Eastern Europe / News
Russia doesn’t like taking a back seat to China in Central Asia trade
But domestic economic woes may be slowing Beijing’s exports.
Ukraine's drone attacks on Russian oil refineries cause domestic petrol prices to surge
Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries are causing a shortage of petrol on the domestic markets and have sent prices at the pump surging in the last few weeks.
Russia is producing weapons at a record pace, and Ukraine’s partners are trying to increase support for Kyiv
Russia is producing weapons at a record pace, and Ukraine’s partners are trying to increase support. Over the past year, Russia has learned to develop new weapons and ammunition faster than at any time in its modern history.
Lithuanian leaders back sending 29,000 military-age men back to Ukraine
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte believe that Lithuania should help Ukraine get back its military-age men living abroad.
Top Russian mobile operator MTS announces $86.5mn share buyback
Russia’s biggest mobile phone operator MTS is offering its international investors whose shares have been trapped in Russia by sanctions an opportunity to sell their shares at a discount and get a return on their investment.
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Czech police point to Russia's GRU as investigation into ammunition explosion is shelved
Czech interior minister says that Russia is “transgressing valid international agreements” after it refused to cooperate with Czech authorities on the case.
European banks still in Russia see profits quadruple, pay over €800mn in taxes
Western banks that have continued operations in Russia paid more than €800mn in taxes last year, marking a fourfold increase from pre-war levels, despite pledges to reduce their exposure following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Putin did not order death of Navalny, US intelligence agencies conclude
US intelligence agencies do not believe that the death of Alexey Navalny was ordered by President Vladimir Putin, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
Tajikistan protests to Russia over treatment of citizens with 1,000 stranded at Moscow airport
Central Asians have faced xenophobic backlash since March terror attack allegedly committed by Tajik gunmen.
Startup Defence Builder to build drones and technology requested by the army
Ukraine has witnessed a surge in defence tech innovation initiatives. Defence Builder is a startup accelerator aimed at fostering collaboration between Ukraine’s military, business and startup community to develop technologies requested by the army.
Ukraine waits impatiently for new US ammunition as intense Russian attacks continue
Ukraine needs at least seven Patriot air defence systems, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, urging allies “not to waste time,” in his daily broadcast on April 27, as Ukraine continues to get pummelled by Russian missiles.
European Parliament rules Russia’s presidential election illegitimate, calls Putin a "murderer"
In a sting blow for the Kremlin, the European Parliament ruled that Russia’s presidential election was illegitimate and blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin personally for the “murder” of opposition activist Alexei Navalny.
Poland in two minds over Ukraine’s efforts to bring conscription-age men home
Poland is ready to help Ukraine bring conscription-age men home after Kyiv stepped up its mobilisation effort, a top government official said this week. But hundreds of thousands of people leaving Poland could be a huge problem for the economy.
US secretly sent long-range missiles to Ukraine in February
The US secretly sent Ukraine long-range missiles in February ahead of the new $61bn aid package on April 20 that Kyiv used for the first time this week.
Russia already treating Bosnia’s Republika Srpska as an independent state
Use of Republika Srpska’s flag alongside national flags at St Petersburg conference seen as a possible green light by Russia for Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik’s secession plans.
Russian Deputy Defence Minister suspected of treason, say reports
Russian Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov, arrested on April 23 on charges of bribery, may actually have been arrested for treason, independent Russian media has reported.
Sunak and Scholz promise to back Ukraine as UK hikes defence spending
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin and promised closer defence cooperation as the UK announced a large hike in defence spending.
Tajikistan striving to convince the world that it can contain terrorism
Dushanbe’s strategy ignores underlying sources of radicalisation.
Russian oil depo at Yartsevo in the Smolensk region set on fire by Ukrainian drone attack
Ukraine drones hit and set on fire the RosNeft oil depot in the Yartsevo, Smolensk region as the sun began to rise on April 24.
Czech prosecutors indict former president's top aide for embezzlement
Vratislav Mynar was at the centre of many of the scandals surrounding Milos Zeman's two terms as president.