Putin made aggressive statements about Ukraine in St. Petersburg

The Russian President made the most aggressive statements about Ukraine for a long time at the Economic Forum in St. Petersburg. These statements indicate Putin`s real attitude to the US President's peacekeeping efforts, Donald Trump.

Putin stressed that he considers "the Russian and Ukrainian peoples in one nation." According to him, in this sense, "all Ukraine is ours". Such a statement of the dictator caused enthusiastic applause in the hall, where politicians and businessmen were supportive of the Kremlin authorities.

These cynical statements by Vladimir Putin contrast sharply with the recent Kremlin rhetoric. Putin repeatedly claimed that Russia is interested in peace. Since Donald Trump began to promote a peace agreement, Moscow had a softer and even reconciliatory tone. Moscow tried to show Washington, which was allegedly interested in resolving the war against Ukraine.

This shift suggests that Putin’s true intentions may prioritize territorial claims over diplomatic resolution, challenging ongoing international efforts to end the conflict.

Russia forcibly recruits labour migrants for the war against Ukraine

Russia is increasingly recruiting citizens of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and other Central Asian countries who come to work in Russia for its war against Ukraine, Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence (DIU) reports.

According to the DIU, Russian forces lure migrant workers with promises of quick money through short-term contracts. These migrants are often placed in separate units and sent to the most dangerous sections of the front.

The DIU says that most of these recruits are killed in combat. Recent reports confirmed the deaths of Uzbek and Tajik citizens fighting in Russian units.

Russia's Oreshnik missile production can be halted if sanctions imposed

President Volodymyr Zelensky on June 20 urged immediate sanctions on more Russian defense companies to disrupt production of the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM).

Speaking at a press briefing, Zelensky said Russia is using the threat of the Oreshnik — launched once at Dnipro in November — to intimidate Ukraine and its allies. He warned that 39 Russian firms are involved in producing the missile, but 21 of them remain unsanctioned, allowing them to source critical components.

Zelensky emphasized that halting these supplies is key to stopping Oreshnik production and questioned why sanctions hadn’t been imposed already.

Defense analysts believe the Oreshnik is likely a modified RS-26 missile rather than a new design. Despite Putin’s claims of scaling up production, U.S. officials say Russia has few operational missiles of this type.