News
- Putin signs law restricting Russians convicted in absentia abroadRussian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law imposing restrictions on Russians living abroad who were convicted in absentia in criminal or administrative cases.
- Iran says it canceled strikes on Ukraine after Kyiv's 'apology' — no public confirmationIran's military adviser says Tehran scrapped plans to hit three Ukrainian targets after Kyiv apologized for an incident involving an Iranian ship in the Caspian Sea, but neither side has publicly confirmed the apology.
- Russian radio host with Czech residency jailed over $80 in donations to banned groupA Russian radio host who lives in Prague was sent to pretrial detention for two months over seven donations totaling 7,000 rubles to the banned Anti-Corruption Foundation.
- Belarusian court sentences musician Sergei Mikhalko to four years in absentiaA Minsk court sentenced Belarusian musician Sergei Mikhalko to four years in a general-security colony in absentia, convicting him of insulting President Alexander Lukashenko and inciting social enmity.
- Russia pulls out of 2027 volleyball World Cup in Poland, citing securityRussia's men's volleyball team will skip the 2027 World Cup in Poland, the national federation said, citing a lack of security guarantees.
- Russian court sentences blogger Guseyn Gasanov to four years in absentia for money launderingA Moscow court sentenced blogger Guseyn Gasanov in absentia to four years in a general-regime penal colony for money laundering, the Moscow prosecutor's office said.
- Kazakhstan to introduce paid electronic entry permits for foreignersKazakhstan's Interior Ministry has drafted a regulation introducing paid electronic entry permits for foreign nationals and stateless persons, with the fee amount undisclosed.
- Five killed in Ukrainian drone strike on Moscow region industrial zoneFive people were killed and ten injured in a Ukrainian drone strike on the Novoselki industrial zone in Chekhov, outside Moscow, the regional governor said.
- Wildberries to build 260,000 sq m of warehouse space in KazakhstanWildberries is constructing warehouses totaling about 260,000 square meters in Kazakhstan, with completion slated for the first quarter of 2027.
- Russian lawmaker offers 1 million rubles after 1,400 signatures stolen, collector stabbedStanislav Naumov, a Russian State Duma deputy, says an attacker stabbed his signature collector and stole 1,400 signatures collected for his election campaign.
- Drone attack on cargo ship near Novorossiysk injures four sailors, starts fireA Cameroon-flagged ro-ro vessel was attacked by drones in the Black Sea near Novorossiysk, injuring four crew members and sparking a fire, according to Turkish maritime authorities.
- Russia's only domestically listed TV maker declared bankruptA Moscow court declared bankrupt Kvant LLC, the legal entity behind the Irbis TV brand and the only Russian TV manufacturer listed in the Industry and Trade Ministry's electronics registry.
- Eight sentenced to life in prison over Crimea bridge blastA Russian military court sentenced eight people to life in prison for the October 2022 bombing of the Crimea bridge, a case in which investigators reportedly failed to establish what exactly exploded.
- Ukrainian drones hit Wildberries warehouse near St. Petersburg, sparking massive fireA Ukrainian drone attack on a Wildberries logistics hub in the Leningrad region triggered a large fire, prompting the company to evacuate staff.
- Russia expands 'shadow fleet' of LNG carriers to 25 ships ahead of EU import banRussia has grown its 'shadow fleet' of LNG carriers to 25 vessels, according to the Financial Times, as it prepares for a full EU ban on Russian LNG imports starting in 2027.
- Russian court opens case against exiled politician Nadezhdin over Meduza interviewA Moscow court has registered an administrative case against exiled politician Boris Nadezhdin over an interview he gave to Meduza, a news outlet designated as 'undesirable' in Russia.
- Deadliest drone attack of the war hits Moscow region, killing five at Wildberries warehouseFive people were killed and ten injured in a drone attack on a Wildberries warehouse in the Moscow region, the deadliest such strike on the capital region since the war began.
- Russian soldier kills four in annexed Crimea shooting spreeA Russian serviceman opened fire on colleagues and then civilians in the annexed Crimean village of Khmelnitskoye, killing four people and wounding four others.
- FSB demands T-Bank and Raiffeisen install client surveillance systemsRussia's Federal Security Service has ordered T-Bank and Raiffeisenbank to install SORM-3 surveillance systems, giving the agency round-the-clock access to client communications and payment data.
