior attack against it in mid-February.

The CPC includes major US oil companies such as Chevron and ExxonMobil among its stakeholders and primarily facilitates the export of Kazakh oil through Russian territory.

Moscow characterized the incident as yet another violation of a US-mediated partial ceasefire, under which both Moscow and Kiev committed to refraining from strikes on energy infrastructure.

The agreement aims to pave the way for a broader truce, with indirect negotiations taking place this week in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The discussions will also focus on maritime security in the Black Sea. The US is serving as a shuttle, with no direct discussions between Russia and Ukraine planned.

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”The Kiev regime continues to plan, prepare, and execute attacks against energy infrastructure, including internationally-owned assets within Russia,” the ministry said.

Last week, the Russian military accused Kiev of conducting a kamikaze drone strike against an oil transfer station in Krasnodar Region, which services the CPC-operated pipeline. The incident occurred hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, approved the partial ceasefire. By the time the assault unfolded, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky publicly endorsed the agreement.

Days later, Moscow reported that Ukrainian forces had demolished a border gas metering station in Kursk Region, with Kiev attributing the explosion to Russian actions. According to the Russian military, Ukrainian troops blew up the facility during their retreat after a months-long incursion.

Despite what the Defense Ministry labeled a “provocation,” it stated that it intends to maintain the partial ceasefire. The Foreign Ministry later warned, however, that Russia could withdraw from the deal if Kiev continues its violations.

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The suspected traitor shared classified data about the country’s border resilience measures, the security agency has alleged

A suspected Russian traitor has been taken into custody for allegedly transmitting classified information to Ukraine, the Federal Security Service (FSB) has announced.

A brief statement on Monday identified the suspect as an employee of the central office of a Russian agency responsible for overseeing government operations.

Last year, he allegedly reached out to the Ukrainian government, offering “information about efforts to protect industrial and energy sites in the border areas of the Russian Federation,” as well as details on troop deployments.

If found guilty of treason, the suspect could face a life sentence.

The administration of US President Donald Trump has mediated a partial ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, with both sides pledging to suspend attacks against energy infrastructure.

READ MORE: Ukraine’s Kursk ‘provocation’ failed – Moscow

The measure, which is meant to build momentum for a more comprehensive truce currently being negotiated in Saudi Arabia, was not honored by Kiev, according to the Russian military. Officials have accused Ukraine of launching a kamikaze drone strike against an oil transfer station in Russia’s Krasnodar Region and blowing up a gas metering station in Kursk Region.

Moscow has said that while its commitment not to attack Ukrainian energy sites holds, it reserves the right to pull out of the deal if Kiev continues to violate it.

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Kiev’s backers should be interested in peace, but speak only of war and militarization, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said

The approach taken by Western powers to the Ukraine conflict makes no sense because instead of seeking peace they have decided to engage in reckless militarization, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.

In an interview with Russia 1 TV journalist Pavel Zarubin on Sunday, Peskov also remarked that rather than addressing the root causes of the conflict, Western states “are talking about placing NATO contingents on Ukrainian territory”.

“This rampant militarist policy of Europe – there is no other way to describe it – is hard to comprehend,” he added.

At the same time, the Kremlin spokesman acknowledged that the EU has found itself in a tight spot after the return to the White House of US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly demanded that the bloc pay more for its own defense.

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“There’s a new sheriff in town… So they are forced to leave their comfort zone — and they’re doing it in an aggressive, militarist way. We hear [French President Emmanuel] Macron talking about a nuclear umbrella for Europe, and that also sounds very dangerous.”

Peskov’s comments come after the UK and France said they are open to sending Western peacekeepers to Ukraine once a ceasefire is reached. Moscow has rejected the idea, saying it does not matter under what disguise NATO troops arrive in the neighboring country.

READ MORE: Ukrainian troops killed civilians and burned residential areas near Kursk – investigators

Earlier this month, Macron also signaled that France would discuss the possibility of using its nuclear arsenal to protect its allies in Europe, and urged the EU to ramp up military spending while labelling Russia a “threat.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly dismissed speculation that Moscow could attack NATO as “nonsense,” arguing it has no interest whatsoever in doing so.

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Military investigators are working with affected residents from the town of Sudzha, which was liberated earlier in March

The Russian Investigative Committee has reported incidents of looting, arson, and shootings of civilians by Ukrainian military personnel in the town of Sudzha in Russia’s Kursk Region. According to a statement released on Sunday, military investigators are currently working with residents, collecting evidence of crimes committed by Ukraine.

Sudzha, the largest town taken by Ukrainian forces during their cross-border incursion, was liberated by Russian troops earlier this month.

According to investigators, numerous accounts from victims support claims that there were orders to kill civilians in Kursk Region. Work is underway to find and hold responsible all members of Ukrainian armed groups who took part in these actions.

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The statement also indicates that during January and February 2025, Ukrainian soldiers engaged in looting and set fire to civilian homes while people were still inside. “Targeted shelling of residential buildings in Sudzha resulted in significant destruction, with some homes completely ruined,” the statement reads.

Kiev launched an offensive into Kursk Region in August 2024, capturing Sudzha and several villages. Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky stated that the incursion aimed to provide leverage for future peace negotiations. However, the Russian military quickly halted the advance and has been steadily reclaiming territory since then. According to the Russian military, around 86% of the territory held by Ukraine has been liberated.

READ MORE: Moscow issues warning to Kiev

Recently, US President Donald Trump acknowledged the precarious situation of “thousands of Ukrainian troops” surrounded by Russian forces in Kursk Region. He urged Moscow to spare their lives, prompting Russian President Vladimir Putin to offer guarantees of safety and humane treatment for those who surrender.

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Artyom Dmitruk has alleged that he was tortured by security officials in Odessa

Artyom Dmitruk, a fugitive member of the Verkhovna Rada, has claimed that Vladimir Zelensky directed the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) to kidnap and kill him. He said that SBU agents detained and severely beat him during an incident in the Black Sea port city of Odessa in 2022.

Dmitruk was elected to parliament as part of Zelensky’s Servant of the People party in 2019. He was expelled from the party two years later and continued serving as an independent MP.

He fled the country in August 2024, claiming that the authorities had plotted to “liquidate” him.

The Prosecutor General’s Office has since placed Dmitruk on a wanted list on suspicion that he assaulted a police officer and attempted to steal his gun.

In a video posted to X on Friday, Dmitruk detailed his accusations against Zelensky and his chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, and shared photos of his injuries.

“I was brutally beaten, tortured in basements, and nearly killed on Zelensky’s orders for my opposition activities,” the self-exiled politician wrote in an accompanying post. He insisted that the government targeted him because of his “political activities.”

I’m Artem Dmytruk, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament. I was brutally beaten, tortured in basements, and nearly killed on Zelensky’s orders for my opposition activities.

In this video, I will tell you the shocking details of the attempts to eliminate me, and my kidnapping by… pic.twitter.com/OuBtBpTqud

— Dmytruk Artem (@Dmytruk__Artem) March 21, 2025

Dmitruk claimed that in 2022, Viktor Dorovsky, the head of the SBU office in Odessa, threatened him over the phone. “We’re going to kill you. We’ll cut your head off,” Dorovsky said, according to Dmitruk.

The politician said that a group of SBU agents abducted him on March 4, 2022 as he was delivering aid to a military checkpoint. According to Dmitruk, the agents put a bag over his head and handcuffed him. “They beat me severely with rifle butts, feet, and hands. I lost consciousness.”

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Dmitruk claimed that he was taken to a basement where he was “tortured” and had his nose broken. He said the agents wanted to force him into making incriminating statements. They drove him to several locations, including a regional SBU office, where the threats and beatings continued, he added.

He went on to say that the agents threatened him with a gun and made him promise on camera that he would stop criticizing Zelensky, Yermak, and the government. According to Dmitruk, the agents eventually dropped him off at a parking lot.

“The order to commit these crimes against me was given personally by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Andriy Yermak, and the head of the Odessa SBU Viktor Dorovsky,” Dmitruk wrote on X, using the Ukrainian spelling of the names.

“There are thousands of stories like mine. There are people who have been sitting in the basements of the SBU for more than two years,” he said.

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Neither the US nor Ukraine will ever gain control over the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, its director has said

The Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) belongs to Russia and will be operated by Russia, its director, Yury Chernichyuk, has stressed, dismissing any possibility of US or Ukrainian control over the facility.

Earlier in the week, US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky discussed in a phone call an option for the US to take over Ukraine’s energy supply, including its nuclear power plants, according to official American accounts of the conversation. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright then also said that it would be “no problem” for Washington to run the Soviet-built facilities.

“I can say one thing… no one will have control over our station no matter how much they want it,” Chernichyuk told TASS on Saturday, commenting on the statements. “I know of no cases when something like this has happened as a result of some talks.”

The director maintained that the ZNPP “belongs to the Russian Federation and will be operated by us… in accordance with Russian laws.”

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The facility, the largest of its kind in Europe, has been under Moscow’s control since March 2022. Zaporozhye Region, where the plant is located, voted to join Russia in a referendum later the same year.

The power plant has been largely in shutdown mode since mid-2023 due to the threat of artillery and drone attacks and the disruption of water supplies. Both Moscow and Kiev have accused each other of attacking the facility and endangering its security. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) deployed a monitoring mission to the ZNPP in September 2022, which has been present on the ground ever since.

Earlier this month, Zelensky claimed the power plant’s existence was “impossible” without Kiev’s control, adding that Ukraine would need “money and specialists” to make it operational again.

The ZNPP is currently controlled by a subsidiary of Russian state energy corporation Rosatom. The subsidiary’s CEO said in December that it plans to put the plant back in operation as soon as security is sufficiently ensured.

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Russia could respond if Ukraine continues its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has warned

Moscow reserves the right to retaliate in kind if Ukraine continues to strike Russian energy infrastructure in violation of the recently agreed partial ceasefire, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has warned.

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin held phone talks with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, and agreed to a US-mediated partial ceasefire. As part of it, Moscow said it would halt strikes on Ukrainian energy sites if Kiev does the same. Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky also agreed to the terms.

Despite this, Kiev struck an oil depot in Russia’s Krasnodar Region the day after the agreement and blew up a gas metering station in Sudzha on Friday.

The Ukrainian army also deliberately targeted “residential buildings and social institutions,” Zakharova said in a press statement on Saturday

“Kiev is once again demonstrating its complete inability to negotiate, as well as its lack of desire to achieve peace,” the spokeswoman said. “As in 2022, they have once again turned to provocations aimed at disrupting the negotiation process.”

Moscow is free to retaliate if this continues, she warned.

We clearly warn you that if the Kiev regime continues this destructive course, the Russian side reserves the right to retaliate, including symmetrically.

Kiev struck an oil facility operated by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) in southern Russia overnight on Tuesday, immediately after the US-brokered ceasefire was agreed on, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Wednesday. The CPC’s international shareholders include US giants Chevron and Exxon Mobil.

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Early Friday, Ukrainian forces destroyed a gas metering station in Sudzha as they were retreating from Russia’s Kursk Region.

Moscow has condemned both attacks as violations of Ukraine’s ceasefire responsibilities, and accused Kiev of attempting to derail US peace efforts.

According to the Kremlin, Putin brought up Kiev’s history of sabotaging peace processes in his phone call with Trump on Tuesday. The Russian leader stressed that Ukraine has “repeatedly sabotaged and violated the agreements reached,” the Kremlin press service said earlier this week.

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Why has Yulia Timoshenko suddenly re-emerged in Ukraine?

While international attention remains focused on the high-stakes negotiations involving Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, and Vladimir Zelensky, Ukraine’s internal political theater continues to play out in full force. Though less headline-grabbing than the drama in Jeddah or Washington, the developments in Kiev are no less consequential.

