Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to Kazakhstan carried significance well beyond the immediate agenda of bilateral talks. As his second state visit to the country in just two years – an unusual frequency for the highest level of diplomatic engagement – it reflected the depth of relations between Moscow and Astana and the durability of a strategic partnership that has remained a defining feature of the regional landscape.

The visit took place at a moment when Central Asia is attracting growing attention from external powers and Kazakhstan continues to expand its diplomatic engagement with China, Türkiye, the European Union, and the United States. Within this increasingly competitive environment, the meeting served as a reminder that Russia retains a central place in Kazakhstan’s foreign policy calculations and that political dialogue between the two capitals remains steady, direct, and highly institutionalized.

The symbolism surrounding the visit reinforced that message. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev personally welcomed Putin upon arrival, Kazakh Air Force jets escorted the Russian leader’s aircraft, and the two presidents later met again outside the Palace of Independence. Taken together, these gestures conveyed a level of political attention rarely reserved for routine diplomatic exchanges and publicly underscored the special status Russia continues to enjoy in Kazakhstan’s external relations.

If relations between Moscow and Astana are increasingly being anchored in infrastructure, energy, technology, and long-term investment, what does this tell us about the emerging architecture of Eurasia?

Turning political trust into institutions

Kazakhstan occupies a pivotal position in Central Asia, combining vast territory, abundant natural resources, significant transit potential, and a strategic location at the intersection of major Eurasian transport routes. Relations between Russia and Kazakhstan rest on a unique foundation shaped by shared history, deep economic linkages, extensive humanitarian contacts, and the world’s longest continuous land border, stretching 7,599 km. Geography continues to exert a powerful influence on the relationship, embedding cooperation between the two countries within broader questions of national security, economic resilience, energy connectivity, and regional stability. Cross-border trade, transport corridors, industrial supply chains, migration flows, and critical infrastructure create a dense network of interdependence that gives the partnership a long-term structural character.

The visit produced a substantial political agenda. Following their talks, Putin and Tokayev signed the Joint Statement on the Seven Pillars of Friendship and Good-Neighborliness, alongside a broader package of bilateral agreements. The statement carries particular significance because it codifies the core principles underpinning the long-term Russia-Kazakhstan partnership, including political trust, security cooperation, economic collaboration, humanitarian ties, and a shared historical legacy.

The economics behind the partnership

The economic dimension of Russia-Kazakhstan relations provides one of the clearest indicators of the partnership’s depth and durability. Russian investment in Kazakhstan has approached $30 billion, reflecting a long-term commitment that extends across multiple sectors of the economy. The scale of this engagement is also evident in the corporate sphere, where companies established with Russian participation account for more than 40% of all Kazakh legal entities involving foreign capital.

Investment activity spans well beyond natural resources. Around 70 major projects involving Russian investors are currently being implemented in sectors such as automotive manufacturing, heavy engineering, and chemicals, generating more than 60,000 jobs and contributing to Kazakhstan’s broader industrial development. These projects have fostered production networks, technological cooperation, and supply chains that reinforce economic connectivity between the two countries.

Trade remains another central pillar of the relationship. Bilateral trade reached approximately $27.4 billion in 2025 and continued to expand in early 2026, demonstrating the resilience of commercial ties despite a rapidly changing international economic environment. An equally important trend is the growing use of national currencies in mutual settlements, which has strengthened the autonomy of bilateral trade and aligned with broader efforts to develop alternative financial mechanisms across Eurasia.

Energy continues to occupy a central place in Russia-Kazakhstan relations, reflecting the broader infrastructure links that connect the two economies. More than 80% of Kazakhstan’s oil exports reach international markets through Russian territory via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, making transport infrastructure a critical component of Kazakhstan’s export strategy and a key element of bilateral economic connectivity.

Cooperation extends into the gas sector, where plans to modernize and expand Kazakhstan’s gas transportation network with Gazprom’s participation underscore the long-term nature of the partnership. These initiatives carry significance for regional development, energy security, and the expansion of domestic gas infrastructure across Kazakhstan.

Taken together, these projects illustrate the extent to which energy cooperation has become embedded within the broader economic relationship. Oil transit, gas infrastructure, and cross-border energy networks have created enduring linkages that continue to shape the strategic calculations of both countries.

Kazakhstan’s nuclear choice

Among the most consequential outcomes associated with Putin’s visit was the advancement of plans for Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant, a project that carries significance extending well beyond the energy sector. After considering proposals from several international contenders, including France and South Korea, Astana selected Rosatom for the leading role in the project, placing Russia at the center of one of the country’s most important infrastructure initiatives.

Nuclear energy projects create long-term technological, financial, and institutional linkages between supplier and recipient states. The construction and operation of a nuclear power plant require sustained cooperation in areas ranging from fuel supply and maintenance to personnel training, regulatory oversight, and technological support. Kazakhstan’s decision therefore reflects a high degree of confidence in Russia’s capabilities and reliability as a strategic partner.

The Eurasian dimension

Putin’s participation in the Eurasian Economic Forum and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) summit highlighted a broader dimension of the visit extending beyond bilateral relations. Kazakhstan occupies a central position within the Eurasian integration project, while its economic weight, geographic location, and transit potential make it one of the Union’s most influential members. The decision to combine a state visit with key EAEU events underscored the importance both Moscow and Astana continue to attach to regional integration as a framework for economic cooperation and connectivity.

The significance of the EAEU has grown alongside the transformation of the international economic environment. Shifting supply chains, expanding sanctions regimes, and rising protectionism have increased the importance of regional mechanisms capable of facilitating trade, investment, industrial cooperation, and transport connectivity. For both Russia and Kazakhstan, the EAEU provides an institutional platform through which these objectives can be pursued while supporting broader efforts to strengthen economic resilience across Eurasia.

Against this backdrop, the Eurasian agenda formed an integral part of Putin’s visit to Astana. The discussions reinforced the view that Russia-Kazakhstan cooperation continues to develop simultaneously through bilateral channels and multilateral institutions, linking the future of their partnership to the wider trajectory of Eurasian integration.

Cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan increasingly extends into high-technology sectors. The planned launch of the Soyuz-5/Sunkar rocket from the Bayterek launch complex reflects continued collaboration in space exploration and advanced industrial projects. The Baikonur Cosmodrome remains an important platform for technological cooperation, providing both countries with opportunities to maintain and expand joint capabilities in strategically significant fields.

The persistence of such projects highlights the breadth of the bilateral relationship, which encompasses not only trade, investment, energy, and transport connectivity, but also areas requiring long-term technological coordination and specialized expertise.

A strategic axis in Eurasia

Taken together, these political, economic, energy, technological, and institutional ties illustrate the exceptional depth of the Russia-Kazakhstan partnership. All the connections mentioned above have produced a dense framework of interdependence linking capital, infrastructure, logistics, manufacturing, and technological development across Eurasia.

Putin’s visit demonstrated that Moscow’s influence in Central Asia continues to rest on a broad foundation encompassing investment, industrial cooperation, transport corridors, energy infrastructure, technological projects, and multilateral institutions. For Kazakhstan, engagement with Russia remains closely tied to national economic priorities, infrastructure development, regional connectivity, and participation in Eurasian integration processes.

At a time when the geopolitical landscape of Eurasia is undergoing profound transformation, the visit reaffirmed the enduring significance of the Russia-Kazakhstan relationship. Rooted in geography, reinforced by economic interdependence, and sustained through institutional cooperation, the partnership occupies a central place in the evolving regional order. The broader question is whether this increasingly interconnected relationship will emerge as one of the key pillars shaping Eurasia’s future political and economic architecture.

Ukrainian rhythmic gymnasts were caught on video covering their ears and eyes during the Russian and Belarusian national anthems at the European Championship in Varna, Bulgaria.

The tournament marks the first time athletes from the two countries have been allowed to compete under their national flags in nearly five years, after World Gymnastics and European Gymnastics lifted their restrictions earlier this month.

One of the incidents took place during the medal ceremony for the junior ribbon event in Varna on Thursday, in which Russia’s Yana Zaikina won gold, Ukraine’s Sofia Krainska took silver, and Germany’s Melissa Diete took bronze.

Krainska was seen standing on the podium wearing headphones and covering her eyes and face as the Russian national anthem played. Zaikina’s victory was Russia’s first gold at the tournament.

A similar episode occurred when Ukrainian gymnast Varvara Chubarova covered her ears and eyes as the Belarusian national anthem played following Kira Babkevich’s victory in the junior ball event.

Russian and Belarusian athletes were barred from most international competitions after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. The two countries condemned the bans, calling them politically motivated. Some restrictions were later eased, allowing selected athletes to compete under neutral status.

Recently, major international sports organizations have started to lift their bans entirely.

Despite the lifting of the restrictions, the Russian team nearly missed the Varna championship after the Bulgarian authorities refused to approve its charter flight. The delegation eventually arrived via Istanbul one day before the competition began.

President Vladimir Putin has denounced what he described as selective sanctions against Russian competitors, accusing international sports bodies of political bias and corruption. Athletes should have access to competitions based solely on merit, as “politics has no place in sports,” the president said earlier this year.

The “barbaric” Ukrainian drone strike on a Russian college dormitory in Starobelsk cannot be justified, Russian envoy Vassily Nebenzia told the UN Security Council on Thursday, comparing Kiev’s actions to the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany.

A total of 21 students, most of them young women, were killed in the attack on May 22, while 44 others were injured. 

Speaking at a Security Council meeting in New York, Ukrainian representative Andrey Melnik dismissed the “so-called incident” in Starobelsk as “a fake story,” accusing Russia of spreading “yet another propaganda narrative.” US deputy envoy Tammy Bruce condemned what Russia described as retaliatory strikes on Kiev as “obscene and unacceptable.”

Nebenzia accused the West of turning a blind eye to the “cynical act of terrorism” in Starobelsk.

The Russian diplomat said 51 civilians have been killed by Ukrainian forces over the past week, and 199 others were injured, including 20 children. He added that, over the same period, Ukraine launched more than 4,300 drones at civilian targets, including residential neighborhoods, schools, and hospitals.

Nebenzia stressed that the Russian strikes on Kiev on May 24 targeted “military-industrial sites,” including facilities involved in drone production.

“Let us reiterate what we have said many times before: Our armed forces do not target civilians or civilian infrastructure,” he said.

In response to the attack on Starobelsk, Russia announced that it would carry out “systematic” strikes on military sites and command centers in Ukraine.

NATO requires confrontation to justify its existence, which is why it designated Russia as its principal enemy in Europe, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko has said.

The remarks come as an increasing number of Ukrainian drone raids are sent deep inside Russia, while the debris of several drones have recently fallen in NATO member states bordering Russia. Moscow has accused the Baltic states of allowing Ukraine to use their territory for attacks, claims that Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania deny.

Speaking in an exclusive interview to RT on Thursday, Grushko argued that NATO and the EU radically shifted their approach toward Russia around 2010–2012, as the US-led military bloc wound down its costly Afghanistan mission and refocused on its original Cold War-era purpose of collective defense against an adversary in Europe.

“They needed a big enemy. And since there was none, Russia was appointed to this ‘honorable’ role,” Grushko said, adding that “NATO cannot exist in peaceful conditions – it is like a fish out of water.”

European leaders and intelligence officials have increasingly claimed that Russia could attack NATO or EU member states in the coming years, something Moscow has repeatedly dismissed as “nonsense.”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte claimed in December that “we are Russia’s next target.”

Since 2022, NATO has expanded battlegroups across Eastern Europe, intensified air and maritime patrols in the Baltics, and increased military exercises near Russia’s borders. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have also accelerated border fortification projects, including anti-tank defenses and bunker networks.

Grushko, however, argued the Baltics had historically been one of Europe’s calmest regions before NATO expansion transformed it into “an arena of confrontation.”

Watch the full interview with the Russian deputy foreign minister below.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has blasted EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas' latest attempts to force maximalist demands, regarded by all parties to the Ukraine talks as unworkable, onto the agenda.

Kallas has repeatedly insisted that Russia should scale back its armed forces as a precondition for EU involvement in negotiations, despite the bloc being seen in Moscow as an active participant in the conflict and never having been formally invited to talks.

The bloc’s fear of missing out has reportedly fueled discussions in Brussels over who could eventually represent the union in possible talks with Moscow.

The EU’s conditions for any such move included Russia “mirroring” any troop limits imposed on Ukraine, as well as withdrawing forces from Transnistria, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia, where Russian troops have long served as peacekeepers.

“Look, I’m not discussing idiotic statements,” Lavrov responded on Thursday when asked about Kallas’ remarks.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also mocked the EU diplomat, saying Kallas sounded as though she was “talking to herself.”

It is not the first time the EU foreign policy chief has issued such demands. Back in February, Kallas called for limits on the Russian military and argued that “everyone” should understand that Ukraine peace talks were not going to go anywhere without EU approval.

Those remarks showed that “Eurobureaucrats are hellbent on disrupting the conflict settlement at any cost,” Zakharova said at the time.

Moscow has repeatedly accused the EU of engaging in “megaphone diplomacy” – issuing public ultimatums instead of pursuing substantive negotiations.

In November 2025, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen demanded on X that the EU be given a “central” role in resolving the conflict, at a time when Moscow and Washington were discussing a US-drafted peace plan. She also outlined a list of conditions the Kremlin dismissed as “unconstructive” and unacceptable.

Russian cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, on his first spacewalk of 2026 on the International Space Station (ISS), sent a message to his mother.

Current ISS commander Kud-Sverchkov and his fellow cosmonaut Sergey Mikayev were performing scheduled installation and removal of scientific experiment hardware on the outer hull of the space station on Wednesday.

A stream of the spacewalk, broadcast by Russian space corporation Roscosmos, shows Kud-Sverchkov holding up a laminated piece of paper with the words “Mom, I’m wearing my hat” printed in Russian.

Over the course of more than six hours, the cosmonauts installed new hardware to observe the Sun in the previously unexplored terahertz range of the electromagnetic spectrum, and retrieved a slide from an experiment attempting to grow ultra-pure semiconductors in space.

Kud-Sverchkov and Mikayev were launched to the ISS alongside NASA astronaut Chris Williams aboard the Russian Soyuz MS-28 in last November. Kud-Sverchkov then took over command of the ISS Expedition 74 from NASA astronaut Mike Fincke.

The Russian State Duma, the lower house of parliament, has approved legislation authorizing the central bank and major financial institutions to deploy armed personnel to counter Ukrainian drone attacks against civilians and infrastructure.

Ukrainian drone raids against Russia have intensified over the past year, with hundreds of UAVs targeting residential areas, critical infrastructure, and industrial facilities. Russian officials have called the strikes terrorist attacks.

Last week, Ukrainian kamikaze drones struck Starobelsk Professional College in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic in three waves, hitting the main building and student dormitories. Twenty-one people were killed, most of them teenage girls training to become teachers; another 65 were injured in what officials described as a double-tap strike on first responders.

The week prior, Russian air defenses repelled a massive Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow and the surrounding region. More than 12 people were reported injured in the capital; three people were killed and another six wounded in Moscow Region.

Under the new law, armored transport and cash collection crews from the Bank of Russia and Sberbank would be granted authority to neutralize unmanned aerial, naval, and ground vehicles, as well as other automated drone systems.

The measures can be used to repel attacks and prevent threats against protected facilities, employees, and civilians on site. The law would authorize personnel to jam or alter drone control signals, disrupt operator communications, and disable or destroy unmanned vehicles if necessary.

The bill still requires approval from the Federation Council and President Vladimir Putin.

The choice between war and peace is often presented as stark and simple, but in today’s circumstances it’s a false dilemma.

If by war we mean only armed conflict, then the current fighting with Ukraine will probably end in the foreseeable future because an indefinite war of attrition isn’t in Russia’s interests. What is needed is victory, and such a victory is possible, provided the necessary decisions are taken both at home and on the battlefield.

But full peace will not follow and even after the guns fall silent, confrontation with the West will continue in many fields and in many forms. This struggle will be long and it will require something Russia has lacked for too long: long-term goal-setting and a serious strategy for achieving national objectives.

The central task is the construction of Russia as a state-civilization. This idea has been proclaimed but not yet properly defined, and it must involve the creation of a society based on solidarity among citizens and on values broadly shared by them, such as faith, freedom, family, and justice. Such a project inevitably raises the question of deep renewal in the country’s economic and political systems.

This can’t be a project of the elite alone. Of course, the elite themselves require renewal, and not merely in generational terms; they also need new mechanisms of self-renewal and a different relationship with the wider society. Meritocracy is necessary, but it’s not sufficient and while competence and professionalism matter, so do values and a sense of service.

Then it may be possible to say that the Great Patriotic War (World War Two), with all its trials, sacrifices, and losses, wasn’t only a turning point in national history, but also the prologue to Russia and its people acquiring a new quality.

The internal character of the state and society will shape Russia’s place in the world and a renewed Russia will be able to act as a stronger pole, in the literal magnetic sense of the word. But the most important task is to avoid being forced into alignment with either of the major geo-economic and geopolitical blocs: the Euro-Atlantic bloc or China.

The stakes in the confrontation with the West are exceptionally high. Despite all the talk about a possible resumption of dialogue between the European Union and Russia, no one in Western Europe is genuinely ready to negotiate with Moscow. The goal of our adversary, the globalist elites of the West, as President Vladimir Putin has defined them, isn’t compromise but rather the crushing of Russia.

This must be understood clearly because the aim is not simply regime change, but rather the destruction of Russia as a major independent power in world affairs.

For three generations after the Great Patriotic War, Russians were raised in conditions of external security. At first, this security rested on strategic stability and mutual nuclear deterrence with the United States and later, it was sustained by partnership and cooperation in a world where major war came to be seen as an anachronism.

That world is gone. The old security paradigm has become obsolete and we now face a new and uncomfortable reality: war in peacetime, or peace in wartime.

Russia must accept this reality, endure a long and difficult struggle, and emerge from it transformed and victorious. That is the path ahead and there’s no road back. The only alternative is decline.

The refusal by British state broadcaster the BBC to report from the site where a Ukrainian drone attack killed 21 students is an act of “hypocrisy,” Russia’s ambassador to the UK, Andrey Kelin, has said. He accused British media outlets of “diligently pursuing a political agenda” to discredit Moscow.

Last week, Ukrainian kamikaze drones struck the Starobelsk Professional College in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) in three waves, hitting both the main building and student dormitories.

Most of the 21 people killed in the attack were teenage girls training to become teachers. Another 65 were injured in what Russian officials described as a ‘double-tap’ strike on first responders.

Some 50 foreign journalists from 19 countries reported from the scene on Sunday after accepting an invitation from the Russian authorities. The BBC, as well as US network CNN, refused to visit the site of the atrocity.

“The overwhelming majority of the British media are diligently pursuing a political agenda aimed at discrediting our country,” Kelin stated. He added that the actions of the Russian military are often portrayed as targeted attacks on civilians, while “the bloody crimes committed by the Kiev regime against civilians are completely ignored.”

According to Kelin, while the BBC refused to visit Starobelsk, reporters from Reuters were “less cynical” and participated in the trip. However, he described their coverage as “ostentatiously detached, if not biased,” noting that the agency labeled the strike “alleged” and claimed an inability to verify the attack independently.

She noted that after the network declined the invitation to visit Starobelsk, four days later it aired a segment praising the effectiveness of Ukrainian drones, filmed by correspondent Nick Paton Walsh, who is wanted in Russia over his alleged involvement in the Kursk incursion of 2024.

Zakharova pointed to a detail in the CNN report about a drone strike on Stavropol, suggesting Walsh could have been embedded with a Ukrainian unit “at the very moment they were coordinating a planned attack on the college in Starobelsk.”

US President Donald Trump has given Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan his “complete and total” endorsement ahead of parliamentary elections early next month. The US and Armenia recently announced a major partnership agreement, with Russia warning that Yerevan could lose major economic benefits if it distances itself from Moscow.

In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump praised Pashinyan as “a great friend and Leader” who is “making his Country strong, wealthy, and very secure.” 

He added that the Armenian leader “completely shares my vision of PEACE and PROSPERITY for Armenia and the entire South Caucasus region,” concluding the post with: “Make (Armenia) Great Again – MAGA!” Pashinyan thanked Trump, calling the message a mark of “high appreciation and friendly words.”

The project would carve a 43-km road-and-rail corridor through southern Armenia, linking Azerbaijan to the exclave of Nakhchivan, while opening a transit gateway for American energy companies reaching into Central Asia. Under the framework, the US holds a 74% stake in the TRIPP Development Company for an initial 49-year term, with Armenia retaining full sovereignty over all project areas.

Officials in Moscow maintain that Armenia – which hosts a Russian military base – remains “a fraternal country,” but have expressed concerns over Pashinyan’s push to forge closer ties with the EU.
Earlier this month, Armenia hosted a summit of the European Political Community. The event was attended by Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, who urged European leaders to increase military and financial pressure on Russia.

“That is abnormal and does not fit with the spirit of our relations with Yerevan,” Peskov said, adding that Moscow does not understand “why anti-Russian statements are coming from [Armenia].”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has also warned Pashinyan that simultaneous membership in the Eurasian Economic Union – which comprises Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan – and the EU is impossible. Russia has also said that Armenia’s EEAU membership “is yielding concrete dividends,” but that its current political course could lead to a decline in living standards.

Pashinyan heads into the election amid declining poll numbers. His approval rating – which soared to 82% when he swept to power on a wave of protests in 2018 – has since cratered, with a survey in May by the CAEAC Focus sociological center showing approval at around 11%.

His numbers have been reeling due to Armenia’s defeat in a proxy war with neighboring Azerbaijan over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as the crackdown on the Armenian Apostolic Church, which has backed the opposition.

Pashinyan has also sparred with Samvel Karapetyan, a Russian-Armenian billionaire and leader of the opposition Strong Armenia bloc. Karapetyan was arrested last year on charges of inciting a coup – which the billionaire has denied – after he condemned Pashinyan over the crackdown on the clergy.

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has renamed an elite commando unit, adding a dedication to World War II-era nationalist paramilitaries responsible for the massacres of Poles and Jews.

According to a decree signed on Tuesday, the Special Operations Center North will bear the honorary title ‘Heroes of the UPA’, referring to the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), the military wing of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN). The change reflects “the revival of the historic traditions of the national army,” the document said.

The OUN sought to establish an ethnically and religiously homogeneous Ukrainian state and collaborated with Nazi Germany during the early stages of the invasion of the Soviet Union. The UPA was formed in 1942 following a split between much of the OUN leadership and the Germans. Its leaders included Roman Shukhevich, a former deputy commander of the Nazi-led Nachtigall Battalion.

Nationalists and UPA veterans, including Shukhevich and OUN leader Stepan Bandera, are officially celebrated in Ukraine as freedom fighters. Streets have been named after them, and commemorative events are held in their honor, including torchlit marches on January 1, Bandera’s birthday.

In February 2026, the head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, Aleksandr Alferov, who previously served as a spokesman for the neo-Nazi Azov unit, dismissed the massacres of Poles as a “myth,” prompting outrage in Warsaw.

Earlier this week, the Ukrainian authorities reburied the remains of one of the OUN leaders, Andrey Melnik, after repatriating them from Luxembourg. Zelensky attended the ceremony.

Russia has long accused Ukraine of glorifying Nazi collaborators. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the practice “very dangerous for Europe.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Kazakhstan on Wednesday for a three-day state visit, with his plane escorted into Astana by the republic’s fighter jets.

