Russia in July 2026: the most important developments in society
In July 2026, Russia's most discussed social story was its dispute with the United Kingdom over LGBT issues. On July 1 the Foreign Ministry denounced a British claim about LGBT members of parliament as interference in internal affairs. On July 15 Russia criticized a British plan to replace Winston Churchill with an LGBT figure on banknotes, calling it disrespectful to history. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the theft of a Pushkin monument in Germany 'uncultured', and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he was proud of Russians' response to Nazi attempts to undermine society.
Severe weather ran through the month. A hurricane tore the roof off a building in Moscow on July 11, another took the roof off a school on July 17, and one hit the Sverdlovsk region on July 23. On July 26 a state of emergency was declared in Rostov-on-Don after a storm described as the worst of the century. Hail damaged homes in Bashkiria on July 30, when temperatures above 40 degrees set new records in several places and the heatwave was expected to continue.
At home, a Gallup poll found 60 percent of Russians saying the economy is worsening and trust in the military at 66 percent, while another survey reported record trust in institutions. Authorities urged citizens to have three children by age 35, and the state began funding IVF treatment for widows of soldiers killed in Ukraine. Dmitry Medvedev called for stricter control over underage migrants, and on July 26 Putin tightened rules for labor migrants. The Justice Ministry designated the song 'Russia for Caucasians' as extremist material on July 10, and on July 29 state media reported that a North Caucasian women's and queer rights group had been designated 'extremist'.
On health, Russia said on July 10 it was ready to mass-produce a vaccine against the Ebola strain and sent test kits to Guinea. Putin said he watches military bloggers and dismissed as 'dog nonsense' Ukraine's designation of Russians as a non-titular nation.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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