[BBC] When Leo Hare moved to Russia from Texas in late 2023, after being granted asylum, he was convinced he was building a better future for his family.
The father of three threw himself into his new life: sampling dumplings, milking goats on a farm and filming videos about life in Russia for his online followers.
Leo is a devout Christian who had become increasingly disillusioned with everything from political division in the US, to genetically modified food and what he sees as the rise of the LGBTQ movement.
At the time, he believed Russia offered an attractive alternative: a society built on Christian faith and family values – a view heavily promoted by the Russian state.
But over time he has also become increasingly concerned about elements such as restrictions on access to information.
He is part of an unlikely migration. As Russia faces international isolation, a few thousand people from countries including Canada, Britain, the United States and parts of Europe are choosing to move there.
Their view of Russia differs sharply from the one many in the West might be familiar with: a country that invaded Ukraine and occupies large parts of it, jails political opponents, places heavy restrictions on civil liberties and faces a raft of international sanctions.
Many of the would-be migrants are attracted by Russia's Shared Values visa, sometimes called the "anti-woke" visa, which was introduced a month after Leo was granted asylum.
Introduced by President Vladimir Putin in 2024, the visa offers temporary residency for up to three years to citizens of 47 countries Russia considers "unfriendly".
There is no limit to the number of people who can apply and applicants do not need to pass the usual Russian language, history or law tests.
Instead, they must declare that they share Russia's traditional spiritual and moral values and reject what the Russian government describes as the "destructive neoliberal ideology" of their home countries.
After three years, those on the Shared Values visa must either convert it into a Permanent Residence Permit (PRP) or leave the country. The PRP requires people to sit a language and history exam and more thorough documentation.
Unlike some immigration programmes, the Shared Values visa does not come with housing or financial assistance from the Russian government.
Applicants must pay an administrative fee of 1,600 roubles (£17 or $22) and pass medical and criminal records checks.
Russia says nearly 3,400 people have applied under the scheme as of spring 2026. However, these figures are difficult to verify independently, and do not reveal how many applications were approved.
The visa reflects a broader effort by the Kremlin to present Russia as a defender of traditional values in opposition to what it sees as the moral decline of the West.
In a 2022 decree, Putin warned that Western ideological influence threatened Russian values including marriage and the traditional family and called for Russia to promote a more positive image of itself abroad.
Two years later, the Shared Values visa offered a practical expression of that vision.
An online ecosystem of relocation agencies and influencers promote Russia as a place where family values remain strong and everyday life feels safer.
Ilja Belobragin, general managing partner at Move To Russia, a company which helps foreigners relocate to Russia, says something he frequently hears from his clients is that they "don't recognise the community around me anymore".
Some prospective migrants complain about high immigration in their own countries or what they see as declining living standards, he says.
Russia's war in Ukraine, which has dominated international perceptions of the country since 2022, does not appear to be a decisive factor for many of those making the move.
Philip Hutchinson, a Moscow-based former Conservative Party candidate from the UK who now helps other Westerners relocate to Russia, says he avoids discussing the war.
"What are my thoughts on it? Look, I don't really get involved in that," he says. "I'm not here as a politician. I'm here to live a nice quiet life with my family."
When asked whether helping Westerners relocate to Russia under the Shared Values visa is itself a political act, Philip disagrees.
"We guide a lot of people towards the Shared Values visa because it's the easiest way to become a full resident here right now. It's not political helping people move to Russia."
Following their move to Russia, Leo's family became one of the most visible examples of Western migration.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[UA.KORRESPONDENT.NET] 18.20 An unmanned emergency mode has been declared in the Moscow region. This was reported on Saturday, June 27, by the press service of the regional system for the prevention and elimination of emergencies. Moscow emergency services are urging local residents to take shelter and are warning of possible disruptions in the mobile Internet.
17.55 Russian artists continue to cancel summer tours in Crimea. This is reported by Crimea.Realii, analyzing reports from Russian media. In particular, comedian Vladimir Vinokur has canceled tours, the tour of the Todes ballet is in question, concerts of the rock band Radio Tapok, and tours of two theaters have been canceled.
17.05 Two Georgian volunteers died defending Ukraine from Russian aggression. A Georgian publication reports that one of the deceased is Igor Bekurashvili, the other is Georgy Damenia, who lived in Ukraine for several years.