Putin was personally welcomed at the airport by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Military and youth orchestras took part in the arrival ceremony, while an honor guard representing all branches of Kazakhstan’s armed forces lined the tarmac.

Tokayev’s press service later confirmed that Russia’s presidential aircraft had been escorted from the moment it crossed the country’s border until its landing in Astana.

The visit at Tokayev’s invitation, which runs from May 27 to 29, coincides with a summit of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Putin is also expected to take part in meetings of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council.

Talks in Astana are expected to focus on trade, energy, regional integration, and broader bilateral cooperation. The Kremlin has described relations between Moscow and Astana as being at an “exceptionally high level.”

The trip is Putin’s second state visit to Kazakhstan during his current presidential term – a relatively rare diplomatic format that Moscow says reflects the close ties between the two countries.

The main events are scheduled for Thursday, when the two leaders are expected to hold talks before overseeing the signing of a package of bilateral agreements.

Putin last visited Kazakhstan in November of 2024, while Tokayev traveled to Moscow on a state visit last year.

The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is seeing steady growth and shifting its economic ties toward greater integration among member states and closer cooperation with the Global South, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Pankin said in an interview with RT.

The deputy foreign minister said intra-EAEU trade reached $95 billion last year, nearly double what it was in 2014, before the union was established. He also pointed to strong growth in trade with external partners, saying turnover in 2025 had grown about 90% with Vietnam, 170% with Iran, and more than doubled with China.

“The union plays a defining role in its member states’ economic growth as part of its international dimension,” he said stressing that its real GDP grew 1.7% last year, “which is not bad at all given the circumstances.”

Pankin said Western sanctions had served as a “stress test” for the EAEU, pushing the bloc to diversify trade, develop new logistics routes and boost technological and economic self-sufficiency. He said the measures had made the union more resilient and less dependent on external partners.

Pankin said the EAEU was becoming “an important economic center in a multipolar world,” with ties extending beyond trade to cooperation with organizations including the United Nations, SCO and ASEAN. He added that the bloc has signed more than 80 memorandums with international partners, mainly from the Global South.

See the full interview below

Muslims across Russia have held mass prayers to mark Kurban Bayram, also known as Eid al-Adha, one of the religion’s biggest holidays. Islam is the second-most widely practiced religion in the country after Orthodox Christianity.

According to Islamic tradition, Kurban Bayram commemorates the Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to God. The holiday, which coincides with the end of the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, emphasizes charity, mercy, and communal solidarity.

Muslims traditionally mark the occasion with special prayers and the ritual sacrifice of livestock, with meat distributed among relatives, neighbors, and those in need.

An estimated 20 million Muslims live in Russia, in addition to migrants from former Soviet republics in Central Asia who reside in the country and are harder to count.

Some 350,000 people took part in celebrations in Moscow at the Cathedral Mosque and other designated prayer sites on Wednesday.

Mass prayers were also held in Russia’s second-largest city of St. Petersburg, where some 300,000 believers were in attendance, as well as in predominantly Muslim Republics of Tatarstan and Chechnya.

Some 25,000 Russian pilgrims are currently in Mecca performing the Hajj pilgrimage, according to Rushan Abbyasov, mufti of the Moscow Region.

President Vladimir Putin offered Russia’s Muslim community his best wishes on the occasion, praising its organizations for their role in strengthening family values, charitable work, and supporting Russian servicemen and their families.

Russia-Kazakhstan ties are built on “unbreakable principles of mutual trust” and are crucial to stability across Eurasia, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said ahead of a three-day visit to Astana starting on Wednesday.

The trip coincides with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) summit and marks Putin’s second state visit to Kazakhstan during his current presidential term. Talks in Astana are expected to focus on trade, energy, and regional integration, according to the Kremlin.

Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov described relations between Moscow and Astana as being at an “exceptionally high level.” “As a rule, one state visit takes place during one presidential term,” he noted, stressing the unusual frequency of top-level contact between the two countries.

Ahead of the visit, Putin published an article in Kazakh state newspaper Kazakhstanskaya Pravda, titled “Russia and Kazakhstan Alliance in the Heart of Eurasia.” He described the two countries as key strategic and economic partners and said Moscow is committed to deepening “multifaceted allied relations” with Astana.

Putin said Russian investment in Kazakhstan has reached nearly $30 billion, with around 70 major joint projects currently underway in sectors ranging from heavy industry to chemicals and car manufacturing. According to the Russian president, the projects have already created more than 60,000 jobs.

Putin also mentioned work on the North-South and Europe-Western China transport corridors as well as preparations for the Soyuz-5 launch project at the Baiterek space complex – a joint Russian-Kazakh launch facility at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Putin last visited Kazakhstan in November 2024, while Tokayev traveled to Moscow on a state visit in 2025. During that trip the two countries signed a declaration elevating ties to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership and alliance – a status Russia has officially granted only to China, Iran, and North Korea.

The International University Sports Federation (FISU) has allowed Russian athletes to compete in its events in all disciplines via a neutral status. In sports where a relevant federation has already lifted restrictions on Russia, they will be able to participate with their national flag and anthem, it added.

Athletes from Russia and Belarus were banned from international competitions, including the Olympics, following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. Some curbs were later eased, with several sporting federations allowing certain representatives from the two countries to return as neutral competitors.

Moscow has decried the restrictions as illegal, with Russian President Vladimir Putin insisting that athletes should be granted equal access to competition based solely on merit and stressing that “politics has no place in sport.”

The student sports governing body said in a statement on Tuesday that the “outright exclusion of Russian student athletes on grounds of nationality alone is considered disproportionate and inconsistent with FISU’s educational mission.”

“The IOC has not lifted its senior restrictions for Russian athletes, but recommends that youth athletes should not be held accountable for the actions of their governments,” it explained.

In the same statement, FISU announced that Belarusian athletes have been fully reinstated effective immediately after the Olympic officials suggested that all restrictions on the country should be removed.

Russia’s Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev said that Moscow welcomes “the gradual softening of conditions for Russian students by FISU.” He also congratulated Belarusian student athletes on their ability to compete under their flag again.

The deputy head of the Russian parliament’s Committee for Sport and Tourism, Dmitry Svischev, told Tass that “FISU has followed the path adequately as the goal of sport is to unite people.” Its decision “sends the right signal” to other international sports organizations, he said.

Only 41 Russian representatives participated using a neutral status in the FISU World University Games in Germany last summer, winning six gold, six silver and four bronze medals.

A distinguished Russian psychiatrist has classified transgender identity as a mental illness during a major medical congress in Russia.

Speaking at the 18th Congress of Psychiatrists of Russia last week, Olga Bukhanovskaya, chief physician of the Phoenix Medical and Rehabilitation Scientific Center in Rostov-on-Don, introduced the concept of a “transgender spectrum disorder.”

“If people now use the nice-sounding phrase ‘autism spectrum disorder’ then we can say ‘transgender spectrum disorder’ and all of these mental illnesses fall under it,” Bukhanovskaya said.

The proposed category includes five distinct conditions: “homosexuality,” “fetishistic transvestism,” a term describing cross-dressing linked to sexual arousal, “personality disorders,” “schizotypal disorder,” and “schizophrenia with periodic effeminacy,” which refers to intermittent feminine behavior or traits in men.

She accused what she called a “fifth column of medicine” of promoting transgender rights, saying “trans-LGBT-friendly doctors,” psychologists and lecturers were indoctrinating patients and the wider medical community.

The World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders in 1990. Under the WHO’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), the global diagnostic manual used by doctors and health systems worldwide, transsexualism was also removed from the category of mental illnesses when updated standards took effect in 2022.

Moscow suspended its planned transition to ICD-11 in 2024, saying some provisions conflicted with the country’s traditional values.

In recent years, Russia has taken steps to promote traditional values and banned “LGBT propaganda,” designating the international movement as “extremist.” Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, have argued that Western-promoted LGBTQ agendas seek to “erode, erase, and subjugate” the values and identities of other countries.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that non-traditional relationships between adults remain a private matter, though he has stressed that their promotion, especially among minors, is prohibited.

A Moscow arbitration court has granted the Bank of Russia’s request for the immediate enforcement of a ruling ordering Euroclear to pay around €200 billion ($233 billion), RBK reported on Tuesday, citing lawyers for the Belgian clearing house.

Ukraine’s Western backers froze about $300 billion in Russian sovereign assets after the escalation of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev in 2022, most of it held at the Brussels-based depository.

While the EU has so far stopped short of seizing the assets outright, Brussels has transferred some €6.6 billion in profits generated from frozen Russian central bank assets to a fund for Ukraine since 2024.

Moscow has said any use of its frozen assets would amount to theft, also warning it could retaliate by seizing about €200 billion in Western assets held in Russia, though it has so far stopped short of doing so.

The Bank of Russia described the ruling as fair, noting that it takes into account not only the ongoing nature of the violation, but also the risk that any delay in enforcement would prolong the restoration of the violated rights.

The initial ruling ordering Euroclear to pay €200 billion was issued by the arbitration court last week. Commenting at the time, Euroclear called it unfounded, adding that such claims are not recognized under EU law. It also pledged to appeal the verdict.

Shortly after filing a lawsuit against Euroclear in December, the Bank of Russia said it could expand its legal action over frozen assets beyond the Belgian-based depository to include other European banks that also hold its funds.

Ukrainian draft officers have been caught adding dead people and convicts to the mobilization database amid military manpower shortages and growing public anger over forced conscription, Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko has said.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Kiev lost around 500,000 troops in 2025 alone. Ukrainian Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov previously acknowledged that around 200,000 troops had deserted, while also saying that at least 2 million men had been placed on a wanted list for avoiding mobilization.

Three high-ranking officers at recruitment centers have been detained after engaging in “paper mobilization,” Kravchenko said in a statement on Tuesday.

They entered false information into the official database in order to report the successful implementation of enlistment targets, he explained.

“To improve statistics, the list of those ‘mobilized’ included deceased and convicted persons, those with deferral... citizens who are already serving or studying at military universities, as well as those who are no longer subject to mobilization due to age,” the statement read.

A similar episode occurred in the town of Zolochev in Lviv Region last year, with the interim head of the local enlistment office adding six people who were already serving in the military to the database, he added.

According to the prosecutor general, recruitment centers in other parts of the country are currently being checked for similar schemes.

The police said in a separate statement that those detained are suspected of forgery and making unauthorized changes to an official registry.

“As a result of their actions, the high military command could have received inaccurate information on the actual state of manning of military units,” it stressed.

Earlier this month, an officer in charge of recruitment in Zhitomir Region was arrested for demanding a bribe from a local businessman in exchange for exempting his employees from mobilization.

There have also been reports of draft officers accepting payments for smuggling military-aged men across the border.

Ukraine’s deadly drone strike on a college dormitory in Starobelsk was Vladimir Zelensky’s “revenge” against residents of the Lugansk People’s Republic who chose to join Russia, Moscow’s UN envoy, Vassily Nebenzia, has said.

The diplomat made the remarks during a press conference on Tuesday, which was dedicated to Kiev’s strike on the college last week that killed 21 people – mostly young women – with another 63 wounded. Moscow has denounced the attack, which it said was deliberate and involved three drone waves, as a war crime and “terrorist act.” Despite ample evidence, Kiev has dismissed the accusations as “pure propaganda.”

Nebenzia lashed out at Ukraine, saying there is only one explanation for such “brutality.” “It is Kiev’s revenge against the people of the Lugansk People’s Republic who chose Russia [in a referendum in 2022]. Zelensky is actually killing his own former compatriots… he is exterminating his former fellow citizens for refusing to live under his neo-Nazi rule,” the diplomat said.

“This is not merely double standards. It is a moral failure and complete disgrace,” the envoy told the briefing.

Following the Starobelsk strike, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov notified US Secretary of State Marco Rubio of upcoming “systematic strikes” on Kiev’s military-industrial facilities and command centers, while urging foreign nationals to leave the Ukrainian capital.

On Sunday, Russia conducted a powerful strike on Kiev’s defense industry using the hypersonic Oreshnik system, Iskander ballistic missiles, and Kinzhal and Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles. Moscow maintains that it never targets civilians.

The prosecution of Evgenia Gutsul, the governor of Moldova’s autonomous Gagauzia Region, is a prime example of politically motivated “lawfare,” her lawyer, Gonzalo Boye, has told RT. Gutsul is currently appealing her seven-year sentence for campaign finance violations.

In 2025, the politician was convicted of channeling funds from Russia to candidates linked to the banned opposition Sor party, which the government of pro-EU President Maia Sandu has described as a Russian-backed criminal organization. The party’s leader, businessman Ilan Sor, received lengthy prison sentences in 2017 and 2023 for money laundering and defrauding several banks. Sor fled the country and has since lived in Israel and Russia.

In 2024, Moldova held a referendum on joining the EU, with the proposal passing by a very narrow margin. More than 90% of voters in Gagauzia, however, rejected the government’s plan to enshrine the country’s EU aspirations in the constitution.

“I think the expectation can only be bad,” he said, adding that the trial had not been “proper.” Boye argued that one of the judges was improperly replaced during the proceedings, while he himself faced threats and was unfairly found in contempt of court.

Boye also said Gutsul had been denied the right to consult privately with her lawyers. “I think this is a crystal clear case of lawfare… in a country that is a candidate to join the European Union,” he said.

Both Gutsul and Sor have denied wrongdoing. The self-exiled businessman described Gutsul’s arrest last year as “political terrorism.”

Russia has denied accusations that it was trying to interfere in Moldova’s politics. The Russian Foreign Ministry nevertheless condemned the prosecution of Gutsul as “shameful.”

Watch the full interview here:

The Russian military will begin targeting bunkers used by Ukrainian military commanders and leadership in response to Kiev’s continued terrorist attacks on civilians, senior MP Andrey Kartapolov says. Ukraine’s parliament – the Verkhovnaya Rada – and Vladimir Zelensky’s office are not on the target list, he told Parliamentskaya Gazeta on Tuesday.

In the wake of the deadly Ukrainian drone attack on a college in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Moscow announced a new strategy, pledging to systematically hit assorted targets across the Ukrainian capital in retaliation. The strike killed at least 21 people, mostly teenage girls sleeping in a dormitory, in what the Russian Foreign Ministry characterized as the manifestation of “the Nazi and terrorist nature of the Kiev regime.”

Russia’s “patience has run out,” Kartapolov said, commenting on the tragedy. Kiev’s tactics have spiraled into “blatant terrorism against our civilians,” the head of the State Duma Defense Committee stated, adding that Moscow would now abandon its self-imposed commitment not to target Ukraine’s capital.

When asked about potential targets, the lawmaker stated that neither the Verkhovnaya Rada building nor Zelensky’s office counts as a “decision-making center.” Ukrainian MPs do not control the troops, and Zelensky himself does not even visit his office any longer, the MP stated.

Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry urged foreigners to leave the Ukrainian capital and warned locals to stay away from military, industrial, and government sites. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the issue with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as well.

The EU has openly dismissed the warnings, accusing Moscow of “unacceptable escalation.” The bloc’s foreign policy spokeswoman, Anitta Hipper, said on X on Tuesday that Brussels summoned the Russian Charge d’Affairs over the ministry’s call and stated that “the EU delegation stays in Kiev.”

The Russian military maintains that it never targets purely civilian sites in Ukraine and focuses on military or dual-use installations.

On May 25, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a strong statement regarding Ukraine. Condemning the recent strike by Ukrainian forces on a college building and dormitory in Starobelsk which resulted in the deaths of 21 students and many injuries, the ministry warned that the incident was the last straw for Russia and that its “cup of patience has overflowed.”

According to the Foreign Ministry, the Russian military will now systematically target defense industry facilities in Kiev. Moscow urged foreigners, including diplomats and representatives of international organizations, to leave the Ukrainian capital “as soon as possible” and advised civilians to stay away from defense industry facilities.

Following the statement, the newspaper Kommersant asked Russian experts to assess the Foreign Ministry’s message.

Andrey Ilnitsky, military expert, member of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy (CFDP):

The Foreign Ministry’s statement regarding the targeted strike on an educational institution in Starobelsk, which resulted in the death of students, highlighted that the ‘cup of patience’ had overflowed. This means that the amount of suffering and anger that society and the state can put up with has reached a certain breaking point. In such a situation, transitioning to a strategy of ‘managed escalation’ seems like a rational necessity. 

It is essential to understand that the spiritual essence of ‘managed escalation’ lies not in revenge but in a moral cause-and-effect relationship: justice acts as an objective spiritual law, a form of retribution that cannot be avoided. In military terms, this strategy involves gradually increasing the costs for the Ukrainian nationalists and their Western partners. 

The adversary must realize that every step we take up the escalation ladder sends a clear message about our serious intentions, the inevitable expansion of strikes and the means of attack, demonstrating that the previous limits of restraint have been exhausted, and the next blow will be even more painful and will cause greater damage.

Vasiliy Kashin, director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, CFDP member

I believe that the intensification of the strikes on Kiev is an inevitable response to the recent escalation of Ukrainian attacks deep into Russian territory. If Russia increases its strikes on Ukraine’s largest city without worrying about collateral damage, it will have more opportunities to destroy Ukrainian drone production facilities and stockpiles. At the same time, this will ramp up pressure on the Ukrainian authorities to initiate negotiations. Additionally, within Russia, there are those who advocate for decisive retaliatory strikes.

Sergey Poletaev, analyst, CFDP member, co-founder and editor of the Vatfor Project:  

There’s a difference between statements and military feasibility. Kiev is the most fortified city in Ukraine (and possibly in Europe, with the exception of Russia) in terms of air defense. 

The winter attacks on Kiev’s energy infrastructure and the ongoing bombings of military facilities and command centers have repeatedly highlighted the complexity and costliness of breaching Kiev’s air defense system. However, yesterday’s events have revealed that the air defense capabilities around Kiev have been sufficiently depleted for a mass attack to be effective. 

I believe this has been the main reason behind the shift in our airstrike paradigm. We’ll see how the Foreign Ministry’s statements translate into action.

Dmitry Suslov, deputy director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, CFDP member:

The transition to systematic strikes on defense industry facilities and decision-making centers in Kiev was long overdue. Given the intensification of terrorist activities by the Kiev regime, this has become absolutely necessary. Moreover, in light of the depletion of missiles for Western air defense systems supplied to Kiev, this is now technically achievable.

The barbaric strike by the Ukrainian armed forces on Starobelsk marked a peak in their escalating terrorist activities against Russia, which have been intensifying for months. These actions included increasingly widespread long-range attacks targeting civilian infrastructure deep within Russian territory.

Europe plays a direct role in these assaults, as the production of drones for Ukraine is based on its territory. European countries also allow these drones to pass through their territory and provide Kiev with crucial intelligence information used for the strikes. The goal of these attacks, including the inhumane strike on the college in Starobelsk, is to derail negotiations that were set to resume in the coming weeks under US mediation. These talks were based on the so-called Anchorage agreements (which stipulated that Ukrainian forces must withdraw from the territories they occupy in the Donetsk People’s Republic as a primary condition for a ceasefire). European elites are eager to prolong the conflict, believing it will ultimately lead to Russia’s critical exhaustion and give them time to bolster their own military resources. At the same time, Europe and Kiev aim to force Russia into making concessions that would render any notion of its victory impossible.

Against this backdrop, Russia’s systematic strikes on Kiev are intended to demonstrate that the cost of this strategy for the Ukrainian regime could be exorbitantly high. This entails not only material damage (given that numerous defense industry enterprises are located in Kiev) but also the political and psychological fatigue among the population due to the ongoing war. Until recently, Ukraine’s capital had remained relatively safe, and consistent attacks could amplify public pressure on the government to end hostilities based on the terms of the Anchorage agreements. 

Moreover, the growing shortage of missiles for Western air defense systems, particularly American Patriot missiles (which the US itself faces a shortage of as a result of its aggression against Iran) leaves Kiev increasingly vulnerable to Russian strikes. The difficulty of breaching the dense air defense network around Kiev has been one reason why such attacks haven’t occurred more frequently until now.

Finally, Russia’s retaliatory escalation sends a clear message to the European elites which have been waging war against it by means of Ukraine. Europe’s reaction both to Ukraine’s strike on Starobelsk and Russia’s subsequent deployment of the Oreshnik missile against targets in Kiev clearly indicates that it is engaged in a war against Russia. Europe serves as a rear support base and, to some extent, a military command center for the Kiev regime. Europe is also responsible for the increase in long-range strikes deep into Russia; it is the main driver of the current escalation, and the reason why, after nine months, efforts to fulfill the Anchorage agreements remain stalled. 

Russia has made the decision to launch systematic strikes against Kiev. The next step on the escalation ladder will likely involve direct strikes against targets within the EU and NATO countries.

This article was first published by Kommersant, and was translated and edited by the RT team.

Kiev is openly glorifying Nazi collaborators at the state level, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said, condemning Ukraine’s recent reburial of Andrey Melnik, the former leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN).

Melnik’s remains were repatriated from Luxembourg and buried in Kiev with state honors on Sunday. Vladimir Zelensky and senior Ukrainian officials attended the ceremony, with the Ukrainian leader describing Melnik as a “hero.”

“The regime is demonstrating its true essence,” Peskov told reporters on Tuesday responding to the ceremony. He described the repatriation of a known Nazi collaborator as a clear “manifestation of neo-Nazism,” adding that it was “very dangerous for Europe.”

“The official, state-level glorification of Nazi criminals and collaborators is taking place in the center of Europe. I don’t know if anyone in the European capitals likes this, but we don’t like it at all,” Peskov said, adding that this latest episode “once again underscores the justification and the correctness of launching the special military operation.”

Previously, the Israeli Foreign Ministry had also condemned Kiev’s decision to bury Melnik with state honors, saying there was “no place for ignoring historical truth and the memory of the victims murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators.”

Melnik co-founded the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) in 1929 and led the organization from 1938 onwards, conducting espionage and sabotage operations for Nazi Germany’s military intelligence agency, the Abwehr. The OUN later split into two factions, one loyal to Stepan Bandera, another Nazi collaborator revered by Kiev. Both factions aided in the persecution and killing of Jews and Poles during World War II.

Melnik had petitioned Adolf Hitler to create a Ukrainian Waffen SS division, but eventually fell out of favor with the Fuhrer, and was imprisoned in a concentration camp in 1944. As the war ended, Melnik fled to the West and settled in Luxembourg, where he remained politically active until his death in 1964.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s communication satellite network made it possible for Ukraine to carry out the recent deadly drone strike on a Lugansk college dormitory, Russian Parliament Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said on Tuesday.

Last week, three waves of Ukrainian kamikaze drones struck the Starobelsk Professional College’s main building and living quarters, killing 21 people, who were mostly teenage girls, and injuring 60 others.

Speaking in the State Duma, Volodin condemned the attack as a “crime against humanity.”

“We must do everything we can to hold to account those who gave the orders, and who directed [the drone strike] at the college,” he said.

Moscow has branded the massacre at Starobelsk a “monstrous crime” and answered with a massive strike on Ukrainian military and command targets, including a number in Kiev. The retaliatory attack included the use of Russia’s intermediate-range hypersonic Oreshnik system, Kinzhal and Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles, and other munitions.

Over the past week, Ukrainian strikes have killed 51 civilians and injured nearly 200 across Russia, the highest weekly toll recorded this year, according to Rodion Miroshnik, who leads the Russian Foreign Ministry mission responsible for tracking Ukrainian war crimes.

Supporters of Moldovan politician Evgenia Gutsul have published an electronic book collecting letters she has written from a prison in Chisinau. Gutsul was handed a seven-year sentence by a court in the EU candidate state, whose government has been hailed by Brussels as a champion of democracy.

