Inside Russia- Outside Russia is a news insight by the ederation of the Russian Embassy in Bangladesh on 4.03.25
INSIDE RUSSIA
Kiev does not want peace, Moscow-Washington efforts alone not enough
“The Kiev regime refuses to settle the conflict through negotiations,” Dmitry Peskov noted
MOSCOW, March 3. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky’s statements at the White House have shown that Kiev does not want peace and is not ready for negotiations, while the efforts of Russia and the United States alone are not enough for a settlement, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a briefing in response to a TASS question.
“The Kiev regime and Zelensky do not want peace. They want the war to continue. So in this situation, of course, only Washington’s efforts and Moscow’s readiness will obviously not be enough,” the spokesman pointed out.
“The Kiev regime refuses to settle the conflict through negotiations,” Peskov added.
Since President Donald Trump took office in January, the United States has expressed a desire to help bring the Ukrainian conflict to an end as soon as possible. In contrast to the European Union and the previous administration of Joe Biden, Washington is no longer declaring unlimited support for Kiev and has even started contacts with Moscow.
These steps have been criticized by Ukraine. Kiev is demanding more and more US involvement in the conflict, up to and including direct participation, which is expressed in the concept of so-called security guarantees. Vladimir Zelensky rejects all peace initiatives and insists on the continuation of the conflict at least until Kiev gains an advantage on the front.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and other representatives of the Russian leadership have repeatedly stated Moscow’s readiness to settle the conflict by political and diplomatic means. Moscow considers it necessary for a lasting peace to eliminate the root causes of the conflict, including the militarization of Ukraine, the use of this country as a platform for the West’s anti-Russian policies, and the Kiev regime’s support for the most vocal and Russophobic nationalist movements.
Over 30 Kursk Region residents evacuated to Russia from Ukraine
The Russian citizens were brought back with the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the mediation of the Republic of Belarus
MOSCOW, March 3. /TASS/. A total of 33 residents of the Kursk Region have been evacuated to Russia from Ukraine, Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova wrote on Telegram.
“With the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the mediation of the Republic of Belarus, 33 residents of the Kursk Region have been brought back to Russia from Ukraine. They are in their homeland now,” Moskalkova said.
The region’s acting Governor Alexander Khinshtein wrote on Telegram that many of the evacuees are elderly, minor or disabled.
“Many of them are elderly: one woman will turn 90 in May. There are also children among them: two schoolchildren, and two toddlers, with the youngest being under the age of two. There are also disabled persons,” he wrote.
The governor assured that the evacuees will receive all the assistance they need.
“All the evacuees will be provided with clothing and other necessities, [such as] communication devices and hygienic items. We will ensure that their [lost] documents are re-issued promptly. We have already started handing out mobile phones so that they could stay in touch with their relatives. We will also provide them with financial support, including the monthly payment of 65,000 rubles [roughly $725 at the current exchange rate], as was decreed by the president,” he wrote.
The acting governor pledged to continue the effort to bring all Kursk Region residents back from Ukraine.
“There is enormous effort behind every successful return. And we are ready to continue, bringing all our residents to their homeland. This effort will continue unceasingly, until all residents are back home,” he wrote.
Russia currently has 13 MC-21 aircraft, 20 SJ-100 airliners in production — minister
About 40 MC-21 and SJ-100 aircraft in various stages of completion are located at the enterprises of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC, part of Rostec)
MOSCOW, March 3. /TASS/. Russia currently has 13 serial MC-21 aircraft and 20 SJ-100 airliners in production at various stages of completion, Industry and Trade Minister Anton Alikhanov said at a meeting of the presidium of the Council of Legislators.
“Currently, there are 13 serial MC-21 aircraft in production, nine airframes are ready for installation of systems, another four are at the stage of aggregate assembly. <…> As for the SJ-100, we have 20 serial aircraft in various stages of completion, including 10 already in the process of final assembly, installation of equipment and systems,” the minister said.
