📰 Interview with Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova for 'Zapiski Sledovatelya' Journal No. 2/2025, published by Russia's Investigative Committee (May 30, 2025)

✍️ The Legal Front of Memory

Key talking points:

• Combating manifestations of racism, xenophobia, aggressive nationalism and neo-Nazism, and countering attempts to rewrite history and distort the outcomes of #WWII are among Russia’s priorities on the human rights track.

• Today we see increasingly frequent attempts to rewrite the history and results of WWII, to erase the memory of heroic anti-fascist fighters, to destroy monuments built in their honour, and to ban the wearing of military decorations that are strongly associated with Victory.

• History is being falsified in an openly hostile manner, which includes glorifying Nazi collaborators and disrespecting the memory of Soviet soldiers and civilians who died in the fight against fascism, questioning the Red Army’s liberation mission in Eastern Europe <...> The decisions of the Yalta and Potsdam conferences and the Nuremberg Tribunal verdicts are also being questioned.

• This tendency to rewrite history and glorify Nazi henchmen has become part of the Kiev regime’s state ideology and policy. The neo-Nazi elites are trying to cement Ukraine’s independence by denying its Soviet past, praising the Waffen-SS Galicia Division <...>

• In line with efforts to combat the glorification of Nazism and the distortion of history, every year since 2005, Russia has submitted a resolution on combatting glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fuelling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, to the UN General Assembly. On December 17, 2024, during the plenary session of the 79th #UNGA in New York, 119 countries voted in support of this document.

• Russia and a group of like-minded countries submitted a draft resolution on the 80th Anniversary of the end of World War II to the ongoing 79th UN General Assembly, which was adopted on March 4. <...> Our partners’ unified stance on this matter constitutes a substantive contribution to countering the rewriting of history.

• It is a matter of principle for us that the international community recognise the crimes perpetrated by the Nazis in the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War as the genocide of the Soviet people.

• The actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and Nazi-affiliated armed groups reveal signs of genocidal intent. They wanted to eliminate Russians and Russian speakers in #Donbass <...>, adepts of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and people in this region in general as an ethnic, religious and national entity.

• Ukraine initiated proceedings in the UN International Court of Justice in February 2022, right after the start of the special military operation, as per the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. However, it turned to the Kiev regime’s disadvantage.

• The International Court of Justice issued its preliminary objections under this case on February 2, 2024. In this document, it rejected all the claims made by Ukraine alleging that Russia violated the Convention. The court went on to rule that further proceedings will focus on whether Ukraine itself committed acts of genocide in Donbass. Therefore, the Kiev regime filed the lawsuit only to become a defendant in this case.

• On November 18, 2024, Russia submitted its main pleading document, the Counter Memorandum, as part of these proceedings. In fact, this is the first time since the Nuremberg Trials that Russia de facto assumed the role of the prosecution in an international tribunal. But there are even more parallels with the Nuremberg Trials — just as during these trials, we are dealing with a Nazi regime which was targeting civilians with mass atrocities on racial, ethnic and national grounds.

Read the interview in full

#Announcement

🌐 On June 5–6, Nizhny Novgorod will host the Global Digital Forum.

The Forum is a unique platform for international digital cooperation, built on trust, respect, and equal opportunities for all nations.

The event will bring together representatives of international and regional organisations, governments, companies, academic and scientific communities from 122 countries.

Over 1'500 international guests are expected to attend in person, with an additional 10'000 participants joining online.

Attendees will take part in high-level sessions with top industry leaders, contribute to shaping digital trends, unlock new opportunities for knowledge and partnerships, discover Russia's IT achievements and sign cooperation agreements.

🤝 The Forum’s mission is to identify solutions for bridging the digital divide and strengthen the technological capacities of Global South countries.

It also serves as a platform for sharing Russia’s extensive experience, innovations, and solutions in ICT.

Key agenda topics include:

• Artificial Intelligence
• Digital Literacy
• Combating Disinformation

Governmental experts will also address collaboration across major UN platforms on the global digital agenda, such as the World Summit on the Information Society, the Ad Hoc Committee on Cybercrime, the Open-Ended Working Group on Information Security, and its planned permanent successor mechanism.

👉 Learn more about the Forum
👉 Register to participate

Registration closes on May 15, 2025.