Two major events have shaken the domestic landscape in recent weeks. First, former President Pyotr Poroshenko has found himself in serious legal trouble. Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council has imposed sanctions on him, as investigators pursue the ‘10 black suitcases’ case. Second, former Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko, long dormant since the launch of Russia’s military offensive in 2022, has suddenly re-emerged.

Timoshenko kept a low profile during the early years of the conflict, occasionally criticizing the government from the Rada’s rostrum, traveling to hospitals, and attending international forums. Her support for Zelensky, when it suited her, was loud and clear. Yet earlier this month, she shocked observers with an emotional rebuke of German intelligence chief Bruno Kahl, who opposes a ceasefire. Timoshenko accused him of attempting to weaken Russia at the expense of “the very existence of Ukraine and the lives of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians.”

Her social media presence has since taken a distinct turn. Timoshenko now praises Trump and openly advocates for a swift peace deal. This puts her in direct contrast with Zelensky and his administration on Bankova Street, who continue to delay settlement talks.

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Behind the scenes, according to media reports, it turns out that both Poroshenko and Timoshenko have been in covert communication with Donald Trump’s circle, aiming to pave the way for new elections in Ukraine. Poroshenko, it seems, is primarily angling for a role as a go-between for Washington and Kiev. Timoshenko, however, appears to be playing a longer game.

According to Politico, Timoshenko has been working behind closed doors to gather support from members of parliament, hoping to position herself as the head of a future ruling coalition. Then came a cryptic comment from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who claimed that a certain Ukrainian politician had secretly reached out to Putin. Many believe the description fits Timoshenko.

In a recent interview with Bild, former CIA director John Brennan – who bitterly opposes the current US president – was blunt: Timoshenko is under consideration by the Trump team as a potential replacement for Zelensky.

Of course, Washington is not about to push Zelensky aside overnight. Timoshenko’s role, for now, is to serve as a pressure point – a reminder to Zelensky that his options are not unlimited. On the surface, this seems like a strange move. Timoshenko is considered a political relic, well past her prime. Her popularity is low, and her public trust ratings are among the worst in the country. So why invest in her?

Because, politically speaking, she makes sense.

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Consider General Valery Zaluzhny, the former head of Ukraine’s armed forces. Though still popular, his sharp criticism of Trump has caused his ratings to dip dramatically. Then there’s Poroshenko and the rest of the post-Maidan elite. Their track record – particularly the failure to implement the Minsk agreements – makes them unacceptable to Moscow. Any peace deal with these figures would be dead on arrival.

A more plausible candidate is former Rada speaker Dmitry Razumkov, a moderate figure who could be palatable to all parties. Timoshenko falls into a similar category but brings with her a distinct advantage: Experience.

She has spent decades in Ukrainian politics, has deep connections, and once maintained close working ties with Putin. If Ukraine is to undergo a painful but necessary peace process, Timoshenko’s political skill set could prove invaluable.

And it wouldn’t be difficult to bring her to power. As a sitting MP, she could be made Rada speaker. Should Zelensky step down, Timoshenko would become acting president by default – granting her the legal mandate to steer Ukraine through the transitional period, broker peace, and organize new elections.

What happens after that? It scarcely matters.

If Timoshenko performs well, she can run and potentially win the presidency. If she fails or becomes politically toxic during negotiations, she can be discarded – as Friedrich Schiller wrote, “The Moor has done his duty, the Moor may go.”

Either way, it would be a manageable outcome for both Russia and the US. Timoshenko, a seasoned survivor of Ukraine’s cutthroat politics, may well be the figure who guides the country to a post-conflict reality – not because she is beloved, but because she is useful.

This article was first published by the online newspaper Gazeta.ru and was translated and edited by the RT team

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Belgrade will not take part in the restrictions against Moscow, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin has said

The Serbian authorities will not reverse their approach to sanctions on Russian, according to Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin. Belgrade has not taken part in the Ukraine-related restrictions imposed on Moscow by Western states.

The US and EU have been piling sanctions on Russia since 2014. The initial restrictions regarding defense, energy, banking, and trade came in response to Crimea joining the country after a violent Western-backed coup in Kiev. Following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Western states have dramatically expanded the measures.

“As you know, we have not joined the Western sanctions against Russia, and we will continue to follow this course,” Vulin said on Saturday during a meeting with the secretary of the Russian National Security Council, Sergey Shoigu, in Moscow.

The numerous sanctions introduced by Washington and Brussels include a ban on Russia’s seaborne oil shipments, cutting the country off from the Western financial system, freezing its foreign reserves, and many other restrictions.

Moscow has dismissed the sanctions as “illegal” and warned that seizing its frozen assets would amount to “theft.” President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia has overcome the challenges posed by the restrictions, which have inadvertently strengthened its economy by promoting self-reliance and reducing dependence on foreign technology.

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Belgrade has maintained a neutral stance on the conflict and retains close economic ties with Moscow. Serbia has refused to take part in the sanctions despite pressure from the US and EU.

During his meeting with Shoigu, Vulin also reiterated that his country mistakenly voted in favor of an anti-Russian resolution on Ukraine at the UN last month.

“The mistake that occurred during the vote in the UN General Assembly, as you know, has been corrected. It is much easier for us to admit a mistake than to offend our friends,” the deputy PM said.

Earlier this month, Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Duric said the country changed its vote to ‘abstain’ in the UN General Assembly on the resolution, which reaffirms support for Ukraine and its territorial integrity while condemning Russia.

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The US sees the country’s leadership as “apes with a grenade,” and wants to take over the facilities to offset the risks, Aleksey Arestovich has claimed

Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Kirill Budanov proposed blowing up nuclear power plants to deny them to Russia if Kiev started losing in the conflict, Aleksey Arestovich, a former aide to Vladimir Zelensky, has claimed.

In an interview with journalist Alexandr Shelest on Friday, Arestovich weighed in on remarks by US President Donald Trump, who suggested that American ownership of Ukrainian nuclear power plants “could be the best protection for that infrastructure.”

According to Arestovich, the US is trying to prevent a nuclear catastrophe rather than simply seizing the facilities for its own benefit.

“They know about our plans to blow up all the nuclear power plants if Ukraine starts losing,” Arestovich claim. “Budanov was running around with that [idea] a year and a half ago. To blow up everything: the Russian plants we can reach, and our own — so nobody gets them… On the principle: we all bite the dust, but so will they.”

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According to the ex-adviser, the US perceives the current Ukrainian leadership “as apes with a grenade.” “They just want to take dangerous toys under their control.”

Arestovich went on to suggest that the Democrats in the US would have tried to do the same, but through backroom pressure, whereas the Trump administration is acting in a much more straightforward and blunt manner. “These guys are simple. They say: ‘Let’s do it this way, we’ll just take control [over the plants] and that’s it.”

Trump said that he first floated the idea of taking over the nuclear plants during a phone call with Zelensky earlier this week, claiming that Washington could be “very helpful in running those plants with its electricity and utility expertise.”

Zelensky, however, offered a different version of events. He claimed that the two only spoke about the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) – not the Ukrainian power generating industry in its entirety, and that the conversation revolved around potential American investment.

ZNPP, the largest facility of its kind in Europe, has been under Russian control since March 2022. In the fall of 2022, Zaporozhye Region, along with three other regions, voted to join Russia in a public referendum.

Russia has repeatedly accused Ukraine of targeting both the ZNPP and Kursk nuclear power plants, denouncing those attacks as “nuclear terrorism.” Kiev, in turn, insists that the attacks on the ZNPP have been carried out by Russia, and has denied targeting the Kursk NPP.

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A group of international reporters say Ukraine is behind the attacks on the Russian Zaporozhye facility

A group of international journalists that recently toured Russia’s Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) have accused Ukraine of being behind repeated bombing of the facility. They also questioned the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) persistent refusal to identify the source of the attacks.

The ZNPP, Europe’s largest nuclear power station, has been under Russian control since March 2022 and is located in a region that later voted to join Russia following a public referendum. The plant’s operations are now overseen by Russian state-owned nuclear power company Rosatom. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the facility and nearby city of Energodar have come under frequent attacks by Ukrainian drones and artillery. Despite this, the IAEA, which has maintained a permanent monitoring mission at the site since September 2022, has consistently declined to name the party responsible for the shelling.

Speaking with RT after touring the facility, reporters from a number of countries, including India, Serbia and Slovenia, voiced concerns over what they said was a clear distortion of facts by Western media and the IAEA’s refusal to acknowledge the reality on the ground.

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“We should never trust any Western sources... Ukrainians are playing with nuclear fire,” said Serbian journalist Miodrag Zarkovic, who criticized the IAEA’s insistence on neutrality. Indian journalist Manish Kumar Jha said the evidence he saw contradicted everything he had read in Western outlets.

“According to Western media, the Russians are attacking the plant. But when I visited, I saw the Russian security forces positioned to keep the plant safe,” Jha said, noting that he saw a fragment of a US-supplied missile near the plant. “It was a 180-degree shift. The reality is very different from the story the Western media tells.”

Slovenian journalist and blogger Mohar Borut Iztok criticized the IAEA’s stance, noting the presence of NATO-supplied 155-millimeter shells with clear markings among those that have recently struck the facility.

“I’d like to say to Mr. [Rafael] Grossi and his crew – if they need an extra set of eyes, we can help them because it’s very interesting how they cannot see what is going on,” he stated sarcastically.

“I know what the problem is. They have an agenda, a narrative to follow, so they try to stay neutral,” he added.

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The aim of the assault on Crocus City Hall was to destabilize Russia, the Investigative Committee has said

The deadly terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall concert venue near Moscow was masterminded by the intelligence services of an “unfriendly country,” Russia’s Investigative Committee has claimed on the anniversary of the massacre.

Four gunmen stormed the Crocus City Hall ahead of a rock concert on March 22, 2024, shooting everyone in sight before setting the building on fire. A terrorist organization known as Islamic State-Khorasan (ISIS-K) claimed responsibility for the assault, which took 145 lives and left over 550 injured.

The suspected perpetrators – all citizens of the Central Asian country of Tajikistan – were detained shortly after the attack while fleeing in a car towards the Ukrainian border. More than a dozen of their accomplices have been arrested since then.

“Based on the evidence that has been collected, the investigation concluded that the terrorist act [at the Crocus City Hall] was planned and organized by the special services of an ‘unfriendly country’ in order to destabilize the situation in Russia,” the Investigative Committee’s spokeswoman, Svetlana Petrenko, said in a statement on Saturday.

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“In order to carry it out, members of an international terrorist organization had been recruited,” she added.

Petrenko refrained from naming the exact country that the agency believes was responsible for the attack.

Russia compiled a list of ‘unfriendly countries’ in 2021 and vastly expanded it after the escalation with Ukraine the following year when the West threw its support behind Kiev. There are currently 49 nations on the list, including the US, UK, Canada, all EU members, Japan, and South Korea.

The terrorist attack was directly organized by six citizens of Central Asian countries, who are currently “abroad, and have been arrested in absentia and placed on the wanted list,” Petrenko said.

Those individuals recruited the four gunmen who later stormed the venue. The latter had received training in a foreign country, she explained.

A few days after the attack, the director of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) Aleksandr Bortnikov was asked if the US, UK or Ukraine could have been behind it. “We believe that this is the case,” he replied.

READ MORE: Russia increased migrant expulsions in 2024 – Interior Ministry

Bortnikov later spoke several times about Kiev’s involvement in the assault on Crocus City Hall and warned that “the Ukrainian and Western intelligence services are expanding the circle of possible perpetrators, recruited to commit high-profile crimes inside Russia.”

