It will be “a space where ideas are born, and everyone feels pride in Russia and its future,” says the Centre’s general director
The first branch office of the National Centre RUSSIA has opened in Primorye, established by order of President Vladimir Putin.
The ceremony took place on the Sports Embankment in Vladivostok, with Governor Oleg Kozhemyako attending. “This is truly a focal point for residents and visitors, where they can learn about landmarks, projects, and achievements of the region, and see how we are shaping the future of our cities and Vladivostok as an agglomeration,” he said.
He noted this opening is only the first step in developing the Centre in the Far East. A congress hall and youth spaces will soon appear, and the site will expand with modern infrastructure for Vladivostok residents. During the ceremony, Kozhemyako awarded the Centre’s General Director Natalia Virtuozova the Primorsky Krai Medal For Special Contribution to Development (1st degree). Other staff involved in establishing the branch were also honored.
“Primorye is a special region — Russia’s gateway to Asia, where traditions and cultures meet, and friendship with neighbors is daily life. We believe the branch will be a new center of strength, a cultural hub, a space where ideas are born, and everyone feels pride in Russia and its future,” said Virtuozova.
Vladivostok Mayor Konstantin Shestakov added that the opening became possible through the joint efforts of a large regional team. “I thank everyone who contributed,” he said. The festive program featured a performance by the Vladivostok musical band TES’LA and a large flag procession on the renovated Sports Embankment. Attendees joined the “Wonderful Distant Future” dance flash mob, first held at the “Russia” Expo in Moscow. The first thousand guests received handmade Patriotka brand kokoshniks.
Since September 1, the Centre offers the free daily tour program “Discover Primorye” (except Mondays, 10:00–20:00). Visitors may register online or join existing groups.
Peace in Ukraine is close because the two leaders are engaged in dialogue, Kirill Dmitriev has said
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, are bringing the end of the Ukraine conflict closer, Kirill Dmitriev, a presidential aide on international economic affairs, has said. He added that the diplomatic efforts of the two men could prevent World War III.
Dmitriev, who is also the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), the country’s sovereign wealth fund, wrote on X on Saturday: “Stalin, Roosevelt & Churchill won WWII. Putin & Trump will prevent WWIII.”
He accompanied his post with a picture of the Soviet, US, and British leaders made during the historic 1945 Yalta Conference, which laid the foundations for the post-war order after the defeat of Nazi Germany.
Stalin, Roosevelt & Churchill won WWII. Putin & Trump will prevent WWIII. 🇷🇺🤝🇺🇸🕊️ pic.twitter.com/sWdsf72hGj
He also pushed back against former US ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, who suggested that Moscow is not serious about negotiations to end the conflict and urged more Western weapons for Ukraine.
“Wrong. Peace is close precisely because of Trump-Putin dialogue. Idiotic [former US President Joe] Biden’s approaches failed. Isolation attempts failed. Sanctions failed. Dialogue, respect, understanding each other, problem-solving to find [a] long-term solution is the way,” Dmitriev said.
Breaking a long hiatus in top-level talks between the US and Russia, Putin and Trump have held several phone conversations and met face-to-face in Alaska in mid-August. While no ceasefire agreement was reached at the Alaska summit, the two sides praised the engagement as highly productive. Following the talks, Trump said that Ukraine cannot hope to join NATO or reclaim Crimea.
On Friday, Putin struck a cautiously optimistic tone about the prospects for ending the conflict, noting that “there is light at the end of the tunnel,” but noted that if no diplomatic solution is found, “we will have to reach all the goals through arms.”
Moscow has insisted that a sustainable resolution to the conflict is possible only if Ukraine commits to neutrality, demilitarization, denazification, and recognizes the new territorial reality on the ground.
Mayor Brandon Johnson has said the US president’s words indicate that he wants to occupy the city and “break our Constitution”
US President Donald Trump has ramped up threats to deploy federal troops to Chicago for an immigration crackdown, warning that the city “will soon find out” why he renamed the Defense Department the “Department of WAR.” The warning follows Trump’s order to dramatically ramp up deportations in Democrat-led cities after riots swept Los Angeles earlier this year.
