Russian Media Scan on EU Security Issues (April 4-15, 2025)

Russian media coverage for the first half of April 2025 focused on projecting Russian diplomatic flexibility, economic resilience, and military strength, while continuing to highlight Western divisions, policy failures, and hypocrisy. These are the main narratives that have been recently dominating Russian headlines:  

Continuing Positive Russia-US Diplomatic Engagements 

Across multiple outlets, Russian media highlighted recent diplomatic developments in Russia-US relations, emphasizing the continuation of a potential thaw. Some examples of this reporting include: 

• April 10, 2025 – Kosmopolskaya Pravda reported on the negotiations between Russia and the US in Istanbul, noting that it lasted a difficult six hours. Alongside this coverage, Izvestia News highlighted that the “Ukraine situation” was strategically left off the agenda to help push Russia-US relations back to normalcy.  

• April 14, 2025 – Izvestia News reported that while Russia and the US continue negotiations on the Ukraine war in a bilateral format, the parties are unlikely to reach a ceasefire agreement by Easter, which was previously floated by the White House. This source cites “Ukraine’s inability to negotiate, its violation of the moratorium on strikes on energy infrastructure, and US President Donald Trump’s desire to achieve a quick ceasefire without a political settlement” as complicating factors in the negotiations.  

Context: On April 10, 2025, Russia and the US engaged in a high-profile prisoner exchange, which both Western and Russian media took as a sign of continued willingness from both sides to engage in meaningful diplomacy. Pushing this theme of cooperation with the US reinforces Russia’s image as a stable, rational actor and sets the stage for future bilateral deals that bypass Ukraine and NATO frameworks. 

Claims of Ukraine Carrying Out Attacks on Energy Infrastructure 

As Russia and the US engaged in bilateral discussions, Moscow started amplifying claims of Ukrainian ceasefire violations while portraying Russian military actions as defensive and strategic. Some sample Russian articles on this topic include: 

• April 10, 2025 – Kosmopolskaya Pravda reported that in the run-up to the Russia-US talks in Istanbul, Ukrainian armed forces launched 11 new strikes on Russian energy facilities in violation of the current cessation of strikes on energy facilities. The publication concluded that Ukrainian politicians continue to demonstratively violate Russia-US agreements. 

• April 14, 2025 – TASS News reported that the extension of the moratorium on strikes on Russian and Ukrainian energy facilities beyond April 16 rests with the decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The publication highlighted that Russia’s Defence Ministry has repeatedly emphasized that Ukraine continues to unilaterally attack Russia’s energy infrastructure despite public statements of support for the moratorium. 

Context: These reports are part of Russia’s effort to frame Ukraine as the aggressor and justify escalation ahead of talks, using alleged ceasefire violations to shift blame and portray Moscow as the more responsible actor. This rhetoric also aims to pressure Western negotiators by portraying Ukraine as undermining peace efforts, thereby shifting blame for any breakdown in talks onto Ukraine. 

Defending the Missile Attack on Sumy 

Russian media also gave significant attention to defending Russia’s April 13 missile strike on Sumy – its deadliest attack on Ukraine this year – which had sparked international outcry and conflicting narratives over the intended target. Key takes by Russian media on this topic include: 

• April 14, 2025 – Lenta.ru reported that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the strike on Sumy targeted a meeting between Ukrainian commanders and Western military officials, some allegedly from NATO, whom he claimed were helping coordinate long-range missile strikes against Russia.  

• April 15, 2025 – TASS News reported that the US informed its partners in the G7 that it will veto the statement condemning Russia’s attack in Sumy. Citing reporting by Bloomberg, TASS News indicated that the US told the G7 that it would not sign the statement because it is “working to preserve the space to negotiate peace” with Russia.  

Context: Russia’s current claim is that on April 13, 2025, the Russian armed forces delivered a strike by two Iskander-M tactical missiles on a gathering place of Ukraine’s Seversk operational-tactical group command staff in the city of Sumy, targeting military operations rather than civilians. This framing serves a dual purpose: to maintain domestic support by emphasizing Russian military gains, and to erode Western cohesion by amplifying skepticism and hesitation among NATO Allies. This framing also normalizes Russia’s continued aggression while painting any foreign resistance as fragmented and performative. 

Division within the “Coalition of the Willing” 

As debate over Western military support for Ukraine intensified, Russian media has also been seizing on internal divisions within the so-called “coalition of the willing” to portray the initiative as fragmented, ineffective, and ultimately destined for failure. Some media sources projecting this narrative include: 

• April 10, 2025 – Kosmopolskaya Pravda reported that the “gathering of countries wanting to send troops to Ukraine ended in failure” dubbing it the “coalition of the indecisive” and noting that only 6 of the 30 members are willing to commit forces, with progress stalled due to the lack of a US security guarantee in case of conflict with Russia.  

• April 14, 2025 – Kosmopolskaya Pravda reported on comments made by Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto in which he expressed doubt about the “coalition of the willing,” calling it a theoretical concept that lacked practical conditions, and instead emphasized that Europe should continue to rely on NATO for its security. 

Context: These reports are part of Russia’s strategic messaging aimed at undermining Western unity and discrediting any multilateral effort to bolster Ukraine outside of NATO. By highlighting the coalition’s lack of cohesion, limited troop commitments, and the absence of a US security guarantee, Russian outlets seek to frame the West as hesitant and divided in its efforts to end the war in Ukraine.  

West Paying the Price for Distancing from Russia’s Oil and Gas 

Following the shocks to global oil prices caused by US tariffs, Russian media also emphasized the economic fallout of Europe’s break from Russian energy and the negative impacts that this decision has had on EU citizens. Some examples of this reporting include: 

• April 7, 2025 – Vedemosti News reported that the EU’s detachment from Russian energy resources came at a very high cost to its citizens, citing statements made by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the World Economic Forum in January 2025. Using its own calculations, this article determined that from 2022 to 2024, EU member states spent €544 billion extra on non-Russian energy imports. 

• April 15, 2025 – RIA News: Reported that the EU is looking to break long-term gas contracts with Russia without paying fines to Moscow, as part of its continued effort to stop using Russian energy resources. The publication emphasized Moscow’s messaging that European countries made a serious mistake when they rejected Russian fossil fuels, as they have since formed a new dependency on buying Russian oil and gas at higher prices through intermediaries.  

Context: This narrative aims to assert Russia’s indispensable role as an energy source to Europe and to portray the West as economically vulnerable and morally compromised in its pursuit of independence from Russian resources. By highlighting the higher cost paid for energy, this narrative also attempts to influence EU citizens to become more critical of the EU’s decision to end its reliance on Russian oil and gas.