Putin Archives - Phenomenal

Khamenei was an outstanding statesman – Putin. Condemns his killing

Phenomenal — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 14:52:42 +0000

The post Khamenei was an outstanding statesman – Putin. Condemns his killing appeared first on
Phenomenal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has described deceased Iranian leader Ayatollah Khamenei as an outstanding statesman.

This is as he condemned his killing by US-Israeli forces, saying it was a blatant violation of human moral principles and international law,

Putin said that Khamenei will be remembered in Russia as an outstanding statesman who helped raise bilateral ties to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Putin expressed deep condolences over the killing of Khamenei and members of his family, hoping that his sincere condolences would be conveyed to the family and loved ones of the late Iranian leader, as well as to the government and people of Iran.

Iran’s state media on Sunday confirmed that Khamenei was killed in U.S.-Israeli attacks on Saturday.

Russia to increase VAT to finance Ukraine war

Phenomenal — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 11:52:16 +0000

The post Russia to increase VAT to finance Ukraine war appeared first on
Phenomenal.

Russia seems not to be leaving any stone unturned in its bid to further prosecute the war against Ukraine.

It plans to raise value-added tax (VAT) to help finance its war on Ukraine, the Finance Ministry said on Wednesday.

Under the draft 2026 budget proposal, the VAT rate would increase to 22 per cent from the current 20 per cent.

The government said it would continue to meet all social policy commitments, but listed defence, security and support for soldiers and their families as “strategic priorities.”

Military and security spending already accounts for about 40 per cent of total government expenditure in the 2025 budget, according to government estimates.

Large state orders for the defence industry and hefty payments to soldiers and their families have fuelled a period of growth for Russia’s war economy.

But signs of strain are emerging in civilian sectors, and inflation is squeezing household budgets.

The Finance Ministry said a lower 10 per cent VAT rate on food, medicines and children’s goods would remain unchanged.

Russia, under the orders of President Vladimir Putin, has been waging a full-scale war on neighbouring Ukraine for more than three and a half years, with no end to the conflict in sight.

The budget proposal still requires approval by parliament, a step widely seen as a formality in Russia.

Russia kicks as German chancellor calls Putin a ‘war criminal’

Phenomenal — Wed, 03 Sep 2025 17:24:23 +0000

The post Russia kicks as German chancellor calls Putin a ‘war criminal’ appeared first on
Phenomenal.

Moscow on Wednesday criticised recent statements made by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who labelled Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal due to his ongoing assault on Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov’s comments came on the sidelines of Putin’s visit to Beijing, where he is on a four-day state visit.

Peskov stated that Merz has made many “unpleasant remarks” recently and that his opinion can hardly be taken into account at the present moment.

Russian media reported on this reaction from Moscow but many avoided the term war criminal.

Putin also commented on the allegations later at a press conference.

He described them as “an unsuccessful attempt to shift responsibility for the tragedy in Ukraine.”

Putin was not referring to Merz personally, but to the responsibility of the West and Europeans for the 2014 coup in Kiev, which he said was the cause of all subsequent events.

Merz called Putin “perhaps the most severe war criminal of our time that we currently see on a large scale” in comments to a German broadcaster on Tuesday.

Merz emphasised the need for clarity in dealing with war criminals, stating that leniency is out of place.

He also called for tariffs against countries that trade with Russia, such as China and India.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also criticised Merz’s statement calling for the “economic exhaustion” of Russia.

She expressed doubt about Germany’s capability to achieve this.

“The one who is exhausting is not up to it, Mr Merz,” Zakharova said.

“Russia frequently focuses on Germany’s economic crisis, after the loss of comparatively cheap energy such as oil and gas from Russia, alongside sharp criticism of Merz.

The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, where the Kremlin launched a full-scale invasion in 2022.

Russia categorically rejects the accusation of war crimes and emphasises that the “military special operation,” as the Kremlin describes its assault, serves to protect the Russian-speaking population in Ukraine.