On Saturday, Trump posted on Truth Social what appears to be an AI-generated meme showing him in military uniform with the Chicago skyline, helicopters, and flames in the background. Above the image, Trump wrote: “I love the smell of deportations in the morning… Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR.”
The caption to the meme read: “Chipocalypse Now,” a play on the 1979 film ‘Apocalypse Now’, which includes the line: “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.” Trump offered no further details.
Trump’s warning has drawn massive pushback from local officials. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker wrote on X that the president “is threatening to go to war with an American city,” adding, “Illinois won’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator.”
The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city.
This is not a joke. This is not normal.
Donald Trump isn't a strongman, he's a scared man. Illinois won’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator. pic.twitter.com/f87Zek7Cqb
Illinois Representative Mike Quigley told Politico at Chicago’s Mexican Independence Day parade that Trump spoke “like a true tyrant.”
“The President’s threats are beneath the honor of our nation, but the reality is that he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson wrote on X.
The President’s threats are beneath the honor of our nation, but the reality is that he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution.
We must defend our democracy from this authoritarianism by protecting each other and protecting Chicago from Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/B7AH1ufByH
Illegal immigration has been a central focus of Trump’s presidency. On Inauguration Day, he vowed to deport “millions and millions” of undocumented immigrants. Since then, he has expanded border security, tripled Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention funding, cut humanitarian programs, and detained thousands of illegal migrants, among other regulatory measures.
Saturday’s post adds to Trump’s repeated threats to include Chicago in his list of cities targeted for expanded immigration enforcement. In June, his administration deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles, followed by Washington, DC, after mass pro-immigration riots. Trump has also suggested that Baltimore and New Orleans could face similar measures.
Mayor Brandon Johnson has said the US president’s words indicate that he wants to occupy the city and “break our Constitution”
US President Donald Trump has ramped up threats to deploy federal troops to Chicago for an immigration crackdown, warning that the city “will soon find out” why he renamed the Defense Department the “Department of WAR.” The warning follows Trump’s order to dramatically ramp up deportations in Democrat-led cities after riots swept Los Angeles earlier this year.
On Saturday, Trump posted on Truth Social what appears to be an AI-generated meme showing him in military uniform with the Chicago skyline, helicopters, and flames in the background. Above the image, Trump wrote: “I love the smell of deportations in the morning… Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR.”
The caption to the meme read: “Chipocalypse Now,” a play on the 1979 film ‘Apocalypse Now’, which includes the line: “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.” Trump offered no further details.
Trump’s warning has drawn massive pushback from local officials. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker wrote on X that the president “is threatening to go to war with an American city,” adding, “Illinois won’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator.”
The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city.
This is not a joke. This is not normal.
Donald Trump isn't a strongman, he's a scared man. Illinois won’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator. pic.twitter.com/f87Zek7Cqb
Illinois Representative Mike Quigley told Politico at Chicago’s Mexican Independence Day parade that Trump spoke “like a true tyrant.”
“The President’s threats are beneath the honor of our nation, but the reality is that he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson wrote on X.
The President’s threats are beneath the honor of our nation, but the reality is that he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution.
We must defend our democracy from this authoritarianism by protecting each other and protecting Chicago from Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/B7AH1ufByH
Illegal immigration has been a central focus of Trump’s presidency. On Inauguration Day, he vowed to deport “millions and millions” of undocumented immigrants. Since then, he has expanded border security, tripled Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention funding, cut humanitarian programs, and detained thousands of illegal migrants, among other regulatory measures.
Saturday’s post adds to Trump’s repeated threats to include Chicago in his list of cities targeted for expanded immigration enforcement. In June, his administration deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles, followed by Washington, DC, after mass pro-immigration riots. Trump has also suggested that Baltimore and New Orleans could face similar measures.
