Russian President Vladimir Putin once again threatened the West and NATO countries with the possibility of a wider conflict due to their arming of Ukraine with weapons that target sites on Russian territory – as was reported by almost all Macedonian-language media.

At a meeting with foreign journalists in St. Petersburg during a traditional international economic forum, Putin’s threat was twofold. He warned against the arming of neighboring countries of Western nations or NATO members with long-range weapons and hinted at the potential real use of tactical nuclear weapons should Russian sovereignty and territorial integrity be threatened.

If someone thinks that delivering such weapons in a military zone to attack our territory and create problems is possible, why shouldn’t we have the right to supply others with our weapons, said Putin on the press conference in St. Petersburg, as reported by one local media outlet.

Another outlet reported that Putin claimed that attacks on the Russian Federation with the participation of Western countries means direct war against the Federation, to which Moscow would respond accordingly with retaliation strikes on the facilities that supply Ukraine with such weapons.

Putin told editors of foreign media outlets that the Russian nuclear doctrine allows such weapons to be used in response to certain threats.

For some reason, the West believes that Russia will never use nuclear weapons… We have a nuclear doctrine, look what is says. If someone’s actions threaten our sovereignty and territorial integrity, we believe that we can use all resources available. This should not be taken lightly or superficially, stressed Putin, as reported by a local media outlet.

Another media outlet, citing CNN, explains the context and highlights that, aside from the US, Putin specifically called out Germany.

The appearance of German tanks in Ukraine resulted in an ethical shock in Russia, where the relationship with Germany was previously very good. Now they say they will deliver missiles that will target sites on Russian territory. This, of course, ultimately destroys Russian-German relations, added Putin, as reported by a Macedonian-language outlet.

The day after, Putin continued the tactic of propaganda-based fearmongering, but this time specifying that the doctrine had not yet been changed and that it was not a case of “sabre-rattling,” as Macedonian-language media reported:

The use [of nuclear weapons] is possible in exceptional circumstances – in the event of a threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. I think that that has not happened, said Putin on the International Economic Forum in Sankt Petersburg.

The doctrine, however, is a living tool and we are monitoring carefully what is going on in the world around us, so we do not exclude its amendments. This also applies to nuclear weapons testing, said the Russian leader, as reported by Macedonian-language media.

Peskov and Medvedev – amplifiers of propaganda messages

The day after Putin’s statement, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov spoke up, emphasizing the importance of Putin’s statement.

This is a very important statement that clearly affirms that the supply of weapons which targets us cannot go unanswered, and those consequences will certainly happen, stated Peskov, as reported by Macedonian-language media.

He refused to name the regions or specific countries that Moscow might send such weapons to, stressing that “the president [Putin] said what he wanted to say”.

Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and one of the country’s most vocal propagandists shared a message on his Telegram channel to unnamed enemies of the West to be merciless when using the Russian weapons against their adversaries.

“Let the USA and allies feel the direct use of Russian weapons that would be used against them by third countries,” said Medvedev.

While the specific regions where Russia might deploy its weapons were not named, Medvedev noted on Telegram that it could be any country that country that “America and its buddies deem its enemies.”

Regardless of political beliefs and international recognition, all those whom the US considers its enemies are our friends, he added.

Let the still-unnamed ‘regions’ apply Russian weapons in a more destructive manner against their and our enemies. And let the ‘sensitive targets of the countries supplying weapons to Kyiv’ burn in hellish flames. Let them burn together with those who control them, said the former Russian President.

In the following days, Medvedev continued spreading series of propaganda messages, directed to the entire Western hemisphere. He started with messages to the German and French leaders Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron, saying it is time for them to retire. Everything culminated with the former president sharing a map of Russia, that encompassed Ukraine’s current borders. He also stated that Russia should make life in the West a living hell.

Reaction from the U.S. and context of the threats

Immediately following these statements, US President Joe Biden responded to them. He emphasized that Ukraine is not authorized to use American weapons to target Moscow or the presidential office in the Kremlin.

We’re not authorizing strikes 200 miles (approximately 322) into Russia– said Biden, explaining that the US allows Kyiv to use American weapons on specific targets near the Ukrainian border, as reported by a Macedonian-language media outlet.