14.35 Seven Ukrainian civilians who were illegally held in captivity in Russia for years have returned home, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets announced.
"Ukrainians aged 35 to 66 returned to their native land. All of them were illegally detained by the Russians in 2022 during the occupation of Mariupol, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk regions. As for the Kyiv region, this is the Buchansky district, where the occupiers committed atrocities in 2022," the ombudsman emphasized.
Lubinets noted that one of the Ukrainians was kidnapped by the Russians from his own home simply because his sons serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Another Ukrainian was kidnapped on his way to work on the day of the Russian invasion.
"Among those released is also a volunteer who joined Angela Tyra's brigade in Mariupol in 2022. Tyra, whom we managed to return home earlier, was detained with him that very day," the ombudsman said.
14.17 On the night of June 27, a MiG-29 fighter jet was lost while performing a combat mission in the Poltava region, and the pilot successfully ejected. The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this.
"We confirm the loss of the aircraft, however, the Ukrainian pilot successfully ejected, contacted the search and rescue team, and was promptly transported to a medical facility for examination and necessary assistance," the message says.
The reasons and circumstances are being investigated.
13.48 On June 26 and the night of the 27th, 24 fires of various kinds were registered in the Mykolaiv region, one of which arose as a result of hostilities.
In the Kutsurubska community, a field of wheat and dry grass caught fire due to an enemy strike. The fire covered an area of 10 hectares. Rescuers extinguished the fire. There were no injuries.
13.37 Russian troops have used about 1,400 strike drones, almost 1,500 guided bombs, and 19 missiles of various types, including ballistic missiles, in Ukraine over the past week, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
"This week, 15 of our regions have been under Russian attacks. Almost daily shelling of Kherson, Zaporizhia, Kharkiv, and Sumy. The Russians are using various types of weapons to attack people, ordinary residential buildings, and our civilian infrastructure. Unfortunately, there are victims of this terror almost every day. And the threat of these Russian attacks remains constant. During the week alone, there were about 1,400 strike drones, almost 1,500 guided aerial bombs, and 19 missiles of various types, including ballistic ones," the head of state noted.
Zelensky stressed that strong steps are needed that will force Russia to move towards ending the war.
12.25 Ukrainian Defense Forces hit the Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile and gun complex in Feodosia and the Petropavlovsk car ferry in the Kerch region in temporarily occupied Crimea. The ferry is used to provide military logistics for the Russian army in the southern regions of Ukraine. The results of the hit are being clarified.
In addition, Russian control points in the Lyman Pershoy area of the Kharkiv region and Leninsky in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation were hit, as well as two UAV control points in Luhovy and Kamyansky in the Zaporizhia region.
Also, units of the missile forces and artillery of the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck the Titan-Barricades enterprise in Volgograd, which specializes in the production of artillery systems, special equipment, and weapons.
A hit to an object was recorded, followed by a fire on the territory of the enterprise. The extent of the damage and the results of the damage are being clarified.
This is a full-cycle enterprise (from design to serial production) that produces self-propelled launchers and transport-loading vehicles (TGMs) for the Iskander-M operational-tactical missile complex.
The enterprise produces launchers and ground units for the Topol-M and Yars strategic missile systems, as well as large-caliber artillery howitzers (Msta-B/Msta-S).
11.58 For the second time in June, the security service struck the Russian Vtorovo oil pumping station, which supplies fuel to Moscow.
"Fulfilling the tasks set by President Volodymyr Zelensky within the framework of a 40-day operation to influence the Russian Federation, Alpha soldiers of the SBU carried out successful strikes on the Vtorovo linear production and dispatching station in the Vladimir region of the Russian Federation," the SBU said in a statement.
This station is part of Transneft-Upper Volga and is a key logistics hub for pumping light petroleum products to export ports and domestic consumers. It transports diesel fuel to the Moscow Ring Oil Products Pipeline, and from there to large oil depots around Moscow. The station also ensures the supply of petroleum products for export via the ports of the Baltic Sea.
According to preliminary information, SBU drones hit the technical buildings of the facility, after which a detonation occurred.
11.11 On the night of June 27, FP-5 Flamingo missiles successfully hit the Titan-Barricades enterprise in Volgograd, Russia. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced this on Facebook and showed the moment the missiles were launched.
