Russia
Ukrainian pilot wanted for treason dodges jail by going to space on Russian rocket
A Ukrainian military pilot convicted of high treason has re-emerged in Earth’s orbit – rather than behind bars – after securing a spot aboard a Russian space mission.
Belarus now ‘untouchable’ under Russia’s nuclear umbrella
President Lukashenko says the new Union State security treaty guarantees Belarus “absolute security,” citing its alliance with nuclear-armed Russia as a strong deterrent against any potential foreign aggression.
Iran FM to visit Russia ahead of second round of US talks
Russia is heavily invested in Iran's nuclear programme, including removing spent fuel as part of the original 2015 nuclear agreement.
COMMENT: Could the US strike a deal to restart Nord Stream gas pipeline?
US President Donald Trump has made it clear that he wants to do business with Russia and tap into its vast raw material resources. But restarting the Nord Stream gas pipeline is the only US-Russian business project that looks viable.
Russia's IT sector fears re-entry of Western competitors
As discussions intensify around the possible return of Western companies to Russia, the domestic IT industry is increasingly concerned that renewed competition from foreign firms could deal a serious low to local tech players.
UPDATE: Hungary blocks EU sanctions on Serbia's deputy PM
Vulin claims Hungary and Slovakia have blocked EU sanctions on him after he made a series of controversial remarks in the European Parliament earlier this week.
Asian giants thrive in Russia despite sanctions
Maintaining a complex balance between profit, geopolitical alignment and risk management, the presence of Asian nations in Russia reveals a divergence between Western corporate exodus and Eastern mercantile strategy.
Siberian permafrost melt acceleration could release two times more CO₂ into the atmosphere than all of humanity since the dawn of history
Forget the damage US President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal tariffs” will do to the international trade system or slowing global growth. The real threat to global economic activity is his decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement.
Syrian Alawites find refuge in Russia’s Perm
Russian officials have confirmed a steady flow of Syrian refugees that have begun settling in the Perm region of the country as sectarian attacks continue to target religious minorities, including Alawites.
Kremlin sets the conditions for foreign companies to return to Russian market
Thanks to the tangible thaw in US-Russian relations, Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the government to work out the conditions for firms to return. The list is ready, The Bell reported on April 10.
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Russia posts RUB500bn budget surplus in March but hard landing risks increase
Russia posted a RUB500bn ($5.4bn) federal budget surplus in March 2025 amid falling oil revenues, according to preliminary data from the Ministry of Finance.
Russia to launch online marriage register to help women catch cheaters
Conservative lawmakers and Orthodox activists in Russia are advocating the creation of a national registry of married citizens, to be made accessible through the government’s digital platform Gosuslugi.
Gazprom abandons Bolivia's Azero project after 16 years of unfulfilled promises
Gazprom, Russia's state-owned gas giant, has withdrawn from the Azero gas exploration project in Bolivia, ending a 16-year energy venture once heralded as a cornerstone of Moscow's expanding influence in Latin America.
TULGAN: Of Cheese and Chelnoki, the return of shuttle trading
The Trump Administration’s clumsy introduction of punitive tariffs recalls the days when similarly capricious sanctions wreaked havoc over Moscow food supplies that ended up in a shuttle trade in cheese.
Trump’s and Putin’s men to talk Ukraine in Istanbul on April 10
The US and Russian delegations will on April 10 hold their next meeting in Istanbul, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters on April 8. The meeting will be launched at 10h Istanbul time in Russia’s consulate.
Lukashenko gifts Putin with foiled 580kg high explosives terrorist attack
Belarusian authorities intercepted a van carrying 580kg of the high explosive pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), believed to be of US origin, at the Belarus-Poland border, the State Customs Committee of Belarus reported on April 2.
COMMENT: Trump’s secondary sanctions on Russian oil are a lose-lose proposition – Carnegie
“Just as certain classes of medication are sometimes in vogue and prescribed to help with all kinds of ailments, it seems that US President Donald Trump and his team have stumbled upon a magical remedy for all the world’s problems: tariffs.”
Russia’s Alrosa cuts record-breaking 200 carat diamond
Russian diamond producer Alrosa showcased the largest diamond ever cut in the country’s history – a 100-carat vivid yellow gem named “New Sun” – on April 4.
Russia to capitalise on Africa’s growing energy demand
Russia has been intensifying its efforts to strengthen energy partnerships with African countries, indicating a broader strategy to enhance its geopolitical influence across the continent.
Trump is an amateur, and his maths mistakes mean his tariffs four times too high
President Trump’s Liberation Day tariff formula makes no economic sense and includes some basic mathematical errors that means the tariff rates are four times higher than they should be, according to several economic experts.