🎙 Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’s remarks in response to questions from Federal News Agency (BiH) about Louis Crishock’s appointment as Acting High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina (July 12, 2026)
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❓ Question: What is the Russian Federation’s assessment of the decision by the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board to appoint Louis Crishock as Acting High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina? Does Russia consider the appointment legitimate?
💬 Maria Zakharova: The 1995 General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) (the Dayton Peace Agreement) does NOT provide for the position of “Acting” High Representative in BiH.
If such a function is required to ensure the technical operation of the Office of the High Representative (OHR), this is purely an internal matter for that institution. However, under the Dayton Agreement, the “Acting” High Representative does NOT possess any powers whatsoever.
Such powers may only be granted to a legitimate High Representative whose candidacy has been approved by the UN Security Council.
Attempts by Western representatives on the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board (PIC SB) to present Mr Crishock as an “Acting High Representative” have NO legal basis whatsoever.
❓Question: Does Moscow believe that the time has come to end international oversight in BiH, and if so, what specific conditions should BiH meet to shut the Office of the High Representative down?
💬 Maria Zakharova: Russia’s position as an international guarantor of the Dayton Agreement remains consistent and principled. An external protectorate is inconsistent with the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In this regard, we are convinced that the Office of the High Representative should be closed as soon as possible and the post of High Representative abolished without any conditions.
❓Question: Given that Russia remains a member of the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board, will it continue to participate in the work of this body, or does it believe that a new international mechanism should be created to oversee the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement?
💬 Maria Zakharova: Russia has never terminated its PIC SB membership. The temporary suspension of our participation in this format is linked to the fact that since 2021 its meetings have been held under the “chairmanship” of an impostor, Christian Schmidt, who, backed by Western countries, usurped the post of High Representative.
Another point is that, through the fault of the Western representatives, the Steering Board has departed from the long-standing practice of consensus-based decision-making. We have yet to see readiness on the part of our partners to rectify the abnormal situation they themselves have created.
❓Question: How does the Russian Federation assess the role of the UN Security Council in the process of appointing the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina?
💬 Maria Zakharova: The UN Security Council is the only body authorised to appoint the High Representative. This is enshrined both in the Dayton Agreement and is corroborated by 25 years of practical activities.
As you may be aware, the unlawful promotion of Christian Schmidt to the post of High Representative by a group of Western representatives within the PIC SB in circumvention of the UN Security Council plunged Bosnia and Herzegovina into the deepest crisis of the post-conflict period, effectively imperiling security in BiH and the region as a whole.
Unfortunately, Russia’s warnings were ignored at the time. The unrelenting behind-the-scenes manoeuvring in Western circles over the appointment of a new High Representative is a follow-up of this harmful and short-sighted practice and is unlikely to contribute to getting the situation in the country back to normal.
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❓ Question: What is the Russian Federation’s assessment of the decision by the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board to appoint Louis Crishock as Acting High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina? Does Russia consider the appointment legitimate?
💬 Maria Zakharova: The 1995 General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) (the Dayton Peace Agreement) does NOT provide for the position of “Acting” High Representative in BiH.
If such a function is required to ensure the technical operation of the Office of the High Representative (OHR), this is purely an internal matter for that institution. However, under the Dayton Agreement, the “Acting” High Representative does NOT possess any powers whatsoever.
Such powers may only be granted to a legitimate High Representative whose candidacy has been approved by the UN Security Council.
Attempts by Western representatives on the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board (PIC SB) to present Mr Crishock as an “Acting High Representative” have NO legal basis whatsoever.
❓Question: Does Moscow believe that the time has come to end international oversight in BiH, and if so, what specific conditions should BiH meet to shut the Office of the High Representative down?
💬 Maria Zakharova: Russia’s position as an international guarantor of the Dayton Agreement remains consistent and principled. An external protectorate is inconsistent with the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In this regard, we are convinced that the Office of the High Representative should be closed as soon as possible and the post of High Representative abolished without any conditions.
❓Question: Given that Russia remains a member of the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board, will it continue to participate in the work of this body, or does it believe that a new international mechanism should be created to oversee the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement?
💬 Maria Zakharova: Russia has never terminated its PIC SB membership. The temporary suspension of our participation in this format is linked to the fact that since 2021 its meetings have been held under the “chairmanship” of an impostor, Christian Schmidt, who, backed by Western countries, usurped the post of High Representative.