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The strikes in Belgorod Region have also left seven people injured, Vyacheslav Gladkov has said

Two people have been killed in a series of Ukrainian drone attacks on the Russian border region of Belgorod, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram on Friday. Around a dozen settlements in the region were attacked, according to the governor’s data.

One attack killed a civilian and severely injured another in a village located around 18km from Russia’s border with Ukraine, Gladkov said. Two attacks against other settlements left one civilian injured in each, he added.

Closer to the evening, a Ukrainian UAV struck a vehicle, killing a staff member of a local security company, according to the governor. Four of his colleagues who were nearby at the moment of the attack also sustained injuries and were hospitalized, Gladkov said.

Around half a dozen other Ukrainian drone strikes on Friday resulted in property damage. According to data provided by the local authorities, the strikes targeted civilian infrastructure, private houses, commercial structures, and vehicles.

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Belgorod Region has suffered from regular attacks launched by Ukraine amid the conflict between the two nations. In May 2024, Russia launched an incursion into neighboring Kharkov Region, which it said was meant to make it more difficult for Kiev to attack nearby Belgorod Region with short-range weapons. Nevertheless, Ukrainian forces have regularly launched drone strikes against the region.

Earlier this week, the Ukrainian military also launched cross-border attacks on Belgorod Region, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

The ministry linked the operation, which involved 200 soldiers and 29 pieces of military hardware, including five tanks, to a phone call between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, which took place on Tuesday.

All the attacks were repelled, with the invading force losing up to 60 servicemen and at least one tank, the Russian military said.

The latest Ukrainian attacks come amid negotiations for a partial ceasefire aimed at suspending long-range strikes on energy infrastructure by both sides. The measure, which is advocated by Trump, seeks to facilitate peace talks and establish a comprehensive truce.

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Two people were injured in the attack in the city of Rostov-on-Don, the regional head has said

A Ukrainian drone has struck a tall apartment complex in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, Rostov Region Governor Yury Slyusar has said.

The UAV caused an explosion on the 17th floor of the high-rise building, he wrote on Telegram on Friday evening.

“According to preliminary data, there are no casualties. Two people have been injured. The information is being clarified,” he wrote.

Local Telegram news channels said the UAV crashed into a wall and detonated, with the blast shattering windows in several apartments.

One of the residents of the 21st floor told the website news161.ru that he heard “a powerful bang at around 11 pm.”

Izvestia posted a CCTV video that it said captured the moment of the strike.

Drone attacks were reported in multiple Russian regions on Friday. More than ten were intercepted in the western Voronezh Region, Governor Aleksandr Gusev said.

READ MORE: Broken promises and burned pipelines: Why diplomacy with Kiev is a dead end

The attacks took place amid US President Donald Trump’s attempts to mediate a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine via shuttle diplomacy.

Trump’s Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, told ABC News this week that the US is planning to arrange “indirect talks” between Russia and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia on March 24.

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Moscow has slammed the sabotage as a provocation that violates the partial ceasefire

Russian officials have accused Ukrainian forces of destroying a gas metering station while retreating from the city of Sudzha in Kursk Region. Moscow has condemned the attack as an act of terrorism and a violation of the partial ceasefire agreed this week by the presidents of Russia and the US. Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky promised to honor the agreement.

The facility’s role

The Sudzha gas metering station is part of the Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhgorod pipeline, which runs through Russia’s Kursk Region, into Ukraine and further into Europe. For decades, the pipeline had delivered gas from Russia to the EU and the flow did not stop even after Kiev’s forces captured the station in August. Deliveries were only shut off at the start of this year after Ukraine refused to renew the contract with Russian operator Gazprom.

The destruction of the metering station

Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Friday that shortly after midnight, Kiev’s forces retreating from Kursk blew up the Sudzha gas metering facility.

? Russia: Ukraine blew up the gas transit station in Sudzha, Kursk region. pic.twitter.com/QwPu1raxF3

— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) March 20, 2025

The station was seized by Ukraine’s forces during their initial incursion into Kursk Region back in August and they had been using the site as a secure logistics base, the ministry said.

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However, in recent weeks, Kiev’s troops have been rapidly losing ground in the area, and while retreating from the city of Sudzha, they decided to deliberately blow up the station, the Russian military has said, calling the demolition of the key energy site “nothing short of an intentional provocation.”

Russia’s Investigative Committee has since launched a criminal probe, classifying the Ukrainian attack on the station as an act of terrorism and vowing to identify and bring to justice everyone involved in the incident.

Partial ceasefire

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump held a phone call on Tuesday to discuss a proposed 30-day ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict. While Russia did not agree to a complete truce, citing a number of necessary preconditions, Putin approved a month-long pause on strikes targeting energy facilities. Later, Kiev agreed to the partial ceasefire.

According to Moscow, Friday’s attack effectively means that Ukraine has violated that agreement, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov citing the incident as evidence that Kiev cannot be trusted.

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“Everyone can see how much one can trust Zelensky’s word and the word of other representatives of the Kiev regime. This is something we have repeatedly warned about,” Peskov told reporters after the attack.

Russia’s Defense Ministry has also suggested that Kiev’s attack on the Sudzha station and other provocations against Russian energy infrastructure are aimed at discrediting Trump’s peace efforts.

Second violation of ceasefire

The attack on the Sudzha station marks the second time Ukraine has been accused of violating the partial truce since it came into effect on Tuesday. On Wednesday, less than 24 hours after the ceasefire was announced, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that Kiev had launched three kamikaze drones against an oil transfer facility in Russia’s Krasnodar Region, resulting in damage to an oil reservoir and a fire.

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The facility is used to transfer crude to a pipeline operated by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which works with US oil giants such as Chevron and ExxonMobil.

“Clearly, this was a premeditated provocation by the Kiev regime aimed at derailing the US president’s peace initiative,” the Russian military said after the attack.

The Kremlin also noted that the incident demonstrated a lack of reciprocity from Kiev on de-escalation.

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Ukraine blew up a Russian gas facility just days after a mutual agreement not to do just that. As if anyone expected something different.

In a brazen act of duplicity, Ukraine has once again demonstrated that it is not a reliable partner for diplomacy – let alone peace.

Mere days after a US-brokered agreement saw Moscow and Kiev commit to a mutual moratorium on targeting each other’s energy infrastructure, Ukrainian forces reportedly launched a deliberate strike on a gas metering station in Russia’s Kursk region. This was no accident, no miscommunication, and no unfortunate timing—it was a calculated breach of trust and yet another glaring signal that Ukraine cannot be reasoned with.

The agreement in question was a result of a bold and rare diplomatic effort led by President Donald Trump, who had secured direct conversations with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky. Despite the immense complexities of this long-running conflict, Trump managed to extract a commitment from both sides: a 30-day freeze on attacks against energy infrastructure. It was a starting point – modest, but meaningful.

And yet, even that modest agreement was too much for Kiev to honor.

Russia, for its part, not only adhered to the ceasefire but did so with a level of discipline and self-restraint that should have been headline news across the globe. In a show of integrity seldom seen in modern warfare, Russian forces actively intercepted and shot down their own drones – already airborne and en route to targets – because those drones had been launched prior to the agreement’s announcement. That is a serious country taking a serious peace process seriously.

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Contrast that with Kiev’s conduct. According to reports from the ground and satellite imagery, a Ukrainian strike targeted the gas infrastructure facility near Sudzha in Russia’s Kursk region. The attack caused a fire, damage to critical energy infrastructure, and sent a clear message: Ukraine is not interested in honoring its word, and it certainly isn’t interested in diplomacy – only escalation.

This latest incident is not occurring in a vacuum. It is part of a long and well-documented pattern of deception and provocation, especially in the face of good-faith overtures by Russia.

Let’s go back. In 2014, the Minsk agreements were hailed as the roadmap to a peaceful resolution in the Donbass. Russia backed them, and Western leaders nodded approvingly. But years later, former Western officials themselves openly admitted that Minsk was never intended to be implemented – it was merely a ploy to buy time for Kiev to rearm. In other words, a lie from the very beginning.

In 2022, there was another real opportunity. Talks in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators reportedly came close to a viable ceasefire. But just as Kiev was nearing a deal, then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson intervened, reportedly urging Ukraine to walk away from the table. The result? Thousands more lives lost and the door to peace slammed shut once again.

Now, in 2025, with yet another window of opportunity pried open through diplomacy – this time led by Trump – Ukraine has apparently chosen to burn it down. Literally. The Kursk attack is not a deviation from Ukraine’s diplomatic record; it is the continuation of it.

To President Trump’s credit, his efforts thus far have been the most realistic of any Western leader since the conflict began. Unlike the performative moralizing of his predecessor or the reckless interference of EU and UK heads of state, Trump’s approach has been grounded in pragmatism: reduce civilian suffering, de-escalate the war incrementally, and restore a framework for diplomacy. But those efforts require a willing partner.

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Russia has signaled, time and again, that it is ready. Even now, despite this attack, Moscow has not withdrawn from the agreement. It is attending talks. It is engaging. It is showing up to the table. But the table is increasingly starting to look like a trap, set for anyone naive enough to believe Kiev’s promises.

And that is the central, bitter truth: Kiev has shown not just unreliability, but outright duplicity. It will sign agreements, only to break them. It will smile for the cameras, only to sabotage talks behind the scenes. It will invoke Western values while acting in direct opposition to the very foundations of diplomacy and peace.

It’s important to emphasize that how this attack was carried out is ultimately irrelevant. Whether the strike on the Kursk gas facility was a direct order from Kiev’s central command or the reckless initiative of insubordinate field commanders, the result is the same – and equally damning. If Kiev ordered it, then it has willfully and maliciously violated the very agreement it made days earlier with President Trump and President Putin. If it didn’t order it, then it has either lost control of its own forces or simply refuses to discipline them. In either case, Ukraine reveals itself as not just untrustworthy, but structurally incapable of honoring any deal it signs. What’s the value of a promise from a government that either lies outright or can’t enforce its own word? Neither scenario is the hallmark of a state genuinely seeking peace. It is, instead, the profile of a negotiating party that is not just unreliable – but fundamentally non-viable.

For Washington – especially President Trump – this should be the wake-up call. The Kursk strike wasn’t just an attack on Russian infrastructure; it was an attack on diplomacy itself. It was an attack on the possibility of peace.

The world has now seen, repeatedly, who honors their word and who discards it the moment it’s politically convenient. Russia has shown that it is willing to pause, to restrain, to negotiate. Ukraine has shown that it will exploit every agreement, twist every olive branch into a weapon, and backstab at every opportunity.

There can be no more illusions. No more Minsk-style traps. No more Istanbul disappointments. If there is to be peace, it cannot be built on the quicksand of Kiev’s promises. Any further negotiations must be predicated on reality – not hope – and the reality is this: one side is showing maturity, consistency, and openness. The other is showing that it cannot be trusted, or even talked to.

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The waiver will allow Budapest pay for gas via Gazprombank, the Hungarian foreign minister has said

Budapest and Washington have agreed to exempt Hungarian payments for Russian gas from US sanctions, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said. The transactions have been impossible since Washington cut Russia’s Gazprombank, the last Russian lender to retain access to the SWIFT interbank messaging system, off from the US banking system in November.

Thr US Treasury Department restrictions imposed blocking sanctions on more than 50 Russian financial institutions, including Gazprombank, and six of its international subsidiaries.

“Yesterday, we received information from Washington that Gazprombank has been granted an exemption from sanctions as per our request,” Szijjarto said at a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara.

He emphasized that the waiver would ensure the security of Hungary’s natural gas supply, adding that by imposing energy-related sanctions the previous US administration had been “deliberately trying to create difficulties with natural gas supply for countries in the region.”

