Moscow Calling – June 4
Moscow launches sticks and carrots at cash-strapped UN, while Gazprom gets suddenly concerned about the Europeans/
Zakharova reminds U.S. of its debt to UN
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that the U.S. owes the UN more than $3 billion, making it the organization’s largest debtor. The comment was made in response to a statement by Elon Musk calling for an end to funding for the UN after Secretary-General António Guterres spoke about combating disinformation in the digital space. Zakharova questioned Musk’s awareness of U.S. debts, noting that this could be an attempt to write off obligations. She stressed that in January 2025, the debt was more than $2 billion, and now it has exceeded $3 billion. Zakharova also expressed doubt that the UN leadership would dare to raise this issue (TASS).
Zakharova denies accusations of kidnapping Ukrainian children, accuses UN of spreading fake news
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova denied accusations that “tens of thousands” of Ukrainian children had been kidnapped by Russia. She claimed that the list of 339 minors handed over by the Ukrainian side in Istanbul debunks the “cynical fake news.” Zakharova stressed that even the UN contributed to the dissemination of this fake news, including accusations regarding developments in Bucha and sexual violence perpetrated by Russian military personnel. She accused the UN Secretariat and Secretary-General António Guterres of ignoring Russia’s inquiries and spreading false information. Zakharova also noted that the Russian military were rescuing children, taking them out of the combat zone, and returning them to their parents when they were found. These statements were made amid talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul, where issues of prisoner exchanges and a ceasefire were discussed (ria.ru).
How Moscow sees South Korea’s new president
Russia believes South Korea’s new president, Lee Jae-myung, won amid public dissatisfaction with the ruling party and the previous leader’s mistakes. According to an article in the Russian state media outlet TASS, having taken office without a transition period, the new president faces a number of pressing issues: low birth rates, rising housing prices, trade disputes with the U.S., and the need to maintain balance between Washington and Beijing. One of his first tasks will be to review the trade agreement with the United States. The article notes that in foreign policy, Lee is proposing to resume dialogue with North Korea, despite deteriorating relations and military activity in Pyongyang. Domestically, he will have to curb calls for the development of his own nuclear weapons, relying on traditional armed forces (TASS).
Nabokov accuses Zelenskyy of giving permission to shoot at civilians
Russian propaganda is once again promoting the idea that Ukrainian fighters committed atrocities. This time, they are using the words of a Ukrainian prisoner of war to claim that Zelenskyy allowed the military to shoot civilians. According to an article in Gazeta.ru, Ukrainian prisoner of war Ivan Nabokov made this statement during interrogation. According to the media outlet, Nabokov was mobilized in January despite health problems. He stated that the population of Ukraine is “completely powerless” and that “any gatherings are harshly suppressed by the security forces.” The outlet also cites the PoW as saying that many Ukrainians have left the country and that those who are caught are sent to the frontline “through forced mobilization.” (Gazeta.ru).
Gazprom: Europe may fail to fill gas storage facilities by the heating season
Gazprom is once again blowing hot and cold: once promising to freeze Europe, the Russian gas giant is now “concerned” about the slow pace of gas injection into underground storage facilities in Europe. EADaily reports, citing the Russian company, that as of May 31, the volume of active gas was 48.6 billion cubic meters, 21.8 billion cbm less than a year ago. In May, 8.9 billion cubic meters were pumped, which is 1.1 billion less than the average for the last ten years. According to the company, to achieve the target storage level of 90% by November 1, European operators need to pump in another 41.9 billion cubic meters of gas – one and a half times more than in the same period last year. The situation is complicated by scheduled maintenance work on gas infrastructure, including fields in Norway and the TurkStream gas pipeline, which could hamper preparations for the next heating season, the outlet argues. (EADaily).