Gutsul was elected governor of Gagauzia in 2023. The small autonomous region in southern Moldova is home to the Gagauz, a Turkic-speaking Orthodox Christian minority. In a 2024 referendum, local voters overwhelmingly opposed the central government’s drive to bring Moldova into the EU.

In 2025, Gutsul was convicted on money laundering charges linked to an opposition party that pro-EU President Maia Sandu’s government has described as a Russian-backed criminal network. Chisinau has moved aggressively against the group, claiming it was defending Moldova from foreign influence. Moscow denied any financial involvement, condemned the case as politically motivated, and accused the Moldovan authorities of suppressing the opposition.

According to the Gagauz leader, the letters are meant to show readers a side of Moldovan politics she says is ignored by Western media. She said they would detail her region’s efforts to preserve its identity, the personal toll her political choices have taken on her family, and whether EU expansion is justified if it comes at the expense of political dissent.

The actions of Bulgaria’s aviation authorities have nearly cost the Russian gymnastics team their place at the European Championship. Sofia's civil aviation administration refused to approve a charter flight for the athletes to the country's Black Sea coastal city of Varna.

The team nevrtheless arrived in Varna on an alternative flight on Tuesday, just a day before the start of the competition, which is being held between May 27 and May 31.

The Russian Gymnastics Federation had to promptly approach another carrier – Turkish Airlines – and ask it to provide a bigger aircraft for a regular Istanbul-Varna flight to facilitate the team’s trip.

The federation extended its “sincere gratitude” to Turkish Airlines for its cooperation.

The championship will be the first major international competition for Russian gymnasts since they were cleared to return to the international events under their national flag. Its results will determine quota places for the World Championship.

Last week, the World Gymnastics Executive Committee announced it was lifting its ban on Russian and Belarusian gymnasts. The restrictions placed in the wake of the Ukraine conflict’s escalation in 2022 have been condemned by Moscow and Minsk as politically motivated.

Earlier this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced what he described as selective sanctions against Russian competitors, arguing that the differing treatment compared with other conflicts exposed political bias and corruption within international sports bodies. Athletes should get access to competitions solely on merit as “politics has no place in sport,” the president said at the time.

Ten employees from the Starobelsk Professional College in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic have been added to the ‘kill list’ run by Ukraine’s state-linked Mirotvorets website, just days after a dormitory at the facility was targeted by Kiev in a drone strike that killed 21 students.

According to data from the website, the recent entries include seven women and three men, among them deputy directors and teachers at the college. The database accuses them of publicly supporting Russia, attempting to undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and spreading propaganda among minors.

The Mirotvorets database, which has been linked to the Ukrainian security services, is notorious for publishing the addresses and personal details of anyone critical of the Kiev regime, including journalists, athletes, artists, and politicians, some of whom have subsequently been assassinated.

The inclusion comes after the Starobelsk college was hit on Friday by several waves of Ukrainian drones. According to the Russian authorities, UAVs struck the college’s academic building and dormitory while 86 children, aged 14 to 18, were inside. The attack killed 21 students, mostly teenage girls, and 60 more sustained injuries.

The Russian military responded to the attack on Sunday by conducting a “massive strike” against military targets in Ukraine, including in Kiev, which featured the intermediate-range hypersonic Oreshnik system, Iskander ballistic missiles, and Kinzhal and Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles.

Western officials have since condemned Russia’s retaliatory strikes while failing to address Ukraine’s initial attack on the Starobelsk dormitory. Western media outlets such as the BBC and CNN have also refused invitations to send journalists to the scene of the attack.

Moscow has called out Kiev’s backers for remaining “brutally silent” on Ukraine’s war crimes. Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, accused the West of once again “turning a blind eye” to the crimes of the “neo-Nazi Kiev regime” and engaging in “blatant mockery of child victims.”

A senior Estonian border official has blamed Google Maps after a series of incidents involving locals traversing the country’s border with Russia.

Four accidental border crossings have been recorded in recent months, Regina Kukk, head of the Narva border station, told local media. Violations can lead to fines of up to €600 ($700) and detention lasting several days, she said

“If you do not want trouble, choose another body of water,” Kukk said. “Of course, we cannot ban people [from taking risks]. For our part, we are doing everything we can to reduce the number of violations.”

To avoid such problems, Estonia’s Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) recommends not suing Google Maps and other popular navigation services, but to rely on the official Nutimeri navigation app or a dedicated GPS device.

Estonia and Russia have long-running disagreements over their border, rooted in the collapse of the Russian Empire and sharpened by the Ukraine conflict.

Estonia came under Russian rule in the early 18th century, after Sweden ceded large areas to members of the Russian-led coalition that defeated it in the 1700–1721 Northern War. When the Russian Empire collapsed amid World War I and the ensuing revolutionary upheaval, Estonia declared its independence. The Bolshevik government recognized the separation in the 1920 Treaty of Tartu.

Estonia joined the USSR in 1940; according to Moscow, the Soviets had deemed it necessary amid the threat posed by Nazi Germany. Russia maintains that the move invalidated the 1920 treaty, while some Estonian politicians continue to dispute that position.

Under the old treaty, parts of what is now Russian territory were assigned to Estonia. An effort to finalize the modern border in 2005 collapsed after Tallinn added a reference to the Treaty of Tartu to the agreement, which Moscow said could create grounds for future territorial claims.

Ukraine conflict fuels buoy dispute

Tensions along the roughly 300 km border, a significant part of which runs through the Narva River, intensified in May 2024. The PPA accused Russian border guards of unilaterally removing around half of the 50 buoy markers Estonia had unilaterally placed in the river.

The markers are normally adjusted jointly every spring because the riverbed shifts over time. However, the deterioration of bilateral relations following the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict has prevented the usual cooperation.

Then-Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, now the EU’s foreign policy chief, accused Russia of targeting the buoys in order “to create fear and anxiety” in Estonia.

Border tensions on the rise

Travel restrictions, combined with other policies targeting Russian-language and cross-border ties, have made life more difficult for many ethnic Russians living in Estonia. People with relatives, property, or business interests in Russia have been among those most affected.

Border tensions have escalated further this year after repeated incidents involving Ukrainian kamikaze drones crashing in countries bordering Russia. Just south of Estonia in Latvia, such incidents triggered a political crisis, culminating in the collapse of the ruling coalition in mid-May.

Western governments have placed ultimate responsibility for Ukrainian incursions on Moscow. Russia, in turn, has accused the affected states of giving Kiev tacit permission to use their airspace for strikes on its ports in the Baltic.

The Russian Investigative Committee released a video on Monday showing the wreckage of a liquefied natural gas tanker that it said was struck by Ukrainian drones in the Mediterranean Sea.

According to investigators, the Russian-flagged vessel Arctic Metagaz was targeted by aerial and seaborne drones on March 3 between the coasts of Malta and Libya. The ship suffered “significant damage” and caught fire, while its control systems and two LNG storage tanks were destroyed. Two crew members were injured.

The Investigative Committee is treating the incident as an act of terrorism, spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko has said.

Although Kiev has not commented on the alleged attack on the Arctic Metagaz, Ukrainian security officials have previously claimed responsibility for similar strikes on Russia-linked tankers in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. Last year, the Security Service of Ukraine told the Kyiv Post that its naval drones had struck two oil tankers off the Turkish coast.

Russia has denied operating a so-called “shadow fleet” to evade Western sanctions and condemned the attacks on ships as a further escalation of the conflict.

Ukraine’s justification for its deadly strike on a college dormitory in Starobelsk, Russia is not backed by evidence, RT’s Rick Sanchez said while reporting from the scene.

Ukrainian drones attacked a small, regional campus of Lugansk State Pedagogical University in the early hours of Friday while students were asleep in their beds. A total of 21 people – 18 women and three men – were killed, and more than 40 others were injured.

The Ukrainian General Staff claimed that its forces had targeted one of the command posts of an elite Russian Rubicon drone unit. However, there were no signs of any military presence in or around the dormitory, Sanchez said.

“There wasn’t even a hint of military personnel here. It was a targeted attack on children,” said Roman Antonov, commander of a firefighting squad. Antonov said dozens of people were trapped under the rubble, but his team could not immediately reach them because the initial attack was followed by a second strike.

Rescuers continue to clear the rubble, while residents have been bringing flowers to makeshift memorials. Teachers held a memorial event outside the destroyed building, holding photographs of the victims.

“There were no military personnel” in the dormitory, university president Zhanna Marfina told Sanchez. She dismissed Ukraine’s account of the strike as a “pure lie.”

The Lugansk People’s Republic, a largely Russian-speaking region, voted to secede from Ukraine shortly after the Western-backed coup in Kiev in 2014. It later voted to join Russia in September 2022.

Kiev has refused to recognize the referendums and continues to consider the territory, including Starobelsk, to be occupied Ukrainian land.

“We’ve spoken Russian our whole lives,” one woman said, adding that the dormitory strike had left her “speechless.”

“They were deliberately targeting (the campus). It couldn’t have been a mistake,” another woman told Sanchez. “This is our Donbass. This is Russian land,” she added.

The Russian Foreign Ministry denounced the attack as a war crime and accused NATO members of helping Ukraine select targets for strikes.

Russia’s newly appointed human rights commissioner, Yana Lantratova, has honored the 21 students killed in a recent Ukrainian drone strike on a college dormitory, sharing photos of the victims – some just 18 years old – on Telegram.

According to Russian authorities, another 60 people were injured when three waves of Ukrainian kamikaze drones struck the main academic building and dormitory of the Starobelsk Professional College in the Lugansk People’s Republic overnight between Thursday and Friday.

The Russian military responded to what President Vladimir Putin called a deliberate “terrorist act” with a “massive strike” on Ukrainian military targets early on Sunday, using the intermediate-range hypersonic Oreshnik system, Iskander ballistic missiles, Kinzhal and Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles, along with other weapons.

In a Telegram post on Sunday, Lantratova, who traveled to Starobelsk following the attack, accused Ukrainian forces of carrying out a “targeted strike that killed 21 children.”

“No words can ease this pain. It is impossible to imagine the grief of parents who have lost the most precious thing – their child,” she wrote.

Lantratova said Ukrainian forces launched follow-up strikes targeting first responders after the initial attack. She described the incident as a “war crime” and said she had appealed to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.

The commissioner also visited survivors receiving treatment in a hospital and pledged that her office would provide all necessary assistance.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has spoken with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, warning him that long-range strikes against Kiev are imminent, while reiterating the “recommendation” that foreigners evacuate the Ukrainian capital immediately.

Earlier in the day, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced a shift in Moscow’s strategy in the Ukraine conflict, citing the recent deadly attack on a college dorm in the Russian town of Starobelsk, which killed at least 21 people, mainly teenage girls. The incident was the “last straw” for Moscow, which will now embark on a campaign of “systematic strikes” against the Ukrainian capital, targeting military-industrial facilities, command centers, and other sites dotting Kiev.

Russia’s top diplomat conveyed the information to Rubio by direct order of President Vladimir Putin, the ministry said in a statement. Lavrov also drew his counterpart’s attention to the “recommendation” issued by the Foreign Ministry in anticipation of the impending campaign, urging that all foreign nations, including the US, “ensure the evacuation of their diplomatic personnel and other citizens from the Ukrainian capital,” it added.

Moscow has long complained about the Ukrainian military launching indiscriminate strikes on civilian targets in Russia, branding them “terrorist attacks.” Kiev has intensified its long-range drone and missile attacks in recent months. Six civilians were killed in Russia’s Donetsk and Belgorod regions on Monday alone, according to local officials. The Russian military maintains that it never targets purely civilian sites in Ukraine and focuses on military or dual-use installations.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has condemned Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s decision to rebury Nazi collaborator Andrey Melnik with full state honors, declaring that “there is no place for ignoring historical truth.”

Melnik’s remains were repatriated from Luxembourg and buried in Kiev’s main military cemetery on Monday, with Zelensky and his top officials attending the ceremony. Describing Melnik as a “hero,” Zelensky said that he “worked to ensure that Ukraine was what it is, that Ukraine was itself, that Ukraine was free.”

In a statement on Monday, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said that it regrets “the decision to hold an official state reburial ceremony for OUN leader Andrey Melnik, who collaborated with the Nazis,” adding “there is no place for ignoring historical truth and the memory of the victims murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators.”

Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial center said that Melnik’s reburial “raises serious concerns.”

We regret the decision to hold an official state reburial ceremony for OUN leader Andriy Melnyk, who collaborated with the Nazis. There is no place for ignoring historical truth and the memory of the victims murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators. https://t.co/wwBWPlqneI

— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) May 25, 2026

“Honoring the leader of a movement that supported and collaborated with Nazi Germany during the persecution and murder of millions of Jews undermines the moral integrity essential to Holocaust remembrance,” the center said in a statement.

Melnik co-founded the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) in 1929 and led the organization from 1938 onwards, after Soviet agents killed its previous leader, Evgeny Konovalets. Melnik immediately began conducting espionage and sabotage operations for Nazi Germany’s military intelligence agency, the Abwehr.

Melnik petitioned Adolf Hitler to create a Ukrainian Waffen SS division, but eventually fell out of favor with the Third Reich, and was imprisoned in Sachsenhausen concentration camp in 1944. He avoided trial at Nuremberg and settled in Luxembourg after the war, where he remained politically active until his death in 1964.

Responding to Kiev’s plans to rebury Melnik, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Zelensky last week of glorifying “Nazi collaborationists and human-hating scum” from around the world.

Kiev’s deadly attack on a college dorm in the Russian town of Starobelsk last week was the “last straw” for Russia, and it will be conducting “systematic strikes” on assorted targets across the Ukrainian capital from now on, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow has announced.

The ministry made the statement on Monday, a day after a large-scale retaliatory strike on Kiev, prompted by the drone attack on the college in the Lugansk People’s Republic. The Ukrainian strike killed at least 21 people in their dormitory, mainly teenage girls.

The Starobelsk attack has become yet another testament to “the Nazi and terrorist nature of the Kiev regime, which deliberately targets civilians and does not hesitate to murder children in cold blood,” the ministry said, warning that Moscow is shifting its approach to the Ukraine conflict.

“This was the last straw. Under these circumstances, the Russian Armed Forces will be launching systematic strikes against the Ukrainian military-industrial complex in Kiev, including locations where UAVs are designed, manufactured, programmed, and prepared for use,” the ministry said, adding that the campaign will also affect “decision-making centers and command posts.”

The Foreign Ministry issued a similar warning earlier this month, when Russia threatened a large-scale strike on Kiev in response to its threats to attack the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow. An evacuation notice was formally sent to all foreign missions and international organizations accredited in Russia, urging them to leave the Ukrainian capital. 

The demand was openly snubbed by some Western nations, with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul stating that Berlin would not be “intimidated” by it. A similar stance was communicated by the EU Commission, which said it “will not change our posture or presence” in Kiev. The potential exchange in such strikes, however, never occurred, as the warring sides ultimately managed to enter an uneasy truce amid the celebrations.

Last year can be seen as the year in which the united anti-Russian coalition fell apart. In essence, there are now three players acting against Russia (Ukraine, Europe, and the US), and each has its own interests. Sergey Poletaev has prepared a series of articles in which we analyze the position of each player and its goals and interests in the conflict, and suggest how Russia might respond.

In this piece, we focus on the European Union. Read the first part about Ukraine here and the second one about the US.

Let’s just go to war

Throughout last year, the liberal Western European coalition took over from the US and assumed the role of both instigator and orchestrator of a proxy conflict with Russia. Initially, they hoped that Donald Trump would force Vladimir Putin to agree to ceasefire terms acceptable to them, after which it would be possible to rearm the Ukrainian military, deploy their own troops and, generally speaking, draw Ukraine into their military-political and economic sphere without undue military risks. In other words, to continue doing what had originally been the goal of the EU and US and which, in fact, had been the cause of what Russia calls the “Special Military Operation.”

These plans were buried in Anchorage. In essence, it was there that Trump abandoned attempts to impose Western Europe’s terms on Putin. At the same time, Kiev was able to convince its new masters that it was capable of fighting for at least another two or three years. Thus, the current plan was born: Western Europe gives Kiev money for the war, buys weapons from the US, sets up its own production of long-range strike drones, tightens the sanctions regime, and continues the conflict as it is, trading Ukrainians for time.

So, the goals have been set, the tasks defined. The question of funding has been resolved, doubts within their own ranks have been quelled, and work is in full swing. Until this wave of enthusiasm subsides, no meaningful negotiations with Western European countries are possible.

The EU’s strengths lie in its economy, which is vast compared to Russia’s, and a higher-than-expected degree of political consolidation. Consequently, they can finance Ukraine with ease, slotting tens of billions in unplanned expenditure into budget tables, so seamlessly that it is difficult to trace the path of the money.

Their weakness lies in the fact that they are prepared to wage war against Russia only through the exhausted Ukrainian army, which is on the brink of collapse, and only from Ukrainian territory. It is commonly believed among Russian experts that Western Europe is actively preparing for a direct military confrontation with Moscow, but this is hardly the case. All the current hysterical, aggressive rhetoric is, rather, a defensive reaction, a consequence of fear and uncertainty. They still refuse to believe that the US would not defend them if push came to shove. And they are very reluctant to find themselves face to face with Russia.

Hence the gap between rhetoric and actual actions. In practice, Western European states are avoiding major provocations and constantly backing down: the Belgian government flatly refused to confiscate frozen Russian assets, and no one has been able to persuade them otherwise. Poland and Romania are turning a blind eye to Russian drones allegedly flying into their airspace, according to their own statements. Despite their menacing rhetoric, the Baltic states are actually the quietest of all; for the sake of their own peace of mind, they had to make a fuss with Kiev about the drones that had flown into their territory. The UK is forced to let hundreds of tankers from a supposed Russian ‘Shadow Fleet’ pass by its shores. There are plenty more examples.

Russia, for its part, is attempting to establish rules of engagement with the EU based on the same principles as those it established with the US under Joe Biden, and subsequently under Trump. First and foremost, this means isolating the conflict within Ukraine. Since the entire strategy of the Western European coalition is based on the assumption that the Ukrainian military will be able to hold the front line for an indefinite period, Moscow’s logic dictates that this is precisely where the blow must be struck, and it is the front line that must be broken. Western Europe has no other such instrument at its disposal, nor is one in sight.

The second objective is to force Ukraine’s European rear to take full account of Russian nuclear weapons and to take the corresponding threats seriously. Moscow will likely continue to stage targeted military alerts directed at specific countries with the aim of steering their policies in the desired direction and instilling in the EU ruling class reflexes they have never possessed. The incident involving the Baltic states can be seen as a trial run.

Moscow’s aim is to bring relations with Western Europe into a relatively stable state of Cold War. This cannot be achieved easily; it will require navigating a series of crises of varying intensity, including, in all likelihood, nuclear ones.

Russia’s advantage lies in its ability to threaten specific countries in response to specific actions, in accordance with the ‘divide and rule’ principle. Suppose the German navy attempts to blockade Kaliningrad. In response, Russia threatens to strike naval bases on German territory. It makes this threat in such a way that there is no doubt: if the blockade is not lifted within 24 hours, the strike will be carried out. What would French President Emmanuel Macron do in such a case? Would he throw himself into the fray, risking becoming a target himself?

If we extend this line of thinking into the future, a distinct Russian principle of non-interference emerges, a sort of Russian-style Monroe Doctrine: the territories of Ukraine and Belarus (and, in a second phase, the Baltic states, Moldova, and the South Caucasus) are declared off-limits to hostile actions by third countries. This does not mean that every little provocation will be followed by a nuclear strike on London or Berlin, but it does mean that specific actions by specific European governments will have consequences for them, including military ones, and they will have to take this into account when making any decisions.

***

Despite the fact that Western Europe is not seeking direct conflict with Russia, it is prepared to participate in the proxy war in Ukraine with complete dedication. A major deal, a new security architecture with the countries of Europe, is impossible as long as the current political class remains in power there, a class that places supranational interests above national ones. And for the time being, they are wide-eyed with fear of the Russian bear.

We should expect Russia to continue playing on EU fears, orchestrating military alarms, and seeking to instill in them the reflexes Moscow requires. Since neither Russia nor the other major European countries wish to attack one another, there is a chance of reducing the confrontation to a Cold War with more or less predictable rules.

A tanker ship that arrived in Russia’s Leningrad Region from the Belgian port of Antwerp had NATO-made magnetic mines attached to its hull, the Russian Investigative Committee has said.

A criminal case has been opened over an attempted terrorist attack on the gas tanker, the Arrhenius, the agency said in a statement on Monday.

Divers discovered “factory-produced naval magnetic mines manufactured in one of the NATO countries” on the hull when they inspected the vessel upon its arrival in the port of Ust-Luga, the statement read.

The explosive devices were neutralized by Federal Security Service officers, working together with servicemen from the Defense Ministry and the National Guard, it added.

According to the Investigative Committee, the tanker came to Ust-Luga on May 20 for refueling, with the Turkish port of Samsun listed as its final destination.

The ship’s agent said during questioning that the Arrhenius had arrived in Russia after a delay of several days from its original schedule, it said.

The FSB said in a separate statement that the mass of plastic material in each of the explosive devices was approximately 7 kg. It didn’t say how many mines there were altogether.

The captain told the operatives that, before unloading in Antwerp, the tanker was sent to anchorage for about a day and a half due to an alleged strike by port workers, the agency added.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions between Russia and NATO over Ukrainian drones crossing the airspace of the Baltic states and Finland as they target northwestern Russia, including oil export terminals in Leningrad Region.

Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu warned last month that if European nations “deliberately provide their airspace” to Ukrainian UAVs, Moscow has the right to self-defense in response to an “armed attack” under Article 51 of the UN Charter.

Ukrainian attacks on Russian border regions have killed six civilians, including two children, local officials have said.

Attacks on the city of Gorlovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic have claimed four lives, including of two minors in their early teens, Mayor Ivan Prikhodko said. Three ambulance workers were reportedly injured in the same attacks.

In Belgorod Region, a local resident was killed when a drone struck a car in the border municipality of Graivoron, the administration reported on Monday morning. The area has been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian short-range attacks.

A separate strike in Bryansk Region hit two villages in the border municipality of Trubachevsk, acting Governor Yegor Kovalchuk said. Ukrainian forces used rocket artillery in the attack, killing one resident and injuring a firefighter, according to the official. Several apartment buildings, more than ten private homes, and other properties were damaged, he added.

Kamikaze drones were also intercepted near Yaroslavl, a city roughly 250 km northeast of Moscow, Governor Mikhail Yevraev reported. One woman suffered minor shrapnel wounds, he said. The raid forced authorities to temporarily close a highway linking Yaroslavl with the Russian capital.

Moscow has accused Kiev of deliberately targeting civilians. In a major incident last Friday, three waves of kamikaze drones struck a college in the town of Starobelsk, killing 21 people, most of them teenagers, and injuring 42 others.

Some Western countries backing Ukraine’s war effort claimed that Moscow fabricated the attack in the Lugansk People’s Republic, which Kiev considers part of Ukraine.

The Russian military later retaliated with strikes on targets in and around Kiev, including the launch of an Oreshnik medium-range nuclear-capable ballistic missile that reportedly hit a Ukrainian Air Force facility.

Russian mountaineer Rustam Nabiev has pulled off a historic Everest ascent using only his hands, dedicating the climb to “everyone” fighting through hardship.

