Russia

The Russian president and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron  have spoken on the phone for the first time in years. Their last conversation took place in September 2022, more than six months after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

After months of fierce fighting, Russia appears to have finally taken control of one of Ukraine's largest lithium reserves. Russian troops have been in control of the town of Shevchenko for several days now, where an estimated 12 to 14 million tonnes of lithium ore lie underground to the east. Lithium is an important mineral needed for producing rechargeable car batteries, among other things. This information comes from the Reuters news agency. Ukrainian media outlets such as Kyiv Insider are also reporting on the news.

A Russia-appointed official in Ukraine’s occupied Luhansk region was quoted by AP on Monday saying that Moscow’s forces have overrun all of it, one of four regions Russia annexed from Ukraine in September 2022. If confirmed, it would make Luhansk the first Ukrainian region fully occupied by Russia after more than three years of war with international peace efforts led by the US failing to make progress on halting the fighting. Russian President Vladimir Putin has effectively rejected a ceasefire and hasn’t budged from his demands, which include Moscow’s control over the four illegally annexed regions. 

A Berlin government spokesperson said on Monday (30 June) that Germany expects the EU’s plans for an 18th sanctions package against Russia to be adopted this week.

According to experts from Yale University and Ukrainian groups, Russia’s forced removal of Ukrainian children during the war constitutes the largest abduction of children in a conflict since World War II. Such a violation has been described as a clear war crime.

Russian President Vladimir Putin offered Wednesday to help mediate an end to the conflict between Israel and Iran, suggesting Moscow could help negotiate a settlement that could allow Tehran to pursue a peaceful atomic program while assuaging Israeli security concerns, AP reported. Speaking to senior news leaders of international news agencies on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin noted that “it’s a delicate issue,” but added that “in my view, a solution could be found.” Meanwhile, Iran launched a fresh salvo of missiles at Israel on Thursday, with a hospital reported hit, as US President Donald Trump warned he was weighing US military action in the conflict.

According to the Russian Security Council Secretary, Sergei Shoigu, thousands of North Koreans are set to assist in the reconstruction efforts in the Russian border region of Kursk, which recently witnessed intense fighting between Russia and Ukraine.