Szijjarto also hailed the “rational” approach adopted by US President Donald Trump towards Hungary, applauding his White House for following “common sense” and “recogniz[ing] the critical role of infrastructure” when it comes to energy supplies.

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Earlier this month, the Trump administration let so-called General License 8 expire, which had allowed energy transactions with Russian lenders. The 60-day wind-down period that provided 12 major Russian financial institutions, including the country’s central bank, limited access to US payment infrastructure was put in place under former President Joe Biden.

In January, the outgoing US administration imposed a “sweeping” round of sanctions on Russia in coordination with the UK. The measures targeted two major oil producers, Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegaz, as well as over 180 vessels allegedly used to transport Russian oil in contravention of Western restrictions.

Moscow has repeatedly slammed Western sanctions as illegal. Top officials, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, say the restrictions have failed to achieve their goal of destabilizing the Russian economy and isolating the country from the global financial system. Instead, the Kremlin maintains they have backfired on the nations that imposed them.

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The renowned American journalist has claimed that the US president wants to do business with Putin

US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering lifting sanctions against Moscow in order to turn Russia’s Crimean Peninsula into a major international resort, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh has reported, citing a White House official.

Since his inauguration in January, Trump has pursued direct negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the conflict in Ukraine. His administration has indicated that it is open to recognizing Moscow’s sovereignty over Crimea and some of the Donbass as part of a potential peace deal.

The Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol officially joined Russia in 2014 following public referendums; they were followed in 2022 by the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics and the regions of Kherson and Zaporozhye. Kiev continues to claim the territories as its own and has vowed to take them back, but Moscow has insisted that their status is non-negotiable.

In a post on his Substack blog on Thursday, Hersh reported that Trump’s broader aim is to improve US-Russia relations through economic cooperation. The president, he says, is seeking to lift sanctions imposed since 2014 and 2022 and “form a partnership with Putin aimed at turning Crimea into a major international resort.” The official source cited in Hersh’s report added that “they might do the same in Donbass.”

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The journalist noted that Trump’s approach is markedly different from that of the administration of Joe Biden, with his unnamed source describing the current president as an “economic winner.” Trump’s reported interest in Russian energy and natural resource assets includes oil, gas, and unmined rare earth metals.

Since taking office in January, Trump has reversed several foreign policy positions on Moscow. Following a phone call with Putin in February, US and Russian delegations met in Saudi Arabia, with both sides agreeing to restore diplomatic ties and explore joint business ventures after the Ukraine conflict is resolved.

Trump and Putin held another phone call on Tuesday to discuss a US-proposed ceasefire. According to statements from both sides, the conversation was productive, with Russia agreeing to a one-month halt on strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure as talks continue.

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The destruction of the border energy facility is just the latest provocation by Ukraine, the Defense Ministry has said

Ukrainian forces retreating from Russia’s Kursk Region have destroyed the Sudzha gas metering station, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has reported.

The incident took place early on Friday, roughly 20 minutes after midnight, the ministry said in a statement. The facility had been previously used to deliver fuel to consumers in European nations.

Ukrainian forces seized the site in early August during their incursion into Kursk Region and used it as a secure logistics base, the ministry explained. The station, located close to the border, was deliberately blown up as part of the Ukrainian retreat, the military added.

”The demolition of the key Russian energy site was nothing short of an intentional provocation” in the context of the US-mediated partial ceasefire, under which Moscow pledged to refrain from attacks against Ukrainian energy infrastructure in exchange for a similar moratorium by Kiev.

READ MORE: Ukraine attacks Russian gas pipeline – reports

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has cited the incident as evidence that Kiev cannot be trusted, saying during a regular media briefing that Russian officials “have repeatedly warned our interlocutors about this.” He said that President Vladimir Putin’s order not to attack Ukrainian energy sites remained in force, per his agreement with Trump.

Russia’s Investigative Committee has launched a criminal probe into the incident as an act of terrorism. It said Ukrainian military personnel currently involved in the Kursk Region incursion were responsible for the gas station’s demolition.

Kiev launched an assault into Kursk Region in hopes of seizing Russian territory as leverage in negotiations. Russian forces have since largely ousted Ukrainian troops, with Sudzha, previously a linchpin of Ukrainian operations, being liberated earlier this month.

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The idea of asking people to die for fast food is “overwhelming,” Andrey Telizhenko has told RT

The authorities in Kiev are desperately attempting to lure young citizens into the military with promises of McDonald’s cheeseburgers because they have run out of experienced soldiers in the conflict with Russia, former Ukrainian diplomat and parliamentary adviser Andrey Telizhenko has told RT.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry triggered outrage on social media this week after publishing a clip on its TikTok account, telling potential recruits they could buy 15,625 cheeseburgers for the 1 million hryvnia ($24,000) sum being offered to sign a contract with the military.

Commenting in an interview on Friday, Telizhenko said the leadership in Kiev “disrespects the people in Ukraine” by asking them to die for hamburgers.

“They are not talking about something national... something patriotic. They are talking about a foreign brand of a foreign country. They are throwing low quality burgers or sandwiches into the crowd and saying: ‘Eat it,’” he insisted.

The government of Vladimir Zelensky is “trying to put this idea of freedom and democracy behind McDonald’s and fast food – hideous fast food – to youngsters for them to go and fight for a cheeseburger, for food. This is just overwhelming,” the former diplomat added.

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According to Telizhenko, Kiev’s campaign targets those aged between 18 and 24 because “there is nobody else to fight.” Experienced troops trained by NATO prior to the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022 “are all now destroyed,” he added. “They are now gone… They died, more than a million of them.”

Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov said late last year that Kiev’s losses during the conflict had amounted to over 1 million, which includes both killed and severely wounded.

Anyone who would fall for the promise of 15,625 cheeseburgers is not going to receive that money anyway, Telizhenko insisted.

“The Ukrainian government is not paying out that money to the Ukrainians. That is a fact,” he said.

Zelensky claims that just over 45,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in the fighting so far because “only those people were paid out – out of a million dead,” Telizhenko stated.

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A robotic cart carrying two anti-tank mines has devastated a Ukrainian covered trench, newly released footage shows

The Russian Defense Ministry has published footage of a ground-mobile kamikaze drone successfully targeting a Ukrainian covered trench.

Released on Thursday, the video features a small tracked vehicle armed with two standard anti-tank mines. The operator navigated it toward the entrance of the fortified Ukrainian position, guided by a reconnaissance drone keeping watch over its approach. The vehicle’s lethal cargo was then detonated, with each TM-62 mine containing approximately 8kg of TNT.

According to the video's description, the footage was captured in Ukraine’s Kharkov Region.

While ground-mobile kamikaze drones are generally slower than their aerial counterparts and may be challenging to pilot in rough terrain, they offer significantly higher payload capacities. Both sides in the Ukraine conflict have employed such weaponry. Larger ground drones can also serve other roles, including in remote mining operations, as combat platforms, or for medical evacuation purposes.

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Kiev’s forces have allegedly targeted a metering station in Kursk Region

Ukrainian troops have attacked a key gas pipeline in western Russia that was previously used to deliver gas to the EU, Telegram news channels have claimed.

According to the Mash and Baza news channels, Kiev’s forces damaged the Sudzha gas metering station in Kursk Region overnight from Thursday to Friday.

Videos circulating online show a large fire at the facility. It is unclear whether the station was hit by a kamikaze drone or artillery. The authorities have not commented on the reported incident.

Ukraine invaded parts of Kursk Region in early August, capturing the town of Sudzha and dozens of villages. The Russian troops liberated Sudzha and its surroundings earlier this month.

Russian military bloggers have suggested that the Ukrainians may have rigged the gas equipment with explosives before retreating.

The metering station is part of the Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhgorod pipeline, which for decades had delivered gas from Russia to the EU through Ukrainian territory. The flow did not stop even after the Ukrainians captured the station during their incursion last year.

Kiev, however, has refused to renew the contract with Russian operator Gazprom and stopped the transit at the start of this year.

READ MORE: Drones over Russia: Is there an effective defense?

Following a phone call with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a 30-day pause on strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky said on Thursday that Kiev would also honor the agreement. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the same day, however, that Ukraine had “violated the truce proposed by the US president.”

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Kiev has been tightening restrictions on the use of Russian, despite it being the native tongue of many citizens

A Ukrainian language czar has sounded the alarm over its position in the country, despite the government’s aggressive Ukrainization campaign. Since the collapse of the USSR in 1991, Ukraine has largely been a bilingual nation, with most citizens able to speak or understand both Russian and Ukrainian, particularly in the eastern half of the country.

People are still unsure which language they consider to be the “main one” for them, Kiev’s Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language Taras Kremin has stated, adding that its use has been in decline, particularly in schools.

“The Ukrainian language has actually become less common among both children and teachers,” the language commissioner told Espreso TV on Thursday, urging the Education Ministry to take swift measures to tackle the issue.

According to Kremen, local authorities in various parts of the country are also in no rush to comply with government restrictions on the use of language. “Dozens of our local council members still have not learned three elementary words in Ukrainian,” the official said, adding that the local authorities “react quite poorly” to the “Ukrainization” process.

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In 2019, the Ukrainian parliament passed a law requiring Ukrainian to be used exclusively in nearly all aspects of public life, including education, entertainment, politics, business, and the service industry, obliging all Ukrainian citizens to know the language. The move severely limited the use of Russian, effectively banning it in such fields as education and media.

In 2024, Kiev maintained that Ukrainian children still did not have a good enough command of their state language as they were still using Russian in their daily lives. According to Kremen himself, a third of children in some Ukrainian regions preferred to speak Russian.

In October, the language czar hailed what he called a transition from a “gentle” Ukrainization campaign to a “fervent” one. Kiev was to impose “strict control over compliance with the language law in all spheres of public life on the territory of Ukraine,” he said at that time.

On Thursday, the official admitted that Ukrainians “still doubt which language is the main one for us, which is the state language” decades after gaining independence.
After the 2014 Western-backed coup in Kiev, Ukraine’s new authorities abolished Russian as an official regional language and started suppressing it, prompting a backlash from Russian-speaking residents in now former Ukrainian territories, which was one of the reasons they rejected the post-coup government.

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A controversial video has appeared on the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s TikTok account

The Ukrainian military has turned to fast food in a bid to lure more young recruits into the army’s ranks. A fresh video published by the nation’s Defense Ministry on TikTok tells its target audience just how many cheeseburgers they can afford by joining the country’s forces to fight Russia.

The short clip shows a man dressed in plain clothes coming out of a McDonald’s. The man asks, “How many cheeseburgers can be bought for 1 million hryvnas ($24,000)?” and goes on to reveal that 15,625 burgers can be bought for that sum in Ukraine. A person aged between 18 and 24 can get the necessary amount by signing a contract with the Defense Ministry, he adds.

The video is part of Kiev’s attempts to recruit more soldiers in the face of heavy casualties in its conflict with Russia and a mobilization campaign marred by widespread draft dodging and desertion.

In February, the Defense Ministry announced “special contracts” for volunteers aged 18 to 24, promising the equivalent of $24,000 for one year’s service, with $5,400 paid upfront and the remainder distributed over the service period.

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Those under 25 years old are exempt from conscription. However, social media users accused the military of trying to “organize the genocide of Ukrainian youth at a very cheap cost.”

“They are measuring the lives of our children in cheeseburgers,” one wrote. “This is cynical, I have no words,” another said. Some also said that no amount of money was worth going to the front lines. Many commenters also argued that the ministry’s “special contract” for youths is “discriminatory” against other Ukrainian servicemen, who receive much smaller salaries.

Kiev significantly tightened its mobilization regulations last year and lowered the conscription age from 27 to 25. The measures have failed to boost enlistment or replenish battlefield losses, however. Ukraine’s Western backers have demanded that Kiev lower the mobilization age to 18, a suggestion Vladimir Zelensky has described as politically unworkable.