The 34-year-old double amputee reached the top of the world’s highest mountain, which stands 8,848.86 meters above sea level, on May 20 at 8:16 AM local time. Nabiev described the climb as “the first in the history of mountaineering, the first in human history.”

“I, Rustam Nabiev, reached the summit of Everest using only my hands,” he wrote in a social media post announcing the achievement.

“I dedicate this ascent to everyone watching me now. With this act, I simply want to say one thing: as long as there’s life left in you, fight! Please fight to the end! It’s worth it,” he added.

Nabiev shared a photo of himself on the summit holding a poster that read: “To those who thought that life ended after the fall. Rustam Nabiev, Everest 2026.”

A powerful glimpse of Russian double-amputee climber Rustam Nabiev crossing the ladders of the Khumbu Icefall by hand during his Mt Everest (8,848.86 m) expedition this spring season, 2026. Nabiev said it took him nearly 15 hours to pass through the icefall up to Camp I (~6065… pic.twitter.com/YqxfPlDjTb

— Everest Today (@EverestToday) May 16, 2026

He lost his legs in 2015, when a military barracks collapsed in the Siberian city of Omsk. However, Nabiev refused to let the tragedy define him.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Рустам Набиев (@rustam_nabiev92)

He has since become known across Russia for brutal endurance challenges and high-altitude expeditions, relying on adaptive climbing equipment and sheer upper-body power.

Nepalese officials confirmed the ascent, with the coordinator of the Everest Base Camp field office telling Anadolu that Nabiev had successfully climbed Everest and was descending to base camp.

Nabiev admitted in a phone interview with TASS on Sunday that he had to overcome his fear of heights to complete the Everest climb. At the summit, he planted the Russian flag, later calling it a symbol of the strength and resilience of the Russian people.

“I did my utmost to bring our country up, to show that in our country, people are strong,” he said, adding that his achievement proved Russians “are always ready to be first.”

Russia’s newly appointed human rights commissioner, Yana Lantratova, has visited the destroyed college dorm in the town of Starobelsk. The Ukrainian attack killed at least 21 people, mainly teenage girls.

The commissioner visited the college on Sunday, meeting foreign journalists invited by Russia to report from the scene. While more than 50 reporters from 19 nations accepted the invitation, major Western mainstream outlets ignored it.

RT’s Murad Gadziev, who was among the first reporters to reach the scene shortly after the attack and worked at the site during the nearly two-day search and rescue effort, walked Lantratova through the heavily damaged building.

“We arrived here hours after the attack occurred. Nobody knew what was happening yet, everyone was in panic,” Gadziev told the human rights chief.

“As a mother, as a human rights activist, I can’t even imagine what a mother feels at this moment. We just mourn with them,” Lantratova said.

Nothing at the site indicates any military personnel were present at the dorm, Lantratova noted, referring to claims produced by Kiev. The Ukrainian military alleged the building housed a Russian drone unit, yet no evidence supports that claim.

“They say there are military personnel here. There are only children’s toys; there are only children’s belongings. There’s nothing military here,” Lantratova noted.

Watch the full video below:

Scores of delegations representing the Global Majority will take part in the first international security forum, which will be held outside of Moscow over May 26-29, the Russian Security Council has announced. 

The Russian Security Council is tasked with drafting policy proposals for the Russian president on countering internal or external threats, as well as defending the country’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.

In a press release on Sunday, the Security Council stated that delegations from more than 120 countries are expected to attend the event.

Of the 54 African nations, 50 will send representatives, while most Middle Eastern and Latin American countries will also participate. Furthermore, all member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), BRICS, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), including such heavyweights as China, India, Iran, Indonesia, and Pakistan, will take part.

This accounts for around 70% of the world’s population, the press release notes.

Moreover, “unofficial representatives” of 12 unspecified Western nations, who “actively advocate forging constructive relations with Russia,” will also be in attendance. A number of journalists from the US, the UK, Germany, and Japan, have also expressed interest in covering the forum.

The opening event will be a conference devoted to countering neocolonialism in the context of “ensuring the security of countries of the Global Majority,” held under the auspices of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.

Other topics on the forum’s agenda include disinformation and manipulation campaigns waged by the West as part “of a hybrid war against the Global Majority, with the aim of preserving its hegemony.”

Western mainstream media are “afraid to see the truth” about the Ukrainian attack on the Starobelsk college dorm, Russia’s newly appointed human rights commissioner, Yana Lantratova, has said, slamming the incident as a “deliberate murder of children.”

The attack on the dorm, staged overnight from Thursday to Friday, left at least 21 people dead, mainly teenage girls. The massacre has been largely ignored by the Western media and politicians, and Moscow has urged foreign reporters to come to the site.

The Russian Foreign Ministry arranged the media trip to Starobelsk on Sunday, with more than 50 reporters from 19 nations accepting the invitation. Speaking to the journalists at the location of the attack, Lantratova slammed those Western outlets that ignored the opportunity to report first-hand from the site.

“It was a deliberate murder of children. That’s what it’s called. And what are we seeing now? What’s happening on foreign platforms? Representatives from various countries are saying it is staged, that it’s a lie from the Russian media, and that ‘independent’ media could not confirm it because they could not come here,” she said, adding that some outlets did not even offer a “plausible explanation” for skipping the opportunity.

Where’s the BBC? Where’s CNN? Where are the Tokyo representatives? Where are their journalists? … They’re simply afraid to see the truth. They don’t want to see it and they don’t want to hear it.

The attack on Starobelsk prompted a large-scale retaliatory strike on the Ukrainian capital city of Kiev, which was conducted overnight. The strike featured the intermediate-range hypersonic Oreshnik system, as well as other ballistic and cruise missiles. The command centers of the Ukrainian ground forces and military intelligence were targeted, as well as air bases and defense industry sites, according to the Russian military.

Footage by RT shows foreign journalists touring the site of the deadly Ukrainian drone attack on a college dorm in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic.

Ukraine targeted a teacher training college dormitory in the town of Starobelsk with several waves of UAVs on Friday, killing 21 people, mostly teenage girls, and injuring 60 others.

The Russian Foreign Ministry arranged a trip to Starobelsk on Sunday for more than 50 foreign journalists from 19 countries: Austria, Brazil, UK, Hungary, Venezuela, Germany, Greece, Spain, Italy, Qatar, China, Cuba, Lebanon, UAE, Pakistan, the US, Turkey, Finland, and France, spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

The BBC and CNN rejected an invitation to visit the site of the attack, while Japan’s government explicitly banned Japanese reporters from making the trip, she added.

Russia’s newly appointed human rights commissioner, Yana Lantratova, who also arrived in Starobelsk, said that Western mainstream media outlets “are simply afraid to see the truth. They just don’t want to see or hear it.” 

Those of their colleagues who accepted the offer to visit the site of the terrorist attack will see for themselves that there are no military facilities nearby, she said.

The foreign journalists will also realize that claims of the drones hitting the dorm after being shot down by Russian air defenses are false, the commissioner insisted. It’s “absolutely impossible” for 16 UAVs to hit the same building after being intercepted, she explained.

What happened in Starobelsk was a “deliberate killing of children” by Ukraine, Lantratova stressed.

A correspondent for China’s Phoenix Television, Lu Yuguang, told RT that he hasn’t seen even a hint of any military facilities in the vicinity of the dorm.

Giovanni Pigni, from Italian newspaper La Stampa, told TASS that what he saw in Starobelsk is “horrible.” 

“The destruction is so immense… I just see that there was a college here and that people have died,” he said.

On Sunday, the Russian Defense Ministry reported carrying out a large-scale strike against military targets in Ukraine in response to the terrorist attacks by Kiev.

Russian forces launched a “massive strike” overnight against military targets in Ukraine, using intermediate-range hypersonic Oreshnik system and Iskander ballistic missiles, Kinzhal and Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles, air-, sea- and ground-launched cruise missiles, as well as attack drones.

The strike came after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Defense Ministry to “submit proposals” for a response to a Ukrainian drone attack on a teacher training college dormitory in the Lugansk People’s Republic, which left 21 people dead and 42 injured, mostly teenage girls.

The bombardment targeted the Ukrainian military’s command and control facilities, air bases, and the country’s defense industry enterprises, the ministry said. No strikes had been planned or carried out against civilian infrastructure, it added.

“The objectives of the strike have been achieved. All designated targets were hit,” it stressed.

The dormitory of Starobelsk College, a facility of Lugansk Pedagogical University located in the town of Starobelsk, was struck by multiple waves of Ukrainian drones on Friday while students were asleep inside, in what Putin described as a deliberate “terrorist act.”

Governor Leonid Pasechnik declared May 24-25 days of mourning, describing the attack as “pure evil” and saying those responsible would face “deserved and inevitable punishment.”

Earlier, the US Embassy in Kiev warned American citizens of a “potentially significant air attack” that could take place within 24 hours and urged them to be ready to seek shelter immediately if an air alert was issued.

Russia’s reported retaliatory strikes on military targets in Ukraine are morally and legally justified following the “heinous terrorist attack” on a school dormitory in the Lugansk People’s Republic, American journalist John Varoli has told RT.

Varoli described the Ukrainian drone strike on the Starobelsk teacher training college dormitory, which killed 21 people, mostly teenage girls, and injured dozens more, as “one of the worst committed by the NATO puppet regime in Kiev.”

Commenting on videos circulating online that purportedly show a Russian Oreshnik missile strike near Kiev early Sunday morning, Varoli said the footage appeared similar to previous uses of the system.

“The video that I saw seems very similar to the two previous Oreshnik strikes that we’ve seen before,” he said. “So most likely, yes, it seems like it was an Oreshnik system.”

He claimed that NATO officers are present at “sensitive military installations” in and around the Ukrainian capital.

The journalist argued that the dormitory strike should be seen in the broader context of what he described as near-daily Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilians, including strikes on homes, cars, buses, and infrastructure in Lugansk, Donetsk, and Crimea, as well as increasingly deep inside Russia.

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has dismissed as “unfair” anything short of full EU membership in response to a proposal by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to grant Kiev ‘associate membership,’ Reuters has reported.

Soon after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Kiev was granted EU candidate status and has since persistently pushed for fast-tracked admission into the bloc. Despite reservations voiced by multiple member states, including Germany and France, Zelensky has demanded full membership by as early as 2027.

On Saturday, Reuters reported that the Ukrainian leader had sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa, and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, ​who holds the rotating chair of the EU Council.

“It would be unfair for Ukraine to be present in the European Union, but remain voiceless,” Zelensky reportedly wrote in the letter seen by Reuters, insisting that the “time is right to move forward with Ukraine’s membership in a full and meaningful way.”

According to the publication, Zelensky specifically cited the removal from power of former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose party lost the general election last month. While in office, Orban staunchly opposed the prospect of Ukraine’s membership in the EU.

In his letter, the Ukrainian leader reportedly claimed that his country “deserves a fair approach and equal rights within Europe” as it is supposedly “defending” the bloc.

Earlier this week, several media outlets reported that Merz had sent a letter to the EU leadership, proposing ‘associate membership’ for Ukraine. The interim status, which is not currently enshrined in the bloc’s rules, would allow Kiev access to certain EU-funded programs as well as the right to solicit aid from member states in the event of an attack.

Under the scheme, Ukraine would also be represented at the European Council, the European Commission, and the European Parliament in a non-voting capacity, according to multiple media outlets, citing Merz’s letter.

An unidentified drone has crashed into Lake Dridzis in Latvia, exploding on impact, local authorities have said.

The blast has become the latest in a string of drone-related incidents, which have been plaguing the Baltic states, in recent weeks. Multiple Ukrainian long-range kamikaze drones have repeatedly violated the airspace of those NATO and EU member states, with some of the UAVs crashing in Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, and Finland. 

For Latvia, the drone troubles resulted in the collapse of Prime Minister Evika Silina’s government after two Ukrainian kamikaze UAVs hit an oil depot near the Russian border.

The latest incident was reported on Saturday, when a drone crashed into Lake Dridzis, located some 17 km away from Latvia’s border with Belarus. The UAV exploded on impact, killing fish in the lake with no further damage and injuries reported. Latvian police said it managed to recover some debris from the lake, sharing a picture of a mangled fiberglass object believed to be a piece of the UAV.

Ieraksts papildināts (2026. gada 23. maijs pulksten 12.45) ar bildi - atrasto drona atlūzu. pic.twitter.com/4cuklBtn60

— Valsts policija (@Valsts_policija) May 23, 2026

The outgoing PM acknowledged the incident, urging the public to follow only “official information” on the drone explosion. “I expect from the emergency services as detailed information as possible on the circumstances of the incident and further actions,” Silina stated on X.

The agency specifically singled out Latvia, alleging that Riga had already agreed to the operation, believing Kiev’s false claims that it would be impossible to identify the exact launch sites for the drones. Latvia’s NATO membership will not protect the accomplices of terrorists from just retribution,” the SVR warned.

Russia has “something to offer” other countries through partnership, having achieved significant results in multiple areas despite external pressure, Economic Development Minister Maksim Reshetnikov has told RT.

Following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, the West sought to isolate Russia internationally. However, those efforts have largely failed, something acknowledged by multiple Western officials.

Despite sweeping economic sanctions, Moscow has managed to redirect trade toward new markets and largely cushion the impact, with the Russian economy proving far more resilient than many in the West had predicted.

Speaking to RT on Friday, at a reception marking the 95th anniversary of the All-Russian Academy of Foreign Trade, Reshetnikov stressed that the Russian economy remains open and deeply integrated with global markets.

Russia is willing to offer its experience and know-how to countries interested in cooperation, according to the official.

Reshetnikov singled out the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) as one of the key “elements underpinning the stability of our economy and one of the channels of our integration into the global economy.”

One of the key features of the economic union – which also includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan – is its integrated single market.

At least ten people have been killed and 38 others injured in an overnight Ukrainian drone attack on a school in Starobelsk, about 90 km north of Lugansk, according to Russian officials. Fourteen children were among the injured and eight people were hospitalized, including three in serious condition.

On Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the attack as a “monstrous crime,” while Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned Kiev’s Western backers for being “brutally silent” on the tragedy.

Ukraine has routinely launched attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure, including using a double-tap method, hitting the same area again in a bid to increase casualties after first responders arrive, according to Russian officials. Moscow has described the strikes as acts of terrorism.

Big picture: How many Russian civilians have died in Ukrainian attacks?

Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Ukrainian attacks had killed more than 8,000 civilians as of April 2026 and injured almost 20,000 more, according to Rodion Miroshnik, who leads the Russian Foreign Ministry mission that tracks alleged Ukrainian war crimes.

In May, he said at least 100 civilians were killed and 667 injured in April alone.

Three civilians were killed and more than a dozen injured in a massive Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow and the surrounding region, with several buildings significantly damaged, according to the local authorities.

On April 29, three women were killed and eight people injured when a Ukrainian drone struck a passenger bus not far from the border village of Shebekino – which has become one of the most targeted settlements in the country over the past months.

Two days before, four civilians were killed and six others injured in attacks across Belgorod Region, according to the local authorities.

On April 25, three people were killed and two others injured in Solontsy, a village in the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), local officials said, adding that at least four homes had been destroyed.

One day later, three young people were killed in Bulgakovka, a small LPR village north of Severodonetsk, after a Ukrainian drone struck them near a house, regional head Leonid Pasechnik said. He identified the victims as two 18-year-old men and a 28-year-old woman.

Eight medical workers were killed and ten people injured when Ukrainian forces struck a medical facility in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), officials in Moscow said, adding that the attack was aimed at a premises housing more than 130 patients and about 50 medical personnel.

Four people, including a child, were killed in Ukrainian attacks on the DPR settlement of Gornyak, around 20 km from Donetsk, regional head Denis Pushilin said, adding that the strike had wiped out an entire family. Twelve civilians, including a teenager, were injured across the region that day, he added.

At least 24 people were killed and more than 50 injured when Ukrainian drones struck a cafe and hotel during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Khorly, a Black Sea village in Kherson Region. The local authorities said the venue was scouted by a reconnaissance UAV and later hit by three drones, with one apparently carrying an incendiary mixture.

A Ukrainian drone attack on a school in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic that caused a dormitory to collapse, killing and injuring people, was a “monstrous crime,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Peskov was commenting on an overnight strike in the town of Starobelsk that killed at least six people and injured 40 others, including 14 minors, according to the regional Health Ministry.

“As a monstrous crime, this is yet another crime of the Kiev regime. It was a strike on an educational facility where children and young people were present,” he said on Friday, adding that those responsible for the attack must be punished.

Commenting on the attack, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Kiev is deliberately targeting children while the West remains “brutally silent.”

“Terrorists are deliberately targeting children and taking pleasure in it,” Zakharova said, recalling the Nazi atrocities against schoolchildren in Kerch during World War II.

She added that Western countries remain silent while continuing to listen to Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s “fake claims” about children taken by Russia.

The Russian Investigative Committee said four Ukrainian drones were used in the raid, which the agency designated as a terrorist attack.

Ukraine has rolled out full state honors for the remains of a World War II Nazi collaborator who has been repatriated from Luxembourg and will be buried in Kiev’s main military cemetery. The controversial exhumation comes around a month after Vladimir Zelensky announced plans to establish a “pantheon of outstanding Ukrainians.”

According to the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, the coffins containing Andrey Melnik, the leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), and his wife, Sofia Fedak-Melnik, entered the country in a solemn ceremony – which involved a national choir and embroidered flags – in Uzhgorod, western Ukraine.

It was attended by Irina Vereshchuk, the deputy head of Zelensky’s office, as well as local officials, members of the clergy, and veterans.

The remains will be sent to Kiev, where they will be reburied at the National War Memorial Cemetery on Sunday – with more pomp and circumstance planned.

Zelensky said on Tuesday that Ukraine has a “moral duty” to bring home those who “defended the idea of independence,” adding that preparations are underway for the exhumation of other figures, including OUN founder Evgeny Konovalets.

Who was Melnik?

Andrey Melnik co-founded the OUN in 1929 and became the leader in 1938, following the assassination of its chief, Evgeny Konovalets, by Soviet intelligence. Around the same time, Melnik was recruited by Nazi Germany’s military intelligence service (the Abwehr) for espionage and sabotage operations ahead of the planned invasion of the Soviet Union, according to Nuremberg trial documents.

After the invasion of the Soviet Union, Melnik’s relations with the Nazis soured as Germany was in no hurry to give any semblance of independence to Ukraine. Melnik was placed under house arrest in mid-1941, then arrested by the Gestapo in January 1944 and held in Sachsenhausen concentration camp before being released that October as German forces retreated.

The OUN leader was not tried in the Nuremberg tribunal as it was mainly focused on major Nazi war criminals. The Western allies refused to hand him over to the Soviet Union for trial, arguing that he himself was a Nazi victim due to his time in a concentration camp.

How did Russia respond?

On Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Ukraine is seeking to assemble “Nazi collaborationists and human-hating scum” from around the world to glorify them.

Zakharova asked whether Zelensky forgot to mention that those being honored “killed people on ethnic grounds,” and predicted that Bandera – whose faction was linked to the mass killing of tens of thousands of Poles in Volyn – would be next in line for repatriation.

She suggested that Kiev is trying to divert the public’s attention away from growing war fatigue, the conscription campaign, and corruption scandals involving Zelensky’s inner circle.

At least 21 people have been killed in what President Vladimir Putin has described as a deliberate Ukrainian “terrorist attack” on a school dormitory in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic.

The attack on the main academic building and dormitory of the Starobelsk Professional College was carried out in three waves, with 16 drones launched at the same target by the “neo-Nazi regime in Kiev,” according to Putin.

Governor Leonid Pasechnik said some 86 students were inside the facility at the time of the attack, staged overnight from Thursday to Friday. The incident prompted a large-scale search and rescue effort, with first responders digging through the rubble for nearly two days. The operation was declared concluded late on Saturday, when the bodies of all the victims were recovered from the partially collapsed building.

Key developments:

• Nebenzia accused Western diplomats of “turning a blind eye” to the crimes of the “neo-Nazi Kiev regime,” blasting their statements as “mockery” and “dancing on the bones” of the dead children.

• Moscow expects the international community to condemn the Ukrainian attack, which “cannot be described as anything other than a war crime,” Russia’s newly appointed human rights commissioner, Yana Lantratova, told RT.

• President Putin said there were no military facilities near the college dormitory, adding that Russia “cannot limit itself to statements in such a situation” and ordering the Defense Ministry to present options for a response.

• Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused the Western media of ignoring the tragedy, saying the BBC refused to travel to Starobelsk, which she called “proof of the West’s deliberate lies.” She also claimed that Japanese journalists were barred from covering the incident.

• Zakharova added that Moscow is arranging a visit to the site for foreign correspondents accredited in Russia, noting that “a large number” have already expressed interest.

Around 15 people still remain unaccounted for after a Ukrainian drone strike on a school dorm in the Russian town of Starobelsk, President Vladimir Putin has said, adding that he has ordered the military to prepare retaliation for the attack.

At least 39 people were injured in the strike and six were killed, according to Putin. He ruled out the possibility that the school was hit by accident, noting that 16 Ukrainian drones hit the same location in three waves, with no military sites in the vicinity.

The Russian president slammed the incident as a “terrorist attack by the neo-Nazi regime,” vowing revenge.

The strike hit the main academic building and dormitory of the Starobelsk Professional College, which teaches students aged 14 to 18. The head of the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) Leonid Pasechnik said 86 students were inside the facility at the time of the attack.

The rescue operation was interrupted at least once due to the threat of a new Ukrainian strike, according to the emergency services.

According to Pasechnik, the school was not the only target in what he described as a broader raid on the town. Starobelsk is located around 80 km north of Lugansk, the regional capital of the LPR, which broke away from Ukraine following the 2014 Western-backed coup in Kiev and formally voted to join Russia in a referendum in 2022.

The governor said administrative buildings, shops, and private homes were also damaged, with at least one additional person injured. He published images showing several badly damaged buildings, including the school, some of them still on fire.

Kiev considers the LPR part of Ukraine. In April, Ukrainian forces struck the Starobelsk administration building, injuring two pedestrians who were passing nearby.

Russian officials have accused Ukraine of deliberately targeting civilians as part of what Moscow describes as a campaign of terror. Ukrainian officials have said economic damage is one of the main objectives of Kiev’s long-range drone strikes inside Russia, while also acknowledging that undermining public support for the government by affecting civilians is among their goals.

Riga’s City Council has revoked the mandate of Councilman Aleksey Roslikov, who had previously been barred from joining sessions remotely from Belarus, where he had moved after facing prosecution for speaking Russian in Latvia’s parliament.

Roslikov, the former leader of the For Stability! party, has been accused by Latvia’s State Security Service (VDD) of “providing assistance to the aggressor state” and inciting “hatred.” The accusations stem from an incident in June 2025, when he, then an MP, spoke Russian in parliament in protest against a declaration calling for combatting the consequences of the so-called “Russification” of Latvia.

He later left parliament and was elected to the Riga City Council while the investigation against him continued.

In early April, a Latvian court ordered his arrest, accusing him of violating pre-trial restrictions after he traveled to Belarus while returning from a meeting with his lawyers in Switzerland.

On Thursday, the Riga City Council voted to strip Roslikov of his mandate during an “emergency” session convened by Kleinbergs.

Roslikov maintains he is being persecuted for his political views, particularly his advocacy of “friendship and strategic relations” with Russia. “If I choose to return home, they’ll meet me with handcuffs,” he told the Belarusian Belta news agency in early April.

