INSIDE RUSSIA
Russia’s Future Lies in Arctic Development – Putin
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia has begun to actively develop the Arctic, where the country’s future lies, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday.
“Now it is clear that Russia’s future lies in the Arctic — among other places and perhaps to an even greater extent — in the development of the Arctic, which we are actively beginning to pursue,” Putin said at the opening of Youth Centers in Russia’s regions.
Russia’s Youth Day is traditionally celebrated on the last Saturday of June. The holiday was established by a presidential decree dated May 2, 2023.
Russia Begins Mass Production of Mini-Missiles for Pantsir Air Defense
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Mini-missiles for the Pantsir air defense systems have been put into serial production, such systems can shoot down dozens of drones, Russian state corporation Rostec told Sputnik.
“Mini-missiles from the Pantsir air defense missile system of our High-Precision Systems holding company have passed a full cycle of state tests and have been put into serial production,” Rostec said.
The mini-missiles, as reported by the state corporation, can shoot down “flocks” of small enemy drones.
“Now one Pantsir-SMD-E can destroy dozens of unmanned aerial vehicles,” Rostec said.
It said the mini-missiles for the Pantsir systems were used in combat for the first time during Russia’s special military operation and showed high efficiency.
Medinsky Offers NATO Chief History Lesson on Malorossiya
“If needed, Mark and I can discuss Malorossiya’s history. I’m sure he’ll learn much – just as he might teach me about Dutch merchants colonizing Indonesia,” the Russian presidential aide said.
He also proposed sending Mark Rutte a sixth-grade Russian history textbook. However, according to him, Rutte is unlikely to appreciate the gift.
️Medinsky previously stated that Crimea’s 1954 transfer to Ukraine was a Soviet political maneuver by Nikita Khrushchev to secure the support of Ukrainian leaders in the party to retain power.
Ukraine’s Attacks on Russian Border Areas Almost Double in 2025 – Russian Security Council
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Kiev carried out more than 480 terrorist attacks on Russian border territories from January to May of 2025, which is almost twice as many as last year, Russian Security Council Deputy Secretary Yury Kokov said on Thursday.
“In the last year and a half, the intensity of terrorist attacks on border territories has grown multiple times. In 2024, 645 attacks were recorded here, 89 of which occurred in 2023. Just in the first five months of 2025, 481 attacks have already been recorded,” Kokov told the Russian newspaper in an interview.
Most of these attacks were carried out through shelling, drone strikes, and armed assaults by sabotage and terrorist groups, Kokov added.
Kiev and its Western sponsors have never shied away from using terrorist methods to achieve their goals, but until recently they did not openly admit their involvement in terrorism, the official said.
OUTSIDE RUSSIA
Putin Talks Ukraine, Defense, NATO and Trump Meeting at Post-Belarus Summit Press Call
President Putin concluded his visit to the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) summit in Belarus on Friday, meeting with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Uzbekistan’s president and speaking with journalists.
Meeting With Trump Possible, Russia Open to Contacts
“I am always open to contacts and meetings. I know that Mr. Trump also talked about the possibility of meetings. I, like him, believe that such meetings should be prepared. Based on the results, we must reach new frontiers of cooperation,” Putin told reporters.
Putin emphasized that he has great respect for Trump.
“I treat the current president of the United States with great respect, he has gone through a very difficult, difficult and unsafe path of returning to power and the White House,” Putin said.
“In general, thanks to President Trump, relations between Russia and the United States are beginning to level out in some ways. Not everything has been resolved in the field of diplomatic relations, but nevertheless the first steps have been taken. We are moving on,” Putin added.
The Russian side will be happy to prepare a meeting between the leaders of Russia and the United States, Putin said.
Russia and the United States have good prospects for economic cooperation, Putin said, pointing out that working contacts have been established between the foreign ministries and special services of the two countries.
