Russia
Czech prosecutors indict former president's top aide for embezzlement
Vratislav Mynar was at the centre of many of the scandals surrounding Milos Zeman's two terms as president.
President Duda says Poland 'ready' to host nuclear weapons
Government queries president's comments, while Moscow attacks them as "provocative".
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Europe unlikely to tackle Russian LNG imports anytime soon
The European Parliament voted in favour of rules earlier this month that would enable individual EU member states to block Russian LNG imports, by preventing Russian companies from booking capacity at gas infrastructure.
COMMENT: Can China compensate for Russia’s losses on the European gas market?
“Building the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline from Russia to China is a rational decision that would have made sense even before the war, but the project will never be able to replace Russia’s decimated gas trade with Europe."
COLLINGWOOD: Ukraine’s power blackout means a dark future
In the last week, two pieces of legislation have been passed, one in Kyiv and one in Washington, that appear to go some way to addressing the most pressing problems Ukraine faces in its war with Russia. They do not.
Russian hypersonic aircraft scientist sentenced to prison for treason
Alexander Kuranov, a top Russian scientist once at the forefront of hypersonic technology development, has been sentenced to a seven-year prison sentence for high treason.
US passes Ukraine aid package: what now?
The US stepped forward to rescue Ukraine on April 21 that has been staring defeat in the face, and not a moment too soon. But the aid won't solve many of Ukraine's remaining problems nor will it allow Kyiv to win the war.
Don't mention the "D" word - Ukraine
No one wants to mention the “D” word. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to pretend that Ukraine is not losing and getting closer to being defeated in the war with Russia.
Will the Baku-Supsa pipeline become Azerbaijan's second oil export artery?
Despite the global "green transition," predictions of decreasing demand for fossil fuels have not yet been realized. And sanctions imposed on Russia are rewriting energy export routes.
UBN: The US Needs to Wake Up
“As I write, highly civilized human beings are flying overhead, trying to kill me.” – George Orwell, England Your England, 1941
Russia cracks down on foreign hosting providers
Russian authorities have cracked down on foreign hosting providers and cloud service companies, blocking access to their websites.
Russia’s economy stabilising but growth to slow – CBR macro survey
Russia’s economy is stabilising with the spread in predictions of what’s coming later this year narrowing, the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) reported in its monthly macroeconomic survey. However, growth will also slow this year to 2.1%.
COMMENT: Armenia's decisive turn towards the West
There’s a high probability that a new geopolitical balance can be established in the South Caucasus where Russia will finally be absent.
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Czechia paid five times more for energy imports from Russia than it spent on aid to Ukraine
The amount of money Czechia spent on Russian energy imports until the end of 2023 could finance more than three weeks of Russian fighting in Ukraine.
Russia's AvtoVAZ to start exporting Lada cars to Iran in 2024
Russian carmaker AvtoVAZ is set to return to the Iranian market after a 25-year hiatus, the company’s president, Maxim Sokolov, has said, ignoring Middle East tensions.
Fresh evidence suggests that the April 2022 Istanbul peace deal to end the war in Ukraine was stillborn
Fresh evidence indicates that the peace deal was probably too ambitious and, by failing to include the West in the talks, was stillborn.
Russia’s $13.4bn current account surplus in March second highest since 2007
Russia posted a $13.4bn current account surplus in March, more than double February’s $5.5bn and the second highest level for a March since 2007.
Pro-Kremlin Voice of Europe resumes operations from Kazakhstan
Media platform that has promoted far-right EU politicians was expelled from Czechia last month.
Russian peacekeeping forces reportedly leaving Nagorno-Karabakh
Withdrawal would be a significant shift in the post-conflict landscape of the South Caucasus.
Russia's finance ministry re-engineers tax system
By tinkering with the tax system, the Russian Ministry of Finance has created enough cash to pay for the war in Ukraine.