{{dayPoint.date | date : 'd MMMM yyyy'}}

{{newsPoint.title}}

{{newsPoint.title+ ' '}}

{{newsPoint.subtitle}}

Vucic expects successful MOL buyout of Russia's NIS stake soon

The NIS owners are forced to sell their assets because they came under US sanctions

BELGRADE, July 7. /TASS/. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic expects negotiations on Hungarian energy group MOL's buyout of Russia's stake in the Petroleum Industry of Serbia (NIS) to be successfully concluded soon.

"I hope we will soon put an end to this saga surrounding MOL and NIS. I believe we can resolve it with our Russian and Hungarian friends. It's not easy, it's not simple. I can't tell you what all the problems are — it is simply wrong, and they cannot be discussed during negotiations. But people should know that it's not easy at all," Vucic told the opening of the Conference of Speakers of Parliaments of EU Candidate Countries in Belgrade.

On January 19, Gazprom and Hungarian energy company MOL announced the signing of a letter of intent to sell a stake in Serbia's NIS. Serbian authorities announced an increase in their stake in the company by 5%, which will allow Belgrade to influence certain decisions at the shareholders' meeting. MOL is also in talks with the UAE's ADNOC to join NIS as a minority shareholder.

The NIS owners are forced to sell their assets because they came under US sanctions. In January 2025, the US Treasury Department added the Serbian company to the sanctions list along with its majority shareholder, Gazprom Neft. After several delays, the restrictions came into effect on October 9 of that year. On November 11, 2025, the Serbian Ministry of Energy announced that NIS's Russian owners had notified the US of their willingness to transfer control of the company to a third party.

Earlier, the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) extended NIS's operating license until July 31 and set the same date as the new deadline for negotiations on MOL's buyout of the Russian stake in the company.

NATO reconnaissance aircraft performs several flights around Kaliningrad Region

The source recalled that it was the Bombardier Challenger 650 Artemis II aircraft’s second flight on the same route since the beginning of this summer

Russian Foreign Ministry summons Swedish ambassador

According to Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Russia planned to focus the meeting on Sweden’s obligations under the Vienna Convention and the assurances Stockholm provided earlier

Ukrainian attacks kill 38 Russian civilians, including child, in past week — diplomat

Another 270 people, including eight minors, were injured, Rodion Miroshnik said

Air defenses down 159 Ukrainian drones in Kursk Region over past 24 hours

The Ukrainian military fired artillery at evacuated areas 56 times

Kremlin spokesman slams Bloomberg’s publishing error as dangerous

Dmitry Peskov does believe that the publication was a provocation, but it shows how dangerous the tension provoked by the West is

Russian troops evacuating residents from Konstantinovka

Wounded Russian servicemen are also being evacuated

Pashinyan visits Russia for first time since Armenia's elections

According to the Armenian government's press service, Pashinyan will take part in a plenary session titled "Industry 360: Manufacturing Without Borders"

Russian stock market declines at start of trading

As of 10:00 a.m. Moscow time, the MOEX and RTS indices fell by 1.54% to 2,160.32 and 872.84 points, respectively

Russia hopes US efforts to settle Ukraine conflict will succeed — Kremlin spokesman

According to Dmitry Peskov, Moscow maintains contact with Washington through working channels

START-3, US rhetoric on Ukraine, Russia’s interests — senior diplomat’s remarks

According to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, US rhetoric is drifting farther and farther away from negotiations on Ukraine

Rosatom chief says impossible to complete Bushehr NPP's 2nd, 3rd units without corporation

Alexey Likhachev noted that Rosatom would most likely have a specific role to play in resolving the so-called Iranian nuclear issue

UN-mandated body expects Hamas disarmament as next step — statement

On July 6, Gaza authorities said they had completed preparations to transfer power to the NCAG, composed of independent Palestinian technocrats and supervised by the Board of Peace

FIFA tarnishes reputation by taking back Balogun’s red card at 2026 World Cup

Former vice president of FIFA and an honorary member of the organization Vyacheslav Koloskov noted that football had turned into a commercial tool

Russian forces hit rail locomotives, trucks in Dnepropetrovsk Region — Defense Ministry

Two strikes were conducted with Geran-4 Seeker UAVs against railway locomotives at stations near Pavlograd and Sinelnikovo

Crimea annexed by Ukraine 23 years ago — Naryshkin

Ukraine loses Mi-8 helicopter, crew killed

The helicopter crashed on June 30

Trump effectively leaves open further reduction of US troops in Europe

The US president said that he was very disappointed with NATO

West’s help to Kiev makes special military operation real war — Kremlin

Berlin, Paris, The Hague, Oslo, and, unfortunately, Washington are behind Kiev, Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said