In 2022, Ukraine declared a general mobilization, prohibiting most men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country. Millions did, however, through corruption and graft. Recruiters have begun raiding public places for potential conscripts, leading to violent confrontations with those trying to evade the draft.

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Stopping military aid and intelligence sharing with Kiev is crucial for a peaceful resolution of the conflict, the Foreign Ministry has said

Moscow hopes that Washington will pay attention to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s requirements for establishing a ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict, which include a halt to military aid and intelligence sharing with Kiev, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.

Earlier this week, Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump held a lengthy phone call to discuss the Ukraine conflict, during which the Russian president listed a number of conditions for а diplomatic resolution of the crisis. Both leaders agreed to continue negotiations to further refine the details of a future ceasefire.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Zakharova reiterated that the demand to stop military support for Ukraine is “a fundamental point for a political and diplomatic settlement,” and said that Moscow “hopes that the US has heard” Russia’s position on the matter.

Following his public spat with Vladimir Zelensky in the White House earlier this month, Trump temporarily halted all US military support for Ukraine and cut off intelligence sharing with Kiev. However, Washington announced it would reverse the decision after a meeting between US and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia, where Kiev agreed to a 30-day ceasefire with Russia.

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On Tuesday, the Pentagon confirmed that all US military aid to Ukraine and intelligence sharing had been “turned back on.”

Zakharova criticized the move, stressing that US weapons deliveries to Ukraine “run counter to the declared intentions to achieve peace and move everything into the mainstream of a political and diplomatic settlement.”

“Whoever wants peace will, naturally, advocate for an end to the militarization of the terrorist gang,” Zakharova added, referring to the authorities in Kiev.

While Russia did not agree to an immediate truce on the ground after Tuesday’s Putin-Trump phone call, Moscow consented to a month-long mutual suspension of strikes on energy infrastructure. Kiev reciprocated and said it would also halt such long-range strikes.

On Wednesday, however, Moscow accused Kiev of violating the agreement after the Ukrainian military allegedly targeted an energy facility deep inside Russia.

Zakharova has said that the attack was “yet another provocation” aimed at disrupting peace initiatives put forward by the US, and proof of Zelensky’s “complete inability to negotiate.”

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Inside Ukraine’s drone arsenal: long-range strikes and Moscow’s defensive challenges

In recent weeks, there has been a significant increase in Ukrainian drone attacks targeting populated areas and oil and gas facilities deep within Russian territory. This Thursday, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported intercepting 54 Ukrainian drones overnight in Saratov Region, along with 40 in Voronezh Region and 22 in Belgorod Region. Smaller numbers were intercepted in various other regions, totaling 132 drones downed by air defenses, according to Moscow.

In the city of Engels, located over 600 kilometers away from Ukraine across the Volga River, a local hospital sustained serious damage from the attack. On March 11, drones targeted Moscow and surrounding regions; 337 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were reportedly shot down at distances between 700 and 1,000 kilometers from Ukraine.

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These incidents raise critical questions: what types of drones do the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) possess, enabling such long-range attacks, and how can these aerial threats be effectively countered?

Liutiy

Videos captured by eyewitnesses frequently showcase the AN-196 ‘Liutiy’ drone. Visually similar to the Turkish Bayraktar TB2, this Ukrainian-developed drone features a conventional airplane design with a twin-boom tail structure.

Measuring approximately 4 meters in length and having a wingspan of 7 meters, the Liutiy is powered by a piston engine and a pushing propeller, enabling flight speeds of roughly 150 km/h and ranges between 1,300 and 1,500 kilometers. This range permits attacks deep inside Russian territory, allowing it to target Tatarstan and Bashkortostan.

The drone can carry between 50-75 kilograms of explosives, making it highly effective. It is equipped with autonomous control systems which use satellite navigation, and manual adjustments by pilots are likely secondary, given potential disruptions from electronic warfare systems.

Produced by the Ukrainian military-industrial company Ukroboronprom, the Liutiy drone’s relatively low-cost design allows for the production of dozens each month. Ukraine has emphasized the need to mass-produce these drones, because individually, they are vulnerable to standard air-defense systems. Nonetheless, targeted locations might lack sufficient air defenses.

Beager

In May 2023, Ukraine first used the UJ-26 ‘Beaver’ drone near Moscow. Also produced by Ukroboronprom, it features a “canard” aerodynamic layout, with the main wing and propeller situated at the rear and the elevator positioned at the front. Constructed from plastic, the Bober carries approximately 20 kilograms of explosives and travels at about 150 km/h with a range exceeding 1,000 kilometers. Although unable to reach targets deep within Russia, the drone has successfully struck the Moscow and Volgograd regions. Like the Liutiy, it uses satellite navigation and has a simple design suitable for mass production.

Letuchaya Lisitsa

This drone stands out due to its unconventional nature. The ‘Letuchaya Lisitsa’ (Flying Fox) is a modified variant of the A-22, a lightweight training aircraft typically designed for two occupants. First deployed in the fall of 2024, these aircraft have had their cockpits stripped of seating and equipped with additional fuel tanks, navigation systems, and warheads weighing several dozen kilograms. Before 2022, around 1,000 such aircraft were produced, providing Ukraine with ample reserves for conversion into lethal drones. With an operational range of approximately 1,500 kilometers, it can strike distant targets such as Tatarstan. Although its metal structure makes it easily detectable by radar, carefully planned flight paths enable it to evade air defenses.

Tu-143 “Reis”

Arguably Ukraine’s fastest and most powerful drone is the Tu-143 “Reis,” a Soviet-era reconnaissance jet drone effectively repurposed as an attack platform. Originally manufactured by the Kharkov Aviation Plant, Ukraine possessed a limited number, which have now been converted into cruise missile-like drones with explosive warheads for one-way missions. Since 2022, these drones have been employed at distances of up to 700-800 kilometers. Their metal construction and higher operational altitude make them detectable by conventional air-defense systems, resulting in frequent interception. By 2025, these drones’ stockpiles are expected to be depleted, with Ukrainian industry facing significant challenges in producing replacements.

Why drones?

Ukraine has prioritized drone development due to the absence of other effective long-range strike capabilities. Western-supplied weapons systems currently have a maximum range of approximately 300 kilometers. Domestically producing long-range cruise or ballistic missiles is both technically challenging and costly.

Conversely, drone production is technologically simpler and more economically viable, with individual drone costs ranging from $50,000 to $300,000 – significantly cheaper than cruise missiles. Production can also occur in improvised facilities such as garages, transport bases, or factories. Ukraine faces no sanctions restricting access to necessary drone components, making drone manufacturing accessible. For Ukraine’s leadership, drones represent a cost-effective investment.

These drone attacks primarily target large-area facilities – energy infrastructure, oil and gas installations, and civilian locations such as towns and cities. Precision isn’t vital; drones only need to strike close to their intended targets. This implies the attacks aren’t primarily aimed at achieving specific military objectives but rather at influencing public sentiment. Attacks on civilian populations constitute acts of terror intended to create panic.

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Defensive capabilities

Countering drone attacks poses significant challenges. Traditional air defense systems struggle with detection due to drones’ small size and often non-metallic construction, while low-altitude flights further complicate radar tracking. Ukrainian forces exploit gaps in Russian air defenses along front lines, leveraging terrain features and electronic warfare to enable drone penetration deep into Russian territory. Once inside the country, drones capitalize on insufficient continuous radar coverage, employing complex flight routes to bypass defenses.

Effective drone defense requires a comprehensive strategy encompassing frontline protection, intermediate tracking, and target-site defense measures. The Pantsir air defense system is notably effective at neutralizing drones during their final approach, but its limited availability means not all critical sites can be protected adequately.

Passive defenses – like installing nets and physical barriers – can also help by triggering premature drone detonations at safer distances. Given drones’ typically limited explosive payloads, even detonations occurring just meters away can significantly reduce damage.

As Russia’s defensive systems increasingly integrate detection technologies and air-defense resources, the threat from drone attacks can be more effectively managed. The recent attacks on Moscow demonstrate the effectiveness of these measures, as damage has remained relatively minimal. It is expected that Russian military forces will continue leveraging gained experience while expanding defense system production to meet ongoing challenges.

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Citizens of Ukraine will need to legalize their presence or leave, according to a new presidential decree

Ukrainians living in Russia without valid residence documents have less than six months to legalize their stay or leave the country, according to a decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday.

Ukrainian citizens who register with the Russian Interior Ministry via mandatory medical registration, photographing, and fingerprinting will not be liable for violating the rules of stay in Russia until September 10, according to the order.

Among the legitimate grounds for residency are legal employment or enrollment in a Russian education program. The decree came into force with immediate effect.

The Russian Health Ministry has been tasked with providing undocumented migrants from Ukraine with a medical examination and registration before the cutoff date. The standard Russian visa process requires a medical test to prove the absence of illegal drug use and sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV.

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In addition, the decision applies to all foreign citizens and stateless people in the Zaporozhye Region, Kherson Region, and the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, which joined Russia in the fall of 2022. All such people must undergo medical tests to confirm the absence of illegal drug use and HIV before June 10, the decree states.

Over 3.5 million people in Russia's new regions have received their Russian passports, the Interior Ministry reported earlier this month. Ukrainian sources put the total pre-war populations of the regions at around 8,8 million.

As of late 2024 around 740,000 undocumented migrants resided in Russia, according to the Interior Ministry.

More than 5.3 million Ukrainians have fled to Russia since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, TASS said in 2023, citing an official source.

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US ownership of nuclear power plants was not under discussion, the Ukrainian leader has claimed

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has denied any discussion with US President Donald Trump regarding American ownership of nuclear power plants in his country. Zelensky insisted that a recent conversation involved investment in one particular facility.

In a phone call on Wednesday, the two leaders addressed “Ukraine’s electrical supply and nuclear power plants,” according to the US account of the dialogue. Trump suggested that America “could be very helpful in running those plants” and proposed that US ownership would provide “the best protection for that infrastructure.”

When asked about the call at a press conference, Zelensky insisted that he had not offered the US the opportunity to acquire the facilities. He stated that the conversation focused specifically on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and the possibility of US investment in it.

The plant is operated by Russian nuclear experts and is located in Zaporozhye Region, which officially joined Russia following a referendum in the autumn of 2022. Kiev has refused to recognize the results of the vote. Zelensky asserted on Wednesday that, should the plant be returned to Ukrainian control – a scenario Moscow does not foresee – it could become a profitable asset within 12 to 18 months.

”The president [Trump] asked: ‘What if we have an understanding that America would rebuild it?’ I replied, ‘If you want to upgrade it and invest money, we can discuss that with you.’ But our conversation was limited to this single station,” Zelensky stressed.

READ MORE: ‘No problem’ for US to take over Ukrainian nuclear plants – energy secretary

The reason for the conflicting accounts surrounding the Trump-Zelensky conversation remains unclear.

Previous reports have indicated that Zelensky struggles with communication with Western officials. The German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung said last October that the Ukrainian leader prefers speaking in English – despite his limited fluency – and declines the use of an interpreter.

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Engels and Saratov have endured their worst assault yet, according to local Governor Roman Busargin

A hospital in the central Russian city of Engels has sustained damage in the largest ever Ukrainian drone raid on the area, local officials have reported. The nearby regional capital, Saratov, was also targeted.

Governor Roman Busargin posted images on his Telegram account on Thursday morning, showing the hospital with shattered windows. A woman was reported injured in the attack. Besides broken glass, an oxygen pipeline was ruptured.

“For the time being, incoming emergency patients are being redirected to other facilities,” the governor stated. He emphasized that the incident “will not affect the quality of medical care provided at the hospital.”

