Eastern Europe / Tech
AI-generated image of Assad in Moscow exposed as fake as Kremlin stays silent
Fake AI image of Assad in Moscow's Red Square goes viral as Kremlin refuses to disclose any information about ousted Syrian leader's whereabouts nearly a year after his flight from Damascus.
US-Russian crew arrives at International Space Station for eight-month mission
US astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts dock at ISS for 242-day mission featuring 40 experiments and two spacewalks. Colleagues welcomed Expedition 74 crew with a homemade cake.
Russia’s T-Technologies reports record revenue and launches share buyback after strong 3Q25 results
Russia’s T-Technologies reported record financial results for the third quarter and nine months ended on September 30, as the Russian technology group crossed RUB1tn ($11bn) in revenue for the first time and announced a new share buyback.
Russia’s Big Brother SORM mass surveillance system
It’s a modern-day Big Brother. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) operates the vast and largely opaque SORM surveillance infrastructure in Russia spies on the entire Russian population that grants intelligence officers unfettered access.
Softswiss founder Ivan Montik builds global iGaming platform on Belarusian tech talent
Ivan Montik grew up in Minsk at a time when the republic was embracing a tech revolution. Belarus remains a repressive state but the IT sector there flourished. Now Softswiss is expanding into Latin America and Africa after it left its home market.
Russian Wildberries makes a move in Africa with Ethiopian partnership
Russia’s largest e-commerce major Wildberries announced a partnership with Ethiopian Investment Holdings (EIH), one of Ethiopia’s premier investment groups, according to the company’s press-release.
Russia blocking messaging apps again, sets up copycat Telegram app
Russia’s internet watchdog Roskomnadzor has been blamed for another round of internet outages in Russia, as the state sets up a Telegram messaging app clone as the Kremlin continues to take increasing control of RuNet.
Russia plans new “anti-fraud” restrictions on RuNet use
The Russian government has unveiled a sweeping package of draft legislation billed as a crackdown on online fraud, but rights groups warn it will significantly expand state surveillance powers and online repression, Meduza reported on September 30.
Russia launches a revolutionary industrial-scale closed fuel cycle reactor
President Vladimir Putin claims Russia has made a nuclear technology breakthrough and has developed a closed fuel cycle power system to tackle global uranium shortages.
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Telegram owner Durov says French, Moldovan governments asked him to block anti-government accounts ahead of elections
The owner of the Telegram messaging service Pavel Durov said that the French intelligence approached him earlier this year and asked him to block anti-government channels in the run up to this weekend's elections on two occasions.
RuNet grows 40% in 2024 to $250bn, driven by e-commerce and AI
The RuNet economy expanded by 40% in 2024, reaching RUB24.03 trillion, with e-commerce accounting for more than 91% of the total, according to a study by the Russian Association of Electronic Communications.
Russian AI accelerates but sanctions leave it trailing global leaders
Russia’s artificial intelligence industry is expanding rapidly but remains hobbled by limited access to advanced computing power due to Western technology sanctions.
Iran delivers high efficiency gas turbines to Russia to replace sanctioned Siemens equipment
The extreme sanctions imposed on Russia have hit industrial sectors the hardest, which have been almost entirely dependent on imports of high quality foreign made machinery for almost all of the last three decades since the fall of the Soviet Union.
Nebius shares surge 50% after $17.4bn AI cloud deal with Microsoft
The shares of Nebius Group, the AI cloud company founded by Yandex co-founder Arkady Volozh, jumped 50% in after-hours trading on September 8 after the announcement of a major agreement with Microsoft.