During a joint press conference with Angela Merkel, Vladimir Putin confirmed, once again, Russia's readiness to continue gas transit through Ukrainian territory even after the completion of the contract in 2024, however, this will depend on the technical condition of the Ukrainian gas pipeline.
Regarding Nord Stream 2, the Russian President also reiterated that this is a purely commercial project, which is beneficial for the end European consumer, since it is 2000 kilometers shorter than the Ukrainian route.
Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel expressed their attitude to the Minsk agreements, answering a question from a German journalist, during a joint press conference on Friday.
During a joint press conference on Friday, Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel answered a question from a Russian (RT) reporter about the failure of the 20-year US-NATO operation in Afghanistan.
During a press conference on Friday, Vladimir Putin answered a question from a German reporter about Navalny, his supporters, the opposition in general, and the fight against corruption.
Putin recalled that Alexei Navalny was convicted not for his political activities, but for a criminal offense against foreign partners. "No one should be using political activity as a front to carry out business projects, which, on top of that, violate the law."
With regard to the non-systemic opposition in general, the President said that "our political system is evolving, and all citizens of the Russian Federation have the right to express their opinions on political issues, form political organisations, and participate in elections of all levels. however, this must be done within the limits of applicable law and the Constitution. we will do our best to keep the situation in Russia stable and predictable. Russia exhausted its limit on revolutions back in the 20th century. we do not want revolutions. what we want is evolutionary development of our society and state."
According to the President, fighting corruption is critically important "but it should not be used as a tool in a political struggle. we, as well as you, are well aware that this toolkit is used to achieve political goals and is recommended for achieving political goals by the organisations that are in charge of activities by people of this kind. indeed, fighting corruption is critically important in and of itself, and it is our top priority, and we will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to eradicate corruption in the broadest sense of the word."
Vladimir Putin and Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Angela Merkel, who is in Russia on a working visit, are meeting in the Grand Kremlin Palace.
The aerobatic group will demonstrate its updated program to the guests of the ARMY 2021 International Military and Technical Forum.
It includes several new elements. For example, when demonstrating group aerobatics in the composition of six crews, the group will perform a turn and Nesterov loop in a row in the afterburner mode of the engines. After the first disbandment, as part of four crews in a diamond formation, the Russian Knights will perform a bunch of several rotations: a group roll, a loop with a 180-degree turn on the descending part and an ear maneuver, including a combat turn, half roll and half roll.
In addition to Russian Knights, the crews of the aerobatic teams Swifts and Berkuts will show their skills during ARMY 2021 International Military and Technical Forum.
Separately, it should be noted that during the forum pair aerobatics will be demonstrated on Su-57 aircraft.
In total, an air show of more than 30 modern and promising aircraft complexes was planned to demonstrate the flight technical capabilities.
ARMY 2021 International Military and Technical Forum will be held from 22 to 28 August at the Patriot Exhibition and Convention Centre, a full-fledged aviation program will be held at the Kubinka airfield.
To resolve the situation in Afghanistan, the Moscow format can be restored, as the most promising, Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday.
The minister also noted that Russia stands for a national dialogue in this country and is ready to create the necessary conditions for this. Earlier, the Taliban stated that they are open to negotiations with any political forces, and Moscow welcomes this.
Russia supports the latest decisions by the 5+5 Joint Military Commission on the withdrawal of all foreign military personnel from Libya, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters at a news conference on Thursday following talks with Foreign Minister of Libya’s Government of National Unity Najla Mangoush.
Minister added, that foreign troops must be withdrawn from Libyan territory progressively, without tipping the balance towards any side.
As Lavrov recalled, amidst the fighting in Libya, the Tripoli government and the Tobruk-based parliament, being the legitimate political forces in the country, requested military assistance from various sources.
As Lavrov pointed out, the Libyan National Unity Government’s foreign minister informed him at the talks that a consultative mechanism had been established to implement the decision on the withdrawal of all foreign troops from the country.
