Putin’s first visit to Kursk since Russian forces pushed out Ukrainian troops
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the western Kursk region for the first time since Russian forces pushed Ukrainian troops out last month.
President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree renaming Volgograd International Airport as Stalingrad, invoking Soviet wartime memory as Russia continues its war in Ukraine.
Published on the Kremlin’s website late Tuesday, the decree states the renaming aims “to perpetuate the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War.” The Battle of Stalingrad, fought between 1942 and 1943, was the bloodiest of World War Two, claiming over a million Soviet casualties and turning the tide against Nazi Germany.
The city itself was renamed Volgograd in 1961 as part of Soviet de-Stalinisation. But the name Stalingrad still resonates deeply in Russia—symbolising both immense sacrifice and Stalin’s brutal legacy.
Putin has repeatedly framed his war in Ukraine as a modern echo of that historical struggle, drawing controversial comparisons between Nazi Germany and today’s Ukrainian leadership. Kyiv calls the rhetoric a cover for imperial aggression.
In a fiery speech last year on the 80th anniversary of the battle, Putin condemned Germany for arming Ukraine and warned again that Russia’s entire arsenal—including nuclear weapons—remains at its disposal.
The renaming of the airport ties the present to a mythologised past—one shaped by blood, memory, and ongoing war.
Tensions flare in the India-France Rafale deal as France refuses to share the fighter jet’s source code, limiting India’s ability to integrate indigenous weapons and reducing its combat autonomy.
France has rejected India’s request to share source codes needed to integrate indigenous weapons into Rafale fighter jets. Despite repeated appeals, French manufacturer Dassault Aviation has refused to compromise on the issue
Anton Kobyakov, adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claimed at the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum that the USSR’s dissolution was legally invalid and that the Soviet Union still exists under constitutional law, framing the Ukraine war as an “internal process.”
AnewZ and Kazakhstan’s Jibek Joly/Silk Way TV channel co-hosted a special AnewZ Talks in Astana at Maqsut Narikbayev University (MNU), uniting global experts and young leaders at Silk Road Media Group’s journalism school to explore the growing intersection of media and diplomacy.
The Tehran Dialogue Forum 2025, scheduled for May 18–19, will host 200 international guests, including 40 current and former European officials.
The United States is set to bolster Estonia’s defense with a proposed $296 million sale of Javelin missiles and related gear, aiming to strengthen the Baltic nation’s security and its role within NATO.
The 7th Ethnosport Culture Festival kicked off in Istanbul with Azerbaijan’s 100-member team and famed Karabakh horses drawing major attention.
Baku hosted the 6th plenary meeting of the UN’s GlobE Network, gathering anti-corruption officials from 92 countries to strengthen global cooperation and chart the network’s next steps.
The second meeting of customs leaders from Central Asia and China was held in Almaty, focusing on digitalization, AI integration, border crossing agreements, and expanding cooperation to strengthen regional trade and logistics.
Azerbaijan’s Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov has been appointed Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Islamic Development Bank Group, with the 2026 Annual Meeting set to take place in Azerbaijan.
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