Latest news with #RussianArmedForces
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First Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
Putin is ready to meet Zelenskyy, says Kremlin
Amid pressure from US President Donald Trump to agree to a ceasefire, the Kremlin has said that Vladimir Putin is open to a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. read more In this pool photograph distributed by Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces via videoconference at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow on April 26, 2025. AP Photo The Kremlin has said that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is open to a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Putin is ready to meet with Zelensky after preparatory work is done at the expert level, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday, as per Kyiv Post. This is a developing story. It will be updated as details emerge.
Yahoo
26-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Examining reports Texas man who moved family to Russia died in Ukraine war
In late July 2025, amid high media interest in Derek Huffman, a Texas man who moved his family to Russia to escape LGBTQ+ values in the U.S., a claim (archived) circulated online that Huffman had died in combat after enlisting in the Russian armed forces. One X user wrote, "American Derek Huffman, who fled to russia over 'LGBT propaganda,' was killed on the front lines by a drone strike." The user attributed the claim to The Maltese Herald, a news site from Malta that ran the story on July 23, 2025. The claim also circulated on Facebook (archived), Instagram (archived), Threads (archived), Bluesky (archived), Reddit (archived) and TikTok (archived). Snopes readers searched our page, asking whether the claim was true. We found no evidence Huffman had died in combat at the time of this writing. The Huffman Time YouTube channel, where the family documented their move to Russia, told several commenters on July 24 that Derek Huffman was alive. We also found no evidence of a reported video showing Huffman's death. DeAnna Huffman, Derek Huffman's wife, told Snopes via email on July 25 that "we are not doing any interviews or answering any questions at this time." A U.S. State Department spokesperson said the department was "aware of unconfirmed media reports of a U.S. citizen killed in Ukraine," and reiterated a warning against U.S. citizens traveling to Russia. We also reached out to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to confirm whether Derek Huffman had died in combat and await a reply. The claim appeared to stem from a July 23 report in The Maltese Herald. That report, which the Herald has since updated, claimed Derek Huffman died in a drone strike on the front lines of the Russia-Ukraine war. It further claimed that footage of Huffman's death circulated online, but did not provide any links. We reached out to The Maltese Herald to ask why it initially believed the story to be true and await a reply. The updated version of the Herald's report included screenshots of the Huffman Time YouTube channel, run by DeAnna Huffman in her husband's absence, denying reports of his death. Despite this, the report still included the sentence "Derek Huffman, the US citizen from Texas, has been confirmed killed on the Ukrainian front lines by a drone strike." The Maltese Herald also had not updated an X post (archived) that claimed Derek Huffman died in combat. DeAnna Huffman, via the Huffman Time YouTube Channel, replied to a comment on July 24 reading, "Update: Derek has passed," writing in a series of comments: Why are you here lying? He's with his unit and for safety, not allowed to. Let people talk and lie. We know the truth, and when safe, it will eventually be widely seen. Yes, I understand you believe everything that the news says… and my husband and I have been laughing about it. You're more than welcome to believe the lies. Huffman said her husband was "alive and well." We found no reports in Russian media about Derek Huffman dying. On July 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov told Russian state media he had not previously heard about Huffman joining the armed forces but that it was possible for foreigners to volunteer. Snopes previously reported that Huffman enlisted with the Russian armed forces as a way to secure Russian citizenship for his family. Huffman said he moved himself, his wife and three daughters from Texas to Russia in order to escape LGBTQ+ values in the U.S. "Anti-Woke Dad Who Moved Family to Russia Sent to War Zone." The Daily Beast, 20 Jul. 2025, Bennetts, Marc. Texan Who Fled 'Woke' America Has Been Sent to Putin's Front Line. 22 Jul. 2025, "Derek Huffman Confirmed Killed by a Drone Strike." The Maltese Herald, 23 Jul. 2025, Huffman Time. "Girls Show Their Art, Summer Hats & Russian Life Updates 🇷🇺 | Big News & Fun Moments!" YouTube, 15 Jul. 2025, Reyes, Ronny. American Who Joined Russian Army to Escape "woke" US Has Been Sent to the Frontlines, Wife Says. 22 Jul. 2025, "Песков прокомментировал данные о добровольце из США Хаффмане на СВО." TACC, Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
First Post
25-07-2025
- Politics
- First Post
‘Obviously unlikely': Russia shoots down Ukraine's proposal for Putin-Zelenskyy meet by Aug-end
