INSIDE RUSSIA
Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited Arab League leaders to Moscow for the first Russia-Arab summit, scheduled for October 15
Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited the heads of state and government of Arab League countries to attend the first Russia-Arab summit, scheduled for October 15 in Moscow. The Kremlin published the invitation on its official website on Saturday, as Arab leaders gathered in Baghdad to discuss the war in Gaza.
“We intend to further actively develop constructive dialogue with the League of Arab States, as well as friendly relations with all its members,” Putin said. “In this regard, I would like to invite all leaders of your organization’s member states, as well as the Secretary-General of the League, to take part in the first Russia-Arab summit, which we plan to hold on October 15.”
He added that the meeting will take place “in a difficult international situation,” referring to the “sharp escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli confrontation” and “numerous civilian casualties.”
The Arab League, he went on to say, has proven itself to be “an effective mechanism for multilateral dialogue and joint response to the challenges and threats faced by the peoples of the Middle East and North Africa.”
At the 34th Arab League Summit held on Saturday, regional leaders collectively condemned Israel’s military actions in Gaza, called for an immediate ceasefire, and pledged financial support for the enclave’s reconstruction.
The Kremlin highlighted Moscow’s support for Arab-led efforts to resolve regional crises through diplomacy, as well as the importance of adhering to “the generally recognized norms of international law, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.”
Russia and Arab nations have deepened relations in recent years, with Putin traveling to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in December 2023. In Abu Dhabi, he was welcomed by President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as a “dear friend,” with both leaders stressing the importance of enhanced cooperation to ensure regional stability. Putin described the relationship as “unprecedentedly high” and called the UAE Russia’s main trading partner in the Arab world. The two sides discussed collaboration in energy and advanced technology.
OUTSIDE RUSSIA
Don’t listen to NATO
The bloc could derail the peace process once again, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has warned
Kiev would have a better chance of resolving the conflict with Russia if it resists malignant NATO influence that impedes peace efforts, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Saturday.
Zakharova responded to remarks by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga about the results of the Istanbul meeting, which marked the first direct negotiations between Kiev and Moscow since 2022. The talks resulted in Russia and Ukraine agreeing to a major prisoner swap. The sides also agreed to exchange lists of conditions for a potential ceasefire and discuss a follow-up meeting.
“If we put aside all the Russian nonsense, pseudo-historical statements, provocations, and so on, the bottom line is this: we managed to agree on the return of 1,000 of our people. These are 1,000 happy families. Even for this reason alone, all this made sense,” Sibiga said.
“All ‘this,’” Zakharova said, referring to the talks, “was proposed by Russia – by its president – and implemented by a delegation authorized by the head of state, which Zelensky mocked for a day.”
She also noted that, if all the insults are put aside, Sibiga essentially acknowledged that the “Russian propositions have a certain sense.” “The main thing is that the citizens of Ukraine should not allow the ‘NATO advisers’ to lead them off the true path of settlement into the ravine of other people’s interests again,” Zakharova warned.
Russia and Ukraine held direct peace talks in Istanbul in 2022, shortly after the escalation of the conflict. While the sides initially made progress and reached a tentative agreement – which included a Ukrainian commitment to neutrality – the talks later collapsed after Kiev unilaterally abandoned them.
Moscow later claimed the talks were derailed by then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who advised Kiev to continue fighting. While Johnson has denied the accusation, David Arakhamia, who led the Ukrainian delegation at the time, admitted that the ex-prime minister played an influential role in the decision to stop the negotiating process.
Since then, Russia has repeatedly accused Western governments of using Ukraine as a “battering ram” against Russia and pursuing the conflict “until the last Ukrainian.” It has noted, however, that the US began shifting its approach to the settlement under President Donald Trump.
Global Water Crisis: Russia’s Advantage as Shortages Loom
The global water crisis is worsening—demand is up but accessible freshwater supply is shrinking. With the world’s second-largest water reserves, Russia faces both economic opportunities and complex challenges, says Viktor Danilov-Danilyan, scientific supervisor at the Institute of Water Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Renewable reserves of water are what matter most, Viktor Danilov-Danilyan told Scientific Russia magazine.
He said humanity has already lost about 20% of its water resources in the past century when pollution and overuse are factored in.
While water scarcity crisis is unlikely to threaten human life, it will reshape the global economy as economically accessible reserves of water shrink, he stressed. Relocating industries and adapting consumption will be crucial.
