Russia
Text of US 28-point Russia-Ukraine war peace plan released
The full text of the US-Russian 28-point peace plan was released on November 20 that the White House hopes will bring the war in Ukraine to an end.
India confronts stricter US sanctions as Russian oil imports decline
India’s reliance on discounted Russian crude — a pillar of its energy strategy since 2022 — has come under renewed strain as Washington tightens sanctions and imposes fresh tariffs on Moscow’s energy sector.
Russia’s T-Technologies reports record revenue and launches share buyback after strong 3Q25 results
Russia’s T-Technologies reported record financial results for the third quarter and nine months ended on September 30, as the Russian technology group crossed RUB1tn ($11bn) in revenue for the first time and announced a new share buyback.
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US to present a 28-point ceasefire plan to Ukraine as a fait accompli
A new US 28-point plan to end the war in Ukraine suddenly burst on to the scene on November 20, as the White House hopes to use the growing pressure on Ukraine to force terms on Kyiv as soon as this week.
LONG READ: How oil price discounts became a barometer of the sanction’s effectiveness
When Russian troops crossed into Ukraine in February 2022, the country’s main crude export blend, Urals, was still trading in line with its traditional discount to Brent of $2. A month later Russia discounted it by $30 to find buyers.
Russia agrees to sell stake in Serbian oil firm NIS
The Russian owners of Serbia’s oil company NIS have agreed to sell their 56.15% stake and are in talks with a potential buyer, as Belgrade races to meet US demands for a full Russian exit from the company.
Feasibility study for diversion of Siberian river to Central Asia reportedly in works
What’s the purpose? Who’s the beneficiary?
German court sides with sanctioned billionaire Usmanov over claims he used sister to conceal assets in Swiss bank accounts
The Hamburg Regional Court ruled in favour of Uzbek-Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov in a lawsuit against a German citizen who claimed on Facebook that Usmanov had used his sister, Saodat Narzieva, to conceal assets in a Swiss bank.
UBN: Ukraine’s war of drones reaches a new level
The war of drones has reached a level that was impossible to predict just a short time ago. The Western allies are completely unaware of the current military landscape as they talk about defending their borders from a new model of warfare.
COMMENT: Russia’s impossible budget plan for 2025
Russia’s Finance Ministry has projected a federal budget deficit of RUB5.7tn ($63.6bn) in 2025, or 2.6% of GDP, based on expected expenditures of RUB42.8tn and revenues of RUB37.1. But it will probably miss even this inflated target.
KYIV BLOG: Pokrovsk becomes a modern-day Stalingrad
The battle for Pokrovsk has become a modern-day Stalingrad. Some Russian troops are reportedly refusing to enter the city as that means almost certain death. The fighting is swinging back and forth, but there are no fixed positions.
New jet engines compound Russia’s glide bomb headache for Ukraine
The Russian air force is lobbing as many as 5,000 glide bombs at Ukrainian positions every month, including some bombs weighing 3,000 kg that are powerful enough to destroy any defences.
Serbia faces uncertainty over long-term Russian gas deal
Serbia’s plans for a new long-term gas contract with Russia’s Gazprom remain uncertain, with officials now aiming for a short-term extension.
Russia’s Big Brother SORM mass surveillance system
It’s a modern-day Big Brother. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) operates the vast and largely opaque SORM surveillance infrastructure in Russia spies on the entire Russian population that grants intelligence officers unfettered access.
Russia hits Kyiv with the largest missile attack of the war
Russia hit Kyiv with the most intense drone and missile bombardment since the war began on November 14, killing six people and injuring a dozen more, as the Kremlin ramps up its campaign to force Ukrainians to suffer a dark and freezing winter.
China’s LNG tanker shadow fleet – reality or fiction?
China appears to be constructing a discreet fleet of LNG tankers capable of moving sanctioned Russian fuel in what is an emerging tactic that would allow Moscow to preserve export revenue while tightening the energy relationship between the two.
Ukraine’s Energoatom corruption stole money to protect Ukraine’s power stations, caused blackouts
A Russian missile barrage has plunged Ukraine into darkness as winter approaches but could have been avoided. Money earmarked to build effective defences against Russia’s sustained missile attacks was stolen, leaving them defenceless.
Poland’s PM Tusk warns Ukraine risks losing the war with Russia from the expanding corruption scandal
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk took to social media over the weekend and warned that the expanding Energoatom corruption scandal was undermining support for Kyiv in Europe.
Russian forces fail to consolidate their advantage as the battle of Pokrovsk becomes a modern day Stalingrad
The battle for Pokrovsk continues to rage after Russia came close to taking the Donbas’ key logistical hub last week. A determined counter offensive by Ukrainian troops has kept the Russian forces at bay in what has become a modern day Stalingrad.
COMMENT: Finland’s President Stubb lists the three obstacles to a Ukraine ceasefire
Finland’s President Alexander Stubb has warned that a ceasefire in Russia’s war against Ukraine is unlikely to materialise before spring, and urged Western allies to sustain support for Kyiv despite recent corruption scandals.