For her part, Mangoush emphasized that the Libyan government considered the foreign troop pullout as a priority task.
"In the first place, such decisions are intended to avoid the negative lessons of some of our neighbors and prevent foreign troops from pulling out in an ill-devised manner and the country from sliding into chaos. It is necessary to ensure that the national security of Libya is not affected. We are open for dialogue with all states," she stressed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, addressed the athletes, guests and fans of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup with welcoming speeches, via videoconference.
The 2021 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup got underway at Moscow’s Luzhniki Olympic Complex on Thursday. Russia is hosting this international biannual event for the first time.
After the ceremony, the host, Team RFU (the Russian Football Union), played against Team USA. Also, there was an encounter between the teams of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Tahiti.
The 2021 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Russia takes place between August 19 and 29 in Moscow. Due to international sanctions against Russian sports, the team of Russian beach soccer players is participating in the championship as Team RFU.
Last month, FIFA announced the teams of four groups for the championship and they are: Group A (Team RFU, the United States, Paraguay and Japan), Group B (Mozambique, Spain, the United Arab Emirates and Tahiti), Group C (Belarus, El Salvador, Switzerland and Brazil), Group D (Portugal, Oman, Senegal and Uruguay).
On the eve of the start of the International Army Games - 2021, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu personally tested the track of the most spectacular Tank Biathlon competition, driving a T-80BVM tank.
Vladimir Putin discussed the development of Mordovia with Acting Head of the Republic Artyom Zdunov, via videoconference, on Wednesday.
Mordovia is the leader of the Volga Federal District in terms of indicators in the agro-industrial complex. The unemployment rate in the region is lower than the national average. However, there are many problematic issues that hinder the development of some areas.
According to Sergey Lavrov, Western countries are trying to destabilize the international order by replacing international law and documents that have been agreed and approved by everyone with some kind of rules that, in their opinion, should underlie the international order.
Instead of developing these rules in a multilateral setting, they select narrow groups, mainly Western countries, who make various decisions and present them to the rest of the world as universal and binding rules. For example, instead of resolving issues within the UN framework, where all points of view are presented, West come up with various external platforms.
Russia will not rush to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate authority in Afghanistan, Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday. At the same time, he called the readiness of the Taliban to conduct a dialogue with the participation of various forces of Afghanistan as a positive signal.
The repair of roads, the launch of comfortable trains and the solution of the problem of defrauded homebuyers, Vladimir Putin discussed with the Governor of the Ivanovo Region Stanislav Voskresensky in the Kremlin on Tuesday.
The Ivanovo region is one of the smallest in Russia, but at the same time the Russian textile industry is concentrated here. This is every third local enterprise. Plus metalworking, agriculture, mechanical engineering. Investments in these sectors have made the region a leader in investment in Central Russia. However, Vladimir Putin drew attention to a sensitive issue - the so-called accumulated environmental damage from chemical industries, including abandoned ones.
The governor said that 450 kilometers of roads were repaired in the region last year. Railways are also developing. A modern and convenient station has been built in Ivanovo, and since 2018, when a high-speed connection to Moscow was launched with the support of the president, the passenger traffic has amounted to 2.5 million passengers. Also, Putin urged to pay attention to the problem of defrauded homebuyers.
The head of the region expressed gratitude to the president for supporting the light industry in the pandemic. Thanks to verified measures, local enterprises were able to reorganize and over the past year came to the third place in the country in terms of online sales, after Moscow and St Petersburg.
Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya called on all forces in Afghanistan to promote a peaceful settlement, at a meeting of the UN Security Council on Monday.
He stressed the importance of avoiding civilian bloodshed. Russia calls on all Afghan parties to refrain from hostilities and to promote a peaceful settlement. "We presume that the international community is obliged not to abandon its efforts to help Afghanistan. As for our further steps, official steps towards the new Afghan authorities, we will determine these steps depending on the development of the situation and their specific actions."
