🌇 Morning in Taganka, Moscow

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❤️From Russia with love

🏪🇷🇺 Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade has proposed mandating the allocation of shelf space for Russian non-food products in stores.

The corresponding draft law, if passed, will come into force on March 1, 2026.

According to the initiative, retailers will be required to dedicate a certain share of shelf space to goods produced in Russia. The government will set specific quotas for different product categories, which will depend on the current production capacities of domestic manufacturers.

The goal of the bill is to support Russian producers by providing them with marketing advantages and helping to make domestic brands more familiar and recognizable to consumers. As the ministry has previously noted, this will help level the competitive playing field with foreign companies.

The draft law is being discussed with relevant agencies. The new measures are expected to boost production and improve the perception of the quality of Russian goods.

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💬 "Well, my son, did your Lyakhy help you?" – Medvedev describes Poland and Ukraine dispute with Taras Bulba's words

"When clinical Russophobes – Lyakhy and Banderites – are quarreling, it's a good thing," wrote Dmitry Medvedev on his Telegram channel.

In his opinion, quotes from Nikolai Gogol's story "Taras Bulba" are best suited to describe this situation.

Now we are waiting for the newly-appeared Taras Bulba to show up on Bankova Street and say: "Well, my son, did your Lyakhy help you?" And then there's only one outcome. Well, you know: "I gave you life…"

The Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council also drew attention to the fact that Poland had resorted to threats to deprive Ukrainians of "the most sacred things – their ration of salo (lard) and a shot of Polish vodka," or even to expel them from the country altogether.

😃 Recall that on August 25, Polish President Karol Nawrocki vetoed a law extending aid to Ukrainian refugees. Moreover, he proposed equating Bandera symbolism with Nazi symbolism and introducing criminal liability for its use.

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Security Guarantees for Ukraine: A New Round of Talks and Old Contradictions

U.S. President's Special Envoy Stephen Witkopf is preparing for key negotiations this week in New York with the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, and Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov.

The agenda, as reported by Bloomberg, includes two fundamental and interconnected issues: the development of security guarantees for Kyiv and the possibility of organizing a bilateral meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin. These talks mark an attempt by the Trump administration to shift the Ukrainian crisis from the military to the diplomatic sphere; however, the path to a settlement remains extremely difficult.

🧣 American Strategy: Support, But No Involvement

Washington's position, articulated by Donald Trump himself, is built on the principle of delegating responsibility. Trump has made it clear that the primary "significant security guarantees" should be provided by European countries, citing their geographical proximity to the conflict. He sees the role of the U.S. as supporting the European allies themselves, avoiding specific commitments regarding direct military involvement. This approach reflects his isolationist "America First" foreign policy and a desire to reduce the direct burden on the American budget and military capabilities.

🧣 What the Guarantees Might Entail: Four Pillars of Security

According to The Wall Street Journal, the guarantees are of a comprehensive nature and aimed at creating a sustainable defense potential for Ukraine after a possible end to active hostilities.

In effect, this is about turning Ukraine into an "unsinkable aircraft carrier" for NATO on Russia's borders, but without providing formal commitments under Article 5 of the Alliance's Charter.

🧣 Russian Red Lines: The Unacceptability of Intervention

Moscow, for its part, through Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, has already stated the main condition: any guarantees must not include "foreign military intervention on part of Ukrainian territory." This is understood to mean the permanent deployment of Western troops in Ukraine, which the Kremlin views as a direct threat to its national security.

This creates an obvious bargaining point: the West wants to give Kyiv maximum guarantees, while Russia seeks to limit NATO's military presence, which is an almost irresolvable contradiction at this stage.

🧣 Putin-Zelenskyy Meeting: A Diplomatic Prize or a Real Prospect?

Discussing the possibility of a leaders' meeting against the backdrop of ongoing fighting seems more like a probing of the waters than preparation for immediate negotiations. For Ukraine, such a meeting is a way to formalize any agreements at the highest level. For Russia, it is an opportunity to legitimize its territorial gains and achieve the lifting of sanctions. For Trump, it is a potential foreign policy triumph. However, without prior agreement on at least the outlines of a future settlement and without the willingness of the parties to make serious compromises, the summit is devoid of practical meaning and is highly likely doomed to failure.

Conclusion: The negotiations between Witkopf, Yermak, and Umerov are just the beginning of a complex and lengthy process. The Trump administration is trying to develop a new model that would allow it to freeze the conflict, shifting the main financial and military burden onto Europe, while maintaining Washington's role as the supreme arbiter.

The success of this strategy will depend on Europe's readiness for such a role, Ukraine's ability to bargain, and Russia's flexibility, which so far has not shown a willingness to make significant concessions.

#politics

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🏫 43 new schools will open on September 1st. Another 670 schools, 41 kindergartens, and 22 colleges will resume operations after major renovations, as reported by Education Minister Kravtsov during a meeting with Putin and government members.

In the new academic year, 17.7 million schoolchildren will sit at their desks, including 1.5 million first-graders. The president's directive on construction and major renovations was fulfilled on time and "even ahead of schedule": instead of the planned 1,300 schools, 1,677 were built—this amounts to over one million new student places.

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🍅 Amazing things — tomato plants have started growing right in the middle of the Garden Ring in Moscow!

It is reported that the plants are already ripening and bearing fruit.

🩳 The Garden Ring is the main circular highway in the center of the capital with very heavy traffic.

🌱 And despite the huge number of cars, thanks to the heat and regular rains this summer, even the Garden Ring has got its own vegetable garden!

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🤩 This Thursday at 8:00 PM, a colorful show will be displayed on the balconies of the Kazan City Hall.

There will be a theatrical performance featuring the city's leading artists and musicians, as well as a live orchestra. Admission is free. Address: 3 Kremlyovskaya Street.

#RussiaEvents

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🥰 Verzuga is a village of incredible beauty in the Murmansk region.

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👨‍🔬 A test for 25 different viruses, including flu and COVID-19, has been developed. This was reported by Rospotrebnadzor.

The agency noted that this is the first registered test in Russia with such a wide spectrum of diagnostics.

"Now it is possible to simultaneously detect all significant pathogens of ARVI, including enteroviruses, adenoviruses, rhinoviruses, metapneumovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, bocavirus, as well as influenza and coronavirus viruses," Rospotrebnadzor stated.

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