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Moscow to Saint Petersburg

13 days – 12 nights

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Gold, Platinum  Airport transfer / Check-in at centrally located Marriott Aurora***** or Ararat Park Hyatt*****

Imperial : Private airport transfer / Check-in at the luxurious Four Seasons Moscow***** only a minute from the Kremlin and Red Square

Volga dream experience:

Gold: City Tour / Novodevichy Cemetery Imperial, Platinum:  City tour / Lunch in a Moscow City Skyscraper / Novodevichy Cemetery / Sparrow Hills

Meals: Breakfast

Platinum / Imperial

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Gold:  Moscow Kremlin / Armory Museum / Red Square / GUM Department Store

Platinum:  Moscow Kremlin / Armory Museum / Red Square / St. Basil’s Cathedral / GUM Department Store / Park Zaryadye

Gold:  Tretyakov Gallery / Moscow Metro Tour.

Platinum:  Leo Tolstoy House-Museum in Hamovniki / Tretyakov Gallery / Moscow Metro Tour.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Gold, Platinum:  Town of Uglich / Church of St. Dmitri-on-the-Blood

Volga dream experience: Costumed Russian Tea Ceremony & Russian Cooking Class

Gold, Platinum:  Yaroslavl City Tour / Governor’s house 

Volga dream experience: Sun Deck Barbeque

Gold:  Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery  

Platinum:  Ferapontov Monastery

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Russian Dinner with Vodka Tasting

Gold, Platinum: Kizhi Island / Lake Onega

Volga dream experience: Piano Concert – Compositions by Tchaikovsky and Rakhmaninov

Gold, Platinum:  Svirstroy village / Local resident’s home / Local primary school

Volga dream experience: Farewell Dinner, Captain’s cocktail

Gold:  City Tour / Peter and Paul Fortress

Platinum:  City Tour / St. Isaac’s Cathedral / Canal boat / Yusupov Palace

Gold:  The State Hermitage Museum / Peterhof: Park and a historic Cottage

Platinum:  The State Hermitage Museum (Early Entrance!) / Gold Room / Peterhof: Park and a historic Cottage

Gold:  Catherine’s Palace / Amber Room

Platinum:  Faberge Museum / Catherine’s Palace / Amber Room

Meals: Breakfast / Imperial

Gold, Platinum, Imperial: Check-out / Airport transfer

Volga dream experience: -

The rates are set for a cruising season. The price is not dependent on the month within a selected year

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All prices are per person based on double occupancy.

All rates are per person, based on double occupancy. Actual size of cabins can slightly differ within one category.

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Journey: Volga Dream

Price per person: not specified

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Cruising the Moskva River: A short guide to boat trips in Russia’s capital

There’s hardly a better way to absorb Moscow’s atmosphere than on a ship sailing up and down the Moskva River. While complicated ticketing, loud music and chilling winds might dampen the anticipated fun, this checklist will help you to enjoy the scenic views and not fall into common tourist traps.

How to find the right boat?

There are plenty of boats and selecting the right one might be challenging. The size of the boat should be your main criteria.

Plenty of small boats cruise the Moskva River, and the most vivid one is this yellow Lay’s-branded boat. Everyone who has ever visited Moscow probably has seen it.

This option might leave a passenger disembarking partially deaf as the merciless Russian pop music blasts onboard. A free spirit, however, will find partying on such a vessel to be an unforgettable and authentic experience that’s almost a metaphor for life in modern Russia: too loud, and sometimes too welcoming. Tickets start at $13 (800 rubles) per person.

Bigger boats offer smoother sailing and tend to attract foreign visitors because of their distinct Soviet aura. Indeed, many of the older vessels must have seen better days. They are still afloat, however, and getting aboard is a unique ‘cultural’ experience. Sometimes the crew might offer lunch or dinner to passengers, but this option must be purchased with the ticket. Here is one such  option  offering dinner for $24 (1,490 rubles).

If you want to travel in style, consider Flotilla Radisson. These large, modern vessels are quite posh, with a cozy restaurant and an attentive crew at your service. Even though the selection of wines and food is modest, these vessels are still much better than other boats.