Unlike many countries, Russia has an abundance of water.
But while Lake Baikal’s volume could theoretically supply the entire world, its actual renewable resource from the Angara River outflow is just 65 km³ per year.
By comparison, the Yenisei river carries 670 km³ of water to the Arctic Ocean every year—ten times more. Baikal is not an infinite source, warned the scientist.
And unlike countries with uniform conditions, Russia needs multiple management approaches.
Russia’s water availability is below the global average per square kilometer — the Amazon’s flow is ten times greater than the Yenisei’s.
Per capita, the country ranks seventh or eighth in water supply, with uneven distribution a major issue. 80% of Russia’s water is in Asia, while 80% of the population lives in Europe.
That could theoretically be solved by transporting water, the scientist explained, but only canals can move large volumes over long distances.
Building Asia-to-Europe canals is impractical, with the estimated cost of an intra-Asian project running into over $500 billion for the main canal alone.
To make matters worse, seasonal variability in Russia means that two-thirds of river flow occurs during the spring and summer floods, with 70% of annual discharge happening in just two months.
Reservoir construction as a potential solution would be expensive, environmentally risky and require vast areas of land.
Global Water Crisis
Water has already become a traded commodity at a regional level, as seen in the Tigris and Euphrates valleys.
But transport challenges prevent a global market. Diverting Siberian water to Central Asia would be astronomically expensive, the scientist noted.
Agriculture consumes 70% of the world’s fresh water, mostly for irrigation.
In Russia, industry (two-thirds) and municipal services (14-15%) dominate, with metallurgy, energy, chemicals and paper production the major users.
Generating 1 GW of power requires around1 km³ of water per year, with 30% of that irrevocably lost.
Danilov-Danilyan argued the key tasks to avert a global water crisis include:
1.Conservation — reducing non-essential use through engineering and social measures
2.Management — advanced forecasting and hydrology with enough qualified personnel
3.Cultural Change — improving ecological and hydrological awareness to prevent disasters
Predicting nature is one thing but responding effectively is another, the expert stressed.
SPECIAL MILITARY OPERATION IN UKRAINE
Putin outlines results Moscow seeks in Ukraine
Russia wants to ensure its security and create the conditions for long-term sustainable peace, the president has said
Russia is seeking to achieve “lasting and sustainable peace” by eliminating the root causes of the Ukraine conflict, President Vladimir Putin has said, in an extract of an interview released by Russia 1 TV on Sunday.
In a clip posted by journalist Pavel Zarubin on Telegram, Putin stated that Russia has “enough strength and resources to bring what was started in 2022 to its logical conclusion” while accomplishing Moscow’s key goals.
Russia wants to “eliminate the causes that caused this crisis, create conditions for long-term sustainable peace and ensure the security of the Russian state and the interests of our people in those territories that we always talk about,” he added.
The president was apparently referring to Crimea, the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, and the regions of Kherson and Zaporozhye, which overwhelmingly voted in favor of joining Russia in referendums in 2014 and 2022.
People in these former Ukrainian territories “consider Russian to be their native language” and see Russia as their homeland, he said.
Commenting on the ongoing diplomatic engagement with the US to settle the conflict, Putin acknowledged that “the American people, including their president [Donald Trump] have their own national interests.”
“We respect that, and expect to be treated the same way,” he added.
Putin’s remarks come on the heels of the first direct Russia-Ukraine talks since 2022. As a result of Turkish-mediated negotiations in Istanbul, both sides agreed to exchange lists of conditions for a potential ceasefire, conduct a major prisoner swap, and discuss a follow-up meeting. The Kremlin has not ruled out direct talks between Putin and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky if the ongoing peace efforts result in progress and firm agreements.
Following the talks, US President Donald Trump announced he would hold a phone call with his Russian counterpart on Monday, which would focus on trade and resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the Istanbul negotiations with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who welcomed the results of the talks.
Russian Forces Liberate Bogatyr Settlement in DPR – MoD
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia’s Battlegroup Vostok took control of the settlement of Bogatyr in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday.
“As a result of active and decisive actions of units of the Vostok group of troops, the settlement of Bogatyr in the Donetsk People’s Republic has been liberated,” the ministry said in a statement.
The Russian Defense Ministry added that the liberation of Bogatyr has inflicted a serious blow to the Ukrainian forces’ defense in the South Donetsk area.
“The [Ukrainian] militants turned it into a powerful fortified area and a logistics hub in a few kilometers from the border with Dnepropetrovsk region,” the ministry said.
