Russia
Russia's Wildberries, Ozon growth slows as marketplace dominance reaches 77%
Russia's two largest online marketplaces, Wildberries and Ozon, will reach a combined 77% market share by end-2026, but their year-on-year growth has slowed sharply as consumers cut non-food spending and sellers exit the platforms.
Zelenskiy rejects EU membership-lite offer
The EU gathered in Cyprus last week to discuss Ukraine with a rare burst of momentum behind it: a €90bn loan for Ukraine approved; a twentieth sanctions package adopted; and Hungary's veto power broken by electoral defeat.
Nato scrambles RAF jets over Russia drone swarm — then walks back the engagement
A sequence of contradictory official statements from Romania and Britain over the weekend left Nato allies, Moscow and the world uncertain about what was claimed to be the first use of Nato military assets to bring down Russian drones in Ukraine.
Putin's ratings hit post-war low as internet crackdown becomes lightning rod for discontent
Vladimir Putin's approval rating has fallen for a seventh consecutive week to its lowest level since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, according to data from VTsIOM,
Russia closes second bribery trial of former deputy defence minister Ivanov
A Moscow court has closed the second bribery trial of former Russian deputy defence minister Timur Ivanov to the public and media over the risk of disclosing state secrets in 94 defence ministry contracts spanning 2018 to 2023, with charges totalling
Poland's Tusk warns Russia could attack NATO in months
Poland's Donald Tusk has warned Russia could attack a NATO member within months as members meet in Cyprus.
Russia strips Ukrainian-born woman of citizenship over online anti-Russian posts
Russia has stripped a 44-year-old Ukrainian-born woman of her Russian citizenship over online anti-Russian statements.
Russia's central bank cuts rate to 14.5% in eighth consecutive cut
Bank of Russia has cut its key interest rate by 50 basis points to 14.5% in its eighth consecutive rate cut, with the regulator forecasting annual inflation will fall to between 4.5% and 5.5% in 2026.
Which countries have fertility rates above the replacement level - OWID
Fertility rates — which measure the average number of children per woman — have been falling worldwide. Since 1950, global fertility rates have halved, from almost 5 children per woman to 2.2, Our World in Data (OWID) reports.
Russia's Yandex will become a mobile phone operator
Russia's online giant Yandex, often referred to as "the Russian Google," has moved to add mobile phone service provision to many of its other areas of operation.
EU’s 20th Russia sanction package introduces full crypto ban
The European Union has approved its 20th sanctions package against Russia, targeting more than 120 individuals and entities, including oil companies, refineries, ports, tankers, banks, crypto platforms and a number of public figures.
Russia develops direct-to-cell satellite system to connect phones without ground infrastructure
Russia's private space company Sputnix is developing Direct-to-Cell satellites to allow smartphones to connect directly without specialised ground equipment, part of a wider push to build sovereign satellite internet capacity.
MOSCOW BLOG: EU unblocks Ukrainian loan, twentieth sanctions package, as Kyiv builds a robot army
Phew. That was an effort. EU leaders met in Brussels yesterday and signed off on releasing the €90bn loan for Ukraine that will keep it in the fight with Russia for another two years. They also passed the twentieth sanctions package on Russia,
Military use of Caspian Sea is intolerable, says Kazakhstan’s leader
At ecological summit, Tokayev names no countries, but Russia’s lobbing of missiles at Ukraine from the sea and Ukrainian oil platform attacks come to mind.
EU unlocks €90bn Ukraine loan and toughest Russia sanctions yet — with a crucial caveat
The European Union voted on April 22 to simultaneously unlock its long-delayed €90bn EU loan for Ukraine and adopt the stalled twentieth sanctions package against Russia, in a diplomatic double act that had been blocked for months.
Renewables overtake coal in global electricity mix – Statista
Ten years after the Paris Agreement was opened for signature by member states at the UN Headquarters in New York on April 22, 2016, the global energy transition is beginning to reshape the electricity mix, Statista reports.
Ukraine restarts Druzhba oil transit, first shipments en route to Hungary and Slovakia
Hungary and Slovakia previously claimed Ukraine was using the suspension of crude oil deliveries on the Druzhba pipeline as leverage to pressure them into backing a €90bn loan package.
Putin's coal sector is running out of time and political cover
Russia's coal industry is heading toward a systemic crisis from which the Kremlin's patronage network can no longer shield it, according to a paper published this week by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Gulf war poses major threat to global fertiliser markets and food security, IFPRI warns
The ongoing Iran war is disrupting global fertiliser markets with up to 30% of global fertiliser trade passing through the Strait of Hormuz, IFPRI warns, with Africa and South Asia particularly vulnerable to food security risks.
CENTRAL ASIA BLOG: There are those who swear Tokayev just auditioned for the UN top job
Rumours have swirled for months that Kazakhstan’s president wants to succeed Antonio Guterres. An appearance at an event in Turkey did his chances no harm at all.