Surprisingly, the luxurious boats are priced rather modestly, and a single ticket goes for $17-$32 (1,100-2,000 rubles); also expect a reasonable restaurant bill on top.

How to buy tickets?

Women holding photos of ships promise huge discounts to “the young and beautiful,” and give personal invitations for river tours. They sound and look nice, but there’s a small catch: their ticket prices are usually more than those purchased online.

“We bought tickets from street hawkers for 900 rubles each, only to later discover that the other passengers bought their tickets twice as cheap!”  wrote  (in Russian) a disappointed Rostislav on a travel company website.

Nevertheless, buying from street hawkers has one considerable advantage: they personally escort you to the vessel so that you don’t waste time looking for the boat on your own.

Prices start at $13 (800 rubles) for one ride, and for an additional $6.5 (400 rubles) you can purchase an unlimited number of tours on the same boat on any given day.

Flotilla Radisson has official ticket offices at Gorky Park and Hotel Ukraine, but they’re often sold out.

Buying online is an option that might save some cash. Websites such as  this   offer considerable discounts for tickets sold online. On a busy Friday night an online purchase might be the only chance to get a ticket on a Flotilla Radisson boat.

This  website  (in Russian) offers multiple options for short river cruises in and around the city center, including offbeat options such as ‘disco cruises’ and ‘children cruises.’ This other  website  sells tickets online, but doesn’t have an English version. The interface is intuitive, however.

Buying tickets online has its bad points, however. The most common is confusing which pier you should go to and missing your river tour.

“I once bought tickets online to save with the discount that the website offered,” said Igor Shvarkin from Moscow. “The pier was initially marked as ‘Park Kultury,’ but when I arrived it wasn’t easy to find my boat because there were too many there. My guests had to walk a considerable distance before I finally found the vessel that accepted my tickets purchased online,” said the man.

There are two main boarding piers in the city center:  Hotel Ukraine  and  Park Kultury . Always take note of your particular berth when buying tickets online.

Where to sit onboard?

Even on a warm day, the headwind might be chilly for passengers on deck. Make sure you have warm clothes, or that the crew has blankets ready upon request.

The glass-encased hold makes the tour much more comfortable, but not at the expense of having an enjoyable experience.

Getting off the boat requires preparation as well. Ideally, you should be able to disembark on any pier along the way. In reality, passengers never know where the boat’s captain will make the next stop. Street hawkers often tell passengers in advance where they’ll be able to disembark. If you buy tickets online then you’ll have to research it yourself.

There’s a chance that the captain won’t make any stops at all and will take you back to where the tour began, which is the case with Flotilla Radisson. The safest option is to automatically expect that you’ll return to the pier where you started.

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River Cruise on Luxurious Radisson Boat

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Equipped with ice-breaking technology, these huge fancy yachts are the only river cruisers running all year around. The round trip journey takes two and a half hours and floats past all the big sights like the White House, Novodevichy monastery and the Kremlin. There’s a large open air observation deck up top, while the main body of the ship houses a restaurant with a dance floor for a romantic post dinner dance. For a particularly romantic experience take one of the evening boats and admire the bright lights of the city skyline at night.

The most relaxing and picturesque tour that Moscow can offer: a great way to see the city center and its main attractions. This is a perfect alternative to exploring the city by car, if you only have time to do sightseeing during weekday rush hours.

Your English-speaking guide is eager to share every bit of their knowledge about the surrounding landscape, the architecture and historical details.

We conduct Moscow river tour on Radisson Flotilla boats all year around!  It’s warm inside during winter months, while there’s air conditioning during hot summer days. You may also treat yourself to drinks, lunch or dinner on board (drinks and food are not included in tour price).

The cost of an excursion with a personal guide for 1 person

Quay at Radisson Collection Hotel

Government Headquarters ("the White House")

Kievsky Railway Central

Novodevichy Convent

Luzhniki Stadium

Academy of Sciences

Monument to Peter I

Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

Moscow Kremlin

St.Basil's Cathedral

Novospassky Monastery

U-turn and back to Quay at Radisson Royal Hotel

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Who's going.

