What happened during the week from 22 to 28 June. The main thing

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced his resignation. A powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake has occurred in Venezuela. The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) continued to strike civilian targets in Russia. All the details and other main events of the week are in the Izvestia digest.

Resignation of British Prime Minister Starmer

Starmer announced during a speech at Downing Street on June 22 that he would step down as leader of the ruling Labour Party. He said that he had informed King Charles III of his decision. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on the same day that Starmer had not proven himself in any way in terms of Russian-British relations, and also expressed doubt that the situation would change after Starmer.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, in turn, said on June 25 that Russia does not expect positive developments in bilateral relations with the UK in connection with Starmer's impending resignation. Sky News channel noted that Starmer and his possible successor, MP and former Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, held secret talks. Later, on June 28, the British newspaper The Observer reported that Starmer intends to take over the post of Secretary General of NATO after resigning as Prime Minister of Great Britain.

Powerful earthquake in Venezuela

Powerful earthquakes occurred in Venezuela on June 24. The magnitude of the natural disaster reached 7.5. The earthquake was the strongest in the country since 1900. According to the latest data, as a result of a series of powerful earthquakes, the death toll has exceeded 1,400 people, and search and rescue operations are still ongoing. Zakharova said on June 25 that Russia is currently considering the possibility of providing humanitarian assistance to Venezuela after the earthquake. The European Union (EU), in turn, allocated €5 million for emergency assistance to the republic.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), a member of the United Nations, said on June 27 that the earthquake in Venezuela could affect up to 6.7 million people. According to the Russian Embassy in Caracas, three Russian citizens were injured in the earthquake. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his condolences to the authorized President of the Republic, Delcy Rodriguez, in connection with the incident, and she, in turn, thanked him for expressing solidarity with her people.

Russia's special operation in Ukraine

The Russian army continued to conduct a special military operation in Ukraine. So, over the past week, Russian units have liberated four settlements in the SVR zone: Ivolzhanskoe in the Sumy region, Novoskelevatoe and Pisantsy in the Dnipropetrovsk region, as well as Novoselovka in the Zaporizhia region. In addition, the Russian Army continued its successful offensive in Konstantinovka and Krasny Liman in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). So, from June 20 to June 26, 763 buildings in Konstantinovka and 327 houses in Krasny Liman were taken under control in Konstantinovka.

On June 27, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that the Russian military had destroyed two MiG-29 fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) at the Voznesensk airfield in the Mykolaiv region, and the Ukrainian Air Force, in turn, confirmed the elimination of another MiG-29 fighter. In addition, on June 26, the Russian aerospace forces attacked the control points of the Ukrainian Armed Forces drones in the DPR and Sumy region, as well as the temporary deployment point of the Ukrainian Marines in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

The congress of the United Russia Party was held in Moscow

The pre-election congress of the United Russia party was held in Moscow on June 28, at which the president spoke. Putin called on election candidates to "sit less in offices and messengers" and go out "into the field" more often and communicate with people. He also noted that the upcoming elections of deputies of the State Duma will be an important stage for strengthening Russia, its socio-political stability and civil society institutions. The Head of State called the current period "difficult, one might say fateful for the country." According to him, the world is going through a period of fundamental, systemic transformation.

The Russian leader drew attention to the fact that many representatives of the United Russia party, who hold high positions in government and business, volunteered for the front, and he called the fighters of the SVR the true elite of Russia. The leader of the United Russia Party and Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev, in turn, listed the top five of the federal list of political associations for the State Duma elections, which included Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Sobyanin, military commander Evgeny Poddubny, children's Ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova and Chief of Staff of the Unarmia Vladislav Golovin.

Apple has deleted VK apps

Apple has unilaterally and without warning removed VK apps from the App Store. Now they are unavailable for download and update, and users do not receive push notifications. After Apple's actions, Peskov questioned the reliability of the company. The Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation, in turn, called the removal of VK applications a politically motivated decision. On June 27, Mikhail Sheremet, a State Duma deputy from the Republic of Crimea and a member of the security committee, noted the need to take retaliatory measures against Apple due to the removal of Russian VK applications, and Zakharova called the blocking another cynical act of political censorship.

Record heat wave in Europe

Temperature records continue to break in European countries. According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.3 thousand premature deaths have occurred in the region due to the heat. On June 28, the absolute temperature maximum in the entire history of meteorological observations was recorded in the Czech Republic: the thermometer exceeded 41 degrees Celsius for the first time. On the eve of the new record was recorded in Germany, as well as in Denmark. In Paris, all morgues at funeral homes are overcrowded due to a sharp increase in the number of deaths due to the heat wave, the BMFTV TV channel reported.

The Guardian newspaper, in turn, drew attention to the fact that snow and ice on Swiss glaciers are melting at an increasing rate amid the intense heat in Europe. At the same time, residents of French cities temporarily move to air-conditioned hotels due to the intense heat. Hungary also faced heat: due to extreme temperatures, the capacity of the country's only nuclear power plant Paks was temporarily reduced.

Ukrainian Armed Forces attacks on Russian regions

Last week, the Ukrainian army continued to hit civilian targets in Russia. So, the mayor of Gorlovka, Ivan Prikhodko, reported on June 22 that 12 people were injured in a drone strike on a civilian bus in the city, later their number increased to 18. The governor of the Rostov region, Yuri Slyusar, in turn, announced on June 27 that the drone of the Armed Forces of Ukraine had hit the Sambek Heights museum. It was noted that there was no detonation or fire. Later, the head of the region said that 11 people were injured in the attack. Later, the number of victims increased to 12. In addition, on June 22, the Ukrainian army attacked Voronezh. Due to the impact, the production facilities of one of the enterprises and apartment buildings were damaged. It was later reported that six people were killed as a result of a rocket attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Investigative Committee of Russia has opened a criminal case.