Days after talks between the two countries, the Kremlin has said that a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin is 'obviously unlikely' before the end of August. read more In this pool photograph distributed by Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces via videoconference at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow on April 26, 2025. AP Photo Days after negotiators of the two countries held talks in Turkey, the Kremlin has dismissed the possibility of talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin anytime soon. Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Friday said that a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin was 'obviously unlikely' before the end of August. For weeks, Zelenskyy has pushed for a leader-level meeting between the two countries in order to reach a ceasefire as a first step towards ending the war. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'A high-level meeting can and must put a definitive end to the settlement … Is it possible to go through such a complex process in 30 days? Well, that is obviously unlikely,' Peskov told the media, as per AFP. With the rejection of Zelenskyy's call for a leader-level meeting, the Kremlin made it clear again how far the two sides stood in their positions on the war. Instead of seeking a middle ground to end the war, the Kremlin has doubled down on its maximalise demands. Russia rejects Ukraine's main demand After talks on Wednesday, Rustem Umerov, who led the Ukrainian delegation, said that the direct meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin was the 'priority number one'. He said that Ukraine sought such a meeting by the end of August with Presidents Donald Trump of the United States and Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Even before the Kremlin's dismissal earlier in the day, Vladimir Medinsky, who lead the Russian delegation in talks in Turkey, said on Wednesday that 'the positions [of the two sides] are quite distant'. Medinsky said that both the countries on Wednesday agreed to exchange 1,200 prisoners each and that Russia offered to hand Ukraine the bodies of 3,000 of its soldiers. 'We once again proposed to the Ukrainian side… to establish short 24- to 48-hour ceasefires on the line of contact, so that medical teams are able to collect the wounded and so that commanders can come take the bodies of their soldiers,' said Medinsky. In previous rounds of talks, Ukraine and Russia had exchanged terms for the end of the war. While Ukraine offered concessions in a bid to end the war, Russia made no such attempt. Russia not just doubled down on its maximalist demands but expanded them such that any acceptance would lead to Ukraine's cessation as a sovereign nation. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Novaya Gazeta Europe
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Novaya Gazeta Europe
Russian Supreme Court bans ‘international Satanist movement' — Novaya Gazeta Europe
Russian soldiers attend a service at Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces outside Moscow, on 23 June 2020. EPA/SERGEI ILNITSKY A Russian Supreme Court judge has designated 'Satanism' and the 'International Satanist movement' as 'extremist', and legally banned their operations in Russia, independent news outlet Mediazona reported on Wednesday. The decision means that, among other things, 'the general principles of Satanism' and the performance of 'occult rituals' will now be outlawed in Russia, according to the Prosecutor General's office, which hailed the designation as a triumph for 'legal forces' in the 'eternal struggle between good and evil'. Presiding judge Oleg Nefedov, who previously applied the same designation to the non-existent 'international LGBT movement' in November 2023 and oversaw the April decision to decriminalise the Taliban, conducted the hearing in a closed-door session, with no media or other officials permitted to attend. The designation follows over a year of discussions by top officials and prominent pro-Kremlin voices regarding the fight against Satanism in Russia, which began with a special State Duma session in July 2024, featuring deputies, priests, and several state media propagandists. During the initial discussion, participants broadly classified a variety of groups, including LGBT individuals, 'childfree' advocates, women's abortion rights proponents, Ukraine's Azov battalion members, furry and therian subcultures as 'Satanist' or destructive influences in society. In January, Patriarch Kirill, primate of the Russian Orthodox Church and a close ally of Vladimir Putin, renewed discussion of the topic, demanding that Satanism be legally banned in Russia, and endorsed a proposed law banning the advertisement of 'occult magic services', such as astrology or tarot card readings. 'It is unacceptable that various Satanic sects forming part of the international Satanist movement are still freely conducting their rituals in our country, recruiting young people, and openly registering their groups and communities on social media,' Patriarch Kirill said at the time, adding that Russian soldiers in Ukraine were 'ready to give their lives for values that are clearly trampled upon by Satanists'. Though the legislation endorsed by Kirill was rejected on 11 July by the government of Prime Minister Mikhail Mushustin on the grounds that its definitions were overly nebulous, in early July the Prosecutor General's Office and Justice Ministry jointly filed a lawsuit with the Russian Supreme Court requesting that the 'international Satanist movement' be recognised as extremist. In November 2023, Putin pardoned a member of a Satanist gang that killed four teenagers who was serving a 20-year prison sentence in recognition of his military service in Ukraine.