This chain reaction of Russian high-level officials was triggered by the delivery and operational deployment of long-range Western missile systems used by the U.S. and Germany. At the beginning of June 2024,  a Ukrainian Member of Parliament confirmed to CNN that the Ukrainian military started using the HIMARS missile systems, delivered by the U.S., to target Russian air defense systems, weapon depots, and other targets on Russian territory. This is particularly significant given that HIMARS systems have a range of up to 499 km, according to publicly available data.

Yehor Cherniev, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on National Security, Defence and Intelligence of the Ukrainian Parliament, said that the American weapons contributed to the “significant decrease of the shelling of Kharkiv with Russian C-300 missiles.”

A day prior to Putin’s response, the Russian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sergei Ryabkov also warned that the US could face fatal consequences if they poorly understood the situation in Ukraine, as reported by most Macedonian-language media outlets.

I would like to warn American leaders about the miscalculations that could lead to fatal consequences. For unknown reasons, they are underestimating the seriousness of the response they might receive, said Ryabkov for RIA Novosti, as reported by local media.

Russian news agencies quoted Ryabkov as saying that attempts by Kyiv to attack Russian early warning radar systems would be thwarted and that Moscow may respond asymmetrically to such actions.

Ryabkov’s statement came after a Ukrainian drone targeted a Russian long-range radar, which was part of the early warning system. However, the day after Ryabkov’s statement, there was another dramatic report of a missile attack on a Russian S-300 or possibly S-400 air defense system, as was confirmed with video and photographs by Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.

That same day Russia retaliated with a missile attack on Donetsk, resulting in the deaths of seven people. This coincided with a new report from the UN human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine, which verified data showing the deaths of 10,810 civilians in Ukraine and 20,556 civilians injured since the beginning of the invasion. Nevertheless, the organization claims that the actual number of civiliancasualties was much higher, as Macedonian-language media reported.

“Peacemaker” Putin’s impossible offer to Ukraine

Two days prior to the peace conference in Switzerland, Putin came out with a new ceasefire proposal and a new start to peace talks, as reporeted by most Macedonian-language media:

“The conditions are very simple”, said Putin, outlining the full withdrawal of Ukrainian Forces from the entire territory of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson regions in Eastern and Southern Ukraine.

Once Kyiv states that it is ready for such a decision and starts the actual withdrawal of their forces from these regions, and also officially proclaims that it has cancelled its NATO membership plans, we will immediately, literally that same minute, issue an order for a ceasefire and start negotiations, he said.

I repeat – we will do that immediately. Of course, at the same time we will guarantee the smooth and safe withdrawal of Ukrainian units and formations.

Ukraine immediately rejected this impossible peace offer.

Ukraine will not accept the conditions for opening negotiations to end the war as presented by Russian President Vladimir Putin, stated Mikhailo Podolyak, adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

He dismissed Putin’s proposal, proclaiming to be an unserious attempt for reaching a peace agreement, irrelevant to any kind of negotiations. Podolyak spoke to Reuters and stated that “there is no chance of finding a compromise” between Putin’s statements and the conditions for ending the war as presented by Ukraine.

North Macedonia and 77 other countries signed the Declaration for Peace in Ukraine

In mid-June, amidst this tense atmosphere, a two-day peace conference for Ukraine took place  in Switzerland without Russia’s participation. The Summit, which in the end did not include U.S. President Joe Biden, concluded with the adoption of a Declaration supported by 78 of the 92 countries present. The decleartion included a call for Russia to take part in the next peace conference, once it meets the commitments outlined in the declaration. German Chancellor Scholz assessed that peace was not possible without Russia, as some national media reported.

In the final document, the Declaration, the first condition is that Russia must respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity, cease threats of nuclear weapon use, ensure the safety of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia, and stop targeting transportation infrastructure projects and ships carrying grain and other food from Ukraine to the world via the Black Sea.

We reaffirm our commitment to refraining from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, the principles of sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of all states, including Ukraine, within their internationally recognized borders, including territorial waters, and the resolution of disputes through peaceful means as principles of international law, states the Declaration.

