Russia
Trump’s ‘America First’ is the same as Hitler’s ‘Deutschland über Alles,’ says Russia
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has risked provoking ire in the White House by comparing former US President Donald Trump’s “America First” slogan to Nazi Germany’s “Deutschland über Alles”.
Arctic set to undergo irreversible damage as hopes of hitting the 1.5C Paris target fade
The Arctic is set to undergo dramatic and irreversible changes in the coming years if global warming reaches 2.7°C above pre-industrial levels, according to a new paper from Science that will see large swathes of polar ice and permafrost melt.
Kaliningrad becomes an energy island after Baltic States cut Russian grid connection
The Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea has become an energy island after the Baltics States cut themselves off from the Soviet-era BRELL power grid on February 8, thus becoming vulnerable to sanctions.
Hungary’s atomic energy watchdog orders partial halt of construction at Paks NPP expansion site after incident
Hungary's National Atomic Energy Authority has ordered a partial halt to construction at the Paks II nuclear power plant after a section of the southern wall of the excavation pit collapsed.
Trump, Putin hold first call – New York Post
President Donald Trump claimed that he has held his first telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin since taking office, the New York Post reported on February 8.
Surging financial flows in January indicate robust economic growth, says CBR
Surging financial flows in January 2025 suggest Russia’s economy is growing more strongly than recently indicated, the Central Bank of Russia said on February 7.
Russian authorities struggle to curb YouTube
Russian authorities' efforts to challenge YouTube have seen limited success, even as its largest local competitor, VK, overtook it in audience reach for the first time last December.
Trump threatens Russia with even more sanctions
The Trump administration is preparing to intensify economic sanctions against Russia in an effort to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, according to retired General Keith Kellogg, the US president’s special envoy for the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Russian FDI down to 15-year low as Russia faces "the wrong kind of growth"
Foreign direct investment in Russia has fallen to its lowest level in 15 years, with the total volume decreasing to $235bn by October 2024, according to data from the Central Bank of Russia, Ukrainska Pravda reported on February 8.
Bank deposits are back as Russians' favourite investment in 2024
Depositing money in high-yielding bank deposits is back as Russians' favourite store of wealth to protect their life savings against the ravages of high inflation rates. Total deposits were up by 70% in in 2024.
Baku moves to close Russian cultural centre as diplomatic tensions rise
Azerbaijan’s increasingly assertive stance on Russian matters marks a shift from its previous balancing act between Moscow and the West.
Germany looks to repurpose Nord Stream 2 for green gas project
German authorities are considering re-tasking the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to deliver green hydrogen or natural gas from Finland.
US, Ukraine and Russia all soften their positions ahead of mooted ceasefire talks
Leaders in the US, Russia and Ukraine have all softened their positions slightly in the last week, making the start of ceasefire talks in the coming months more likely.
Azerbaijan releases Russian 'golden judge' despite Moscow’s extradition request
Azerbaijan typically complies with such extradition requests, but relations with Russia have deteriorated recently.
Russian military in Ukraine riding on donkeys amid vehicle shortage
The Russian military in Ukraine is using donkeys and horses to transport ammunition due to a severe shortage of vehicles, war correspondents have claimed.The development follows previous confirmed reports of Russian troops resorting to civilian cars.
Kyrgyzstan resists Russian pressure to give sanctions-busting firms lenient treatment
Kyrgyz bank is latest entity to join US sanctions list.
Have Russia’s prime interests passed peak? CBR lowers rate forecast for 2025 to 20.5%
Has Russia’s prime interest rate peaked? The Central Bank of Russia says analysts have lowered their forecast for interested rates in 2025 to 20.5% in its latest monthly macroeconomic survey of professional economists.
Total Russian car sales up by more than half in 2024
The sale of new passenger cars in Russia was up by 56% in 2024 and grew by another 9% y/y in January.
McFAUL: Why Is Trump trying to lose our new cold war with China?
In 2017, President Trump’s first administration published a historic National Security Strategy, which said we had entered a new era of great power competition with China and Russia. He was right. But now his policies mean we could lose that fight.
Russia’s economy defies wave of bankruptcy fears with fastest private sector PMI growth in a year
Russia’s services and manufacturing sectors expanded at their fastest pace in a year in January, driven by improved demand conditions and a sharp rise in new orders, according to the latest Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) data from S&P Global.