Current Digest of the Russian Press, Vol. 77, No. 22 – Table of Contents

(By Kirill Fenin. Izvestia, May 26, 2025, p. 1. Condensed text:) Editors’ Note. – Almost every day, there are updates about where the second round of Russian-Ukrainian talks will take place. Izvestia has learned Switzerland is seeking the right to provide a platform for dialogue between Moscow and Kiev. . . . Izvestia has investigated which country could eventually be chosen to continue the dialogue on a settlement and what the reasons are for the growing split between the US and the European Union…

(By Maria Litvinova. Republic.ru, May 28, 2025, https://republic.ru/posts/115774. Condensed text:) Editors’ Note. – Vytis Jurkonis is a Lithuanian political analyst, lecturer at Vilnius University’s Institute of International Relations and Political Science, and head of Freedom House’s Lithuanian office. He is convinced that the Russian president cannot make the decision to stop the war. Putin has lost room to maneuver, so it is useless to negotiate with him. Jurkonis says that Russia is living outside the rational world, so anything can be expected from it, including a suicidal attack on NATO. . . …

(By Nina L. Khrushcheva, Professor of international affairs at The New School in New York. Novaya gazeta Europe, May 25, 2025 https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2025/05/25/double-trouble-en. Complete text:) The double-headed eagle that dominates Russia’s coat of arms holds many meanings, from signifying a historical connection to the Byzantine Empire to acknowledging the influence of the vast country’s eastern and western regions…

(By Andrei Pertsev. Meduza, May 26, 2025, https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/05/26/a-kind-of-james-bond-figure. Complete text:) Editors’ Note. – For 30 years, the deceptively named Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) was defined by its larger-than-life founder, Vladimir Zhirinovsky. A bombastic ultranationalist, Zhirinovsky openly espoused expansionist views and demonized the West long before this became the norm in Russian politics. Now, three years after his death [see Vol. 74, No. 14, pp. 3 – 5], Zhirinovsky’s successor, Leonid Slutsky, wants to forge a new image for the LDPR as the “party of diplomacy,” informed sources tell Meduza. In theory, the initiative could both help the Russian government work more closely with right-wing parties abroad and increase the LDPR’s popularity in Russia. Meduza special correspondent Andrei Pertsev explains what we know about the proposal.

The Kremlin is considering rebranding the far-right LDPR as the country’s “party of diplomacy.” The proposal came from LDPR leader Leonid Slutsky, who also chairs the State Duma’s foreign affairs committee. If [this plan is] accepted by [first deputy chief of staff] Sergei Kiriyenko, head of the Putin administration’s domestic policy team, the LDPR could take on a new role building ties with far-right political forces abroad or with pro-Russian parties in former Soviet republics…

(By Darya Garmonenko. Nezavisimaya gazeta, May 28, 2025, p. 1. Condensed text:) On May 27, the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) celebrated three years of Leonid Slutsky’s chairmanship. The party’s official Web site reports that during this time, the party has become the second largest in the country, with over 50,000 members. The press release published opinions from party members across the country about the achievements of their leader, who was also praised by NeuroZhirinovsky [an AI chatbot version of late LDPR leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky. – Trans.]. . . .

An LDPR congress to reelect the party leadership must take place no later than May 27, 2026, but for now, a year ahead of it, the current leader has been accepting congratulations and assurances of respect. During a meeting in LDPR’s Moscow office, for example, it was reported to have branches in 85 of Russia’s [89] constituent entities. And on May 27, 2025, the party’s Web site published opinions from several regional party members who “speak warmly of Slutsky.”. . …

(By Ivan Filippov. Kholod, May 26, 2025, https://holod.media/2025/05/26/chto-volnuet-voenkorov-xxxix/. Condensed text:) In his new column, Ivan Filippov, a writer who studies the Z community [the Roman letter Z symbolizes support for the Ukraine war – Trans.], describes the ongoing dialogue between Supreme Commander in Chief [and Russian President] Vladimir Putin and prowar activists. . . . The opinions expressed in this article are those of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect the views of Kholod.

Former defense minister Sergei Shoigu turned 70 last week. To mark the occasion, Rossia 24 ran a profile entitled “Shoigu, 70. Rules to Live By.” At one point in the video, Shoigu suddenly waxes poetic and says, “(Once you climb to the top of the career ladder – Ed.), believe me, it feels very cold and very lonely up there, because the buck stops with you. You make decisions, and you accept responsibility for the consequences. And if your decision is executed poorly, you don’t just accept responsibility; naturally, you accept the blame as well.”…

(By Irina Askerko. Krasnaya zvezda, May 30, 2025, p. 1. Complete text:) Fighting spirit, mutual understanding among the crew, and confidence in one’s comrades are the keys to success on any naval mission, even the most challenging. Far from home, in the confined spaces of a warship, where every day involves risk and responsibility, sailors must rely on psychological resilience to successfully accomplish their missions.

