Russia
Russian budget deficit jumps to 55% of annual target in 4M26
Government boosted spending in March, betting on the windfall gains in oil and gas revenues as a result of the war in Iran, but these gains fell short of forecasts.
MOSCOW BLOG: Russia's social contract has broken down
Something has quietly shifted in Russia. Not the social and economic meltdown Western pundits have been confidently predicting almost continuously for the last two decades. But something has changed and the people are not happy.
Post-Orban Hungary turns inward: warmer on the EU, cooler on Ukraine, no break with Russia
Hungary’s new Prime Minister Peter Magyar has inherited a country that remains broadly supportive of closer ties with the European Union but is increasingly cautious about breaking with Russia or deepening support for Ukraine.
NABU charge former head of Ukraine’s presidential administration Yermak with corruption
Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities have charged Andriy Yermak, the former head of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office and his close personal friend, with laundering UAH460mn ($10.5mn) linked to luxury real estate development near Kyiv.
Zelenskiy's former press secretary makes sweeping allegations in Tucker Carlson interview
Iuliia Mendel, who served as press secretary to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy from June 2019 to July 2021, gave a sweeping and damaging interview to American commentator Tucker Carlson on May 11, making a series of harsh allegations.
Czech weaponry companies weaken on Prague bourse after Putin hints at ending war in Ukraine
Shares of Czech defence companies listed on the Prague Stock Exchange weakened on the first day of trading this week.
Colombia's battle-hardened veterans fuel Ukraine's front lines
Thousands of Colombian veterans are fighting in Ukraine's armed forces, drawn by salaries up to eight times their domestic military pensions, a flow of combat labour that has made Colombia the single largest source of foreign fighters for Kyiv.
UK accuses Russia of trying to influence Armenian politics, imposes new sanctions
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper says London will not stand by as Putin "seeks to sow lies and pro-Kremlin narratives abroad".
World oil inventories falling fast towards hard operational floor
The world's oil buffer is disappearing faster than at any point in recorded history. Two months into the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz, global inventories are drawing down at a pace that has already exceeded the previous quarterly record.
Global biofuel production up sevenfold in the last two decades - OWID
In the late 20th century, a handful of countries — led by Brazil and the United States — turned to liquid biofuels to reduce their dependence on foreign oil markets, producing transport fuels from cheap crops instead.
The world's piracy hotspots – Statista
A fourth vessel has been hijacked by Somali pirates, this time off the coast of Yemen. The oil tanker MT Eureka was captured in the Gulf of Aden on May 2 and reportedly taken toward Somalia, marking the latest incident in a renewed wave of piracy.
A world more afraid: Wars fuelling rising fears of foreign attacks
The world is simultaneously more afraid of war and less willing to fight one, according to the 2026 Democracy Perception Index. Governments are spending more on defence, but in the Western world the citizens are increasingly unwilling to go to war.
Global democracy perception of US collapses, behind Russia and China for first time
A survey of nearly 100,000 people across 98 countries has found that global perception of the US has collapsed to its lowest recorded level — placing it among the five most negatively perceived countries in the world, behind both Russia and China,
Slovak PM Fico holds urgent talks with state oil company after hinting that Moscow is in energy talks with US
Fico declined to give details on the urgent meeting with Transpetrol but hinted at US interest in energy deals with Russia.
Latvian defence minister resigns after drone crash
Andris Spruds said he is stepping down to prevent political disputes from undermining confidence in Latvia’s armed forces.
Putin says the war in Ukraine is “coming to an end”
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he believed the war in Ukraine was “coming to an end”, signalling what appeared to be one of the Kremlin’s clearest indications yet that Moscow may be seeking a negotiated settlement to the Ukraine war.
EU slams Slovakia’s Fico for Moscow Victory Day trip
European officials slammed Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico for his decision to travel to Moscow and attend the Russia’s Victory Day commemorations on May 9, the only European leader to attend.
Europe's rearmament programme is falling apart from the inside just when Ukraine needs it most
Europe's most ambitious attempt to coordinate its own defence — the €800bn ReArm programme launched with considerable fanfare in early 2025 — is being quietly undermined by the very governments that approved it.
Russia Victory parade: few guests, no armour and all over after only 45 minutes due to Ukraine drone strike threats
It was all over in record short time. Russia’s annual Victory Day on Red Square ended after only 45 minutes with no displays of any of the Armed Forces of Russia (AFR) military hardware and under extremely tight security.
SHEVCHENKO: Donornomics - €90bn for the war, but how much will be needed for peace?
The European Union has finalized a €90bn loan for Ukraine for 2026–2027. This is an important decision. But it should be read correctly. This is not money for Ukraine’s reconstruction. This is money for the war.