Moscow Calling – June 12
Ukrainian renegade MP calls on Putin to recognize Zelenskyy as a terrorist
Fugitive Verkhovna Rada deputy Artem Dmytruk said on a YouTube channel that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his associates should be recognized as terrorists. According to RIA Novosti, the state news agency, Dmytruk appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of other countries, asking them to classify the actions of the Ukrainian authorities as terrorism. He stressed that “extreme measures” against the Ukrainian leader must be taken immediately to “stop the spread of terrorism.” Elected to the Verkhovna Rada from the Servant of the People party, later an opposition figure, Artem Dmytruk is, according to the latest information, in the UK, under house arrest in London, as the extradition process at Ukraine’s request continues there. Dmytruk himself has also applied for political asylum and claims that the criminal cases against him in Ukraine are politically motivated (ria.ru).
Litvinenko: tech advance needed for Russia to return to the world’s top table
Russia has powerful resource potential, but its outdated model of raw material exports does not meet the challenges of the times, Vladimir Litvinenko, a Russian academic and businessman, said in an article published by RIA Novosti. According to him, the country is seeking to return to the circle of world technological leaders, and this requires a complete overhaul of its economic, scientific and educational strategy. The author compares Russia’s approach with that of China, where innovation is built into the industrial system. According to him, the key to development is the integration of science, education, and production, especially in engineering universities. This is the only way to ensure technological sovereignty, Litvinenko believes (ria.ru).
Head of Roscosmos: Russia to build nuclear power plant on the moon
Russia plans to build a nuclear power plant on the moon, Dmitry Bakanov, the head of Roscosmos, said in his congratulatory message on Russia Day. According to him, the lunar nuclear power plant will become a base for future settlements on Earth’s satellite. The corporation also intends to expand its orbital group to cover the entire territory of Russia. Bakanov emphasized that the country will have to solve problems that require “genius engineering.” Earlier, Russia announced an initiative to reach an exoplanet similar to Earth, but the details of the project remain undisclosed (lenta.ru).
Moscow expects Kazakhstan to uphold its commitments to the CSTO
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova commented on Kazakhstan’s signing of a military cooperation plan with the UK. She stressed that Moscow has no doubt about Kazakhstan’s intention to fulfill its allied obligations within the CSTO and participate in ensuring regional security. However, Zakharova noted that participation in the CSTO requires caution and vigilance in contacts with NATO. She also recalled the recent meeting of the CSTO Council of Defense Ministers in Bishkek, “which resulted in the signing of a number of important documents aimed at further deepening military cooperation within the organization.” According to Zakharova, Russia does not comment on bilateral relations between other states. Earlier, Kazakhstan and the UK signed a military cooperation plan for 2025-2026 (EADaily).
Russia discusses lowering the age of criminal liability to 14
Deputy Head of the Russian Ministry of Justice Elena Ardabyeva said that the Legislative Commission is considering an initiative to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 14 for certain crimes. The proposal came from the Prosecutor General’s Office and concerns amendments to Article 20 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Ardabyeva noted that criminal responsibility from the age of 14 is already provided for serious crimes, including murder, rape, and theft. The new proposal aims to expand this list. No decision has been made yet, and the proposal is still under discussion (vedomosti.ru).