First Post
23-07-2025
- Politics
- First Post
'Don't expect miracles': Kremlin downplays talks as Ukrainian & Russian teams arrive in Turkey
Ahead of the meeting of Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Turkey for the third round of direct talks, the Kremlin has set the tone by saying that any 'miracle' should not be expected today. The talks come at a time when Russia has intensified the war with increased aerial attacks and advances on the ground. read more In this pool photograph distributed by Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces via videoconference at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow on April 26, 2025. AP Photo The Kremlin set the tone for the meeting between Russian and Ukrainian officials on Wednesday by saying that no one should expect any 'miracles'. Ukrainian and Russian delegations will meet on Wednesday evening in Turkey's Istanbul for the third round of direct talks. The talks will take at a time when Russia has intensified the war with increased aerial attacks and advances on the ground. In yet another sign that Russia is not giving importance to today's talks, Vladimir Putin has decided to send a relatively low-ranking official, Vladimir Medinsky, as the head of its delegation. The Ukrainian delegation will be led by Rustem Umerov, who until recently served as the defence minister and currently serves as security council secretary. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In the last round of talks, both the sides exchanged their terms for the end of the war. While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered concessions, Russian leader Putin reiterated his maximalist demands that made it clear that he did not want a peace deal but Ukraine's capitulation. 'Don't expect miracles': Kremlin downplays talks Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said ahead of the talks that no should 'expect any breakthrough in the category of miracles'. Peskov made it clear that talks for Russia were not an attempt to reach middle ground but to impose maximalist terms on Ukraine. 'We intend to pursue our interests, we intend to ensure our interests and fulfil the tasks that we set for ourselves from the very beginning,' Peskov said. Peskov also refused to indicate the timeline to reach an agreement with Ukraine to end the war. When asked about the expectations with talks, Peskov said, 'No one expects an easy road. It will be very difficult.' Ukraine & Russia to aim for low-hanging fruits Even though Ukraine and Russia are meeting today, no major breakthrough is expected. Both the sides will try to reach understandings on issues like the repatriation of hostages or bodies that help them politically at home. For Ukraine, Zelenskyy said ahead of the talks that the agenda will be 'the return of prisoners of war, the return of the children abducted by Russia, and the preparation of a leaders' meeting'. The talks will take at a precarious moment for Ukraine that has been torn apart with the new law passed by Zelenskyy's party that essentially kills the independence of the country's anti-corruption agencies. For the first time since Russian invasion of Ukraine, thousands of people are demonstrating in several parts of the country, including near the presidential office in Kyiv, amid outrage against the law. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The law, which Zelenskyy said is critical to keeping Russian spies out of these agencies, has not just outraged Ukrainians public and civil society, but has also alarmed the European Union (EU). Observers have said that the law could hamper Ukraine's eventual accession to the EU.
