Story perspectives

Putin Calls Europe Protests “Overkill,” Says Accusations Absurd

By Drooid · Oct 25, 2026, 6:07 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Putin Rejects Overkill Accusations

President Vladimir Putin dismissed accusations that Russia provoked European protests as “clear overkill.”
In a VGTRK interview on October 25, 2026, Putin said he was surprised Europeans blamed the United States.
Putin added European leaders quickly shifted to “traditional accusations” against the Russian Federation.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the accusations “absurd” and said they were not taken seriously on October 19, 2026.
U.S. President Donald Trump blamed the unrest on mass migration.

Summary

Meloni Sends Troops

French police deployed 70,000 officers nationwide, making over 1,300 arrests during October protests.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni sent 500 soldiers to Milan and tightened penalties for vandalizing minors.
Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin blamed Antifa-linked activists after nearly 200 arrests at education-reform protests.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama deployed over 2,500 officers, placed chairs outside the building and invited dialogue, which protesters rejected.

History

Historical Context

October 2005 saw the deaths of Zyed Benna and Bouna Traoré ignite three weeks of riots in Clichy-sous-Bois; President Jacques Chirac deployed roughly 10,000 police, and the unrest burned over 8,000 vehicles and produced 2,888 arrests. That pattern of suburban upheaval re-emerged in October 2026 across European capitals, drawing comments from Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and prompting police mobilizations in France, Italy, Belgium and Albania.

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Putin Rejects Overkill Accusations

President Vladimir Putin dismissed accusations that Russia provoked European protests as “clear overkill.”
In a VGTRK interview on October 25, 2026, Putin said he was surprised Europeans blamed the United States.
Putin added European leaders quickly shifted to “traditional accusations” against the Russian Federation.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the accusations “absurd” and said they were not taken seriously on October 19, 2026.
U.S. President Donald Trump blamed the unrest on mass migration.

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