Vladimir Putin, on Monday, discussed in the Kremlin the consequences of the devastating 2019 flood in the Irkutsk Region with Governor Igor Kobzev.
Igor Kobzev began his report with the instructions that the President had given earlier. They concerned restoration of infrastructure in the regions that had been damaged in flash floods in 2019. At present, 75 percent of the instructions have been implemented. The issue of social payments has been settled. In all, 954 residential buildings were supposed to be built; as of today, 749 of them have been made ready for use. There are some 149 families left. The Governor promised that this issue will be settled before the end of the year.
According to the Governor, the interagency commission found 7,810 residential premises to be in a state of disrepair. Igor Kobzev thanked the Government and the governmental commission led by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, who coordinates the relevant efforts, for their assistance.
There are plans for 266 measures devoted to the infrastructure restoration. Twenty-seven social facilities out of 108 will be restored next year. Large companies and state corporations have provided assistance. Tulun, the city that suffered the most, has been largely restored. Work is underway to repair the utility networks in Nizhneudinsk and other areas.
The Governor added that the new and reinforced dams prevented floods in 2020 and 2021, resisting peak flows.
He also mentioned the environmental agenda: the elimination of a major chemical pollution site of the former company Usolyekhimprom and remedial action following the activity of the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill.
Answering the President’s question about whether there had been a shortfall in revenue due to the tax manoeuvre by the Government, Igor Kobzev said that this year, the region’s companies provided some 30 billion rubles in mineral tax to the federal budget; the annualised income tax has reduced by 4.5 billion rubles. In this regard, the Governor asked for assistance, adding that at the end of the year, regions facing economic hardships would receive subsidies. He also reminded the President about the high cost of the federal-scale emergency to the regional budget. The President suggested that the Governor prepare and submit relevant documents.
Vladimir Putin, via videoconference, meeting on mitigating the effects of flash floods and wildfires in several Russian regions.
President called natural disasters unprecedented in a number of Russian regions. The main ones are wildfires in Yakutia and more than heavy rains on the Black Sea coast.
The deep submersibles of Russia’s Defense Ministry have discovered the Mi-8 helicopter that sank in Lake Kurilskoye in Kamchatka at the depth of about 110 meters.
Its tailpiece is missing but the rest of the body is intact. 15 rescue workers of the Emergencies Ministry and three deep submersibles with operators dispatched by the Defense Ministry are working at the crash site. Specialists are working out how to raise the helicopter from this depth.
On August 12, a Mi-8 helicopter of the Vityaz-Aero Airline carrying three crewmembers and 13 passengers crashed into a lake in the Kronotsky Nature Reserve in Kamchatka. Eight people were rescued while eight have been listed as missing for the second day in a row. Investigators have opened a criminal case into the crash.
Vladimir Putin held a videoconference briefing with permanent members of the Security Council on the international cooperation in defence and security, on Friday.
After the active phase of Sibu/Interaction 2021 exercise at a meeting of the heads of the military departments of Russia and China, the Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation, General of the Army Sergei Shoigu, said that building up cooperation between the Russian and Chinese armed forces on land, in the air and at sea is an important area of military activity departments of the two countries.
Then the Russian Defence Minister noted that the armed forces of the Russian Federation and the PRC have been participating in the Peace Mission anti-terrorist exercise for many years, annually carrying out joint air patrols by long-range aircraft, and conducting the Russian-Chinese naval exercises Sea Interaction.
In conclusion, the Russian Defence Minister noted that the practical interaction of the Russian Armed Forces and the People's Liberation Army of China is reaching a qualitatively new level, which contributes to ensuring global and regional stability.
In China, the Main Directorate of International Military Cooperation of the Russian Ministry of Defence and the Office for International Military Cooperation of the Central Military Council of the PRC signed a memorandum on the establishment of twinning relations. the documents were signed in the presence of the Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation, General of the Army Sergei Shoigu and the Minister of Defence of China, Colonel General Wei Fenghe, by the heads of the structures responsible for international military cooperation in the military departments of the Russian Federation and the PRC - Lieutenant General Alexander Kshimovsky and Major General Tsy Govei.