- Zaluzhnyi: Ukraine will never join NATO, should seek new alliancesUkraine's ambassador to the UK and former top general Valerii Zaluzhnyi said Ukraine will never join NATO and suggested focusing on new defense alliances.
- Five killed in Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow regionUkrainian drones struck the Moscow region overnight, killing five people and wounding six, with the main damage in the Chekhov district, Governor Andrei Vorobyov said.
- Russian oil refining hits lowest level since 2002 after strikes on plantsRussia's average daily oil refining output fell to 3.6 million barrels in July, the lowest since May 2002, after a wave of drone strikes on refineries and export infrastructure.
- Seven Russian banks switch to government certificates that let authorities decrypt trafficWebsites of seven major Russian banks, including Sber and VTB, have switched to certificates from the Digital Development Ministry's National Certification Center, which allow authorities to decrypt user traffic, Mediazona reported.
- FSB's Second Service seized control of Russia's internet after Crocus attackThe Bell has learned that the FSB's Second Service, which oversees counter-terrorism, took over control of Russia's internet after the Crocus City Hall attack, sidelining previous technical overseers.
- Sea freight costs for Russian oil to India surge 50% after Black Sea attacksShipping rates for Russian Urals crude from western ports to India have jumped about 50% since mid-July, driven by Ukrainian drone attacks on tankers in the Black Sea, Reuters reported, citing traders.
- Russia adds 14-year-old to terrorism and extremism list for first timeRussia's financial monitoring service has for the first time added a 14-year-old to its register of alleged terrorists and extremists.
- Yabloko website hit by DDoS attack after launching election donation driveThe website of the Russian liberal party Yabloko went down on August 3 due to a DDoS attack that began shortly after the party launched a fundraising campaign for elections.
- Russia designates Dutch rights fund Dalan Fund as 'undesirable'Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has declared the activities of the Dutch human rights foundation Dalan Fund 'undesirable' in the country.
- Russian business media publish mobilization instructions for employersThree Russian professional publications for accountants and HR specialists have published detailed instructions on military registration and mobilization procedures for employers, despite no recent legislative changes.
- Ozon moves expensive goods to pickup points amid drone attacks on WildberriesOzon has begun relocating sellers' expensive items from warehouses to pickup points after a wave of Ukrainian drone attacks on rival Wildberries' facilities.
- Russian small-business closures triple after VAT hike47,500 small and medium-sized companies closed under a simplified procedure in the first half of 2026, three times more than in the same period a year earlier, as higher taxes pushed firms out of business.
- Drone attacks cut Black Sea coal shipping capacity by 21%The number of available bulk carriers for coal exports in the Black Sea fell 21% in a month, partly due to Ukrainian drone attacks, Kommersant reported.
- Gas prices in Krasnoyarsk drop sharply ahead of Putin's visitFuel prices at a major Krasnoyarsk gas station chain fell by up to 25 rubles per liter on the evening of August 2, with local media linking the move to an impending visit by Vladimir Putin.
- Moscow malls lost 2,300 stores in a year as vacancies hit 11.6%Tenants closed 2,300 outlets in Moscow shopping centers between July 2025 and June 2026, with new openings covering only 75% of the vacated space.
- Zelensky to appoint Umerov as head of Ukraine's foreign intelligence serviceUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed at a meeting with ambassadors that he will appoint Rustem Umerov as head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine.
- Wildberries bans smartphones at warehouses after drone attack videos leakWildberries has barred employees from bringing smartphones into its warehouses, citing filmed drone attacks and their aftermath that could expose air-defense positions.
- Drone strike on Russian beach kills four, including child, as video shows moment of impactA drone crashed onto a beach crowded with holidaymakers in the Black Sea resort of Arkhipo-Osipovka, killing four people including a child and wounding ten others, regional officials said.
- Boris Nadezhdin leaves Russia, posts video from ParisRussian opposition politician Boris Nadezhdin has left Russia and posted a video filmed against the Eiffel Tower in Paris, saying he is alive and free.
- Wildberries drone strikes cost sellers up to 280 billion rubles, Forbes estimatesUkrainian drone attacks on Wildberries warehouses have caused losses of 215–280 billion rubles for sellers, according to Forbes estimates.
- Kremlin weighs new mobilization after Duma electionsThe Kremlin is still considering a new wave of mobilization, likely to be launched after the State Duma elections scheduled for September 20, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials.
