Current Digest of the Russian Press, Vol. 77, No. 11 – Table of Contents

STATE DEPARTMENT EXPRESSES OPTIMISM AS JEDDAH HOSTS FIRST U.S.-UKRAINE TALKS SINCE OVAL OFFICE INCIDENT; PESKOV: DRONE STRIKES HINDER EFFORTS

(By Yekaterina Shcherbinina. Vedomosti, March 11, 2025, https://www.vedomosti.ru/politics/articles/2025/03/11/1097385-kak-prohodyat-peregovori. Complete text:) Editors’ Note. – On the afternoon of March 11, talks began between representatives of the US and Ukraine in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. According to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, the key topics include bilateral relations between the countries and the path to peace with Russia. Following the first round of talks, Ukrainian presidential chief of staff Andrei Yermak said that the meeting with the US team started “very constructively.” After a short break, it continued…

(Meduza, March 13, 2025, https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/03/13/putin-endorses-idea-of-a-ceasefire-with-nuances. Condensed text:) . . . Russian President Vladimir Putin says he supports the idea of a ceasefire with Ukraine but that it must result in “long-term peace.” He made these remarks during a joint press conference with Belarussian President Aleksandr Lukashenko on Thursday [March 13], which was broadcast by the state news agency Belta…

(By Peter Kuznick, American political analyst. Izvestia, March 13, 2025 p. 2. Complete text:) The announcement that Ukraine has agreed to the US terms of a complete 30-day ceasefire is potentially a huge step toward ending combat. But this does not mean that the conflict will end soon. The road ahead is littered with mines…

NOVAYA: KIEV WINS BACK ‘CRITICAL’ U.S. AID, KEEPS MINERAL TALKS OPEN BY TAKING TRUCE DEAL; PUTIN MAY BENEFIT FROM SHUTTLE FORMAT, WILL PLAY FOR TIME TO CONTINUE ADVANCES, AVOID CONSEQUENCES

(By Tetyana Malyarenko and Stefan Wolff. Novaya gazeta Europe, March 15, 2025, https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2025/03/15/kremlin-watching-en. Complete text:) Less than a fortnight after Donald Trump and Vladimir Zelensky had their now-notorious row in the Oval Office and US-Ukrainian relations appeared irretrievably damaged, the two countries have reached an agreement. After nine hours of negotiations behind closed doors in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, negotiators signed off on a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, allowing the resumption of military aid and intelligence sharing by the US…

YEMELYANOV: RUSSIA MUST WEIGH PRIORITIES AS IT ENTERS PEACE PROCESS, SEEKING POLITICAL RATHER THAN TERRITORIAL CONCESSIONS IN SHORT TERM SO THAT OPPORTUNITIES REMAIN UNDER PEACE TREATY

(By Mikhail Vasilyevich Yemelyanov, chairman of the Foundation for Political Studies and Public Initiatives. Nezavisimaya gazeta, March 10, 2025, p. 3. Complete text:) After long diplomatic maneuvers and mutual political curtsies, the presidents of Russia and the US spoke by phone, and the long-awaited negotiation process began. Ukraine must have been the primary subject. Some in Russia say it is necessary to first come to an agreement with the Americans on “common” issues, such as the contours of the future world order, European security, trade and financial relations, etc. It is clear that all-encompassing negotiations would drag on indefinitely. Such statements are made by people who actually do not want the Russian-American talks on Ukraine to succeed. In this regard, there are several talking points…

GRAHAM: CEASEFIRE IS ABOUT SUSTAINED PEACE, BUT DETAILS NEED TO BE HAMMERED OUT; UKRAINE’S TOP PRIORITY IS BUILDING POWERFUL MILITARY, RATHER THAN SECURITY GUARANTEES; IMPROVED TIES WITH U.S. MAY GET MOSCOW TO MAKE SOME CONCESSIONS

([No author indicated.] RBC Daily, March 15, 2025, https://www.rbc.ru/politics/15/03/2025/67d51e469a7947804346048b. Condensed text:) Editors’ Note. – In this interview with RBC, Thomas Graham, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, former senior director for Russia on the [US] National Security Council and former special assistant to the US president for Russia and Eurasia, shares his views on the prospects for a ceasefire in Ukraine and explains why armed peacekeepers may not be necessary to monitor such a ceasefire…