"Tonight, FP-5 Flamingo missiles successfully hit the Titan-Barricades enterprise in Volgograd. This is a large industrial complex where the enemy manufactures artillery systems and special military equipment, including elements of rocket launchers for strikes on our people. A hit was recorded with a subsequent fire on the territory of the plant. I thank the soldiers of our Defense Forces for their accuracy," the head of state wrote.
Zelensky noted that the geography of Ukrainian long-range sanctions is constantly expanding.
"And it is our pressure that lays the foundation every day for a decent peace to finally come," the president emphasized.
11:00 On the morning of June 27, a Russian drone hit an enterprise in the Chernihiv region, damaging warehouse and utility buildings. This was reported by the head of the OVA Vyacheslav Chaus on Telegram.
"In the evening, a 57-year-old civilian man was injured in Semenivka as a result of a strike by an FPV drone. He was hospitalized. A car was also damaged. This morning, a UAV struck an enterprise - warehouse and utility buildings were damaged," he wrote.
Chaus also said that yesterday morning the enemy attacked a Gerbera farm in the village of Horodna community. The roof caught fire. In Horodna itself, there were strikes late in the evening on one of the enterprises. A fire broke out at the site of the strike. A truck was damaged.
A truck was damaged in a drone strike in the village of Novgorod-Siverskyi community in the evening. In another village, a grain barn and a local shop were damaged - the strike took place this morning.
"Again, there were a lot of FPV drones in the border area. In total, there were 47 attacks per day," the head of the OVA noted.
10.45 On the night of June 27, Russian troops carried out a massive drone attack on one of the districts of Sumy region, resulting in 10 people being injured. This was reported by the head of the OVA, Oleg Grigorov, on Telegram.
"At night, Russian drones carried out a massive strike on the Okhtyrsky district. In the city and nearby communities, there are hits on private homes, as well as on the territory of gas stations," he wrote.
According to the military, the Russians used a large number of drones. Some of the drones flew at low altitudes, which made them difficult to detect and shoot down.
The head of the OVA reported that a 53-year-old resident of the Kyrykivska community received serious injuries. The woman was hospitalized with burns, she is currently in serious condition. Nine more people sought medical help. They were provided with the necessary assistance on the spot.
10.23 In Zaporizhia, the number of people injured as a result of Russian air strikes on the night of June 27 has increased to nine people, including two children.
The Russian attack caused extensive damage to the city's civilian infrastructure. In particular, a residential high-rise building was partially destroyed. Emergency workers rescued two people from the rubble.
Another airstrike hit the school grounds. Nearby high-rise buildings, private property, and cars were also damaged.
09.50 On the night of June 27, Russian military attacked gas stations in Zaporizhia and Kharkiv regions.
In Zaporizhia, a gas tank and an administrative building caught fire as a result of the strike. There were no fatalities or injuries. Rescuers quickly extinguished the fire.
In the Kharkiv region, two gas stations in the Solonytsivska community of the Kharkiv district were under attack. On the territory of one of the gas stations, a building was destroyed as a result of the strike and a fire broke out on an area of 400 sq. m., 10 pieces of equipment were damaged.
At another address, an enemy strike damaged the building of an operator's gas station. There were no casualties.
09.32 The Ukrainian Navy destroyed a boat that was trying to provide logistical support to the Russian invaders on the Tendri Spit.
09.11 On the night of June 27, Russia attacked Ukraine with 129 Shahed, Gerbera, Italmas attack UAVs and Parodia simulator drones. Air defense forces neutralized 113 drones.
Air defenses shot down/suppressed 113 enemy Shahed, Gerbera, Italmas and other types of drones in the north, south and east of the country. 13 strike UAVs were hit at seven locations, as well as the fall of downed ones (fragments) at three locations.
08.47 On the night of June 27, FP-5 Flamingo missiles hit one of the key enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex in Volgograd. This was reported by Serhiy Sternenko, an advisor to the Minister of Defense of Ukraine on increasing the effectiveness of the use of drones at the front, on Telegram.
According to him, the Federal Scientific and Production Center Titan-Barricades produces, in particular, launchers for the Yars and Topol-M strategic missile systems, launchers for the Iskander-M OTRK, artillery pieces and barrels for the Msta-S self-propelled guns.
Previously, three facilities on the plant's territory were affected: workshop No. 2, the production building of workshop No. 38, as well as a workshop of unknown purpose.