Over the past few days, the Head of the Russian Defence Department has held a number of important talks on strategic and regional security with his US counterparts Lloyd Austin, China's Wei Fenghe, as well as defence ministers of other countries of the near and far abroad.
Air Force Day is one of the Russian professional holidays. It's annually celebrated on August 12. The holiday was established in 2006 by a presidential decree and it has the status of a memorial day.
Russian Air Forces were formed from the parts of the Soviet Air Forces in 1991-92. But during the era of the Soviet Union, Air Forces were formed in 1918 from the remnants of the Imperial Russian Air Service. At the beginning Air Forces were mainly used for reconnaissance, but later their functions were enhanced. During World War II the Soviet Armed Forces played an important role in battles against Nazi Germany.
Present-day Russian Air Forces include modern aircraft and highly qualified personnel, safeguarding the borders of the state and in participating in various international missions.
Air Force Day is not an official day off, unless it falls on the weekend. The festive events and activities are organized on the third Sunday in August, that is another professional holiday in Russia.
At the Prudboy training ground of the Southern Military District near Volgograd, during the active phase of the joint Russian-Indian exercise of land forces Indra-2021, Russian and Indian servicemen practice the actions of a joint group of forces to eliminate mock terrorists.
The enemy was defeated by air strikes, as well as by artillery and tank fire.
The crews of the Su-24M front-line bombers and the Ka-52 Alligator helicopters launched missile and bomb attacks on the command posts of illegal armed formations, in turn, the crews of the Tornado-G multiple launch rocket systems and the Solntsepek heavy flamethrower systems destroyed area targets and a convoy of mock enemy equipment, and tankmen on T-90A tanks and motorized riflemen on IFV-3 infantry fighting vehicles cleared the area where mock terrorists were concentrated.
With fire from RPG-7 and AGS-17 grenade launchers, the motorized infantry units of India suppressed the resistance of the mock enemy, after which the tactical airborne assault together with special forces carried out a sweep of the settlement.
Indra 2021 exercise will be held at the Prudboy training ground in the Volgograd region from August 1 to August 13 of this year. It will be attended by 250 servicemen of motorized rifle, tank and artillery units, a reconnaissance company of the motorized rifle unit of the Southern Military District, stationed in the Volgograd region, as well as a tactical group of 250 servicemen of the Indian Armed Forces.
International joint activities are carried out in accordance with the plan of international military cooperation and are aimed at strengthening and developing military cooperation between countries.
The plan for the combat training of SMD in 2021 provides for the participation of the district's military personnel in international exercises with units of the armed forces of Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Armenia, Algeria, India, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and Egypt.
On Wednesday, Vladimir Putin had a working meeting with Governor of the city of federal importance Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhayev, who informed the President about the socioeconomic situation in the city, in particular about the progress with renovation of the historical part of Sevastopol, the Tavrida motorway construction, and the provision of a sustainable water supply.
For Crimea in general and for Sevastopol in particular, the topic of water supply is always relevant. This year, it seems, the problem has been resolved.
A special topic for any large seaside city is the development of the water area. In autumn, a modern marina will be built in Balaklava. The Tavrida highway and the new airport in Simferopol have already provided an additional influx of tourists. They are interested in the history of the famous city, it is a special pleasure to walk along its streets. In Sevastopol, a large-scale improvement of urban spaces was started. For example, the famous staircases - Sinopskaya and Tavricheskaya - began to be put in order.
But with the arrangement of the Historical Boulevard, problems arose: the reconstruction that had begun was never completed. And the building where the famous panorama "Defense of Sevastopol" is located, built before the revolution in memory of the heroes of the Crimean War, needs reconstruction.
