Eastern Europe / News
Lukashenko offers to release 1,300 political prisoners – if they leave the country
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s latest proposal to release political prisoners on the condition of immediate exile marks a calculated extension of his decades-long repressive rule, not a departure from it.
ExxonMobil held secret Kremlin talks on a return to the Russian market
US oil major ExxonMobil held secret talks with the Kremlin on a possible return to working in Russia, the Wall Street Journal reports
Poland doubles down on opposing Ukraine’s EU bid over WW2-era massacres
Deputy PM Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said Ukraine “will have no chance" of joining the European Union without acknowledging the atrocities committed in Volhynia in 1943.
Drone flyover finds no sign of life in search for Russian climber stranded on Kyrgyzstan’s highest mountain
Natalia Nagovitsyna trapped near top of Jengish Chokusu for two weeks with broken leg in freezing conditions.
US grants Serbia’s NIS sixth sanctions waiver
The delay follows recent US-Russia talks in Alaska, which may have influenced Washington’s decision.
Russia orders emergency operation in race to save mountaineer trapped on Kyrgyzstan’s highest peak
Top official responds to desperate appeal from climber Natalia Nagovitsyna’s son who believes she is still alive.
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End of Bolivia's leftist era leaves Chinese and Russian lithium deals in limbo
Bolivia’s October presidential run-off has become a contest not only between two political traditions but also over the management of the country’s vast but underdeveloped lithium resources.
Ukraine unveils upgraded Neptune missile with extended range capabilities
Ukraine has unveiled a new version of its domestically produced Neptune missile, the same weapon used to sink Russia’s Black Sea fleet flagship, the Moskva in April 2022, with a redesigned airframe and an expanded range of up to 1,000 km.
Polish President Nawrocki vetoes bill aiding Ukrainian refugees, financing Starlink access
Ukraine may lose access to Elon Musk’s Starlink internet system after Polish President Karol Nawrocki blocked an aid bill aiming to extend support for Ukrainian refugees in Poland.
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Modi vows to shield Indian farmers and small firms against US tariffs
The remarks came hours before the US administration of President Donald Trump was due to impose higher duties on a range of Indian exports.
Kyrgyzstan abandons attempt to rescue Russian climber trapped on icy summit of country’s highest mountain
Italian mountaineer perishes in effort to reach Natalia Nagovitsyna, who lost her husband in a 2021 climbing tragedy.
War of words escalates between Budapest Brussels and Kyiv following the latest Druzhba oil pipeline attacks
US President Donald Trump is very angry with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban over the attacks on Russia’s Druzhba oil pipeline that lead to an exchange of irate letters over the weekend.
India rejects criticism over Russian oil trade but flow from Moscow plummets
India has pushed back against mounting criticism of its continued energy ties with Moscow, insisting that no country is obliged to buy refined Russian oil products exported from Indian refineries.
Russian oil deliveries to Hungary off again after third attack on Druzhba pipeline as Ukraine ups attacks on Russian oil assets
Russian crude deliveries to Slovakia and Hungary were suspended on August 21 after a third attack on the Druzhba pipeline system in less than two weeks, officials confirmed. Flows are expected to remain offline for at least five days.
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China willing to supply Ukraine peacekeepers if there is a UN mandate
China has indicated its readiness to send troops to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping mission, but only if such a deployment is authorised by the United Nations, Welt am Sonntag reported on August 24, citing European Union diplomats.
Russia deliberately destroys a US factory based in Ukraine
Russia launched a record number of drones and missiles on August 21 and specifically targeted US company Flex's factory in Ukraine.
Ukraine hits Russia’s Druzhba oil pipeline again with drones
Ukraine has carried out another strike on the Druzhba oil pipeline, hitting the Unecha oil pumping station in the latest of a series of incidents targeting the Soviet-era pipeline.
Serbia in talks with Russia on long-term gas deal
Energy Minister Dubravka Dedovic Handanovic says Serbia is in advanced negotiations with Russian energy giant Gazprom.
As a potato crisis sweeps CIS countries, Russia halts potato imports from Georgia
Russia ceased importing potatoes from Georgia in July, ending nine consecutive months of uninterrupted shipments.
Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries drive up petrol prices, shortages looming
Russian wholesale gasoline prices are soaring to record levels following a series of Ukrainian drone strikes on critical refinery infrastructure. Analysts warn that Russia is facing fuel shortages in the coming weeks, Meduza reported on August 21.