Current Digest of the Russian Press, Vol. 78, No. 5 – Table of Contents

SHESTAKOV: TRUMP’S CHOICE OF MINNESOTA AS BATTLEGROUND FOR MIGRATION BACKFIRED WITH TWO KILLINGS; WITH A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN LOOMING, TRUMP MAY USE IRAN ASDISTRACTION

(By Yevgeny Shestakov. Rossiiskaya gazeta, Jan. 28, 2026, p. 6. Condensed text:)If experts are to be believed, the US population may reach 438 million by 2050. Every year, the population grows by 2 million people due to the birthrate, 1 million people due to legal immigration and about 800,000 people due to illegal immigration. According to US President Donald Trump, the number of migrants entering the US during [former US president] Joe Biden’s presidency reached 8 million. During his campaign, Trump called for the greater use of force against migrants and promised to “free” the police from lawsuits. The American media cited sound bites from Trump:He advised arranging “one really violent day” for illegal immigrants or “one rough hour, and I mean real rough.” The president was intending to turn back time in the literal sense by sending people who did not have the right to be in the US back to their homes. He had good reason tocount on support for his slogans: The descendants of previous immigrants did not need hungry competition. The American leader hoped that his “time machine” would work, that most of the illegal immigrants who entered the country under Biden would leave for their homelands with a little help from the security agencies. And then everything would go back to the way it was during Trump’s first term as president…

VOTERS FROSTY ON GOP AFTER I.C.E CRACKDOWN

Author: Nikolai Pershin, Alyona Itskova

NGE: WHILE VOTERS OVERWHELMINGLY DISAPPROVE OF I.C.E. TACTICS, POLLS SHOW THAT ECONOMY WILL BE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN THE 2026 MIDTERMS

(By Nikolai Pershin and Alyona Itskova. Novaya gazeta Europe, Jan. 30, 2026, https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2026/01/30/dela-idut-ne-ice. Condensed text:) Editors’ Note. –With Nov. 3 looming large, the policies of the Trump administration are increasingly being viewed through the lens of the upcoming midterm elections. . . …

EXPERTS: ABRAHAM LINCOLN CARRIER STRIKE GROUP EN ROUTE TO GULF OF OMAN AFTER U.S. ULTIMATUM ABOUT IRANIAN PROTESTERS; REGIME CHANGE MAY BE TRUMP GOAL, BUT BASES, OIL SUPPLY VULNERABLE

(By Vladislav Petrov and Anastasia Kostina. Izvestia,Jan. 28, 2025,p. 3. Condensed text:)The Middle East is on the precipice of war. Experts have noted the likelihood of the US attacking Iran, one of the largest countries in the region. . . …

SUBBOTIN: AMID RUMORS OF BACK-CHANNEL TALKS, MIDDLE EAST BRACES FOR WAR; U.S. ALLIES IN GULF REFUSE OFFENSIVE USE OF TERRITORY; NETANYAHU THREATENS ‘SUCH FORCE AS IRAN HAS NEVER SEEN’

(By Igor Subbotin. Nezavisimaya gazeta,Jan. 29, 2026,p. 1. Condensed text:). . . On Jan. 28, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denied reports of ongoing negotiations with the Trump administration. He was the one said to be in contact with special envoy Steven Witkoff concerning the latest events…

(By Olga Anasyeva. Izvestia, Jan. 27, 2026, p. 1. Condensed text:). . . Year-end inflation has varied significantly by region. According to Rosstat [Federal Statistics Service], it is highest in Kamchatka, at 9.48%, and lowest in Moscow, at 3.68%.

Inflation above the Russian average (5.6%) was noted in 59 regions. The other four of the top five inflation regions are Murmansk and Kaliningrad Provinces (8.17% and 7.99%, respectively), the Jewish Autonomous Region (7.78%) and Buryatia (7.6%)…

([No author indicated.] Meduza, Jan. 21, 2026, https://meduza.io/en/feature/2026/01/22/the-war-on-cheburashka-how-russia-s-box-office-smash-ignited-a-conservative-revolt. Complete text:) Editors’ Note. – Russia’s domestic box office has a rare smash hit. “Cheburashka 2,” this year’s sequel to the 2023 live-action film adapting Soviet writer Eduard Uspensky’s beloved “animal unknown to science” (as the creature is famously described), has already generated more than 5 billion rubles ($65.1 million) in ticket sales. The movie is on track to outperform its predecessor, which earned a record 7.1 billion rubles ($92.4 million) during its theatrical run. Despite strong commercial success, the production has provoked outrage from some conservatives. The prominent right-wing “Eurasianist” philosopher Aleksandr Dugin has led the backlash, and several State Duma deputies now echo his criticisms. Meduza examines the reasons for the controversy.

