Latest news with #Украина
South China Morning Post
10-07-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Russia seizes US$50b in assets as economy shifts during Ukraine war, research shows
Russian authorities have confiscated assets worth some US$50 billion over the past three years, underscoring the scale of the transformation into a 'fortress Russia' economic model during the war in Ukraine, research showed on Wednesday. Advertisement The conflict has been accompanied by a significant transfer of assets as many Western companies fled the Russian market, others' assets were expropriated and the assets of some major Russian businesses were seized by the state. In response to what Russia called illegal actions by the West, President Vladimir Putin signed decrees over the past three years allowing the seizure of Western assets, entangling firms ranging from Germany's Uniper to Danish brewer Carlsberg. Besides the Western assets, major domestic companies have changed hands on the basis of different legal mechanisms including the need for strategic resources, corruption claims, alleged privatisation violations, or poor management. A woman walks past 'Stars Coffee', a Russian chain that opened in former Starbucks coffee shops. Photo: EPA Moscow law firm NSP (Nektorov, Saveliev & Partners) said that the scale of what it called the 'nationalisation' amounted to 3.9 billion roubles over three years, and it listed the companies involved. Advertisement The research was first reported by Kommersant, one of Russia's leading newspapers, which said it illustrated a 'fortress Russia' economic model.
Russia Today
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Foreign spies using fake photo contest to collect intel in Russia
Russian officials have sounded the alarm over what they claim is an intelligence-gathering scheme disguised as a patriotic photo contest, orchestrated by foreign spy agencies. A counter-disinformation group has suggested that Ukraine is behind the scheme. In a statement issued on Monday, a regional branch of the Federal Security Service (FSB) warning the public that online advertisements promoting contests could be traps aimed at drawing individuals into illegal activities. The FSB cited a supposed contest in which organizers requested high-quality photos of bridges, railway junctions, and industrial facilities. Officials said the true intent of the project was 'the collection of intelligence on infrastructure and its transfer to a foreign intelligence service at the expense of Russian security.' Russian media outlets identified an online post believed to have prompted the warning. They noted several signs suggesting the contest was suspicious – beginning with a typo in the word 'contest,' possibly indicating the use of AI in its creation. Organizers also failed to publish detailed rules or obtain formal consent to process personal data, both of which are required under Russian law. Lapsha Media, a counter-disinformation group, alleged that the fake patriotic photo contest was likely a scheme orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence. The claim comes as Kiev has increasingly targeted infrastructure deep inside Russia with long-range kamikaze drones and sabotage operations. In one example in late May, a train derailment in Bryansk Region killed seven people and left over a hundred injured. Investigators said the incident was caused by an explosive device and was part of a series of Ukrainian operations targeting infrastructure in the Russian region. The FSB also said in May that it had foiled an attempt by Ukrainian military intelligence to gather personal data on Russian schoolchildren, alleging that Kiev's operatives had used phishing schemes to deceive school administrators into sharing databases. The FSB claimed Ukraine aimed to exploit the information to recruit the children as intelligence assets.
Bloomberg
07-07-2025
- Bloomberg
Russia Cancels or Delays More Than 2,000 Flights Due to Drones
Russian air travelers faced major disruption over the past three days as carriers canceled, rescheduled and rerouted flights due to the threat from Ukrainian drones. Airlines canceled 485 flights and delayed 1,900 others from Saturday through Monday morning, Artyom Korenyako, a spokesman for the country's aviation authority, said in a statement on Telegram.
Russia Today
05-07-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
Russian pipeline gas exports to EU fall
Russian natural gas exports to the EU saw a sharp month-over-month contraction of 18.3% in June, according to data compiled by Reuters. The drop was reportedly attributed to maintenance of the gas-pumping infrastructure. TurkStream, which directly transports Russian gas to Türkiye and Southern Europe, remains the only route for supplies to the region after Kiev unilaterally halted gas transit through Ukraine at the end of last year. Last month, Russian gas exports via TurkStream declined to 37.6 million cubic meters (mcm) per day, down from 46 mcm per day in May, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing calculations based on data from the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas (ENTSOG). However, gas supplies via the route reportedly rose by 6.8% in the first half of 2025, compared to 7.8 billion cubic meters (bcm) during the same period in 2024. Total gas exports to the bloc, including pipeline deliveries and LNG cargoes, reportedly amounted to 8.33 bcm in the first six months of 2025 – a 47% drop from the 15.5 bcm exported during the same period in 2024. Russia, once the EU's primary gas supplier, sharply reduced exports in 2022 following Western sanctions over the Ukraine conflict and the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines. The country's share of EU pipeline gas fell from over 40% in 2021 to around 11% in 2024. Though Russian gas supplies have not been directly banned by the EU, most member states have voluntarily reduced imports. However, several landlocked countries, including Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, and the Czech Republic, as well as Serbia, which is not a member, continue to rely on limited volumes through various exemptions. Energy prices in the region soared shortly after the Ukraine-related sanctions were imposed. In 2022 alone, EU nations spent around €390 billion on gas and electricity subsidies to shield households and businesses, according to the European Court of Auditors (ECA). Though prices later stabilized to pre-crisis levels, the ECA warned that EU consumers lack affordability guarantees in the event of a future shortage. In June, the European Commission unveiled the RePowerEU plan, which aims to phase out all Russian energy imports by 2027. The proposal, which Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, and reportedly Italy oppose, is expected to be introduced as trade legislation, allowing Brussels to bypass a veto and adopt the plan by majority vote.
Russia Today
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Over 100 Ukrainian drones downed in Russia – MOD (VIDEO)
Russian air defenses intercepted more than 100 Ukrainian drones between late Friday night and Saturday morning, according to the Defense Ministry in Moscow. Regional officials did report damage to several residential buildings. In a statement on Saturday, the ministry said 94 Ukrainian drones were intercepted and destroyed overnight, mostly over Voronezh, Bryansk, Belgorod, Saratov, and Novgorod Regions. The ministry later added that another 12 drones were destroyed between 6:00am and 8:00am on Saturday, mostly over Bryansk and Ryazan Regions, and also over Oryol and Novgorod Regions. According to Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, the Russian capital was attacked by two drones, which were intercepted on their approach. He added that emergency services had been dispatched to the area where the debris fell. In the Chuvash Republic in central Russia, regional head Oleg Nikolaev reported two drone strikes that inflicted no casualties. According to Nikolaev, one drone landed on the roof of an unused building at an electrotechnical plant, which had already suspended operations after a June strike, while the other damaged a warehouse under construction. Saratov Region Governor Roman Busargin said drone attacks caused damage to residential buildings in the cities of Engels and Saratov, but noted, citing preliminary data, that there were no casualties. In Voronezh Region, Governor Alexandr Gusev said that more than 25 drones had been neutralized by air defense and electronic warfare systems. 'There were no reports of casualties,' Gusev stated on Telegram, adding that in one municipality, falling debris from the drones caused a power line to break, which was promptly repaired, and damaged the roof of a private house and garage. Ukraine has for months been launching drone raids into Russia, with many strikes targeting residential buildings, critical infrastructure, and energy facilities. Moscow has characterized the raids as 'terrorism.' A separate Ukrainian drone strike on Friday killed an elderly woman in Russia's Rostov Region, while another attack damaged a power station in the city of Sergiyev-Posad, northeast of Moscow.
