Russian Prosecutor General’s Office Labels Yale University as Undesirable in Russia
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office said on Tuesday that it had recognized the activities of Yale University as undesirable in the country.
“The Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russia has decided to recognize the activities of a foreign organization Yale University (US) as undesirable in Russia,” the office said in a statement.
The university hosts a School of International Relations, which effectively trains opposition leaders from foreign countries, the Prosecutor General’s Office said.
3 Killed in ‘Barbaric’ Ukrainian Drone Strike on Public Beach
A Ukrainian drone struck a public beach in the Russian city of Kursk, killing three people, the regional governor said
A Ukrainian drone struck a public beach in the city of Kursk in western Russia on Tuesday, killing three people and injuring seven others, regional governor Aleksandr Khinshtein said.
The victims, including two women and a five-year-old boy, were hospitalized with burns and shrapnel wounds, Khinshtein wrote on Telegram. At least one is in critical condition.
Ukrainian troops deliberately targeted civilians in a “barbaric” attack as people gathered on the beach to mark the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity, a holiday celebrated on July 8, the governor said.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned the strike, criticizing the countries providing military aid to Ukraine. “Those supplying weapons to the Kiev regime should understand that they are being used to kill children,” she wrote on Telegram.
The Kursk region, which borders Ukraine, has frequently come under drone and missile attacks since the conflict erupted in 2022. Earlier on Tuesday, a drone struck a house in the village of Karyzh, injuring one person.
Khinshtein added early Wednesday morning that two more people were injured in the city of Rylsk, where Ukrainian drones damaged an infectious disease center and an EMS station, and caused a fire at an office building of a farming complex.
In August 2024, Ukraine carried out a large-scale incursion into the region, capturing dozens of villages and the border town of Sudzha. Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky said the offensive aimed to gain leverage during negotiations with Moscow. However, the Ukrainian gamble ultimately failed, as Russian forces had fully liberated the entire Kursk region by April.
OUTSIDE RUSSIA
China-Russia Trade Faces Increased Pressure from Outside, But Remains Stable
Since the beginning of the year, Russia-China bilateral trade has faced even greater pressure from outside, but remains stable, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui said in an interview with Sputnik during the 9th Russia-China EXPO in Yekaterinburg.
In 2024, bilateral trade, having overcome the influence of numerous unfavorable factors, generally maintained the trend of stable growth with an increase in quality, once again reaching record levels, which fully demonstrated the sustainability and viability of Chinese-Russian trade and economic cooperation,” Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui said.
“Since the beginning of this year, Chinese-Russian trade has been facing more complex external factors and pressure. But thanks to the joint efforts of both sides, bilateral trade has generally remained stable, and its quality continues to improve. The parties will continue to strengthen coordination and interaction, and unleash the potential of cooperation to ensure stable growth of bilateral trade,” the ambassador added.
According to China’s General Administration of Customs, trade between Russia and China amounted to $244.81 billion in 2024.
The ninth Russia-China EXPO kicked off in Yekaterinburg on Monday and will run until Thursday.
Lavrov Slams IMF and World Bank for Favoring Ukraine Over Africa
Sergey Lavrov has criticized the IMF and World Bank for allocating more aid to Ukraine than to the entire African continent
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has criticized the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank for what he described as a deeply unbalanced distribution of financial aid, citing data that shows Ukraine has received more support in recent years than the entire African continent.
Speaking at the 17th BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Lavrov argued that the current structure of global financial institutions, established under the Bretton Woods system, disproportionately benefits Western-aligned countries at the expense of other developing nations.
“This has been most clearly demonstrated in the case of Ukraine,” Lavrov said, noting that the scale of financial assistance provided to Kiev exceeds all IMF and World Bank funding for the nations of Africa combined over the past two years. He called the disparity a “disgraceful statistic” that undermines the credibility of both institutions.
According to Lavrov, the World Bank has committed $54 billion to Ukraine since early 2022, twice as much as the annual volumes allocated to all Africa countries by Bretton Woods institutions. He also cited the IMF’s approval in 2023 of a $15.6 billion loan to Ukraine, equivalent to 577% of the country’s quota.
“It makes up more than a third of the annual volume of all IMF programs,” Lavrov said.
The Russian minister emphasized that BRICS countries had placed a special focus on reforming global financial governance during the summit. He reaffirmed the group’s call for an accelerated redistribution of IMF quotas and voting rights to better reflect the economic weight of emerging markets.