#GDF2025

🎙 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s answer to a question from the Moscow. Kremlin. Putin news show (Moscow, June 1, 2025)

❓ Question: I am not asking you to comment, but still… We saw President Macron being publicly slapped in the face by his wife. Ahead of that we saw the napkin footage. In general, there were many different situations where European leaders were involved, which confirmed the impression that something odd, to put it mildly, was happening to the political elites over there. Does the fact that Europe today has political elites of this sort pose any danger to the world at large?

💬 Sergey Lavrov: All people are living beings. Everyone has passions or hobbies of their own. I am not interfering with anyone’s privacy. I think that politicians should be judged by their political actions and their foreign policy decision-making, since foreign policy is my own métier.

I do not see any politicians on the international scene in Europe today, who would amount at least to something – with the exception of two or three individuals.

🎙 Video address by President of Russia Vladimir Putin on 70th anniversary of Baikonur Space Centre (June 2, 2025)

Baikonur has witnessed more than 2,500 launches and has sent over 200 cosmonauts into orbit. From its launch pads, representatives of numerous countries have embarked on space missions, many of them scientists conducting groundbreaking experiments and advancing both fundamental and applied research. 
It is fitting that the space centre was named Baikonur, meaning “rich land” in Kazakh. Indeed, its contribution to international scientific and technological progress is immense, truly rich in every sense, and beyond measure.
Today, Baikonur remains one of the largest and most advanced spaceports in the world. With a workforce of around seven thousand, this versatile complex plays an active role in the space programmes of Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and numerous other countries.

It was on June 2, 1955, that a historic policy decision was made to create a unique missile test range in the Soviet Union, destined to become the world’s first spaceport.
Just a decade after the end of the Great Patriotic War, the multiethnic Soviet nation, having endured immense tragedy and devastating losses, achieved the remarkable. The Soviet people not only rebuilt cities and towns from the ruins and ignited powerful economic and technological progress, but also took a bold leap into the future, launching visionary and ambitious plans that opened the path to space, to the stars. 
The creation of Baikonur, along with the entire space programme, stands as a true feat, a testament to courage, determination, and heroic spirit. We honour the monumental, selfless labour of the hundreds of thousands from all the republics of the Union who envisioned, designed, and built Baikonur, and who worked at the cosmodrome from its earliest days.

🔗 http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/77085

⚡️ Statement by Head of the Russian delegation Vladimir Medinsky following the second round of resumed Russia-Ukraine direct talks in Istanbul (June 2, 2025)

Read in full

💬 We handed our two-part memorandum to the Turkish side.

• The first part concerns ways to achieve a durable and sustainable peace.

• The second part outlines the steps towards making a genuine ceasefire possible.

<...> The Ukrainian side took it for further review. They will study it and tell us what they think about it, and we will take it from there.

In addition to that, we resolved several practical matters.

Firstly, we will unilaterally hand over 6'000 frozen bodies of Ukrainian soldiers to the Ukrainian side. <...> Next week, we will return these bodies to the Ukrainian side so they may be laid to rest with dignity. <...>

We have agreed on the largest prisoner swap to date. All gravely wounded and seriously ill soldiers will be exchanged all for all. This is a humanitarian gesture on our part. The same approach — all for all — will be used to exchange young soldiers under the age of 25. The overall exchange quota will be at least 1'000 people from each side, possibly more. These numbers are being finalised.

Furthermore, we agreed to create permanent medical commissions that will compile reports which the parties will use to draw up exchange lists of severely wounded soldiers without having to wait for major political decisions. These exchanges will be conducted regularly as part of routine operations.

❗️ We proposed imposing a short-term ceasefire for two to three days on several stretches of the line of contact. Our military experts will work on it in coordination with the Ukrainians. <...>

The Russian army is advancing, and there are significantly more bodies of the Ukrainian soldiers in the grey zone. For this reason, we propose collecting the bodies of their fallen soldiers and transferring them immediately on-site to the opposing side for proper burial under Christian traditions. We let them know about this proposal. The Ukrainian military promised to review it promptly. <...>

Children are central to us, and I would like to say a few words about them. We’ve been hearing lately <…> that “1.5 million Ukrainian children were abducted by the Russians.” Then it came down to “200'000 Ukrainian children abducted by the Russians.” Now, the official figure is “20'000 children abducted by the Russians.” We’ve constantly asked to provide documentary evidence. Show us who these children are, give us something, such as missing child reports filed by their parents. Who are these children? They weren’t on any lists. What we get are mere numbers with no substance. <...>