(Nezavisimaya gazeta, March 11, 2025, p. 2. Complete text:) March’s first [political] party ratings from the top two polling organizations, the All-Russia Center for the Study of Public Opinion (ARCSPO) and the Public Opinion Foundation (POF), showed a continuation of existing trends. The differences between the two ratings also remain the same. The ARCSPO poll gives the Duma opposition some hope. The Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) garners 11.2%, the [Russian Federation] Communist [Party] (RFCP) gets 10%, Noviye lyudi [New People] makes it into the lower chamber (6.6%), and even A Just Russia [ – For the Truth] is teetering on the edge (4%) rather than sinking to the bottom from which there is no escape. The POF does not sugarcoat things for the oppositionists. In its rating, the LDPR is not ahead of the RFCP: Both have 9%. [Of all voters] 3% are willing to vote for A Just Russia, and 2% for Noviye lyudi. Neither of these two parties can make it into the Duma according to POF calculations.

The differences are telling. They could be interpreted as ARCSPO painting a picture of a more or less lively political process. There is dynamic competition between the LDPR and RFCP, Noviye lyudi has established itself in the public consciousness as an institution one could vote for and, since the percentages will still be calculated based on who actually comes to the polls, [A Just Russia leader] Sergei Mironov’s party could overcome the 5% threshold. The POF presents a picture of complete political drought, where 44% are willing to vote for United Russia (ARCSPO has 35.5%), while the others are apparently left to depend on the regime’s will. Perhaps the two ratings can be seen as the two scenarios of political life that this will offers…

(Nezavisimaya gazeta, March 10, 2025, p. 2. Complete text:) The Soviet Union was the country that read the most; Russia seems to be the one that writes the most. In any case, the strictly professional problems and preoccupations of a seemingly small stratum of writers turn out to concern many people, if not everybody. The Association of Unions of Writers and Publishers of Russia (AUWPR) was (apparently) recently shut down, an extraordinary congress of the Union of Writers of Russia (UWR) adopted a new version of its charter and [Russian presidential aide] Vladimir Medinsky was elected as its new president. The other writers’ associations, including the Moscow Writers’ Union (MWU) and Union of Russian Writers (URW), are following the situation carefully and with a reserved sort of sympathy, if not approval. There has not yet been a full merger of all the creative organizations into one, and that is unlikely to happen in the near future.

So what is happening here? An effervescence of emotions. Writers are worked up and waiting for the other shoe to drop; literary officials of every rank and type are bustling with activity. What is happening right now in the literature and literature-adjacent world is an attempt to convince everyone, not just writers, that everything around us is normal, natural and proper. That we are living well, and soon our lives will be even more joyous. ¹ Some literary officials are, in fact, trying to live as though there is nothing happening around us: There is happiness, success, prosperity and peace everywhere, with just minor difficulties localized in purely literary places. And they are actively fixing those difficulties…

(Summary by Kevin Rothrock. Meduza, March 10, 2025, https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/03/11/all-the-king-s-horses-and-men. Complete text:) Editors’ Note. – On March 6, the Telegram channel Faridaily reported that the Kremlin plans to add roughly 100 Ukraine war veterans to the 450-member State Duma when Russia holds its next parliamentary elections in the fall of 2026. Veterans endorsed by the Kremlin will reportedly run as candidates from the political party United Russia, although Faridaily’s sources noted concerns that soldiers-turned-politicians could prove unpredictable and out of step with the legislature’s incumbents. At the same time, other sources speculated that the veterans tapped for Duma seats will be familiar politicians (for example, deputy governors and other regional figures) who served only briefly in the war (if at all).

Last year, large numbers of Ukraine war veterans sought public office in regional assemblies, but almost none of them passed United Russia’s primaries. In Moscow, all 14 military candidates failed to advance. Meduza podcast host Vladislav Gorin spoke to special correspondent Andrei Pertsev for more insights into Russian veterans’ role in electoral politics. That conversation is summarized below…

(By Ksenia Kirillova. Republic.ru, March 12, 2025, https://republic.ru/posts/115279. Complete text:) The Russian leadership appears to be serious about suspending the war [in Ukraine]. The pro-Kremlin press is publishing more and more articles about integrating veterans returning from the front into society, while a number of Telegram channels close to the authorities are generously sharing inside information about how the preparations for peace will take place.

