News
- Wildberries stops showing sellers which warehouses hold their goodsWildberries has stopped showing sellers a breakdown of their stock by specific Russian warehouses, citing a new delivery model and security concerns.
- Russia's top VEB economist says Moscow is losing economic war of attritionAndrei Klepach, chief economist at Russian state development corporation VEB.RF, said Russia will not win the economic 'war of attrition' against the West.
- Russian MP behind Yabloko's disqualification owns $3.3 million in hidden propertyAn investigation by Verstka and the Anti-Corruption Foundation found that Alexei Zhuravlev, the pro-Kremlin Rodina party leader whose lawsuit led to Yabloko's exclusion from the ballot, holds assets worth over 300 million rubles ($3.3 million) through relatives.
- Kremlin avoids new mobilization but recruiters struggle to meet quotasThe Kremlin has no plans to announce a new mobilization drive, but recruiters in Russian regions are finding it increasingly difficult to meet monthly contract-soldier quotas, according to sources familiar with discussions in Moscow.
- Russia to track citizens' actual travel in real time under new transport orderRussia's Transport Ministry has proposed requiring carriers to report actual, not just planned, passenger travel data to state databases within minutes of arrival.
- Moscow Exchange index posts worst day in four years after Lavrov remarksThe Moscow Exchange index fell 4.29% on Friday, its steepest daily drop since September 2022, after Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov ruled out a ceasefire.
- Police issue warnings to Muscovites who gathered at Supreme Court over Yabloko's removal from ballotMoscow police have begun visiting the homes of people who gathered outside the Supreme Court on August 10 during a hearing on removing the Yabloko party from the State Duma election ballot, handing them official warnings against participating in unsanctioned rallies.
- Russian drone strike kills 3-month-old in Marhanets, wounds 11A Russian drone strike on the city of Marhanets in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region killed a three-month-old child and wounded 11 people, regional officials said.
- Ukraine strikes Russian rocket plant in SamaraUkrainian forces launched a missile attack on a Russian industrial facility in the Samara region overnight, with Telegram channels reporting a hit on the Progress rocket plant.
- Google Play removes Ozon apps after EU sanctions on marketplace's bank take effectGoogle Play has removed all Ozon apps from its catalog, days after EU sanctions against the marketplace's bank came into force.
- Yabloko leader urges supporters to stay off streets after fake rally callsYabloko leader Nikolai Rybakov has asked supporters not to take part in street actions in support of the party, warning that such events could be dangerous for participants.
- Russian activist defending farmers detained in Stavropol regionDavud Adakhov, a public activist who defended farmers' rights in Russia's Stavropol region, has been detained, according to the Telegram channel of the Agrarian Council project.
- Russian officer who surrendered with five soldiers faces treason trialA Russian army company commander who surrendered to Ukrainian forces with five subordinates is on trial for high treason, among other charges.
- Russia's largest Black Sea oil terminal halts exports after drone attackRussia's largest Black Sea oil export terminal, Sheskharis in Novorossiysk, suspended crude loading after a drone attack, three industry sources told Reuters.
- Russian man faces fine for listening to 'extremist' music via VPNPolice in the Russian city of Kurgan have drawn up an administrative protocol against a 19-year-old resident for searching for and listening to an audio track designated as extremist, using a VPN service to bypass restrictions.
- Zelensky struggles to fill ambassador post in Washington as candidates refuseUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is struggling to find a new ambassador to the United States, with potential candidates refusing the post, Politico reports.
- Russian court removes Communist MP from ballot over Microsoft fonts and photo copyrightA court in Samara has annulled the registration of incumbent Communist Party MP Mikhail Matveyev for the State Duma election after a rival claimed his campaign website used Microsoft fonts and photos without proper licenses.
- Russia to create closed registry of convicted child abusers by 2027Russia's Interior Ministry is developing a closed electronic database of people convicted of sexual violence against minors, with the registry set to launch in 2027.
- Russia adds Navalny's foundation and six other groups to 'undesirable' listRussia's Justice Ministry has designated six organizations as 'undesirable,' including a foundation linked to Alexei Navalny and a Georgian anti-war group.
- Banks in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan raise fees on Russian ruble deposits to 15–20%At least ten banks in Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan have sharply increased commissions for accepting cash Russian rubles from non-residents since early August, with rates in Belarus now reaching 15% or more.
