INSIDE RUSSIA
Putin-backed effort saves Siberian tiger from extinction
The population of the big cat in Russia has increased to 750, according to the foundation started by the president
Russia’s population of Amur tigers, also known as Siberian tigers, is no longer under threat of extinction, the chair of the Amur Tiger Center announced on Wednesday. The foundation was launched in 2013 by Russian President Vladimir Putin, a long-time supporter of protecting the endangered animals.
Over the past 13 years, conservation efforts have raised the number of the big cats in the Russian Far East from around 430 to 750, according to Konstantin Chuychenko.
”The goal set out in the national tiger conservation strategy has been achieved,” he told reporters at the Land of Big Cats exhibition in Moscow. Chuychenko encouraged the public to visit the Far East to see the animals in their natural habitat.
The Amur tiger is native to forests in Russia’s Far East and Northeast China. It is the world’s largest cat subspecies and the only one adapted to cold, snowy climates.
Despite progress in Russia, the Amur tiger remains classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), meaning it still faces a very high risk of extinction globally. A formal status change would require further international assessment.
Russia’s 750 Amur tigers live in protected areas and remote forests. Several hundred more are kept in zoos and wildlife parks around the world.
Russia Calls on Baku to Take Steps to Return Relations to Strategic Alliance
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia calls on Azerbaijan to take measures to return the countries’ relations to the level of strategic alliance, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.
“We certainly call on the Azerbaijani side to take measures to return to the level of interstate relations that is formulated in official documents. Let me remind you that this is the level of strategic alliance,” Zakharova told a briefing.
Issues arising in relations between the two countries must be resolved in a partnership manner through political and diplomatic channels, the spokeswoman said.
“We, of course, also requested the opportunity for employees of the consular department of the embassy to visit Russian citizens. Alas, we have been literally in touch all this time, in an online format, with our embassy, the Russian ambassador … Unfortunately, at the moment, the opportunity for Russian citizens, including journalists from Russian media, to visit has not been provided,” Zakharova said, adding that Russian citizens visiting Azerbaijan should take into account the current situation.
Additionally, the spokeswoman said that Moscow expects those wishing to ruin relations between Russia and Azerbaijan will refrain from provocative steps.
Trade Wars Kill Profits: Lavrov Warns European Companies Against Politicizing Economics
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a meeting with members of the Association of European Businesses in Russia, during which he outlined his assessments of the current geopolitical situation and emphasized the risks of politicization of trade, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
“This was followed by a substantive exchange of views on key foreign economic issues, including certain aspects of foreign companies’ operations in Russia,” the ministry said in a statement.
Moscow has repeatedly stated that Russia will cope with the sanctions pressure while the West lacks the courage to admit the failure of anti-Russia sanctions, even though some Western officials have repeatedly expressed that sanctions are ineffective.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the policy of containing and weakening Russia is a long-term strategy of the West, and sanctions have dealt a serious blow to the entire global economy.
Russia Disappointed by IAEA Silence Over Kiev’s Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant Attack
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Moscow is disappointed by the lack of reaction from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to Ukrainian attacks on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (ZNPP), Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.
On Friday, the press service of the ZNPP said that the Ukrainian armed forces carried out a drone attack against a group of plant’s employees in the area where work was being carried out on hydraulic structures. The employees were able to take cover in time and were not injured.
“We are disappointed by the lack of any reaction to these actions by the Kiev regime on the part of the IAEA secretariat, despite the fact that the agency’s leadership is well aware of the attack itself and which state, to be precise, which regime committed it,” Zakharova told a briefing.
Russia will resolutely seek a proper assessment of Ukraine’s actions by international organizations, primarily the IAEA and the UN, the spokeswoman added.
Russia should abolish diaspora organizations
Government agencies should not deal with “illegal entities,” Marina Akhmedova has said
Ethnic diaspora organizations should be banned in Russia, Marina Akhmedova, a member of the presidential human rights сouncil, has said amid a flare-up with neighboring Azerbaijan.
Tensions between Moscow and Baku spiked after police raids last week on an alleged organized crime group in the Russian city of Ekaterinburg. The group is composed of Russian nationals of Azerbaijani origin and is accused of a string of gang assassinations and contract killings dating back to the early 2000s.
Two elderly male suspects died during the police operation, with the preliminary assessment indicating that at least one of them suffered heart failure. The incident sparked outrage in Baku, which accused Moscow of deliberately targeting people of Azerbaijani descent and claimed that the two men had been murdered while in custody.
