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Refineries operating at maximum capacity, Russian market becoming saturated with fuel

All major suppliers are carrying out seaborne shipments of diesel and gasoline to the Kaliningrad Region

MOSCOW, June 29. /TASS/. Oil refineries in Russia are operating at maximum capacity to ensure the necessary fuel volumes, with the market becoming saturated with petroleum products, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said at a meeting with Kaliningrad Region Governor Alexey Besprozvannykh, the government reported.

"It was noted that oil refineries are operating at maximum capacity to ensure the necessary fuel volumes, and the market is becoming saturated with petroleum products," according to the report published by the cabinet.

All major suppliers are carrying out seaborne shipments of diesel and gasoline to the Kaliningrad Region, the report said.

Earlier, Novak instructed regions to improve the efficiency of fuel resource distribution and continue monitoring the local price situation.

Aeroflot maintains traffic forecast for 2026 at 2024-2025 level — chief executive

Sergey Aleksandrovsky added that these are quite high figures given current conditions

Under Zelensky US biolabs in Ukraine start to conduct human experiments — politician

Viktor Medvedchuk noted that human experiments began in 2019

Russia destroys two Ukrainian MiG-29 aircraft at Voznesensk airfield in Nikolayev region

Russian Armed Forces used Geran-4 Seeker UAVs

Eleven people killed in light aircraft crash in France — media

According to the L'Est Republicain newspaper, the victims include five instructors, five amateur parachutists and the pilot

IN BRIEF: No injuries reported as Russia downs total of 209 Ukrainian drones overnight

As many as 29 UAVs were downed in Sevastopol over the past day, Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said

Frontline developments reinforce confidence that Russia’s goals to be achieved — Kremlin

Russia's position on the settlement is well known and remains consistent, Dmitry Peskov said

Moscow will not ignore ban on use of Russian symbols at competitions — Foreign Ministry

The only possible and logical response from the Russian side was to refuse to participate in the competition, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said in a commentary

Iranian attack damages residential building — Bahraini Interior Ministry

There were no casualties

Israeli army strikes three Hezbollah command centers in response to ceasefire violations

The IDF attacks targeted the areas of Nabatieh and Mayfadoun in southern Lebanon

Russian specialists develop Duplet double net launcher against drones

The new net launcher has been created based on requirements from combat personnel

Time isn’t ripe yet for talks between EU, Russia, Finland’s top diplomat says

Elina Valtonen added there should be no impression "that we in Europe are desperately seeking talks to achieve peace, regardless of the conditions"

IN BRIEF: Putin’s key statements on proposal to limit combat zone, special op progress

The Russian president said that Ukrainian strikes on Russia’s infrastructure do not affect the situation at the front or the position along the line of engagement

Press review: Ceasefire strain amid US-Iran tensions and Finnish nuclear plans near Russia

Top stories from the Russian press on Monday, June 29th

EU discussing new loan to Ukraine of 30-45 billion euros after 2027

The financing will be provided in the event that the conflict continues after 2027, Pekka Toveri, member of the European Parliament, says

Navigation recovery in Hormuz Strait to take months due to mines

The available routes are extremely limited, CEO of Japan’s NYK Line Takaya Soga says

Kremlin delivers remarks on Putin-Lukashenko talks, Ukraine dialogue channels

Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed that Russia's position on Ukraine, outlined by Vladimir Putin during his address at the Russian Foreign Ministry two years ago, remains unchanged

Belarusian president embarks on East, Southeast Asia tour

Alexander Lukashenko will visit a number of countries and hold high level talks

Kiev resorts to terrorism as Ukrainian troops retreat on battlefield — Putin

"The Kiev regime is retreating along the entire line of engagement, and therefore it has resorted to openly terrorist activities," the Russian leader said, referring to deliberate attacks on civilians

Russia standing firm on its feet, ready to fight for its core interests — Putin

"Russia is standing firm <…> on its feet, as it declares its fundamental, core interests and is ready to fight for them and our future, way of living, sovereign ideology, foundations, and living principles," the president stated

Russia reports downing 72 Ukrainian drones over its regions, Sea of Azov during 12 hours

Alert air defense capabilities intercepted and destroyed drones over the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga, Krasnodar, Kursk, Moscow, Oryol, Smolensk, and Tver Regions as well as the Republic of Crimea

Europe 'getting a taste' for producing UAVs for Ukrainian strikes against Russia — expert

Dmitry Kuzyakin highlighted that Ukraine itself no longer hosts significant large-scale UAV manufacturing facilities

Iraq ready to host meeting between Iran, Gulf Arab nations — top diplomat

According to Hussein, as Iraq maintains "perfect relations with the United States," Baghdad "expresses its readiness to help both Tehran and Washington put an end to the war between them."

