December 11, 2025 – Russia Headlines

Story gist: Former U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Kyiv needs to realistically assess its capabilities in resolving the conflict.

Bias summary: Left-leaning Meduza frames the story as part of the ‘war’ narrative, emphasizing ongoing conflict. Center BBC uses a puzzled tone (‘What was that?’) questioning Trump’s reported demand for elections in Ukraine, focusing on surprise. Right-leaning outlets absent, omitting pro-Trump or skeptical-of-Ukraine-aid perspectives.

Story gist: Russian authorities stated no problems in financial calculations with one country, the UAE. Russia and UAE aim to double bilateral trade through sectors including pharmaceuticals and halal fintech.

Bias summary: Left-leaning outlets omitted coverage entirely. Center outlets like Vedomosti frame positively, emphasizing trade growth ambitions and specific sectors. Right-leaning tve24.ru uses the hedged title quoting officials’ no-problem claim, focusing on payment reliability without broader context, potentially implying caution amid geopolitical tensions.

Story gist: Russian senators approved a law permitting clear-cutting of dead forests around Lake Baikal.

Bias summary: Left-leaning Meduza employs dramatic, emotional tone (‘Do you hear Baikal crying?’) emphasizing environmental harm. Center Interfax uses neutral, factual framing matching the story title on clear-cutting dead forests. Right-leaning State Duma highlights preservation of Lake Baikal and residents’ well-being, omitting logging specifics and portraying the law positively.

Story gist: Russian air defense systems destroyed three drones heading toward Moscow on December 10, 2025. Additional reports cite six more and a total of 30 in recent hours.

Bias summary: Left-leaning outlets provide no coverage, leaving that perspective absent. Center sources like Interfax frame it as destruction of six additional drones approaching Moscow, noting ongoing incidents without alarm. Right-leaning outlets, including Moscow Mayor Sobyanin’s site, emphasize a larger total of 30 drones destroyed in recent attack hours, highlighting threat scale and defensive success.

Story gist: Russian MOEX and RTS indices rose 0.9% at the start of the main trading session. The increase followed statements by Donald Trump.

Bias summary: Left- and right-leaning outlets provided no coverage, omitting any partisan framing on Trump’s influence or Russian market reactions. Center outlet Interfax neutrally reported the factual 0.9% rise in MOEX and RTS indices without tone, emphasis on causation, or geopolitical context, focusing solely on trading data.