0645GMT/April 17 2025
KURSK INCURSION: Alexei Smirnov, the former governor of the Kursk region in southern Russia, was arrested on Wednesday by police. He was accused of corruption around the construction of border defences. (COMMENT: Smirnov had become a despised fall guy in Kremlin circles for his handling of Ukraine's offensive into Kursk in August 2024 which humiliated Russia. He was appointed governor of Kursk in May 2024 and was eventually fired in December. Although not in charge of the military, the Kremlin needed a scapegoat for Ukraine's invasion. Smirnov was particularly heavily criticised for his handling of civilian evacuations.) (NOTES: Smirnov appeared in a Moscow court to hear the charges against him wearing a scruffy t-shirt and a hoodie, a long way from the sharp suits that Russian governors typically wear. In other words -- a public humiliation.)
PUTIN AND MUSK: Putin publically praised Elon Musk. On a visit to a technology university in Moscow, Putin described Musk as a pioneer similar to Soviet cosmonauts. After naming Musk as a man who "dreams of Mars", Putin said that "ideas which seem incredible today, often come to fruition. Just like the ideas of Korolev, our pioneers, came about". (NOTE: Sergei Korolev is considered the father of the Soviet Space programme.) (COMMENT: Name-checking and praising Musk, a key ally of Donald Trump, is a clever move by Putin. Since Trump's inauguration, Russian propaganda has rushed to switch from deriding the US to praising it because of its drive to re-integrate Russia.)
VICTORY PARADE: The European Commission has now admitted that it cannot stop or "punish" Slovakian PM Robert Fico from attending Putin's May 9 military parade in Moscow. Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign affairs commissioner and a major hawk on Russia, previously said that there would be "consequences" for Fico if he travelled to Moscow. Fico has said that he wants to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany. (COMMENT: This is a big climb down by the EU which is embarrassed that one of its leaders intends to attend Putin's biggest propaganda event of the year. It will be a major PR coup for Putin, if he can get video of Fico watching Russian tanks parading through Red Square.)
EU LNG IMPORTS: The EU has shelved plans to completely ban imports of liquified national gas (LNG) from Russia. Although most piped gas has been cut, France, Spain and Belgium are still major importers of Russian LNG. They have said that there is no realistic alternative.
ECONOMIC WOES: Chinese car makers may quit Russia because of low sales, the Kommersant newspaper reported. Russia's car market has dried up this year as the economy faltered, although the secondary markets appear buoyant. (COMMENT: Chinese car makers have become central to Russia's car industry, adding a dash of foreign colour to an otherwise all-Russia market since Western makers left. Western cars are still available in Russia but they are expensive as they are bought through third countries.)
PLANE SALES: Russia reportedly wants to buy a Boeing aircraft from the US using assets that have been frozen. Bloomberg quoted US officials as saying that a deal to buy a Boaing aircraft can only be discussed once a ceasefire in Ukraine has been agreed. (COMMENT: Russia's aviation sector is listing. There are not enough spare parts to repair and maintain aircraft and emergency landings have become more common. Although Russia has a domestic aircraft industry, it is still reliant on spare parts from the West.)
PROPAGANDA FLOP: A German chef who allegedly defected to Russia for its "traditional values" and was paraded at a live video stream with Putin this week turned out to be a Russian emigre running away from debt. German media reported that Maxim Zhitnikov owed "tens of thousands of euros". The Kremlin had hoped to score a propaganda win by having Zhitnikov ask Putin for permission to remain in Russia. This allowed Putin to posture and use his KGB-learned German to chat with Zhitnikov in front of fawning Kremlin officials. (COMMENT: One of the Kremlin's favourite PR tricks is to parade Westerners who allegedly flee to Russia for its supposed "traditional values".)
WAR COSTS: North Korea has earned around $20b by supplying weapons and soldiers for the Kremlin's war in Ukraine. South Korea's Institute for Defence Studies said that the Kremlin had sent North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un advanced technology, weapons and satellite equipment. (COMMENT: The analysis shows the scale of North Korean support for Russia. Earlier this week, Reuters reported that North Korea was now providing half of the shells and ammunition supplies used by Russian forces on the frontlines.)
DOCTORS SHORTAGE: Russia's health ministry has loosened its staffing rules, allowing hospitals to delegate some doctors' responsibilities to midwives and paramedics to ease a staffing crisis. (NOTE: Russian media has reported that Russia is facing a shortage of 23,000 doctors. Some have fled Russia, others have been enticed into the military by the large signing-on bonuses. The poor pay and working conditions also deter people from training as doctors in Russia.)