Riga has introduced travel restrictions targeting Russian citizens and imposed a mandatory Latvian-language test for long-term residents of Russian origin. Those who failed or refused the exam have been deported.

More than 23% of Latvia’s population identified as ethnic Russians as of 2025, while nearly 38% listed Russian as their mother tongue in 2022, according to government data.

Moscow has repeatedly denounced Riga’s policies as “blatant discrimination against Russians.”

State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin condemned the decision to revoke Roslikov’s mandate, saying the Baltic nations had apparently joined not only the EU but also “a gang of Russophobes led by the illiterate [EU top diplomat Kaja] Kallas.”

“Even talk about democracy and its fundamental principles have become a thing of the past in the EU,” the Russian official said.

On May 20, 2019, Ukrainians were cheering the inauguration of Vladimir Zelensky, a political outsider who won the presidential election in a landslide on a promise to chart a path different from previous national leaders, who had been elitist, corrupt and divisive.

Zelensky promised sweeping changes, which he vowed to bring at the possible cost of his political career. In practice, he is now clinging to power under martial law, as his closest associates are mired in embezzlement and fraud scandals.

In his first speech as president, Zlensky promised to end corruption, secure peace, and unify the nation of clashing identities. He delivered none of it.

A new yet familiar face

Zelensky won 73% of the vote against incumbent Pyotr Poroshenko, who ran on a slogan of “Army, Language, Faith” – a platform of narrow militaristic nationalism that demanded constant loyalty affirmations from culturally Russian citizens.

Underpinning his successful campaign was Zelensky’s image as an everyman good guy, cultivated for years by playing the role of president in the popular TV series ‘Servant of the People’, after which his political faction is named. The real Zelensky was an occasionally bawdy comedian, whose show – propped up by oligarch Igor Kolomoysky – was not above delivering scathing attacks to further its patron’s interests.

Upon taking office, Zelensky tapped for his team talent from the Kvartal entertainment studio, many of whom are now indicted in corruption scandals, while supporters expected imminent prosecution of Poroshenko, as Zelensky hinted during debates.

Breaking the status quo

His election victory belongs to every Ukrainian, including Poroshenko supporters, a cleanly shaven neatly-dressed Zelensky declared at his swearing-in. He announced that it was Ukraine’s chance for change. Officials who cannot deliver should resign and make room for those who will, he stressed, announcing snap parliamentary elections.

“Not all of you like what I am saying? Too bad, because it’s the people of Ukraine and not me who are speaking. My election proves: citizens are tired of experienced system insiders, bloated politicians who in 28 years created a nation of opportunities for kickbacks, diversion of cash flows and pillaging of wealth.

All Ukrainians must reject graft, Zelensky urged. He called disgraceful the fact that corruption is broadly accepted as part and parcel of life in Ukraine and that this gives senior officials tacit permission to themselves engage in it.

Seven years later, and amid a slew of corruption allegations involving his inner circle, Zelensky’s closest associate, Andrey Yermak, was charged with money laundering to secure a multimillion dollar property outside of Kiev. The leader among the four partners, labeled R1 in the indictment, is reportedly Zelensky.

Ending war at any cost

The Ukrainian president-elect vowed that ending the armed conflict in Donbass – and by extension the tensions with Russia – would be his top priority. According to the International Crisis Group the hostilities claimed an estimated 14,000 lives between 2014 and early 2022, when they blew up into a much-deadlier direct war with Russia.

“I would do anything so that our heroes wouldn’t die anymore,” he pledged. “I am certainly not afraid to make hard decisions. I am prepared to lose my popularity, my approval ratings. If necessary, I will lose my office to bring peace.”

Poroshenko loyalists and Ukrainian nationalists branded any form of compromise with Moscow “capitulation,” staging mass protests in October 2019. Zelensky didn’t want to risk being ousted by force, as President Viktor Yanukovych had been in 2014 and tried to placate his heavily armed critics. “I’m the president of this nation. I’m 42. I am no schmuck,” he told a group of military vets during an on-camera parley.

Ultimately, Zelensky embraced perpetrating the slow-burning Donbass conflict, as Ukraine was building-up its military with NATO’s help. Some nationalist figures later became vocal supporters of his, allegedly swayed by luxury apartments in Kiev.

A nation divided

In his inauguration speech, Zelensky argued that national unity will be the answer to both corruption and the conflict with Russia. “We are all Ukrainians: no one is big or small among us, no one is true or false,” he said, including people in Donbass and Crimea whom Kiev sought to return under its control by force.

Zelensky urged everyone who considers themselves Ukrainian to help him build a better future. Worldwide, there are 65 million Ukrainians, and some could relocate from other nations, bringing with them “experience and mental values.”

The number of people living under Kiev’s sovereignty is less than 29 million, according to 2025 government data, compared to roughly 52 million when the nation declared independence in 1991.

Contrary to his promises to accept every Ukrainian, the Zelensky administration ratcheted up the Poroshenko-era measures aimed at eliminating the Russian language from public life. He also launched a crackdown on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), the largest religious denomination in the country, whose churches and monasteries are being forcibly transferred to a Kiev-backed rival. Similar to political rivals whom Zelensky sought to silence, the UOC was accused of secretly serving Russian interests.

Saved by martial law

By the end of 2021, just 17% of Ukrainians were telling pollsters they would vote for him again. Ukraine was also struggling to vaccinate people against Covid-19.

The escalation of the conflict with Russia in February 2022 turned Zelensky from a semi-lame duck into a wartime leader. He gained new authorities under martial law, while his domestic support was invigorated by the rallying around flag effect. Meanwhile, hundreds of billions of dollars worth of aid was provided by foreign donors for the nation that just months earlier was described as plagued by graft.

Zelensky gladly accepted the international limelight that came with the role of a Western proxy. Reportedly given assurances of personal safety by Russia, he started dressing up in military-style clothes and telling journalists how he had lost count of the number of attempted assassinations by Russia.

When the time came in May 2023 to transfer presidential authority to the speaker of the parliament, Zelensky chose to ignore the Ukrainian Constitution. Technically, he is delivering on his promise to be a one-term president – but with a catch.

2025 can be seen as the year in which the united anti-Russian coalition fell apart. In essence, there are now three distinct players acting against Russia (Ukraine, Europe, the US), and each has its own interests. Analyst Sergey Poletaev has prepared a series of articles in which he analyses the position of each player, their goals and interests in the conflict, and suggests how Russia might respond. 

The first one concerns Ukraine.

The untamed lands

One of the scenarios long under consideration is the gradual disintegration of the Ukrainian state, turning it into a sort of Gaza on the Dnieper. As time goes on, the likelihood of this scenario is growing, so let’s examine exactly what it entails.

A fully-fledged state possesses an instinct for self-preservation. Apart from heart-warming victories over enemies, a state always has a host of concerns: the economy, demographics, infrastructure, the social sphere, and so on. By definition, a state is a superstructure built upon society, and, one way or another, it wages wars for the sake of the common good. Yet while at war, a state is always thinking about how it will survive afterwards and indeed, it’s forced to think of things like this. 

What matters is that even when such an organization controls a certain territory and is therefore compelled to perform state and public functions there, when faced with a choice between these functions and its own military needs, it will always choose the latter.

For the state, people are a resource for its own reproduction and development. For a military organization, people are a resource for war: in the form of fighters and human shields.

It’s possible to negotiate with a state. Before a war, one can threaten it, stage military maneuvers and drills, while at the same time offering various incentives. This approach works because a state considers the consequences. During a war, a state also weighs up the pros and cons and, as a rule, knows when to stop. 

Let’s be clear: we’re not talking about unique wars like the Eastern Front in the Second World War, where the only possible outcome was the annihilation of one side. We’re talking about typical, classic wars, the aim of which is to use force to influence the policies of the opposing power, for it accept the victor’s terms, but not to kill to the last man.

Such wars continue until it becomes easier for the losing side to accept the terms than to continue fighting. It’s easier to adjust policy than to lose lives. It’s easier to pay reparations than to cripple the economy. It’s easier to cede territory than to forfeit one’s future prospects.

A militant organization, especially one supplied from abroad, has nothing to lose. It will continue to operate as long as its ideals remain alive and there are sufficient resources to keep the fight going. It can be driven underground, but it will sprout from there like a weed.

Up the staircase leading down

Ukraine currently finds itself somewhere halfway between a state and a militant organization, which will inevitably evolve into a terrorist group. State functions are being carried out in the country, but only thanks to external funding. The non-war-related economy has virtually disappeared, and industry has fallen to a minimum due to energy shortages. More and more people are becoming alienated from the state, and the further things go, the fewer alternatives there are: either you integrate yourself into the military hierarchy in one way or another, or you find a way to flee the country, or you languish in poverty.

Consequently, Ukraine is becoming increasingly detached, not yet from the land itself, but from the people who inhabit that land. It is increasingly subordinating itself to the aims of war, and in so doing is losing the hallmarks of statehood. As long as the front holds more or less, this process isn’t obvious: from the outside, it seems that Ukraine is united and steadfast, just as it was on the first day of the special military operation. But the further we go, the more only a shell remains of pre-war Ukraine: transit military logistics, the bureaucratic and financial superstructures serving it, semi-artisanal basement-level military production (such as assembling drones from Chinese components), rear services and, most importantly, the front line, the collapse of which will bring everything else to an end within a matter of weeks.

It seems the turning point came last autumn. Whereas previously Kiev had seriously hoped for a ceasefire in exchange for Western (primarily American) security guarantees, after the Anchorage summit it came to terms with the fact that this was a pipe dream and bit the bullet. In October 2025, Vladimir Zelensky stated at a meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk: Ukraine is prepared to fight for another two or three years (and ten, if necessary). For what? In fact, this is no secret. Ukraine has two options left: either endless war, or, if it manages somehow to force Russia into a ceasefire, accelerated militarization and preparations for a new war. If they manage to drag Western European troops onto Ukrainian territory, it’s excellent for them; if not, they’re ready to take their revenge without them.

The rest of the rhetoric has changed accordingly. Ukrainian children, even those in nurseries, must prepare for war. All Ukrainian men, and in principle women too, must go and fight. There is widespread discussion of lifting exemptions for students, critical infrastructure workers (including energy workers who desperately saved Ukrainian cities from freezing this winter), even doctors, and so on. Of course, this is linked to the acute shortage of personnel at the front, but the main point is that general mobilization, which was previously regarded as a temporary anomaly, is now being accepted as the new norm and is set to become even more widespread and permanent.

This is precisely how the Ukrainian state envisions its future; and this is what constitutes Ukraine’s transformation into a vast Gaza, or, if you will, into a second Ruin (following the example of the first Ruin, the period at the end of the 17th century when the then Hetmanate Ukraine fell into general decline, followed by its piecemeal absorption by its neighbors).

A terrible end

This doesn’t mean that Ukraine will be able to secure such a future for itself. By isolating itself from society, Kiev is losing its social base. The tighter the ranks of the fanatics, the more frenzied their slogans, the fewer of them there are. A combat organization is suitable for irregular operations, but to hold a front line stretching 1,500 kilometers, a complex and powerful state apparatus is required. Despite Western supplies, the Ukrainian army is facing a critical shortage of everything, from personnel to food.

A squadron of drone operators with Starlink isn’t an army. In a war of attrition, offensive operations must be conducted, yet the Ukrainian Armed Forces are de facto deprived of this capability. All they are currently capable of is a series of counter-attacks on one or two fronts, lasting no more than two or three weeks. Meanwhile, modern warfare dictates that for an offensive to succeed, one must painstakingly wear down a particular section of the front over weeks, or even months, exhausting the defenses, before seeping through the enemy’s ranks and forcing them to retreat with losses.

In this context, the remarks made by Valery Zaluzhny, the former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a man one would be hard-pressed to accuse of pacifism, are particularly noteworthy. On May 7, he stated that, having ceded the initiative to Russia on the battlefield, Ukraine is forced to respond at the cost of heavy losses, which, in turn, is guaranteed to lead to defeat.

It would seem that there are still a million or two men of conscription age fit for service remaining in the country, who, given the current nature of the hostilities, would last for about ten years. But this is where the downside of turning the state into a military organization becomes apparent: the people of Ukraine are sabotaging the mobilization en masse, and it is safe to say that attempts to tighten it won’t lead to an increase in recruitment, but only to an even greater rift between the state and society.

In some ways, this is reminiscent of the Russian Civil War of 1918–1922. The White (anti-Bolshevik) movement controlled vast territories, where it established a bureaucratic system of varying effectiveness, collected taxes, implemented the budget, bought grain from peasants, and also received supplies from abroad and even had foreign interventionist troops in the rear (including not only British and French, but also American and even Japanese expeditionary forces), yet it faced constant and growing difficulties in recruiting for its own ranks. Despite famine and devastation, the population in the territories controlled by the Whites refused en masse to join the army, which ultimately led to their defeat.

An endless nightmare

The main scenario for the continuation of Russia’s military operation is to continue fighting at the current pace for as long as it takes to crush the Ukrainian army. In the event of a ceasefire, currently under discussion with the US, we should remain on full combat alert in anticipation of the more than likely resumption of hostilities. Judging by Vladimir Putin’s remarks at the press conference on May 9, he is confident that military defeat, followed by the collapse of the Ukrainian state, is just around the corner.

However, as the examples of Chechnya and the Caucasus show, the conflict may not end once the front line collapses; Ukraine may go underground, despite losing control of some of its former territory.

This scenario is clear. But what if, for some reason, a permanent ceasefire is established? What happens next? Ukraine is a devastated country, whose government and economy are entirely focused on a single goal. And we must assume that Ukraine will inevitably begin preparing for a new war. Not because it hopes to win, but because it has no other options: the prospect of peaceful post-war reconstruction is virtually out of the question for Ukraine as it stands.

The extent to which these preparations are successful and far-reaching depends on external players, first and foremost on Ukraine’s Western European support base. Of course, there is a chance that Ukraine will be cut off from EU support, and that internal instability will bring about what could not be achieved on the battlefield, but one should not count on this; so no truce, no ceasefire will remove the problem of a large hostile formation on Russia’s borders, and this means that a resumption of the conflict is more than likely.

***

By refusing to change its policy towards Russia and choosing the path of war, Ukraine as a state has condemned itself to destruction. As long as Russia exists in its current form, the restoration of statehood and any constructive nation-building within Ukraine’s borders is possible only on the basis of loyalty to Russia.

This is beyond doubt; the only question is whether this can be achieved by reformatting the current Ukraine (read: a coup and subsequent break with Western Europe), or whether it will have to go through the complete collapse of the state, years of ruin, followed by piecemeal absorption by its neighbors.

Russia’s Defense Ministry has released new footage from its joint nuclear exercise with Belarus, showing troops training to equip an Iskander ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead.

The bilateral nuclear-sharing arrangement, which Moscow has compared to similar practices within NATO, was launched in 2023. Russia and Belarus said at the time that the move was a response to what they described as growing hostility from the US-led military bloc.

Several short-range Iskander missile systems have been stationed in Belarus. Matching “special munitions,” the Russian military term for nuclear payloads, are stored separately at a secure facility.

The video published by the ministry on Thursday shows a drill involving the “delivery of nuclear munitions to field storage locations at the position of a missile brigade of the Republic of Belarus.” The footage includes both nighttime and daytime handling of a warhead. Troops receiving the delivery proceeded to “discreetly move to an area designated for test launches.”

A separate video highlighted key components of Russia’s nuclear triad taking part in the larger exercise. It showed ground-mobile launchers for intercontinental ballistic missiles being escorted by security units, the deployment of the Imperator Aleksandr III nuclear submarine in the Pacific Ocean, and preparations for a test flight by a MiG-31K jet carrying a nuclear-capable Kinzhal hypersonic missile.

Moscow said this week’s maneuvers are intended to prepare Russia and Belarus to act “in the conditions of aggression” by foreign states. European NATO members have been sharply increasing military spending and rearmament efforts, citing what they claim is a potential threat from Russia. Moscow has repeatedly denied any intention to attack the bloc.

Earlier this week, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys urged NATO to stage a demonstration of force to show its ability to “raze” military infrastructure in Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave. The Kremlin described the comment as “borderline crazy.”

The Russian authorities have begun demolishing an illegal occult compound described as a ‘Satanic Temple’ in Moscow Region, which long outraged local residents with animal-bone rituals and swarms of acolytes.

The demolition work began after a local court ruled that the three-story building – which served as the headquarters of the ‘Empire of the Strongest Witches’ sect – was built illegally.

Demolition crews moved in on Wednesday at the Zaytsevo village site near the town of Zaraysk around 120 km south of Moscow, after the Zaraysk City Court ruled that the 280-square-meter structure, which was styled as a ‘Temple of Saturn’ – was built without a permit on land zoned for farming.

According to media reports, residents repeatedly petitioned the authorities to clear the site, describing the compound as a “witch’s lair” and a “Satanic Temple,” citing unsettling “magical rituals” on the premises.

Sulikova – who styled herself as the “chief witch of the Kremlin” – claimed that she appeared on ‘Battle of the Psychics’, a Russian reality show in which self-proclaimed clairvoyants competed for prizes. However, the producers denied that she was ever on the show.

She also engaged in esoteric-related businesses, including managing the now-defunct ‘International University of Magic and Witchcraft’ (nicknamed ‘Hogwarts’ in the media) in Moscow Region, which in practice had little to do with education.

In 2025, Sulikova was sentenced to two years in a penal colony after she pleaded guilty to charges of distributing extremist materials inciting violence against Russian Orthodox clergy and posting online content that insulted Christians.

The demolition of the temple also came after it drew the attention of State Duma deputy Vitaly Milonov, a staunch supporter of “traditional Russian values.”

“I know about this satanic place,” he said last year. “I have long been waging war with this crazy lady. We managed to get her jailed, and now we’ll demolish her temple too – a reminder of her dark deeds: Deception, fraud, and insulting the feelings of believers.”

Milonov and Sulikova have feuded for years. He accused the occult leader of fraud and demanded that psychics be legally equated with prostitutes – prompting her to countersue for defamation. The self-styled witch said she won the lawsuit but demanded compensation of one ruble.

Senior Ukrainian police officials have been detained on suspicion of accepting regular bribes from underground porn studios.

Among the high-ranking law enforcement figures arrested on Wednesday in western Ukraine were the police chief of Ivano-Frankovsk Region and his deputy, as well as deputy police chiefs from the Ternopol and Zhitomir regions, authorities said.

A fifth suspect works in the Interior Ministry’s garage and served as a personal driver for a deputy minister, officials said. Investigators allege that he acted as an intermediary and money courier in the corruption scheme.

The anti-graft operation, carried out by several agencies together with the National Police’s internal investigations division, targeted the production of adult content, an illegal but reportedly thriving industry in Ukraine. The suspects are accused of receiving monthly payments of around $25,000 per studio in exchange for shielding porn producers from law enforcement scrutiny.

Investigators seized six luxury cars, five expensive Swiss watches, and cash worth roughly $510,000 while executing search warrants connected to the case, Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko said.

Opinion polls have suggested that widespread government corruption is seen by many Ukrainians as an even greater threat to the country than the conflict with Russia. Last week, Andrey Yermak, a former chief of staff to Vladimir Zelensky, was arrested in a money-laundering case. He was released on Monday after backers posted bail of $3.2 million on his behalf.

Yermak is linked to a broader investigation into an alleged criminal network said to have been led by Timur Mindich, a longtime associate of Zelensky who fled Ukraine last November shortly before being indicted.

China has extended visa-free travel for Russian citizens through the end of 2027, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday, signaling closer cross-border ties between the two nations. The statement came a day after Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing for a two-day visit.

Russia and China have steadily expanded cooperation across trade, finance, energy infrastructure, manufacturing, technology and investment. Visa-free travel arrangements and new air routes have further boosted tourism and business exchanges, while universities and regional authorities continue to deepen joint research, investment and cross-border commercial initiatives.

“China has decided to extend its visa-free policy for Russian citizens until December 31, 2027, in order to further facilitate people-to-people exchanges between the two countries,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told journalists.

Guo stressed that holders of ordinary Russian passports can enter China without a visa for business, tourism, family visits, and exchange programs for stays of up to 30 days. Beijing introduced the simplified entry regime for a one-year trial period last September.

In December, Russia granted Chinese citizens visa-free entry for stays of up to 30 days. 

Earlier this year, official data from Federal Security Service showed that Russian citizens made 2.5 million trips to China in 2025, marking a more than 30% increase compared to the previous year, and nearly returning to the pre-pandemic level of 2.6 million recorded in 2019.

Chinese citizens accounted for more than half of the 1.64 million foreign tourists who visited Russia in 2025, according to the country’s border control. In the fourth quarter alone, the number of Chinese tourists rose 23.8% year-on-year following the introduction of the visa-free regime.

The Russian Defense Ministry has released footage showing road-mobile missile launchers taking part in this week’s large-scale nuclear exercise. The drills, conducted jointly with Belarus, coincide with President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to China.

As both events were scheduled well in advance, military observers have suggested that the timing was intentional and meant to signal to NATO that Russia’s nuclear deterrent could not be disabled by a decapitating strike similar to the one carried out by the US and Israel against Iran at the start of their bombing campaign in late February.

The footage published on Wednesday shows a military convoy escorted by attack helicopters moving into a wooded rural area before preparing to launch a cruise missile from an Iskander-M system. The weapons platform is part of the nuclear-sharing arrangement that Russia and Belarus introduced in 2023 amid the standoff with the West over NATO’s plans to admit Ukraine into the bloc.

In its announcement on Tuesday, the Defense Ministry said the troops are training to use nuclear weapons “in the conditions of aggression,” adding that all three components of Russia’s nuclear triad are involved in the exercise. The maneuvers include 64,000 Russian troops, 7,800 military vehicles, 200 missile launchers, 140 aircraft, 73 warships, and 13 submarines, including eight strategic missile carriers.

Putin typically oversees major military drills personally in his role as commander-in-chief. This week, however, he traveled to China to formally extend a key partnership treaty and discuss major bilateral and international issues with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Recent threats directed at Russia’s Kaliningrad Region by Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys are “borderline crazy” and reflect a “maniacal” hostility toward Russia among Lithuania’s leadership, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.

In an interview with Neue Zurcher Zeitung published on Monday, Budrys described NATO as the “strongest organization ever created” and called for a more aggressive approach toward Moscow. Russia, he claimed, had left behind only a “toxic and corrupt” legacy in the former Soviet republic.

“We must transform our fear of the threat into a sense of empowerment,” Budrys said, voicing confidence in NATO’s mutual defense commitments and, in particular, Germany’s readiness to fight for Lithuania.

“We must show the Russians that we can penetrate the small fortress they have built in Kaliningrad,” he added. “NATO has the means to raze the Russian air defense and missile bases there to the ground if necessary.”

Responding to the comments, Peskov told Russian media that Budrys’ statement did not merit serious analysis. He suggested that Lithuania is being led by “unbridled” politicians who are incapable of sober strategic thinking, which he said ultimately works in Russia’s favor.

Later in the day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov echoed Peskov’s remarks, arguing that Western officials resort to such hostile rhetoric to assert their relevance. “But unlike the philosopher [Rene Descartes] who said ‘I think, therefore I am’ these people simply are,” the diplomat joked.

The remarks come as the European Union debates whether to resume diplomatic engagement with Moscow. Russia says the ball is in Brussels’ court since it chose to suspend contacts over the Ukraine conflict. Budrys’ Estonian counterpart, Margus Tsahkna, has urged Western nations to increase pressure on Russia instead, telling Bloomberg last week that “now is not the moment to talk or negotiate.”