It is crucial [for a leader] to establish good communication with the crew and to maintain a healthy atmosphere within the unit both during long deployments and during routine times, like when a ship is undergoing repairs far from its home port…

(By Yelena Mukhametshina. Vedomosti, May 27, 2025, https://www.vedomosti.ru/politics/articles/2025/05/27/1112908-o-chem-biznes-poprosil-putina. Condensed text:) [Russian President] Vladimir Putin met with members of Russian business circles at the Kremlin. Deputy head of the presidential administration Maksim Oreshkin, First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov and Economic Development Minister Maksim Reshetnikov took part in the meeting along with the president. Participants from the world of business included representatives from industry, the IT sector, tourism and so forth. There were Russian entrepreneurs who have been in business for a long time, as well as entrepreneurs who started to manage businesses after Western companies left Russia [following the invasion of Ukraine; see Vol. 74, No. 8, pp. 9 – 13 – Trans.] – for example Vkusno i tochka [Tasty, Period] (formerly McDonalds) and Upakovochniye sistemy [Packing Systems] (formerly Tetra Pak). Each businessperson at the meeting shared suggestions that may help – many of these suggestions concerned lowering the tax burden and restrictive conditions for foreign companies if they return to Russia.

The entrepreneurs asked the president about a holiday on excise taxes on liquid steel “for newly formed metallurgical enterprises.” This proposal was made by Metall Servis [Metal Service] limited liability company director Konstantin Zhukov. Siluanov said in response that, for electrometallurgical companies, payment of excise tax is scaled depending on cost of production, and, notably, these companies did not pay it in April. . . …

(By Dmitry Taratorin. Nezavisimaya gazeta, May 27, 2025, p. 1. Condensed text:). . . A meeting of the Belarus-European Union advisory group will be held in Brussels on June 11. The United Transitional Cabinet (UTC) of [former Belarussian presidential candidate] Svetlana Tikhanovskaya met on Sunday [May 25] to develop a common position to be presented there.

The main topics to be discussed are aid for prisoners, mobility and visa opportunities for Belarussians, support for independent media, and the role of Belarus in the context of the conflict in Ukraine…

(By Nicole Bodishteanu, Higher School of Economics analyst. Izvestia, May 27, 2025, p. 3. Complete text:) The news from sunny Moldova continues to be surprisingly systematic and predictable even to the uninformed observer. Last week, reports appeared in the media that another motion to release Evghenia Gutul, the bashkan [head] of Gagauzia, from house arrest was dismissed by the Chisinau Court of Appeals.

Readers are reminded that Gutul was detained exactly two months ago, on March 25, at the Chisinau airport as she checked in for a flight to Istanbul, from which she planned to head to Moscow [see Vol. 77, No. 13, pp. 8 – 10]. The official charges accuse her of illegally funding political activity and organizing protests in Chisinau…

(By Tamid Aief. Meduza, May 30, 2025, https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/05/30/mercenaries-missionaries-and-mining. Complete text:) Editors’ Note. – Moscow’s foreign policy has zeroed in on Africa in recent years. The shift is partially due to commercial interests, including access to resources like gold, uranium and bauxite. But it’s also political: Having broken ties with the West, Russia is rapidly trying to build up a sphere of influence. Kremlin officials frequently accuse the West of neocolonialism, yet their approach in Africa is full of its own patterns of exploitation and control. Meduza explores how Russia has managed to ramp up its influence in Africa since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The term “Françafrique” refers to France’s traditional sphere of influence in its former African colonies, primarily in West Africa. These are countries where French remains the official language, the CFA franc currencies are still in circulation, and many families continue to send their children to study in France. These countries’ state institutions and borders were shaped by French colonial rule. Civil wars are a recurring feature of the region’s modern history, and France has a long track record of military intervention. French companies and politicians have also repeatedly been implicated in corruption scandals in the region. Activist François-Xavier Verschave once called Françafrique “the longest-running scandal in French history.”…

(By Anastasia Kostina and Ksenia Vakina. Izvestia, May 27, 2025, p. 3. Complete text:) Editors’ Note. – Experts say that [French President] Emmanuel Macron’s tour of Southeast Asia is intended to promote France’s economic interests amid a geopolitical confrontation between China and the US. Over the course of a week, Macron will visit Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore to sign defense and trade agreements. During the trip, the French president will likely promote anti-Russian rhetoric, pointing to the Ukraine conflict’s negative impact on the world economy. However, behind this lies the pragmatic desire to snatch nuclear energy and defense projects away from Russia. Read on to learn whether France can strengthen its position in one of the most dynamically developing regions of the world.

Emmanuel Macron has begun a major tour of countries in Southeast Asia to sign a series of defense and trade agreements. He will spend May 26 – 27 in Vietnam, May 28 and the morning of May 29 in Indonesia, and then he will head to Singapore…

(By Vladimir Skosyrev. Nezavisimaya gazeta, May 27, 2025, p. 1. Complete text:) London has launched a hunt for foreign agents. In the past, these agents have been Russian, but now they’re Chinese. Yu Xiong, a professor at the University of Surrey who works with cryptocurrency, was caught in the crossfire. The professor has met with King Charles III and Queen Camilla and has visited the House of Lords a number of times. He established many close contacts there and became especially close to Baroness Uddin. They visited China and Bangladesh together. British counterintelligence maintains that Yu is connected with the United Front [Work] Department of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee.

Since 2022, Yu has attended dozens of events at the House of Lords and established contacts with peers. But talking to a lord doesn’t necessarily mean you’re trying to recruit him. Britain is a democratic country – they don’t drag people to the slammer for talking to a foreigner…