Ukraine
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
EU Ukraine fatigue growing - Kallas
The EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has warned that the bloc is bearing an increasingly heavy and lonely burden in sustaining support for Ukraine, even as Brussels moves urgently to unlock a €90bn EU loan for Ukraine.
Hungary’s new leader unlikely to shift EU stance on Russia and Ukraine dramatically
Expectations that Budapest will pivot sharply away from Russia and back a more assertive European Union policy on Ukraine post-election may prove misplaced, says commentary by Carnegie Politika.
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Putin says Russia "knows how it will end" in Ukraine but will not announce war goals publicly
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow knows how the war in Ukraine will end but will not make public statements on the outcome, telling municipal officials Russia will simply implement its goals.
Euro Nato plans and Article 42/7
Europe is drawing up plans for a new Nato without the US and will hold its first military exercises very soon to see how it works in practice. So far it is little more than a paper tiger.
SHEVCHENKO: Money for Ukraine - between speed and control
When Europe finances Ukraine, it does so through a complex web of institutions: the European Commission — via the Ukraine Facility, macro-financial assistance and potentially the new €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan for 2026-2027.
RAGOZIN: Budanov, Ukraine’s president-in-waiting
While president Volodymyr Zelenskiy maintains a show of defiance, Ukraine is being steered towards a difficult postwar period by the new presidential office chief who might also rule the country one day.
RAGOZIN: Presidential office chief Budanov is steering Ukraine towards a difficult postwar period
Former Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov has emerged as a political leader in his own right.
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Russian sabotage operations in Europe almost quadrupled in 2024, IISS says
Russian sabotage operations in Europe almost quadrupled from 2023 to 2024 according to IISS research, with submarine cables, legacy IT systems and underinvestment in critical infrastructure identified as key vulnerabilities.
Russia publishes European address of Ukrainian drone-makers
Russia’s defence ministry has released what it said were the names and addresses of Ukrainian-linked enterprises across Europe involved in the production of UAVs used in strikes against Russian territory.
Ukraine seizes Russian position without using soldiers in a battlefield first
In a development that could reshape modern warfare, Ukrainian forces have, for the first time, captured a Russian position using only unmanned systems – a coordinated assault carried out entirely by drones and ground-based robots.
Germany rallies behind Ukraine as peace talks stall, EU membership debate divides the bloc
Germany has unveiled a sweeping €4bn military support package for Ukraine and Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called for the rapid disbursement of a long-delayed €90bn EU loan to Kyiv, as European powers scramble to shore up Ukraine's defences.