Putin Grateful to Trump For Diplomatic Efforts
“What he is doing inside the country, what he is doing regarding the situation in the Middle East, and his efforts to resolve the Ukrainian crisis — we, of course, appreciate it all very much. And I have already said this, I want to say publicly now that President Trump sincerely seeks to resolve the issue” as far as the Ukrainian crisis is concerned, Putin said.
West’s Defense Spending Boost Signals Aggressiveness
The militaristic ideas of the West are based on the false premise of Russian aggression, Putin said, commenting on NATO’s military buildup efforts.
“Against the background of this rhetoric about Russia’s alleged aggression, they are beginning to talk about the need to arm themselves. Well, let them arm themselves, let us look at the structure of these costs, the structure of these weapons…We consider the reference to Russia’s ‘aggressiveness’ to be completely unfounded. It is not us that are aggressive, but this so-called collective aggressive West,” Putin told reporters.
“As for the armed forces, we are constantly being told that we have some kind of problems, that Russia will soon suffer a strategic defeat…And at the same time, they are broadcasting that we are going to attack NATO countries. Where is the logic? If everything is falling apart, why are we going to attack NATO? Well, they are talking nonsense and they definitely do not believe it themselves, but they are trying to convince their people in order to squeeze more money out of them so that they agree to bear the heavy burden of these expenses,” Putin said.
The president added that the West supported the coup in Ukraine and then started talking about alleged Russia’s aggression, noting that they are either fools themselves or take Russians for fools.
New EU Sanctions Won’t Impact Russia
“Whether there will be any harm for us, we will see, based on the realities that will develop, but I do not think that it will have a significant impact on us,” Putin said, commenting on Brussels’ latest package of anti-Russia restrictions.
Countries that impose sanctions against Russia are making things worse for themselves with each new barrage, Putin added.
Commenting on Western countries’ attempts to “bury” Russia’s economy, Putin said that they will “die” sooner themselves than “bury” Russia.
Economic Issues
Russia is working toward creating a healthy macroeconomic climate even amid heightened defense spending, according to Putin.
“From the financial and economic point of view, say, during the Korean War, which the United States fought, it spent 14% of the budget on this [defense expenditures], And during the Vietnam War – 10%. However, these problems were solved mainly with increasing taxation on people with high incomes. Moreover, in the first case, they did not pay attention to macroeconomics, in the second they already treated it more sensibly. But we are fighting for it. For healthy macroeconomics,” he said.
The rates of growth of the gross domestic product in Russia in 2025 will be more modest than previous years. This is a targeted measure, aimed at fighting inflation, Putin said.
“Here we have 4.3% economic growth last year, [in 2023] – 4.1%. This year will be much more modest in order to fight inflation. But we do it on purpose,” he assured.
At the same time, the leading economies and industrial centers of Europe, Germany and France, are on the verge of recession, Putin pointed out.
Russia’s Defense Spending Amounts to 6.3% of GDP
Russia’s defense spending of 13.5 trillion rubles ($172 billion) is a lot, and the country has paid the price for it with inflation, but it is tackling the problem, Putin said.
“6.3% of Russia’s GDP is devoted to defense needs, which is 13.5 trillion rubles. And our entire GDP is 223 trillion rubles. Is 13.5 out of 223 a lot or a little? Quite a lot. We’ve paid for this with inflation, but we are now fighting this inflation. Yes, we are purposefully trying to ensure that the economy makes a soft landing in some way. But, nevertheless, we are still very sensible about this,” Putin told reporters.
Search for End to Ukraine Crisis
Russia wants to end the special military operation with a result the country needs, Putin said.
“Europe is thinking about how to raise its defense spending. So who is preparing for some kind of aggressive actions — us or them? We want to end the special military operation with the result we need, of course, but that is what it is all about. It is for this, and not for aggressive plans towards Europe and NATO countries. We plan to reduce costs, and they plan to increase them. So who is being aggressive?” he asked.
EEU Economies Growing Faster Than Global Average
The growth rates of the Eurasian Economic Union economies are higher than the global average due to the joint work of the participating countries, Putin pointed out.