Dugin spoke out about the new film as early as Jan. 5. On his Telegram channel, he wrote: “If we continue this unhealthy obsession with Cheburashka, the Lord will surely curse us. Come to your senses, people.” He did not say whether he had actually seen the film…

(Nezavisimaya gazeta, Jan. 26, 2026, p. 2. Condensed text:) There has been more and more good news lately. And it’s not just gratifying, but inspiring. For example, recently it became known that Chechen State Pedagogical University (CSPU) translated several Russian classics into Arabic. Around 40,000 copies of the translated books will be given to libraries and universities in Middle Eastern countries. “Works by Bunin and Tolstoy, as well as unique Russian folk tales, have been translated into Arabic,” CSPU president Ismail Baikhanov said. “There are about 40,000 copies. We have already given a portion of the books to the United Arab Emirates Embassy, and the remaining books will be distributed to the countries we work with, to go to libraries and universities. Our government is providing all of this for free.”

What can we say? This isn’t just good; it’s very good. There’s just one very small question about all this. All of last year, the literary community was glued to watching the reforms and transformations taking place in and around the writers’ unions [see Vol. 77, No. 11, pp. 12-13]. There was one congress of the Union of Writers of Russia (UWR), then another. All the other writers’ unions got riled up. Turbulent and fascinating events erupted (and continue to erupt somewhat) around the Central House of Authors (CHA). A professional writer’s standard was developed and published. The aforementioned writers were called upon to respond passionately to the transformations, which they did with enthusiasm. Writers were called upon to unify and disavow. And as is the custom in Russia, some writers unified and some disavowed…

(By Igor Seleznyov. Nezavisimaya gazeta, Jan. 28, 2026, p. 5. Condensed text:) US Vice-President J.D. Vance’s decision to visit Armenia and Azerbaijan but not stop by Georgia was unpleasant news to many in Tbilisi. . . .

Georgian Prime Minister Irakly Kobakhidze said that Tbilisiis ready for strategic cooperation with the US. “The decision is theirs (the American side’s – Ed.). Unfortunately, the context of Georgian-American relations created by the [former US president Joe] Biden administration is difficult. We will see how our relations develop given this background. We are waiting patiently and declare our readiness for strategic cooperation with the US,” Kobakhidze said…

US President Donald Trump’s statement that Moscow and Kiev are close to ending the [Russia-Ukraine] conflict has yet to be confirmed by any concrete information. Besides, one of the main goals for the special military operation [in Ukraine] (the demilitarization of Ukraine) has yet to be achieved. When the problem of ensuring Greenland’s sovereignty was being discussed [see Vol. 78, No. 1-3, pp. 8-10], the topic of creating a united European Army returned to the agenda. According to a number ofEuropean Union leaders and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) could form the backbone of this army.

The Ukrainian leader said that in 2025, he proposed creating united armed forces for Europe to protect the Old World from the “growing threat from Russia.” Zelensky noted that not one single country has taken any steps to further these proposals in the year since…

(By Carl Bildt, former Swedish prime minister and foreign minister. Novaya gazeta Europe, Jan. 25, 2026, https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2026/01/25/neighbourhood-watch-en. Complete text:) It is becoming increasingly apparent that a viable framework for European defense and security cooperation will require establishing something like the old Western European Union (WEU), the 10-member bloc which ceased operations in 2011.

Many would counter that we already have the European Union and NATO, and that whatever one cannot do, the other can. But this argument no longer holds water. Recent developments have made clear that neither NATO nor the EU is fully suited to meet the evolving challenges Europe faces…

(By Aisel Gereikhanova and Ivan Sysoyev. Rossiiskaya gazeta,Jan. 26, 2026,p. 1. Condensed text:) Two days of negotiations between Russian, US and Ukrainian delegations have concluded in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The Russian negotiating group was led by Igor Kostyukov, head of the Chief Administration of the Russian Armed Forces’ General Staff. Kiev was represented by National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov. The Americandelegation included US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy (for the Middle East) Steve Witkoff. In addition, the American side featured senior White House adviser and the General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Josh Gruenbaum, Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll and Supreme Allied Commander Europe Alexus Grynkewich.

Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said before the consultations that security issues were set to be the main topic. The two-day meeting took place in a closed setting in various formats for exchanging ideas. In Abu Dhabi, representatives of Russia and Ukraine were split into thematic groups and their interactions were sometimes direct. According to TASS, the topics under discussion included the creation of buffer zones and oversight mechanisms for a truce. The most difficult topic was the territorial issue. “It is important to Russia that the Ukrainian Armed Forces withdraw from the Donetsk Basin; various security parameters for that are being considered,” the outlet’s source emphasized…

(Nezavisimaya gazeta, Jan. 27, 2026,p. 2. Complete text:) Leaked reports claim that no understanding could be reached on the territorial issue at the meeting between Russian, Ukrainian and US delegations in the United Arab Emirates [see the previous article in this section]. In other words, there was no breakthrough. When the Americans declare (as they periodically do) that the end of the conflict is near because there is “only one issue” left to be resolved, they are merely trying to showoptimism. After all, we are talking about a key issue, without which nothing else will stick together and combat will continue.

Does this mean that the trilateral meeting did not produce any results? Axios reports based on its sources that the Russians and Ukrainians “seemed almost like friends” as they ate lunch together. The sides agreed to hold a new round of negotiations at the end of this week or during the following one. The fact that representatives of Russia and Ukraine are sitting at one table rather than exchanging information through the Americans is already a sign of progress. It offers a whiff of Istanbul from the spring of 2022 [see Vol. 74, No. 27-28, p. 19], when it seemed the conflict could be stopped at an early stage. The difference is that the stage is now late. Soon after the participants in the current negotiations parted ways, reports arrived of unprecedented strikes on Belgorod. For its part, Ukraine has been on the edge of a power network collapse. We might rejoice at cautious steps forward, but the situation, it seems, requires more dynamism…

(By Vitaly Tseplyayev. Argumenty ifakty, Jan. 28, 2026, p. 1. Complete text:) Editors’ Note. – At the Davos forum, the US president established a new international organization headed by himself – the “Board of Peace” [see Vol. 78, No. 4, pp. 3-4]. Now the world is wondering what surprises the US leader’s creation will bring.

In an interview with AiF, Sergei Ordzhonikidze, former Russian deputy foreign minister and former UN deputy secretary general, talks about Trump’s latest pet project, as well as the period of “foreign policy hooliganism.”…

(Alyona Nefyodova and Albert Kalashyan. Izvestia, Jan. 29, 2026, p. 2. Condensed text:) . . . On Jan. 28, Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa [also known as Abu Mohammad al Julani – Trans.] arrived in Moscow on an official visit – his second since he came to power in December 2024 [see Vol. 76, No. 50, pp. 3-7]. By the standards of meetings between world leaders, [the Syrian leader’s first] visit took place quite recently – just over three months ago [Vol. 77, No. 42-43, p. 20]. Both [Russian President] Vladimir Putin and Ahmed al Sharaa noted that a lot of work has been done: The Syrian leader even calculated that the countries’ interagency delegations have made a total of 13 reciprocal visits during the year.

“No time has been wasted since our previous meeting: Much has been done to restore our interstate relations. [We] have also managed to jumpstart [our] economic cooperation. [It] has increased by more than 4%. This may not be as ambitious as we would like it to be, but this is visible progress, and we need to do our best to maintain this wonderful trend,” the Russian president said…

(By Veronika Vishnyakova and Anatoly Zhdanov. Kommersant, Jan. 27, 2026, p. 4. Condensed text:) Editors’ Note. –Kommersant’s correspondents made it to Caracas three weeks after the US operation to seize [Venezuelan President] Nicolás Maduro [see Vol. 78, No. 1-3, pp. 3-7]. . . .Kommersant correspondents Veronika Vishnyakova and Anatoly Zhdanov tried to get a feel for the mood on the street.

Caracas appears to have returned to its normal rhythms three weeks after the US seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The streets are full of pedestrians, vendors are tripping over each other to offer their wares, motorcyclists are tearing down the highways at breakneck speeds, and bus conductors are, as usual, hanging off the front running board, chatting on the phone and occasionally yelling something out to people driving by in cars. Soldiers appear on the streets, then disappear: One day, soldiers with automatic weapons are standing on every corner in the center of town, while the next, you really need to look around carefully to see armed people in the city…