On Tuesday, the head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Ekaterinburg, ShakhinShikhlinski, was detained in relation to the case but was swiftly released after questioning, according to his son.
Akhmedova reacted to the development in a post on Telegram on Wednesday, saying “it is time to abolish diasporas” in Russia.
“These are illegal entities. No government agency should have anything to do with them,” she wrote.
All such organizations must be prohibited, not only the Azerbaijani diaspora, the human rights expert insisted.
According to the results of a 2002 census, more than 621,040 people of Azerbaijani descent are currently living in Russia.
On Monday, Azerbaijani police raided the offices of Sputnik Azerbaijan, with a court in Baku ordering a four-month pre-trial detention of two Russian journalists who hold senior positions in the news agency. The Azerbaijani authorities claimed that the outlet has been operating “through illegal financing” – allegations which Sputnik has dismissed as “absurd.”
Baku has also arrested eight other Russian nationals, accusing them of being members of a group involved in cybercrime and the trafficking of drugs from Iran. Russian media, however, have identified two of the suspects as IT specialists, while describing another one as a tourist.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharov said on Wednesday that the Azerbaijani authorities have not yet provided Moscow’s consular staff with access to the detained Russians.
She advised Russian citizens who are planning trips to Azerbaijan to “take the current situation into account.”
Zakharova also noted that there is a “strategic partnership” between Moscow and Baku, urging Azerbaijan to take steps aimed at returning bilateral ties to the proper level.
OUTSIDE RUSSIA
Azerbaijan’s Actions Against Sputnik Are Politically Motivated – Russian Foreign Ministry
The recent measures against Sputnik Azerbaijan by Baku authorities stem from political considerations rather than any legitimate concerns about the outlet’s work, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated.
“Neither now nor previously has Azerbaijan raised any substantive complaints about Sputnik Azerbaijan’s journalistic work – neither about its form nor content,” Zakharova emphasized. “These actions clearly follow a different logic, as we made clear to Azerbaijan’s ambassador yesterday.”
The comments come after Azerbaijani authorities on June 30 detained seven staff members from Sputnik Azerbaijan (part of the RossiyaSegodnya media group). The media group has condemned the detentions as groundless, calling the charges “fabricated.”
Dmitry Kiselev, the director general of Sputnik’s parent media group RossiyaSegodnya, characterized the move as “unjust” and warned it appears designed to deliberately damage Russian-Azerbaijani relations.
Most DDoS Attacks on Russian Infrastructure in June Came From US, Indonesia – Watchdog
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – DDoScyberattacks in Russia in June primarily targeted the information systems of state administrative bodies, transportation and telecommunications operators, and were mostly carried out by IP addresses registered in the United States, Indonesia, Germany, France and the Netherlands.
“From June 1 to June 30, 2025, experts from the Center for Monitoring and Management of Public Communication Network: … repelled 895 major DDoScyberattacks targeting the information systems of state administration entities, transport and telecom operators. Most of the attacks came from the infrastructure with IP addresses registered in the US, Germany, Indonesia, France and the Netherlands,” Russian media and communications watchdog Roskomnadzor said on Wednesday.
The maximum output of a DDoS attack during that period reached 890.13 Gbps, with a speed of 92.12 million packets per second and a maximum duration of four days, 23 hours, and 40 minutes, the statement added.
During that period, the specialists detected and eliminated 838 traffic routing breaches coming from 213 organizations. They also blocked 7,500 phishing sources and 61 sources that spread malware, Roskomnadzor said.
Moscow responds to NATO chief’s ‘Jesus’ comment about Lavrov
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s work has not been in vain as he made the NATO chief remember Jesus Christ, Maria Zakharova has said
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte mentioning Jesus Christ when talking about Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov means that Moscow’s top diplomat is doing good job, ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.
She was referring to a brief interview Rutte gave Fox News on Wednesday. The NATO chief sought to diminish the role of the Russian foreign minister by claiming that he “has been foreign minister of Russia … since the birth of Jesus Christ. And since then, nothing… useful came out of his month.”
“Not for nothing has Sergey Lavrov been working for so many years since he has made the NATO Secretary General remember Jesus Christ,” Zakharova quipped in response in a Telegram statement.
A veteran diplomat, Lavrov has headed the Russian Foreign Ministry for more than 20 years, since 2004.
Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister, has been in the NATO top job for less than a year, but already found himself at the center of controversy at the bloc’s summit last week. Some European officials were unhappy with the level of flattery he used to win over US President Donald Trump during the meeting, according to Politico.
“People are so embarrassed,” one official told the outlet, adding that “the sucking up was pretty over the top.” Rutte called Trump “daddy” during the summit and sent him a gushing message praising the US attack on Iran’s nuclear sites ahead of the summit.
The US president was quick to post the NATO chief’s message online. The White House also shared a clip on social media showing Trump’s participation in the summit and accompanied by Usher’s song ‘Daddy’s home’.
SPECIAL MILITARY OPERATION IN UKRAINE
Kiev loses over 1,235 troops in all frontline areas in past day — Russia’s top brass
Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicted more than 450 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed two enemy armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the Defense Ministry reported
MOSCOW, July 2. /TASS/. The Ukrainian army lost more than 1,235 troops in battles with Russian forces in all the frontline areas over the past 24 hours, according to the latest data on the special military operation in Ukraine released by Russia’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday.
The latest figures show that the Ukrainian army lost roughly 175 troops, an armored personnel carrier and six artillery weapons in the responsibility area of Russia’s Battlegroup North, about 210 troops, a US-made armored personnel carrier and a Polish-manufactured self-propelled artillery system in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup West and over 165 troops and an artillery weapon in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup South.
During the last 24-hour period, the Ukrainian army also lost over 450 troops and two armored combat vehicles in the responsibility area of Russia’s Battlegroup Center, roughly 165 troops, a tank and two artillery weapons in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup East and more than 70 troops and six jamming stations in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup Dnepr, the latest figures show.
Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicts 175 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day
Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicted roughly 175 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed an enemy armored personnel carrier and six artillery weapons in its areas of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.
“Battlegroup North units improved their forward positions and inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of two mechanized brigades, a jaeger brigade, three air assault brigades, three assault regiments and an assault battalion of the Ukrainian army in areas near the settlements of Varachino, Sadki, Proletarskoye, Bessalovka, Mogritsa, Alekseyevka, Yunakovka and Andreyevka in the Sumy Region,” the ministry said.
In the Kharkov direction, Battlegroup North units inflicted losses on formations of a motorized infantry brigade of the Ukrainian army and a territorial defense brigade in areas near the settlements of, Ogurtsovo and Volchansk in the Kharkov Region, the ministry said.
The Ukrainian army lost an estimated 175 personnel, an armored personnel carrier, two motor vehicles and six field artillery weapons in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.
In addition, Russian forces destroyed an ammunition depot of the Ukrainian army, it said.
Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicts 210 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day
Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicted roughly 210 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed a US-made armored personnel carrier and a Polish-manufactured self-propelled artillery system in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.
“Battlegroup West units inflicted losses on formations of three mechanized brigades and an unmanned systems regiment of the Ukrainian army in areas near the settlements of Petrovka, Kupyansk, Gorokhovatka, Peschanoye, Blagodatovka, Kovsharovka and Berezovka in the Kharkov Region,” the ministry said.
The Ukrainian army lost an estimated 210 personnel, a US-made M113 armored personnel carrier, 11 motor vehicles and a Polish-manufactured Krab self-propelled artillery system in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.
In addition, Russian forces destroyed an electronic warfare station and five ammunition depots of the Ukrainian army, it said.
Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicts over 165 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day
Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicted more than 165 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed an enemy artillery weapon in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.
“Battlegroup South units improved their tactical position and inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of five mechanized brigades, a mountain assault brigade and an airmobile brigade of the Ukrainian army in areas near the settlements of Seversk, Svyato-Pokrovskoye, Serebryanka, Zakotnoye, ChasovYar, Konstantinovka, Kleban-Byk and Slavyansk in the Donetsk People’s Republic,” the ministry said.
The Ukrainian army lost more than 165 personnel, four pickup trucks, an artillery weapon and an Anklav electronic warfare station in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.
In addition, Russian forces destroyed two materiel depots of the Ukrainian army, it said.
Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicts over 450 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day
Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicted more than 450 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed two enemy armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.
“Battlegroup Center units improved their forward positions and inflicted losses on formations of five mechanized brigades, an airborne brigade, two assault regiments of the Ukrainian army, two territorial defense brigades, two marine infantry brigades and two National Guard brigades in areas near the settlements of Dimitrov, Krasnoarmeysk, Petrovskogo and Boikovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Novopavlovka and Filiya in the Dnepropetrovsk Region,” the ministry said.