“Within the EEU, it is higher than the average global rate. The global growth is 3.3%, as is known. And within the EEU, it is more than 4%, much higher. And in some countries, it is significantly higher, there is even 5%, and, in my opinion, some [countries] are approaching almost 6%,” he noted.
Putin added that the level of investment in Russia was increasing despite known difficulties.
West Will Not Be Able to Shut Out Russian Oil Supply
The West will not be able to shut the supply of Russian oil, the volume of its consumption in the world is growing, Putin said.
“They will not be able to do this [to shut Russian oil supplies], it is simply impossible today. The volume of oil and petroleum products consumed in the world is growing due to the growth of the economy itself. There is no getting away from this,” Putin told reporters.
Global Conflict Potential Growing Dangerously, Warns Russian Defense Minister
QINGDAO, China (Sputnik) – The military-political situation in the world is deteriorating, the potential for conflict is growing dangerously, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said on Thursday.
“The current military-political situation in the world remains complex and tends to deteriorate. Geopolitical contradictions have intensified. The fundamental foundations of strategic stability are being destroyed. The potential for conflict has increased threateningly. Against this background, the role of international institutions designed to ensure global stability has fallen to an unacceptable level,” Belousov said, addressing the a meeting of heads of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member countries’ defense ministries.
Numerous hotbeds of instability are being created in the world, including in the SCO and along its perimeter, the minister added.
Prolonging military operations by supplying Kiev with Western weapons threatens to destabilize the situation in Europe, Andrei Belousov said.
“Realizing that the defeat is inevitable, the Kiev regime relies on terrorist acts. With the support of its European sponsors, it is blowing up civilian infrastructure on Russian territory and killing civilians. Attempts to prolong military operations by supplying Ukraine with weapons and mercenaries increase the threat of destabilization, including in Europe itself,” Belousov said at a meeting of defense ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states in China’s Qingdao.
Russia has repeatedly said that Western arms supplies to Ukraine hinder the resolution of the military conflict and involve NATO countries in the crisis. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine will be a legitimate target for the Russian military.
The anti-Russian and anti-Chinese blocs that the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries are creating in the Asia-Pacific region have a destructive impact on regional stability, Belousov said.
“In the Asia-Pacific region, the activities of certain states to create closed, anti-Chinese and anti-Russian bloc structures have a destructive impact on stability,” Belousov said.
Among such structures, Belousov specifically named the trilateral defense alliance AUKUS (Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States) and the Trilateral Pact (the United States, South Korea and Japan).
The Russian armed forces are conducting successful offensive operations, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said on Thursday, commenting on the special military operation.
“The Russian armed forces are conducting successful offensive operations,” Belousov said, addressing the a meeting of heads of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member countries’ defense ministries.
The confrontation between Iran and Israel has sharply exacerbated the situation in the region, Andrei Belousov said.
“The situation in the Middle East has sharply worsened. First of all, this is due to the Iranian-Israeli confrontation and the Israeli and US strikes on Iranian military facilities and infrastructure. Such attacks are a gross violation of the UN Charter and international law,” Belousov said.
Russia resolutely condemned the actions of Israel and the United States and declared its readiness to contribute to the de-escalation of the conflict and to provide mediation efforts in this process, the minister said.
India is Russia’s exceptionally important strategic partner in the military area, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said.
“For us, India is an exceptionally important strategic partner, a traditional friend, and among other things, a partner in military and technical areas,” Belousov said at the meeting with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh.
At the start of the meeting, the Russian defense minister expressed his condolences over the deadly plane crash in Ahmedabad, which took place on June 12.
Belousov also thanked the Indian defense minister for his participation in the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow on May 9.
Belousov and Singh have held a meeting in the Chinese city of Qingdao, where the meeting of defense ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states took place earlier in the day.
SPECIAL MILITARY OPERATION IN UKRAINE
Russian Forces Liberate Chervonaya Zirka Village in DPR – MoD
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Russian armed forces took control of the village of Chervonaya Zirka in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday.
