INSIDE RUSSIA
Kremlin: Russia and US Strive for Peace but Europe Pushes for Conflict
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia and US are working hard for peace, while Europe is working hard for war, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.
“Yes, here also you and I should clearly understand that at the moment there is intense work between Moscow and Washington. And it is taking place in the name of peace. And against this background, European countries continue to work for war,” Peskov told reporters, adding that Russian-US economic cooperation may play a stabilizing role for the world.
European countries declare their intention to continue supporting Ukraine and the Kiev regime in its efforts to continue the war, Peskov added.
There is quite intensive work on the Ukrainian settlement, but immediate results should not be expected, Peskov said.
“Hard work is going on. Of course, it is such a complex substance that it is hardly possible to expect immediate results, but nevertheless. Of course, we would like to hope for the best, hope that this work will have positive results,” Peskov told reporters.
There are no clear outlines of a future Ukrainian settlement agreement, but there is political will to work in its direction, he added.
“Once again, we are very, very positive about the constructive and meaningful contacts that have taken place,” the spokesman said.
Peskov refused to comment on media reports about an alleged US offer to Iran to transfer its uranium reserves to Russia.
The Guardian reported earlier that the United States had allegedly offered Tehran to transfer uranium reserves to Russia during talks with Iran in Oman.
“I leave this issue without comment,” Peskov told reporters.
Ukraine keeps launching strikes on Russian energy infrastructure on a daily basis, Kremlin spokesman said.
“The temporary moratorium has not been respected and is not being respected by the Ukrainian military. We see daily strikes on Russian energy infrastructure. It is important for everyone to know this,” Peskov said.
Unlike the Kiev regime, Russia continues to abide by the order of Russian President Vladimir Putin, given a month ago, and does not target Ukrainian energy infrastructure, he added.
“I need to clarify [the dates of the moratorium’s end]. I just need to get corresponding information from [the Russian] Defense Ministry. Of course all will depend on the orders of the Commander-in-Chief [Putin],” the spokesman said when asked about the moratorium’s expiration date.
A conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump within the next few days is not on the schedule, Peskov said.
“There is no such conversation on the schedule within the next few days,” Peskov told journalists.
Peskov specified that if such a conversation were to take place, the Kremlin would provide information about it.
“We will appropriately inform you the way we usually do it,” Peskov said.
Russia expects leaders from more than 20 countries to visit Moscow on May 9 and take part in the Victory Day parade, Peskov said.
“We are ready to receive anyone who is willing to celebrate this extremely important date with us. It has a special meaning now, when Nazism has reestablished itself in Europe. When we do not see a unanimous European desire to eradicate it immediately. Therefore, this day is extremely important, and we will be happy to welcome everyone. We can already say that we are expecting more than 20 heads of state and government who will be here together with [Russian President Vladimir Putin] to celebrate this day,” Peskov said.
Moscow will be happy to welcome anyone “who is ready to share the pride and joy of this day” and believes that everyone in Europe and the world should understand the significance of Victory Day, he added.
Russia has called the statement by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas about the presence of EU countries in Russia on May 9 very harsh, Dmitry Peskov said.
“As for Ms. Kallas you mentioned, we draw attention to her very, very harsh statements. We do not consider them correct and we cannot assess these threats. Those threats should be assessed by a sovereign state that is being threatened. And as it seems to us, there are states in Europe that do not accept such rhetoric,” Peskov said, when asked about Kallas’ calls for candidates for EU accession not to participate in the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Victory Day in Russia.
Ukraine’s Deadly Drone Attack on Russia’s Kursk Region – Details
A civilian was killed and nine others injured in a massive drone attack on Kursk, regional authorities said. 109 UAVs were shot down over the region, the Russian defense ministry reported. An 85-year-old woman was killed in the attack. Nine people were injured, suffering from shrapnel wounds, traumatic brain injuries, and burns. One of the strikes targeted an ambulance garage, damaging 11 vehicles. Three homes were damaged by explosives dropped from drones. Residents of the affected apartment buildings have been relocated to temporary accommodation centers
Russian ruble becomes world’s top-performing currency amid dollar weakness — media
Iskander Lutsko, the Dubai-based head of research and portfolio management at Istar Capital, noted a visible thaw in relations between Moscow and Washington, which, in his view, also played a role in making the Russian currency more attractive to investors
NEW YORK, April 16. /TASS/. The Russian ruble has strengthened against the dollar by 38% in over-the-counter trading since the beginning of the year, becoming the world’s most profitable currency due to the US dollar weakening amid new American duties, Bloomberg reported, citing economists.