About 40 MC-21 and SJ-100 aircraft in various stages of completion are located at the enterprises of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC, part of Rostec). This was done to speed up production after certification of the Russian version of the aircraft, UAC previously reported to TASS. As Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov stated last year, serial production of MC-21 aircraft is planned to begin in 2026. The start of production of SJ-100 aircraft fully assembled from domestically produced components is also scheduled for 2026.
Moscow Zoo sets world record for diversity of animal species
The Moscow Zoo is home to 1,253 species
MOSCOW, March 3. /TASS/. The Moscow Zoo has become the leader in the number of animal species on display, the organization’s director general, Svetlana Akulova, reported on her Telegram channel.
In a video attached to the post, the zoo’s achievement is officially recorded in the Russian Book of Records.
“The Moscow Zoo has set a world record for the number of animal species displayed! We now officially hold the record for the largest collection of animal species among zoos globally. Our zoo is home to 1,253 species, including rare, endangered, and exotic animals from around the world. This accomplishment is the result of decades of dedication by our extraordinary specialists – zoologists, veterinarians, keepers, and everyone who looks after the animals each day,” Akulova wrote.
She emphasized that the Moscow Zoo serves as a research center, a platform for international biodiversity conservation programs, an educational hub, and a sanctuary for hundreds of the planet’s rarest species. “We do more than observe nature – we actively contribute to its preservation, study animal behavior, and participate in rehabilitation and reintroduction programs. This record stands as a testament to our commitment to protecting nature and securing its future,” she added.
The zoo’s press service also noted that in February 2024, the Russian Book of Records recognized another achievement of the Moscow Zoo – the highest number of Telegram channel subscribers among Russian cultural institutions.
OUTSIDE RUSSIA
Russia ranks second by tourists visiting Sri Lanka in 2M 2025 — authority
India topped the list with 77,381 tourists visiting in January-February 2025
NEW DELHI, March 3. /TASS/. At least 63,337 Russians visited Sri Lanka in January-February 2025, bringing the country to the second position in the inbound tourist traffic since the year start, the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority said.
The total number of tourists visiting Sri Lanka in the period in question were above 485,000 people for the first time in the history of the tour industry. India topped the list with 77,381 tourists visiting in January-February 2025. The United Kingdom comes third with 46,560 tourists.
The total number of foreign travelers in Sri Lanka was above 232,000 in February 2025. The Tourism Development Authority of Sri Lanka plans to have 3 mln tourists coming from abroad in 2025. The tourist traffic to the country is expected to continue growing in March and arrivals will also remain high in July, August and December.
Russia and India will cooperate on a wide front in space – Russian cosmonaut — RT India
Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos told RT that Russia and India can work together on missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond
India and Russia have been cooperating in space for six decades, and this collaboration will expand “on a wide front” to include lunar projects, Mars exploration, and initiatives related to automated space stations, Russia’s leading cosmonaut, Oleg Artemyev, told RT.
“Now we will work together in Earth orbit, then in lunar orbit, then at [a] lunar base on the visible side of the Moon, on the far side of the Moon, and then we will go to Mars and explore asteroids along the way,” he said in an exclusive talk with RT in the Indian capital.
Artemyev was in India to address the NXT Conclave and also met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday on the sidelines of the event. “First, we greeted each other, and then I said that I was very happy to meet with a friend of President Vladimir Putin. I told him that this is a very good tradition that began more than 60 years ago,” he said.
According to Artemyev, Modi described Russia as a “friend” of India and committed to further cooperation between both countries. “I think that the relations between India and Russia, particularly between Modi and President Putin, allow us to think and dream,” the cosmonaut stated.
Pleased to meet Mr. Oleg Artemyev, a leading Cosmonaut from Russia. He has been at the forefront of some of the most pioneering expeditions. His accomplishments will motivate many youngsters to shine in the world of science and space. @OlegMKSpic.twitter.com/stqZS4wlxm
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 1, 2025
Artemyev gifted Modi a book titled ‘On the Moon’ authored by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, a Russian and Soviet rocket scientist and pioneer of astronautics. He also presented the prime minister with an Indian tricolor flag that flew with him on space expeditions, a Russian flag, and a small sculpture of Yuri Gagarin – the first man in space.
