Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to be switching between rhetoric focused on Russian ethnic nationalism and Russian multinationalism, but remains committed to promoting anti-Western sentiment and the militarization of Russia's youth. Putin held a meeting with the Security Council on June 10 that largely focused on the unification of the peoples of Russia and the use of military-patriotic youth programs and Russian government initiatives to promote Russian patriotism.[1] Putin highlighted the work of the “Movement of the First,” a Russian youth movement aimed at promoting military-patriotic education in Russia and occupied Ukraine, and “Yunarmiya” (”The Youth Army”), a movement that is responsible for instilling pro-war sentiments in Russian children and teenagers. Putin also highlighted the Russian state-mandated weekly lessons in schools that often include lectures by soldiers from the war in Ukraine. Putin platformed BRICS, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) — Russian-dominated organizations that Putin and other Kremlin officials have repeatedly postured as the foundation of Putin's envisioned anti-Western and anti-NATO Eurasian security architecture.[2] Putin stated that Russia must respond to challenges that promote interethnic and interreligious conflict in Russia and highlighted the “unity of the peoples of Russia.” Putin recently began forwarding an unofficial ideology formulated on Russian nationalism that positions Russia in opposition to the West, which marked a notable departure from Putin's usual rhetoric promoting the multiethnic and multireligious makeup of Russia's population.[3] Putin's remarks at the June 10 Security Council meeting appear to be a return to this rhetoric about the diversity of Russia and Russian civic nationalism. Putin appears committed, however, to promoting anti-Western and pro-war sentiments, especially in Russian youth, likely as part of efforts to prepare Russian society for a protracted war in Ukraine and possible future conflict with NATO. Putin's June 10 statements about harmony and unity in Russia indicate that he likely remains hesitant to fully commit to a nationalist ideology centered around ethnic Russians, as this risks fragmenting Russia's multiethnic population. ISW continues to assess that Putin must work to balance appeasing the influential xenophobic and ultranationalist community, which is a key constituency for Putin, with the need to leverage migrants to offset immediate economic and force generation challenges and long-term demographic decline.[4]
Russia is reportedly working to increase the number of North Korean labor migrants in Russia, likely to support Russia's workforce and to directly join the Russian military. Ukrainian Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) Head Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov reported on June 7 that Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu agreed during his recent visit to North Korea to work to bring more North Korean migrants to work in Russia.[5] This reported agreement is a violation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2397, to which Russia is a signatory and which prohibits North Korea from sending its citizens abroad for work and mandated that all UN member states expel all North Koreans “earning income” abroad by December 2019.[6] Russia vetoed in March 2024 an annual UNSC resolution extending a monitoring panel tracking adherence to UN sanctions against North Korea.[7] Budanov stated that Russia is likely looking to North Koreans to replace migrants from Central Asia. Budanov stated that many North Korean laborers in Russia will likely sign military contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD). ISW assessed in February 2025 that Russia was creating opportunities for North Korean migrants to go to Russia to join the Russian workforce or the Russian military.[8] Russia and North Korea have been overtly increasing their defense cooperation through mutual defense treaties, the transfer of military technology and materiel, and the deployment of North Korean forces to fight alongside Russian forces in Kursk Oblast.[9] Russia and North Korea appear to be trying to engage in more covert ways to create pathways through which North Koreans can enter Russia's military recruitment pipeline.
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-june-10-2025
The authorities have decided not to delay the selection of women for the Kukushka project, which is aimed at giving birth to “state” children. It is expected that the selection of the first 100 women will begin in August of this year. The selection criteria are currently being agreed upon at the final stage.
It is known in advance that these will be young Russian women from 18 to 26 years old (without family ties to foreigners). Orthodox. They say that one of the conditions will be the first blood group, so that the future offspring will have a common blood group, which is easier to replenish in the conditions of field hospitals and rehabilitation. And yes, although they will not officially announce this, the main goal will be the creation of healthy offspring that will be able to defend the future Russia.
The start of the project itself is expected at the end of this year - beginning of 2026. They are tentatively planning to create separate rooms in special boarding houses where conception will take place.
The question of who will act as fathers is also being discussed. At the first stage, a likely scenario is to involve veterans of the SVO, individual deputies and media personalities. The selection will be made by geneticists who have been given the goal of creating the strongest possible generation of Russians within the framework of the project. Children will be under the guardianship of the state from birth.