“Unlike many emerging-market currencies, the ruble is not facing pressure from capital outflow, caused by global investors’ retreat from riskier assets,” Sofya Donets, an economist at T-Investments, told the agency.
Iskander Lutsko, the Dubai-based head of research and portfolio management at Istar Capital, noted a visible thaw in relations between Moscow and Washington, which, in his view, also played a role in making the Russian currency more attractive to investors. “There are no clear drivers for the ruble’s weakening at this stage,” Lutsko said, noting that the conditions supporting the ruble are likely to persist in the future.
According to the Bank of Russia, the real effective ruble exchange rate (against the currencies of Russia’s main trading partners, adjusted for inflation) in March rose by 7.1% compared to the previous month. In annual terms, the exchange rate rose by 19.2% in the January-March period.
OUTSIDE RUSSIA
‘Euro-Nazism’ is being revived
The EU is reviving Nazism by pressuring applicants from attending Russia’s Victory Day celebration, Maria Zakharova has said
The Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said Tuesday that the EU’s attempts to pressure candidate states not to attend the 80th anniversary of the victory in World War II in Moscow are tantamount to a revival of Nazism.
On Monday, the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, warned the leaders of EU members and candidate states against taking part in the event in the Russian capital on May 9. The British daily The Telegraph later wrote that candidate states, such as Serbia, could be barred from joining the bloc if their leaders choose to attend the Victory Day celebrations.
“If this is true, then Euro-Nazism is being reborn before our eyes,” Zakharova wrote on Telegram, citing the article.
“This is how the fascists 80 years ago forced those they considered ‘second-class people’ to renounce their homeland, ethnicity, and faith,” the spokeswoman added.
The Telegraph wrote that EU officials warned Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who has indicated that he would attend the May 9 parade, that the visit would derail his country’s accession to the bloc.
Vucic’s presence at the event would “come at a cost,” the secretary-general of Estonia’s Foreign Ministry, Jonatan Vseviov, said, according to the newspaper. “The consequence is them not joining the European Union.”
“For us this will be an important litmus test. Basically what we look at is whether or not they are on our side or playing on the other team,” he reportedly said.
Speaking at a press conference in Luxembourg on Monday, Kallas warned that “any participation in the May 9th parades – or celebrations – in Moscow will not [be] taken lightly on the European side.”
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, the only EU member state leader to have indicated he would attend, slammed her statement as “disrespectful” and potentially a form of blackmail.
“Is Ms. Kallas’s warning a form of blackmail or a signal that I will be punished upon my return from Moscow? I don’t know. But I do know that the year is 2025, not 1939,” he wrote on X.
Fico stressed that his attendance is a matter of national sovereignty. “I will go to Moscow to pay tribute to the thousands of Red Army soldiers who died liberating Slovakia, as well as to the millions of other victims of Nazi terror,” he added.
Russia annual Victory Day celebration honors the 1945 triumph of the USSR over Nazi Germany as well as the estimated 26.6 million Soviet lives lost in the conflict.
Colonial borders fuel instability in Africa – Lavrov — RT Africa
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has linked modern-day instability in Africa to colonial-era borders
The legacy of colonialism remains a key driver of instability across Africa, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Kommersant published on Monday.
He attributed much of the continent’s turmoil to borders drawn by departing colonial powers without regard for ethnic, cultural, and historical realities.
Lavrov argued that colonial map-making practices resulted in the fragmentation of ethnic groups across newly formed national borders. This led to “chaos,” he said, explaining that the colonial authorities drew maps “with a ruler” throughout the continent, dividing entire communities.
He cited the Tuareg people, who are now split between Algeria and Mali, as well as other groups such as the Tutsi and Hutu in Rwanda.
Despite the destabilizing impact of these borders, Lavrov noted that the African Union has made a decision not to revise them.
“Yes, they did leave such a legacy. The African Union, in its wisdom, decided that for now it is best to live within these borders, to find ways to reach agreements, and to build good-neighborly arrangements so that people – relatives – can cross borders freely,” Lavrov said.
He also noted the unfinished process of decolonization, stating that 17 territories in the world remain under the control of former colonial powers. A similar sentiment was expressed in 2019 by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who stated that “decolonization is one of the most significant chapters of the Organization’s history. But this story is still being written, as 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories remain.”
Lavrov went on to criticize those who condemn Russia’s actions on the pretext of defending the UN Charter, while ignoring UN General Assembly resolutions that call for the full decolonization of Africa.