08.25 Over the past 24 hours, 256 combat clashes took place on the front. The largest number of assault actions was recorded in the Pokrovsky direction - 31.
07.26 From February 24, 2022 to June 27, 2026, the total combat losses of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine amounted to approximately 1,399,720 people (+1,350 per day).
04.30 Explosions were heard in Volgograd, Russia, amid a declared missile threat. Local residents filmed missile flights, which OSINTers identified as Ukrainian Flamingo missiles. According to preliminary data, the target of the attack was the Titan-Barricade plant, which is engaged in heavy engineering, the production of artillery systems, special equipment and weapons. At least two missiles were recorded hitting.
01.18 A Russian UAV hit a private house in the Sumy district on Friday evening. The owner of the house was killed.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[NEWS-FRONT.SU] 19:49 On frames: objective control of the combat work of the drone operators of the Northern Group, who destroyed several Ukrainian Armed Forces vehicles. 18:50 Russian troops continue to advance in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
18:39 On frames: FPV drone operators destroy two Ukrainian Armed Forces' nuclear missile systems (NRTK) using objective control.
17:49 A powerful strike hit a fuel and energy complex enterprise in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Russian troops continue to apply precise strikes against Ukrainian fuel and energy complex facilities, reducing the enemy's military and economic potential.
17:01 A Molniya-2 crew from the NBC protection unit of the 18th Motorized Rifle Division of the Sever group destroyed Ukrainian Armed Forces fortifications in the Khar'kov region.
Operators of attack UAVs of the Vostok group inflicted strikes on enemy strongholds in the Zaporizhzhia region.
A drone crew from the Dnipro group destroyed an enemy Bogdana self-propelled howitzer in the Kherson region.
Drone operators from the Ulyanovsk paratroopers disrupted the rotation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Zaporizhzhia region.
FPV drone operators from the 7th separate battalion of the Zapad group destroyed enemy wheeled vehicles in the Khar'kov direction.
Drone crews from the Center group struck positions, equipment, and personnel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Dobropillya direction.
15:09 On frames: objective control of the combat work of FPV drone operators of the 128th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 44th Army Corps of the Guards "North", who struck an ATV with Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel.
14:47 UAV operators destroyed combat aircraft and ground support equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
14:06 On frames: objective control of the combat work of artillerymen and FPV drone operators of the 71st Guards Motorized Rifle Division of the Guards "North", who burned an American armored personnel carrier of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with a series of targeted strikes.
12:20 Summary of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the special military operation as of June 27, 2026
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to conduct a special military operation.
Units of the "North" force group improved their tactical position. They defeated the personnel and equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' mechanized brigade and the territorial defense brigade near the villages of Tolstodubovo, Khotyn, and Bachevsk in Sumy Oblast.
In the Khar'kov region, the formations of the mechanized and motorized infantry brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the territorial defense brigade were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Bely Kolodez, Prikolotnoye, Kazachya Lopan and Sosnovy Bor in the Khar'kov region.
The enemy lost over 205 servicemen, a US-made M113 armored personnel carrier, a Novator combat armored vehicle, 14 vehicles, a field artillery gun, two electronic warfare stations, and an Israeli-made RADA counter-battery station.
Units of the "West" force group occupied more advantageous positions and lines. They defeated the personnel and equipment of the mechanized brigade, the security brigade of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the naval infantry brigade, and the territorial defense brigade near the settlements of Smorodkovka, Chervony Oskol, Podliman, Nizhnyaya Zhuravka, and Novoserhiivka in the Khar'kov region and Mayaki in the Donetsk People's Republic.
In the village of Krasny Liman, assault detachments of the 25th Army continue to advance westward and destroy Ukrainian Armed Forces formations.
Units of the 67th Motorized Rifle Division, fighting in the northwestern part of the city, captured five strongholds and seized 57 buildings.
To isolate the combat zone on the western outskirts of the village of Krasny Liman, Russian Aerospace Forces crews launched a strike with FAB-500 aerial bombs against militants from the 60th Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces who were attempting to flee the city to the Blue Lakes recreation center. Up to 30 Ukrainian servicemen were killed.
Over the course of the day, the enemy lost up to 40 militants. Three vehicles, four robotic systems, nine drone control centers, and an ammunition depot were destroyed.
In total, in the area of responsibility of the West group of forces, the enemy lost more than 220 servicemen, a Turkish-made Kirpi armored vehicle, 17 vehicles, two field artillery pieces, and three electronic warfare stations.