The Ukrainian army lost more than 450 personnel, a Novator armored combat vehicle, a US-made MaxxPro armored fighting vehicle, three motor vehicles and two field artillery weapons in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.
Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicts 165 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day
Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicted roughly 165 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed an enemy tank and two artillery weapons in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.
“Battlegroup East units kept advancing deep into the enemy’s defenses and inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of five mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian army and a marine infantry brigade in areas near the settlements of ZelyonyGai, Novokhatskoye, Novopol, Zelyonoye Pole and Voskresenka in the Donetsk People’s Republic,” the ministry said.
The Ukrainian army lost an estimated 165 personnel, a tank, two motor vehicles, two field artillery weapons and two electronic warfare stations in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.
Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr inflicts over 70 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day
Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr inflicted more than 70 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed six enemy jamming stations in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.
“Battlegroup Dnepr units improved their tactical position and inflicted losses on formations of two mechanized brigades, a mountain assault brigade of the Ukrainian army and a territorial defense brigade in areas near the settlements of Novoandreyevka, Kamenskoye, Orekhov and Stepnogorsk in the Zaporozhye Region, Nikolskoye and Antonovka in the Kherson Region,” the ministry said.
The Ukrainian army lost more than 70 personnel, five motor vehicles and six electronic warfare stations in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.
In addition, Russian forces destroyed an ammunition depot, two materiel depots and a fuel depot of the Ukrainian army, it said.
Russian troops strike Ukrainian military-industrial site, UAV workshops over past day
Russian troops struck a Ukrainian military-industrial enterprise and UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) production and storage sites over the past day, the ministry reported.
“Operational/tactical aircraft, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of the Russian groups of forces struck an enterprise of Ukraine’s military-industrial sector, workshops for the assembly of attack unmanned aerial vehicles and their storage sites, ammunition and materiel depots and temporary deployment areas of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries in 139 locations,” the ministry said.
Russian air defenses down 131 Ukrainian UAVs, seven JDAM smart bombs over day
Russian air defense forces shot down 131 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles and seven American-made JDAM smart bombs over the past day, the ministry reported.
“Air defense capabilities shot down seven guided aerial bombs and 131 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles,” the ministry said.
Overall, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 663 Ukrainian warplanes, 283 helicopters, 66,608 unmanned aerial vehicles, 612 surface-to-air missile systems, 24,106 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,573 multiple rocket launchers, 26,847 field artillery guns and mortars and 37,551 special military motor vehicles since the start of the special military operation, the ministry reported.
INSIGHTS
Lavrov to take part in ASEAN foreign ministers meeting on July 10-11 in Malaysia — MFA
Maria Zakharova noted that, given the current global turbulence, the event is expected to feature “a tough discussion touching on all the hot button issues of today’s geopolitics”
MOSCOW, July 2. /TASS/. Russia’s top diplomat Sergey Lavrov will visit Kuala Lumpur next week to attend a series of foreign ministers’ meetings within the framework of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced at a briefing.
“On July 10-11 in Kuala Lumpur, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will take part in the upcoming meetings of foreign ministers under the auspices of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The meeting formats will include Russia-ASEAN, the East Asia Summit (EAS) and the ASEAN regional security forum.
“These platforms, which will bring together both ASEAN members and representatives of leading Asian nations, will provide an opportunity to exchange assessments of recent developments in the world, and, of course, in the Asia-Pacific Region (APAC),” the diplomat stated.
Zakharova noted that, given the current global turbulence, the event is expected to feature “a tough discussion touching on all the hot button issues of today’s geopolitics.” “As for us, we intend to highlight the growing risks associated with APAC militarization, the expanding network of so-called Pacific bloc mechanisms, NATO’s attempts to establish its military potential in Asia, destabilizing the existing ASEAN-centered security and development architecture and redirecting all practical activities towards alternative formats that serve Western agendas,” the spokeswoman added.
Lavrov to attend BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro on July 6-7 — MFA
Maria Zakharova noted that the summit will review the association’s work since the start of the year across three key areas
MOSCOW, July 2. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will take part in the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro on July 6-7, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced at a briefing.
“On July 6-7, the Russian foreign minister will participate in the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, held under the motto Strengthening Global South Cooperation for More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance,” Zakharova said.
She noted that the summit will review the association’s work since the start of the year across three key areas: politics and security, economy and finance, and culture and humanitarian affairs.