The potential talks could take place in October in South Korea, the network has reported
US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping could meet in October in South Korea during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, CNN reported on Saturday, citing sources. This comes amid trade tensions between the two countries.
According to three unnamed Trump administration officials, the president and his top advisers “are quietly preparing” to travel to the APEC meeting and hold talks with the trade ministers of member states. The APEC summit is scheduled for late October to early November in Gyeongju, South Korea.
The officials added that “there have been serious discussions about a bilateral meeting” between Trump and Xi on the sidelines of the forum, but “no firm plans are in place.”
Trade tensions between the US and China have been running high. In early 2025, Trump imposed sweeping tariffs as high as 145% on Chinese goods, prompting reciprocal tariffs of 125% from Beijing. The two countries agreed in May, however, to a temporary tariff truce, which has been extended to mid-November.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last month that the current arrangement was “working pretty well,” adding that the sides were holding “very good talks” and are likely to meet again before the truce expires.
The CNN report noted that Trump’s presence in the region could open the door to a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the first since 2019, although it is unclear whether he will attend. US officials told the network that more emphasis is being placed on meeting with Xi.
This comes in the wake of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in China. Commenting on the gathering on Truth Social, Trump remarked, “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China.” He also claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kim are “conspiring” against the US, after the two leaders held talks.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected speculation of any plots against the US, suggesting that Trump’s remarks should not be taken literally.
The potential talks could take place in October in South Korea, the network has reported
US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping could meet in October in South Korea during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, CNN reported on Saturday, citing sources. This comes amid trade tensions between the two countries.
According to three unnamed Trump administration officials, the president and his top advisers “are quietly preparing” to travel to the APEC meeting and hold talks with the trade ministers of member states. The APEC summit is scheduled for late October to early November in Gyeongju, South Korea.
The officials added that “there have been serious discussions about a bilateral meeting” between Trump and Xi on the sidelines of the forum, but “no firm plans are in place.”
Trade tensions between the US and China have been running high. In early 2025, Trump imposed sweeping tariffs as high as 145% on Chinese goods, prompting reciprocal tariffs of 125% from Beijing. The two countries agreed in May, however, to a temporary tariff truce, which has been extended to mid-November.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last month that the current arrangement was “working pretty well,” adding that the sides were holding “very good talks” and are likely to meet again before the truce expires.
The CNN report noted that Trump’s presence in the region could open the door to a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the first since 2019, although it is unclear whether he will attend. US officials told the network that more emphasis is being placed on meeting with Xi.
This comes in the wake of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in China. Commenting on the gathering on Truth Social, Trump remarked, “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China.” He also claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kim are “conspiring” against the US, after the two leaders held talks.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected speculation of any plots against the US, suggesting that Trump’s remarks should not be taken literally.
The Cabinet of Ministers building near Independence Square has caught fire, Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko has said
The Cabinet of Ministers building of the Ukrainian government in Kiev has been struck by a Russian drone, Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said on Sunday. The Russian Defense Ministry has yet to comment.
Ukrainian officials reported strikes in different parts of the capital, adding that the cities of Odessa, Krivoy Rog, Dnepr, and Kremenchug also came under attack. Klitschko wrote on Telegram that “a government building caught fire following the apparent shootdown of a drone.”
Ukrainian news agency UNIAN shared a video of smoke rising from a building near Independence Square.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko later confirmed damage to the government building, saying it was the first incident of its kind, with the roof and upper floors hit. “Rescuers are extinguishing the fire,” she said, sharing a photo of a helicopter dousing the building and images of the badly damaged interior.
MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak suggested that the office of the prime minister was not far from the strike, adding that there were also a couple of technical facilities there.
According to the city authorities, at least two people were killed and 15 were injured in the attack on Kiev.
Russia has conducted long-range drone and missile strikes on Ukraine for months, targeting military-related facilities and the defense industrial base. It has said the attacks are retaliation for Kiev’s strikes deep into Russia that often damage residential areas and critical infrastructure. Moscow maintains that it never targets civilians.