Units of the Southern Group of Forces improved their position along the forward edge. They defeated the personnel and equipment of three mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a naval infantry brigade, and a territorial defense brigade near the settlements of Druzhkovka, Nikolaevka, Malinovka, Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, Piskunovka, and Vasyutinskoye in the Donetsk People's Republic.
In the village of Konstantinovka, assault units of the Southern Group of Forces are conducting active offensive operations in all directions. Clearing and eliminating scattered enemy groups in the southwestern part of the village continues.
Over the past 24 hours, 70 buildings have been liberated. Up to 90 Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel, two self-propelled artillery units, 16 vehicles, 21 ground-based robotic systems, and an electronic warfare station have been destroyed.
In total, in the area of responsibility of the Southern Group of Forces, the enemy lost more than 200 servicemen, two combat armored vehicles, 18 cars, three field artillery guns and an electronic warfare station.
Units of the Center Group of Forces improved their tactical position. They defeated the personnel and equipment of the mechanized and airborne assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a naval infantry brigade, and two National Guard brigades near the settlements of Novohryhorivka in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and Krasnoyarskoye, Svetloye, Gruzskoye, Annovka, and Belitskoye in the Donetsk People's Republic.
The Ukrainian armed forces lost over 305 servicemen, a Bucephalus armored personnel carrier, seven armored combat vehicles, four cars, two field artillery pieces, and two electronic warfare stations.
Units of the "East" military group advanced deep into enemy defenses and liberated the village of Novoskelevatoe in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
They inflicted losses on the manpower and equipment of a mechanized unit, three airborne assault brigades, two assault brigades, an assault regiment, a regiment of unmanned systems of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and a naval infantry brigade in the areas of the populated areas of Gavrilovka, Aleksandrovka, and Velikomykhailivka in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, and Novosoloshino, Yegorovka, Babashi, Lyubitske, Nikolskoye, and Lesnoye in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
11:56 FPV drone operators of the unmanned systems forces of the 25th Combined Arms Army of the West group destroyed dugout of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
10:14 Calculation of the Geran-2 Seeker UAV inflicted a strike on a 330 kV substation in Konotop, Sumy Oblast, knocked out power to several industrial facilities operating for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
10:00 Drone operators of the 6th Motorized Rifle Division and the artillerymen of the 3rd Army Corps destroyed a camouflaged Leopard tank, – the manpower of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
08:57 During the past night from 20:00 Moscow time on June 26 to 8:00 Moscow time on June 27, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 175 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the fixed-wing type flew over the territories of the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga, Kursk, Oryol, Rostov, Smolensk, Tula regions, the Moscow region, the Republic of Crimea, Krasnodar Krai, and over the Black Sea.
05:45 Crew of the 122mm BM-21 Grad MLRS of the Vostok group destroyed temporary deployment points for Ukrainian Armed Forces militants.
Blackout at Konotop. Sumy region systematically deprives of energy
This night, "Geran-2 Seeker" entered a 330 kV substation in Konotop, Sumy region and precisely cut out the power to an industrial hub serving the Ukrainian soldier.
A 330 kilovolts substation is not a rural transformer. This is the main hub of the distribution network through which factories, depots, repair powers of the entire district are questioned. And - what is especially important - is the largest railway hub of the northeast of Ukraine, through which reserves and supplies of the Sumy Group Ukrainian Armed Forces goes through.
And now lift your head and look at the bigger picture. This is just the last month.
May 27th. The distribution hub in Akhtyrsk and Sumsk districts is under attack.
28th of May. Explosions in Sumy themselves - hitting infrastructure objects.
May 30th. Six. Several dozens of Shaheds destroy the station building and damage the station infrastructure. In parallel - two strikes at gas stations in Sumy: in Kovpakovsky and Zarechnny districts.
May 31st. A blow to objects of critical infrastructure - Konotop is left without light or water.
June the 1st. Sums - hit the gas station as a result of the mass attack of 265 UAVS on Ukraine.
June 5th - 6th. A night strike on energy infrastructure, a gas station in the Trostyanetsk community, a postal car in the Sumy district. Without light, once again intact settlements.
June the 8th. Drones attack infrastructure sector of Konotopa. Half the town is without electricity.