The Russian armed forces’ actions disrupted the Ukrainian armed forces’ plans to halt the advance of Battlegroup Vostok in this part of the front, the ministry added.
Russia’s Battlegroup Tsentr has eliminated up to 420 Ukrainian military personnel over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
“The enemy’s losses amounted to up to 420 servicepeople, seven armored fighting vehicles, including one M113 armored personnel carrier and one US-made HMMWV armored vehicle, two Canadian-made Senator armored personnel carriers, eight pickups, two field artillery guns and an Israeli-made RADA tactical radar,” the ministry said in a statement.
Russia’s Battlegroup Yug has eliminated up to 200 Ukrainian soldiers and one Italian-made Puma armored fighting vehicle, while Russia’s Battlegroup Zapad has eliminated up to 240 Ukrainian troops, three infantry fighting vehicles, a UK-made AS-90 armored self-propelled artillery weapon, two electronic warfare stations and three ammunition depots, the ministry added.
Kiev lost over 175 military personnel in clashes with Russia’s Battlegroup Vostok, while Russia’s Battlegroup Sever eliminated over 160 Ukrainian soldiers, the ministry also said.
Meanwhile, Battlegroup Dnepr has eliminated over 50 Ukrainian troops, as well as one US-made HMMWV armored vehicle, four motor vehicles and one US-made 155mm M777 howitzer, an electronic warfare station and an ammunition depot, the ministry’s statement said.
The Russian aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles and artillery have attacked the airfield infrastructure of the Ukrainian armed forces, depots housing drones, ammunition and fuel. Russian air defense systems also destroyed seven JDAM aerial bombs and 75 fixed-wing drones, the ministry said.
Along with that, from 9:30 to 11:00 Moscow time (6:30-8:00 GMT) on Sunday air defense systems destroyed three Ukrainian UAVs of aircraft type over the Crimean peninsula, the ministry added.
INSIGHTS
Europe Should Brace for Surge in Arms Smuggling, ‘Drone Drug Gangs’ Once Ukraine Conflict Ends
A worrying report by one of Europe’s leading law enforcement think tanks has outlined why the crisis in Ukraine will give rise to entirely new kinds of crime. Here are its key points.
“A huge amount of hardware of all descriptions” leftover in Ukraine will create “a boom in the grey economy for army surplus, including cars, clothing and dual-use equipment,” and a “wave of serious arms trafficking” involving heavy weapons.
That’s according to a new report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) studying risks associated with a potential halt to the fighting and the lifting of martial law.
The report warns of two forms of arms trafficking post-conflict:
small-scale overland smuggling to Europe, where criminals prefer “discreet” handguns, and sometimes assault rifles and grenades
“larger-scale” smuggling using containers to Africa, the Middle East and potentially Latin America, involving ex-military acting as brokers, and shipment of RPG launchers, MANPADs, heavy machine guns and assault rifles in bulk to conflict zones and criminal groups.
“For Europe, the influx of modern, high-powered weaponry into criminal hands could revolutionize the underworld,” Gi-TOC warns, citing the dramatic increases in Swedish and French gangs’ use of violence already recently witnessed.
Projection by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime think tank on “exploitation opportunities” for criminal groups in Ukraine to smuggle vast quantities of arms out of Ukraine post-conflict.
Beyond smuggling, the report warns of:
Vets, foreign mercs, internally displaced persons and refugees taking to crime, with 4-5 million ex-military armed with new lethal skills, including drone warfare, which “under the right tutelage, could form new, drone-based organized crime groups,” such as “drone drug gangs.”
“Cyber veterans,” forgers and ex-special forces who may form highly violent and proficient gangs. In the latter case, the report cites the example of Mexican former special forces vets trained by the US that later became drug cartel members.
“Healing” of regional transnational organized crime links disrupted by the conflict.
A boom in sex trafficking, scam call centers, synthetic drug production and other criminal enterprises already plaguing Ukraine and displaced/refugee communities.
Embezzlement of reconstruction funds and conflict between Ukraine’s new and old oligarchs.
Possible structure and operations of a drug drone gang. Illustration from report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime on opportunities for criminal gangs to create new types of criminal enterprises post-conflict in Ukraine.
The report confirms concerns Russia has been voicing since 2022 – that the Ukrainian conflict will inevitably turn into a gangster’s paradise for criminals and arms smugglers seeking to make a profit off the conflict.