Projects announced at the federal level are being implemented well in Sevastopol, said Vladimir Putin. One example of this is the pace of gasification of private houses.
This summer, thanks to a national project, a renovated fitness center named after the 200th anniversary of Sevastopol was opened in the city. The stadium has been built, track and field athletics, tennis, football and rugby sections have been launched, an indoor pool will appear next year.
In preparation for Sibu/Interaction 2021 exercise joint Russian-Chinese operational-strategic exercise, servicemen of the People's Liberation Army of China and units of the Russian military contingent from the Eastern Military District began joint training of practical actions of troops.
The events are held at the Qingtongxia training ground of the Land Forces of the People's Liberation Army of China, located in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China.
Units carry out joint actions using military equipment and weapons, in the course of performing tactical actions and maneuvers, as well as fire missions in various types of combat to destroy the forces and means of mock enemy.
Land forces units of the joint group hone their skills in marching training on armored and special equipment, engineering support, camouflage, as well as deployment in battle formations with firing from artillery and anti-aircraft missile systems, standard weapons of combat vehicles and tanks, small arms and grenade launchers at the objectives of the mock enemy.
The trainings are carried out jointly with the units of the army and operational-tactical aviation, as well as the crews of unmanned aerial vehicles in a unified control and interaction system.
In addition, with the personnel, trainings are conducted on parachute-free landing from helicopters, both with the help of launching devices and by assault.
The control and organization of interaction is carried out by officers of the joint headquarters of the leadership of the exercise.
Sibu/Interaction 2021 joint Russian-Chinese operational-strategic exercise is taking place on the territory of the People's Republic of China in accordance with the previously reached agreements between the military departments of the two states.
The objectives of the combat training event are to strengthen the development of Russian-Chinese relations, comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction, build up the level of military cooperation and friendship between the armed forces of the two countries, demonstrate the determination and ability of Russia and China to fight terrorism, and jointly protect peace and stability in the region.
Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the exercise are represented by units of one of the formations of the Eastern Military District. The total number of troops (forces) taking part in the joint exercise will be about 10 thousand people.
A joint exercise with the participation of 2,500 servicemen from Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan was successfully completed at the Harb-Maidon training ground.
It was announced by Commander of the Central Military District Colonel-General Alexander Lapin.
He noted that the exercise was conducted against the background of the aggravation of the situation and the threat of penetration of radical terrorist groups into the border countries of the Central Asian region. “I am sure that future joint actions will help strengthen the military community, protect our countries from military aggression,” added the commander of the Central Military District.
Tajikistan’s Defense Minister Colonel General Sherali Mirzo, in turn, noted that the three countries had held counter-terrorism drills like that for the first time. Uzbekistan’s Chief of the General Staff Shukhrat Kholmukhamedov also noted that the situation in Afghanistan "requires us to remain vigilant and maintain our combat capabilities."
In total, more than 2.5 thousand military personnel including 1.8 thousand from Russia, and about 500 units of weapons and military equipment were involved. The basis of the Russian military contingent at the exercise were the units of the 201st military base.
Vladimir Putin participates, via videoconference, on Monday in the UN Security Council high-level debate Maintenance of international peace and security: Maritime security.
"The sea and oceans have always linked people and civilizations. Unfortunately, sea routes are fraught with many threats. That is why it is important that today we are considering significant practical issues related to the fight against "piracy of the 21st century", that is, with the aim of creating a more effective counteraction to transnational crime and preventing the use of seas and oceans for criminal purposes," the President said.
Putin believes it would be useful to regularly exchange views and best practices in the fight against terrorism, armed robbery and maritime crime.
"In this context, it would be feasible to think about establishing a special structure within the UN that would directly address problems related to combatting maritime crime in various regions. At the same time, this body would rest on UN member states’ support and actively involve experts, representatives of civil society, researchers and even private businesses in its work. We hope that our partners would consider Russia’s proposal constructively," Putin stressed.