We finally obtained a complete list. As you can see, it’s not 1.5 million, and not even 20'000 names. It includes 339 names. We will look into each case. We have reviewed every single inquiry lately. The Commissioner for Children’s Rights office had 101 children reunite with their families. 22 children have come back home from Ukraine and reunited with their families. Our children, too, may end up in the midst of a combat zone and lose contact with their families. <...>

This list of 339 names only underscores the fact that child abduction has, unfortunately, been turned by the Ukrainian authorities into a media show for bleeding-heart Europeans. <...> In reality, we are talking about dozens of children. None of these children have been abducted. Not a single one. These are the children who were rescued by our soldiers — often at the cost of their lives — pulled from combat zones and taken to safety. We are looking for their parents. If the parents are found, the children are returned.

☝️ Every child will reunite with their parents. All families on both sides will come together. We are working on it. It’s a matter of honour.

❓Question: What language were the talks held in?

💬 Vladimir Medinsky: I’ll give you three guesses.

❓Question: Was it Russian?

💬 Vladimir Medinsky: Correct, you got it right straight away.

⚡️ Statement by Head of the Russian delegation Vladimir Medinsky following the second round of resumed Russia-Ukraine direct talks in Istanbul (June 2, 2025)

Read in full

💬 We handed our two-part memorandum to the Turkish side.

• The first part concerns ways to achieve a durable and sustainable peace.

• The second part outlines the steps towards making a genuine ceasefire possible.

<...> The Ukrainian side took it for further review. They will study it and tell us what they think about it, and we will take it from there.

In addition to that, we resolved several practical matters.

Firstly, we will unilaterally hand over 6'000 frozen bodies of Ukrainian soldiers to the Ukrainian side. <...> Next week, we will return these bodies to the Ukrainian side so they may be laid to rest with dignity. <...>

We have agreed on the largest prisoner swap to date. All gravely wounded and seriously ill soldiers will be exchanged all for all. This is a humanitarian gesture on our part. The same approach — all for all — will be used to exchange young soldiers under the age of 25. The overall exchange quota will be at least 1'000 people from each side, possibly more. These numbers are being finalised.

Furthermore, we agreed to create permanent medical commissions that will compile reports which the parties will use to draw up exchange lists of severely wounded soldiers without having to wait for major political decisions. These exchanges will be conducted regularly as part of routine operations.

❗️ We proposed imposing a short-term ceasefire for two to three days on several stretches of the line of contact. Our military experts will work on it in coordination with the Ukrainians. <...>

The Russian army is advancing, and there are significantly more bodies of the Ukrainian soldiers in the grey zone. For this reason, we propose collecting the bodies of their fallen soldiers and transferring them immediately on-site to the opposing side for proper burial under Christian traditions. We let them know about this proposal. The Ukrainian military promised to review it promptly. <...>

Children are central to us, and I would like to say a few words about them. We’ve been hearing lately <…> that “1.5 million Ukrainian children were abducted by the Russians.” Then it came down to “200'000 Ukrainian children abducted by the Russians.” Now, the official figure is “20'000 children abducted by the Russians.” We’ve constantly asked to provide documentary evidence. Show us who these children are, give us something, such as missing child reports filed by their parents. Who are these children? They weren’t on any lists. What we get are mere numbers with no substance. <...>

We finally obtained a complete list. As you can see, it’s not 1.5 million, and not even 20'000 names. It includes 339 names. We will look into each case. We have reviewed every single inquiry lately. The Commissioner for Children’s Rights office had 101 children reunite with their families. 22 children have come back home from Ukraine and reunited with their families. Our children, too, may end up in the midst of a combat zone and lose contact with their families. <...>

This list of 339 names only underscores the fact that child abduction has, unfortunately, been turned by the Ukrainian authorities into a media show for bleeding-heart Europeans. <...> In reality, we are talking about dozens of children. None of these children have been abducted. Not a single one. These are the children who were rescued by our soldiers — often at the cost of their lives — pulled from combat zones and taken to safety. We are looking for their parents. If the parents are found, the children are returned.

☝️ Every child will reunite with their parents. All families on both sides will come together. We are working on it. It’s a matter of honour.

❓Question: What language were the talks held in?

💬 Vladimir Medinsky: I’ll give you three guesses.

❓Question: Was it Russian?

💬 Vladimir Medinsky: Correct, you got it right straight away.

