Eastern Europe / Features
Deal total signed with Global South at SPIEF likely tops $100bn
This year’s St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) was considered a flop as few international companies bothered to make the trip. However, some $100bn worth of deals were signed with Global South companies.
Ahead of Nato summit with Trump, Ankara splashes paint on VIP route homes, detains hundreds
Security forces boost detention numbers by holding 44 bird watchers who crossed paths with a mining protest.
India’s Russian crude imports hit record level
Regardless of efforts by the US or even the EU to pressure New Delhi to abide by wider sanctions on Moscow, Russian crude is set to remain a defining feature of India's energy mix in at least the near term.
Moldovan oligarch Ilan Shor funded by Russian Abramovich, key to Kremlin's sanctions-evasion network
Moldovan fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor has become one of the Kremlin's most important unofficial operatives in Moldova’s domestic politics. He is funded by some of Russia’s richest oligarchs, close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russia's war economy grinds towards a halt despite oil windfall - KSE
Russia is enjoying an unexpected energy windfall from the conflict in Iran, but soaring oil revenues are proving insufficient to offset mounting fiscal pressures and a rapidly slowing economy, according to KSE.
EU closes Russian oil 'refining loophole' but sanctions gaps remain - KSE
The EU's ban on petroleum products refined from Russian crude oil in third countries has sharply reduced the flow of Russian-linked fuel into Europe, but significant loopholes remain and products derived from Russian oil continue to reach the EU.
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India looks to increase its unmanned warfare capabilities
The cornerstone of this structural change is going to be a large procurement order to the tune of $2bn.
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MOSCOW BLOG: Ukrainian drone strikes spark fuel fears in the Russian capital
Ukraine has once more brought the war to Russia’s capital, launching its biggest drone strike against Moscow since the start of the conflict, causing what may be extensive damage to the city’s main oil refinery and sparking fears of fuel shortages.
Commentary: Kokand and Forgotten Origins of Soccer in Central Asia
Local institution, not foreign import.
LONG READ: The Post-Pax Americana Interregnum has already started
Empires tend to last about a hundred years, and true to form the Pax Americana has passed its peak. What follows is decades of instability and lower growth as the leading countries of the world vie to fill the void. The Interregnum has started.
The demographic point of no return: the world is running out of mothers
China and the EU have crossed the threshold beyond which population decline is mathematically irreversible. Once the median age of women passes 40, a country no longer has enough potential mothers to keep the population stable.
Russian bond funds attract record inflows as investors bet on more interest rate cuts
Russian retail investors poured RUB138bn ($1.7bn) into mutual funds in May, with bond funds accounting for more than four-fifths of net inflows as punters expect more Central Bank of Russia (CBR) rate cuts boosting the demand for bonds.
Ukraine’s energy future hinges on reform as war damage tops $88bn - KSE
Ukraine’s ability to keep the lights on through another wartime winter will depend as much on reform as reconstruction, according to a new report by the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE).
Explosion of Ukrainian naval drone in Romania’s Constanța port triggers fresh tensions
Russian strikes close to Romanian territory and Ukrainian counter-operations highlight the growing complexity of security challenges facing Romania as the war increasingly affects the wider Black Sea region.
EBRD puts Ukraine at the heart of its annual gathering in Riga
It was deliberately symbolic that the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) chose Riga for its 35th annual meeting. Latvia, one of the EBRD's earliest countries of operation is an example of the EBRD's successes.
EU targets Kyrgyzstan in first use of new sanctions tool to hit third parties aiding Russia
The European Union has for the first time imposed trade restrictions on a third country for systematically facilitating the circumvention of sanctions against Russia, marking a significant escalation in Brussels' efforts to tighten the pressure.
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Kremlin wants “full partnership” with Afghan Taliban, military-technical deal signed
Russia is the only country in the world to formally recognise Afghanistan’s rulers, though Central Asia is slowly but surely building relations.
Bulgaria the latest addition to the EU’s Excessive Deficit Club
Bulgaria has barely had time to celebrate joining the eurozone monetary union at the start of this year before the European Commission is set to turn around and throw it into the rapidly growing financial delinquents club.
Ukraine’s budget comes under strain as defence financing pressures build - KSE
Ukraine’s fiscal position remained broadly stable on the revenue side in the first quarter of 2026, but rising defence needs and delays in external financing increased pressure on public finances as the quarter progressed.
How effective are Ukraine’s drone strikes at destroying Russian refinery production?
Wrangling over how effective Ukraine’s drone strikes of Russian refineries has broken out amidst conflicting reports of just how much damage is being done to Russia’s key oil infrastructure.