Kiev builds up cooperation with Mexico’s largest drug cartels — Russia’s SVR

According to the press release, Ukrainian security agencies deliberately show indulgence toward the increased drug transit from Latin America to Europe

Russian stock market rises by more than 1%

The MOEX index was trading at 2,314.72 points, up 1.27%, while the RTS index stood at 946.25 points

Russian artillery destroys two Ukrainian army deployment sites near Konstantinovka

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, artillery crews of the 6th Motor Rifle Division are conducting combat operations in the Konstantinovka direction round-the-clock

All districts in Kherson Region suffer power outage

Energy workers and emergency services are working on sites, Governor Vladimir Saldo says

Putin orders to minimize impact from Kiev’s terrorist attacks on civilian infrastructure

"I would like to reiterate that the impact from terrorist attacks on our civilian facilities and infrastructure should be minimized," the Russian head of state said

Maduro sends solidarity to his nation as he quotes from Bible — CNN

The earthquake struck Venezuela late on June 24, when about 40 seconds separated two series of tremors of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5

US no longer treats Israel as special ally — media

Politico points out that Vice President JD Vance has become the face of changes in Washington's approach to Israel

What is known about largest Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow Region in two years

According to Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, air defenses downed more than 190 drones since the start of the day

Russia ready to continue discussing Anchorage modalities with US — Putin

The president added that Moscow is ready to continue the talks

Relations between Russia, China should evolve without regard to secondary sanctions

Deputy General Director of the Russian International Affairs Council Dmitry Kiku added that a new page in relations between the two countries is needed

Russia adjusting plans based on situation, will implement strategic ones in full — Putin

"Naturally, we have been adjusting certain plans, based on the situation", Putin said

Kiev, West not intending to implement Minsk Agreements — Putin

The Russian president added that it is important that Belarus has always provided its venue for talks

Russia plans to complete clinical trials of tuberculosis vaccine by end of 2026

Scientists intend to register it in 2027, Irina Vasilyeva, Director of the National Medical Research Center for Phthisiopulmonology and Infectious Diseases, says

Head of International BRICS Forum sees growing interest in Russian culture

According to Purnima Anand, "the Indians like Russian culture very much, and people in Russia like the Indian one"

Iran proves it can control Hormuz Strait, former US lawmaker says

Marjorie Taylor Greene believes that it affected America's standing in the world

Number of ships crossing Strait of Hormuz falls by 80% amid escalation — Bloomberg

This is due to carriers' concerns over the latest escalation of the conflict between the US and Iran

Canadian national team qualifies for FIFA World Cup 1/8 finals

The team defeated South Africa 1-0

Zelensky moves to real terror against Belarus — deputy foreign minister

Mikhail Galuzin said the Kiev regime intentionally attacked an absolutely peaceful object

Seoul, Tokyo reaffirm commitment to Korean Peninsula denuclearization

Notably, North Korea has repeatedly stressed that its nuclear status is non-negotiable

Iran warns third countries against interfering in Hormuz Strait — top diplomat

According to Abbas Araghchi, navigation through the Strait of Hormuz could return to pre-conflict levels within 30 days, provided all existing obstacles were removed

Putin pledges to bring Russian economy to new technological level

"We will bring the Russian economy to a brand new technological level across all key spheres", Putin said

Emergency outage covered significant part of Zaporozhye Region

Damage assessment is underway, Governor Yevgeny Balitsky says

Witkoff, Kushner to travel to Doha for talks with Iran this week — White House

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt added that technical talks will also be held in Doha

Saudi Aramco helicopter crash kills 14 people

An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the crash

Falling drone fragments start fire on territory of oil refinery in south Russia

No casualties were reported

Ukraine as transit hub, Kiev’s cooperation with drug cartels: statements by SVR

Ukraine’s security agencies "deliberately show indulgence towards the increasing drug transit from Latin America to Europe"

China-Belarus relations reach historic high — Xi Jinping

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who is currently on a working visit to China, noted that he highly values such a positive assessment of the bilateral ties

Dialogue with Japan possible when Tokyo changes its stance on Ukraine — Putin

Russian President added that unlike Japan, Russia did nothing that would mar bilateral ties

Commissioner informs Putin on Kursk Region residents return, foreign media in Starobelsk

