Background

NEWS

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russia’s Budget Deficit Has Already Exceeded Its Liquid Reserves

In the first four months of 2026, the rf’s budget deficit reached $78.4 billion – that is 2.5% of GDP and nearly double the figure for the same period last year. For comparison: moscow had projected a deficit of $50.5 billion for all of 2026. By April, the annual target had already been exceeded by a wide margin.
5/13/2026
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New Mobilization Will Finish off russia’s Economy

While after the mobilization in 2022, some of the emigrants returned to the rf, this time highly qualified specialists may leave the country for good, dealing an even heavier blow to the economy.
5/13/2026
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Ukraine’s Positions Right Now on the Frontline, in Our Long-Range Sanctions, and in Our Joint Results with Partners Are the Strongest They Have Been in Years – Address by the President

We are steadily advancing the issue of anti-ballistic capabilities production in Europe – we are forming an anti-ballistic coalition. This is something worth doing, and right now we are closer to a result than ever before. Thirteen countries and the Office of the NATO Secretary General were represented at today’s meeting on anti-ballistic solutions.
5/12/2026
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Ukraine and the World – Against russia’s Aggression. Sanctions in Action

russian employers have begun laying off workers more frequently amid a deteriorating economic situation. In 2025, 25% of companies carried out layoffs, compared to 10% in 2023. At this, employers are increasingly trying to persuade employees to resign “voluntarily” or through mutual agreement without offering substantial compensation.
5/12/2026
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russia Is Concealing a New Outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Authorities in the kuzbass have secretly culled about 4,000 dairy cows at the “vaganovo” JSC dairy complex. The official explanation: nodular dermatitis, a condition that is treatable with antibiotics and does not typically require mass culling. But farmers think otherwise.
5/12/2026
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High Oil Prices Won’t Help russia

Against the background of an economic slowdown and a 0.5% drop in GDP in the first quarter, the pro-kremlin “center for macroeconomic analysis and short-term forecasting” issued a memo calling for a revision of the central bank’s mandate: to obligate the regulator to focus not only on inflation but also on the state of the economy as a whole.
5/12/2026
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We Are Doing Our Best So That We Can Produce Enough Anti-Ballistic Missiles Here in Ukraine or Jointly with Partners – Address by the President

We have already reached political arrangements with some countries – contracts with manufacturers will follow, and our military expertise is already yielding results. We will soon sign political agreements with some other countries. We have also begun preparations for such an agreement – the Drone Deal – with Canada. This is a very significant expansion of our security cooperation.
5/11/2026
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Ukraine and the World – Against russia’s Aggression. Sanctions in Action

EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos believes that the first negotiation cluster for Ukraine in the EU accession process could be opened during Cyprus’s EU presidency (until June 30), with the remaining five to follow in July 2026. The European Commissioner has also supported modernizing the accession system itself, particularly the possibility of candidate countries’ gradual integration into the EU system.
5/11/2026
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In russia, Level of Poverty Is Being Underreported, While Millions Live Paycheck to Paycheck

Officially, the level of poverty is estimated at approximately 6.5% of the population; however, this figure is based on an underestimated subsistence minimum – about 17,000 rubles. At the same time, russians themselves consider the poverty line to be three times higher – about 50,000 rubles per person. This indicates the kremlin’s traditional and significant downplaying of the scale of the problem.
5/11/2026
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russia’s Regional Agony: The War Has Devoured What Sanctions Failed to Destroy

The regional picture varies, but every region has its own reasons for the decline. The volga-vyatka macroregion (home to tatarstan’s “alabuga” and dozens of military plants) is recording the highest inflation rate in the country – 8.2%. The defense industry is driving up wages, and with them – prices for everyone else.
5/11/2026
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The Recruiting State: russia Ties Migrants to the War Through Money

Formally, the government explains the changes as necessary to cover the costs of migration services and increase budget revenues. At the same time, in reality, such a system of benefits and exemptions creates financial incentives for some migrants to consider signing contracts with russian military structures.
5/11/2026
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If the Russians Decide to Return to Full-Scale Warfare, Our Sanctions for This Will Be Immediate and Tangible – Address by the President

Our contacts with the American side regarding guarantees are also ongoing – guarantees for the implementation of the arrangements reached recently and announced by the President of the United States. The prisoner exchange – 1,000 for 1,000 – is being prepared and must take place.
5/10/2026
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moscow Has Handed over the Insurance Market to Beijing

The central bank of the rf has sent a letter to major insurance companies recommending that they reinsure the risks associated with liquefied natural gas shipments to China through Chinese insurance entities.
5/10/2026
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Black Lines Instead of Text: What Has Happened to Books in russia

Since the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine, censorship in the russian book industry has taken on a systemic and unprecedented character, transforming not only the market but also the very nature of text as a cultural product.
5/10/2026
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russians Have Lost Enthusiasm for Import Substitution and Dream of the Return of Foreign Companies

russia is increasingly feeling the consequences of its own geopolitical isolation, which set in after the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine.
5/10/2026
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For the kremlin, the PR Surrounding “victory mania” Is More Important than the Veterans Themselves

For modern russia, veterans are nothing more than a convenient prop.
5/9/2026
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Polish Counterintelligence Has Exposed the Scale of russian-belarusian Operations

In its public report, the Internal Security Agency (ABW) pointed out that the years 2024–2025 marked a period of unprecedented intelligence and sabotage activity on the part of russia and its junior partner, belarus.
5/9/2026
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Austria Closing Legal Loopholes for russian Intelligence

Statements by the Austrian military leadership reflect changes in Vienna’s approach to security policy. Austria is moving toward EU and NATO standards in the areas of intelligence sharing, cybersecurity, and military interoperability.
5/9/2026
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Ukraine and the World – Against russia’s Aggression. Sanctions in Action

The rf’s federal budget deficit has grown again, having exceeded the annual target one and a half times.
5/8/2026
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“Bandera’s Resident Agents in Crimea”. The Story of a Special Report

The chekists themselves, citing a political report by the OUN(B), de facto help debunk ideological myths about how the Ukrainian national resistance movement operated in the temporarily occupied territories.
5/8/2026