Russia sees over 40% increase in wage arrears in 2024: first rise in nine years

Russian rubles. Stock photo: Getty Images The debts Russian companies owe to their employees totalled RUB 507.9 million (about US$5.7 million) as of 1 January 2025, up 43.5% or RUB 153.9 million (about US$1.7 million) year-on-year. Source: The Moscow Times …

Russia faces looming oil crisis as US sanctions hit its shadow fleet, Bloomberg reports

Oil tankers. Stock photo: Getty Images US sanctions targeting Russia’s oil fleet are creating serious risks for the country’s export capabilities. Source: Bloomberg Details: The restrictions, introduced by the US Treasury Department on 10 January, have …

Ukraine marks six months since Kursk incursion while Russia claims the move is suicidal

Ukraine has maintained a significant military presence inside Russia's border for six months, as the country observes the half-year anniversary of its incursion into the Kursk region. To repel Ukrainian forces, Russia has reportedly deployed North …

Russia in Review, Jan. 31-Feb. 7, 2025

Belarusians' attitude toward Russia's war against Ukraine largely unchanged – ambassador

Three years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Belarusians have shown little change in their attitude toward the war. Ihor Kyzym, Ambassador-at-Large for Belarus at the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and former Ambassador to Belarus ( …

The future of peace in Ukraine: The Budapest Memorandum and what Ukraine-Russia War mean for Kenya

It is nearly three years since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which started in 2014. Since then, the armies of both countries are worn down, with casualties’ count in …

Orbán & Russia: It’s the Geopolitical Realities, Stupid

The recent last-minute conditional support by Hungary for extending EU sanctions against Russia was just the latest example of a long history of disputes between Brussels and Budapest about policy towards Moscow. Ever since Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán came …

Sanctions on Russia’s oil: what’s the state of play?

On 10 January, the U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed its most extensive sanctions package to date, targeting Russia-controlled manufacturers, insurers, trading vessels, senior officials, and foreign entities operating for Moscow’s benefit. The UK …

Ukraine Advances 5km Inside Russia, Battle Rages in New Kursk Offensive

The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) launched a new wave of battalion-sized mechanized assaults in Kursk Oblast on Feb. 6, pushing up to 5 kilometers (3 miles) behind Russian lines southeast of Sudzha, according to a report by the Institute for the Study of …

Forbes’ Claim of Russia’s Failed Oreshnik Launch Questioned

Writing for Forbes on Thursday, the US military commentator David Axe, citing Ukrainian milblogger Kyrylo Sazonov, said it seemed “likely” that Russia had attempted to fire a second Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) against the Ukrainian …