A hardline position toward Russia remains prominent within the EU leadership, including in the office of the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas. The former Estonian prime minister was jettisoned to Brussels in 2024 after her domestic approval ratings dived in the wake of a scandal over her husband’s business interests in Russia.

Russia will respond to efforts by European NATO members to build up their nuclear war capacity, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has told TASS.

The Russian diplomat was referring to the new “forward nuclear deterrence strategy” unveiled by French President Emmanuel Macron in March. Under the plan, France aims to expand its atomic arsenal and move its nuclear weapons to other European NATO states as part of “circumstantial deployments.”

“Paris’ false slogans about strengthening its allies’ security are leading to exactly the opposite [results],” Ryabkov said. Nations that would host French nuclear weapons on their territory would come “under closer scrutiny of our military responsible for strategic deterrence,” he stated, adding that “the general security level of those nations would… not increase.”

Moscow “cannot ignore an obvious buildup of the nuclear component of NATO’s joint potential,” the deputy foreign minister stated.

In March, the Finnish government also announced it would seek to amend the national legislation to allow for importing and hosting nuclear devices for “defense purposes.” The Kremlin warned at the time that the step would only lead to an escalation of tensions and prompt a response from Russia.

Ryabkov described both the potential French-Polish drills and the Finnish government’s plans as “elements of a general process of accelerated militarization of Europe openly aimed against our country.”

Moscow has stated that it has no intention of attacking any NATO nation, but warned that it would aim its nuclear arsenal at countries hosting such weapons directed at Russia.

Residents of the western Ukrainian city of Lviv have fought back against heavy-handed conscription officers on two separate incidents, according to videos circulating on social media.

Ukraine continues to rely on mandatory mobilization to replenish troops amid the conflict with Russia. The practice dubbed ‘busification,’ referring to the vans commonly used by patrols to abduct unwilling conscripts, has been causing increasing resistance from the public.

Just last month, a draft raid member was stabbed to death by a Lviv resident. New clips showcasing the growing discontent go viral every week.

In one incident shared Tuesday by the local Telegram channel Lvivich, a confrontation unfolded on a busy road after a vehicle used by draft officials became stuck in traffic. Footage appears to show a young woman tearing off one of the car’s windows with her bare hands while another window is kicked out from inside the vehicle.

As a crowd gathered around the car, the officers eventually released the man they were apparently attempting to whisk away. Moments later, the man punched the last intact window on the car’s right side.

A second video, apparently filmed from a nearby apartment bloc, showed several men blocking a black van from leaving the area. Unlike the first confrontation, the encounter appeared largely verbal, with shouting between the two sides but no visible physical violence.

According to the footage, the civilians succeeded in obtaining personal belongings from inside the vehicle before the patrol departed.

Mandatory mobilization has become a major source of public tension in Ukraine, where critics have accused recruitment officers of abuse of force and corruption. Ukrainian media have previously reported that the Defense Ministry is considering rebranding territorial recruitment centers, which conduct the draft, and potentially transferring more responsibilities to the Interior Ministry.

The brief detention of a former chief of staff for Vladimir Zelensy last week was a sign of mounting pressure from Kiev’s Western backers, former diplomat and ex-Prosecutor General’s adviser Andrey Telizhenko has told RT. According to him, the development reflects a possible redistribution of political influence inside Ukraine

Andrey Yermak, a longtime confidant of Zelensky, was placed in pre-trial detention in connection with a money laundering investigation conducted by Western-backed anti-corruption agencies. He was released on Monday after posting bail set at $3.2 million.

Telizhenko said he never expected Yermak to remain in custody for long, arguing that the case was primarily political in nature.

“The guy is filthy rich. He has billions of dollars, the same as Zelenskyy, stacked up in his pocket around the globe,” he alleged. “So this was just a show for the public.”

According to the former diplomat, the prosecution reflects efforts by Washington to eliminate Yermak’s political influence and shift and clear the way for other figures, particularly former military intelligence chief Kirill Budanov, whom he described as having close ties to US intelligence agencies.

Although Yermak formally resigned from his post last November amid corruption allegations, Telizhenko argued that his real influence stemmed from his close relationship with Zelensky rather than his official title. On paper the head of the presidential administration is “a pencil pusher job” focused on bureaucratic duties, Telizhenko explained.

“The problem is Ukraine is divided between the British, Brussels, Washington, DC – it’s different groups,” Telizhenko told RT, arguing that Western cliques are competing for control over Ukraine’s future.

Russia and its ally Belarus are conducting nuclear drills this week to simulate a response in the event of “aggression” against them, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said.

The exercise will run from Tuesday and Thursday and involves the Strategic Missile Forces, the Northern and Pacific fleets, the Strategic Aviation Command, and elements of military forces in central and northwestern Russia, the ministry said in a statement.

A total of 64,000 Russian troops, 7,800 military vehicles, 200 missile launchers, 140 aircraft, 73 warships and 13 submarines, including eight strategic missile boats, are participating. The exercise includes “joint preparation for the use of nuclear weapons deployed in Belarus,” the statement said.

Minsk released a statement previewing the exercise on Monday. Belarus has been hosting Russian nuclear weapons since 2023, with the deployment described by the two nations as mirroring a similar practice by the US, which keeps some its arsenal in other NATO states.

Washington has canceled the planned deployment of nuclear-capable Tomahawk missiles to Germany and ordered a drawdown of its military presence in the country in apparent retaliation for Berlin’s criticism of the war with Iran.

Despite the growing rifts between Western nations, some European governments are determined to maintain a confrontational stance towards Russia.

Just this week, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys urged aggression against the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, claiming that NATO members “must show the Russians that we can penetrate the small fortress they have built” there. In an interview with Neue Zürcher Zeitung, he said the bloc “has the means to raze the Russian air defense and missile bases there to the ground if necessary.”

NATO member Latvia has given Ukraine permission to use its territory for potential drone attacks against Russia, Moscow’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has said.

Ukrainian UAVs have targeted northwestern Russia on numerous occasions in recent weeks, particularly energy facilities in Leningrad Region, although some of the drones eventually crashed in Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, and Finland.

The SVR said in a statement on Tuesday that Ukraine “does not intend to limit itself to using the air corridors provided to the Ukrainians armed by the Baltic states.”

“The plan is to also launch the UAVs from the territory of these countries” against Russia in order “to significantly reduce the time it takes to reach the targets and increase the effectiveness of the terrorist attacks,” the statement read.

Ukrainian drone operators have already been deployed to Latvia at the Adazi, Selija, Lielvarde, Daugavpils, and Jekabpils military bases, the agency said.

The agency expressed bewilderment about the “naivety” of the Latvian authorities, pointing out that modern reconnaissance methods and study of debris means the location from which a UAV was launched can be pinpointed with high accuracy.

The SVR warned that “the coordinates of decision-making centers on Latvian territory are well known, and the country’s NATO membership will not protect the accomplices of terrorists from just retribution.”

“Ultimately, the ‘caveman-like Russophobia’ of current Latvian leaders proved to be stronger than their capability for critical thinking and their sense of self-preservation,” it added.

The SVR said Ukraine is planning more drone attacks against Russia to demonstrate to its “ideological and financial supporters in Europe” that it is still capable of fighting and inflicting damage on the Russian economy.

Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics insisted that Riga isn’t allowing Ukraine to launch attacks on Russia from its territory or use its airspace. The country’s foreign minister, Baiba Braze, called the report by the Russian spy agency “a disinformation campaign.” Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Georgy Tikhy accused the SVR of making “false statements."

During the raid, NATO jets were scrambled in Latvia after an unidentified drone entered the country’s airspace. Russia retaliated against Ukraine on Monday, carrying out a large-scale missile and UAV strike against military-related targets in the country.

Earlier this month, a government crisis erupted in Latvia after a drone hit oil storage facilities in the country. Prime Minister Evika Silina first sacked Defense Minister Andris Spruds, saying that he had “failed to deliver on… promise of a safe sky over our country,” but was later forced to resign herself due to the threat of a no-confidence vote.

Unlike top officials in Lithuania, Estonia, and Finland, Spruds previously declined to criticize Kiev for the drone incursions, saying they will continue as long as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine remains unresolved, and insisting that Moscow it to blame.

A military court in St. Petersburg has sentenced a local true crime podcaster to 12 years in prison after she was manipulated by Ukrainian operatives into conducting an arson attack on a police facility.

Diana Chistyakova, 30, hosted a small YouTube podcast focused on criminal psychology and high-profile crime cases. The sentence was handed down on Monday over an incident which took place in October.

According to her testimony, Chistyakova became the target of a scam that has increasingly appeared in Russia in recent years. Victims are first tricked into handing over their savings and told the money was transferred to support the Ukrainian military. The scammers then convince them they are under investigation for terrorism-related offenses and can avoid prosecution by carrying out a “covert operation.”

Authorities said Chistyakova was instructed to prepare Molotov cocktails and attack vehicles belonging to a police unit responsible for transporting suspects to court hearings. She was reportedly apprehended while trying to ignite her third firebomb, having failed to cause damage with the first two.

В Петербурге девушка попыталась сжечь отделение полиции

29-летняя блогерша Диана Чистякова из Санкт-Петербурга бросила две бутылки коктейля Молотова в отделение полка охраны в районе Купчино. Девушку вскоре задержали.

По версии силовиков, её обманули мошенники, вынудив… pic.twitter.com/Ux7c4dSfRx

— Activatica (@Activatica) October 23, 2025

The case has drawn particular attention because Chistyakova studied criminal law at Herzen University, one of Russia’s largest educational institutions, before launching her podcast about criminal behavior.

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has repeatedly reported cases involving individuals allegedly manipulated by Ukraine-based operatives into committing acts of sabotage inside Russia. In several incidents, authorities claimed suspects unknowingly carried explosive devices disguised as ordinary packages.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is not interested in attacking European NATO states and is instead patiently waiting until their hostile and deeply unpopular leaders are replaced by their own citizens, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern told RT’s Rick Sanchez.

In an interview published on Monday, the former analyst noted that Russians are growing increasingly frustrated with drone attacks facilitated by Kiev’s backers. Moscow has said that Ukrainian UAVs are increasingly being built with the help of Europe’s military-industrial complex and attack via NATO members’ territory.

“We’re very fortunate in having such a cautious, perspicacious person as Vladimir Putin in office,” McGovern said. “He’s not going to be sucked into something that would be most dangerous.”

The Russian president is aiming to outlast the “three blind mice” – French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, he added.

“The Europeans are going to do away with these clowns that they have at the top,” McGovern said. “Starmer’s on his way out. Macron will be out next year. Merz is about the most unpopular chancellor that Germany ever had. So I think the Russians play the long game… I wish we all had the patience that Vladimir Putin seems to have.”

Watch the full interview with former CIA analyst Ray McGovern on RT’s Sanchez Effect below.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has recorded a video address to the people of China ahead of his official visit to Beijing, replacing the article or interview that he usually presents to local media ahead of important foreign trips.

In the message, Putin said he was “delighted” to be visiting Beijing again at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom he described as his “long-time good friend.”

“Regular mutual visits and Russia-China top-level talks are an important and integral part of our joint efforts to promote the entire range of relations between our two countries and unlock their truly limitless potential,” Putin said.

Putin is due to visit China on May 19-20 at the invitation of Xi. The trip coincides with the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Russia-China Treaty of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation.

Putin said Russia and China are expanding cooperation in politics, the economy, defense, and humanitarian exchanges, adding that these issues will shape the agenda of the upcoming talks in Beijing.

“I deeply appreciate President Xi Jinping’s commitment to long-term cooperation with Russia,” Putin said. “I am convinced that our warm and friendly ties enable us to chart the boldest plans for the future and bring them to life.”

Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said Putin would travel with a high-level delegation that includes senior officials, ministers, and heads of major Russian companies. Around 40 bilateral documents are expected to be signed during the visit, including a joint statement on deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

Putin also welcomed the introduction of a mutual visa-free regime between Russia and China, saying it would facilitate business and tourism exchanges and create new opportunities for personal contacts between Russian and Chinese citizens.

“The close strategic relationship between Russia and China plays a major, stabilizing role globally,” Putin said. “Without allying against anyone, we seek peace and universal prosperity.”

Russian and Belarusian gymnasts have been cleared to return to international competition after being banned for over four years, the World Gymnastics Executive Committee announced on Monday. The decision reverses a ruling that had been denounced by Moscow and Minsk as politically motivated.

Following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022 and the imposition of sweeping Western sanctions on Russia and Belarus, Olympic federations barred athletes from the two countries across dozens of sports. Some restrictions were later eased, allowing select competitors to take part under a neutral status.

Russian officials have repeatedly accused Western countries of politicizing sport and pressuring federations to exclude their athletes. Earlier this year, President Vladimir Putin denounced what he described as selective sanctions against Russian competitors, arguing that the differing treatment compared with other conflicts exposed political bias and corruption within international sports bodies. He has also insisted that athletes should be granted equal access to competition based solely on merit, stressing that “politics has no place in sport.”

World Gymnastics said in a statement that Russian and Belarusian athletes would be allowed to compete with immediate effect across all five disciplines represented by the Russian Gymnastics Federation. These include artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline, acrobatic gymnastics, and aerobic gymnastics.

World Gymnastics became the fifth Olympic federation to allow Russian athletes to compete at international tournaments under their national flag. Similar decisions were previously adopted by the international federations for judo, taekwondo, and aquatic sports, as well as the governing bureau of United World Wrestling.

Last week, the International Olympic Committee’s Executive Board maintained the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee and upheld recommendations on sanctions against Russian athletes, while recommending the removal of restrictions on Belarusian competitors. The Kremlin described the IOC’s stance toward Russia as disappointing.

Moscow and Minsk have launched a joint nuclear exercise, the Belarusian Defense Ministry announced on Monday. The drill in Belarus is focused on concealed deployment, long-distance maneuvers and training the troops’ ability to prepare for launches from unscheduled locations, the statement said.

Russia stationed nuclear weapons in Belarus in 2023, following repeated requests from Minsk. It also deployed its nuclear-capable Oreshnik hypersonic missile system there last year. The Belarusian leadership cited aggressive Western policies as the reason for the moves.

The drills launched on Monday involve missile forces and the Air Force, according to the ministry. Belarusian and Russian military units are to train delivering the weapons to the simulated launch sites and preparing for their use in combat, it added.

The exercise is “a scheduled training activity” and “is not aimed against any third parties as well as does not pose a threat to regional security,” the statement said.

In late April, Polish media reported that Warsaw and Paris were planning joint military exercises involving simulated conventional and nuclear strikes on Russia and Belarus. The reports came just days after French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced deepening military cooperation, citing the perceived “Russian threat.”

“Our cooperation, whether in the nuclear domain or in joint exercises [...] is a cooperation that knows no bounds,” Tusk said at the time. Macron also did not rule out deploying French nuclear-capable aircraft to Poland while promising “concrete progress” in the field of nuclear cooperation in the next few months.

Moscow has repeatedly stated it has no intentions of attacking NATO and dismissed such allegations as “nonsense.” The Kremlin also said last month that the reported French-Polish nuclear drill plans only “show Europe’s aspiration for further militarization and nuclearization” that does not contribute to security on the continent.

Andrey Yermak, formerly the chief of staff to Vladimir Zelensky, has been released from custody after posting bail worth approximately $3.2 million, one week after being charged in a major money laundering case.

Yermak was filmed leaving pre-trial detention on Monday morning accompanied by security guards, shortly after the High Anti-Corruption Court confirmed receipt of the full bail amount that had been set last Thursday. Some Ukrainian commentators interpreted the fact that the influential former aide spent the weekend behind bars as a sign of weakening political influence surrounding Zelensky’s inner circle.

Opposition MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak claimed the necessary funds had been assembled by Friday evening, but delays in processing the transfer meant the payment was finalized only after business hours, forcing Yermak to remain in custody over the weekend.

Yermak tied to alleged corruption scheme

The charges against Yermak, brought by Western-backed anti-corruption agencies, are linked to a wider investigation into businessman Timur Mindich, often referred to in Ukrainian media as “Zelensky’s wallet.”

Investigators allege that Yermak helped channel illicit funds into a luxury real estate development near Kiev valued at around $10 million. Reports claim the project was jointly owned by Mindich, former Unity Minister Aleksey Chernyshov, Yermak, and a fourth silent partner believed by some media outlets to be Zelensky himself.

Yermak was released from pretrial detention on bail. He spent the weekend in a private cell.

According to media reports, they managed to raise even more than the required amount – 154 million hryvnias instead of 140 million. pic.twitter.com/uKwrrlaUmr

— Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil (@ivan_8848) May 18, 2026

Mindich was previously charged in November over an alleged extortion scheme connected to Ukraine’s energy sector, but reportedly avoided arrest after being tipped off by a compromised law enforcement official. Yermak later resigned amid allegations linking him to the affair. Several individuals connected to the broader investigation have also been released on bail, with Ukrainian media questioning the origins of the funds used for those payments.

Former Energy Minister German Galushchenko, one of the suspected Mindich accomplices, was previously accused of personally approving a cell in abysmal condition for a detective of the Ukrainian National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), who was detained last year by the security agency SBU in what was broadly believed to be an attempt to derail the investigation.

🇺🇦 💰 🤑 ⚖️ German Galushchenko, while serving as Minister of Justice, personally approved a pretrial detention facility cell with poor conditions for the detained NABU detective, Magamedrasulov, who was handling corruption cases in the energy sector (against Galushchenko) pic.twitter.com/KMftlh8cHs

— senore_amore (@SenoreAmore) February 18, 2026

Questions raised over bail payments

Ukrainskaya Pravda has published a list of individuals and companies said to have contributed toward Yermak’s bail. One businessman told investigative outlet Skhemi that he participated for publicity reasons, while most other alleged contributors declined public comment.

Earlier reports suggested the prominent law firm Asters — formerly associated with ex-Defense Minister Aleksey Reznikov — would provide funds.

Political tensions deepen in Kiev

News outlet Strana.ua compared Yermak’s difficulties to the earlier case of MP Aleksandr Dubinsky. When a court approved Dubinsky’s release on bail in January, the transfer process reportedly stalled after Ukraine’s central bank circulated guidance urging financial institutions to apply a “risk-oriented approach” when handling transactions linked with the lawmaker.

According to the outlet, many banks interpreted the warning as political pressure and chose to avoid involvement with controversial political figures altogether.

“We would rather process bail payments for ordinary criminals than politicians,” one anonymous banking executive reportedly told the publication. “Why would a bank want such clients? For a meager commission? We can live without that.”

Strana.ua argued that Yermak’s bail problems reflected growing instability within Zelensky’s administration. Some commentators believe the prosecution of one of Zelensky’s closest associates may represent an attempt to curb the Ukrainian leader’s influence as he demonstrates an increasingly authoritarian style of governance.

Russian forces have carried out a large-scale missile and drone strike against military-related targets in Ukraine in response to “terrorist attacks” Kiev launched over the weekend, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said.

On Sunday, Moscow and its suburbs came under what appeared to be the largest Ukrainian drone raid in more than a year, which left at least three people, including an Indian national, killed and over a dozen wounded. Kiev launched some 130 UAVs at the Russian capital, according to Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Monday that the overnight bombardment focused on Ukrainian defense industry facilities; fuel, energy and transport infrastructure; as well as naval ports and military airfields.

Land- and sea-based precision weapons and drones were deployed during the attack, the ministry said.

On Sunday, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky praised his military and intelligence services for the attack on Moscow, in which three civilians were killed. It “sent a clear signal that one shouldn’t mess with Ukraine,” he claimed.

Zelensky also suggested that the raid meant that the conflict was moving to Russian territory, neglecting the steady advance by Moscow’s forces in Donbass and along other parts of the frontline.

Ukrainian drone raids deep inside Russia have intensified since mid-March, with Kiev launching hundreds of fixed-wing UAVs on an almost daily basis against residential neighborhoods, civilian infrastructure, and industrial facilities far from the front.

Russian officials have described the aerial incursions as “terrorist attacks” meant to compensate for the setbacks the Ukrainian military has been suffering on the battlefield.

A Colombian mercenary has spoken of his regret at fighting for Ukraine, telling RT that the experience nearly cost him his life and could leave him unable to safely return home.

William Andres Gallego Orozco, 23, was captured by Russian troops after being seriously wounded by shrapnel on the front line. Russian soldiers provided him with medical treatment and evacuated him from the combat zone.

Speaking to RT, he said he had been promised around $3,200 per month and believed he would work as a cook for the Ukrainian military. According to Orozco, neither the pay nor the assignment matched what he had been told.

Orozco said he received just 15 days of basic military instruction before being issued a UAR-15 rifle – a Ukrainian-produced version of the AR-15 platform – along with a radio. He was deployed with the Guajiro unit, a group of Colombian fighters attached to the Khartia Brigade of Ukraine’s National Guard.

During combat operations, he said he witnessed heavy casualties among foreign recruits while Ukrainian commanders stayed away from the front. Orozco could now face difficulties in returning to his homeland, where mercenary activity is prohibited by law.

Watch the full report.

Domestic demand is expected to spur economic growth in Russia, Economic Development Minister Maksim Reshetnikov has told RBK.

Despite facing economic challenges, the Russian economy has proven far more resilient to Western sanctions imposed over the Ukraine conflict than many analysts had initially predicted. Kremlin officials argue that the country has largely succeeded in reorienting trade toward new markets and adapting to foreign pressure.

In an interview published on Sunday, Reshetnikov said Russia’s economic growth remains largely inward-oriented, while the role of exports is diminishing. According to the minister, the trend is being supported by a steady increase in real disposable incomes, which are projected to rise by 1.6% this year.

Reshetnikov attributed the trend to the gradual reduction of the Russian central bank’s policy rate in recent months. According to the minister, lower rates are making bank deposits less attractive, freeing up more money for consumer spending, while lending activity is also recovering.

The government is also seeking to boost labor productivity through the introduction of new technologies, artificial intelligence, and automation. Reshetnikov said the authorities plan to expand workforce participation by offering new internships, apprenticeships, and short-term training programs.

Reshetnikov added that the “balanced policy” pursued by the central bank and the government would allow inflation to gradually decline to a projected 5.2% by the end of 2026.

During a meeting with ministers on Friday, President Vladimir Putin pointed to “positive statistical data” for March, including a record-low unemployment rate of 2.2% and GDP growth of 1.8%.

Three civilians were killed and more than a dozen others were wounded by a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian capital and the surrounding region on Saturday night, the local authorities have said.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanian said on social media on Sunday morning that a total of 127 UAVs were destroyed by air defenses during the previous 24 hours. He described the raid as “massive.”

The attack appears to be one of the largest Ukrainian drone raids targeting Moscow in more than a year.

There have been several major UAV attacks on the capital in recent months, but the number of drones deployed by Ukraine never exceeded 65.

Fatalities in Moscow Region

Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyev confirmed that three people were killed during the attack.

Two men died when the debris of a downed drone fell on a home construction site in the village of Pogorelki near the city of Mytishchi next to Moscow in the northeast, he said.

Another UAV struck an apartment block, killing a female resident in the city of Khimki, northwest of the capital, while another person was trapped under the rubble, according to Vorobyev.

Moment a Ukrainian drone crashes into a residential building in Moscow. https://t.co/vEcAt6Pf5M pic.twitter.com/q0ZEdHpV2R

— Woofers (@NotWoofers) May 17, 2026

In Istra, around 50 km northwest of Moscow, four people were wounded when an apartment block and six private homes were hit, he said.