Engels and Saratov lie more than 600km from Kiev-controlled territories on opposite banks of the Volga River. A military airfield is situated on the southeastern outskirts of Engels.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported intercepting 54 Ukrainian drones overnight in Saratov Region, as well as 40 over Voronezh Region and 22 over Belgorod Region. Smaller numbers were intercepted in various other regions, though overall 132 drones were brought down by air defenses, Moscow has reported.

READ MORE: Trump wants US ownership of Ukraine’s energy facilities – White House

The latest Ukrainian assault comes amid negotiations for a partial ceasefire aimed at suspending long-range strikes on energy infrastructure by both sides. Advocated by US President Donald Trump, the measure seeks to facilitate peace talks and establish a comprehensive truce.

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The authors use the sitcom to secretly prepare the public for actual events, a top Muslim cleric has claimed

The people behind The Simpsons use the animated sitcom to “program” the audience and prepare it for real-life events, a senior Muslim cleric in Russia has claimed.

Mufti Aynur Birgalin, the chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims in Russia’s Muslim-majority Bashkortostan Republic, went viral on Wednesday after an excerpt from his sermon was shared online. During a gathering of Muslims in the regional capital of Ufa, Birgalin said that the Simpsons had “predicted” actual events, such as pandemics.

Fans have long joked that during its nearly 40-year run, the animated comedy show has predicted many historical events, including the presidency of Donald Trump.

Birgalin, however, argued that “behind-the-scenes conductors” use the show to influence the public.

“We often hear that The Simpsons are supposedly predicting the future. But let’s think about it. Can it be mere coincidences? No, of course not,” the cleric told the news website Gazeta.ru on Wednesday. “These are not predictions but the deliberate work of specific forces to implant certain concepts via pop culture to test the public’s reaction and prepare people for different events,” he claimed.

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Birgalin suggested that movies, TV shows, and memes are being used to “program” the audience and control how they think. The mufti claimed that the plot of the American series Madam Secretary is “nearly 90% identical” to real-life events in Ukraine. The show, which centered around fictional US Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord, ran from 2015 to 2016. It had a Ukrainian character with the last name Zelinsky, which sounds similar to Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, who was elected president in 2019.

“A coincidence? No. It is a pre-planned scenario. It is not a joke. It is not a cause for laughter, but a serious signal to think about,” Birgalin stated.

In 2024, The Simpsons showrunner and executive producer Matt Selman told People magazine, “If you study history and math, it would be literally impossible for us not to predict things.” He added that “if you say enough things, some of them are going to overlap with reality.”

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A report from Moscow’s newly opened pavillion honoring Russian soldiers

The Museum of the Special Military Operation recently opened at Moscow’s VDNKh Exhibition Center, commemorating Russia’s servicemen who have participated in combat over the past three years. An RT correspondent visited the exhibit, observing firsthand how stories of Russian paratroopers, artillery crews, assault teams, pilots, special operations forces, combat engineers, and other military personnel have deeply moved residents and visitors alike.

The narratives evoked profound patriotism and deep appreciation for the sacrifices made by Russian soldiers, reinforcing the significance of commemorating their bravery and noble cause, RT's reporter noted.

A Symbolic Opening at VDNKh

On a sunny yet chilly winter day, children and adults formed a long line outside Pavilion No. 58 at Moscow’s VDNH Exhibition Center, eager to enter the newly opened ‘Museum of the Special Military Operation’. The museum opened its doors on February 24, 2025, marking three years since the start of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine. Politicians from various countries have repeatedly emphasized the historical magnitude of these events.

The chosen location holds symbolic significance, as the museum occupies the VDNKh Agriculture Pavilion, built between 1950 and 1954 and previously known as the Pavilion of the Ukrainian SSR until 1964.

On the pavilion steps, dozens of visitors – mostly schoolchildren under the age of 15, accompanied by parents or teachers – wait patiently. Conversations buzz around military operations, historical events, and heroism. A woman in her 40s passionately recounts the battles for Avdeevka to a ten-year-old boy. Nearby, a father and son discuss anti-aircraft missile systems, while two elementary-school-aged girls examine an exhibition banner.

Inside the Exhibition

Upon entering and clearing security, the atmosphere shifts dramatically – voices become hushed, and all attention turns to the opening exhibit, a meticulously detailed 3D model representing the fierce battles around Artemovsk (Bakhmut). Behind protective glass, the battlefield replica captures every detail, from shell craters and abandoned military vehicles to Russian soldiers poised to storm enemy positions. Collapsed buildings evoke scenes familiar to anyone following the news, typical of frontline areas, including Artemovsk.

Above the diorama, displays provide detailed information on military hardware used in the operation. Some equipment, like concealed tanks and destroyed armored vehicles, appears in the 3D model. The only intact building depicted is a hospital, with figures of medics caring for the wounded.

Adjacent to the model, photographs of Russian soldiers and their insignia are displayed – from the emblem of the Somalia Separate Guards Motor Rifle Assault Battalion to images featuring the cartoon character from “Kung Fu Panda” and a portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin. These elements help craft the overall image of the Russian soldier, the central focus of the exhibition.

Heroes of Past and Present

The museum honors not only the ongoing conflict but also Russia’s heroes – those distinguished in recent combat and historical figures from World War II. This special initiative emphasizes the continuity of Russian military heroism and the deep bond connecting generations.

At the exhibition’s heart lies the Avenue of Glory, featuring portraits of heroes from both the Ukrainian operation and WWII. Photos of paratroopers, artillerymen, drone operators, assault troops, pilots, special ops personnel, and combat engineers adorn the walls, alongside screens detailing their biographies and courageous actions.

The display commemorates soldiers who fought valiantly against numerically superior forces despite being wounded, rescued comrades under intense fire, made the ultimate sacrifice, or liberated enemy-held territories at great personal cost. Some returned home, while many fell heroically in battle.

A seven-year-old boy eagerly records the exhibits on his phone, particularly drawn to the medals and military honors displayed beneath the portraits. Around 70 full-scale replicas of Russia’s highest military decorations from different historical periods are showcased.

His mother explains the significance of bravery awards, while nearby a couple reads the soldiers’ stories with equal enthusiasm, occasionally exchanging comments.

A quieter corner houses a memorial featuring life-sized soldier sculptures alongside screens displaying the continuous scrolling of names, ranks, and roles of fallen soldiers.

Letters from the Home Front

Throughout the conflict, many schoolchildren have sent letters, poems, and drawings to frontline soldiers to express care and support, boosting troop morale. Several such letters are displayed:

”Hello, dear soldier! My name is Elina. Even though we’ve never met, thank you for defending our homeland and sacrificing yourself for all of us. We sleep peacefully because of you. I wish you strength and bravery. Remember: You are loved and eagerly awaited!”

“Dear fighter! Thank you for protecting us and everyone who needs it most. We’re incredibly proud of you, and our hearts are with you. Stay strong and brave, believing this will soon end with good triumphing over evil! From Polina Merzlikina, Class 3 ‘B.’”

Visitors pass realistic replicas of damaged houses with crumbling walls and shattered windows, immersing them in the soldiers’ wartime reality. One pavilion shows a model dugout – typical frontline housing – complete with modest furnishings, canned food, dishes, military uniforms, and a Russian flag hanging on the walls.

Technology behind soldiers

Another pavilion emphasizes drones, a crucial element in modern warfare. Visitors learn about drone technology and operations, and a video explains how drones have become indispensable, serving as the army’s eyes and saving precious time during combat.

“We may imagine what the army would be like without drones. This small copter has become the army’s eyes. Drones save precious time in combat situations, streamlining reconnaissance,” states a video accompanying the exhibit.

Visitors learn about the technology that has become vital in today’s battles and how soldiers operate drones.

Military technology used in the conflict is a central theme here. One exhibit captivates visitors – a pit filled with wreckage of destroyed Ukrainian military hardware, including combat drones that targeted Russian cities. Parents explain to children how these weapons were previously used against Russian soldiers.

Above the pit, an amphitheater with screens describes Russian military equipment and explains the significance of tree-inspired weapon names like the Olkha MLRS (alder) and the Oreshnik missile (hazel). Seated there, an elderly woman sighs softly, observing the displays.

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“This new technology was developed recently and first used in Ukraine,” whispers a woman to her son, pointing to an image of the Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile.

Emotional Reflections on Russia and Ukraine

An emotionally charged exhibit chronicles Ukrainian history, Russian-Ukrainian relations, the start of the conflict, and Crimea’s reunification with Russia, presented chronologically from Prince Vladimir’s baptism in Kherson in 988 to Crimea’s incorporation in 2014.

“This is the day we were remembered as polite people. In February 2014, the commander-in-chief issued a combat order. Our commander clearly stated: the specific task, given by the commander-in-chief, is to operate at full capacity. [The goal was to] take control of the Supreme Council building and hold it until the arrival of the new government. As it turned out, in less than two hours the Russian flag was unfurled over Simferopol. Yet, we did not know then that in less than 10 years, we would need to take up arms once again to defend our people living on historic Russian lands – in Zaporozhye, Kherson, and the cities of Donbass where Nazism has raised its head once again,” says a virtual guide.

Standing nearby, a young woman struggles to hold back tears. In 2014, she was just 14 and lived in Yevpatoria, Crimea, vividly recalling the uncertainty of that period. She reflects thoughtfully on how different life might have been if Crimea had not joined Russia, expressing both relief and amazement at how events unfolded.

“Every time I think about it, I wonder what things would’ve been like if we hadn’t joined Russia. It was terrifying, and it’s so difficult to remember. I still can’t believe how everything turned out.”

As she leaves the pavilion, she mentions that she has been to many military exhibitions and tries not to miss any of them.

“When a conflict drags on for a long time, you get used to it and think less about what’s happening over there. But we can’t let that happen. This is our country. Exhibitions like these remind us of the people to whom we owe the privilege to walk peacefully down the street and enjoy a cup of coffee. Those people can’t do that now; they don’t have what we have,” she says, slowly descending the steps of the pavilion.

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Warsaw and Baltic NATO states previously called for lifting a ban on types of landmine, citing a perceived threat from Russia

Poland has announced plans to deploy anti-personnel landmines Warsaw had previously banned along its border with Russia and Belarus, citing concern about a potential Russian assault. Moscow has repeatedly denied having any intention of attacking EU or NATO countries.

Earlier this week NATO’s eastern European members Poland, Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania announced a proposal to exit the Ottawa Treaty, which prohibits the use of anti-personnel mines and to which they were all signatories.

Speaking to local radio on Tuesday, Polish Deputy Defense Minister Pawel Bejda explained that Warsaw plans to mine the country’s frontiers with Belarus and Russia, whose Kaliningrad exclave shares a 144-mile border with Poland, as part of a $2.6 billion ‘Eastern Shield’ project.

“We have no choice,” Bejda told RMF24, adding that it will allow the country’s defense industry to produce up to one million new landmines.

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The Polish government has also announced plans to intensify the fortification of its borders, including with anti-tank obstacles and reinforced defensive positions.

Beyond landmines, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has also suggested that Warsaw should acquire its own nuclear weapons.

Moscow has repeatedly ridiculed Western claims that it intends to attack NATO or EU states, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed such statements as “nonsense.” He has also suggested that the supposed threat of a Russian attack is being used by European politicians to scare their citizens in order to extract more resources from them and justify increased military spending.

Meanwhile, Russian officials have also blasted the EU’s increasing militarization as reckless and escalatory. Earlier this month, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that the confrontational rhetoric and plans coming out of Brussels and European capitals could hamper the chances of finding a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict.

