Russia
Kremlin to use taxes to take control of RuNet
Russia's Ministry of Digital Development is preparing a sweeping package of measures designed to transform the country's internet from a partially open network into a fully state-controlled infrastructure.
Moscow coup claims, drone strikes and V-Day celebration nerves
The Moscow elite have been shaken a little ahead of the annual Victory Day parade on May 9 after a Ukrainian drone hit an elite residential skyscraper and rumours of a coup attempt against Russian President Vladimir Putin swirl in the international p
Seven billion dollars could have flowed into Ukraine’s missile-maker Fire Point, earning insiders vast profits
A total of $7bn could have flowed from Ukraine’s state coffers into the missile-maker Fire Point, potentially earning Bankova’s insiders vast profits, Iuliia Mendel, Zelenskiy’s former press secretary, alleged in a blog post.
Japan quietly resumes Russian oil imports as Hormuz crisis forces a pragmatic rethink
A cargo of Russian oil arrived in Japan for the first time since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz as pragmatism overtakes principles in Tokyo.
Finland's break with Russia left its economy struggling to keep up with defence spending
When Finland formally joined Nato in April 2023, abandoning the studied neutrality it had maintained since the Second World War, the decision was framed in Helsinki as an existential security choice forced by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
KSE: Russian oil export revenues surge but budget deficit only normalizes with long conflict
Russia's oil export revenues nearly doubled in March as the Iran war drove global crude prices sharply higher, providing Moscow with a temporary financial lifeline even as underlying economic and fiscal indicators paint a stressed picture.
Coal mines are leaking vast amounts of methane into the atmosphere and almost no one is measuring it - Ember
Almost five years after 159 countries signed the Global Methane Pledge committing to cut anthropogenic methane emissions by 30% by 2030, coal mines are releasing roughly the same amount of the potent greenhouse gases.
Is Russia quietly blocking the development of the Middle Corridor?
Mysteriously, the project to build the transit route’s most critical piece of infrastructure, Anaklia deep sea port in Georgia, remains stalled.
Ukraine steps up attacks on Russian oil infrastructure to record monthly high in April
Ukraine has intensified its long-distance missile campaign against Russian oil infrastructure, carrying out a record 21 attacks on refineries, sea terminals and pipelines in April — the highest monthly total since December.
New NABU tapes implicate Zelenskiy's inner circle in corruption
A second batch of secretly recorded conversations from Ukraine's largest anti-corruption investigation has been published by Ukrainska Pravda, Ukraine's leading investigative outlet, implicating figures at the heart of President Zelenskiy's circle.
Post Assad Syria sill dependent on Russian oil
Russia has emerged as the main supplier of oil to Syria, despite the new government's reaching out to the West and uncomfortable relations with Moscow over its military support for the fallen Assad regime.
COMMENT: We are fighting the wrong war
Imagine if an alien bug invaded the earth. I'm not talking about the big slick black monsters that bite your head off from the Alien franchise. I'm talking about tiny little nondescript bugs that gnaw away at plants and have a taste for concrete.
Russia accuses West of wanting to wreck Rosatom’s plans to bring nuclear power to Central Asia
Security Council official says campaign to discredit state corporation is under way.
Renewables met 100% of global electricity demand growth in 2025 that will speed America's decline
For the first time in history, renewables covered all new global electricity demand in 2025, and the oil shock of the Iran war will only accelerate the move away from the reliance on fossil fuels, according to a report by Ember.
Russia experiencing “never seen before” labour shortages - CBR
Russia’s labour market is not just tight — it has entered what central bank governor Elvira Nabiullina has repeatedly described as an unprecedented structural shortage, driven directly by the war economy.
Russia pours $0.5bn into VK’s video and messenger service
Internet and tech major VK received $433mn to develop a national video platform and over $44mn for a “multi-functional information exchange service” in 2025.
Russia would not accept military presence of outside powers in Central Asia, says defence minister
Andrei Belousov tells SCO meeting Moscow is “closely monitoring” moves made by “non-regional states”.
Europe bought more Russian LNG in March than at any point in history, the same week it banned imports
Despite threatening to end Russian LNG imports completely next year, prompting the Kremlin to threaten to cut off gas exports to Europe before then, the EU just imported the most LNG in history as it slides into an expanding gas crisis.
Why global population collapse will keep the wars coming
Demographers warned for decades that ageing, declining states grow more dangerous, not less. The wars now spreading from Eastern Europe to the Gulf to East Asia look increasingly like the opening engagements of a long contest over who outlasts whom.
Inconsistent messaging on Turkey shows EU cannot pretend to be geopolitical power, says analyst
Gaffe or not, remarks from European Commision president played into hands of Turkish politicians who want Ankara to pursue closer ties with Moscow and Beijing.