• Excursion River Cruise on Luxurious Radisson Boat
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Our 20 Best Combined Moscow and St. Petersburg Tours of 2022

A perfect way to see the most that Russia has to offer is to take a tour that combines visits to Russia’s largest cities - Moscow and St. Petersburg. Each tour is fully customizable and can be adjusted to fit any budget. Our most popular tours are listed below. Please click on the tour details to learn more or contact us for more information about our combined Moscow - St. Petersburg tours using the form at the side of the page. You can also schedule a call with one of our Russian travel specialists to learn more.

Highlights of Two Capitals

This is a well-balanced tour of Moscow and St. Petersburg that includes all must-see sights, such as the Kremlin, Red Square, the Peter and Paul Fortress, Peterhof with its world-famous fountains and, of course, the Hermitage Museum.

Accommodation

PRIVATE TOUR

Moscow - St. Petersburg 4-star cruise by Vodohod

With this 12-day cruise, you will visit Russia's largest cities - Moscow and St. Petersburg - and several charming small towns and villages, all rich in Russian culture and history: Uglich, Yaroslavl, Goritsy, Kizhi, and Mandrogui

Cruise Ship

Moscow - St. Petersburg 5-star cruise by Vodohod

Enjoy an 8 day Russian river cruise on our luxury ship. Besides visiting Russia’s two capitals – Moscow and St. Petersburg, the cruise will also take you to the ancient towns of Uglich and Goritsy, Kizhi island with its outstanding wooden architecture, and Mandrogui village, famous for traditional handicrafts.

Group tour Taste Of Russia by Intourist

Taste the Russian culture, traditions and way of life by visiting 3 completely different cities: Europe�s largest megalopolis Moscow, provincial Novgorod with medieval Russia spirit, and gorgeous St. Petersburg with glittering baroque palaces and romantic canals.

Jewels of Two Capitals

It is our most complete and popular tour of Moscow and St. Petersburg. In addition to visiting all the emblematic places, you will also have free time for your own discoveries. On your free nights you can watch the shows at the Bolshoi and Mariinsky Theaters or a folkloric show.

St. Petersburg - Moscow 5-star cruise by Vodohod

This 8-day Russian river cruise by luxury ship will take you to the jewels of Russia - St. Petersburg and Moscow as well as the most significant towns between these 2 magnificent cities: Mandrogui village, Kizhi island with its amazing wooden architecture and Uglich and Goritsy with their tranquil, country atmosphere.

St. Petersburg - Moscow 3-star cruise by Vodohod

This is our most popular St. Petersburg to Moscow cruise. Besides in depth visits to St. Petersburg and Moscow, the cruise covers all the most important areas between the two capitals: Mandrogui - a colorful village famous for local handicrafts, amazing Kizhi Island with its beautiful nature and wooden architecture, as well as the ancient towns of Goritsy, Yaroslavl, and Uglich.

Group Tour Golden Ring, Moscow and St. Petersburg

This tour is a perfect combination of the 'Two Capitals' of Russia - Moscow and St. Petersburg, and the charming ancient towns of Suzdal and Vladimir located in the Golden Ring area of Russia. The tour is highly recommended to those interested in Russian history.

Moscow - St. Petersburg Luxury Cruise by Vodohod

Moscow - St. Petersburg 3-star cruise by Vodohod

This is our most popular cruise covering Moscow and St. Petersburg and all of the significant towns between these 2 cities. Besides the Two Capitals, you will visit the ancient towns of Uglich, Yaroslavl and Goritsy, the island of Kizhi, and Mandrogui village.

Two Capitals and the Golden Ring

This tour covers the best sights of Moscow and St. Petersburg along with a trip to the Golden Ring - a group of medieval towns to the northeast of Moscow. Ancient Kremlins, onion-shaped domes and wooden architecture is just a small part of what awaits you on this amazing tour.

Group Tour St. Petersburg Break by Intourist

Explore St. Petersburg, the former capital of Imperial Russia with its magnificent palaces, parks, and monuments. Our engaging and most importantly fun tour includes all the most important highlights, such as Peter and Paul Fortress, the Hermitage Museum, and the Catherine Palace with the Amber Room.