Trump strike: Iran takes her case to Putin

Phenomenal — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 12:00:58 +0000

The post Trump strike: Iran takes her case to Putin appeared first on
Phenomenal.

Iran is eagerly waiting to hear from Russian President Vladimir Putin on US’ strike against it as its Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, is supposed to hand a letter to Putin from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with a request for more support.

Araghchi arrived in Moscow on Sunday to hold talks with the Russian leadership.

Iranian sources told the news agency that Tehran “has not been impressed’’ with the level of support from Moscow and wanted Russia to take stronger measures in backing Iran against Israel and the U.S.

However, the sources did not specify what additional assistance Tehran was seeking, Reuters said.

Moscow condemns ‘serious escalation’ in Middle East

Phenomenal — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 13:28:28 +0000

The post Moscow condemns ‘serious escalation’ in Middle East appeared first on
Phenomenal.

Russia has condemned the “serious escalation of tensions” in the Middle East following the Israeli attacks on Iran.

Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said that Putin had been kept informed and that “Russia is concerned about the developments.”

Russia, which has close relations with Iran, recently offered to mediate in the U.S. negotiations on Tehran’s controversial nuclear programme.

In mid-January, Moscow and Tehran agreed on a strategic cooperation deal covering the next 20 years, although this does not include mutual military assistance, unlike a similar agreement between Russia and North Korea.

Russia and Iran are working closely together, partly because of the Western sanctions that are burdening both countries.

Iran has been criticised for supporting Russia in its war against Ukraine.

There’s no point prolonging killings- Says Zelensky as he meets Putin in Türkiye on Thursday

Phenomenal — Mon, 12 May 2025 08:58:01 +0000

The post There’s no point prolonging killings- Says Zelensky as he meets Putin in Türkiye on Thursday appeared first on
Phenomenal.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said killings have to stop between the country and Russia, saying there was no sense in it.

This is as he expects Russia to implement a ceasefire and that he will personally be waiting for President Vladimir Putin in Türkiye on May 15.

Zelenskyy announced this on Telegram, Turkish news agency, quoting Ukrinform, said on Sunday.

“We await a full and lasting ceasefire, starting from tomorrow, to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy.

“There is no point in prolonging the killings,” the Ukrainian President stated.

Zelensky added: “I’ll be waiting for Putin in Türkiye on Thursday. Personally.”

“I hope that this time the Russians will not look for excuses,” he emphasised.

According to the report, on May 10, Ukraine, together with its allies — France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Poland — proposed a 30-day unconditional ceasefire.

Should Russia reject it, Ukraine’s allies plan to tighten sanctions against Moscow.

Later, Putin proposed holding direct negotiations with Ukraine “where they were interrupted” in 2022

Harris Kamala laughs contagiously – Putin

Phenomenal — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 11:07:51 +0000

The post Harris Kamala laughs contagiously – Putin appeared first on
Phenomenal.

Can US presidential hopeful, Harris Kamala, take the words of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the bank?

He has described her in bright terms, saying she appears to have a good spirit based on how contagiously she laughs.

“She laughs so contagiously that it shows that everything is fine with her,” the Russian leader said on Thursday, expressing support for her in the upcoming US presidential election.

Kamala is facing former President Donald Trump as the dominant opposition, a mix that makes Putin’s declaration a bit puzzling, based on how the Democratic Party’s establishment believed he influenced the US poll for Trump when the latter defeated Hillary Clinton.

He added in his comment on the Kamala-Trump fiasco: “Firstly, (US President Joe) Biden recommended all his supporters support Mrs Harris,” Putin said during a question and answer session at Russia’s Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.

“Here, we are going to do that too, we’re going to support her,” he added, with a wry smile.

“She laughs so contagiously that it shows that everything is fine with her,” the Russian leader said.

