Latest Videos
President Vladimir Putin attended the "Our Family" competition – an event aimed at promoting traditional Russian family values – and greeted the participants with a smile during his visit to the All-Russian Exhibition Center in Moscow on July 8.
Knewz.com has learned that the all-smiles meet-and-greet came hours after Russia conducted one of the most brutal missile strikes on Ukraine, particularly destroying a children's hospital in Kyiv.
On July 8, the Russian Day of Family, Love, and Faithfulness, the autocrat met with the finalist families of the competition and emphasized family values and the importance of working together.
"Since you decided to take part in this contest, a family contest, it means that you not only felt like a family team, but you were willing to work together to achieve a common goal. Nothing unites people like working together to achieve a common goal," Putin told the contestants, per the official Kremlin news release.
"For us, for the state, nothing is more important than strengthening families, especially during the Year of the Family in Russia. I wish you all a happy Family, Love and Faithfulness Day. And I wish every one of you a happy life as a family."
The "Our Family" competition was launched in 2023 to promote "traditional values, identify and support families with an active position in life," the news release explained.
Notably, Putin's seemingly cheerful attendance at the competition came hours after the devastating Russian missile strike on Ukraine, which unleashed nationwide death and destruction.
While the central city of Kryvyi Rih bore the brunt of the attack, the Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital in Kyiv – the largest children's hospital in Ukraine – saw significant devastation as a partially collapsed two-story wing of the facility left rescuers in a desperate search for survivors under the rubble.
Windows and doors of the 10-story main building of the hospital blew out and the walls were blackened, while blood was found spattered on the floor in one of the rooms.
Medical personnel and local residents worked together to remove the rubble and search for children and staff who were trapped underneath.
Smoke billowed from the building while volunteers, emergency crews, and locals formed a human chain, passing stones and debris to each other in a frantic effort to reach potential survivors, it was reported by The Associated Press.
The missile barrage included the difficult-to-intercept Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, one of Russia's most advanced weapons, known for its speed. The Kinzhal flies at ten times the speed of sound, making it almost impossible for defense systems to react.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared the grim news on Telegram, saying the exact number of casualties was still unknown. “It is very important that the world should not be silent about it now and that everyone should see what Russia is and what it is doing,” Zelensky stated.
Prior to meeting the contestant of the "Our Family" competition, Putin met the participants of the World Youth Festival. A press release from the Kremlin regarding the meeting stated:
"Council members will participate in various youth events across Russian regions. Towards the end of the year, a forum for young journalists from around the globe is scheduled, alongside the creation of an international association of citizen journalism."
The Russian President met the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi the following day, who said during the "informal" meeting that visiting "a friend in his home is a delight."
The two leaders visited the Atom Pavilion at Moscow's All-Russian Exhibition Center during Modi's second day of visit, on July 9.
"The leaders toured an exhibition showcasing Russia-India cooperation in the field of nuclear energy, among other things. Afterwards, they had a brief conversation with a group of Russian and Indian nuclear engineering students," the Kremlin.News Telegram channel reported.
The Indian news outlet United News of India wrote that the Russian state atomiс energy corporation Rosatom is currently in talks with the Indian capital New Delhi for the construction of nuclear power units and low-power nuclear plants in India.