Group Tour Highlights of Russia by Intourist

This classic tour will leave you with unforgettable memories of Russia's most important and exciting cities. You’ll get to know Moscow, an exciting and vibrant city rich in history and St. Petersburg - Russia's most romantic and culturally important city.

Two Capitals at a Glance

This is a brief tour of Moscow and St. Petersburg that will give you a good idea of the two cities. On this tour, you will spend one night in each city and travel between the cities on board of a high-speed Sapsan train. The highlight of the trip is the Hermitage, the fourth largest museum in the world and Russia’s former Imperial residence.

Group Tour Treasures of the Golden Ring, Moscow and St. Petersburg

This tour is perfect for those who are interested in Russian culture and its history. Not only you will see two fabulous capitals – Moscow and St. Petersburg, but you’ll also visit the magnificent smaller towns of the Golden Ring including Suzdal, Vladimir, Bogolubovo and Yaroslavl. You will see world famous sights and even a Russian poultry farm!

St. Petersburg - Moscow 3-star cruise by Infoflot

This is our shortest St. Petersburg to Moscow cruise and it is a perfect choice for those who have already been to Moscow and St. Petersburg and would like to explore the small, charming towns lying between the Two Capitals.

St. Petersburg - Moscow Luxury Cruise by Vodohod

This 8-day Russian river cruise on a luxury ship takes you to Russia’s two capitals – Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as to the ancient towns of Uglich and Goritsy, Kizhi island with its outstanding wooden architecture, and Mandrogui village, famous for traditional handicrafts, and Valaam archipielago with its amazing monastary.

Moscow to St. Petersburg 3-star cruise by Infoflot

This is our shortest Moscow to St. Petersburg cruise and it is a perfect choice for those who have already been to Moscow and St. Petersburg and would like to explore the small, charming towns lying between the Two Capitals.

Two Capitals and Veliky Novgorod

You will actually see three capitals on this tour: Moscow, Russia’s political capital; St. Petersburg, which is considered the cultural capital of Russia, and also Novgorod, the ancient capital of Russia - you will be enchanted by its serenity and medieval atmosphere

Group Tour Moscow Break by Intourist

Russia's capital has so much to offer, from the Kremlin and the Metro to the Old Arbat street and the Tretyakov Gallery. Besides these sites, you will also visit a fascinating country estate which today is quite off the beaten path, Gorky Estate, where the Soviet leader Lenin spent the last months of his life.

Moscow - St. Petersburg 4-star cruise by Crucemundo (long)

This cruise includes the most important sights on the Moscow to St. Petersburg route. Besides in depth visits to the Two Capitals, you will visit the ancient towns of Uglich, Goritsy, the island of Kizhi, and Mandrogui village.

Winter Fairy Tale

One of the best times to visit Russia is winter. At this time of year, all of Russia becomes festive and full of activity, the streets and parks turn into wonderlands of snow and frost with families out and about strolling and taking in the beautiful nature.

Moscow - St. Petersburg 3-star cruise by Infoflot (long)

This 11-day cruise covers Moscow and St. Petersburg and all the significant towns on the route between the two capitals. Besdies Moscow and St. Petersburg, you will visit the ancient towns of Uglich, Yaroslavl, and Goritsy, the island of Kizhi with its beautiful nature and wooden architecture, and Mandrogui village.

St. Petersburg - Moscow 3-star cruise by Infoflot (long)

This 11-day St. Petersburg to Moscow cruise covers all the important places: Mandrogui - a colorful village famous for local handicrafts, amazing Kizhi Island, as well as the ancient towns of Goritsy, Yaroslavl, and Uglich.

Moscow - St. Petersburg 4-star cruise by Crucemundo

Enjoy a short Russian river cruise on a comfortable 4-star ship. Our program includes all the most important sights on the Moscow to St. Petersburg route. Besides the Two Capitals, you will visit the ancient towns of Uglich, Goritsy, the island of Kizhi, and Mandrogui village.

