Current Digest of the Russian Press, Vol. 77, No. 44 – Table of Contents

SKOSYREV: U.S. AIRCRAFT CRASHES IN SOUTH CHINA SEA HIGHLIGHT THREAT OF TENSIONS IN PACIFIC AS TRUMP, XI PREPARE TO SOLIDIFY TRUCE OVER TRADE

(By Vladimir Skosyrev. Nezavisimaya gazeta, Oct. 28, 2025, p. 1. Complete text:) US Navy raids in the South China Sea are not a gamble, but a risky venture. This is evidenced by the fall into the sea of a fighter plane and helicopter based on the American aircraft carrier Nimitz. These incidents, which happened one after another within half an hour last Sunday [Oct. 26], suggest that attempts by the Americans to prevent China from establishing control over the South China Sea may lead to unpredictable consequences. However, incidents at sea are not preventing Washington and Beijing from negotiating trade…

EXPERTS: LACK OF PRESS CONFERENCE AFTER SUMMIT OF ‘G2’ INDICATES NO COMPREHENSIVE DEAL, THOUGH TALKS DID REDUCE TENSIONS, REVERSE ESCALATORY TRADE MOVES; TRUMP HAS ACCEPTED COEXISTENCE

(By Dmitry Laru in Gyeongju. Izvestia, Oct. 31, 2025, p. 3. Condensed text:) . . . The Oct. 30 meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, the leaders of the world’s two largest economies, which are both nuclear powers, was definitely the central event of this year’s APEC summit. The two presidents met at Gimhae Air Base in the coastal city of Busan, approximately 80 kilometers from Gyeongju, where the forum was taking place…

EXPERT GABUYEV: TRUMP MADE ‘RETREAT’ ONCE XI SHOWED HE HAD LEVERAGE; CHINA HAS ADVANTAGE IN TRADE WITH RUSSIA, TOO, BUT CONFLICT UNLIKELY

([No author indicated.] Meduza, Oct. 31, 2025, https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/10/31/russia-is-a-superpower-of-the-past. Condensed text:) . . . Editors’ Note. – To learn more about Trump’s sudden U-turn in the trade war with China and what it could mean for Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Meduza spoke to China expert Aleksandr Gabuyev, the director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin…

MEDUZA: MEMBERS OF COVER BAND ARRESTED FOR PERFORMING THE SONGS OF ‘FOREIGN AGENTS’ AND ‘DISCREDITING’ THE RUSSIAN MILITARY FOLLOWING OBJECTIONS, OUTRAGE FROM PROWAR COMMUNITY

([No author indicated.] Meduza, Oct. 27, 2025, https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/10/27/nothing-but-the-anti-kremlin-hits. Complete text:) Editors’ Note. – On Oct. 16, a St. Petersburg court jailed the members of Stoptime, a street band that went viral for covering songs by popular artists the Kremlin has blacklisted as “foreign agents.” The three musicians were found guilty of “organizing a rally” that violated public order, a misdemeanor. But the lead singer, 18-year-old Diana Loginova, was also charged with two counts of defaming the Russian military, which means she could now face criminal prosecution. The story of these young musicians persecuted for performing the “wrong songs” has gained widespread attention among Russians both at home and abroad. Meduza recounts how Stoptime provoked the wrath of prowar pundits – and won over the public…

NGE: YOUNG PEOPLE АRЕ FLOCKING TO PRO-RUSSIA ‘MOVEMENT OF THE FIRST’ FOR ITS PERKS, BUT THE RESULTS OF THEIR ‘HYPOCRISY’ WILL COME LATER

(By Katya Orlova. Novaya gazeta Europe, Oct. 27, 2025, https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2025/10/27/putin-youth-en. Complete text:) Editors’ Note. – While many Russian social programs are being cut to meet the needs of the country’s ever-growing wartime budget, one expense is being allowed to grow unchecked: state spending on so-called “patriotic education” and, in particular, the Movement of the First, a state-backed youth organization created in 2022 to unite schoolchildren under a patriotic banner…

(By Darya Garmonenko. Nezavisimaya gazeta, Oct. 27, 2025, p. 3. Condensed text:) Since its most recent congress, A Just Russia – for the Truth (JRFT), has returned not only to its name of 19 years ago, but also to its roots. . . .

State Duma deputy speaker Aleksandr Babakov has predictably become [party leader Sergei] Mironov’s first deputy as secretary of the bureau of A Just Russia’s presidium. The congress appointed [writer] Zakhar Prilepin and Ruslan Tatarinov, who represent participants in the special military operation [in Ukraine] (SMO), as ordinary deputy chairmen. The institution of cochairs is history now, along with the party’s former long name…

(By Andrei Pertsev. Meduza, Oct. 30, 2025, https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/10/30/one-bad-apple. Complete text:) Editors’ Note. – Ahead of next year’s parliamentary elections, the Kremlin is cracking down on the liberal party Yabloko, which opposes the war in Ukraine. Just this month, authorities arrested one of its leaders, spread rumors about another and placed a third under house arrest. At the same time, Yabloko’s approval rating hovers at just around 3% to 4%, and the party doesn’t currently hold any seats in parliament. Meduza special correspondent Andrei Pertsev spoke with Kremlin insiders about why the Russian authorities are so worried about Yabloko and how Moscow plans to manage the 2026 State Duma elections.

