November 19, 2025 – Russia Headlines

Story gist: Former U.S. President Donald Trump interrupted a female reporter during an interaction. He told her to ‘be quiet, piggy’ in Russian.

Bias summary: Left-leaning outlets like Meduza omit the Trump-reporter incident entirely, instead emphasizing U.S. House support for releasing all Epstein case documents, potentially underscoring Trump’s historical ties to Epstein without direct criticism. Center sources such as BBC neutrally report the interruption as Trump telling the reporter to ‘shut up, pig,’ focusing on the factual event. Right-leaning EADaily frames the remark positively as Trump elevating media communication to a ‘new level,’ minimizing the insult’s offensiveness.

Story gist: Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that a visa-free regime for Chinese citizens will soon enter into force in Russia. In a related development, over 40,000 Russians entered China via the Manzhouli automobile checkpoint in the two months following the introduction of a similar visa-free policy there.

Bias summary: Left-leaning outlets, via Xinhua, emphasize the success of reciprocal visa-free travel by highlighting high numbers of Russian visitors to China, portraying positive bilateral ties through data on tourism growth. Center- and right-leaning sources, from Expert and Interfax, focus neutrally on Putin’s announcement of the policy for Chinese citizens entering Russia, omitting details on existing Russian travel benefits and maintaining a factual tone without emphasis on outcomes.

Story gist: The Russian State Duma approved in its second reading a bill raising the VAT rate to 22%. The measure forms part of the tax reform scheduled for 2026.

Bias summary: Left-leaning outlets provide no coverage, omitting any critical perspective on the tax hike’s impact on lower-income groups. Center sources frame the story neutrally, emphasizing approved amendments in an informative, question-based style for business audiences. Right-leaning coverage adopts an official tone, highlighting adoption of changes without controversy, aligning with state announcements.

Story gist: The Russian State Duma approved the federal budget project for 2026-2028 in its second reading.

Bias summary: Left-leaning Meduza frames the approval by highlighting the VAT increase, emphasizing potential economic burdens on citizens. Center outlet Vedomosti focuses on proposals to allocate more funds to new regions, underscoring policy shifts toward annexed territories. Right-leaning State Duma provides a straightforward official statement of adoption, omitting controversies and presenting it as routine legislative progress.

Story gist: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced plans to activate negotiations with Russia. He will travel to Turkey, joined by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s special envoy Keith Witkoff, but no Russian representatives will attend.

Bias summary: Left-leaning Meduza emphasizes ‘peace negotiations’ and quotes ‘activation’ skeptically, highlighting Trump’s envoy’s role and Russian absence to underscore diplomatic nuances. Center-leaning Vedomosti offers a neutral, straightforward headline restating the announcement without added context. Right-leaning outlets are absent, omitting any perspective on U.S. involvement or potential benefits for Ukraine’s position.