Eastern Europe / News
Black Sea ports shut down as Crimea's blackout deepens
Vessel traffic into Ukrainian Black Sea ports has been fully suspended because of the threat of Russian attacks, Agrarian Policy Minister Taras Vysotskyi said on July 23, as occupied Crimea entered its third month of blackouts
No breakthrough as Rubio and Lavrov meet in Manila amid hardening Kremlin line
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met on the sidelines of an ASEAN foreign ministers' gathering in Manila on July 23, in the highest-level US-Russia contact in months.
Foreign investors return to Ukraine as M&A activity rises in 2026
Foreign buyers completed 10 acquisitions of Ukrainian assets in the first half of 2026, double a year earlier, with disclosed value at $415mn against $26mn. FDI remains far below the $7.95bn recorded in 2021.
EU agrees sweeping Russia sanctions after granting Greek LNG carve-out
The European Union has agreed its 21st sanctions package against Russia, targeting Moscow’s financial system, energy revenues and defence industry but granted Greece an exemption to continue carrying Russian LNG.
Ukraine strikes more Wildberries warehouses
Ukrainian drones struck Wildberries logistics hubs in Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk overnight, with the Nevinnomyssk facility left fully ablaze, Wildberries founder Tatyana Kim said on Telegram.
Turkish Airlines investigates reported use of Russian airspace on Tallinn flight
Passenger quizzes cabin crew after noticing flight deviation using plane-tracking application.
Russia's jet-powered drones outpace Ukraine's interceptors
Russia is increasingly deploying jet-powered strike drones with speeds far beyond the reach of Ukraine's own interceptor drones, Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said, as Moscow's newest models perform similar to cruise missiles.
Ukraine strikes more Wildberries warehouses
Ukrainian drones struck Wildberries logistics hubs in Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk overnight, with the Nevinnomyssk facility left fully ablaze, Wildberries founder Tatyana Kim said on Telegram.
Zelenskyy names young general Drapatyi as Ukraine’s new military chief
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has named Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi as Commander-in-Chief of the country’s armed forces, replacing Oleksandr Syrskyi in the most significant change at the top of Ukraine’s military since 2024.
Ukraine not behind latest drone attacks on tankers serving main Kazakh oil export route, claims Kyiv
Ambassador to Astana suggests Russia is running false flag operations.
Zelenskyy names young general Drapatyi as Ukraine’s new military chief
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has named Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi as Commander-in-Chief of the country’s armed forces, replacing Oleksandr Syrskyi in the most significant change at the top of Ukraine’s military since 2024.
Wildberries warehouse strikes leave sellers facing more than $1bn in losses
Ukrainian drone strikes on two of Wildberries’ largest warehouses could leave Russia’s biggest online marketplace and its merchants facing losses of more than RUB100bn ($1.28bn), with merchants likely to bear the brunt fo the loses.
Rosatom financial woes threaten Central Asia’s nuclear energy ambitions
Budget cuts call projects in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan into question.
Russia tells citizens in Jordan to shelter as Iran war reaches the kingdom
Russia has told citizens in Jordan to shelter during air raid alerts after Iranian strikes on the kingdom killed two US service members, as Washington prepares to widen military operations against Iran.
Russia responds to Wildberries warehouse strike with largest bombardment of the war
Russia carried out its largest ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv on the night of July 18, as the brutal tit-for-tat missile war continues to escalate
Russian gains increase pressure on Ukraine's Donbas strongholds
Moscow is concentrating forces against the Donbas "fortress belt", a chain of heavily fortified industrial cities that has anchored Kyiv's eastern defences for years.
Ukraine accelerates privatisation drive with sale of strategic industrial assets
Ukraine is pressing ahead with one of its most ambitious privatisation programmes since the war began in 2022, seeking to attract private capital into strategically important industrial enterprises.
Ukraine’s General Syrskyi out, ex-Defence Minister Fedorov back in?
After a week of chaos, scandal and protest, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy acknowledged the effectiveness of sacked ex-Defence Minister Fedorov and announced his appointment to an expanded national security role with real powers.
War enters brutal tit-for-tat phase as Ukraine strikes civilian targets destroying Wildberries warehouse
The Ukraine war enters brutal tit-for-tat phase with escalating strikes on civilian targets, Wildberries warehouse destroyed
Russian travel agency liquidations jump 52% as tourism demand cools
Some 2,700 Russian tourism companies were liquidated in the first half of 2026, up 52.3% year on year, as domestic demand fell and the Middle East war closed outbound routes, squeezing the small agencies that dominate the market.