What happened during the week from June 29 to July 5. The main thing

Within a week, Russian troops liberated Konstantinovka, and also established control over several settlements in the Kharkiv, Donetsk and Zaporizhia regions. Ukraine has launched massive attacks by UAVs and missiles on Russian regions. The body of missing 12-year-old Milana has been found in the Leningrad Region, and a previously convicted man has been detained on suspicion of murder. A farewell ceremony for spiritual leader Ali Khamenei was held in Iran. The ISU has allowed Russian athletes to participate in international tournaments in a neutral status. All the details are in the Izvestia article.

Statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a long interview in which he stated that negotiating contacts on Ukraine are continuing and new proposals are being received. He warned that if Russia agrees to limit the conduct of hostilities to only four regions, this will allow the Armed Forces of Ukraine to transfer troops from other regions. Putin also said that Moscow has information that Kiev and Western countries were initially not going to implement the Minsk agreements. Russia is ready to continue negotiations and is awaiting the arrival of representatives of the US administration.

Putin held a meeting with permanent members of the Russian Security Council to discuss issues of socio-economic development of the Kaliningrad Region and foreign policy. The President met with the Commissioner for Human Rights, Yana Lantratova. The Ombudsman reported that 550 prisoners of war had been returned home in a month of work, and also reported on the UN response to her appeal regarding the terrorist attack in Starobilsk.

The head of state also met with the head of the Kursk region, Alexander Khinstein, who reported on the growth of economic indicators, the launch of the first power unit of a new nuclear power plant and large-scale support for the affected border areas. In addition, Putin held a telephone conversation with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, discussing the implementation of bilateral projects in the trade, economic and energy fields.

Liberation of Konstantinovka and promotion of the Russian Armed Forces

Konstantinovka has completely come under the control of the Russian Armed Forces. On July 3, Putin stressed that the capture of the settlement was an important stage in the liquidation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kramatorsk-Slavyansk fortified area. The first Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Colonel-General Sergei Rudskoy, said that the liberated Konstantinovka is the key to Kiev's last stronghold in the Donbas. Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov said that Russian military personnel are also completing the liberation of Krasny Liman, and the advance groups of the Dnepr group of forces are located 9 km from the outskirts of Zaporizhia.

Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, called the liberation of Konstantinovka "an obvious success of our soldiers" and "an important stage in the final liberation of Donbass." The Russian Defense Ministry has proposed to Ukraine to temporarily stop the shelling of Konstantinovka in order to carry out a humanitarian action to transfer the bodies of the dead. However, Kiev rejected the proposed cease-fire.

The liberated settlements are: Malinovka, Vasilevka in the DPR; Shyikovka, Novy Mir, Cherneshchyna, Druzhladovka in the Kharkiv region; Lesnoye, Rovnoye in the Zaporizhia region; Bogodarovka, Aleksandrovka in the Dnipropetrovsk region; Kopani in the Zaporizhia region; Ukrainskoye in the Kharkiv region; Piskunovka in the DPR.

Attacks on AFU facilities: strikes were carried out on the Kanzerovka oil depot in the Zaporizhia region, the Skvortsovskaya integrated gas treatment plant in the Kharkiv region, the Megasklad logistics center in Kharkiv, fuel, energy and transport infrastructure facilities, production and storage sites for drones, temporary deployment points in 142-148 districts.

Ukrainian Armed Forces losses: 3,871 drones, 10 Flamingo cruise missiles, nine HIMARS rockets, and 16 guided aerial bombs were shot down during the week. The Black Sea Fleet destroyed 10 unmanned boats.

Massive attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the civilian population

Over the past week, Ukraine has launched massive attacks on Russian regions. On the night of July 4, more than 200 UAVs flew towards Moscow, 62 of them were destroyed on approach to the capital. In total, 419 drones were shot down over the territory of Russia overnight. In the Moscow region, in Yegoryevsk, the fall of a drone led to the ignition of a private house, and people were trapped under the rubble. A six-month-old baby died on the way to the hospital. In Dubna, an administrative building and a private house were damaged.

