Current Digest of the Russian Press, Vol. 77, No. 30-31 – Table of Contents

ZELENSKY LAUNCHES SEARCHES OF ANTICORRUPTION BODIES; RG: U.S.-BACKED BODIES ARE INEFFECTIVE AT CURBING CORRUPTION, ZELENSKY’S MOVE INDICATES TRUMP IS LOSING INTEREST IN UKRAINE’S AGENDA

(By Pavel Dulman. Rossiiskaya gazeta, July 23, 2025, p. 6. Complete text:) Ukraine’s ruling duumvirate of [presidential chief of staff Andrei] Yermak and [President Vladimir] Zelensky has decided to publicly bite the American hand that feeds it: Thorough searches of the offices of the National Anticorruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Special Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) were conducted to get the message across. The Ukrainian Security Service (USS) managed the searches. The current battle between security and law-enforcement acronyms illustrates the [US President Donald] Trump administration’s loss of interest in Ukraine’s domestic agenda and its leverage over it…

PROTESTERS GATHER FOR A NONPOLITICAL RALLY CALLING ON ZELENSKY TO VETO ANTICORRUPTION BILL; MUSAFIROVA: SITUATION ‘BLACK-AND-WHITE’ TO PROTESTERS TOO YOUNG TO REMEMBER MAIDAN

(By Olga Musafirova. Novaya gazeta Europe, July 22, 2025, https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2025/07/23/zelenskogo-pugaiut-maidanom. Condensed text:) As this article goes to press, we know that President Vladimir Zelensky has signed Law 12414, previously approved by the Supreme Rada. The law strips NABU and SAPO of some of their powers. Prior to that, something strange was happening with the Supreme Rada’s official Web site. First, the Web site was down. Then the status of the bill changed a few times. First, it said, “The bill has been sent to the president for signature.” Then, the status changed to “The president has signed the bill and sent it back.” But then the status changed again – back to “The bill has been sent to the president.”…

JARABIK: ZELENSKY MISCALCULATED BY THINKING WEST WOULD IGNORE BILL, BUT IT WAS BACKLASH FROM CIVIL SOCIETY THAT FORCED HIM TO CHANGE COURSE, SINCE HE MUST HOLD AN ELECTION SOON

(Interview by Eilish Hart. Meduza, July 30, 2025, https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/07/30/a-political-crisis-that-could-weaken-the-war-effort-itself. Complete text:) Editors’ Note. – On July 31, the Ukrainian parliament will consider a new anticorruption bill designed to undo the damage from a piece of legislation it passed just last week. The controversial law, which deprived Ukraine’s NABU and SAPO of their independence, sparked the first large-scale protests Ukraine has seen since Russia’s 2022 invasion. Faced with backlash from Ukraine’s civil society and international partners alike, President Vladimir Zelensky backpedaled immediately, introducing a new draft law he says will restore the agencies’ independence…

SUPREME RADA VOTES TO RETURN INDEPENDENCE TO NABU, SAPO FOLLOWING MASS PROTESTS; EXPERT: THE PROTESTS ARE STEP ON THE PATH TO REGIME CHANGE

(By Irina Gorbunova. Izvestia, Aug. 1, 2025, p. 3. Condensed text:) Editors’ Note. – Under pressure, the Supreme Rada has restored independence to NABU and SAPO. The legislation was reviewed amid large-scale protests: Hundreds of people gathered around the Ukrainian parliament beginning early in the morning of July 31. But experts tell Izvestia that the unrest in the country is not easing, even given the newly acquired independence of the anticorruption structures. . . …

UNITED RUSSIA PREPARES TO PASS BAN ON EXTREMIST MATERIAL ONLINE SEARCHES WITHOUT OPPOSITION’S SUPPORT; EXPERTS: ISSUE CRITICAL FOR RFCP, NOVIYE LYUDI CREDIBILITY; KREMLIN ALLY LDPR KEEPS MUM

(By Darya Garmonenko and Ivan Rodin. Nezavisimaya gazeta, July 21, 2025. p. 3. Condensed text:) On July 22, the State Duma will pass bills that impose fines and criminal penalties for inappropriate behavior on the Internet. The establishment opposition did not support this and issued political statements. . . …