Another point is that, through the fault of the Western representatives, the Steering Board has departed from the long-standing practice of consensus-based decision-making. We have yet to see readiness on the part of our partners to rectify the abnormal situation they themselves have created.
❓Question: How does the Russian Federation assess the role of the UN Security Council in the process of appointing the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina?
💬 Maria Zakharova: The UN Security Council is the only body authorised to appoint the High Representative. This is enshrined both in the Dayton Agreement and is corroborated by 25 years of practical activities.
As you may be aware, the unlawful promotion of Christian Schmidt to the post of High Representative by a group of Western representatives within the PIC SB in circumvention of the UN Security Council plunged Bosnia and Herzegovina into the deepest crisis of the post-conflict period, effectively imperiling security in BiH and the region as a whole.
Unfortunately, Russia’s warnings were ignored at the time. The unrelenting behind-the-scenes manoeuvring in Western circles over the appointment of a new High Representative is a follow-up of this harmful and short-sighted practice and is unlikely to contribute to getting the situation in the country back to normal.
#Victory81
🌟 On July 13, 1944, Vilnius was liberated from Nazi invaders by the Red Army.
The capital of the Lithuanian SSR was a major railway hub, which the Nazis used for military operations in the Soviet Baltic region. In the summer of 1944, as Red Army forces rapidly advanced towards the USSR’s state border destroying Nazi units in Belarus, Vilnius became, for the Germans, effectively the last major defensive line on the approaches to East Prussia.
The core of the enemy garrison defending Vilnius consisted of the remnants of Wehrmacht units that had survived the battles outside Minsk and Vitebsk. The garrison also included a group of local collaborationists who had sworn allegiance to Hitler aka Lithuanian volunteer nationalist detachment. The entire Nazi group in the Vilnius area consisted of 15'000 Wehrmacht soldiers and officers.
The Vilnius Offensive Operation was entrusted to Army General Ivan Chernyakhovsky, a talented military commander.
The Nazi leadership ordered that Vilnius be held at any cost to the last German. This did not help. On July 7, armor units of the 3rd Byelorussian Front broke through the enemy defences and began encircling Vilnius from the south and west.
💬 From the memoirs of Marshal Alexander Vasilevsky:
Fierce street fighting broke out in the city. On July 8, the main forces of the 3rd Byelorussian Front reached Vilnius, advancing from the north and northeast as well as from the south. The occupants put up fierce resistance, and the Red Army soldiers had to fight for every house and literally for every floor.
Lithuanian partisans provided significant assistance to the Soviet forces, taking an active part in the liberation of Vilnius.
On July 13, Vilnius was completely liberated. During the operation, formations of the 3rd Byelorussian Front advanced 210 kilometres liberating the capital of the Lithuanian SSR and securing bridgeheads on the left bank of the Niemen River.
Thus, favourable conditions were created for reaching the borders of East Prussia — the stronghold of Nazi militarism and the last defensive line of the Reich on the Soviet-German front.
The Red Army clobbered the enemy during the summer-autumn offensive of 1944 in Byelorussia and the Baltic region. 👉 The Nazi North Army Group was effectively destroyed.
The remnants of the group were trapped in the Courland Pocket and eliminated there in the spring of 1945.
The capital of the Lithuanian SSR was a major railway hub, which the Nazis used for military operations in the Soviet Baltic region. In the summer of 1944, as Red Army forces rapidly advanced towards the USSR’s state border destroying Nazi units in Belarus, Vilnius became, for the Germans, effectively the last major defensive line on the approaches to East Prussia.
The core of the enemy garrison defending Vilnius consisted of the remnants of Wehrmacht units that had survived the battles outside Minsk and Vitebsk. The garrison also included a group of local collaborationists who had sworn allegiance to Hitler aka Lithuanian volunteer nationalist detachment. The entire Nazi group in the Vilnius area consisted of 15'000 Wehrmacht soldiers and officers.
The Vilnius Offensive Operation was entrusted to Army General Ivan Chernyakhovsky, a talented military commander.
The Nazi leadership ordered that Vilnius be held at any cost to the last German. This did not help. On July 7, armor units of the 3rd Byelorussian Front broke through the enemy defences and began encircling Vilnius from the south and west.
💬 From the memoirs of Marshal Alexander Vasilevsky:
The capital of Soviet Lithuania, Vilnius, was a major fortified German stronghold on approaches to East Prussia.