IN BRIEF: Explosions hit Damascus as French president arrives in Syria

Al Hadath television reported that the explosions caused casualties

Spain advances to quarterfinals of FIFA World Cup thanks to victory over Portugal

The match ended with a score of 1-0

Zelensky delays signing US drone production deal — media

According to unnamed Ukrainian officials, Vladimir Zelensky "may be seeking better terms from the US," attempting to persuade American officials to "recognize the deal’s value"

Kremlin to monitor news from NATO summit

Dmitry Peskov emphasized that the NATO summit was an event of great interest, including to Russia

Shooting incidents on US Independence Day claimed 100 lives

340 more people were injured during the three-day celebrations, Gun Violence Archive reported

US believes Iran attacked vessels in Strait of Hormuz twice on Monday — news outlet

Axios emhasized that the US will likely respond by striking targets in Iran

Cristiano Ronaldo says he will consider his future

The Portuguese star said he would like to "avoid making hasty decisions"

Ronaldo plays his final FIFA World Cup match

Portugal lost to Spain 0-1 in the Round of 16

Fire in Kaluga Region, 452 UAVs target Russia: new Ukrainian attacks

More than 430 UAVs headed toward the Moscow Region this night

Ukrainian forces launch two overnight attacks on Belgorod — governor

Alexander Shuvayev says a fire at an infrastructure facility was reported

US wants allies to purchase American weapons — envoy to NATO

Matthew Whitaker added that this will ultimately contribute to peace

Europe may see influx of weapons from Ukraine — study

The study says that Ukrainian authorities have so far recorded the loss of 593,000 weapons

US officials uncertain if NATO summit in Ankara will 'go smoothly' — TV

According to the broadcaster, "European leaders hope to exit the Ankara meeting without a major explosion, planning new defense pledges to allay Trump’s anger"

Poland needs to think about security while producing drones for Ukraine — Kremlin

Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on the "horror stories" about an alleged possible strike on the country's territory discussed in the Western press

West reacts like ostrich to Russia’s invitation to dialogue — Russian diplomat

Dmitry Polyansky also noted that anyone, who really closely follows Russia’s activities in the OSCE, has no doubt that it is ready for dialogue, whereas such Western statements are "just hot air"

Europe anticipates from Trump no new sanctions against Russia, no aid to Kiev — Bloomberg

According to the agency's sources, there are no guarantees that a meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Zelensky during the NATO summit in Ankara will proceed smoothly

Lyut brigade held Konstantinovka - General Staff

The enemy assembled a substantial force comprising seven brigades, or a total of 45 battalions

Russia creates over 50% of buffer zone in Sumy, Kharkov Regions — expert

"It is now being systematically expanded into the depths of the enemy’s defenses and across the width of the front," Andrey Marochko noted

Air defenses destroy 116 Ukrainian UAVs over Russian regions within 12-hour period

In particular, drones were intercepted over the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga, Kursk, Leningrad, Omsk, Smolensk, Tver, Tula, Krasnodar and Moscow Regions, the Republic of Bashkortostan and the Republic of Crimea

Ukrainian spy sells his smartphone to Russian intelligence for month's worth pay

The Russian special services are performing operative actions in connection with the information they received

Press review: US, Europe may clash over Ukraine as China missile alarms Pacific region

Top stories from the Russian press on Tuesday, July 7th

Press review: Trump-Putin call as Russian troops advance while US-Russia OPCW talks fail

Top stories from the Russian press on Monday, July 6th

Moscow records largest Ukrainian drone attack in two years — TASS estimates

Over 430 drones were heading toward the Moscow Region between late July 6 and 6:00 a.m. on July 7, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said

Russian troops liberate Petro-Ivanovka community in Kharkov Region over past day

The Ukrainian army lost roughly 1,540 troops in battles with Russian forces in all the frontline areas over the past 24 hours

Russian rights commissioner sends appeals to UN over Ukrainian drone attack on bus

Civilians were wounded, and children were seriously injured during the incident, Yana Lantratova said

FIFA fines Balogun $40,000 for red card in World Cup match

Half of the fine will be paid by the US Soccer, journalist Rob Harris reported

Russian fuel market situation remains tense — Novak

Earlier, the deputy prime minister said that Russia had accumulated sufficient fuel reserves to supply the domestic market, but panic buying had led to a 20-30% increase in demand

Russia’s Battlegroup North destroys 79 Ukrainian UAVs, Slovenian M-55 tank in past day

During the last 24-hour period, the Ukrainian army lost roughly 195 troops, Battlegroup North Spokesman Vasily Mezhevykh said

Kremlin spokesman comments on Putin-Trump call, Russia-China drills

According to Dmitry Peskov, the phone call the two leaders held at the end of last week allowed Russia to reiterate its position to the US straight away

NATO summit to present military confrontation with Russia to Trump as business project