CRITICS POINT TO IRREGULAR PROCEDURE OF ADDING AMENDMENTS TO UNRELATED BILL, ‘DYSTOPIAN’ LACK OF PRIVACY, FREE SPEECH PROTECTIONS; Z-BLOGGERS, OTHER PRO-KREMLIN ORGANIZATIONS FEAR LAW WILL HAMPER EFFORTS TO STUDY, REPORT ON EXTREMISM

(By Natalya Glukhova. Novaya gazeta Europe, July 22, 2025, https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2025/07/22/gosduma-utverdila-shtrafy-za-poisk-ekstremizma. Condensed text:) Editors’ Note. – July 22 and 23 are the last two working days before the State Duma goes into recess. The deputies finally passed a bill that imposes fines for searching for “knowingly extremist” materials [online] and using VPN services. Despite [the bill’s] unprecedented public impact, they had not submitted a single substantive change in time for the third reading. . . …

AS FEDERATION COUNCIL PASSES BILL, OFFICIALS AND LAWMAKERS GO ON DEFENSIVE: THE LAW TARGETS PEOPLE ALREADY FACING EXTREMISM CHARGES, NOT RESEARCHERS OR CHANCE VISITORS OF WEB SITES

(By Tatyana Samusenko and Vladislav Kulikov. Rossiiskaya gazeta, July 29, 2025, p. 1. Complete text:) The Federation Council has approved a much-discussed law that introduces a number of measures aimed primarily at fraudsters. Fines are envisaged for transferring SIM cards to unauthorized users, for helping unauthorized users to access the Internet, for advertising VPN services, etc. But there has been particular buzz around a regulation punishing deliberate searches for extremist materials. It has nothing to do with fraudsters, of course. But – and this is extremely important – the new fines do not threaten ordinary citizens, either, even those who have shown excessive and unnecessary curiosity about forbidden topics. In fact, so that ordinary people don’t suffer from anyone’s zeal, the issue has been brought under the control of the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Federation Council…

RODIN: NADEZHDIN-LED SIGNATURE DRIVE INTENDED NOT TO PREVENT LAW’S PASSAGE, BUT TO SERVE AS ‘MOTIVATOR’ FOR FULL SPECTRUM OF OPPOSITION

(By Ivan Rodin. Nezavisimaya gazeta, July 30, 2025, p. 1. Condensed text:) In the coming days, Vladimir Putin will be making decisions on amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses and the Criminal Code to punish illegal actions on the Internet…

(By Maria Aryalina and Svetlana Afonina. Vedomosti, July 29, 2025, https://www.vedomosti.ru/business/articles/2025/07/29/1127847-aeroflot-posle-vzloma. Condensed text:) Despite the large-scale attack on Aeroflot’s IT infrastructure on July 28, the airline was able to almost fully resume its scheduled flights within 24 hours. . . .

The cyberattack began on the morning of July 28, with two malicious groups associated with Ukrainian and Belarussian hackers, Silent Crow and Cyber Partisans BY, taking responsibility…

([No author indicated.] Meduza, July 30, 2025, https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/07/30/assessing-aeroflot-s-aftermath. Complete text:) On July 29, Aeroflot stated that it had stabilized its schedule after widespread flight cancellations caused by a hacker attack. The airline’s servers were attacked on July 28, causing Aeroflot to cancel 108 flights (nearly 42%) that day. However, the company states that it operated roughly 80% of its flights on July 28 and expected to complete 93% on July 29. Experts estimate that Aeroflot lost 259 million rubles (roughly $2.9 million) due to the disruptions. According to the Interfax news agency, 53 Aeroflot flights were canceled on the morning of July 29. That afternoon, the company referred to the cancellations as “targeted,” reporting that it had already restored its operating schedule.

