Russia
Russia steps up propaganda ahead of election with claim EU plans to “occupy” Moldova
President Maia Sandu warns Russian interference threatens Moldova's sovereignty, independence and European future.
US moves to retake Bagram would have “catastrophic consequences”
The Taliban military chief said Afghans had “fought well to defend their independence” and should the US consider a military operation, would continue to do so in the face of any challenge to the country’s sovereignty.
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.
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Serbia to sign new gas supply deal with Russia in October
Serbia, which imported about 3bn cubic metres of Russian gas in 2024, remains among the most energy-dependent countries in Europe.
IMF presses Ukraine to raise budget funding estimate to $65bn
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has pushed Ukraine to increase its estimate of foreign financing needs through 2027 to about $65bn, significantly higher than the government’s initial projection of $38bn.The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has
COMMENT: Uncertainty and geopolitics plague Russia’s negotiations with China on gas supply deals
China is now the only potential buyer of Russian Arctic gas and the only customer with the capacity to absorb significant amounts of gas from the Yamal Peninsula, home to some of the country’s largest reserves.
COMMENT: Ukraine has no choice but to escalate its refinery attacks
Vladimir Putin's meeting with Trump in Anchorage backfired. The Russian president is now confident that military escalation will not lead to a significant increase in US military aid to Ukraine, much less intervention.
"Don’t come here to whine" if Nato downs your jets, Poland’s Sikorski warns Russia at UN
Polish foreign minister's rebuke follows incursion into Estonia airspace by Russian MIG-31s and drone violations over Poland and Romanian.
Funding the war: Ukraine and Russia's budgets side-by-side
Ukraine is teetering on the edge of a funding crisis that could cause its war effort to collapse. The pain for Russia's economy is also growing fast as it slides into stagnation or even stagflation.
Cairo and Moscow seal 49-year pact on Russian Industrial Zone on shore of Egypt's Suez Canal
The Russian Industrial Zone (RIZ) will be located in Ain Sokhna, within Egypt’s Suez Canal Economic Zone -- a vital maritime artery that links the Mediterranean and Red seas and provides the fastest sea passage between Europe and Asia.
Nearly half of Russians think aliens may be hiding among humans on earth - poll
Almost one in two Russians believe extraterrestrials could be on Earth and camouflaged, hiding in the general population, according to a nationwide survey published by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM).
China, Russia dominate NPP new-builds, but global growth pace slowing
A record level of global nuclear power production in 2024 will be difficult to sustain without fresh investment as ageing fleets, project delays and competition from cheaper renewables bite, the World Nuclear Industry Status Report said.
US presses India on Russian oil in trade talks
The United States has raised India’s oil purchases from Russia as part of ongoing trade negotiations, even as Indian refiners continue to increase such imports to meet domestic demand
EU finance ministers discuss Ukraine's Reparations Loan but no decision yet
EU finance ministers met in Copenhagen on September 20 to discuss tapping the cash pile of frozen Central Bank of Russia (CBR) money and using it to make a large Reparation Loans to Ukraine, but no final decision has been reached.
COMMENT: Russian drone and jet incursions highlight shortcomings in Nato’s multilayered air defence system
A spate of Russian drone incursions has stress-tested Nato’s air defences. On September 10, nineteen Russian drones violated Poland’s airspace — the alliance’s worst such breach in more than seventy-five years.
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.
COMMENT: Can Ukraine avoid a macroeconomic collapse? - Shevchenko
“As Ukraine enters autumn 2025, its economy teeters on the brink of a new macroeconomic shock, with its recovery potential exhausted,” Kyrylo Shevchenko, the former head of the National Bank of Ukraine said in an opinion piece on September 18.
North Korean leader oversees test of AI-powered attack drones
Pyongyang unveiled its first attack drones last year, a move that experts warned was closely linked to its growing military partnership with Russia, and may also be linked to Chinese agencies supplying Pyongyang with technical support.
EU passes nineteenth sanctions package, accelerates LNG phase out
The European Commission has published proposals for a 19th sanctions package against Russia that would tighten curbs on energy trade and payments, with new measures aimed at oil refineries, oil traders and petrochemical companies in third countries.