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Following the presidents’ phone call on Tuesday, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that further contacts will be arranged in short order

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, trust each other, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said regarding the two leaders’ phone conversation on Tuesday.

During the call, which lasted more than two hours, the two heads of state discussed the resolution of the Ukraine conflict, with Putin responding positively to a 30-day ceasefire proposed earlier by Trump and agreeing to halt attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure as an initial step in that direction. On top of that, the Russian and US presidents reportedly discussed the situation in the Middle East.

Speaking to Russian media on Wednesday, Peskov stated, “I can say with a high degree of confidence that Presidents Putin and Trump understand each other well, trust each other, and intend to proceed step-by-step along the path of normalizing Russian-US relations.”

According to the Kremlin spokesman, “both today and tomorrow, there will be additional arrangements of concrete dates for next contacts as well as the makeup [of the delegations].” He promised to reveal more details once Moscow and Washington have agreed on these specifics.

Peskov told reporters that given the legacy left behind by the previous administration in Washington, getting relations back on track is a labor-intensive task. However, the two presidents’ “strong will” provides grounds for optimism, the official stated.

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According to Peskov, the two presidents discussed Western weapons deliveries to Ukraine, which will “top the agenda of any contacts” on resolving the conflict. However, given its sensitivity, the issue will not be discussed publicly for the time being, the official stressed.

President Putin also conveyed some other “nuances in the context of a potential ceasefire” to his US colleague, the Kremlin spokesman revealed.

Peskov concluded that Moscow is “closely watching whether the Kiev regime will heed the strong determination of the Russian and US presidents to do everything possible” to settle the conflict peacefully.

According to the Kremlin’s readout of the March 18 call, Putin “immediately” ordered Russian troops to halt attacks on Ukraine’s energy sites following the conversation, and also responded “favorably” to the maritime truce proposal, with specific details to be worked out in further talks.

Commenting on the talks in a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote that the peace process “is now in full force and effect.”

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky stated on Tuesday that he supports a maritime ceasefire and a moratorium on strikes against energy facilities, pending further details from the US.

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The Ukrainian leader has insisted “we will win” and teased coming contact with US President Donald Trump

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky on Wednesday reiterated his pledge to achieve a victory over Russia, as he touted an upcoming phone call with US President Donald Trump.

Zelensky made the remarks during a press conference alongside Finnish President Alexander Stubb, during which he expressed hope that Trump will brief him on Tuesday’s talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Today I will have contact with President Trump. We will discuss the details with him today. I am thinking about the details of the next steps. Well, and I think I will hear from him the details of his conversation with Putin,” Zelensky stated, reiterating his determination to achieve a victory.

“And we live, we defend ourselves, we survive, we fight for our sovereignty and our independence. And we will definitely win this war,” he said.

The conversation between Putin and Trump lasted for 2.5 hours, during which the presidents focusing on the Ukrainian crisis and ways to resolve it. Putin backed Trump’s proposal of a mutual 30-day suspension of strikes on energy infrastructure facilities and repeatedly “immediately” ordered a halt to such strikes, according to the Russian defense ministry.

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Zelensky publicly backed the idea shortly after the Trump-Putin talks concluded. However, he expressed concerns about how exactly the pause could be implemented.

“If Russia stops striking our targets, we will definitely stop hitting targets in Russia. But Putin’s promises alone are not enough; there must be control. The main subject of this control must be the US,” he said during the press conference.

Following Putin’s order the Russian military had to shoot down seven of its own kamikaze drones launched at Ukrainian energy facilities. A few hours after the Putin-Trump talks concluded, Kiev attacked a Russian oil pumping station with three fixed-wing kamikaze drones.

The attack sparked a massive fire at the facility, the military noted, describing the incident as “yet another provocation deliberately staged by the Kiev regime to derail the peace initiatives coming from the US president.”

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Nearly 700 papers offering ideas on worldwide economic development have been received

All submissions have been received for an international essay contest on global economic development which is being held as part of the upcoming Open Dialogue ‘The Future of the World: New Platform for Global Growth’. The forum aims to envision how major global shifts will shape the way people live for decades to come.

The event, scheduled for April 28-30 at the National Centre RUSSIA in Moscow, will bring together experts, leading economists, and representatives from various sectors worldwide to discuss current economic challenges and shape strategies for future growth.

The contest has generated “tremendous interest,” and the geographical diversity of participants is “impressive,” center director Natalia Virtuozova said in a statement on Monday.

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A total of 695 papers were received from 101 countries. According to Virtuozova, participants from Russia, Mexico, India, China, Oman, and Italy were among the most active. Submissions also came from Egypt, Vietnam, Türkiye, Colombia, Canada, France, and Transnistria.

The ideas were delivered in the form of a five-page essay or a 10-minute presentation in the authors’ native tongues. The number of applications and the interest in the event prompted an extension of the submission deadline from March 9 to March 15.

The essays focus on four key topics: ‘Investments in Human Capital’, ‘Investments in Technology’, ‘Investments in the Environment’, and ‘Investments in Communication’.

The ‘Human Capital’ section covers issues such as the effective pursuit of demographic policy amid aging populations; migration and economic development; the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the labor market; strategies to reduce youth unemployment; the use of new technologies in learning and education; strategies for enhancing the well-being of the population; and the prospects and effects of promoting a healthy lifestyle.

The ‘Technology’ section focuses on technologies being used in order to ensure food security; breakthrough technologies in industry; AI as a key end-to-end technology; the optimization of healthcare using advanced technology; the prevention and minimization of the consequences of natural disasters; water resource management in the context of climate change; technology for providing accessible and sustainable energy and the development of smart cities.

The ‘Environment’ section includes green infrastructure or creating sustainable and environmentally friendly urban spaces; transport accessibility for everyone; creating a comfortable environment subject to climate change; corporate social responsibility; managing natural hazards; barrier-free and inclusive environments; conscious consumption as the basis for conscious supply; and sustainable tourism as a way to enhance the quality of the urban environment.

The ‘Communication’ section covers issues such as the future of trade; new logistics routes in the Global South and East; worldwide challenges and the responses of the insurance industry; improving financial flows; digital currencies as a tool for improving the international financial network; data mobility as part of global communication; and E-commerce and logistics platforms.

“Most of the essays focus on investment in people. The authors are concerned about access to education and the preservation of national identity. Regarding investment in technology, the central topic, of course, is artificial intelligence. For investment in communication, authors mainly discuss participation in international trade, while those from smaller countries emphasize access to reliable information. As for investment in the environment, the authors are primarily concerned about the future of cities—what future cities will look like and, most importantly, how people will live, work, and feel in them,” Natalia Virtuozova has said.

Now with all submissions received, the organizers have started preparing a schedule for discussions based on the topics covered in the papers.

The selection process has also begun. The winners will be invited to Moscow to take part in the Open Dialogue event in April, where they will join case sessions and expert discussions on the future of the global economy, along with representatives from leading think tanks, development institutions, universities, government agencies, business associations, youth organizations, and the media.

The best essays will be published in English and the ideas presented in them will be considered for long-term economic planning.

READ MORE: Moscow hosts ‘The Future of the World: New Platform for Global Growth’ essay contest

From Monday, invitations are being sent to moderators and experts from around the world. Additionally, registration is now open on the website Russia.ru for all those interested in listening to and participating in the Open Dialogue.

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The window for peace in Ukraine is open – but for how long?

Tuesday's talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump have marked a shift towards the resolution of the Ukraine conflict. However, given the number of unresolved issues, the results are still unclear and a setback could occur at any moment.

The flaws in the European security system will continue to jeopardize prospects for normalization for a long time. Nonetheless, the window of opportunity for achieving peace is still open. The motivation to leverage these circumstances is shaped by the results that Russia has achieved in its military operation so far, as well as the potential scenarios that could unfold for both sides if the conflict continues.

Among the key results, we may note Russia’s readiness to use force to defend its interests in Europe. For three decades following the conclusion of the Cold War, Moscow’s ability to protect its interests using force was often dismissed. The military operation in Ukraine put an end to this misconception. It has demonstrated that security relations with the West had become so complicated that, from Russia’s perspective, there appeared to be no other option. It became clear that the use of force and a large-scale conflict in Europe were real possibilities, so Moscow’s demands and concerns couldn’t be brushed aside with vague reassurances. Russia is willing to incur significant losses and take substantial risks in order to defend its fundamental security interests. It is not willing to back away, even if it can save face by doing so.

In the field of diplomacy, it’s notable that the non-Western countries have not formed any major anti-Russia coalitions. The Western bloc, united against Russia, has failed to pull in additional players. China, India, Brazil, South Africa – and others – have distanced themselves from sanctions policies. While businesses in these nations are wary of the secondary sanctions that could be imposed by the US and are not always eager to engage with our country, their governments have avoided imposing anti-Russia measures.

Trade with many nations in the Global South has surged. These countries have neither adopted a pro-Russian stance, nor formed a unified anti-Western front. However, discussions about diversifying global finance, trade, and political institutions have gained considerable traction. Ultimately, the resilience of the Western coalition has begun to falter. The new US administration seems to have recognized that the conflict has reached a dead end and has taken preemptive steps to end it.

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Among the diplomatic outcomes, we may note Moscow’s ability to contain the escalation of military support for Ukraine. For an extended period of time, Russia’s ‘red lines’ were often crossed, as it struggled to halt increasing weapons supplies to Ukraine. These deliveries increased, with weapons systems becoming more long-range and lethal. Changes in Russia’s nuclear doctrine and the deployment of a new medium-range missile with a non-nuclear configuration have provided a crucial deterrent signal against the potential mass use of Western cruise missiles and other weapons systems by Ukraine.

Another significant outcome has been the ability to engage in a large-scale conflict with an opponent that has received substantial Western support in the form of weapons, intelligence, and funding. Russia’s defense industry has managed to maintain a high pace and scale of operations, quickly adapting to the new challenges posed by advancements in military technology, including the production and use of drones. At the same time, Moscow has essentially maintained an expeditionary approach in its military actions, avoiding extensive mobilization and instead relying on military volunteers and contract soldiers. The ability to conduct a large-scale and sustained military operation with a professional, rather than conscripted army has been a key interim achievement.

The resilience of the Russian economy amid its confrontation with the collective West is also notable. Its deep integration into global networks, its reliance on Western supply chains, financial institutions, and regulatory frameworks had created significant risks in light of potential large-scale Western sanctions. Such sanctions were imposed immediately after the start of the conflict and have intensified since. Nearly all kinds of restrictions have been employed against Russia, including blocking financial measures, export controls, import bans, and more. Friendly countries that partner with Russia face risks of secondary sanctions. Nevertheless, remarkably, Russia has avoided any significant financial or economic crisis. Clearly, the economy has suffered losses and damage, and this was felt by ordinary citizens. But Russia was able to restructure trade networks, markets, and import sources very quickly by historical standards.

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In addition to the economy, the political system has also shown remarkable resilience. Moscow’s opponents had counted on a swift regime change and a split among the elites, but none of this happened. Neither ideological adversaries nor radical supporters were able to destabilize the country’s political system. While stricter order has been imposed amid wartime conditions, the country has managed to avoid sliding into a totalitarian model characterized by excessive and demoralizing control. Society has demonstrated resilience in extreme conditions, and has quickly adapted following an initial period of confusion. The high human cost of military actions, economic challenges, including inflation, and other changes has not led to major disintegration processes. Public sentiment regarding the conflict remains mixed, but it hasn’t divided society in a critical way.

In military terms, some of the direct results of Russia’s military operation include the depletion of Ukraine’s military potential (despite substantial Western support), the containment of possible counter attacks, and control over several strategically important locations. It seems that Moscow is considering the possibility of continuing hostilities, and has the necessary resources for it.