Earlier this month, Russian security forces arrested Maksim Kruglov, a deputy chairman of the Yabloko party and a former Moscow City Duma deputy. The next day, a Moscow court found him guilty of spreading “fake news” about the Army and remanded him to pretrial detention until Nov. 29…

(Aleksandr Tikhonov. Krasnaya zvezda, Oct. 27, 2025, p. 1. Complete text:) At a recent briefing, Army Gen. Valery Gerasimov, Russian General Staff chief and first deputy defense minister, provided a detailed report to the Supreme Commander in Chief [i.e., Russian President Vladimir Putin] on the situation along the line of contact, including the encirclement of large enemy groupings near Krasnoarmeisk, Dimitrov and Kupyansk.

While praising the heroism of the personnel and the meticulous work of the command staffs in achieving such a significant result, President Vladimir Putin emphasized the importance of showing compassion toward captured enemy combatants and ensuring the safety of civilians when territories are being cleared. He also reaffirmed that the top priority remains preserving the lives of our servicemen…

(By Igor Seleznyov. Nezavisimaya gazeta, Oct. 27, 2025, p. 5. Complete text:) Former Georgian prime minister Irakly Garibashvili pleaded guilty to money laundering on an especially large scale, which allowed him to avoid imprisonment.

The Georgian prosecutor’s office claims that the republic’s former prime minister Irakly Garibashvili legalized the illegal income. According to the law enforcers, as defense minister and head of the republic’s government from 2019 to 2024, Garibashvili “secretly and clandestinely engaged actively in various business activities and received income of illegal origin on an especially large scale.”…

. . . In Moldova, the Appellate Chamber is hearing the case of head of Gagauzia Evghenia Gutul. This will last until Nov. 6. However, Chisinau is trying by all means to obstruct the work of her lawyers. Gutul’s defense filed an appeal to the UN because of the violation of [her lawyer] Sergiu Moraru’s rights, Camille Gosson, a lawyer at WJAvocats and a member of Gutul’s defense team, told Izvestia.

“At the moment, Evghenia Gutul’s international legal group is working on filing complaints with UN structures. One complaint has already been submitted to the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, with the aim of alleging a violation of the rights of her lawyer Sergiu Moraru, who is being prosecuted only for representing her interests in Moldova,” the lawyer told Izvestia…

(By Natalia Prikhodko. Nezavisimaya gazeta, Oct. 30, 2025, p. 5. Condensed text:) . . . Former Odessa Mayor Gennady Trukhanov has been served with a notice of suspicion under Art. 367 Part 3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (official negligence resulting in death), the Prosecutor General’s Office announced on Wednesday [Oct. 29]. In addition to Trukhanov, eight other people were implicated in the case, including two of his deputies, heads of departments of the Odessa City Council and heads of a municipal enterprise. According to the investigation, officials failed to take measures to ensure timely repairs to the city’s storm sewer, spillway and drainage systems. Moreover, on Sept. 30, when Odessa was flooded due to heavy rains, they failed to organize proper warning for the population. As a result, nine people died, including a nine-year-old child.

It was specified that the issue of choosing a preventive measure for the suspect is currently being decided. The article in question provides for a punishment of up to eight years’ imprisonment, with a ban on holding certain positions or engaging in certain activities for up to three years…

(By foreign policy commentator Yury Igorevich Sigov. Nezavisimaya gazeta, Oct. 31, 2025. Complete text:) Landmark events have taken place in two West African countries – Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire have once again reelected incumbent presidents. In Cameroon, a 92-year-old politician became president for the eighth (!) time, while an 83-year-old political figure became president for the fourth time in Côte d’Ivoire. Both countries have held elections (albeit without a choice) and rewritten their constitutions for these presidents more than once. And it appears that both newly elected old leaders will reach the record ages of 90 and 100 while in office.

But neither of these two presidents – Paul Biya in Cameroon and Alassane Ouattara in Côte d’Ivoire – are exceptions for the continent. A new presidential election will soon be held in Uganda, which Yoweri Museveni, 81, has led since 1986. He is trying to get his son, an army general, to participate in the race. But if his son refuses, his papa will continue to rule the country…

(By Albert Kalashyan. Izvestia, Oct. 28, 2025, p. 1. Condensed text:) Editors’ Note. – The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) is ready to hold presidential and parliamentary elections one year after Israel withdraws all its troops from the Gaza Strip, Palestinian Ambassador to Russia Abdel Hafiz Nofal said in an interview with Izvestia. . . .

Answer. – Since the Oct. 7 (2023 – Ed.) events [see Vol. 75, No. 41, pp. 3 5] and mass destruction and catastrophe in Gaza, [PNA] President Mahmoud Abbas has conveyed our position to world leaders, especially to the countries that have [recently] recognized Palestine [see Vol. 77, No. 39, pp. 7 9]: An optimal solution at the next stage should be a single Palestinian state – one government, one law and one army. Accordingly, Hamas should be placed under the command of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). These weapons must not remain outside the control of the legitimate Palestinian authority…

(By Roman Perl. Republic.ru, Oct. 28, 2025, https://republic.ru/posts/116598. Complete text:) US President Donald Trump is in Japan, where he is preparing for talks with Sanae Takaichi, the new prime minister of the Land of the Rising Sun. This will be one of his most pleasant meetings on his current tour of Asia, if not the most pleasant for him in recent months.

And not because of Ms. Takaichi’s gender, either. Dozens of reports published over the past few days have focused on the fact that this is the first time Japan’s parliament has elected a female prime minister and the first time the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has elected a woman as its leader. But this has no meaning in this case, except, perhaps, a symbolic one…