The Ukrainian and Belarussian hacker groups Silent Crow and Cyber Partisans have claimed responsibility for the cyberattack on Aeroflot. The identities of those behind Silent Crow are unknown. Before Aeroflot, the group claimed responsibility for hacking the Federal Service for State Registration, Cadaster and Cartography and Rostelecom (Russia’s largest telecommunications provider) in January 2025 [see Vol. 77, No. 4, pp. 11 12]. All three attacks targeted major Russian state institutions, with the hackers demanding no ransom and publishing the stolen data publicly, indicating that their motives were political…

(By Andrei Korshunov. Izvestia, July 31, 2025, p. 4. Condensed text:) Editors’ Note. – In the Arctic, underwater volcanic eruptions and earthquakes that could trigger tsunamis could occur in the waters of the East Siberian Sea, near Bennett Island, a place where they have not previously been observed. Nikolai Nakhodkin, a candidate of biological sciences, environmentalist, honorary polar explorer of the Russian Federation and chair of the Yakut branch of the Russian Union of Rescuers, spoke about this and more in an interview with Izvestia.

Question. – Nikolai Aleksandrovich [Nakhodkin], to what extent do today’s ideas about the Arctic correspond to reality?…

Today we celebrate all our generations of brave, duty-bound sailors and officers devoted to their homeland. We remember all those who, in different years and eras, have contributed to the glory and power of the Russian fleet, who have, through their military achievements and triumphs and their daily hard work and brilliant scientific achievements, established Russia as a great maritime power

Since the times of Peter the Great, the fleet has been a crowning achievement and pride of the Fatherland, and representatives of the military’s naval community rightfully enjoy the special esteem and sincere respect of our people…

(By Anna Matveyeva, visiting senior research fellow, King’s Russia Institute, King’s College London. Novaya gazeta Europe, Aug. 1, 2025, https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2025/08/01/strategic-realignment-en. Complete text:) At a time when [Russian President] Vladimir Putin needs friends in his neighbourhood, he appears instead to be losing them in the South Caucasus. After two centuries of Russian involvement in the region, balancing the historical rivalry and at times acting as mediator between Armenia and Azerbaijan, there is growing speculation that the two countries are preparing a major reset in relations.

When Armenia’s prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, met Azerbaijani President Ilkham Aliyev in Abu Dhabi on July 10, they reportedly came close to agreeing on a peace treaty [see Vol. 77, No. 28, pp. 16-17]. The big question is: If these two countries can iron out mistrust and violence born of the territorial conflict, will Russia still have a role in the South Caucasus?…

(By Ivan Petrov. Izvestia, July 28, 2025, p. 1. Complete text:) Editors’ Note. – Moldovan politician Vladimir Plahotniuc (known in the criminal world by the names Plakha, Plokhoi or Plokhish), who was detained in Greece, is believed by law enforcement to be a key figure in the drug mafia that controls cannabis trafficking. In Russia, Plahotniuc was officially charged several years ago, arrested in absentia and declared wanted through Interpol. Granted, many law-enforcement agencies around the world have something against him. Izvestia reports on what the former overlord of criminal Moldova can tell investigators about the Russian criminal world and its patrons, as well as exclusive details of Plahotniuc’s affairs in Russia.

Several days ago, Vladimir Plahotniuc was detained in Greece along with former Moldovan member of parliament Constantin Tutu. Both have been wanted by various countries’ law-enforcement agencies on charges related to embezzlement and illegal drug trafficking. Plahotniuc was arrested on an Interpol notice at the Athens airport when he was about to fly out to the UAE. The actions took place upon request from Moldovan law-enforcement agencies…

(By Yekaterina Khamova. Izvestia, July 30, 2025, p. 2. Condensed text:) Editors’ Note. – European sanctions have produced a positive effect on the Russian economy, compelling entrepreneurs to diversify trade ties and open their creative potential, Karin Kneissl, head of the GORKI Center at St. Petersburg State University and former Austrian foreign minister, told Izvestia. Meanwhile, according to Kneissl, Europe not only has lost a lucrative market, but has also been confronted with the need to build more complicated business chains. . . .

Question. – You are an experienced diplomat and international relations expert. At the same time, you have been studying Russia in recent years. In your opinion, what mistakes are European politicians making in dealing with Russia?…