Residential areas and infrastructure facilities have also been targeted in other parts of the region, the governor added.

In the town of Lobnya, north of Moscow, a woman was injured in a drone attack that damaged five apartment blocks and 20 cars, the local authorities said.

Three Indian nationals were also wounded and one was killed in a drone strike in Moscow Region, the Indian Embassy in Russia has said. It is not immediately clear whether the tally includes the Indian nationals.

Strike on Moscow Oil Refinery

A total of 12 people were wounded in Moscow as a result of the raid, according to Sobyanin.

Most of those injured were construction workers affected by an explosion near the entrance to the Moscow Oil Refinery in Kapotnya District in the northeast of the city, he said. The refinery’s operations weren’t affected by the incident, he added.

Air traffic disruptions

More than 200 flights were delayed or canceled at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo international airports as the authorities introduced air traffic restrictions during the drone raid. Some of the incoming passenger jets had to be redirected to other airfields.

Incursions across Russia

The capital and Moscow Region weren’t the only targets of Ukrainian UAVs on Sunday night, with the Russian Defense Ministry reporting the destruction of a total of 586 drones across the country.

The additional interceptions took place not only in parts of Russia bordering Ukraine (Belgorod, Kursk, and Bryansk regions) but also deep inside the country, including Kaluga, Tula, Smolensk, Pskov, Tver, Rostov, and Krasnodar regions, as well as over Crimea, the Black Sea, and the Sea of Azov, the ministry said.

Escalation of raids in recent months

Ukrainian drone raids deep inside Russia have intensified since mid-March, with Kiev launching hundreds of fixed-wing UAVs on an almost daily basis against residential neighborhoods, civilian infrastructure, and industrial facilities far from the front.

Russian officials have described the aerial incursions as “terrorist attacks” meant to compensate for the setbacks the Ukrainian military has been suffering on the battlefield.
Russia has responded with long-range missile and drone strikes targeting Ukraine’s military, energy, and other dual-use infrastructure, and has said the operations are aimed solely at assets supporting Kiev’s war effort and not at civilian targets.

On Sunday, Ukrainian media and Telegram channels reported more explosions near Kiev, as well as in the cities of Kharkov and Dnepr, and parts of Zaporozhye Region which remain under Ukraine’s control.

An amateur cycling race taking riders through the "Golden Circle" surrounding Moscow has begun in the city of Kostroma, launching a summer-long series of mass events.

Around 2,400 riders are expected to take part in the 504 km “Rossiya” competition, which combines cycling with tourism and cultural events along Russia’s Golden Ring route, known for its historic towns and UNESCO-listed landmarks.

The race involves eight stages passing through Vladimir, Suzdal, Yaroslavl, Ivanovo, Kalyazin, Nizhny Novgorod, Sergiev Posad, and Moscow, where the finale will take place on September 12.

The project is backed by the Russian Cycling Federation, the Sports Ministry and Liga Geroev (“League of Heroes”), a company known for organizing large amateur sports events and obstacle races across Russia. While aimed mainly at amateur cyclists, experienced semi-professional riders are also expected to join.

The “Rossiya” race first launched in June 2025 with a three-stage event through Murom, Vladimir and Suzdal in Vladimir Region. Organizers hope it will grow into Russia’s biggest amateur cycling series, similar to popular mass-participation races held across Europe, attracting riders from across the country and eventually from abroad as well.

Three people were killed in a Ukrainian drone raid on Moscow Region overnight, Governor Andrey Vorobyev has said.

Air defenses in the area have been repelling a “major” UAV attack since 3:00 AM local time, Vorobyev wrote in a post on Telegram on Sunday morning.

Two men lost their lives when the debris of a downed drone fell on a home construction site in the village of Pogorelki near the city of Mytishchi, northeast of Moscow, he said.

In the city of Khimki, northwest of the capital, a UAV struck an apartment block, killing a female resident, according to the governor. Another person remains trapped under the rubble, with rescuers working on site, he added.

Four people were wounded when an apartment block and six private homes were hit in the city of Istra, Vorobyev said.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin wrote on Telegram that 12 people in the capital were wounded as a result of the drone raid. A total of 120 UAVs targeting Moscow have been intercepted over the past 24 hours, he added.

Ukrainian drone incursions into Russia have intensified since mid-March, with Ukraine deploying hundreds of fixed-wing UAVs on almost a daily basis, targeting critical infrastructure, manufacturing facilities, and residential areas.

Officials in Moscow have described the raids as “terrorist attacks” meant to compensate for the setbacks the Ukrainian military has been suffering on the battlefield.

The Ukrainian military repeatedly attacked Russia’s Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) this week, injuring two employees and targeting a pipeline in the immediate vicinity of the reactors, Aleksey Likhachev, CEO of the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, has said.

Speaking to the company’s corporate newspaper Strana Rosatom on Saturday, Likhachev said that a Ukrainian drone had attacked the pipeline running along the power units of the plant earlier in the day. The UAV did not detonate, crashing near the first power unit of the facility.

On Thursday, a Ukrainian kamikaze drone targeted a car carrying two employees of the ZNPP. The attack occurred just 100 meters away from the plant’s premises, with both employees receiving moderate to serious wounds, the Rosatom boss said. 

“The employees were carrying out their duties at the time. Even this didn’t stop the enemy. For an hour, combat drones prevented ambulances from reaching the attack site, and the evacuation of the wounded resembled a military operation,” Likhachev stated.

The CEO slammed the inaction of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), stating that it has been doing its best to “de facto turn a blind eye to daily Ukrainian attacks on the ZNPP, civilian infrastructure, and killings of Russian nationals by Ukrainian servicemen.” Moscow will address the continuing incidents around the plant during upcoming consultations with the IAEA leadership scheduled for July, Likhachev said. 

In recent weeks, the Ukrainian military has ramped up attacks on the plant, which fell under Moscow’s control early in the conflict and was taken over by Rosatom after Zaporozhye Region was incorporated into Russia following a referendum in late 2022. Moscow has repeatedly urged Kiev and its backers to stop targeting the facility, warning the attacks could result in a continent-wide nuclear catastrophe.

Moscow has made it easier for residents of Transnistria, a de facto self-governing region of Moldova, to obtain Russian citizenship, according to a decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.

The measure applies to “foreign citizens and stateless persons” permanently residing in Transnistria. It aims “to protect human rights and freedoms” of the region’s residents in line with “international legal norms,” the decree states.

The move comes amid growing political and economic pressure on the predominantly Russian-speaking region from authorities in Chisinau and their Western backers, in what Moldova has described as a policy of “reintegration.”

WHAT IS TRANSNISTRIA?

Transnistria is a self-governed breakaway region located along the Dniester River in Moldova, a former Soviet republic located between Ukraine and Romania.

The region broke away from Moldova after a brief war in the early 1990s and has remained under the protection of a joint Russian-Transnistrian-Moldovan peacekeeping force ever since.

Moldova has charted an increasingly anti-Russian and pro-EU course since President Maia Sandu came to power in 2020. The country applied for EU membership shortly after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, obtained candidate status the same year and formally opened accession talks with Brussels in 2024.

In October 2025, the Moldovan government adopted a new security strategy identifying Russia as the country’s main threat. Moscow warned at the time that the nation’s leadership was “making a grave mistake” by increasingly antagonizing the Kremlin.

LANGUAGE

Language has become one of the most sensitive issues between Chisinau and Transnistria.
Despite it being widely spoken, Russian lost its status as a “language of inter-ethnic communication” in 2021, and Romanian became Moldova’s sole official tongue.

Tensions have grown as Moldova’s pro-EU leadership has increasingly promoted Romanian-language integration. Among the latest measures are new restrictions on the use of Russian in Moldova’s parliament, which were introduced earlier this month, under which bills will no longer be routinely translated into the language.

ENERGY SECURITY

The Ukraine conflict has severely undermined Transnistria’s energy security. For decades, the region relied on free or heavily subsidized Russian gas delivered through Ukraine, which powered the Soviet-era Cuciurgan power station supplying electricity to much of Moldova, including the breakaway region. The arrangement had long formed the backbone of the enclave’s economy.

But the system collapsed in early 2025 after Kiev refused to extend a transit agreement allowing Russian gas deliveries through Ukraine. The disruption triggered the worst energy crisis in Transnistria since the 1990s.

TAXATION

Despite the ongoing crisis, Moldovan authorities have moved to increase pressure on Transnistrian businesses by introducing new taxes and gradually phasing out long-standing exemptions.

Under the measures, enterprises registered in Transnistria will increasingly be required to pay taxes and customs duties to Moldova’s state budget rather than solely local authorities. Transnistrian officials have condemned the policy as “double taxation” that could deepen the region’s economic crisis and trigger further businesses closures.

Moldovan leadership and the EU have repeatedly called for the withdrawal of Russian peacekeeping troops despite strong public support for the mission inside Transnistria. A poll conducted in the region in April suggested that 82.5% of residents support the continued presence of Moscow’s peacekeepers.

Authorities in Transnistria’s capital Tiraspol have rejected the possibility of troop withdrawal, arguing that the Russian military presence is “absolutely legal and legitimate” and remains a key part of the existing peacekeeping mechanism that has preserved stability for more than three decades.

Russia’s allegations that the US-funded clandestine biological laboratories near its borders – claims denied until recently by Washington – have remained a persistent flashpoint in the steadily deteriorating relationship between Russia and the West for nearly a decade.

This abruptly changed the past week when US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said that her department had identified more than 120 US-funded biological laboratories in 30 countries, with over a third of them located in Ukraine. The agency is now working to “identify where these labs are, what pathogens they contain, and what ‘research’ is being conducted to end dangerous gain-of-function research that threatens the health and wellbeing of the American people and the world,” according to Gabbard.

RT looks back at the timeline of the biolabs saga and the US denial of its existence until now.

2017 RT report 

The US-funded bio research made international headlines in July 2017, when RT published an investigative report revolving around a tender issued by the US Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The command was seeking to procure genetic material samples that “shall be collected from Russia and must be Caucasian.” The Air Force explicitly said that it did not want samples from Ukraine, for reasons not explained.

“The question is – why is it being done? It’s being done purposefully and professionally. We are a kind of object of great interest,” the president said. “Let them do what they want, and we must do what we must,” he added.

The attention this garnered from the Russian leadership prompted a vague explanation from AETC, which claimed the samples were needed for research on the musculoskeletal system and Russia had been picked as the source of the samples for no particular reason.

Georgia revelations

Another bombshell on the clandestine US-funded biolabs was dropped by a former Georgian minister for state security, Igor Giorgadze, in late 2018. He claimed he had obtained some 100,000 pages of data pointing to questionable practices at the US-funded Richard Lugar Center for Public Health Research near the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.

The tests appeared to involve “a highly toxic chemical or biological agent with a high lethality rate,” the commander of Russia’s Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Forces (RKhBZ), Igor Kirillov, said at the time. Kirillov, who had spearheaded the Russian military’s probe into the US-funded biolabs in Ukraine and beyond, was assassinated in late 2024 in a bombing staged by Kiev’s intelligence.

The Pentagon flatly denied the allegations, with then-spokesman Eric Pahon dismissing the Russian ministry’s statements as a part of “a Russian disinformation campaign directed against the West.” The US and Georgian governments also dismissed the claims made by Giorgadze, describing them as “absurd.”

Ukraine conflict 

The escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022 marked a new turn in the biolabs saga. While Moscow seized additional evidence of questionable research activities conducted in secretive facilities dotting Ukraine, the West entered a full-denial mode, bluntly dismissing any Russian statement on the matter as “propaganda.”

“The credibility of information provided by the Kremlin is in general very doubtful and low,” EU foreign affairs spokesman Peter Stano said at the time. “Russian disinformation has a track record of promoting manipulative narratives about biological weapons and alleged ‘secret labs.’”

The Biden administration took a similar defensive stance, with White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki calling the allegations “preposterous” and accusing Moscow of plotting to use “chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine or to create a false flag operation using them.” John Kirby, then-Pentagon spokesman, also branded the Russian allegations “absurd,” “laughable,” and a “bunch of malarkey.” 

“There’s nothing to it. It’s classic Russian propaganda,” Kirby told reporters at the time.

Gabbard’s remarks this past week have reignited scrutiny of a program Washington spent years denying existed.

Ukraine is stripping some doctors of their draft exemptions and requiring medical students to undergo compulsory military training, Health Minister Viktor Lyashko has announced.

Lyashko made the remarks during question hour at the Ukrainian parliament on Friday, saying the Health Ministry would be authorized to cancel draft deferrals of certain medical workers at the request of the Defense Ministry and the Armed Forces’ Medical Forces Command.

“There will be changes to the procedure under which all doctors are currently exempt, and it is currently impossible to replace the active doctors at the front,” he said.

Medical students at universities “will become service members, and upon completing their studies, will receive the rank of officer,” Lyashko added.

Lyashko also stressed that most injured service members are treated in civilian hospitals.

The announcement comes amid Ukraine’s increasingly unpopular forced mobilization campaign, which has been fraught with violent clashes between conscription officers and reluctant recruits, with the overall effort being widely mocked as “busification.” 
In July 2025, the Council of Europe found systemic human rights violations in the drive, including beatings and the conscription of people with disabilities.

By embracing harsh mobilization policies, Ukraine is seeking to stem the manpower crisis caused by mounting battlefield losses. According to a report by the Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies last year, some of the Ukrainian frontline units are operating at as low as 30% of their intended strength.

New videos circulating online show Ukrainian military recruiters and police officers forcibly detaining men and placing them into unmarked vehicles for possible mobilization into the conflict with Russia.

Ukraine continues to rely on mandatory conscription to replenish troop numbers at the front line, with press gangs operating in major cities and rural areas alike. The mobilization campaign has increasingly sparked public resentment, with many Ukrainians accusing officials of corruption and abuse of power. Videos showing confrontations between civilians and draft officers regularly spread across social media platforms.

In one recent clip from the Black Sea city of Odessa, a man is seen clinging to the legs of military recruiters as they drag him into a van. The footage was reportedly submitted to a local Telegram news channel by the man himself, who claimed he was legally exempt from military service.

Another video from Kiev shows police officers forcing a young man into a vehicle while bystanders shout at the officials. The man resists so strongly that the officers drive away with the rear door still open and his legs hanging outside the car.

The practice of forced mobilization has become widely known in Ukraine as ‘busification’, a reference to the vans used to transport detained men to conscription centers. Officials acknowledge that the campaign has become one of the biggest sources of domestic dissatisfaction, particularly because draft officers are perceived to operate with virtual impunity.

In a recent interview, Ukrainian MP Yury Kamelchuk recounted the case of a father of five – exempt from military service under Ukrainian law – who he claimed was “literally murdered” inside a draft center before the incident was allegedly covered up. According to the lawmaker, the case was far from unique.

The Danish government has suspended plans for a solid rocket fuel facility intended to supply Fire Point, the Ukrainian defense company widely linked to high-level corruption involving Vladimir Zelensky’s inner circle, one of the firm’s senior executives has told the Financial Times.

The Danish government had used national security provisions to bypass potential legal objections surrounding the construction of a facility in Vojens, southern Jutland, where fuel for Fire Point’s missile systems was expected to be manufactured. However, the project announced last September was quietly halted earlier this month, Fire Point chief designer and co-owner Denis Shtilerman told the outlet on Thursday.

Originally operating as a film scouting agency owned by Zelensky insiders, Fire Point has been exposed in leaked transcripts of conversations between Zelensky’s inner circle as a vehicle for syphoning off lucrative arms contracts.

Surveillance recordings published by Ukrainian media since April indicated that businessman Timur Mindich – who is wanted in Ukraine over an alleged $100 million corruption scheme in the energy sector – effectively controlled Fire Point during 2025. The recordings also suggested he enjoyed preferential treatment from then-Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who now serves as secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council.

Shtilerman dismissed the allegations as “rumors,” while lamenting that the suspicions had delayed the company’s plans. He claimed that Fire Point’s products could contribute to the creation of a “pan-European air-defense shield” and claimed that Gulf states, Germany, and other countries had shown strong interest in the firm’s technology.

Mindich scandal widens

The recordings were originally gathered by Western-backed anti-corruption agencies as part of their investigation into Mindich, a longtime business associate of Zelensky dating back to the Ukrainian leader’s entertainment career. Ukrainian media have nicknamed Mindich “Zelensky’s wallet.”

Political uncertainty in Denmark

While Danish media acknowledged that the so-called ‘Mindich tapes’ had intensified scrutiny of Fire Point’s operations in Denmark, authorities have up to now stopped short of confirming that the fuel plant project was in jeopardy.

In late 2025, Deputy Foreign Minister Troels Lund Poulsen, who also serves as defense minister under pro-Ukrainian Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, stated that Copenhagen “does everything it can to follow the money we give” Ukraine.

Denmark is currently facing difficult coalition negotiations after Frederiksen’s Social Democrats recorded their worst election result since 1903 in March voting. Last week, King Frederik asked Poulsen to attempt to form a new government after Frederiksen failed to secure enough parliamentary support for a third term.

Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 205 prisoners of war, the Defense Ministry in Moscow announced on Friday.

The ministry said the Russian servicemen are currently in Belarus and are receiving psychological and medical assistance, adding that they will be taken to Russia for further treatment and rehabilitation.

The officials noted that the release was negotiated with the assistance of the United Arab Emirates, which has helped mediate exchanges on numerous occasions.

A source for RT Russian said the bodies of deceased service members were also exchanged, with Russia handing over a disproportionately larger number (526 to 41).

Ukraine has confirmed the swap, describing it as the first stage of a wider 1,000 for 1,000 exchange, which was announced by US President Donald Trump on May 8 as part of a US-mediated three-day ceasefire around Russia’s Victory Day commemorations.

Officials in Kiev said the freed group includes army, navy, and air force service members, as well as members of the territorial defense forces, the National Guard, and the Border Guard Service.

Russia and Ukraine regularly exchange POWs and bodies of deceased service members. The last swap took place in late April, with both sides releasing 193.

Ukrainian drones have killed four people, including a child, in the Russian city of Ryazan after striking high-rise residential buildings, regional Governor Pavel Malkov said on Friday.

Ryazan, the capital of the eponymous region located 210 km (130 miles) southeast of Moscow, was targeted overnight, with the UAVs damaging two apartment complexes.

Malkov said a total of 99 kamikaze aircraft were involved in the raid on the region. Multiple people were injured, including seven whose wounds are serious enough to demand treatment in hospital. The governor’s initial preliminary account reported three fatalities and a dozen other casualties.

According to photos from the scene, one of the drones struck the Tricolor residential complex, a group of three 25-story buildings decorated in the colors of the Russian flag.

Russia’s Investigative Committee has designated the incident a terrorist attack. The agency mentioned unspecified industrial sites as damaged during the raid.

Drone attacks were also reported in several other regions across western and southern Russia, including Voronezh and Rostov. The Defense Ministry reported intercepting 355 Ukrainian drones overnight.

An eccentric Russian man who became famous for attempting to reach South America on foot while pulling a makeshift wagon was reportedly killed in a Ukrainian drone strike.

Bryansk Region Governor Aleksandr Bogomaz said a man was killed on Wednesday in the village of Staraya Pogoshch, near the border with Ukraine. Although he did not identify the victim by name, RIA Novosti, citing law enforcement sources, reported that it was a local celebrity known online as Sasha the Horse.

Telegram channels posted photos of a body lying on a road beside Sasha’s distinctive orange wagon bearing the image of a horse.

Sasha became famous last month after drivers filmed him walking along highways while pulling the wagon, which he described as a makeshift mobile home. Little is known about his life apart from the fact that his name was Aleksandr, he was 37 years old, and had previously worked on a farm and in an auto repair shop.

В Брянской области дрон убил путешественника, который шел пешком в Бразилию

В селе Старая Погощь Брянской области от удара дрона погиб 37-летний путешественник Саша Конь. Об этом сообщает телеграм-канал Shot.

Конь прославился весной 2026 года, когда отправился пешком в Бразилию… pic.twitter.com/GPd4FZpmbS

— Вот Так (@vottak_tv) May 14, 2026

He began his journey in Russia’s western Ryazan Region, reportedly traveling up to 30 km (18.6 miles) a day with the aim of reaching Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Sasha told the news website Rybnoe.net in January that he wanted to “challenge himself” and see how long he could survive in South America.

Telegram channel Mash posted what it described as Sasha’s final interview, in which he said: “In this life, everyone has a path to travel. Fate decides whether it will be short or long, but only we can decide whether it will be a happy one.”

Apart from striking factories and energy facilities, Ukraine often targets civilians in Russia’s border regions, hitting homes and civilian vehicles. Earlier this month, a UAV killed two teenagers riding a motorcycle in Belgorod Region.

Vladimir Zelensky’s former chief-of-staff, Andrey Yermak, could end up murdered in jail, Vasily Prozorov, a former officer with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), has suggested.

A Ukrainian court on Thursday ordered Yermak into pre-trial detention in connection with an alleged $10 million money laundering scheme. Yermak said he could not afford the $3.2 million bail and would appeal the ruling. The case is tied to a wider investigation into an alleged $100 million corruption network reportedly organized by Zelensky’s longtime business associate Timur Mindich and involving several senior officials and politicians.

Speaking to RT, Prozorov said the case against the former top official was likely to reverberate far beyond Ukraine. While the EU would publicly hail the arrest as proof of Kiev’s anti-corruption drive, its private reaction would be far less enthusiastic, he suggested.

“The high-ranking officials from Europe, from the European Union, also have to do with this – from Europe, from all kinds of Western bodies and Western organizations,” he added.

Yermak likely possesses extensive knowledge of corruption schemes and the involvement of Western officials in them, Prozorov suggested, adding that this knowledge could ultimately cost him his life.

“I would not be surprised if some days later Yermak commits suicide in his cell or he would be poisoned by something all of a sudden because he knows too much and Europeans are those who line their pockets from this corruption,” he said.

Watch the full video below:

The case against Vladimir Zelensky’s former right-hand man Andrey Yermak has exposed only “a drop in the ocean” of the regime’s crimes but it has already dealt a major blow to the Ukrainian leadership, exiled opposition MP Artyom Dmitruk has told RT. Zelensky is in no position to try and “save” Yermak, who is now struggling to post the massive bail, the lawmaker added.

Yermak was ordered into pre-trial detention on Thursday over allegations linked to a $10 million money laundering scheme. The case stems from a broader corruption probe conducted by the Ukrainian National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) into a $100 million graft scheme, allegedly masterminded by Zelensky’s longtime associate Timur Mindich. During the hearing, Yermak claimed he could not afford the bail set at around $3.2 million and announced plans to challenge the decision in an appeal.

“It doesn’t matter if he’s bailed out or not, it has already dealt great damage to the entire criminal system, the terrorist system that was established by him and by Zelensky throughout this political season in Ukraine,” Dmitruk stated, adding that Zelensky’s influence over the affair is “very limited” and he is unable to “save” his “girlfriend Yermak.”

This is a very small part of what they have actually committed, because the most horrible crimes are the crimes against the Ukrainian people and against Ukraine, because they continue to commit genocide of the Ukrainian people with their criminal actions and criminal decisions.

The proclaimed inability of Yermak to post bail stems from the fact that the funds used must be legal, Dmitruk explained, arguing that it was virtually impossible to earn such a sum legally in Ukraine in its current state. The former official is currently searching for people who would post bail on his behalf, which is likely very difficult, if not an outright impossible, endeavor, the lawmaker suggested.