On July 7, the 5th Army of the 3rd Byelorussian Front bypassed Vilnius from the north, advanced through Sesuoliai to the Viliya River, cut the railway line to Kaunas near Evye (Vievis), and, having repelled the enemy’s tank counterattacks <...> the enemy force of 15,000 men found itself encircled.
All attempts by the Nazis to relieve the encircled troops failed.
Fierce street fighting broke out in the city. On July 8, the main forces of the 3rd Byelorussian Front reached Vilnius, advancing from the north and northeast as well as from the south. The occupants put up fierce resistance, and the Red Army soldiers had to fight for every house and literally for every floor.
Lithuanian partisans provided significant assistance to the Soviet forces, taking an active part in the liberation of Vilnius.
On July 13, Vilnius was completely liberated. During the operation, formations of the 3rd Byelorussian Front advanced 210 kilometres liberating the capital of the Lithuanian SSR and securing bridgeheads on the left bank of the Niemen River.
Thus, favourable conditions were created for reaching the borders of East Prussia — the stronghold of Nazi militarism and the last defensive line of the Reich on the Soviet-German front.
The Red Army clobbered the enemy during the summer-autumn offensive of 1944 in Byelorussia and the Baltic region. 👉 The Nazi North Army Group was effectively destroyed.
The remnants of the group were trapped in the Courland Pocket and eliminated there in the spring of 1945.
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⚡️ On July 13, the German Ambassador to Russia was summoned to the Russia's Foreign Ministry, where he was informed of Berlin’s involvement in the Kiev regime’s terrorist strikes on civilian infrastructure in Russia.
The Ambassador was apprised of the unacceptability of Germany’s growing support for the Kiev regime, including the conclusion of military and military-technical agreements, direct arms supplies, and the organisation of joint ventures aimed at creating offensive capabilities to target peaceful facilities in Russia, including reconnaissance and strike UAVs, anti-aircraft missiles and rocket munitions used to attack civilian infrastructure.
☝️ The Ambassador was informed that Germany’s attempts to dictate to third countries, including official representatives of the People’s Republic of China, how and in what format they should build relations with Russia were unacceptable.
During the meeting, the Ambassador was told that the shift in the German propaganda apparatus’s information and communications activities towards the style of the worst practices of Nazi propaganda was immoral and provoked historically conditioned rejection and outrage among broad sections of our country’s population.
At the same time, we learned with no small degree of satisfaction that the German Ambassador to the Russian Federation will soon be returning by a petrol-powered car to his homeland upon completion of his posting.
The Ambassador was apprised of the unacceptability of Germany’s growing support for the Kiev regime, including the conclusion of military and military-technical agreements, direct arms supplies, and the organisation of joint ventures aimed at creating offensive capabilities to target peaceful facilities in Russia, including reconnaissance and strike UAVs, anti-aircraft missiles and rocket munitions used to attack civilian infrastructure.
☝️ The Ambassador was informed that Germany’s attempts to dictate to third countries, including official representatives of the People’s Republic of China, how and in what format they should build relations with Russia were unacceptable.
During the meeting, the Ambassador was told that the shift in the German propaganda apparatus’s information and communications activities towards the style of the worst practices of Nazi propaganda was immoral and provoked historically conditioned rejection and outrage among broad sections of our country’s population.
At the same time, we learned with no small degree of satisfaction that the German Ambassador to the Russian Federation will soon be returning by a petrol-powered car to his homeland upon completion of his posting.
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#Victory81
🌟 July 13 marks a memorable date in Russia’s military history.
#OTD 8️⃣2️⃣ years ago, on July 13, 1944, Red Army forces completely liberated Vilnius from German occupation.
This was the second time in five years that the Soviet Union gave Lithuania’s capital back to the country: first in 1939, by transferring the then Vilna (Vilno) from Poland to the Republic of Lithuania, and again in 1944, by driving the German occupiers out of Vilnius.
The city was liberated during the Vilnius Offensive conducted as part of the strategic Operation Bagration.
⚔️ The main strike on Vilnius was carried out by the 3rd Byelorussian Front under the command of General of the Army Ivan Chernyakhovsky.
Fierce fighting for the city lasted several days. The German command sought to hold Vilnius at all costs viewing it as a key defensive stronghold on the approaches to East Prussia.
Eleven Lithuanian Soviet partisan detachments also took part in the liberation of Vilnius, entering the city alongside Red Army troops.