According to sources in Brussels, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced the maximum amount of military aid to Ukraine at 140 billion euros for 2026-2027

Russian forces strike over 150 Ukrainian army deployment sites in past day — top brass

The Ukrainian army lost roughly 1,380 troops in battles with Russian forces in all the frontline areas over the past 24 hours

No specific agreements yet on potential Putin-Trump meeting at Hermitage — Kremlin

Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov said earlier that the US president had expressed admiration for the Hermitage Museum during his recent phone call with the Russian president

US in talks with European allies on missile co-production — agency

If implemented, the plan could free up capacity at Raytheon and Lockheed Martin factories in the US and enable the defense giants to ramp up production at home, the news agency pointed out

Belgium appeals FIFA decision to rescind US striker Balogun's red card

As earlier reported, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee had decided to scrap Balogun's disqualification, allowing him to play in the second knockout stage at the 2026 FIFA World Cup against Belgium

Baltic elites seek to benefit from 'Russian threat' scenario, senior lawmaker says

"Given America is withdrawing its troops, they will try to get money from the European Commission and NATO for building the so-called defenses against Russia in order to profit and attempt to steal billions," Viktor Vodolatsky said

Russia developed small nuclear reactors for deep space, Arctic

According to Ilya Chekh, the specialists' task is to put the development into serial production with an optimal plan to create one reactor per day

Russian nuclear sector experiences consequences of Ukrainian attacks — Rosatom

The Zaporozhye nuclear power plant "is the peak of all these concerns," Alexey Likhachev stressed

Russian air defense forces monitoring Siberian airspace

A drone danger regime was introduced in the Omsk and Novosibirsk Regions

Indonesia sees huge technological advantages of Russia in oil and gas supplies — minister

Indonesia calls on the business community to "do everything to develop bilateral trade and economic relations," Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita added

London court rejects Nord Stream pipeline operator’s claim against insurers

Lloyd's of London and Arch Insurance were the defendants

Lavrov begins African tour by visiting Ethiopia

The bilateral agenda has expanded since the previous visit of the Russian Foreign Minister in 2022 with Ethiopia becoming a full-fledged member of the BRICS group of nations

FIFA rejects Belgium’s appeal on Balogun red at 2026 World Cup

The request was rendered inadmissible on the grounds that the RBFA is not a party to the proceedings and, as such, has no standing to appeal the decision, the statement said

Russia delivers massive retaliatory strike on Ukrainian military-industrial sites

The Russian Armed Forces delivered a massive strike on military-industrial enterprises, fuel and energy sites in Kiev and the Kiev Region, as well as on military airfield infrastructure in the Dnepropetrovsk, Poltava, Cherkassy, Chernigov and Kiev Regions

Chinese Foreign Ministry calls reports on training Russian soldiers in China 'slander'

Mao Ning noted that German Foreign Ministry officials have indeed recently met with the Chinese ambassador

Ukraine’s EU neighbors eye collapse to reclaim territories — lawmaker

"Regardless of the fact that they are currently sitting at one table, each of them has a knife concealed behind their backs to start carving up Ukrainian territory for themselves," Viktor Vodolatsky said

FACTBOX: Over 600 Ukrainian drones shot down over Russian regions overnight

The Russian Defense Ministry emphasized that the West's attempts to use the Kiev regime as a proxy to attack civilian Russian targets would be countered by increasing the number and severity of strikes on Ukrainian territory

Ukrainian attacks on medical facilities constitute serious war crime — diplomat

Rodion Miroshnik noted that three ambulance crew members were injured in a drone strike on their vehicle in the town of Gorlovka in the Donetsk People's Republic

NATO to announce 140-billion-euro aid to Kiev during upcoming summit — newspaper

The contribution amount will be negotiated separately with each participating country

Woman suspected in Yermolayev murder attempt found dead near Kiev — media

According to the publication, the woman returned to Ukraine on July 1

Belgium defeats US, advancing to FIFA World Cup quarterfinals

Belgium will face Spain on July 10

Lavrov says Russia agreed to US proposals at Alaska summit

The Russian top diplomat said that any other interpretations were irrelevant

Some aggressive statements toward Russia heard during NATO summit preps — Kremlin

These remarks said nothing about constructive interaction or dialogue, Dmitry Peskov noted

NATO states to sign defense contracts worth tens of billions of dollars at summit — Rutte

The secretary general noted that NATO member states intend to "show how they are investing in defense"

Russia's offer to collect dead bodies from Konstantinovka proves who controls it — Lavrov

"Kiev will most likely classify the lost troops as missing," the Russian foreign minister said

Death toll in Venezuelan earthquake tops 3,500

According to the government’s daily bulletin, 16,740 people were wounded, while 17,854 lost their homes

US rhetoric indicates growing departure from Ukraine agreements — Russian diplomat