🎙 Excerpt from the report by the Head of the Russian Federation’s Delegation to the Russia–Ukraine direct talks, Aide to the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Medinsky, at a meeting between President of Russia Vladimir Putin with members of the Government (June 4, 2025)

💬 Vladimir Medinsky: Mr. President, colleagues,

The bilateral talks in Istanbul began with a restricted-format meeting that lasted more than three hours, followed by an expanded discussion, which included members of the delegations. The discussion was in Russian.

We presented the other side with our two-part draft memorandum on a peaceful settlement.

The first part contained terms for a long-term peace agreement.

The second part outlined the terms of the ceasefire.

The memorandum is guided by the basic principles that you formulated at the Foreign Ministry last June. The Ukrainian side promised to study it and give its comments later.

In general, during the talks, they reaffirmed their proposals, which basically include two main points. First, they want to begin with a 30- or 60-day unconditional ceasefire. Second, this ceasefire period is to be used to prepare for a summit meeting of the two heads of state. They set it all out in their version of the memorandum, which was handed over to us on May 28.

Humanitarian issues were also discussed on the sidelines. We emphasised the need to focus on working out the terms of peace rather than another temporary truce, and conveyed your opinion that a meeting at the level of heads of state is possible, but it needs to be substantively prepared to achieve results. The heads of state should approve agreements, not spend time working out the details. It is up to them to make final decisions on the drafts that have been fully prepared and coordinated.

When it comes to humanitarian issues, we agreed on the following.

First. Conduct an equal prisoner of war exchange, at least 1'000 people from each side, primarily from among those wounded, severely ill and below the age of 25. The final numbers of this equal exchange are being approved. We expect approximately 1'200 people from each side. It will be the biggest POW swap on record. We are ready to begin on June 7–9. We are fully prepared.

Second. Establish a communication line to promptly resolve urgent issues of immediate transfers of gravely wounded prisoners of war outside the framework of general exchanges.

Third. We proposed, unilaterally, to transfer to Kiev over 6'000 bodies of Ukrainian troops. <...> We are ready to begin shortly. We understand Ukraine may have bodies of our troops as well although in much smaller numbers. But we are prepared to receive any remains, if there are any.

Next. We have proposed arranging humanitarian pauses in certain sectors of the front, two or three days at a time, to collect remains, because it is impossible to do so under fire, for security reasons. Initially, they upheld our proposal and took it in, but literally two hours later, Zelensky publicly declined this potential agreement. Nevertheless, we are ready to revisit it.

Finally, the Ukrainian side handed over to us the list of 339 children allegedly kidnapped from the territory of Ukraine. Here is the list in question. We are working on it, through the office of the Commissioner for Children’s Rights. We will investigate every name.

But I must note that, for propaganda purposes, they earlier claimed that tens and hundreds of thousands of children had been brought over here. In fact, the actual number is 339 and we still need to check how many are in Russia, evacuated by our soldiers from under fire, and how many will eventually turn up in Europe, as experience shows.

Mr. President, to conclude, we have established an effective communication channel on humanitarian issues. For other matters, the ball is in their court.

🎙 Remarks by Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at President Vladimir Putin's meeting with members of the Government (June 4, 2025)

💬 Sergey Lavrov: Mr. Medinsky spoke on the main results. I believe that this is important and useful. The process of direct talks, which you previously agreed on in one of the latest telephone conversations with Donald Trump, is underway.

As we know, both rounds yielded tangible results, including the 1'000 for 1'000 POWs swap. Now, as head of our delegation Vladimir Medinsky said, additional agreements on a new swap, which is as large as the previous one, and not just of prisoners of war in equal numbers, but also of the seriously wounded, the sick, as well as the return of the remains of the deceased, have been made.

I believe it is better to always have a channel of communication. It enables us to address urgent humanitarian concerns above all else. At this stage, the coordination of reciprocal humanitarian measures as goodwill gestures and steps toward building trust is especially vital. As I have noted, we are seeing real progress in this area.

In light of what was just mentioned regarding the proposal for a brief two- or three-day pause to allow for the dignified recovery of the bodies of the deceased along sections of the contact line – where wounded individuals may still be present – I consider Kiev’s categorical and harsh rejection of this initiative to be a grave mistake. This comes on top of similar refusals of our proposals for humanitarian pauses during Easter and during the celebrations of the 80th Anniversary of the Great Victory.

