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  On Thursday (15th), the southern Russian city of Belgorod was attacked by missiles from Ukraine, resulting in 6 deaths and 17 injuries. According to authorities, the targets included a shopping center, an outdoor sports facility, and a residential area. The Russian Ministry of Defense also reported that their air defense system successfully intercepted 14 Ukrainian missiles in the Belgorod region. Vyacheslav Gladkov, the Governor of Belgorod Oblast, stated that among the victims were a 1-year-old girl and 4 children among the injured, with 6 of them being seriously wounded. He expressed his condolences for the deceased and also expressed sorrow for their families. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zakharova accused the Ukrainian side of committing an act of terrorism and announced that this incident will be brought to the attention of the United Nations Security Council. The Russian Defense Ministry announced that on the same day, the Russian military used air and sea-launche...

 The conflict between Russia and Ukraine remains at a standstill, as Russian President Putin stated on Friday (2nd) that he is content with Russia's latest weapons, claiming that they are clearly superior to those of NATO. During a forum, Putin expressed that when comparing modern NATO weapons with those from the end of the Soviet era, the latter may be inferior in certain aspects but not necessarily completely defeated. However, when compared with Russia's latest weapons, it is evident that they are superior to all equipment. This is a clear fact. He stated that this refers to the Russian military's missiles, equipment, and other things used on the battlefield. In addition, Putin met with workers of military enterprises in the southern city of Tula and discussed military operations in Ukraine, stating that it is a matter of life and death for Russia. He believes that the vast majority of Russians support his actions. The following is a paraphrase of the given text. To avoi...

 According to Putin, the downing of the military aircraft was clearly done by the Ukrainian side. On Wednesday (24th), a Russian Il-76 transport plane crashed in the western border of the Belgorod region, killing all 74 people on board, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war. Russian President Putin publicly addressed the incident for the first time on Friday (26th), stating that he was unsure if it was intentional or due to negligence, but it was clearly the fault of Ukraine and considered a criminal act. According to Putin, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's intelligence agency was aware that there were Ukrainian prisoners of war on board the aircraft, but they still shot it down. He stated that it was impossible for the Russian military to have shot down the transport plane with their own artillery fire, as their air defense systems are capable of preventing such incidents. The commonly known black box flight recorder has been found. Putin has promised to release the investigatio...

 On Friday (19th), the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Bogdanov, who serves as President's Special Representative for Middle East and African Affairs, met with Hamas political bureau member Marzouk during his visit to Moscow. According to a statement from the Russian side, the two parties focused on discussing the ongoing conflict in Palestine and the catastrophic humanitarian crisis caused by it in the Gaza Strip. The Russians emphasized that Hamas must promptly release the civilians who were taken hostage and detained in the attack on October 7th last year, including three Russian citizens. In a separate statement on the same day, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Bogdanov had a meeting with the Israeli Ambassador to Russia, where the Russian side informed Israel of their diplomatic efforts to secure the immediate and unconditional release of civilians detained in Gaza. The statement emphasized that Russia suppo...

 According to Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, during the annual press conference on Thursday (18th), the Moscow-Beijing relationship is currently at its strongest point in the history of several hundred years. He described the bilateral relationship as being more powerful, reliable, and advanced than the military alliance during the Cold War era. Lavrov highlighted the extensive and high-level cooperation mechanism between Russia and China, with flourishing relationships in all areas of human activity. He also mentioned that the bilateral trade volume between Russia and China has significantly exceeded the planned 200 billion US dollars (approximately 1.56 trillion Hong Kong dollars), and this trend will continue. He also pointed out that about 90% of the trade between the two countries is conducted through their respective currencies. When discussing future activities between Russia and China, Lavrov mentioned that the two countries collaborate every year in cultural, humanitaria...

 There are no signs of a cease-fire in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. On Tuesday (16th), Russian President Putin stated that the Ukrainian military's counterattack has failed and the initiative is now in the hands of the Russian military. If this situation continues, the Ukrainian government will soon face a significant blow. During a meeting with leaders of various federal governments in Russia, President Putin denied the proposed peace plan by Western countries and Ukraine. He stated that the purpose of negotiations is for Russia to give up any obtained land, which is not possible. Putin also criticized the Ukrainian government for refusing to negotiate, stating that if they had made the right decision, all problems would have been resolved by now. Putin once again emphasized the lack of significance of the Ukrainian attacks on Russian cities. According to Putin, the Ukrainian side is simply demonstrating to the international community that they are capable of r...

On Tuesday (16th), Russian President Putin held talks with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Son Gwon at the Kremlin, with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov also present. According to Kremlin spokesman Peskov, Lavrov and Choi Sun-hee reported to Putin the agreement reached during their earlier meeting that day. During the meeting with Lavrov, Choi Sun-hee highly praised the progress made in implementing the agreement reached between Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at their meeting in September last year, and also pointed out that the frequent meetings and deepening relations between the two foreign ministers demonstrate the longstanding friendly relationship between Russia and North Korea, and are moving forward with vigor according to the plans of the two leaders. In a previous statement, Lavrov stated that he had discussed with Choi Sun-hee on advancing cooperation between the two countries and the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and also evaluated the progress of the agree...

 Image Source: FreeImages Introduction The relationship between Russia and the United States has been tense for quite some time now, with ongoing conflicts and disagreements on various fronts. The latest development in this saga is the accusation made by the Kremlin that the United States is attempting to pressure European countries into confiscating Russian assets. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov spoke out against this alleged move, deeming it illegal and warning of serious consequences that could follow. The Frozen Assets Dilemma It all began with reports from U.S. media outlets, which claimed that President Joe Biden's administration is in favor of legislation that would permit the confiscation of certain frozen Russian assets. The aim of this confiscation would be to contribute towards the reconstruction costs of Ukraine. However, Peskov stated in response that Russia has not received any official notification from the United States regarding this matter. He further elaborat...