- Russian carriers start blocking unlabeled mass business callsRussian mobile operators have begun blocking mass and automated calls from businesses that have not signed contracts for mandatory call labeling, Kommersant reported.
- New Spider-Man film posts second-biggest global debut ever with $927 millionThe new Spider-Man film starring Tom Holland grossed $927 million worldwide in its opening weekend, the second-best debut in cinema history.
- Russian Retailers Push Delivery Costs Onto SuppliersMajor Russian retail chains are proposing contract changes that would require suppliers to handle their own delivery to stores and warehouses, a shift experts warn will likely raise prices.
- Trump says Iran talks to resume August 3 after weeks of strikesUS President Donald Trump announced that negotiations with Iran will resume on the afternoon of August 3, following weeks of mutual strikes and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
- Ukrainian drones hit Russian university that developed UAVs, Wildberries warehouseUkrainian drones struck a building at Belgorod State Technological University where unmanned aerial vehicles were developed and tested, setting it fully ablaze, and also attacked a Wildberries logistics center in the Vladimir region.
- Ukrainian drones hit Wildberries warehouse in Vladimir region — 18th logistics hub struck since mid-JulyUkrainian drones struck a Wildberries logistics center in the Vladimir region, sparking a fire and causing damage — the 18th such facility hit since mid-July.
- Belgorod reservoir dries up completely after dam strikesThe Belgorod reservoir has dried up completely after strikes on its dam, exposing the historical riverbed of the Seversky Donets.
- OPEC+ raises September oil output quotas by 188,000 barrels per daySeven OPEC+ countries agreed to increase their September oil production quotas by 188,000 barrels per day, the group said after its monthly online meeting on August 2.
- Volgograd gas stations cap fuel sales after drone strike on refineryLukoil and Gazprom gas station networks in Volgograd reintroduced fuel purchase limits after a Ukrainian drone attack on a local refinery, with one customer now limited to 40 liters of gasoline.
- Omsk cancels City Day concert as drones target regionOmsk authorities canceled a City Day evening concert on Cathedral Square after drone attacks prompted air defense responses and temporary closure of the local airport.
- Patriarch Kirill calls Soviet atomic bomb 'God's grace and mercy'Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia said the creation of the Soviet atomic bomb in Sarov was an act of divine intervention.
- Moscow restaurant that exploded apologizes for 'all is fine' post, pledges aid to victims' familiesThe Balzi Rossi restaurant on Kudrinskaya Square, where an explosion killed at least three people, has apologized for a since-deleted social media post saying 'everything is fine' and promised to help the families of those who died.
- Ukrainian drones hit Wildberries warehouse in Samara region; facility burns, collapsesUkrainian drones struck a Wildberries distribution center in Russia's Samara region, setting it ablaze and causing the building to fully collapse, the regional governor and the company said.
- Death toll in Moscow restaurant blast rises to fiveTwo more people died in hospital after a bomb exploded outside the Balzi Rossi restaurant in Moscow, bringing the death toll to five, according to Russian media sources.
- Ukrainian drones strike Russian oil refinery and air base; two dead in Saratov regionTwo people were killed in the Saratov region as Ukrainian drones attacked an oil refinery and an air base, with fires also reported at a Wildberries warehouse and an oil depot.
- Drone strikes hit Wildberries warehouse in Samara region; two killed in Saratov attackA Wildberries logistics center in the Samara region caught fire after a drone attack, while two people were killed in an overnight strike on a residential building in the Saratov region.
- Explosion at Moscow restaurant kills at least threeAn explosion at the Balzi Rossi restaurant in Moscow's Kudrinskaya Square building killed at least three people and injured more than 20, according to Russian media reports.
- Russian employers post 1,300 military registration jobs in a weekRussian companies and state agencies have posted nearly 1,300 vacancies for military registration specialists in the past week, a sharp rise from previous years.
- Tyumen residents queue for water after officials spent two weeks denying problemAuthorities in Russia's Tyumen region acknowledged a problem with tap water quality only two weeks after residents first complained, prompting long queues at mobile water distribution points.
- Pentagon to hand Ukraine aid command to another NATO memberThe Pentagon will stop leading the Wiesbaden-based Security Assistance Group-Ukraine (SAG-U), with another NATO member set to take over command, according to Politico.