Remember Lebensborn
Lebensborn e.V. (literally: “Fount of Life”) was a secret, SS-initiated, state-registered association in Nazi Germany with the stated goal of increasing the number of children born who met the Nazi standards of “racially pure” and “healthy” Aryans, based on Nazi eugenics (also called “racial hygiene” by some eugenicists). Lebensborn was established by Heinrich Himmler, and provided welfare to its mostly unmarried mothers, encouraged anonymous births by unmarried women at their maternity homes, and mediated adoption of children by likewise “racially pure” and “healthy” parents, particularly SS members and their families.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebensborn
Кукушка (Kukushka) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_cuckoo
Denazification?
Deputy Russia Team Lead at ISW, who works on their daily campaign assessment gets interviewed on YouTube. (33 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBDE4ctIqKI
The Kremlin continues to attack Ukraine using rhetoric presenting an anachronistic reading of Ukraine's history, denying the existence of an independent Ukrainian language and culture, and discrediting the Ukrainian government. Russian Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky claimed to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) in an interview published on June 11 that the war in Ukraine is a war between two countries with a shared language and culture and likened the war to “a conflict between two brothers.”[4] Medinsky’s statement is consistent with other Kremlin rhetoric attempting to portray Ukraine as lacking an independent identity and statehood from Russia — reflective of Russia's war goals that seek Ukraine's complete capitulation to Russia and the installation of a pro-Russian puppet government.[5] Russian State Duma Chairperson Vyacheslav Volodin also reiterated Kremlin rhetorical lines falsely claiming that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is illegitimate and only the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada is legitimate.[6] The Ukrainian Constitution bars the government from holding elections when martial law is in effect, and the Ukrainian government legally cannot abolish martial law while Russia continues to attack Ukraine.[7] ISW continues to assess that Russia is very likely promoting such narratives to set conditions for Russia to withdraw from any future peace agreements with Ukraine at a time of Russia's choosing and to support Russia's long-standing demand that Ukraine acquiesce to regime change and the installation of a pro-Russian proxy government.[8]
Russian officials are also attempting to rhetorically split Ukraine from its Western partners and advocating for an escalation of Russian strike tactics in Ukraine as part of wider efforts to intimidate the West into weakening its support for Ukraine. Russian Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on June 11 that it is impossible to fight a protracted war against Russia and that Russia always defeats its enemies in protracted wars, citing Russia's 21-year-war with Sweden in the 18th century.[9] Medinsky claimed that Russia will be “forced to respond” if “Ukraine keeps being driven by the national interests of others.” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov claimed in an interview with Kremlin newswire TASS published on June 9 that European states are the main obstacle to peace in Ukraine and are pushing Ukraine to continue military operations against Russia.[10] Volodin claimed on June 11 that Germany's military support for Ukraine is the reason that Russia has conflict with Germany.[11] Russian State Duma Defense Committee First Deputy Chairperson Alexei Zhuravlev separately called for Russia to strike Ukraine with a second Oreshnik intermediate-range nuclear-capable ballistic missile and implied that Russia may launch an Oreshnik against Ukraine soon.[12] Kremlin officials periodically threaten escalation with the West while accusing the West of escalating the war in Ukraine by providing Ukraine with military aid in an effort to prevent the West from giving further assistance to Ukraine, which plays into Putin's theory of victory.[13]
Russian officials continue to promote anti-NATO and anti-Western rhetoric, likely as part of the Kremlin's continued efforts to prepare Russian society for a potential future war against NATO. Ryabkov claimed in the TASS interview published on June 9 that NATO expansion is an “acute problem” and a “root cause” of the contradictions between the United States and Russia, and that it will be impossible to resolve the war in Ukraine without solving the problem of NATO.[14] Ryabkov stated that the Kremlin demanded a legally binding, long-term guarantee from the United States and NATO in December 2021 that NATO would not expand further nor deploy long-range weapons near the NATO-Russia border.[15] Ryabkov reiterated that the Kremlin's position on this matter remains unchanged and called for NATO to reduce the size of the NATO contingent in Eastern Europe. Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Spokesperson Maria Zakharova overstated on June 11 NATO defensive measures in Eastern Europe and claimed that NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte is trying to intimidate the population of NATO countries by saying that Russia is a threat to NATO.[16] Russian officials have long used anti-Western and anti-NATO rhetoric to justify and consolidate domestic support for a protracted war against Ukraine and to prepare the Russian domestic audience for a potential future conflict against NATO.[17]
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-june-11-2025-0