How Russia’s Military Operation Has Impacted Ordinary Citizens, According to a New Survey
The findings reveal a nation facing economic strain, emotional toll, and shifting views—while many feel unaffected.
And a whole world in BRIEFLY.
Trump’s Ukraine Envoy Steve Witkoff Has Business Ties to Sanctioned Billionaire Len Blavatnik
Blavatnik holds both U.S. and U.K. citizenship and has generously funded election campaigns for both Democrats and Republicans.
Russian Railways Faces Mounting Debt Amid Suspicions of Engineered Financial Crisis
Amid a new multi-billion-ruble bond issue, analysts suspect Russian Railways’ deepening financial troubles may be part of a calculated strategy to trigger a covert ownership change.
Trump Urges EU to Impose 100% Tariffs on China and India to Intensify Pressure on Moscow
The initiative came during the U.S. president’s video call into a meeting of senior U.S. and EU officials in Washington, where they discussed ways to raise the cost of the war for Moscow.
Ninefold Gap: Why German Power Is Suddenly Far Costlier Than France’s
Germany has faced a sharp spike in electricity prices amid weak renewable generation and surging costs of carbon allowances.
Reality Check for AvtoVAZ: Manturov’s ‘Competitive’ Ladas vs. Cheaper, Better-Equipped Chinese Rivals
Manturov touts new Ladas as competitive, yet Iskra lags the cheaper, better-equipped Jetour X50 and Azimut is only a prototype—despite massive state funding.
Max Instead of WhatsApp: How the Kremlin Is Embedding a “Spy” in Every New Phone
Russia is promoting the state-backed messenger Max — a service without end-to-end encryption and with a privacy policy that allows authorities to access messages, contacts, photos, and geodata.
The Kremlin’s Wager: Ukraine’s Army Will Break Before Russia’s Economy
Why Vladimir Putin is sidestepping President Donald Trump’s push for a peace deal.
Kiriyenko Takes Over the “Post-Soviet Portfolio”: Kozak Sidelined as the Rules of the Game Change in the Kremlin
Putin abolished Kozak’s structures and created a Strategic Partnership directorate under Kiriyenko. The consolidation of power threatens to spark new bureaucratic turf wars.
Putin Rejects “Stagnation” Diagnosis and Backs the Central Bank’s Tight Rate Policy
The debate over the price of money and the risks of cooling the economy is coming to the fore ahead of the next central bank meeting on September 12.
Macron: The Trump administration will present security guarantees for Ukraine in the coming days
The meeting at the Élysée Palace brought together Volodymyr Zelenskyy and leaders of 35 countries; after in-person talks, the participants held a joint call with the President of the United States.
Medinsky Poised to Become Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration — Sources
Sources say Vladimir Medinsky may replace Dmitry Kozak as deputy head of Russia’s Presidential Administration, focusing on Ukraine, education and culture.
Berlin Readies Security Guarantees for Ukraine
Europe’s question of the day: what, exactly, will allies put on the table to back Kyiv?