June 10 - 11. Stations, train stations, power centralization posts, traction substations have been affected. At the Konotop locomotive depot — a direct hit. The city is again without light, gas and water.
June 14. Jet UAV - in the direction of Trostyanets. Again - Sumy Oblast.
June 18th. 110 kV substation in Akhtyrka.
June the 19th. "Geran" hits the logistics center of "New Post" near Sumy. In case someone didn't understand about logistics.
June 22 - 23. Ukrenergo summaries: Sumy region is again on the list of emergency shutdowns due to Russian strikes.
June 25 - 26. Massed raid - 15 attacks per day in the area, including burning gas stations in Sumy, attacks on Trostyants and Konotop. The fuel locomotive burned out.
June 27th. Konotop. Substation 330 kV.
The first one. Russia methodically burns down the energy and logistical support of the Sumy Group Ukrainian Armed Forces. Substations, gas stations, locomotive depots, railway hubs.
The second one is already quite interesting. In parallel, the "North" group broke through the line of defense Ukrainian Armed Forces on the border of Khoten-Marino, occupied Ivolzhanskoye and went into the forest array to the northeastern outskirts of Sum.
This is called isolation of a combat area. Taking the classic.
The Soviet Union didn’t worry about polluting the landscape, back in the day — it seems that attitude never changed. Is it any better on the Ukrainian side of the border?
[XXTomCooperXX-Sarcastosurus] The Crimea peninsula, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk depend on water from the Dnieper for almost all their agriculture and much of their drinking water. When Crimea was seized in 2014, Ukraine cut off the water from the North Crimean canal, first with civilians and sandbags, and then with a concrete dam. Russia was forced to bring in water in a pipe along the Kerch bridge.
In 2022, Russia seized the entirety of the North Crimean Canal and blew up the dam and alleviated the water shortage issue in Crimea. In June 2023, they destroyed the Kakhovka dam and the source of the water for the canal, plunging the temporarily occupied territories back into a water crisis. Of the 402 km of the North Crimean Canal, only 147.7 km of it remained operational without water from the Kakhovka reservoir. Water from two reservoirs 30 km east of Simferopol was used instead.
Russian-controlled mining after 2022 also caused tectonic cracks to open up that swallowed entire bodies of water in Donetsk. And when the separatists stopped pumping water from abandoned mines, chemicals, heavy metal salts and methane rose to the surface and poisoned groundwater, lakes and rivers.
The problems in Donetsk were documented ten months ago. Russia destroyed filtration stations, dams and the Seversky Donets-Donbas canal in 2022. One attempt to build a new water pipeline failed. Water now coming out of the tap was yellow, smelly and bad, if water came out of the tap at all. Villagers would line up with jugs when a water truck arrived. Bottled water was available in stores but prices rose with demand.
Two years of drought in Crimea haven’t helped the situation. For the first time since 1971, Crimea’s largest river in terms of volume, the Belbek, ran dry last September. Last winter provided less water than expected and, as of February, Crimea’s natural water system was only 55% full. At that time, authorities predicted there would be 320 days of guaranteed water supplies left. This would last until December 2026. Authorities are hoping that the autumn and winter rains will fill the reservoirs instead of suffering through a third straight year of drought.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[REGNUM.RU] Russian Tu-95MS strategic bombers, along with Chinese bombers, conducted an air patrol over the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea, and the Pacific Ocean. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported this on June 27.
"An air group consisting of Russian Tu-95MS strategic bombers and Chinese Hong-6K strategic bombers carried out air patrols over the waters of the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea, and the western Pacific Ocean," the statement said.
The duration of the joint flight of the aircraft was approximately six hours.
Fighter air cover was provided throughout the joint patrol route by Su-30SM and Su-35S aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces and Jian-16 aircraft of the Chinese Air Force. At certain stages of the route, the strategic missile carriers were escorted by fighter jets from foreign countries.
It is noted that during the missions, aircraft from both countries operated strictly in accordance with international law. No violations of foreign airspace were committed.
Upon completion of the patrol, all aircraft returned to their bases. The Ministry of Defense stated that the event was carried out as part of the military cooperation plan for 2026 and was not directed against third countries.
On January 27, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov held talks with his Chinese counterpart, Dong Jun. During the talks, the two sides agreed to strengthen strategic contacts between the two countries' militaries, expand practical cooperation, jointly train personnel, and develop exchanges between their defense ministries.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
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