St. Petersburg - Moscow 4-star cruise by Crucemundo (long)

This St. Petersburg to Moscow cruise is a great way to discover Russia. The cruise includes in-depth visits to Russia’s two capitals and also makes stops at all of the important sites along the route including Mandrogui - a colorful village famous for local handicrafts, amazing Kizhi Island with its beautiful nature and wooden architecture, as well as the ancient towns of Goritsy, Yaroslavl, and Uglich.

St. Petersburg - Moscow 4-star cruise by Crucemundo

This is a great Russian river cruise on a comfortable 4-star ship that will take you to St. Petersburg and Moscow and the most significant places between these 2 cities: Mandrogui village, Kizhi island with its amazing wooden architecture and Uglich and Goritsy with their tranquil atmosphere.

I have just returned home from a wonderful holiday visiting St Petersburg and Moscow. My guides and drivers were the most amazing people, very knowledgable and went out of their way to make sure I was happy with my holiday. Russia is beautiful, the places are gorgeous and I loved the people I met who were extremely welcoming, warm and hospitable. Thank you Express to Russia, I recommend you highly and without hesitation to anyone considering a holiday to Russia!!

We have returned home from our travels in St. Petersburg and Moscow, and I wanted to thank you for your part in arranging our trip. Everything went extremely well and we were very pleased with our experiences in Russia. I appreciated your emails in answering all my questions, and the travel was everything we had hoped for. Both hotels were excellent; guides and drivers very professional, helpful, and prompt. We had a great vacation!

Moscow to St. Petersburg tours

Our tours to Moscow and St. Petersburg are offered as land only and therefore do not include airfare. We ask that you arrange your own plane tickets and we will meet you at the airport and handle everything else. You can easily book the discount tickets yourself through our own discount internet ticket office . Please browse our discount air tickets section to learn more.

Your tour will take you to Moscow, the capital of Russia as well as the largest city in both Europe and Russia with a population of over 12 million. Moscow has a rich history dating back to medieval times. World events have been shaped here. You will learn about Moscow’s history during the period of the reign of the Grand Duchy of Moscow , the Russian Empire and the Soviet period. You will see some of the world’s most breathtaking architecture on visits to the Kremlin and Red Square . You will see monuments from Stalin ’s period and also see modern Moscow, one of the most vibrant cities on earth. We encourage you to read the descriptions of each individual tour to learn more.

St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg is one of the most beautiful and romantic cities on earth. It is the former capital of Imperial Russia , and was home to the Russian Tsars for over 200 years. Founded in 1703 by Peter the Great , the city sits on the banks of the majestic Neva River and the Gulf of Finland. Saint Petersburg is famous for the important role it has played in the development of Russia and the Russian Revolution as well as its artistic and cultural significance. The city was home to such eminent figures such as Catherine the Great , Tsar Pavel, Nicholas II the last Tsar and Rasputin , Dostoevsky , Pushkin , Gogol and many more. St. Petersburg is Russia’s second largest city with a population of over 6 million. The city is extremely beautiful with dozens of canals and beautiful palaces. St. Petersburg also houses the Hermitage Museum containing one of the world’s greatest collections of art. Welcome to St. Petersburg, this most beautiful and mysterious of cities .

Welcome to these two great cities of Russia. Your St. Petersburg Moscow tour will give you valuable insights into Russia’s history, its art and most importantly its culture and people. We are sure you will have an unforgettable stay with us!

Frequently Asked Questions From Our Travelers

Is moscow or st petersburg more beautiful.

Moscow and St Petersburg are two completely different cities and difficult to compare. Both are beautiful in their own way. Moscow’s sprawling cityscape reflects centuries of history in a mixture of architectural styles - gilded cupolas of medieval Russian churches merge with Stalinist monoliths and towering glass skyscrapers, and cobble-stone alleys balance grand boulevards. St Petersburg’s centre was laid out over a matter of decades, its regular and harmonious city plan lined with Neoclassicist, Art Nouveau and Baroque masterpieces, intersected with meandering canals. If you can’t choose between the two, check out our best combined Moscow and St Petersburg tours.

What is the best time to visit Moscow and St Petersburg?