The Russian president noted that Yana Lantratova has actively started working as the commissioner for human rights

Russia living through crucial time — Putin

"The United Russia party, our leading political party, is holding a congress at a crucial time for the country as the entire world, too, is undergoing a radical, systemic transformation," the Russian head of state said

No war between Europe and Russia, descendant of Otto von Bismarck says

Alexander von Bismarck also warned that it was dangerous to direct threats toward Moscow

Russia, US have much more in common, than apart — former US lawmaker

Marjorie Taylor Greene called for strengthening Russia-US ties in such fields as politics, economics and trade

Work on biological safety in Ukraine served as cover for biological weapons development

According to Viktor Medvedchuk, only an absolutely transparent investigation with granted access to documents and facilities, which the Ukrainian authorities have avoided and feared for many years, can resolve this problem

Twenty-eight US-affiliated biolabs set up in Ukraine under Yanukovich — politician

Viktor Medvedchuk stressed that the Ukrainian government at that time attempted to examine the issue of a cholera outbreak and studied it for three years

Medvedev describes Western interference in Armenian election campaign as unprecedented

Russian Security Council deputy chairman pointed to the Armenian authorities’ persecution of Gagik Tsarukyan, leader of the Prosperous Armenia party

Mayor of Zaporozhye nuke plant host city dismisses evacuation reports

According to Maxim Pukhov, the city’s authorities and all services continue to operate normally

Pakistani security forces eliminated 29 militants at the border with Afghanistan

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar also reported the destruction of three targets including weapons and ammunition depots

Temperature record broken in Hungary — weather service

Temperature in Budapest rose to 40 degrees Celsius on June 28

Serbia will not give up friendship with Russia but will honor EU commitments — president

Aleksandar Vucic added that Serbia values "these friendly ties"

Russia under unprecedented pressure from Western elites — Putin

"Russia is under rude and unprecedented pressure from Western elites," the Russian leader noted

NATO no longer needed today — descendant of Otto von Bismarck

Alexander von Bismarck says many people in Germany share this opinion

Messi’s goal helps Argentina defeat Jordan in World Cup match

The match ended with a score of 3:1

"Michael" movie becomes highest-grossing biopic in history

According to Variety, the movie earned over $977 million

Most US citizens want to restore relations with Russia — Marjorie Taylor Greene

When asked why Washington is taking virtually no meaningful action to improve relations with Moscow, even though US President Donald Trump has repeatedly declared his willingness to do so, the former House of Representatives member replied that people constantly call him and demand meetings

Putin appoints new members of commission on Russia’s participation in G20

Denis Agafonov, head of the expert department of the presidential administration and the Russian sherpa in G20, was appointed chair of the commission

US in search of quick, low-cost missile production options after Iran operation — media

The Financial Times points out that "the US Air Force has requested some $12 bln over the next five years for 28,000 missiles"

United States, Iran agreed to stop strikes — Axios

Washington and Tehran also reached an agreement to hold consultations in Doha on Tuesday

Press review: NATO drills rehearse Ukraine logistics and quake strengthens Venezuela power

Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, June 26th

IN BRIEF: Putin comments on Russia’s strategic goals, security, Duma election

Russia is living through a crucial time, the head of state said, as he pledged that the security of the nation will be ensured

Putin extends ban on Russian oil exports under price cap through end-2027

The presidential decree prohibits supplies of Russian oil and petroleum products to foreign legal entities and individuals if contracts for such supplies directly or indirectly provide for the use of a price cap mechanism

Putin convenes meeting of government officials, Russian oil majors on fuel situation

The Russian president authorized efforts to minimize the impact of Ukrainian terrorist attacks on Russian civilian facilities

West fails to defeat Russia on battlefield, attempts to destabilize nation futile — Putin

"Russia is under rude and unprecedented pressure from Western elites", Putin said

Russia destroys up to platoon of Ukrainian troops in Novoskelevatoye

Assault units of the 36th separate motorized rifle brigade of the 29th army of Battlegroup East have liberated Novoskelevatoye

UK’s outgoing PM Starmer eyeing role of NATO secretary general — weekly

Starmer’s plans would need some sustained government backing, the weekly wrote

Protection against UAV attacks, AI use: statements by Russia’s defense chief

Andrey Belousov said that Russia is actively introducing artificial intelligence systems in its air defenses and the results will be seen by November

Russia succeeds in creating strike UAV industry comparable to nuclear industry — expert

