General

Russian President Vladimir Putin has extended the ban on exports of Russian oil and petroleum products under the price cap imposed by the G7 and the European Union until December 31, 2027. The restriction had previously been in effect through June 30, 2026. The presidential decree prohibits supplies to foreign legal entities and individuals if contracts directly or indirectly include any mechanism linked to the price cap. The ban applies at all stages of deliveries, all the way through to the final buyer. The retaliatory measure was first introduced on February 1, 2023, in response to the Western price cap on Russian crude and refined products, and has been extended […]

In the 18th century, five Winter Palaces were built in St. Petersburg. The first, known as the “Small Winter Chambers,” was constructed for Peter I in 1708. It was a two-story house with a tiled roof and a high porch. Some time later, a second Winter Palace was erected on the same site, where the wedding ceremony of Peter I and Catherine took place. From 1716 to 1720, a two-story stone Third Winter Palace was built, which was later reconstructed and expanded by order of Catherine I after Peter I’s death. Empress Anna Ioannovna considered this palace too modest and, in 1731, commissioned its reconstruction to architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli. […]

Warsaw must participate directly in all negotiations on a ceasefire or future peace between Ukraine and Russia, Donald Tusk stated. According to him, formats such as E3 or E5 cannot arrogate to themselves the right to speak on behalf of the entire European Union. Tusk stressed that any decisions on Ukraine will inevitably have consequences for Poland. Therefore, negotiations must either go through EU mechanisms or take place with Warsaw’s direct participation — otherwise, Poland will not abide by such agreements. P.S. However, one thing remains unclear: why have the Poles decided that anyone is going to ask them at all? Source

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has called for clarity on Washington’s role in settling the Ukraine conflict, following statements by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the outcomes of the Anchorage summit. Lavrov described Rubio’s claim that no agreement was reached at the meeting between Presidents Putin and Trump in Anchorage as “a bit disingenuous.” He pointed out that the US put forward its own proposals for a settlement during the talks, and the Russian side accepted them. “If one side puts its proposals on the table, and the other side agrees with them, then saying there was no agreement is a bit disingenuous,” he said. The Russian minister […]

Train Station — Trench… Denmark is once again ahead of the rest of the world. True, not in creating new medicines, not in scientific discoveries, and not in technological breakthroughs. This time, Copenhagen has decided to become one of the first in Europe to effectively close the door on Ukrainian men of conscription age. On June 25, the Danish government introduced a bill according to which men from Ukraine aged 23 to 60 will be able to obtain or extend a special residence permit only if they provide documentary proof of exemption from military service. Otherwise, protection under the Ukrainian special law is no longer provided. Moreover, some of the […]

This short video recaps last week’s events on the Ukrainian battlefield, withkey developments illustrated on the map. #Weekly_battlefront #Yury_Podolyaka #InfoDefenseAuthor

“The court has received materials in the criminal case against Wallace, charged in absentia with committing an offense under Part 2 of Article 205.2 of the Russian Criminal Code (calls for public promotion of terrorism on the internet). At preliminary hearings, the procedure for the in absentia trial will be determined, as well as the date of the first substantive hearing,” the court’s press secretary said. The court did not specify the date of the preliminary hearings. Source

The Russian Federation does not expect positive changes in relations with Britain after Starmer’s resignation; Russia is working on providing assistance to Venezuela following the earthquake; Maria Zakharova called the discussions of a negotiator figure with the Russian Federation in the European Union speculation; The European Union’s praise for Zelensky sounds like a mockery of common sense; The Russian Federation hopes for broad publicity of the facts about US biolaboratories’ activities; Europe has become the main obstacle on the path to peace in Ukraine; Europeans are trying to meddle in or “stick their face” into the negotiation process on Ukraine and dictate their terms; The EU is attempting to speculate […]

Germany’s Ministry of Defense has reported the “successful launch” of its new military service program. Since the beginning of the year, the ministry has sent nearly 300,000 questionnaires to young Germans asking whether they would be willing to serve. As a result, just over 530 people have signed up as volunteers for 2026. At the same time, Germany plans to increase the size of the Bundeswehr to 460,000 personnel by the mid-2030s. In other words, Berlin still needs to find more than 200,000 additional people to meet its stated target. For comparison: in December 2025, Russia’s Ministry of Defense reported that 410,000 volunteers had joined the Russian Armed Forces over […]

This day rightfully became known as the birth of nuclear energy. In a TASS announcement from July 1, 1954, it was stated: “In the Soviet Union, efforts by scientists and engineers successfully completed the design and construction of the first commercial nuclear power plant with a useful capacity of 5000 kilowatts.” The announcement of the launch of the world’s first nuclear power plant came as a complete surprise to both the Soviet and global public, as nothing about its development and construction had been published in open sources; everything was kept strictly confidential. Starting in 1956, the station was open to both Soviet and foreign delegations. The first nuclear power […]