A trip to St Petersburg or Moscow at any time of year will be enjoyable. Museums and galleries are much less busy during winter, accommodation is significantly cheaper, and you can enjoy outside activities such as skiing or sleigh rides. Exploring the cities is more enjoyable in the warmer months, and St Petersburg especially beckons during the White Nights. Whenever you decide to travel, check out which national holidays are on – Pancake Week, Victory Day, and City Day are just some of the festivities you can experience. For more information about the best time of year to travel, read our guide.

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Ukraine-Russia war latest: Russia 'testing new tactics' to target Kyiv, says Ukraine

Russia has launched its fifth drone attack on Kyiv in two weeks, with Ukraine's military claiming to have shot down all the weapons before they reached the capital.

Sunday 21 July 2024 08:07, UK

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• Russia 'tests new tactics' to target Kyiv, says Ukraine
• Moscow's Kharkiv advance halted, Zelenskyy says
• Your questions answered: Could internal dissent lead to Putin's removal from power? | Has the West been honest about Ukraine's failures?
• Live reporting by Jess Sharp

Russia has launched its fifth drone attack on Kyiv in two weeks, Ukraine's military has said. 

Air defence systems destroyed all the weapons before they reached the Ukrainian capital, it added. 

"These systematic attacks... with drones, once again prove that the invader is actively looking for an opportunity to strike Kyiv," Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv's military administration, said. 

"They're testing new tactics, looking for new approach routes to the capital, trying to expose the location of our air defence."

Ukraine's air force said its air defence systems destroyed 35 of the 39 drones and two cruise missiles that Russia had launched overnight.

It was not immediately clear how many drones were launched at Kyiv.

Welcome back to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine. 

Overnight, Russia's defence ministry said it destroyed eight drones launched by Kyiv. 

Three of the drones were destroyed over the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, and three were intercepted in the Black Sea, it said. 

We'll be bringing you the latest updates throughout the day, but before we do, here's a round-up of the key events from the last 24 hours: 

• Donald Trump said he's had a "very good call" with Ukraine's president and pledged to end the war with Russia through negotiations. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he congratulated him on the Republican nomination, and expressed thanks for America's military help;
• Russian drones and missiles struck Ukraine, killing two civilians and hitting energy facilities and railway infrastructure across the country, officials said;
• Three pro-Russian hackers were arrested for alleged cyberattacks against Spain and other NATO countries, Spanish police said;
• Former Ukrainian legislator Iryna Farion, who was best known for her crusade to promote the Ukrainian language, died after being shot in the street by an unknown assailant. 

Thanks for tuning in to our live coverage, that's all for today.

Here are the key events from the day:

• President Zelenskyy said Ukraine had halted Moscow's forces completely in the Kharkiv region;
• Germany looks set to halve its military funding for Ukraine next year;
• Crimea and Russian Black Sea ports were targeted by Ukraine overnight;
• The EU's president dubbed Viktor Orban's visit to Moscow an "appeasement tour";
• Mr Zelenskyy appealed for European unity, defence systems and diplomacy during a visit to Blenheim Palace in the UK.

Five people have been killed and three injured in Russian attacks on the Donetsk region, prosecutors have said. 

A woman and her husband were killed in artillery shelling in the village of Pleshchiivka, the general prosecutor's office said.

Another three women were killed in a strike on private buildings in the village of Hrodivka, it added.

Separately, the Russian military dropped two guided bombs on the village of Velyka Novosilka, injuring a man and his wife inside their house, while another man was wounded in an artillery strike in the town of Zalizne.

In April this year, the US finally approved a long-awaited aid package worth some $60.8bn (£49bn) in aid to Ukraine.

Included were vast quantities of much-needed weapons and ammunition meant for the frontlines - which Kyiv had been desperately calling for for months. 

So how have they impacted the war? 

Nichita Gurcov, Eurasia analyst for Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project  (ACLED) told Sky News it may actually have pushed Moscow to act quickly and launch fresh attacks.

"It may have prodded Russia to step up its offensive to claim as much ground as possible, before the arriving weapons make it harder," he says. 

Russia resumed its offensive in October last year after fending off the latest Ukrainian attempt to cut the land corridor to Crimea, Gurcov explains. 

