Ukraine
MOSCOW BLOG: Putin 25 years in office - has he been a boon or a bane for Russia?
Putin and the Russia story is complicated. As a journalist that mainly focuses on business, as early as the end of his first year I wrote there are two Putins: the political one and the economic one. And they are very different.
Russian gas transit through Ukraine ends, with Europe meeting the new year with 5% less gas
Transit of Russian natural gas through Ukraine ended in the early hours of January 1, depriving the EU of about 5% of its gas supply, after last-hope efforts led by Slovakia to ensure continued flow failed.
Slovakia faces cut-off of Russian gas pipeline supplies
Robert Fico’s attacks on Kyiv for ending gas transit have more to do with his close political ties with Orban and Putin, the cosy business links Slovakia has with Russia, and his domestic political problems, rather than energy security.
Ukrainian minister visits Damascus to meet new Syrian government
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha led a high-level delegation to Damascus on December 30 for talks with Syria's new rulers.
Russian missiles blamed for downing of Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet
Thirty eight killed as Flight J2-8243 engulfed by fireball on crash-landing. Twenty nine survive after back of plane breaks off during impact.
Did Russia shoot down the Azal passenger plane that crashed in Kazakhstan?
Confusion reigns over what on December 25 brought down the Azal passenger plane, killing 38 of 72 people on board. Some evidence points to a bird strike, other evidence to a Russian missile.
Russia’s arms exports slump, Kremlin preparing for possible war with Nato
Russian arms exports have plummeted by 92% since 2021, according to defence policy expert Pavel Luzin, as the Kremlin redirects all its military production to supplying the conflict in Ukraine.
Ukraine invasion was ‘spontaneous’ and unplanned, Putin claims
Russian President Vladimir Putin has described his decision to invade Ukraine in February 2022 as “spontaneous,” admitting the operation was carried out with minimal preparation.
Bulgaria’s interim PM Glavchev refuses to sign 10-year military support deal with Ukraine
Gerb also backs away from Ukraine deal as it seeks to secure pro-Russian Bulgarian Socialist Party as a coalition partner.
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North Korean troops face heavy losses in Russia-Ukraine War as conflict intensifies
North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine have suffered significant losses, with “several hundred” killed or wounded during combat in the Kursk region.
Uzbekistan’s Moscow embassy “clarifying” details on man detained after scooter-bomb assassination of Russian general
Speed of arrest of Uzbek suspect will inevitably prompt some scepticism over whether the accused is a scapegoat.
MOSCOW BLOG: EU under intense pressure to confiscate Russia’s frozen $300bn
The EU is under intense pressure to seize Russia’s frozen $300bn of reserves, as crises in funding the war in Ukraine and finding the funds to pay for reconstruction loom.
FDI in Emerging Europe hit by geopolitical uncertainty and German slowdown
wiiw report warns lower investment trend could continue as Central and Eastern Europe's role as a production hub for Western companies is waning.
North Korean troops suffer casualties in Ukraine conflict
North Korean soldiers have been reported killed or wounded while fighting alongside Russian forces in the Kursk region of Russia, according to US officials.
Ukrainian bomb kills Russian Nuclear Forces general in Moscow
A senior Russian general has been killed in an explosion outside his apartment building in southeastern Moscow, in the latest targeted assassination reportedly carried out by Ukraine on Russian soil.
EU Council says enlargement is a "geo-strategic investment in peace"
The enlargement process has been revitalised since the start of the war in Ukraine, but EU ministers say candidate countries must step up reform efforts.
Hungary blocks EU military help to Ukraine and some sanctions against Georgia and Russia
European Commission set to suspend visa-free travel for Georgian diplomats.
Ukraine raises key interest rate to 13.5% amid rising inflation
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has raised its key interest rate from 13% to 13.5% per annum, citing accelerating inflation and the need to stabilise inflation expectations.
More help needed for Ukraine’s ravaged energy sector
A multi-million-euro fund launched by Ukraine’s European allies to help the war-ravaged energy sector is running low on cash as power providers struggle to keep the lights on this winter.
Key Donbas coal mine shuts down that will impact on metal production and exports, as Russian forces advance on Pokrovsk
Ukraine's largest steel producer, Metinvest, has suspended operations at its Pischane coal plant near the frontline town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast. Without its coking coal, Ukraine's metallurgical sector is in trouble.