“[The] Moon means a lot to India,” Artemyev remarked, commenting on his choice of gifts for the prime minister. He praised India’s recent achievements in space exploration, including its successful landing at the Moon’s south pole in August 2023.
Artemyev also commended the Indian team of astronauts selected for the upcoming Gaganyaan mission – India’s first human spaceflight program. Modi announced the selection of four Indian Air Force (IAF) test pilots last year. All four have undergone extensive training at Russia’s Gagarin training center.
“Those cosmonauts from India who are now preparing for the flight have received excellent training in Russia. We have observed them and believe they are among the best people on our planet,” Artemyev concluded.
SPECIAL MILITARY OPERATION IN UKRAINE
Russia’s air strike destroys dozens of Ukrainian troops in Gulyaipole in Zaporozhye area
The Russian Aerospace Forces delivered a strike by FAB-1500 and FAB-500 bombs on the Ukrainian army’s deployment and amassment areas in Gulyaipole
MELITOPOL, March 3. /TASS/. Russia’s air strike destroyed dozens of Ukrainian troops in the city of Gulyaipole in the Zaporozhye Region, Chairman of Russia’s Civic Chamber Commission on Sovereignty, Patriotic Projects and Veteran Support Vladimir Rogov told TASS on Monday.
“Our troops delivered an air strike on a temporary deployment area of Ukrainian army units in Gulyaipole. The enemy suffered significant losses because the deployment site was large. Several dozen militants were eliminated. The removal of the debris and the bodies of militants and the evacuation of those wounded continues up to now,” the politician said.
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that the Russian Aerospace Forces had delivered a strike by FAB-1500 and FAB-500 bombs on the Ukrainian army’s deployment and amassment areas in Gulyaipole.
Russia hammers Ukrainian military airfields, UAV assembly workshops over past day
Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicted roughly 605 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed an enemy tank and four armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility
MOSCOW, March 3. /TASS/. Russian forces struck Ukrainian military airfields and UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) assembly workshops over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Monday.
“Operational/tactical aircraft, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of the Russian groups of forces struck the infrastructure of military airfields, workshops for the production of unmanned aerial vehicles and their storage sites and massed manpower and equipment of Ukrainian armed formations in 139 areas,” the ministry said in a statement.
Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicted roughly 45 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed a NATO artillery system in its area of responsibility in the Kharkov Region over the past day, the ministry reported.
“Battlegroup North units operating in the Kharkov direction inflicted losses on formations of a motorized infantry brigade of the Ukrainian army and a territorial defense brigade near the settlement of Volchansk in the Kharkov Region,” the ministry said.
The Ukrainian army lost an estimated 45 personnel, two motor vehicles and a NATO self-propelled artillery system in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.
Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicted roughly 190 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed two enemy electronic warfare stations in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.
“Battlegroup West units improved their tactical position and inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of two mechanized brigades, an assault brigade of the Ukrainian army and a territorial defense brigade in areas near the settlements of Drobyshevo, Katerinovka, Kirovsk and Karpovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Shiykovka, Kamenka and Lozovaya in the Kharkov Region,” the ministry said.
The Ukrainian army’s losses in that frontline area over the past 24 hours amounted to 190 personnel, a tank, ten motor vehicles and four field artillery guns, including two Western-made weapons, it specified.
In addition, Russian forces destroyed two electronic warfare stations of the Ukrainian army, it said.
Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicted roughly 205 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed a US-made howitzer in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.
“Battlegroup South units gained better lines and positions and inflicted losses on formations of three mechanized brigades, an airmobile brigade and two motorized infantry brigades of the Ukrainian army in areas near the settlements of Kleban-Byk, Dyleyevka, Shevchenko, Pleshcheyevka, Seversk, Chasov Yar, Konstantinovka, Serebryanka and Kramatorsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic,” the ministry said.
The Ukrainian army lost an estimated 205 personnel, two pickup trucks and a US-made 155mm M777 howitzer in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.
Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicted roughly 605 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed an enemy tank and four armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.