- UN: 437 civilians killed in Ukraine in July, deadliest month since spring 2022At least 437 civilians were killed in Ukraine in July, the highest monthly death toll since May 2022, according to the UN human rights monitoring mission.
- Russia rejects Turkey's Black Sea strike moratorium proposalMoscow said it received no formal Turkish proposal for a moratorium on strikes in the Black Sea and dismissed the idea of reviving the grain deal.
- Putin told generals 2026 goal is to 'collapse NATO and EU from within' — NYTVladimir Putin held a secret briefing in December 2025, telling military commanders that the goal for 2026 is the 'collapse of NATO and the EU from within', according to The New York Times.
- Mass blackout hits four Central Asian countries, disrupting metro and water suppliesA mass power outage struck Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan on August 14, halting Almaty's metro and disrupting water supplies.
- Russia's Supreme Court to hear Yabloko appeal against election ban on August 17Russia's Supreme Court will hear an appeal from the liberal Yabloko party against its removal from the State Duma election ballot on August 17.
- Boris Nadezhdin: 'Better free in a foreign land than behind bars at home'Russian politician Boris Nadezhdin, who left Russia for Paris in early August, said he chose emigration over imprisonment, comparing his fate to that of Alexei Navalny and Lev Shlosberg.
- Russian marketplaces seek state compensation for drone attack lossesRussia's leading online marketplaces, including Wildberries and Ozon, have asked the government to compensate sellers for losses from drone attacks on warehouses using federal budget funds.
- One dead, seven injured in Ukrainian strike on Bryansk residential buildingA Ukrainian strike on a residential building in Bryansk killed one person and injured seven, according to regional officials.
- Prosecutors seek 12-year sentence for Yabloko deputy chair Lev ShlosbergRussian prosecutors have requested a 12-year and one-month prison sentence for Lev Shlosberg, deputy chair of the Yabloko party, on charges of repeated discrediting of the army and spreading false information about it.
- Ukrainian strikes on Wildberries warehouses destroy over 11 million books, including new Constitution print runsMore than 11 million books, including new print runs of Russia's Constitution, were destroyed in Ukrainian drone attacks on Wildberries warehouses, according to industry associations.
- Russian man sentenced to 23 years for high treason in favor of PolandA Moscow court sentenced Georgy Pirogov to 23 years in a strict-regime colony after finding him guilty of high treason for allegedly spying for Poland and aiding the Ukrainian army.
- Russian courts handed down over 1,100 'terrorism' sentences in six monthsRussian courts convicted at least 1,234 people on terrorism-related charges in the first half of 2026, a 38% increase year-on-year, according to a joint study by First Department and Parubets Analytics.
- Russia to double no-fly zones to 818, covering drones and oil flightsRussia's Transport Ministry plans to expand its list of no-fly zones from 374 to 818, covering all aircraft including drones, with exceptions only for military and some oil-industry flights.
- NATO jets shoot down drone that entered Latvian airspaceNATO fighter jets shot down a drone that entered Latvian airspace overnight, the country's armed forces said.
- Drone debris hits Wildberries warehouse in Tver region, fire breaks out near Ust-Luga portOvernight drone attacks damaged a Wildberries warehouse in the Tver region and sparked a fire near the Ust-Luga port in the Leningrad region.
- Fire at Russia's Ust-Luga port after 54 Ukrainian drones interceptedA fire broke out at Russia's Ust-Luga port on the Baltic Sea after Ukrainian drones attacked the region, with 54 drones shot down over the Leningrad area.
- AI-95 gasoline vanishes from Moscow pumps as queues form at Rosneft and Gazprom stationsDrivers in Moscow and the Moscow region report that AI-95 gasoline has disappeared from many filling stations, with long queues forming at Rosneft and Gazprom outlets.
- Russian strike on Kramatorsk kills one, wounds 15A Russian air strike on Kramatorsk and the nearby settlement of Bilenke killed one person and wounded 15 on the evening of August 13, according to the regional military administration.
- Russian region to ration gasoline by license plate parityThe Kaluga region will restrict gasoline sales to alternating days based on license plate numbers starting August 15, Governor Vladislav Shapsha announced.
- Sverdlovsk election commission bars Rodina from regional legislative raceThe Sverdlovsk regional election commission refused to register the Rodina party's candidate list for the regional legislative assembly elections, citing an incomplete document package.