On the other hand, there may be no substantial military and political gains to be had by prolonging the conflict. Continued fighting would only make sense if Russia’s key demands – initially laid out during the negotiations in Istanbul back in 2022 – remain unmet. However, the new US administration also recognizes that dragging out the conflict poses significant risks. Beyond the possibility of a continued Russian offensive, there are concerns about further depleting military stockpiles and incurring enormous financial costs without clear prospects for defeating Russia. Ultimately, the current results and limitations create incentives for both Washington and Moscow to consider a peaceful resolution. Notably, both sides still possess the resources to continue the conflict. The players at the negotiating table each hold strong positions; neither side is negotiating from a weak position. Each side understands their interests and is willing to discuss them. It’s been a very long time since Russia and the US engaged in negotiations with such a mindset.

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President Vladimir Putin had previously agreed to swap 175 prisoners and return 22 heavily wounded Ukrainian fighters as a gesture of good will

Russia and Ukraine have conducted a prisoner-of-war (POW) swap following recent truce negotiations between President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Wednesday that 175 soldiers had been returned from territories controlled by Kiev. In exchange, Moscow had sent back an equal number of captured Ukrainian troops, as well as 22 heavily injured servicemen, as a sign of good will.

The ministry added that the exchange was mediated by the United Arab Emirates and that the released Russian soldiers are currently in neighboring Belarus. It added that they will soon be transferred to their home county for treatment and rehabilitation.

The POW swap was announced on Tuesday following a phone call between Trump and Putin. After the nearly 2.5-hour conversation, the Kremlin said Russia would suspend strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure for 30 days and declared that Moscow and Kiev would conduct a prisoner exchange.

The last time Russia and Ukraine exchanged POWs was in October 2024, when each side released 95 captives. Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, the two countries have held a total of 59 prisoner swaps.

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During their phone call on Tuesday, both Trump and Putin agreed on the need to achieve a lasting peace in the Ukraine conflict and committed to work towards finding a resolution to the crisis.

Trump had previously proposed establishing a 30-day ceasefire, although Russia has stressed that implementing such a measure would require a number of issues to be addressed beforehand, such as the monitoring of the truce and guarantees that Kiev would not use it to rearm its military and refill its ranks.

Additionally, Moscow has stressed the need to eliminate the “root causes of the crisis” and meet “Russia’s legitimate interests in the area of security” before a truce can be established. The Kremlin has also indicated a need for the complete cessation of foreign military aid and provision of intelligence information to Kiev as a key requirement to achieve a complete ceasefire.

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Diplomats and analysts have reacted following the longest-ever telephone conversation between the presidents of Russia and the US

Tueday’s phone conversation between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump – their second publicly known discussion this year – has again drawn considerable attention. Lasting nearly two and a half hours, it became the longest call ever held between sitting presidents of the US and Russia.

Their dialogue primarily focused on bilateral relations and addressing the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Key preliminary outcomes from the call include a mutual agreement to halt strikes on energy infrastructure for 30 days, establish a ceasefire in the Black Sea, exchange prisoners, and form expert groups from both Russia and the US to continue working toward peace.

Both the Kremlin and the White House praised the conversation as “very good” and highly positive. Here we explore if promment experts in Russia share the same view on these latest developments.

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Konstantin Kosachev, vice speaker of the Federation Council:

The most significant takeaway from the recent call was that it truly felt like a dialogue, not two separate monologues. Importantly, it wasn’t conducted via typical, ultimatum-style demands – “accept our terms or face the consequences.” Russia refused to be baited into such rhetoric, and thankfully, the United States also avoided taking such a futile stance.

An undeniable step forward was made, as both sides showed genuine intent toward achieving tangible results. Unlike Europe’s provocative stance – claiming Russia must accept a 30-day ceasefire or be labeled anti-peace – the conversation prioritized comprehensive, long-term solutions over superficial PR stunts.

While no specific peace formula was presented today, Russia demonstrated its commitment through concrete unilateral steps in energy and humanitarian spheres. In contrast, Kiev’s offer of an uncontrollable ceasefire appeared more like a tactic to tarnish Russia’s image. Moscow chose immediate, practical actions over empty declarations – offering an example rather than an ultimatum.

The dialogue also highlighted the inherent value of Russia-US bilateral relations. Although Ukraine remains an important topic, it’s just one part of broader attempts to move past the problematic legacy left before Trump’s presidency. Symbolic gestures, like the idea of a joint hockey match, serve as positive signals encouraging both nations to “bury the hatchet” through peaceful interactions.

Remarkably, Europe’s near-total absence from post-call discussions underscores an understanding that, given the EU’s current destructive role, involving it could hinder rather than help diplomatic progress.

Critically, the establishment of expert groups to work on specific issues represents a practical step forward. Leaders set the tone, but experts will fill in the substantive details. Diplomacy, it seems, has truly returned.

Fyodor Lukyanov, the editor-in-chief of Russia in Global Affairs:

As expected, the hype surrounding the Putin-Trump call proved exaggerated. Attempts to portray it as decisive and historic fell flat. Still, it remains a meaningful step forward, allowing several preliminary observations.

First, developments align closely with Russia’s preferred approach. Moscow resisted immediate ceasefire calls, emphasizing the necessity for carefully structured long-term agreements. This effectively deflected Washington’s urgency, especially after the talks in Jeddah. Russia elegantly maneuvered by endorsing Zelensky’s earlier (later abandoned) proposal of mutual restraint in targeting energy infrastructure and ensuring safety in the Black Sea. Whether this moratorium comes into force remains uncertain, but its very discussion has shifted the momentum in Russia’s favor.

Second, the conditions for peace remain focused on Ukraine’s demilitarization – stopping weapons supplies and military mobilization. This returns to Russia’s original objectives in Ukraine, although fully achieving them remains complicated. A notable tension has emerged: the US can potentially curtail assistance, whereas Europe has continued to deepen its military commitment to Kiev. Military capability, rather than territorial matters, has taken center stage.

Third, the Ukrainian crisis is embedded within broader Russia-US relations. The extensive discussion of economic collaboration, however symbolic, underlines this broader context. Notably, the Middle East, particularly Israel’s security, has received considerable attention, suggesting that Trump’s priorities extend beyond Ukraine. Such priorities present opportunities for potential trade-offs – less critical issues for one side exchanged for the priorities of the other.

Overall, neither Kiev nor Europe received encouraging news. Their conspicuous omission reflects their diminished role. It remains to be seen whether future negotiation rounds will yield significant progress or collapse entirely – and whether we’ll ultimately see the much-discussed hockey match between the KHL and NHL.

Evgeny Minchenko, director of the International Institute for Political Expertise:

Moscow’s goodwill gestures – another prisoner exchange, a 30-day halt on strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure, and restoring freedom of navigation – counter perceptions of Russian inflexibility. Russia has signaled its willingness to negotiate peace, contingent on halting Western arms and intelligence support. This condition cleverly places the responsibility not only on the US but also Europe. Kiev’s poor track record in honoring agreements, as noted by Putin, complicates the situation further.

The dialogue remains bilateral, centered on Russia and the US, reinforced by expert groups. Ukraine and the EU remain sidelined, with Britain even further removed. The agenda extends beyond Ukraine to broader issues such as Middle East stability, global security, nuclear non-proliferation (likely referencing Iran), and economic cooperation.

The proposed hockey match symbolizes diplomatic optimism and wider aspirations of improved relations.

Ivan Timofeev, program director of the Valdai Club:

The conversation between Putin and Trump, along with official summaries of their call, reflects a continuing trend toward cautious optimism. Such a tone seemed unthinkable just a few months ago, and even now it’s hard to fully believe. Yet here we are.

Clearly, the key topic remains resolving the Ukraine crisis. The outlines of a potential solution are becoming more apparent, likely unfolding step-by-step: first, halting specific hostile actions, then limited ceasefires, followed eventually by a broader ceasefire and ultimately peace. This incremental approach is logical since achieving a comprehensive settlement immediately rarely happens in conflicts like this.

However, there’s significant risk along the way – keeping the process intact will require immense political resolve. On the positive side, these negotiations are strictly bilateral, making them harder for third parties to sabotage, unlike previous efforts in Istanbul.

Another advantage is that the United States possesses considerable leverage to compel Kiev and its European allies to align with its diplomatic positions. As a unified national government rather than a complicated supranational body like the European Union, the US can act more swiftly and decisively, making dialogue with Washington easier for Moscow.

Another significant development from the conversation was the inclusion of other global issues such as Middle East stability and preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. This broader agenda underscores that the relationship between Russia and the US extends well beyond Ukraine alone.

Overall, the diplomatic process is moving forward without unnecessary haste or abrupt shifts, clearly showing positive momentum. Whether this improvement lasts, however, remains to be seen. The path ahead has many hidden pitfalls, and the weight of unresolved historical issues remains substantial. Only a fundamental rethinking of the nature of bilateral relations can alleviate these pressures. Trump appears inclined toward exactly this kind of transformation, and this aligns closely with Russia’s longstanding preference for traditional transactional diplomacy.

Vadim Kozyulin, Senior Researcher at the Diplomatic Academy of Russia:

Most importantly, the conversation was constructive, alleviating concerns about potential confrontation. Prisoner exchanges and the return of wounded Ukrainian soldiers have created a positive atmosphere for further dialogue. The creation of expert groups adds necessary breathing room, serving as an essential buffer.

Significantly, the emphasis on addressing the root causes of the crisis and acknowledging Russia’s legitimate security interests was received without pushback from Trump. The White House’s post-call statement framed the Ukrainian conflict as an unfortunate obstacle to a potentially broader US-Russia partnership – a notable contrast to Zelensky’s less successful meeting with Trump.

Overall, the call offered no surprises or dramatic shifts, which, given current tensions, might be its greatest strength.

Ilya Kramnik, military analyst, expert at the Russian International Affairs Council:

A comprehensive ceasefire wasn’t realistic immediately, but an agreement on energy and infrastructure targets, as well as safety measures in the Black Sea, would be a positive step forward.

Core issues remain unchanged: Ukraine’s demilitarization, the fate of its current leadership and state ideology, and broader Russia-NATO security issues. Achieving substantial progress will be slow and challenging, perhaps even elusive. However, the US position makes Europe’s insistence on prolonged conflict increasingly untenable.

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The Russian military has said that it had to shoot down its own drones to fulfill President Vladimir Putin’s order to halt strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The president gave the order as a result of discussions with his US counterpart Donald Trump on Tuesday.

During their phone call, Putin accepted a proposal by Trump for the sides in the Ukraine conflict to refrain from striking each other’s energy infrastructure for 30 days, the Kremlin said later on Tuesday. The Russian leader “immediately” instructed the country’s military to comply, it added.

The Defense Ministry confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that it had “received an order from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief to halt strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.”

According to the ministry, when Putin’s order came in “seven Russian attack drones were in the air, targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure facilities related to the country’s military-industrial complex in Nikolaev region.”

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To fulfill the command, the Russian air defenses had to “neutralize” the UAVs. Six drones were shot down by a Pantsir missile system and another by a fighter jet, it added.

The defense ministry also claimed that “just several” hours after the call between Putin and Trump, “the Kiev regime carried out a deliberate attack with three fixed-wing drones on an energy infrastructure facility in the village of Kavkazskaya in Russia’s Krasnodar Region.”

The strike damaged an on-site oil reservoir and caused a blaze, which is yet to be extinguished, the statement added.

The Kavkazskaya facility is used to transfer crude from rail-transported tanks to a pipeline operated by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), an international firm that lists US energy giants Chevron and Mobil among its partners.

“Clearly, this was a premeditated provocation by the Kiev regime aimed at derailing the US president’s peace initiative,” the statement read.

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