“(Former US President Donald) Trump has imposed as many sanctions on Russia as any president has ever imposed before, and if Harris is doing well, perhaps she will refrain from such actions.”

Putin’s ally to Biden: You are a mad disgrace to America

Phenomenal — Fri, 08 Mar 2024 16:03:25 +0000

The post Putin’s ally to Biden: You are a mad disgrace to America appeared first on
Phenomenal.

Dmitry Medvedev, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, called Joe Biden a “mad” disgrace to the United States on Friday and said the U.S. president had no right to compare himself to Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Biden opened his State of the Union address on Thursday with a reference to a 1941 speech to Congress in which Roosevelt said the union faced an unprecedented turning point in history.

Biden also accused Republican rival Donald Trump of kowtowing to Russia and, just over two weeks after calling Vladimir Putin a “crazy SOB”, said he had a message for the Russian President on Ukraine: “We will not walk away.”

“Even though Roosevelt was an infirm man in a wheelchair, he raised America from the Depression; Biden, on the other hand, is a mad, mentally disabled individual who set his mind on dragging humanity to hell,” Medvedev, a former president who is now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, wrote on X.

“Roosevelt together with allies including the U.S.S.R., was fighting for peace; yet, Biden is actively and persistently trying to start WWIII.”

“Roosevelt was fighting against fascists, but Biden is fighting for them,” Medvedev wrote in English. “He is the United States’ disgrace!”

Medvedev, who cast himself as a liberal moderniser when he was president from 2008-2012, now presents himself as an anti-Western Kremlin hawk. Diplomats say his views indicate the thinking at the top levels of the Kremlin elite.

The war in Ukraine has triggered a deep crisis in Russia’s relations with the West, and Biden angered Russian officials with his “crazy SOB” comment. Putin, with an ironic smile, said the remark showed why the Kremlin felt Biden was a preferable future president to Trump.

Biden made that remark in a sentence about threats to the world including “that guy Putin and others,” the risk of nuclear conflict, and the existential threat to humanity from climate change.

Putin portrays the U.S. and its allies as a crumbling empire that wants to destroy Russia and steal its natural resources.

Release my son’s body to me – Navalny’s mother tells Putin

Phenomenal — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 15:18:05 +0000

The post Release my son’s body to me – Navalny’s mother tells Putin appeared first on
Phenomenal.

The mother of Alexei Navalny, the leading Russian opposition figure, has sent a video message to Russian President Vladimir Putin pleading for his body to be released.

Navalny, died at a remote Arctic penal colony.

In the one-minute video, Lyudmila Navalnaya stands outside the “Polar Wolf” prison camp where her son had been jailed while serving a decades-long sentence.

Russian authorities said the 47-year-old suddenly died there on Friday while taking a walk.

“I appeal to you Vladimir Putin, because the solution to this problem depends only on you,” Navalnaya says.

“Let me see my son. I demand that Alexei’s body be released immediately so that I can bury him in a humane way.”

Navalny’s family and aides said they were yet to even be told where his body is being kept.

Putin visits United Arab Emirates on rare foreign trip

Phenomenal — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 17:50:50 +0000

The post Putin visits United Arab Emirates on rare foreign trip appeared first on
Phenomenal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday for a brief visit to the Gulf.

The Russian president was greeted in Abu Dhabi by Emirati President, Mohammed bin Sajid, the country’s state news agency WAM announced on X.

Putin plans to travel to Saudi Arabia later on to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Putin praised the bilateral relationship between the countries as historically unprecedented and invited Sajid to attend the 2024 BRICS summit in Kazan, according to Russian information.

The BRICS countries include Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

According to Putin, the United Arab Emirates are Russia’s most important trading partner in the Arab region.

The wars in the Middle East and Ukraine were also addressed during the talks, according to Russian media.

According to Russian state news agency Tass, Putin last visited Saudi Arabia and the UAE in 2019.

The Russian president has rarely made foreign trips since ordering the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.