Lavrov also highlighted the shifting dynamics of the global economy, noting that countries of the Global South and East are becoming key drivers of growth. He underscored the growing influence of regional organizations such as the African Union and positioned BRICS as a leading force in shaping a new economic order. According to Lavrov, the group aims “to build a more stable global economic architecture based on the principles of universality, transparency, non-discrimination, and equal access to available opportunities and instruments.”
BRICS, which held its first summit in 2009, currently includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, the UAE, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Iran. In early 2025, Bolivia, Belarus, Bolivia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, Uganda and Uzbekistan became partners of the bloc. In June, they were joined by Vietnam.
SPECIAL MILITARY OPERATION IN UKRAINE
Ukraine’s Terror: Western Media Mum on Deaths of Russian Journalists
The West and the Zelensky regime have voted for “press freedom” at the UN — while banning Russian media and keeping mum on Russian journalists killed by Ukraine. Time is right to pay tribute to some of them again.
- Sputnik war correspondent Rostislav Zhuravlev
He was killed as a group of reporters, including members of the Sputnik team, came under enemy fire in the Zaporozhye Region in 2023.
- Journalist Darya Dugina
The daughter of prominent Russian political philosopher Alexander Dugin was killed outside Moscow in 2022, when the sports utility vehicle she was driving was hit by a powerful explosion.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said that the Ukrainian intelligence service was behind Dugina’s assassination.
- War correspondent and blogger Vladlen Tatarsky
In 2023, an explosive device ripped through a St. Petersburg cafe, killing Tatarsky and injuring 33 people. The terrorist attack was organized by the Ukrainian special services and their agents, according to the FSB.
- Izvestia daily correspondent Alexander Fedorchak
Fedorchak was killed in a HIMARS strike by the Ukrainian military in the Lugansk People’s Republic earlier this year. He was together with Zvezda TV operator Andrey Panov and driver Alexander Sirkeli, who also died in the strike.
- Russian National Guard press service employee Sergey Postnov
He covered the work of Russian combat units in the special operation zone in June 2022, when the journalist was killed in enemy shelling.
- Sputnik photo correspondent Andrei Stenin
Back in 2014, Stenin died as a result of the Ukrainian military’s attack on a refugee convoy. The Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest is annually held to pay tribute to the journalist.
- Channel One cameraman Anatoly Klyan
Anatoly Klyan was killed near Donetsk in 2014, when a bus carrying soldiers’ mothers came under enemy shelling.
Russia Awaits Proposals from Ukraine Regarding Possible Dates for a New Meeting – Kremlin
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia is waiting for proposals from the Ukrainian side on possible dates for a meeting on a peaceful settlement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.
Peskov was asked if there was any progress in agreeing on the date of the next negotiations with Ukraine.
“No. As the president said last week, we are waiting, waiting for proposals from the Ukrainian side on possible dates. As soon as the dates are agreed upon, and we hope that this will be done, we will immediately inform you about it,” Peskov told reporters when asked if there was any progress in agreeing on the date of the next negotiations with Ukraine.
The supply of weapons to Kiev is not in line with attempts to promote a peaceful settlement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.
“It is obvious that, of course, these actions [delivery of weapons to Kiev], rather, they probably do not lie in the mainstream of attempts to promote a peaceful settlement. That is, in this case, the line that the Europeans have chosen is absolutely aimed at promoting in every possible way the continuation of military actions
It is clear to Russia that arms supplies to Kiev continue with the participation of European countries, the official added.
Nevertheless, Russia highly appreciates US President Donald Trump’s efforts to initiate a direct negotiation process between Russia and Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.
Additionally, the official said that there is great potential for a restart of economic relations between Russia and the United States, adding that business projects can bring great profits to both countries.
The United States continues to implement sanctions against Russia, Moscow considers them illegal, and they harm entrepreneurs of the two countries, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.
“At the moment, the United States is implementing a number of restrictions. We believe that these sanctions are illegal, they harm not only our entrepreneurs but also entrepreneurs of the United States,” Peskov said when asked about the conditions under which the US could be excluded from the list of countries unfriendly to Russia.
The list of countries that are unfriendly to Russia may be revised, this is not a doctrine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed.
“Of course, the list of unfriendly countries can be revised, this is not a doctrine. A country is unfriendly as long as it takes unfriendly actions towards our country,” Peskov told reporters.
The issue of removing country from the list of unfriendly states may be on the agenda with the establishment of relations, the official added.