According to Sergey Ryabkov, the pressure of sanctions on Russia is not just being maintained but is intensifying

Drone's 420-kilometer flight shows successful integration into airspace — ZALA

ZALA stated that the practical tests confirmed the company's technological solutions' readiness to comply with the requirements of Russian President Vladimir Putin's directive on the implementation of unmanned aerial vehicles and their control systems

Japan attaches great importance to strengthening cooperation with NATO — Cabinet

Minoru Kihara reiterated that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions is inextricably linked

Lebanese president says Israeli pullout key to peace, urges US pressure

Joseph Aoun emphasized the importance of restoring sovereignty and reinforcing governmental institutions

Bank of Russia buys yuan worth $121.57 mln with July 6 settlement

The volume of foreign currency purchases on the domestic market with settlement on July 3 also totaled $121.57 mln

US poised to escalate tensions with Iran again - expert

Ivan Timofeyev pointed out that Iran remained a formidable adversary for the United States

Russia’s Battlegroup West downs 29 Ukrainian fixed-wing UAVs, 65 heavy drones in past day

The group's fighters identified and eliminated the enemy’s two field ammunition depots, 46 UAV control centers, and a Starlink satellite communications station

Putin calls support for domestic exporters priority for Russia

Director General of the Russian Export Centre Veronika Nikishina described how the support is being provided and expressed confidence that it would contribute to Russia’s prosperity

Polish authorities supplying weapons to followers of their ancestors' killers — MFA

Maria Zakharova commented on a declassified Federal Security Service document identifying one of the initiators of the Volhynia massacre

Trump views ending Ukrainian conflict as urgent task — AP

According to the source, after a meeting with Zelensky in Ankara, the US leader plans follow-up talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin

Ukrainian army has no gas stations left on major routes in Sumy Region — security source

According to the source, this is confirmed by plans by regional Ukrainian authorities to ban the retail sale of gasoline starting July 10

Secretary-general admits NATO has limits regarding support to Ukraine’s air defenses

Mark Rutte stressed that the alliance's member states were doing their best

NATO effectiveness declining due to restricted cooperation in defense industry — MFA

"These constraints have become strategic liabilities," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said

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

Poland transfers $4.5 billion worth of weapons to Kiev since 2022 — top defense official

Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz also confirmed that Warsaw had supplied Kiev with Patriot missile systems

UAC sees no need to replace SSJ-100 avionics — CEO

According to Vadim Badekha, the main factor that has limited the operation of previous versions of the Superjet is the issues with the engine

All Ukrainian forces deployed near Ivolzhanskoye in Sumy Region destroyed — defense source

Ivolzhanskoye is located about 11 km from the northern outskirts of Sumy

Martinez announces his resignation as head coach of Portuguese national team

Portugal previously lost to Spain 1-0 in the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup

Sudan to develop ties with BRICS to mitigate sanction effects — portal

According to the Sudan Tribune news portal, Khartoum is moving to an "alternative economy" strategy, which involves the diversification of trade and economic ties, the development of alternative banking mechanisms and the use of national currencies in trade settlements

Zelensky didn't dare accept bodies of Ukrainian soldiers ahead of NATO summit — expert

Igor Korotchenko emphasized that Zelensky had shunned the opportunity to publicly retrieve the fallen soldiers, as doing so would implicitly acknowledge that Ukrainian forces no longer maintain control over Konstantinovka

Ukrainian forces lose at least 37 gas stations in week and half

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, regular high-precision strikes on fuel depots, gas stations, and railway infrastructure facilities are significantly disrupting the Ukrainian military's transport logistics

Russia keeps comprehensively upgrading T-80BVM main battle tank — defense firm

The final parameters of these upgrades remain beyond the framework of public disclosures

NATO countries to produce US tanks, missiles, MANPADS in Europe — Rutte

The NATO secretary general stressed that NATO should replenish its arsenals, which had been depleted by arms supplies to Ukraine

Russia-China Joint Sea-2026 drills open in Qingdao

Exercise director on the Russian side, Rear Admiral Sergey Sinko stressed that the drills are defensive in nature and are not directed against any third country

Damascus explosions caused by improvised explosive devices — TV

According to the broadcaster, officers from Syria’s internal security forces are investigating the incident and working to identify those responsible

Russian forces strike gas stations, fuel tankers in occupied DPR — top brass

The facilities were used to support Ukrainian army units

IN BRIEF: Kremlin spokesman speaks on special military operation’s goals, NATO summit

The situation surrounding Ukraine can shift to a peaceful track once Kiev makes some tough decisions, Dmitry Peskov noted

Intensified Ukrainian strikes on Russia to only delay peace agreement conclusion — expert

According to Vladimir Karasev, the longer the conflict escalates, the more territory the Russian Armed Forces will liberate