Back in December, the Nezygar channel claimed that “the overwhelming majority of society will see the end of the special military operation [in Ukraine (SMO)] as a victory for Russia” and that “dissatisfied patriots” will be marginalized. The authors said that the “overseers of domestic policy were told to focus on the end of the SMO and the presentation of its positive results in public opinion.” In their opinion, “the information space is under control,” military bloggers “will comply with the instructions given to them” and society “will accept as victory the result that is presented to it.”…

(By Mikhail Sergeyev. Nezavisimaya gazeta. March 13, 2025, p. 1. Condensed text:) Liquor stores are closing down all over Russia. Hundreds of stores have closed so far, but that number will soon be in the thousands. . . .

Almost half the outlets of the most popular liquor store chains have closed in Ulan-Ude, the capital of Buryatia. Since March of this year, the retail sale of alcohol has been completely banned on commercial premises located in apartment buildings. The hours of operation for liquor departments have also been restricted…

(By Viktoria Panfilova. Nezavisimaya gazeta, March 13, 2025, p. 1. Condensed text:) On March 13, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov and Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon will sign a historic treaty on the state border between the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Tajikistan. [This] will put an end to the years-long border conflict between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, which had been fraught with armed clashes and casualties. . . .

Sadyr Zhaparov met Emomali Rakhmon at the foot of the aircraft steps on March 12. The two heads of state briefly discussed the upcoming talks and watched a show that featured performers from the two countries…

(By Igor Seleznyov. Nezavisimaya gazeta, March 10, 2025, p. 5. Complete text:) Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev said that important facts “about Armenia’s responsibility” for the activities of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) are being revealed during the trial of former leaders of the unrecognized state. At the same time, he made it clear that his statement was a response to the reaction of the Armenian authorities regarding the proceedings taking place in Baku.

According to Hajiyev, the Armenian government should cooperate with his country instead of waging unnecessary propaganda against the trial. In particular, Yerevan can help Baku restore justice during the transition period and establish lasting peace in the region…

(By Vitaly Porvatov. Krasnaya zvezda, March 11, 2025, p. 2. Complete text:) The Ka-52M helicopter completed its mission to support ground troops in the border area of Kursk Province. The crew carried out a missile strike on armored and automotive vehicles. They also destroyed enemy forces in a concealed area of wooded terrain. According to reconnaissance reports, all targets were hit. The attack helicopter crew safely returned to the departure airfield.

During the special military operation, Army aviation performs tasks such as escorting convoys; destroying armored vehicles; delivering troops and military cargo; and providing aviation support to units carrying out tasks within the special operation framework…

(By Veronika Vishnyakova. Kommersant, March 12, 2025, p. 6. Complete text:) On March 11, Feridun Sinirlioglu, the new secretary general of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), visited Moscow for talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The purpose of the visit was to revitalize the organization, which has been effectively paralyzed over disagreements between Russia and the West, as well as to restore at least some of its former influence. Moscow took a sympathetic, albeit somewhat skeptical view of the new secretary general’s efforts.

Feridun Sinirlioglu’s arrival in Moscow coincided with two events: talks between Ukraine and the US in Jeddah [see the first feature of this issue, above], and Ukraine’s largest drone attack on Russia since the start of combat operations. This affected the program of the high-ranking guest’s Moscow visit: Instead of going straight to the Foreign Ministry’s reception house, where talks were scheduled to take place, the secretary general was first taken to the town of Vidnoye [just outside Moscow] so that he could see the consequences of Ukrainian drone [fragments] hitting a residential building with his own eyes…

(By Tatyana Rybakova. Republic.ru, March 16, 2025, https://republic.ru/posts/115321. Condensed text:) Yesterday, more than 100,000 people from various backgrounds, primarily students, rallied in a massive anticorruption protest in Belgrade. Both the organizers of the rally and the police showed miraculous restraint, as a result of which the demonstration passed practically without incident, despite earlier concerns. But what’s next?

Student protests in Serbia began after a [concrete] canopy at a railway station in the city of Novi Sad collapsed on Nov. 1, 2024. Fourteen people, including two children, were killed at the scene, and a 15th victim died in the hospital [weeks later]. The station had just opened after a renovation that had lasted much longer and cost much more than planned. In short, this incident, which reeks of corruption a mile off, is par for the course to Russian citizens. Then it turned out that all project-related documents under a reconstruction contract with a Chinese company were confidential – purportedly at the request of the Chinese side. Here is another detail: The former mayor of Novi Sad, on whose watch the contract was signed and the station was renovated, was elected prime minister shortly before the tragedy. To be more precise, he was appointed: Although under the Constitution, Serbia is a parliamentary republic, incumbent President Aleksandar Vucic, a former prime minister, effectively retained prime ministerial powers after moving into the presidential chair…