🇷🇺 During the fighting, the Red Flag was raised over Gediminas Tower, where it remained for three days.
🎥 © Russian Military History Society
#OTD 8️⃣2️⃣ years ago, on July 13, 1944, Red Army forces completely liberated Vilnius from German occupation.
This was the second time in five years that the Soviet Union gave Lithuania’s capital back to the country: first in 1939, by transferring the then Vilna (Vilno) from Poland to the Republic of Lithuania, and again in 1944, by driving the German occupiers out of Vilnius.
The city was liberated during the Vilnius Offensive conducted as part of the strategic Operation Bagration.
⚔️ The main strike on Vilnius was carried out by the 3rd Byelorussian Front under the command of General of the Army Ivan Chernyakhovsky.
Fierce fighting for the city lasted several days. The German command sought to hold Vilnius at all costs viewing it as a key defensive stronghold on the approaches to East Prussia.
Eleven Lithuanian Soviet partisan detachments also took part in the liberation of Vilnius, entering the city alongside Red Army troops.
🎥 © Russian Military History Society
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#Announcement
🎙 On Wednesday, July 15, Russia’s Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova will hold her weekly briefing on current foreign policy issues.
🕒 3:00 pm MSK
🕛 12:00 pm GMT
🕐 1:00 pm CET
🕗 8:00 pm CST
For accreditation inquiries, please contact the MFA Press Centre. Accredited journalists will receive details on the technical aspects of submitting questions.
The Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman will answer media questions received by the call centre.
❗️ Accreditation is open until July 14, 12:00 pm MSK
🎙 On Wednesday, July 15, Russia’s Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova will hold her weekly briefing on current foreign policy issues.
🕒 3:00 pm MSK
🕛 12:00 pm GMT
🕐 1:00 pm CET
🕗 8:00 pm CST
For accreditation inquiries, please contact the MFA Press Centre. Accredited journalists will receive details on the technical aspects of submitting questions.
The Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman will answer media questions received by the call centre.
❗️ Accreditation is open until July 14, 12:00 pm MSK
⚡️ Russia’s Federal Security Service:
As a result of a comprehensive set of operational search, counterintelligence and intelligence measures, the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation has thwarted an attempt by the Ukrainian special services, acting with the direct involvement of their Western handlers, to carry out what it describes as an unprecedented series of sabotage and terrorist attacks using unmanned aerial vehicles against military infrastructure facilities, one of the country’s leading defence industry enterprises, and Russian Defence Ministry servicemen.
Specifically, the FSB has obtained advance intelligence indicating that the Ukrainian special services had infiltrated the Bryansk Region with FPV drones equipped with warheads and mobile ground control stations, concealed in containers carried by fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles and aerostats, in preparation for large-scale terrorist attacks on military airfields in the Amur and Chelyabinsk regions.
According to the FSB, the means intended for the attacks were subsequently transported deeper into Russian territory by enemy agents in passenger vehicles with trailers fitted with concealed double floors and loaded with household appliances. They were allegedly delivered to the vicinity of the Ukrainka Airbase (Amur Region) and the Shagol Airbase (Chelyabinsk Region), where they were assembled and prepared for use in rented garages.
The FSB states that every unlawful action was kept under close operational surveillance by the Russian security services and thoroughly documented.
As a result of operational and combat measures, the alleged perpetrators of, and accomplices in, the planned terrorist attacks have been detained.
❗️The FSB reports that officers seized 24 FPV drones equipped with neural network-based guidance modules resistant to electronic warfare systems and manufactured in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and Sweden. The drones were fitted with warheads containing explosive charges weighing more than one kilogramme. Also seized were two mobile drone ground control stations capable of operating via satellite, cellular, Wi-Fi and radio communications, equipped with self-destruct devices containing 250 grams of explosive each, as well as communications equipment allegedly used to communicate with Ukrainian handlers.
The FSB Investigative Directorate has initiated appropriate procedural measures.
As a result of a comprehensive set of operational search, counterintelligence and intelligence measures, the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation has thwarted an attempt by the Ukrainian special services, acting with the direct involvement of their Western handlers, to carry out what it describes as an unprecedented series of sabotage and terrorist attacks using unmanned aerial vehicles against military infrastructure facilities, one of the country’s leading defence industry enterprises, and Russian Defence Ministry servicemen.
