Day: July 17, 2025
Categories
Moscow Calling – July 17
TASS: Yulia Tymoshenko controls mechanized brigade of Ukrainian Armed Forces
Yulia Tymoshenko, the leader of the Ukrainian party Batkivshchyna, effectively controls the 14th mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, whose command demonstrates loyalty to the politician, TASS reported, citing a source in the Russian security forces. According to the source, Ukrainian political parties have divided control of parts of the armed forces among themselves, and even the relatively “non-combat” Tymoshenko has supporters in the military. The source also commented on the recent decision to allocate an additional 412 billion hryvnia for the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, calling the decision mediocre and saying it was effectively adopted at the behest of Western curators. At the same time, according to the source, the vote in the Verkhovna Rada was accompanied by a brawl between the parties, each of which sought to allocate funds to military units loyal to it (TASS).
TASS: SBU instructs teenagers to plot murder of Simonyan and Sobchak
The investigation into the attempted assassination of RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan and journalist Ksenia Sobchak, who are considered to be among the main propagandists of the Putin regime, has been extended until October 14, 2025, TASS reports, citing court documents. Several minors, including an eighth-grader, are involved in the case. They are charged with participation in a terrorist organization, robbery, and hooliganism. According to the investigation, the teenagers were preparing the attack on orders from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), who promised to pay 1.5 million rubles for each murder. The FSB previously reported that on July 14, 2024, members of the neo-Nazi group “Paragraph 88” were detained in Moscow and the Ryazan region while observing Simonyan and Sobchak. Weapons, ammunition, Nazi symbols, and evidence of plotting the crime were seized from them (TASS).
Savchuk: The West is trying to strangle Russia by threatening secondary tariffs on its trading partners
Western “hawks” are demanding that China, India, and Brazil stop buying “cheap Russian oil that fuels Putin’s war machine,” writes Russian political commentator Sergey Savchuk in his article on RIA Novosti. According to him, Senator Lindsey Graham is threatening Moscow with 100% tariffs on oil, and if the leaders of these countries do not force the Russian President to sit down at the negotiating table, the U.S. is threatening to impose secondary tariffs that will seriously damage their economies. Russia’s trade with China amounts to $197 billion, with India — $51 billion, and with Brazil — $12.4 billion. The author notes that Donald Trump has simultaneously issued two global ultimatums: Europe has been told that Ukraine’s armament must be financed by the eurozone countries, and Russia has been given a 50-day deadline to end hostilities. Despite the cooling of relations, NATO has fully supported these demands, Savchuk writes. The West is trying to strangle Russia through pressure on BRICS, but Russia remains open to dialogue and has no intention of giving up, the author emphasizes (ria.ru).
Pressure on Pashinyan continues from Russia
Ara Abramyan, the head of the Union of Armenians of Russia, has called on Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to resign or refuse to participate in the next elections, RIA Novosti reports. According to Abramyan, Pashinyan has not fulfilled his promises to the people and must admit his mistakes. Parliamentary elections in Armenia are scheduled for 2026. In May, a conflict arose between Pashinyan and the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC). Pashinyan proposed changing the procedure for electing the head of the AAC. Later, Russian businessman of Armenian descent, Samvel Karapetyan, and Archbishops Galstanyan and Adzhapakhanyan, critics of Pashinyan’s policies, were arrested (ria.ru).
Zangezur corridor: a new link in Russia’s strategic encirclement, according to Drago Bosnić
Washington is seeking to take control of the Zangezur Corridor, a territory at the junction of the borders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran, in order to keep Russia in a state of constant strategic alert, Russian propaganda outlet EADaily cites international analyst Drago Bosnić as saying. The outlet notes that the South Caucasus has historically been a key region linking Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East, and is of strategic importance for control over energy and transport projects. The article states that after the collapse of the USSR, the great powers tried to gain a foothold in the region, especially in Azerbaijan with its rich oil reserves. For the U.S. and its allies, the South Caucasus has become a tool for destabilizing Russia, especially its North Caucasus – an ethnically and culturally diverse region that is important for the Eurasian space, the propaganda outlet emphasizes (EADaily).
Chairman Berdimuhamedov’s visit signals not only a reaffirmation of these ties but also an intention to expand the bilateral agenda in response to new regional dynamics. With shifting geopolitical alliances and increased attention on the Caspian region’s energy and transit corridors, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan appear poised to play complementary roles in shaping Eurasia’s economic future.
Polish authorities have deported 27 Georgian and 13 Moldovan nationals on grounds of national security and public safety protection, among others, the country’s Border Guard said on July 15.
The operation was carried out in cooperation with the EU’s border agency, Frontex, and the individuals were deported via a flight from the Polish city of Radom.
According to officials, 20 Georgians were expelled due to reasons linked to “national defense or state security” and the “protection of public safety and order.”
“One Georgian had 12 convictions for theft, while other individuals were removed for offenses such as driving under the influence and illegal stay in Poland,” the Border Guard noted.
“Among the foreigners were also facilitators and co-organizers of illegal border-crossing activities for other foreigners, as well as individuals who changed their personal information to enter Poland,” the agency added, without specifying the nationality of such individuals. According to the Border Guard, over 4.6 thousand foreigners “have left Poland” both forcibly and voluntarily in 2025.
The move follows remarks by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on July 11, in which he said Warsaw is seeking support within the EU to restrict or suspend visa-free travel for countries like Georgia that “no longer uphold basic democratic standards” and from which migration poses a “direct threat” to public order and the rule of law. Tusk also said that 50 Georgian nationals had recently been deported from Poland for “committing various crimes.”
In a separate operation in March, Polish authorities expelled another 17 Georgians, citing either a criminal record or unlawful residency.
Also Read:
- 28/02/2025 – Ireland Deports 32 Georgian Nationals
- 23/10/2023 – Over Thousand Georgians Deported from Europe in Third Quarter of 2023