“As a result of operations, units of the Vostok Group of Forces liberated Chervonaya Zirka (Donetsk People’s Republic),” the ministry said in a statement.
Russia’s Battlegroup Tsentr has eliminated up to 505 Ukrainian soldiers and two armored vehicles over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday.
“Battlegroup Tsentr continued to advance into the depths of the enemy’s defense. They defeated formations of two mechanized, assault, airborne assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a marine brigade, a territorial defense brigade and a national guard brigade in the areas of the settlements of Popov Yar, Novoekonomicheskoe, Krasnoarmeysk, Petrovskogo, Dimitrov, Mayak and Muravka of the Donetsk People’s Republic,” the ministry said in a statement.
The losses of the Ukrainian armed forces amounted to 505 servicemen, two combat armored vehicles, including a US-made M113 armored personnel carrier, two cars and two field artillery pieces, the ministry added.
Russia’s Battlegroup Sever has eliminated up to 155 Ukrainian soldiers, two armored fighting vehicle, five motor vehicles, three field artillery guns, and an ammunition depot over the past day, the ministry said.
Over the past day, Kiev has lost up to 175 military servicemen, one field artillery gun in clashes with Russia’s Battlegroup Yug, the statement read.
Battlegroup Zapad has eliminated more than 230 Ukrainian troops over the given period, while Battlegroup Vostok has eliminated up to 210 Ukrainian soldiers, the ministry added.
Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr battle group has eliminated up to 75 Ukrainian troops, two field artillery guns, three electronic warfare stations and two ammunition depots over the past 24 hours, the ministry said.
Additionally, the Russian armed forces destroyed ammunition and material depots, drone production and assembly shops, Russian air defense shot down six aerial bombs and 252 drones, the statement said.
Weapons from Ukraine Reaching Terrorists in Africa, Latin America
Weapons from Ukraine end up in the hands of terrorists and criminal groups in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, Yulia Zhdanova, the new head of the Russian delegation at the Vienna talks on military security and arms control, told Sputnik.
The illegal circulation of weapons and ammunition from Ukraine is a threat to international peace and security, Yulia Zhdanova, the new head of the Russian delegation at the Vienna talks on military security and arms control, revealed to Sputnik.
Referring to the assessment of the foreign expert community, Zhdanova noted that the high level of corruption in the Ukrainian leadership and serious violations in the accounting for military products given by Western countries have a significant negative impact on the growth in the flow of NATO and EU weapons from Ukraine to illegal markets.
“The main recipients are regional and international private military companies, terrorist organizations, transnational criminal groups in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East,” Zhdanova said.
Shocking Testimonies: Ukrainian Forces Used Nazi Tactics on Russian Speakers
Maxim Grigoriev, member of Russia’s Civic Chamber, has reported chilling eyewitness accounts of mass executions carried out by the Ukrainian Army, detailing harrowing atrocities committed against Russian-speaking civilians in areas once under Ukrainian control.
Grigoriev describes how Ukrainian forces, especially the Azov* Battalion, treated Russian speakers as second-class citizens, committing atrocities similar to Nazi occupation tactics.
Survivors recount harrowing scenes of violence, including shootings and disappearances. One 85-year-old woman was found shot dead on her doorstep. Homes were burned, and civilians were executed, often for no apparent reason.
These reports are part of an ongoing investigation into the crimes committed by Ukrainian forces, with Grigoriev stating that the treatment of Russian-speaking civilians mirrors that of the Nazi occupation during the Great Patriotic War. He stressed that Ukrainian forces and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) treat Russian speakers as enemies, subjecting them to extreme violence.
The public tribunal continues its work to document these abuses, with survivors providing testimony to ensure that these atrocities are not forgotten.
