Ukraine
Slovak PM Fico confirms plans to meet Putin at WWII victory celebrations in Moscow
Isolated after Viktor Orban's election defeat in neighbouring Hungary, Robert Fico is expected to take a pragmatic approach to avoid isolation.
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.
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.
Ukraine is now a country of elderly people
Ukraine is now a country of elderly people, with the lowest life expectancy in Europe, with many regions experiencing a rate of over four deaths for each birth annually and worse.
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.
Iran-linked shock’s impact on Emerging Europe seen milder than 2022 crisis, says wiiw economist
Severity of current shock in Emerging Europe linked to Iran war unlikely to match the 2022 crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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.
Allegations of wartime profiteering surface in Ukraine as anti-corruption probe widens
Newly published materials linked to an investigation by Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities have triggered a wave of allegations and political controversy.
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.
Emerging Europe weathers Iran war shock, but risks mount, wiiw says
Higher energy prices, weaker trade and geopolitical uncertainty weigh on the region’s outlook, according to new forecasts from the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies.
Europe paid for the weapons. America kept them.
The contracts were signed. The funds were transferred. The weapons were manufactured. Then came the notification that they would not be arriving on schedule — because the United States needed them elsewhere.
Stolen Ukrainian grain is being unloaded in Haifa, EU threatens sanctions
Ukraine summoned Israel's ambassador to Kyiv on April 27 and filed a formal protest after a second shipment of grain allegedly stolen from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories docked at the port of Haifa, in a diplomatic scandal.
Drone strike triggers fire at Russia's Tuapse oil refinery in latest attack on Black Sea facilities
A drone strike triggered a fire at Russia's Tuapse oil refinery on April 28, the third attack on the Black Sea port city's infrastructure in recent weeks. Earlier strikes on the seaport caused a major oil spill into the Tuapse River and Black Sea.
Ukraine eyes €19bn gap as war strains finances despite EU lifeline
Ukraine could face a budget shortfall of around €19bn in 2027 despite substantial financial support pledged by its Western partners.
Moldova ready to join Coalition of the Willing to help Ukraine
President Maia Sandu's announcement slammed by pro-Russian politicians in Chisinau.
Russia's economy is cracking — but so is everyone else's
Every week brings a new slew of articles predicting that Russia's deteriorating economy will force Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table as the economy slips into recession. But its not just Russia. All the main countries are in the same boat.
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.