Specifically, the FSB has obtained advance intelligence indicating that the Ukrainian special services had infiltrated the Bryansk Region with FPV drones equipped with warheads and mobile ground control stations, concealed in containers carried by fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles and aerostats, in preparation for large-scale terrorist attacks on military airfields in the Amur and Chelyabinsk regions.
According to the FSB, the means intended for the attacks were subsequently transported deeper into Russian territory by enemy agents in passenger vehicles with trailers fitted with concealed double floors and loaded with household appliances. They were allegedly delivered to the vicinity of the Ukrainka Airbase (Amur Region) and the Shagol Airbase (Chelyabinsk Region), where they were assembled and prepared for use in rented garages.
The FSB states that every unlawful action was kept under close operational surveillance by the Russian security services and thoroughly documented.
As a result of operational and combat measures, the alleged perpetrators of, and accomplices in, the planned terrorist attacks have been detained.
❗️The FSB reports that officers seized 24 FPV drones equipped with neural network-based guidance modules resistant to electronic warfare systems and manufactured in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and Sweden. The drones were fitted with warheads containing explosive charges weighing more than one kilogramme. Also seized were two mobile drone ground control stations capable of operating via satellite, cellular, Wi-Fi and radio communications, equipped with self-destruct devices containing 250 grams of explosive each, as well as communications equipment allegedly used to communicate with Ukrainian handlers.
The FSB Investigative Directorate has initiated appropriate procedural measures.
#KievRegimeCrimes
⚡️ Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rodion Miroshnik:
PHOTO FACTS & EVIDENCE of crimes committed by Ukrainian armed forces over the week of July 6 – July 12, 2026:
▪️July 6 – a UAV strike on a passenger bus travelling along the Nikolskoye–Tavrovo road in the Belgorod Region. Six civilians, including two children, were injured.
▪️July 7 – an artillery strike on an apartment building in Dneprorudnoye, Zaporozhye Region.
▪️July 8 – a UAV strike on a scheduled passenger bus travelling from Krasnodar to Melitopol on a section of highway in the Primorsky District of the Zaporozhye Region.
▪️July 8 – a UAV attack on the Central District Hospital in the town of Ivanovka, Kherson Region. A hospital employee was killed, and two ambulances were completely destroyed.
▪️July 8 – a UAV attack on a commercial company’s truck parking area in Lugansk, LPR.
▪️July 9 – an FPV drone strike on a civilian car in Shebekino, Belgorod Region.
▪️July 11 – an FPV drone strike on a civilian truck in the settlement of Politotdelsky, Belgorod Region.
▪️July 11 – an FPV drone strike on a passenger bus in Shebekino, Belgorod Region.
▪️July 12 – a UAV strike on a supermarket in Kamenka-Dneprovskaya, Zaporozhye Region.
▪️July 12 – a UAV strike on a scheduled passenger bus travelling from Stakhanov to Moscow on a section of highway in the Lutugino District of the LPR. Two civilians were injured.
⚡️ Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rodion Miroshnik:
PHOTO FACTS & EVIDENCE of crimes committed by Ukrainian armed forces over the week of July 6 – July 12, 2026:
▪️July 6 – a UAV strike on a passenger bus travelling along the Nikolskoye–Tavrovo road in the Belgorod Region. Six civilians, including two children, were injured.
▪️July 7 – an artillery strike on an apartment building in Dneprorudnoye, Zaporozhye Region.
▪️July 8 – a UAV strike on a scheduled passenger bus travelling from Krasnodar to Melitopol on a section of highway in the Primorsky District of the Zaporozhye Region.
▪️July 8 – a UAV attack on the Central District Hospital in the town of Ivanovka, Kherson Region. A hospital employee was killed, and two ambulances were completely destroyed.
▪️July 8 – a UAV attack on a commercial company’s truck parking area in Lugansk, LPR.
▪️July 9 – an FPV drone strike on a civilian car in Shebekino, Belgorod Region.
▪️July 11 – an FPV drone strike on a civilian truck in the settlement of Politotdelsky, Belgorod Region.
▪️July 11 – an FPV drone strike on a passenger bus in Shebekino, Belgorod Region.
▪️July 12 – a UAV strike on a supermarket in Kamenka-Dneprovskaya, Zaporozhye Region.
▪️July 12 – a UAV strike on a scheduled passenger bus travelling from Stakhanov to Moscow on a section of highway in the Lutugino District of the LPR. Two civilians were injured.
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