Putin threatens retaliation for Ukrainian attack, Moscow faces massive drone bombardment and economic crises

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited China this week on a two-day state visit, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The delegation consisted of government and business representatives. The visit took place shortly after US President Donald Trump's summit in Beijing. A key point of the negotiations was the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline project, which could double the capacity of gas supplies from Russia to China. Despite positive statements from both sides about continuing good relations, Beijing did not make a concrete commitment to the project, leaving it without a clear timeline. According to available information, Putin left China without the desired agreement on financing the pipeline. At the same time, economists question the claimed "unlimited" cooperation between the countries, revealing that the Russian-Chinese alliance is less stable than the Kremlin presents it. aktuality.sk ↗

In parallel with the diplomatic visit, Moscow carried out extensive nuclear maneuvers together with Belarus. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko joined via video conference the first joint nuclear forces exercises in the history of both countries. The exercises took place on the territory of Belarus and included testing of ground-based, naval, and airborne nuclear weapons, including the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile from Northern Russia toward a target area in Kamchatka. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Putin shared with the Chinese president the idea of storing enriched Iranian uranium in Russia. Putin also declared that the use of nuclear weapons would be a last resort. The exercises drew condemnation from Europe, which considers them provocative and irrational. Le Monde ↗

On Friday, May 22, Putin accused Ukraine of deliberately attacking a dormitory of a secondary pedagogical school in Starobilsk, in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region. According to Russian statements, at least six people were killed in the attack and another 39 were injured. The death toll, according to the Kremlin, later rose to ten. Putin explicitly ordered the Ministry of Defense to prepare retaliation options. Ukraine, however, sharply disputes the Russian claims and says it struck a Russian military command post, not a civilian dormitory. Ukrainian forces firmly reject the Russian accusations of attacking a civilian target. teraz.sk ↗

Shortly after these events, Moscow carried out a massive attack on Ukraine's capital. On the night of Sunday, May 24, Russia bombarded Kyiv with a massive drone and missile attack, killing at least four people. According to available information, Russia used an Oreshnik hypersonic missile in the attack on Kyiv, which reaches speeds of up to 12,000 kilometers per hour and has a range of 5 ANSA ↗