Moscow Calling – July 7
Lavrov: Ukraine has lost its right to territorial integrity
In an interview with the Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the principle of territorial integrity does not apply to Ukraine because, according to him, the Kyiv regime does not represent the interests of the Russian-speaking population and pursues a Russophobic policy, RIA Novosti reports. Lavrov stressed that Crimea and other new regions voluntarily joined Russia, exercising their right to self-determination. He also expressed Moscow’s readiness for negotiations, but only to establish a lasting peace, not a temporary truce. Lavrov demanded recognition of the new regions, the lifting of sanctions, and the demilitarization of Ukraine. He criticized the EU for becoming an appendix of NATO and noted Russia’s positive relations with Hungary, despite pressure from Brussels (ria.ru).
Elena Karaeva: Macron will be removed for stripping the presidency of its dignity
Russian journalist and columnist Elena Karaeva, who previously worked in Western countries for 20 years but began to sharply criticize Western positions after leaving Euronews, writes in an article for RIA Novosti that the rumors of Macron’s political demise, whispered behind the scenes and cautiously written about in the loyal press, became a reality long before the end of his term. According to her, Macron’s weakening is not so much related to the economy or the migration crisis as to the reputation scandal surrounding his wife. Karaeva notes that rumors about Brigitte Macron’s transgender identity reached a global level after statements by American journalist Candace Owens. Allegedly, Macron himself asked Donald Trump to influence her, which in the eyes of the French elite was seen as a sign of weakness and humiliation, the author notes. According to Karaeva, the former favorite of the globalists proved incapable of maintaining the dignity of power. The “Macron project” has been deemed unviable, and the scenario for his removal has already been set in motion. The main criticism is not political failure, but the loss of respect for the presidential institution, writes Karaeva (ria.ru).
Khodaryonok denies Bild’s forecast of Ukraine without air defense as exaggerated
The newspaper Bild predicts the rapid collapse of Ukraine’s air defense due to the suspension of U.S. supplies, but this scenario is exaggerated, Mikhail Khodaryonok, a military commentator for Gazeta.ru, writes. According to him, the lack of 30 missiles for the Patriot air defense system is a serious but not catastrophic factor: this is only enough for a few combat launches. At the same time, Khodaryonok claims that the Patriot system plays a limited role in repelling current air attacks, which are dominated by Geran-2 drones. According to him, more than 2,000 missiles and 20–24 air defense systems are needed for the effective defense of Kyiv, while there are currently fewer than five combat-ready systems in the country. Bild’s assumption about the possible withdrawal of medium- and short-range mobile air defense systems from Kyiv is considered unrealistic by experts, according to the author. Suspending deliveries reduces the combat capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but the U.S. is unlikely to allow their strategic defeat, the article notes (Gazeta.ru).
Russian IT experts: Ukrainian cyberattacks are increasingly coming from Russian addresses
Ukrainian hackers are actively carrying out DDoS attacks on Russian companies, using infrastructure within the Russian Federation to bypass geolocation protection, writes Gazeta.Ru. According to Mikhail Khlebunov (Servicepipe), up to 80% of DDoS traffic in 2025 came from Russian IP addresses, and in 2024, about 60%. Alexey Semenychev from Garda and Artem Artamonov from StormWall confirm the scale of the attack — more than 5.5 million incidents in six months, accounting for about 30% of traffic. The article notes that the scheme is simple: Ukrainian hackers rent Russian VPS/VDS servers with fake data and launch attacks, bypassing filters. The problem has been confirmed by major Russian banks. Despite differing assessments, experts agree that the trend of attacks originating from within Russia is only intensifying, the article emphasizes (Gazeta.ru).