Moscow Calling – June 10
Pushkov prophesies the collapse of the U.S.
Russian Senator Alexey Pushkov has stated that internal conflicts are growing in the U.S. and that this could lead to the country’s split in the current century. “While Brussels dreams of Russia’s collapse, which will not happen, the U.S. may become the main candidate for collapse: the country may not be able to withstand the powerful divisions that are shaking American society. Moreover, internal conflicts in the U.S. are only growing. In the 21st century, the United States may become divided,” he wrote on his Telegram channel, commenting on the riots in Los Angeles. According to him, the state governor, who represents the Democrats, supports the “rioters” and blames the federal authorities for the unrest (TASS).
Russian MP proposes equating Renault logo with fascist symbols
Russian State Duma MP from Crimea Mikhail Sheremet has proposed equating the logo of French car manufacturer Renault with fascist symbols. The comment came in response to reports that the carmaker was tapped to produce UAVs in Ukraine. “I propose that, if the production of drones begins in Ukraine, the Renault logo be equated with banned fascist symbols, which will become a kind of barrier for the carmaker to work in Russia,” Sheremet said. On June 8, France Info radio reported that Renault plans to produce unmanned aerial vehicles in Ukraine (Gazeta.ru).
Russian expert: drones won’t help Ukraine
Russian military expert Sergei Poletaev cast doubts over the effectiveness of Ukraine’s new “Drone Line” defense concept aimed to deter the Russian advance with the help of unmanned aerial vehicles. In his opinion, the strategy is based on outdated data, and the dynamics of drone warfare require a different level of operational readiness. “The Russian army is not standing still and is also increasing the depth of destruction with its UAVs. The Russian military has long learned to identify the launch points of Ukrainian drones and destroy them. This has become akin to counter-battery warfare for artillerymen,” he said. According to Poletaev, the appointment of Robert Brovdi (Madyar) as commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Unmanned Systems Forces is unlikely to bring about a turning point: Ukrainian “death zones” only reach 5-10 km from the front line, while Russian UAVs operate deeper and more effectively. According to him, Russia has built a more powerful system for the production and use of drones and is successfully identifying and destroying Ukrainian launch sites. Earlier, Russian state media reported that the elite Ukrainian Armed Forces unit “Madjar’s Birds” had retreated under pressure from Russian drones (lenta.ru, EADaily).
Russian commentators simulate debate on Musk creating a new party
After some Russian commentators suggested estranged Elon Musk should create his own political force in the United States, Roman Romanov, a journalist for the Russian media outlet Vedomosti, disagreed, calling the prospect of a “third force” in the U.S. illusory. According to him, despite the large number of “independent” voters, most of them actually vote for Democrats or Republicans. In addition, Romanov claims that the American electoral system, including its bureaucracy and the “winner takes all” principle, almost completely blocks small parties. He believes that the political culture of the U.S. is also geared toward a two-party system, which the majority is not ready to abandon. After Elon Musk left the administration on May 30 and the conflict with Donald Trump escalated, there was a surge of mutual accusations and threats on social media on June 5. Musk even proposed creating a new political party, and 80% of participants in his poll supported the idea (vedomosti.ru).
Russia hopes for the resumption of direct flights to the U.S.
Amid no significant results in the Ukraine talks involving U.S. representatives, apart from the exchange of prisoners, Moscow intends to get a more concrete response from Washington on proposals to resume direct flights between the two countries at the upcoming third round of Russian-American consultations, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov stated. According to him, the agenda for the talks includes a wide range of issues, some complex and others less so. “There are essentially no easy issues in relations with the U.S.,” Ryabkov noted. “The visa regime, for example, is easier to resolve than the resumption of direct air links.” (ria.ru)