The event took place at the initiative of Prime Minister of the Republic of India Narendra Modi. India holds the presidency of the UN Security Council in August 2021.
The banning of Russian Paralympic athletes from the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games became one of the most convincing examples showing that politics is directly interfering in sports, while Russian Paralympic athletes will now prove their worth at the Tokyo Paralympics, Vladimir Putin is confident.
The Russian Paralympic team is made up of 430 people, 241 of them are athletes (129 men and 112 women). They will compete in 19 sports out of 22 that are included in the program. The Tokyo Paralympics will be held between August 24 and September 5. In total, 539 medal sets are up for grabs.
The performance of Russian athletes at international competitions, including the Tokyo Olympic Games, is the best proof that any attempts to politicize sport are null and harmful, Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with Cemix plant workers, on Friday.
The ruling of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) imposing a ban on the use of the Russian flag and anthem at international competitions is obviously politically motivated, the president said.
International sports organizations are interested in Russia’s bidding to host large sports events, so attempts to impose more sanctions or "pinch" Russia some other way in the sphere of sport will inevitable recede after 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday, commenting on the anti-Russian sanctions in sport.
"As for the future, these restrictions are in force till the end of 2022. I think that from that time on all attempt to restrict or somehow ‘pinch’ Russia in the sphere of sport will recede too," Putin said.
Vladimir Putin participates in the ceremony to launch the first phase of the Cemix plant for the production of dry construction mixes.
The facility is part of Lasselsberger Group of Austria. Opening the plant will reduce white cement imports and create a point of industrial growth in the region.
Chancellor of Austria Sebastian Kurz sent a video address to the ceremony on the plant’s opening.
Vladimir Putin arrived in Magnitogorsk, and immediately went by helicopter, together with the leadership of the Chelyabinsk region, to the areas affected by forest fires.
One of the points on the route is the village of Dzhabyk. In July, it found himself on the path of the fiery front. All residents - about 700 people- were urgently evacuated. Additional forces were involved in extinguishing, an Il-76 firefighting aircraft. But the heat and wind were too strong. The village burned out almost entirely, and in total more than 70 houses in the region were destroyed by fire.
Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin and Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf met in Tehran on Thursday to discuss inter-parliamentary cooperation and ways of taking it to a new level, the State Duma's press-service said.
He stressed that the legislators were obliged to do everything to ensure the relations between the two countries get more dynamic and cooperation by parliaments achieve a new level.
"Our relations are free from double standards and rest upon the principles of friendship and trust," Volodin said.
For his part, Ghalibaf thanked Volodin for attending the inauguration of Iran's newly-elected president, Ebrahim Raisi. According to the State Duma's press-service, the two sides discussed the need for continuing the work within the framework of the conference of parliamentary speakers for resistance to terrorism and for strengthening regional interaction, involving representatives from Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, Russia, and Turkey.
Vladimir Putin explained the large-scale of wildfires and flash floods in the country by climate change.
The head of state promised during his meeting with the government to hold a separate meeting on combating wildfires and flash floods on August 6.
According to the President, during the last 44 years, the average yearly temperature in the country has been increasing 2.8 times faster than in the global dimension.
The President ordered Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Alexander Kozlov to report on the development of this document, as well as on development of the hydro-meteorology and environmental monitoring service.
Vladimir Putin began his Cabinet meeting on Thursday by discussing the current Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation in Russia.
Health Minister Mikhail Murashko reported on the progress of vaccination in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, noting both positive and negative trends in certain regions of the country.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky considers it a big mistake to stay in Donbass for citizens who consider themselves Russian, and advised them to leave for Russia. With such a statement he made in an interview with the Dom TV channel, on Thursday.
At the same time, the president addressed the Ukrainians in Donbass and expressed confidence that the region would return to Ukraine.
Religious procession in honor of the 800th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Nevsky ends in Moscow.