“Battlegroup Center units improved their frontline positions and inflicted losses on formations of five mechanized, two jaeger and two assault brigades and an airborne brigade of the Ukrainian army, a marine infantry brigade and two National Guard brigades in areas near the settlements of Novopavlovka, Udachnoye, Krasnoarmeisk, Dimitrov, Yelizavetovka, Andreyevka, Kotlyarovka and Uspenovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic,” the ministry said.
The Ukrainian army lost an estimated 605 personnel, a tank, four armored combat vehicles, including an M113 armored personnel carrier and a MaxxPro armored vehicle of US manufacture and three motor vehicles in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.
In addition, Russian forces destroyed four artillery guns of the Ukrainian army, it said.
Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicted roughly 200 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed four enemy artillery guns in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.
“Battlegroup East units continued advancing deep into the enemy’s defenses and inflicted losses on formations of three mechanized brigades, a jaeger brigade and an assault regiment of the Ukrainian army and two territorial defense brigades in areas near the settlements of Poddubnoye, Voskresenka, Otradnoye, Bogatyr, Komar, Dneproenergiya, Shevchenko and Privolnoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Gulyaipole in the Zaporozhye Region,” the ministry said.
The Ukrainian army lost an estimated 200 personnel, a tank, three armored combat vehicles, seven motor vehicles and four field artillery guns, including a Polish-made Krab self-propelled artillery system in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.
Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr inflicted roughly 70 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed an enemy tank in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.
“Battlegroup Dnepr units inflicted losses among manpower and equipment of a mechanized brigade, a mountain assault brigade, two coastal defense brigades of the Ukrainian army and two territorial defense brigades in areas near the settlements of Mikhailovka and Sadovoye in the Kherson Region and Maliye Shcherbaki in the Zaporozhye Region,” the ministry said.
The Ukrainian army lost an estimated 70 personnel, a tank, four motor vehicles, an artillery gun and an electronic warfare station in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.
Russian air defense forces shot down 88 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles and two HIMARS rockets over the past day, the ministry reported.
“Air defense capabilities shot down two rockets of the US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system and 88 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles,” the ministry said.
Overall, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 656 Ukrainian warplanes, 283 helicopters, 45,174 unmanned aerial vehicles, 600 surface-to-air missile systems, 21,966 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,523 multiple rocket launchers, 22,215 field artillery guns and mortars and 32,405 special military motor vehicles since the start of the special military operation, the ministry reported.
INSIGHTS
Who’s Criticizing the ICC and Why?
The International Criminal Court has come under fire from a broad array of critics over its lavish spending, inefficiency and politicized prosecutorial style.
Among its critics are leaders and countries, including:
Slovak PM Robert Fico: “I don’t doubt for a second that the ICC warrants for Vladimir Putin or Benjamin Netanyahu were politically motivated,” Fico said this week. If someone mentioned the ICC to me a few years ago, I felt seriousness and respect. It’s ridiculous today.”
Donald Trump: The ICC “has engaged in illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel,” the US president argued in an executive order imposing sanctions on the court earlier this month. “The ICC has no jurisdiction over the United States or Israel, as neither country is a party to the Rome Statute or a member of the ICC.”
The Kremlin blasted the ICC as “essentially a puppet in the hands of the so-called collective West, which uses it for its own purposes to further increase pressure on our country” after the court issued an arrest warrant against Putin and Russia’s children’s rights commissioner in 2023 for the ‘crime’ of evacuating children from conflict-torn areas of the Donbass.
China has repeatedly criticized the ICC over its “double standards” and “politicization” over decisions on Russia, North Korea and Myanmar. In November, Beijing reminded the court that it has no right to target Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing, whose country is not a party to the ICC, and urged the court to “uphold an objective and impartial stance, strictly follow the principles of complementarity and cooperation, [and] exercise its functions and powers prudently in accordance with the law.”
Multiple African leaders and the African Union have also attacked the ICC over the years over its perceived “neocolonial” and racialized anti-African bias. At one point in 2017, South Africa, Burundi and the Gambia even threatened to withdraw.