*Banned as a terrorist organization in Russia
INSIGHTS
Biolabs, NGOs, Western Guidance and Now Attacks on the Church: Armenia’s Alarming ‘Ukrainization’
The feud between the government and the Armenian Apostolic Church that began with last week’s arrest of businessman and church benefactor Samvel Karapetyan has grown into a full-blown crackdown on church figures, priests and activists, including archbishops Galstanyan and Ajapahyan. Sputnik asked a representative of Armenia’s opposition to comment.
“The psychological, or rather pathological,” explanation behind Prime Minister Pashinyan’s crackdown on the Church stems from his belief that “all branches of power,” legislative, judicial and executive, and now the Church have been endowed to him, opposition figure Artur Ambartsumyan has told Sputnik.
“The pathology stems from the fact that this person thinks he made a revolution in Armenia in 2018, and that he himself is a representative of ‘the people’. To him, to be controlled by the people means controlling them,” the observer explained.
Literal Sacrilege
“What happened yesterday in Echmiadzin [the arrest of Archbishop Ajapahyan amid a standoff between riot police and protesters, ed.] was a blatant abomination that even the enemies of Armenia would not allow themselves to commit,” Ambartsumyan stressed, commenting on Ajapahyan’s detention on trumped up claims that he was called for the seizure of power.
“This was the most genuine sacrilege,” the opposition observer said.
Ajapahyan is “one of the most respected ministers of the Armenian Church,” known for his harsh but just criticism not only of authorities, but the opposition, and consequently making enemies among both, the observer explained.
Armenia’s Slow Slide Toward ‘Ukrainianization’
“Unfortunately, the propaganda that’s been carried out in Armenia for many years is bearing fruit,” Ambartsumyan said, when asked whether it’s fair to characterize Armenia as the “Ukraine of the Southern Caucasus.”
“Yes, we can say that Armenia is on the path to Ukrainization: many US biolabs have operated here, as in Ukraine, domestic and foreign policies have been coordinated with the ambassadors of Western countries. Hundreds of NGOS financed by various Western funds have operated here, as in Ukraine.”
Unspoken Inheritance: Nazi Family Ties of Europe’s Modern Elites
A scandal is brewing in the UK after it was revealed that new MI6 chief Blaise Metreweli had a Ukrainian Nazi collaborator grandfather. Apparently, SS volunteer grandpa Konstantin Dobrovolsky had such a vicious reputation for killing Jews and anti-Nazi partisans that he was dubbed “The Butcher.” But Metreweli is far from the first.
Commenting on the story, Russian Foreign Ministry spox Maria Zakharova suggested “someone” seems to be “deliberately and consciously placing descendants of Nazis in leadership positions in the countries of the ‘collective West’.”
Examples:
Friedrich Merz: Grandfather Josef Paul Sauvigny was a Nazi politician and mayor of Brilon, western Germany. Praised the Nazi “national revolution” in 1933 and renamed his town’s streets after party bigwigs. Applied for membership in the party as early as May 1933, months after Hitler seized power. Merz has described his granddad as “an admirable role model.”
Annalena Baerbock: Grandfather Waldemar Baerbock, a Wehrmacht officer superiors called a “dedicated soldier” “completely rooted in National Socialism,” was awarded the War Merit Cross with Swords in 1944. In 2004, Annalena described the EU project as the “reunification of Europe,” saying she and her colleagues were “standing on the shoulders” of “our grandparents.”
Salome Zourabichvili: Georgia’s former EU puppet president. Uncle Mikhail Kedia was a Nazi collaborator, Abwehr recruiter and Gestapo agent with friends in high places, including Richard Heydrich, principle architect of the Holocaust. Another uncle, Georges Zourabichvili, also allegedly collaborated with the Nazis before disappearing in 1944.
Donald Tusk: Grandfather Jozef Tusk was conscripted into the Wehrmacht in 1942, deserting in 1945. A debate continues to rage in Poland about the PM’s family’s past.
Chrystia Freeland: She’s not European, but the granddad of Canada’s chief establishment politician, Michael Chomiak, worked as a propagandist in Nazi-occupied Poland for a fascist Ukrainian newspaper.