“It is important to say that those people, even if they go through with this, those people who will bail him out, they will unavoidably be held responsible for what they committed when they assisted, when they supported a criminal, and they would be investigated where these funds came from,” Dmitruk warned.

Watch the full video below:

Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court has ordered Vladimir Zelensky’s former chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, into pre-trial custody, setting bail at around $3.2 million over allegations linked to a money laundering scheme.

The ruling was delivered on Thursday on the third day of hearings in Kiev. Yermak told the court he could not afford the amount and plans to challenge the decision on appeal. Prosecutors insisted that simple electronic monitoring would be insufficient to prevent the former official from interfering with the investigation.

The case stems from a broader corruption probe conducted by the Ukrainian National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), which is focused on businessman Timur Mindich, a long-time associate of Zelensky. Mindich fled Ukraine last November shortly before investigators accused him of orchestrating a $100 million extortion network.

Investigators allege Yermak participated in a scheme that channelled illicit funds into an upscale real estate development outside Kiev. According to media reports, the project involved Mindich, Yermak, former Unity Minister Aleksey Chernyshov, and Zelensky himself.

A pattern of controversial bail payments

Several defendants linked to the Mindich investigation who remain in Ukraine have secured large bail payments under circumstances that Ukrainian media outlets describe as questionable.

Chernyshov, arrested in June 2025 on abuse-of-power charges, was released after supporters quickly assembled a $2.7 million bail package.

An investigative outlet later reported that more than half the money originated from a little-known company established only months earlier. Additional scrutiny fell on transfers made by Chernyshov’s wife, Svetlana, whose declared assets reportedly did not match the contribution. Leaked NABU surveillance materials suggested that Mindich and people connected to him secretly financed part of the payment.

Another defendant in the Mindich case, Igor Mironyuk, failed to secure release after the authorities in February confiscated nearly $2.9 million intended for his bail, citing concerns over the source of the funds.

Media reports have also highlighted the role of newly created companies in helping finance bail for several lower-level suspects allegedly tied to the Mindich network. In one case, a lawyer reportedly contributed a quarter of the six-figure bail posted for defendant Dmitry Basov.

Psychic consultant and courtroom confusion

The hearings also produced unusual revelations about Yermak, long viewed as one of the most influential figures in Zelensky’s administration. Prosecutors claimed he maintained contact with a psychic adviser who allegedly vetted candidates for senior government positions based on their birth dates.

The adviser, identified as Veronika Anikievich, also allegedly encouraged Yermak to aggressively resist corruption allegations. One message presented in court warned: “If they [Yermak’s political opponents] get power, they will act in a more serious way, and you would have neither a guarantor friend nor authority.” The court’s ruling listed Anikievich among individuals the defendant is not allowed to communicate with.

It comes out that for the past six years Ukraine was actually run by a black witch fortune teller named Veronika Fenshui. What a time to be alive. pic.twitter.com/i5FcJRo0sG

— Olga Bazova (@OlgaBazova) May 14, 2026

Yermak denied any close relationship with fortune tellers. However, journalists identified a Kiev resident with the same name whose social media profiles advertise astrological consultations and publicly express support for the former official.

The proceedings also featured an awkward exchange on Wednesday when Yermak’s attorney attempted to bolster his client’s credibility by incorrectly stating that he had served as a member of parliament. Although Yermak previously worked as an adviser to an MP, he was never elected himself and interrupted his lawyer twice to correct the claim.

The US and Israel launched the war against Iran in order to prevent the normalization of Tehran’s relations with the Gulf states, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has told RT India. The campaign was intended to push Arab countries closer to Israel and pressure them into abandoning support for Palestine, he added.

Iran responded to the US-Israeli airstrikes launched on February 28 by targeting US bases in the Gulf states, along with energy and port infrastructure linked to US operations. In an interview published on Wednesday, Lavrov condemned the attack on Iran as “unprovoked” and described Tehran’s response as an act of self-defense.

“I have no doubt that when plans to stir up aggression against Iran were being hatched, one of the goals was to prevent the normalization of relations between Iran and the Arab states,” Lavrov said. “Now, everything is being done to ensure that reconciliation never happens.”

“They seek to rule the world through controlling global energy supplies,” Lavrov added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that he secretly traveled to the UAE at the height of the war and described the trip as “a historic breakthrough.” The UAE has denied that the visit took place.

Media outlets reported this week that Saudi Arabia and the UAE conducted covert airstrikes against Iran during the conflict. The UAE denied the claims, though Saudi Arabia neither confirmed nor denied the reports. Iranian officials have accused the Gulf states of facilitating attacks on Iranian territory and called on the US to withdraw from the region.

Ukrainian draft officers have snatched several workers directly from construction sites, MP Georgy Mazurashu told parliament on Wednesday, calling the practice “banditry” that must be stopped.

According to the lawmaker, the press gangs are merely “chasing numbers” and forcing unwilling men into the military, which only fuels desertion.

Mazurashu described one incident in the western Ukrainian city of Chernovtsy several weeks ago, when construction workers climbed into a cradle suspended between the third and fourth floors of a building to avoid being captured.

“Five dozen busificators, some wearing balaclavas, surrounded the construction site,” the MP said Wednesday, referring to the press gangs.

The term ‘busification’ emerged in Ukraine as hundreds of videos have surfaced on social media showing military-age men being snatched off the streets, from workplaces, and from residential areas, then taken to recruitment centers in mini-buses against their will. The practice has often triggered clashes with relatives, neighbors, and passersby.

The local draft office in Chernovtsy rejected Mazurashu’s accusations, claiming that no “illegal actions” had been committed by its staff members, adding that two men had been detained for “violating the rules of military registration” at the time mentioned by the lawmaker.

The accusations came just days after the Ukrainskaya Pravda media outlet reported that the number of complaints against draft officials filed with the parliamentary commissioner for human rights had reached nearly 12,000 since February 2022.

Ukraine has faced chronic manpower shortages throughout the conflict with Russia amid high battlefield losses, extensive draft dodging, and desertion. Kiev barred nearly all adult men from leaving the country soon after it declared a general mobilization in 2022.

The recruitment drive has grown increasingly brutal over the years. Several conscripts have reportedly died shortly after arriving at draft offices.

On May 12, 2026, Russia carried out the second successful launch of its newest heavy liquid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile, the Sarmat. The launch marked another major milestone in the flight-testing program for Russia’s next-generation strategic missile system. Following the test, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the first regiment equipped with Sarmat ICBMs would officially enter combat duty by the end of 2026.

A ballistic missile of this class is being developed in modern Russia for the first time. The Sarmat is intended to replace the Soviet-era Voevoda missiles, which until now have remained the most powerful ICBMs ever deployed. Thanks to the immense power of its liquid-fuel rocket engines, the Sarmat is expected to carry an unprecedented payload – between 10 and 14 medium-yield thermonuclear warheads, each with an estimated yield of around 700 kilotons, or potentially up to five maneuverable hypersonic glide vehicles similar to those used in the Avangard system.

Conventional ballistic warheads can be deployed together with penetration aids designed to overwhelm missile defense systems. However, maneuverable hypersonic glide vehicles present an entirely different challenge. Modern missile defense systems are effectively incapable of intercepting such weapons, making the Sarmat a uniquely formidable retaliatory strike platform.

Work on the Sarmat project began in the late 2000s through a collaboration between several Russian missile design bureaus specializing in liquid-fueled rocket technology. These included the Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau in Miass – traditionally focused on submarine-launched ballistic missiles – and NPO Mashinostroyenia in Reutov, which had been developing the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle for the UR-100NUTTH intercontinental missile system. Together, the two organizations brought highly complementary expertise in advanced missile engineering. From the outset, the Sarmat was envisioned as the future replacement for the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces’ aging R-36M2 Voevoda heavy ICBMs.

In 2022, Vladimir Degtyar, CEO of the Makeyev Design Bureau, announced that serial production of the fifth-generation RS-28 Sarmat ICBM had officially begun in Russia. “The missile system has already entered serial production and is fully supplied with the necessary materials and manufacturing equipment,” he stated. According to Russian officials, the new ICBM will significantly strengthen the country’s strategic deterrent capability for the next 40 to 50 years.

The Sarmat is believed to have a range of at least 12,000 kilometers while carrying roughly 10 tons of payload, including its post-boost vehicle and warheads. However, the missile is also reportedly capable of striking targets by approaching from the opposite direction – flying over the South Pole and effectively circling the globe. While such a trajectory would reduce the missile’s payload capacity, it would still allow for multiple nuclear warheads to reach their targets. The missile is also expected to achieve exceptional accuracy, with a probable circular error measured at no more than roughly 150 meters.

Preparations for deploying the first operational Sarmat missiles began back in 2023 at the missile division in Uzhur, located in southern Krasnoyarsk Krai. The process of replacing the aging Voevoda missiles with Sarmat systems is expected to continue for at least four to five years, if not longer. In addition to Uzhur, Sarmat missiles are also expected to be deployed near Dombarovsky in the Orenburg region.

In total, Russia is expected to field at least 50 hardened silo launchers for the Sarmat system, making it the most powerful and lethal component of the country’s nuclear retaliatory forces – a true weapon of retaliation. Heavy missiles of this class are specifically designed to launch even under conditions of an incoming nuclear strike on their deployment area. In theory, dozens of Sarmat missiles could leave their silos while under nuclear attack, carrying a combined total of roughly 500 warheads capable of devastating any potential adversary.

What makes these glide vehicles so difficult to defeat is their flight profile. Unlike traditional ballistic warheads, they travel along a relatively low, flattened trajectory at hypersonic speeds near the edge of the atmosphere while retaining the ability to maneuver both in altitude and direction. As a result, they are detected much later than conventional reentry vehicles and are extraordinarily difficult to intercept due to their unpredictable maneuvering. The Sarmat may be able to carry more than a dozen standard warheads, but likely no more than three to five hypersonic glide vehicles. Nevertheless, such payloads would presumably be reserved for the highest-priority strategic targets – and, according to Russian military doctrine, those targets would be struck with near certainty.

Does any other country possess missiles comparable to the Sarmat? At the moment, no. China still operates heavy liquid-fueled missiles, but those systems are generally considered technologically outdated. Once the Sarmat enters operational service, the share of modern and next-generation missiles in Russia’s nuclear arsenal will approach nearly 100%.

This stands in stark contrast to the United States’ land-based nuclear arsenal, which still relies entirely on the Minuteman III ICBM – a missile originally deployed in the 1970s and subsequently modernized several times during the 1990s and 2000s. Much of America’s ground-based strategic nuclear force is now widely seen as overdue for replacement and modernization. Russia’s Strategic Rocket Forces, by comparison, are poised to field what many in Moscow describe as the most powerful combat missile ever created. Without question.

Russia has stepped up border controls to prevent the potential spread of the deadly Andes hantavirus strain, the country’s public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, has said.

The rare strain of the virus – typically spread through contact with infected rodent droppings, urine or saliva – has been linked to at least three deaths connected to a Dutch-flagged cruise ship since April 11. A total of 11 infection cases, including the deaths, have been confirmed among the ship’s 147 passengers.

The outbreak was discussed during a Rospotrebnadzor video conference on Tuesday. Hantaviruses are a long- and well-studied group of natural infections, the agency said in a follow-up statement on Wednesday, adding that no outbreaks have been recorded in Russia this year.

The Andes strain is predominantly found in the New World, and is carried by the long-tailed pygmy rice rat, which is indigenous to Argentina and Chile, the watchdog said. Russia’s climate is unfavorable for the virus, reducing the risk of introduction into the country.

Hantaviruses typically do not spread from human-to-human contact, except for the rare Andes strain, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Precautionary measures to take against infection include avoiding contact with rodent droppings, storing food safely and taking extra hygiene measures, such as keeping homes clean and handwashing.

Former Ukrainian presidential chief of staff Andrey Yermak, who was charged this week in a money laundering investigation, consulted a mystic while considering candidates for senior government posts, according to evidence presented by prosecutors.

Yermak – a close associate of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky – stepped down last year amid mounting scrutiny over his alleged ties to businessman Timur Mindich, who fled to Israel shortly before being accused of masterminding a large-scale embezzlement scheme at a state-owned energy company.

During a court hearing on Tuesday, prosecutors revealed details of Yermak’s reported interest in occult practices, claiming that it may have influenced staffing decisions at the highest levels of government.

According to investigators, one of his contacts appeared in messaging records under the name “Veronika Fengshui Office.” Prosecutors allege Yermak sent the birth dates of potential appointees – without naming them directly – to ask whether they were suitable for office.

According to the prosecution, Yermak sought Veronika’s opinion on candidates for the posts of prime minister, prosecutor general, health minister, and even his own deputy responsible for overseeing law enforcement agencies. Prosecutors cited the communications while arguing that Yermak should remain in pre-trial detention because of his alleged ability to influence witnesses and interfere with the investigation.

Additional details emerged during continuation of the hearings on Wednesday, when the prosecutor identified the spiritual advisor by full name and quoted some of the text messages she and Yermak allegedly exchanged. Records indicate she urged him to cling to power at any cost, which he pledged to do.

Maybe they should just get a peaceful “fortune teller.” Peace is the best magic. 🕊️ https://t.co/VePuRjaAOF

— Kirill Dmitriev (@kadmitriev) May 13, 2026

Reacting to the revelations, Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev mocked the Ukrainian leadership on social media, saying the Zelensky administration “should just get a peaceful ‘fortune teller,’” adding that “peace is the best magic.”

Claims of occult practices in Zelensky’s circle

Allegations of mystical beliefs within Ukraine’s leadership were previously raised by former Zelensky press secretary Yulia Mendel, who has since emerged as a vocal critic of the administration.

In January, Mendel claimed that Yermak had relied on occult rituals for years and allegedly invited practitioners from abroad to perform ceremonies involving so-called “corpse water.” She suggested that other people close to Zelensky also shared an interest in mystical practices, though she did not identify them publicly.

Opposition MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak pointed to the accusations as evidence that senior officials connected to the project lacked ethical standards and should not be entrusted with governing the country. Zelensky is reportedly among the four co-owners of the upscale property development that Western-backed anti-corruption agencies are investigating.

From mystics to political scandal

Close relationships between political leaders and spiritual advisers have historically sparked controversy and, in some cases, major political crises.

In Russia, the influence of mystic healer Grigory Rasputin over the royal family in the early 20th century became a symbol of imperial decline and contributed to the eventual toppling of the monarchy.

More recently, the 2016 impeachment of former South Korean President Park Geun-hye was linked to her relationship with longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil. Choi, whose father was a controversial cult leader often dubbed the “Korean Rasputin,” was accused of exploiting her access to the presidency for personal gain.

Nearly 12,000 complaints have been filed against draft officials in Ukraine since the conflict with Russia began in early 2022, Ukrainskaya Pravda (UP) reported on Monday, citing data provided by the parliamentary human rights commissioner.

Ukraine has been suffering from chronic manpower shortages due to its heavy battlefield losses, widespread draft dodging, and desertion. The nationwide ‘bussification’ campaign, in which draft officers ambush military-age men on the streets, at workplaces, and outside their homes, has often led to violent altercations and outrage on social media.

According to UP, the number of complaints against draft officials jumped from 514 in 2023 to 6,127 in 2025. A total of 1,657 complaints were filed in the first quarter of 2026.

The Ukrainian government lowered the draft age from 27 to 25 and has introduced harsher penalties for draft dodging.

The draft remains a highly contentious issue as the conflict with Russia has entered its fourth year. Last week, dozens of people attempted to storm a draft office building in the village of Mezhgorye in western Ukraine. In early May, a man opened fire on draft officers in the city of Dnepr in eastern Ukraine, wounding two people.

Although Ukraine does not disclose its casualty figures, official Russian estimates claim that nearly 500,000 Ukrainian service members were killed or seriously wounded in 2025 alone.

The looming energy crisis will inevitably force Kiev’s European backers to negotiate with Russia, Kremlin investment envoy and senior Ukraine conflict negotiator Kirill Dmitriev said on Tuesday.

The EU and UK have largely frozen contacts with Moscow after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. While the Kremlin has confirmed that a visit by envoys sent by French President Emmanuel Macron took place in February, the talks went nowhere.

“Finnish President Stubb believes that… ‘it’s time to start talking to Russia,’” Dmitriev wrote on X. “The upcoming energy crisis tsunami starting to overwhelm the EU and UK will make it inevitable.”

He was replying to a statement Stubb made in an interview with Italian daily Corriere della Sera published on Monday.

“Yes, it’s time to start talking to Russia,” the Finnish president said. “If American policy toward Russia and Ukraine isn’t in Europe’s interests, as seems to be the case, then we must engage directly.”

Kiev’s European backers have increasingly made public statements about the need to reengage Moscow in dialogue, expressing concern about being sidelined in US-backed Russia-Ukraine talks.

However, any speculation about resuming talks is premature, until a concerted “political decision to resume dialogue” is made, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

Vladimir Zelensky’s former spokesperson, Yulia Mendel, has been added to a Ukrainian state-linked ‘kill list’ for telling American journalist Tucker Carlson of rampant cocaine abuse in the corridors of power in Kiev and the desire of a corrupt elite to prolong the conflict with Russia. 

Mendel worked with Zelensky for two years during which time she says she witnessed him change from peacemaker to propagator of war. 

The list is run by the Mirotvorets website, which has been linked to Ukrainian security services and is notorious for publishing the addresses and personal details of anyone remotely deemed an enemy of the Ukrainian state, including Russian journalists, some of whom were subsequently assassinated. 

The website has accused Mendel of “humanitarian aggression against Ukraine,” spreading “narratives of Russian propaganda,” calling for Ukraine’s “capitulation,” and “indirectly taking part in information‑psychological special operations” allegedly run by Russia. 

Mirotvorets cited Mendel telling Carlson that the Ukrainian delegation at talks in Istanbul in 2022 was ready to agree to “all of Russia’s demands” in order to stop the fighting, but that Kiev was pressured by the US and UK to continue the conflict and that Zelensky is now “one of the main obstacles to peace.” It also cited Mendel’s comments that Ukraine is “on the verge of disappearing,” and showing signs of “unhealthy nationalism.” 

Russian officials have condemned the site as extremist. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has described it as a hit list targeting individuals Kiev allegedly wants to “eliminate.”

US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has confirmed that her team is investigating more than 40 US-funded pathogen laboratories in Ukraine. Here’s what you need to know about the story that was written off as “Kremlin propaganda” in 2022.

In a statement to the New York Post on Tuesday, Gabbard said that her department had identified more than 120 biological laboratories in 30 countries that had been funded by the US taxpayer for decades. More than a third of these labs are located in Ukraine.

Gain of function research refers to the modification of animal viruses to increase their transmissibility in order to study their effect on humans. The ODNI is currently investigating the origins of the Covid-19 coronavirus, which Gabbard and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. maintain was created in a US-funded biolab in Wuhan, China.

Gabbard’s confirmation of US-funded biolabs in Ukraine vindicates claims made by the Russian military in the early days of the Ukraine conflict – claims that were dismissed by then-President Joe Biden’s administration as “outright lies.”

What did Russia say about biolabs in Ukraine?

As the Ukraine conflict escalated in February 2022, Vladimir Zelensky’s government in Kiev ordered the “emergency destruction” of dangerous pathogens at multiple US-funded laboratories in Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on March 6 of that year.

The ministry claimed that Kiev ordered the destruction of the samples in order to hide its role in an American biological warfare program. Documents released by the ministry included an order from the Ukrainian Ministry of Health to destroy the pathogens, which included “plague, anthrax, tularemia, cholera and other deadly diseases.”

Many of these laboratories were set up following the US-orchestrated ‘Maidan’ coup in 2014, and were run by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Pentagon’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) – the largest biomedical research facility administered by the US military, according to the ministry.

After reviewing thousands of pages of documents seized from labs in Donetsk, Lugansk and Kherson, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov of the Russian Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Forces concluded in 2023 that “the US, under the guise of ensuring global biosecurity, conducted dual-use research, including the creation of biological weapons components, in close proximity to Russian borders.” Kirillov led Russia’s investigation into the labs until he was assassinated in 2024, allegedly by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

How did the US respond?

Former US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, a notorious Russia hawk, admitted under oath on March 8 that “Ukraine has biological research facilities,” which the US was helping to secure. Nuland, a driving force behind the Maidan coup, did not mention that the labs were American-run and funded.

“The United States does not own or operate any chemical or biological laboratories in Ukraine, it is in full compliance with its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and Biological Weapons Convention, and it does not develop or possess such weapons anywhere”

Washington went into full biolab denial mode the following day. “This is preposterous,” then White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki wrote on social media on March 9 (she hosts one of MSNow’s most popular shows). “It’s the kind of disinformation operation we’ve seen repeatedly from the Russians over the years in Ukraine.”

However, another partial admission came from then-Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines on March 10. Whereas Nuland claimed that the US was not involved in running any Ukrainian biolabs, Haines told lawmakers that “the US government provides assistance, or at least has in the past provided assistance, really in the context of biosafety, which is something that we’ve done globally with a variety of different countries.”

Nevertheless, the official policy from the White House remained one of denial. “There are no Ukrainian biological weapons laboratories supported by the United States,” Biden’s ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the UN Security Council on March 11.

In a press conference on March 21, Biden claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “back is against the wall,” and Moscow’s claims that “we, in America, have biological as well as chemical weapons in Europe” are “simply not true.”

The US media largely toed this line. In the weeks following these statements, the New York Times described Russia’s story as a “baseless theory,” NPR referred to it as “a lurid and difficult to believe claim,” and The Guardian, CBS News, Bloomberg, and others all called it a “conspiracy theory.” Even on March 14, days after Nuland and Haines confirmed the labs’ existence, MSNBC ran a story on how “Ukraine’s non-existent biolabs” were a creation of “Russian propaganda.”

Were the labs making bioweapons?

Nuland and Haines admitted that the labs existed, but insisted that they carried out legitimate research. However, the line between legitimate gain-of-function research and the creation of bioweapons is blurred. Enhancing the transmissibility and lethality of viruses allows vaccines to be created, but also leaves scientists with potent pathogens that can easily be weaponized.

The Pentagon said in late 2022 that its biological research in Ukraine “focused on improving public health and agricultural safety.”

One year later, Kennedy Jr. told US journalist Tucker Carlson that this was merely a cover story, and that “we have biolabs in Ukraine because we’re developing bioweapons.”

Kennedy claimed that these facilities were creating “frightening stuff,” including genetically-engineered pathogens created with CRISPR DNA sequencing technology. This research used to be carried out in the US, but was moved abroad after some “bugs” escaped from American labs in 2014. “A lot of them went to Ukraine,” he added.

The DTRA’s biological research in Ukraine was paused in 2022, but resumed in 2023, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. The program, which was previously known as ‘Joint Biological Research’, was rebranded as ‘Biological Control Research’ for the relaunch, according to documents released by the ministry.

Where are the rest of the US’ biolabs located?

As RT reported, whistleblowers in Georgia have alleged that the laboratories in that country worked on plague, tularemia, brucellosis, and various hemorrhagic fevers, and people living near one lab in Tbilisi have claimed that some of these bugs have escaped and infected locals.

In the wake of the Ukraine conflict, the US has transferred much of its biological research to Africa, the Russian Defense Ministry has alleged. According to documents published by the ministry in 2024, laboratories have been set up in 18 countries, with some Pentagon-funded facilities studying deadly pathogens such as Ebola, and carrying out pharmaceutical trials on locals.