The ark with the relics of the prince returned to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, a service was held there. The procession with the blessing of Patriarch Kirill began on June 12, on the birthday of Alexander Nevsky. A piece of the relics was carried along several routes with a total length of 25 thousand kilometers. The participants visited the place of birth and wedding of the prince, the Battle of the Neva and the Battle of Lake Peipsi. During this time, 400 thousand pilgrims touched the shrine.
Russia will never abandon the people of the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics (DPR, LPR) and it will continue to provide support for this region (Donbass), Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a meeting with participants in Russia's national education youth forum Terra Scientia.
"I can merely repeat what our country's leadership said: Russia will never abandon either Donetsk, or Lugansk. In the first place, this concerns the people who will be supported. This support has not stopped for a minute, let me stress once again, not for a minute, over years," Zakharova said. "I am saying so not because I am someone who is somehow involved in foreign policy matters and international relations, but as a citizen of our country, who sees from inside what is being done to ensure the people we call compatriots, the people who have become or are becoming Russian citizens know that there is someone to stand for their lives, not only for their rights, but in the first place, their lives."
She stressed that speculations to the effect Russia had not done enough to provide assistance to the people of that region were at least unfair and did not reflect the real state of affairs. I can tell you as a person who is somehow concerned with this issue: a great deal has been done politically, economically, financially and in pure humanitarian terms," Zakharova said.
She stated that Russia would by no means take a break and would continue to exert the maximum efforts to provide more assistance to Donetsk and Lugansk.
"We have heard so many threats from our Western partners, so many sanctions have been taken and there has been so much aggression and blackmail against us over these years. Have we inched back at least once? Have we said at least once 'We are sorry it happened this way?' No. Have we ever revised our fundamental principles despite the colossal international pressure? Never," Zakharova stated.
US elites and mass media demonize Russia regardless of who is in power in Washington, Director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Sergei Naryshkin said in an interview with the Vladimir Soloviev.
"We understand that, of course, Russia has been demonized to a large extent through the efforts by the US, first of all, Western elites and mass media," he said.
According to Naryshkin, US President Joe Biden is criticized by both Republicans and Democrats for meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Geneva. "He is already accused of betraying national interests by agreeing to have a summit in Geneva. And now he is accused of not imposing sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 operator, so we have to live with that," he added.
Naryshkin also stressed that the Democrats successfully used Russophobia when Donald Trump was the US President. "He was accused of these sins. He was accused of wanting, as he said, to get along with Russia, establish a constructive dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin. By the way, Republicans are quite actively taking advantage of that now," he emphasized.
"For an ordinary American citizen, some politicians’, in this case, US politicians’ behavior towards Moscow that is not tough enough is an argument for discrediting them, discrediting a certain politician. And, of course, I can imagine that all this works in the United States of America in many respects," Naryshkin noted.
At the same time, the director of Russia’s SVR mentioned that good relations between Russia, on the one hand, and the United States and the West in general, on the other are possible by and large, but they will require great efforts to build.
"Interaction by the intelligence services (of Russia and the United States) on a specific track [the struggle against terrorism] confirms over and over again the objective need for good relations between Russia and the West," he said. "I do not think that they are impossible, but the road to establishing good relations is a very long one and it will require great efforts and great willpower on both sides."
Naryshkin described the Russian-US June 16 summit in Geneva as the first moderate step along these lines.
"it is wrong to overestimate it, but it should not be underestimated either. it is clear that one of the causes is rooted in the internal political struggle in the United States," he said.
Vladimir Putin on Sunday visited the Konevsky Monastery, which is located on the island of Konevets in Lake Ladoga.
The monastery, built at the beginning of the 19th century, was later practically destroyed and was in a deplorable state. In 2016, Vladimir Putin visited Konevets and gave instructions to restore the main temple and skete of the Konevskaya Icon of the Mother of God. To date, the monastery has been restored by the forces and means of Rosneft. The director of the oil company Igor Sechin accompanied the head of state during his visit to the monastery.