Nevertheless, Mr. President, despite all this, and despite the serious criminal provocations that have taken place in recent days, I believe it is important not to fall into the trap of these provocations, which are clearly designed to derail the talks and continue receiving arms deliveries from European nations.

I believe that all means to achieve the just goals of the special military operation, including negotiations, must be put to use. The Foreign Ministry is actively engaged in Vladimir Medinsky’s delegation.

President Putin: I agree. There was a report that there also was some comment made by the Ukrainian side about the composition and level of our delegation.

Sergey Lavrov: Yes, Mr. President, the comment was anonymous, but it was spread in the media. Nobody approached us with specific questions or specific ideas. Journalists asked about this, and we explained what the level of Aide to the President of the Russian Federation means.

🗓 On June 4, under the chairmanship of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, a meeting of the Collegium of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation was held. The topic — “Furthering Russia’s cooperation with Africa.”

The session underscored the priority status of comprehensive relations with the African continent, as well as Russia’s commitment to fostering Africa’s emergence as a distinctive and influential centre of global development, in line with the Concept of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation approved by the President in 2023.

🇷🇺🌍 The Collegium noted the high momentum in #RussiaAfrica relations. A strong impetus to this process was provided by the establishment of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum in 2019 and the successful organisation, within this framework, of two summits and the first ministerial conference. Active efforts are underway to expand Russia’s diplomatic presence in the region. In January of this year, a new department – the Department for Partnership with Africa – was formed within the Russian Foreign Ministry to oversee engagement at both pan-African and subregional levels.

The meeting reaffirmed the Russian Federation’s dedication to assisting the African nations in strengthening their sovereignty and countering the neocolonial policies of the collective West, which seeks to maintain dominance over the continent to serve its narrowly self-serving resource, economic, and geopolitical interests.

The session outlined concrete steps to further enhance Russia’s political, economic, cultural, and other ties with African nations and their integration blocs. Emphasis was placed on Russia’s readiness to continue supporting African partners in overcoming security challenges, guided by the African solutions to African Problems principle.

🤝 Special attention was given to preparations for the second ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, scheduled to take place this year in an African state, which will serve as a key milestone ahead of the third Russia-Africa Summit in 2026.

🖥 On June 5-6, Nizhny Novgorod will host the first Global Digital Forum.

The Forum is a unique platform for international digital cooperation, built on trust, respect, and equal opportunities for all nations.

🌐 The event will bring together representatives of international and regional organisations, governments, companies, academic and scientific communities from 110+ countries. Over 1'500 international guests are expected to attend in person, with another 10'000 participants joining online.

The Forum’s mission is to identify solutions for bridging the digital divide and strengthen the technological capacities of Global South countries.

Key agenda topics include:

👉 Artificial Intelligence
👉 Digital Literacy
👉 Combating Disinformation

Learn more about the GDF

#GDF2025

📉 Russia’s Economic Dependence on Exports Hits Historic Low

As of the end of 2023, exports of goods and services made up just 21.9% of GDP — the lowest level since 1994. At the same time, total exports grew by 2.2%, reaching USD 476.1 billion, including USD 433.9 billion in goods and USD 42.2 billion in services.

📊 By comparison, in 1999–2000, exports accounted for over 40% of GDP. The current decline reflects a significant rise in domestic demand and the strengthening of the national economy. In 2023, Russia’s GDP expanded by 4.3% in real terms, amounting to ₽ 201.2 trillion (approx. USD 2.2 trillion).

🇷🇺 These figures highlight Russia’s continued move toward economic self-sufficiency and a strategic focus on domestic development, with external factors playing a steadily diminishing role in shaping the country’s economic outlook.

🗓 June 6 is #RussianLanguageDay in Russia.

✍️ #OnThisDay in 1799 the great Russian poet, writer, playwright, historian, publicist, creator of the modern Russian literary language Alexander #Pushkin was born.

🇷🇺 On June 6, 2011, the President of the Russian Federation signed a decree on the annual celebration of Russian Language Day in order to “preserve, support and develop the Russian language as a national treasure of the peoples of the Russian Federation, a tool of international communication and an integral part of the cultural and spiritual heritage of world civilization”.

Russian is one of the most popular languages in the world.

It has a rich literary heritage and is one of the most dynamic languages. Today, Russian is spoken by over 250 million citizens of Russia and other countries.

Watch the video to learn more interesting facts 👆

#RussianLanguage