Dmitry Kuzyakin underscored that the integration of drones into modern warfare marks a fundamental shift from previous conflicts

Ukraine’s 124 UAVs shot down over Russian regions, Black Sea in one day — Defense Ministry

During the day, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Moscow time

Ukraine hopes to get at least $154 billion from its Western allies by 2030

The Finance Ministry estimates that the country will need $46.4 billion in 2026 to maintain the functioning of its governmental bodies

Europe risks entering heating season with lowest gas reserves in 15 years — FT

The current shortage is driven by the fallout from the conflict between the US and Iran, which halted liquefied natural gas supplies through the Strait of Hormuz and reduced production in Qatar and the UAE

Israel announced destruction of underground Hezbollah facility

Israel notified the US and the American representative in Lebanon in advance of the operation, according to a statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz

Finland lifting its ban on nukes requires Russian response, diplomat says

Maria Zakharova lambasted the move as unfounded, given repeated statements from leading Finnish politicians and relevant agencies in the Nordic country that Russia does not pose a direct military threat to Finns

Kiev loses 10,000 troops, mercenaries over week — military expert

According to Andrey Marochko, the trend towards the growth of losses among the Ukrainian military personnel has been observed for the sixth consecutive week

Drones that attacked Moscow assembled through cooperation of NATO countries — expert

The origins of the components and systems powering the examined drones have been identified, the unmanned aircraft expert and general designer at Russia’s Center for Integrated Unmanned Solutions Dmitry Kuzyakin said

What to know about FSB thwarting arson attack on synagogue in Yaroslavl

According to Russia's Federal Security Service, the perpetrator purchased components and chemicals to manufacture incendiary devices on instructions from a handler in Syria

No signs of nuclear infrastructure being deployed in Finland — Russian embassy

According to the statement, even the theoretical possibility of its appearance seriously affects security in the region

Russian troops liberate settlement of Novoskelevatoye in Dnepropetrovsk region — top brass

Troops from Battlegroup West in Krasny Liman seized five strongpoints and captured 57 buildings over the past 24 hours, according to the reported

IRGC delivers retaliatory strike on key US infrastructure in Kuwait, Bahrain

The IRGC also warned that Tehran’s future response to potential US aggression will be even more decisive

UK, France, Germany chose unacceptable approaches to Ukraine — senior diplomat

Mikhail Galuzin emphasized that he had articulated Russia’s stance to ambassadors to the European trio during a recent meeting in the Foreign Ministry

Putin commends participants in special military operation as Russia’s true elite

"We should certainly create conditions so that such people who, as I have repeatedly stated, form the true elite of Russia can continue to serve the country - in civilian spheres, in politics", Putin said

Russian troops liberate two settlements in Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye regions

Units of Battlegroup East moved deeper into enemy defenses, liberating the settlement of Pisantsy and the settlement of Novosyolovka

Putin describes reliance on traditional values as powerful basis for national unity

"It is obvious to all statesmen and politicians that reliance on traditional values forms a solid ideological foundation that unites Russian society," the Russian leader said at a United Russia party congress

Spanish gas hub chief calls on EU to postpone Russian LNG ban — newspaper

Ivan Jimenez believes US President Donald Trump could keep pressure on the EU to maintain the Russian gas ban, given the boost it would provide to US exports to Europe

War with Iran increases risk of US, Israel using nuclear weapons — Taylor Greene

The former US House of Representatives member emphasized that the situation in the Middle East could spiral out of control

Russia’s security, inviolability of its borders to be guaranteed — Putin

"The West has preferred to turn a blind eye to all this Kiev’s terrorist attacks", Putin said

Global ocean shipping rates hit two-year high due to US tariffs — FT

According to digital shipping platform Freightos, the cost of shipping a standard 40-foot container from China to the US East Coast surged to $7,880

Russian, Chinese warplanes conducted joint six-hour patrol

Fighter air cover was provided along the entire joint patrol route by Su-30SM and Su-35S aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces and Jian-16 aircraft of the Chinese Air Force

Trump threatens to destroy Iran if it decides to resume military actions

The president says that the US may become unable "to be reasonable" if the Iranian side does not learn lessons

Russian troops liberate Bogodarovka community in Dnepropetrovsk Region over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicted more than 485 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed an enemy armored combat vehicle in its area of responsibility over the past day, the Defense Ministry reported

Iran, Qatar agree to unfreeze $6 bln in Iranian assets in emirate — Pezeshkian

The Iranian president said the necessary work to return the remaining portion of the funds is also continuing