- Yandex Music to label AI-generated tracks, following SpotifyYandex Music plans to introduce labeling for tracks created with artificial intelligence, with negotiations with rights holders underway.
- FIA and WDSF lift restrictions on Russian athletes, allowing flag and anthemThe International Automobile Federation (FIA) and the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) have lifted restrictions on Russian and Belarusian athletes, allowing them to compete with their national flags and anthems.
- Russia scraps border zones on routes to annexed Ukrainian territoriesRussia's Federal Security Service has drafted orders abolishing border zones in the Rostov and Voronezh regions and between annexed Crimea and occupied parts of the Kherson region, easing travel to territories seized in 2022.
- Ukraine proposes mutual halt to strikes on civilian targets in Black SeaUkraine has sent Russia a proposal to stop attacks on civilian objects in the Black Sea, but has yet to receive a response, Reuters reported, citing a source familiar with the matter.
- Kazakh court bans Telegram dating bot over lack of age checksA court in Almaty has banned the Telegram dating chatbot Divinchik because it operated without age verification, prosecutors said.
- Moscow university admissions hit 257 applicants per state-funded spotCompetition for state-funded university places in Moscow surged this year, with one program at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics drawing 257 applications per spot.
- Last major grain terminal in Novorossiysk halts operations after Ukrainian attackThe KSK grain terminal in Novorossiysk, owned by Delo Group, suspended operations citing safety concerns, leaving the port without any major grain export facilities.
- Russian prosecutors seek arrest of comedian over Nazi rehabilitation caseRussian prosecutors have asked a Moscow court to arrest stand-up comedian Sasha Dolgopolov in absentia on charges of rehabilitating Nazism.
- Russian military marketplace Roи.Market opens to sellers as it exits pilot phaseRussia's military marketplace Roи.Market has moved out of pilot mode and is now open for sellers to list goods independently, with the Defense Ministry's technical units set to join in September.
- Second wave of Russia's fuel crisis hits at least 18 regionsA new wave of fuel shortages has hit at least 18 Russian regions, prompting restrictions on gasoline sales and imports from Belarus, Morocco, and India.
- Drone attacks on Wildberries warehouses may cost up to 800 billion rublesDamage from drone attacks on Wildberries warehouses and its sellers could reach 600–800 billion rubles, according to an analyst's estimate.
- Finland denies asylum to Russian who donated to Navalny's FBKA Finnish administrative court rejected the appeal of Russian citizen Valentin Sergienko against the migration service's refusal to grant his family political asylum.
- Russia and Ukraine exchange bodies of 261 and 24 fallen soldiersRussia handed over to Ukraine the remains of 261 people, which Kyiv says are Ukrainian soldiers, while Ukraine returned 24 bodies to Russia.
- Five killed in Sevastopol demining blast after Ukrainian drone attackFour Russian Emergency Situations Ministry sappers and a security guard died in Sevastopol when an ordnance detonated during demining work following an overnight attack, the Russia-appointed city governor said.
- Orenburg governor warns Orsk refinery repairs could take six months after drone strikeThe Orsk refinery, the only major oil processing plant in the Orenburg region, has been fully halted after a drone attack, with repairs potentially lasting up to six months due to sanctions and damaged imported equipment.
- Russian drone strikes passenger train near Odesa, killing driver and assistantA Russian drone struck a passenger train in the Odesa region, killing the driver and his assistant, Ukrainian Railways said.
- Russian AI models face 'traditional values' checks in state labsRussia's digital ministry, FSB and export control service are drafting rules for certifying AI models as compliant with 'traditional spiritual and moral values' through special testing laboratories.
- Ukrainian drone operators 'destroyed' US armored brigade in Germany exerciseUkrainian drone operators 'destroyed' a US armored brigade during a spring exercise in Germany, according to The Wall Street Journal.
- Ex-Ukrainian submarine commander killed in Crimea blastA former commander of Ukraine's only submarine, who defected to Russia after the 2014 annexation of Crimea, was killed in an explosion in Sevastopol, according to Russian and Ukrainian Telegram channels.
- Activist who covered mass cattle slaughter in Siberia faces terrorism chargesLarisa Mikhailova, an activist with the Agrarian Council who documented mass cattle slaughter in the Novosibirsk region, was detained and accused of inciting terrorist activity.