“If you say that issues must be resolved in accordance with the UN Charter, then as a responsible party, approach this document in its entirety and in the interconnection of its principles,” he said.
In February, Russia proposed that the UN designate December 14 as an international day against colonialism. The proposal followed a December 2024 UN General Assembly resolution on the ‘Eradication of colonialism in all its forms and manifestations’.
SPECIAL MILITARY OPERATION IN UKRAINE
Ukraine simplifies recruitment of mercenaries
The Ukrainian government will arrange and cover travel, food, and lodging expenses for foreign fighters following a policy shift
The Ukrainian government has made a new attempt to recruit more foreign mercenaries for its army, authorizing officials to arrange and pay for transportation, food, and accommodation, according to lawmakers.
Kiev is struggling to enforce mandatory conscription, being faced with a wave of mass draft avoidance. Foreign “volunteers” – viewed by Moscow as mercenaries – have helped cover up for ongoing manpower shortages in the Ukrainian military.
On Tuesday, MPs Aleksey Goncharenko and Taras Meinichuk announced policy changes that authorize Ukrainian recruitment centers to transport foreign nationals and stateless persons across the border. The Defense Ministry and National Guard can now fund such trips from their budgets, according to the officials.
Moscow regards non-Ukrainians serving in Kiev’s military as criminals, not covered by the protections normally granted to combatants. Following reports of foreign fighters being involved in the Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region, President Vladimir Putin warned in March that “mercenaries are not protected by the 1949 Geneva Convention on POWs.”
Russian officials have claimed that some mercenaries are unofficially deployed by their home governments to operate complex Western-supplied weaponry or to advise Ukrainian officers.
This week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said a recent strike on Sumy targeted Ukrainian military leaders during a meeting with “Western colleagues.” He insisted that “there are NATO servicemen there, and they are directly in charge” of Ukrainian operations.
Extensive recent reports in US and British media have described the significant involvement of both nations’ militaries in directing the Ukraine conflict, surpassing official acknowledgments by their governments. Coverage from the New York Times and The Times of London appeared to substantiate Moscow’s position that the conflict is a NATO proxy war against Russia.
INSIGHTS
Top-5 Russian Electronic Warfare Systems Turning NATO’s Fancy Gear Into Scrap Metal
April 15 is the professional holiday of Russia’s Electronic Warfare Troops. These are the systems they have at their disposal to guard Russia’s skies and forces in the field.
Krasukha: This series of EW ‘Belladonnas’ is designed to take on an array of aerial threats and jam enemy command and control across the X, KU and S-bands. From drones to aircraft avionics, the Krasukha jams radio signals at ranges up to 300 km.
Murmansk BN: Heavy-duty, long-range EW system silencing enemy C&C by shutting down HQ comms channels and those of units in the field alike. Mounted on KAMAZ trucks, the Murmansk BN has a jamming range up to 8,000 km. Finetuned against NATO HF frequencies from 3-30 MHz.
Rtut-2: The ‘Mercury-2’ system targets any and all enemy munitions with an electronic brain, creating a defensive dome up to 0.5 sq km across around critical objects and troops in the field. Carried by BTR-80 and MT-LB heavy tracked armored vehicles.
Borshchevik: This new EW system, light enough (30 kg) to be installed in the back of a pickup and used against Starlink satellites, has a 10 km range. Jamming forces satellites to consume energy and discharge their batteries while trying to transmit info.
RB-341V: This mobile EW and elint collection system specializes in UHF, VHF and GSM cellular jamming across an array of frequencies, and has an effective radius up to 6 km. Operates in coordination with Orlan-10 UAVs, which help seek out and disrupt signal emitters.
Development Measured in Months, Not Years
Russia creates new and upgraded EW systems “approximately once every three months,” says air defense historian Yuri Knutov.
Russia’s EW dominance comes down to its systems’ power, “very wide frequency range coverage,” and most importantly, the sheer “number of stations,” Knutov says.
Why Russian Systems are Second to None
EW “is critical to efforts by the Russian Armed Forces to break enemy Command and Control (C2) and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities,” says EMP Task Force scholar David T. Pyne.
Russia has arguably “one of the best EW systems in the world,” thanks to its long-range GNSS jammers in particular, Pyne says.
What are the Origins of Russia’s EW Advantage?
Electronic and radio engineering specialist David Stupples dates Russia’s modern EW capabilities to a 2007 decision by the president to radically upgrade its equipment and doctrine based on lessons gathered from US aggression against Iraq. This recognition of the key importance of electronic warfare has left the West “playing catch up” to this day, Stupples said.