"By mid-February [this year] Russia secured the Avdiivka stronghold and has been since pressing toward Ukrainian logistical hub in Pokrovsk," he said. 

ACLED has counted the number of settlements gained by Russia in each month of the conflict. 

Five were taken in February, but just two in March.

In April (the month the US aid package was announced), seven settlements were captured, followed by nine in May and 11 in June - highlighting a clear increase in Russian offensive action. 

"The sharp increase in the number of claimed settlements in May is due to the Russian re-invasion of the northern Kharkiv region," Gurcov explains. 

"It could have pursued - diverting Ukrainian forces from elsewhere - but so far has been contained," he adds (see 11.40am post).

Another indicator of increased fighting is the number of reported battles, according to ACLED:  

"The sharp increase in fighting in April and the subsequent near-50% increase in May is an all-time high since the invasion," Gurcov notes. 

"The spike is only partially due to the re-invasion of the Kharkiv region as we are recording steadily intensifying offensive in the Donetsk region," he adds. 

Closing arguments in the trial of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich will be heard in a Russian court tomorrow. 

Mr Gershkovich attended a trial session for a second day behind closed doors today - more in our 8.10am post on that.  

The 32-year-old was arrested in March last year while on a reporting trip. Authorities claimed, without offering any evidence, that he was gathering secret information for the US - which he, his employer and his government all vehemently deny. 

Russia will not rule out new deployments of nuclear missiles in response to the planned US stationing of long-range conventional weapons in Germany, Moscow's deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov has said. 

Russia regularly threatens Europe and the US with the nuclear option in public. 

"I am not ruling out any options," the Interfax news agency said he told reporters in the Russian capital when asked to comment on the US deployment plans.

Washington said last week it would start deployment in Germany from 2026 of weapons that will include SM-6, Tomahawk and new hypersonic missiles in order to demonstrate its commitment to NATO and European defence.

Interfax cited Mr Ryabkov as saying that the defence of Russia's Kaliningrad region, which is wedged between NATO members Poland and Lithuania, was a particular focus.

"Kaliningrad is no exception in terms of our 100% determination to do everything necessary to push back those who may harbour aggressive plans and who try to provoke us to take certain steps that are undesirable for anyone and are fraught with further complications," Mr Ryabkov said.

Readers have been sending in their questions to our senior correspondents and military experts for their take on the changing battlefield environment in Ukraine.

Today, Ross Tregembo asks:

Is there a possibility of internal dissent within Putin's inner circle leading to his removal from power?

Moscow correspondent Ivor Bennett   replies:

"Not right now, no. This seems extremely unlikely for a number of reasons.

"Firstly, Vladimir Putin has just started a new presidential term, keeping him in the Kremlin for another six years.

"The potential political jeopardy of an election has evaporated and his approval ratings are near record highs (85% according to the independent Levada Center), helped by Russia gaining the upper hand on the battlefield in Ukraine.

"So there's no overt public support for a change at the top.

"Secondly, who would succeed him? His refusal to pick a successor all these years has been deliberate, and a key factor in preserving his power.

"Thirdly, his potential rivals are focused elsewhere.

"Look at what’s happening at the ministry of defence and the series of corruption scandals. By replacing his long-time ally Sergei Shoigu as minister of defence, Putin seemed to open the doors to a full-on purge of the military’s top brass.

"Analysts say this was a deliberate ploy to play his rivals off against each other - security services vs the military. By doing that, they're less likely to take a shot at him.

"Yes, it's only been a year since his authority was challenged like never before, with the Prigozhin-led uprising. But fast-forward 12 months and his grip on power appears stronger than ever."

A Russian court has sentenced US citizen Michael Travis Leake to 13 years in prison on drug smuggling charges, the court service has said in a statement. 

Mr Leake, a musician and former US paratrooper - who was arrested in June 2023 - was found guilty of selling drugs on a large scale, the court service said.

It was not clear how he pleaded.

He is one of about a dozen Americans currently held in Russian detention - alongside Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, whose trial continued today (see 8.10am post). 

Another American, Robert Romanov Woodland, was sentenced by a Russian court to 12-1/2 years for drug smuggling earlier this month.

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