In the Bryansk region, in the village of Chaikovichi in the Bezhitsky district of Bryansk, a civilian was killed, two were injured, and one house was completely destroyed as a result of a drone attack. In the Belgorod region, a drone attacked a car in Urazovo — the driver was killed on the spot, three were injured. A civilian was killed in Belgorod as a result of rocket fire. In the Tver region, UAV debris hit a country house in the Kimry district, a fire broke out, and a 61-year-old woman died.

In the Kursk region, four people were injured in a drone attack in Rylsk, and the car of the Rylsky district administration hit a mine. In the Zaporizhia region, a strike on a market in Tokmak claimed the lives of five people, and 18 others were injured. In the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), three people were killed and 13 injured as a result of strikes. Two people were injured in the attack in Penza.

A Ukrainian drone attacked a tourist bus en route Minsk – Gomel – Anapa in the Bryansk region. The Investigative Committee of Russia has opened a criminal case under the article on the terrorist attack. Two drivers and a passenger were injured in the attack. All of them were evacuated to the Gomel region, and six more Russians were placed in a temporary accommodation facility. Russian Ambassador to Belarus Boris Gryzlov said that the strike indicates Kiev's targeted attacks on Belarusian citizens. Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry Rodion Miroshnik also expressed the opinion that the Ukrainian side is deliberately tracking down the Belarusian transport, trying to provoke Minsk.

Iran says goodbye to Ali Khamenei

In Iran, thousands of people took to the streets of Tehran to say goodbye to spiritual leader Ali Khamenei. The ceremony began with a prayer, and the coffin was placed on a pedestal in a glass enclosure. A press center for 900 journalists has been set up on the territory of the mosque.

Increased security measures are in place in Iran — the skies are closed, airports do not accept flights. The head of the press center of the funeral headquarters, Mostafa Harizivi, noted that Russia, Iran and China have established close relations, unlike the United States, which is trying to destroy them with sanctions.

The terrorist attack in Monaco

On the evening of June 29, an explosion occurred at the entrance to an apartment building in Monaco, as a result of which three people were injured. Minister of State Christophe Mirman called it the first terrorist attack in the history of the principality, Prince Albert II condemned the incident. The explosive device was filled with bolts and metal pellets.

The victims were Ukrainian businessman Vadim Ermolaev (founder of the Alef Corporation), his 13-year-old son and companion Anna Nasobina. Ermolaev suffered burns and shrapnel wounds, and his condition has stabilized. A bump partially tore off her legs, she was amputated, and her life is in danger. The entrepreneur's wife was in another place at the time of the explosion and was not injured.

According to media reports, the explosive device was left by a Ukrainian woman who fled to France, and then, according to investigators, could have fled to Italy. A red interception plan has been announced in the principality. The Attorney General of Monaco said that it was an attempt on life, not a terrorist attack, but the final qualification would be determined during the investigation.

According to French intelligence, Ermolaev planned to make a speech in the European Parliament exposing corruption in Ukraine. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova blamed Monaco, saying it was involved in "raising a bloody monster" from the Kiev regime. Ukrainian media linked the explosion to the activities of call centers in Dnepropetrovsk.

Nabiullina's statements at the Central Bank's Financial Congress

The head of the Bank of Russia (CBR), Elvira Nabiullina, said at the Fincongress that the regulator is fully ready for the mass introduction of the digital ruble from September 1. According to her, systemically important banks and large trading companies are technically ready to work with the new form of national currency, and the Central Bank is also discussing with banks the opening of digital ruble wallets on their balance sheets.

Nabiullina noted that the Central Bank considers the situation on the fuel market to be temporary and will assess its impact on inflation by the July meeting. In addition, the regulator does not observe excessive growth of citizens' savings, does not see signs of "hypothermia" of the economy and systemic risks to the financial market.

ISU allowed Russian athletes to participate in tournaments in a neutral status

The International Skating Union has decided to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international competitions in a neutral status from the 2026/27 season. Admission applies to personal and team disciplines.

Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev said that this decision indicates the expansion of the practice of returning Russian athletes to the international arena. Honored Coach Tatiana Tarasova expressed outrage at the neutral status, but called the decision an important event.