The US vice president has dismissed accusations of war crimes
US Vice President J.D. Vance has bluntly rejected accusations that a missile strike on a boat carrying alleged Venezuela-linked cartel members amounted to a war crime.
On Tuesday, the US destroyed what President Donald Trump described as a “drug-carrying boat” in international waters in the southern Caribbean, killing 11 people on board. Trump claimed the vessel was tied to the Tren de Aragua cartel, which he has designated as a terrorist organization. Venezuelan officials dismissed the footage as fabricated, calling it “cartoonish.”
In a post on X on Saturday, Vance praised the strike, saying that “killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military.”
Social media influencer and frequent Trump critic Brian Krassenstein challenged the attack’s legality, arguing that “killing the citizens of another nation who are civilians without any due process is called a war crime.”
“I don’t give a s**t what you call it,” Vance replied.
While many Trump supporters backed the vice president, Senator Rand Paul condemned his remarks as “despicable and thoughtless.”
The strike followed the deployment of a US naval armada in the western Caribbean last month as part of Trump’s crackdown on drug trafficking. In 2020, a US court indicted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on charges of leading the Cartel de los Soles, an allegation he denounced as a plot to topple him.
CNN reported on Friday that Trump is considering strikes against cartels inside Venezuela. The president has denied regime change plans but described the country’s 2024 election as “very strange.”
The US vice president has dismissed accusations of war crimes
US Vice President J.D. Vance has bluntly rejected accusations that a missile strike on a boat carrying alleged Venezuela-linked cartel members amounted to a war crime.
On Tuesday, the US destroyed what President Donald Trump described as a “drug-carrying boat” in international waters in the southern Caribbean, killing 11 people on board. Trump claimed the vessel was tied to the Tren de Aragua cartel, which he has designated as a terrorist organization. Venezuelan officials dismissed the footage as fabricated, calling it “cartoonish.”
In a post on X on Saturday, Vance praised the strike, saying that “killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military.”
Social media influencer and frequent Trump critic Brian Krassenstein challenged the attack’s legality, arguing that “killing the citizens of another nation who are civilians without any due process is called a war crime.”
“I don’t give a s**t what you call it,” Vance replied.
While many Trump supporters backed the vice president, Senator Rand Paul condemned his remarks as “despicable and thoughtless.”
The strike followed the deployment of a US naval armada in the western Caribbean last month as part of Trump’s crackdown on drug trafficking. In 2020, a US court indicted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on charges of leading the Cartel de los Soles, an allegation he denounced as a plot to topple him.
CNN reported on Friday that Trump is considering strikes against cartels inside Venezuela. The president has denied regime change plans but described the country’s 2024 election as “very strange.”
The suspect has cast ballots in her pet’s name twice, the prosecutors say
A California woman has been charged with registering her dog to vote and casting ballots in her pet’s name in two elections, the Orange County Attorney General’s Office said on Friday.
Prosecutors said Laura Lee Yourex “self-reported” her actions in 2024 and now faces five felony counts. If convicted on all charges, she could serve up to six years in prison.
According to the statement, Yourex submitted a mail-in ballot under the name of her dog, Maya Jean Yourex, in the 2021 gubernatorial recall election, which was counted. She attempted to do so again in the 2022 primary election, but that ballot was rejected.
In 2022, Yourex reportedly posted a photo of Maya wearing an ‘I voted’ sticker on social media. Two years later, she shared another post showing the dog’s tag alongside a ballot with the caption “maya is still getting her ballot,” even though the pet had already died, prosecutors said.
California does not require residents to present identification to register or vote in state elections, though ID is required for first-time voters in federal contests.
US President Donald Trump has argued that mail-in voting enables election fraud, and has vowed to ban the practice before the 2026 midterms. California is among 19 states suing to block his executive order aimed at tightening identification rules and restricting the counting of mail-in ballots.