The countries supporting the Declaration are 6 members of the G20 Group – Brazil, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, India and Indonesia, as well as Armenia, Bahrein, Thailand, Libya, United Arab Emirates, Columbia and Vatican, as emphasized by some Macedonian media.

The summit, held at a luxury resort near Lucerne, aimed to garner the broadest possible support for a process to help end the war and was attended by over 90 states and organizations. Russia was not invited, while China declined to attend, leading some to question the effectiveness of the summit.

Media outlets in North Macedonia closely follwed Summit, partly because North Macedonia actively participated in it. President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova was one of the signatories of the Declaration and she also gave a speech.

North Korea and Vietnam: new springboards for Russian propaganda

Vladimir Putin’s official visits of North Korea and Vietnam in the second half of June served as platforms for Russia to continue its hostile propaganda against the West. Some Macedonian-language media reported on it, mainly citing Western sources.

One of those article reads: “Cheerful crowds and lavish ceremonies welcomed Vladimir Putin on his first visit to North Korea since 2000. Both countries announced that they would strengthen their partnership amid Western sanctions and pressures. Russian state media showcased large assemblies of soldiers and civilians in Pyongyang’s main square, followed by talks at the Kumsusan Palace.

“Putin immediately attacked the West and said that Russia was fighting against the hegemonic, imperial policy of the USA and he thanked North Korea for its ongoing support of Russian policies, including those related to Ukraine. Kim responded that the Russian-North Korean relations were entering a period of new prosperity.”

In an op-ed published in North Korean state media the day before the visit, Putin unequivocally asserted that both nations will continue to “decisevely oppose” what he described as Western ambitions “to prevent the establishment of a multipolar world order based on justice and mutual respect for sovereignty, taking into account mutual interests.” He mentioned that a new document was being developed that “would serve as the basis for the relations between the two countries for many years to come.”

During his visit to Vietnam, Putin reiterated threats related to the use of nuclear weapons by alluding to the changes in Russia’s military doctrine.

The current doctrine allows Russia to use nuclear weapons if attacked with nuclear weapons or in the event of a conventional attack that poses an existential threat to the country.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, some Russian military analysts have suggested that Russia should lower the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons. Putin has repeatedly stated that there is no need for Russia to conduct a preemptive nuclear strike.

“Putin made the statement in Vietnam, a day after visiting North Korea, where he signed a mutual military assistance agreement with leader Kim Jong-un in case of armed aggression against either country”, reported some local media outlets.

Macedonian-language media outlets extensively covered Putin’s tour. More focus was place on his visit in North Korea, but his Vietnam visit was also covered. As previously noted, most of the news relied on the reports of Western media, with very few outlets directly quoting Russian sources.

Never ending pro-Russian lies on social networks

Truthmeter also again noted disinformation that aims to tarnish the reputation of Ukrainian officials. This time, in addition to targeting Zelenskyy and his alleged casino in Cyprus, Ukraine’s Health Minister was also targeted, so as to increase the corpus of disinformation related to organ trafficking.

For the first time, Truthmeter registered disinformation about an alleged direct Russian threat to the US, involving maneuvers conducted by Russia and Cuba in the Caribbean Sea. One case involved alleged Russian warship in Cuba, and another suggested that the media allegedly kept silent about the maneuvers in the Caribbean Sea. The peak of disinformation related to Russian military power was likely the fake news that Russian figher jets had flown over Florida.

Truthmeter also again noted disinformation that aims to tarnish the reputation of Ukrainian officials. This time, in addition to targeting Zelenskyy and his alleged casino in Cyprus, Ukraine’s Health Minister was also targeted, so as to increase the corpus of disinformation related to organ trafficking.

For the firs time, Truthmeter registered disinformation about an alleged direct Russian threat to the US, involving maneuvers conducted by Russia and Cuba in the Caribbean Sea. One case involved alleged Russian warship in Cuba, and another suggested that the media allegedly kept silent about the maneuvers in the Caribbean Sea. The peak of disinformation related to Russian military power was likely the fake news that Russian fighter jets had flown over Florida.