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russian Diplomatic Facilities in Vienna Are Being Used for Electronic Intelligence

Vienna remains attractive to russian intelligence services due to Austria’s neutral status. Since 2022, the country has expelled several russian diplomats, though such measures have been far more extensive in other European countries.
3/18/2026
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Officials of the rf Fearing Their Own Messaging app and Buying Separate Phones for Max

In informal conversations, they openly admit that installing this app effectively means handing over control of the device to the fsb.
3/18/2026
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belarus Legalizing Serfdom Amid a Labor Shortage

In fact, minsk is moving toward legally binding employees to enterprises – a classic soviet practice that the civilized world calls forced labor.
3/18/2026
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Ukraine and the World – Against russia’s Aggression. Sanctions in Action

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos has reported that as of March 17, Ukraine has unofficially opened all six clusters in the EU accession negotiations. “At a time when Europe is under pressure from both the East and the West, we cannot afford to waste time. And we are not wasting it. All six clusters are now unofficially open,” Kos said.
3/17/2026
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moscow Rewriting Biographies Ahead of the Tribunal

The campaign was launched at this very moment for a reason – against the background of the international community’s plans to launch a Special Tribunal on the crime of aggression against Ukraine by the end of 2026.
3/17/2026
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The Ukrainian Defense Forces Have Thwarted the Russian Strategic Offensive Operation that the Enemy Had Planned for This March – Address by the President

Meanwhile, we are not postponing negotiations; no one is disappointed in diplomacy. This is not a matter of emotions, as some might say. It is a matter of what partners are ready for. Russia operates in a very simple way: if they are afraid, they’re willing to toe the line.
3/17/2026
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Ukraine and the World – Against russia’s Aggression. Sanctions in Action

The EU Council has extended sanctions until September 15 of this year against approximately 2,600 individuals and entities responsible for undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine.
3/16/2026
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russian Youth Trapped in Microloans

Amid sanctions, falling investment, and rising prices, more and more russians are forced to turn to microfinance organizations to cover basic expenses. According to market analysts, demand for microloans surged sharply in early 2026: in January, the number of applications was by a third higher than a year ago.
3/16/2026
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War As a Breeding Ground for Scams: in russia, Fraudsters Are Preying en Masse on Military Payments

In russia, another side effect of the war is becoming increasingly apparent – a wave of fraud surrounding the money the state pays to participants in the “special military operation”. These payments have become prey for scammers – ranging from small-time crooks to quite systemic schemes involving officials and developers.
3/16/2026
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The kremlin’s “Special Reproduction Operation”

Massive losses in the war against Ukraine have exacerbated russia’s demographic crisis to a critical level. The fertility rate in 2025 was 1.37 children per woman, far below the minimum required rate of 2.1. The kremlin’s response is a propaganda machine, retooled from military rhetoric to reproductive one.
3/15/2026
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russian Businesses Are Replacing English Signs en Masse, Spending a Month’s Worth of Revenue

New rules regarding the use of foreign words in commercial activities have been in effect in russia since March. From now on, all signs, advertising materials, and product descriptions on websites and marketplaces must be exclusively in russian. The Latin alphabet and “insufficiently russian” words in Cyrillic are banned.
3/15/2026
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putin’s Economy: a Quarter of a Century of High Prices

Twenty-six years of putin’s rule have left russians with a wonderful legacy: what cost 100 rubles in the early 2000s, cost 1,033 rubles by the end of 2025. Total inflation over this period was about 930%.
3/14/2026
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russia’s Waste Recycling Industry Is in Deep Crisis

January and February were the most difficult months for businesses, when the turnover of many companies fell sharply amid a general decline in economic activity.
3/14/2026
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Ukraine and the World – Against russia’s Aggression. Sanctions in Action

“The decisions regarding the EUR 90 billion loan (to Ukraine) were made collectively and relate to the military context. And the context of the war has not changed. We must honor our commitments and the decisions we have made, and this is precisely what we will be working on in the coming days and weeks,” said President of France Emmanuel Macron.
3/13/2026
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Defense Industry As a Black Hole: How the Military-Industrial Complex of the rf Is Swallowing up the Civilian Economy and Failing to Save Even Those Who Work for It

For years, moscow has been promoting the narrative of the military-industrial complex as the engine of economic growth. The reality turned out to be fundamentally different. The military-industrial complex functions as a giant pump that sucks resources out of all other sectors, including the enterprises that directly serve it.
3/13/2026
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According to Estonian Foreign Intelligence, moscow Is Aligning Itself with Beijing, but Remains Distrustful

In particular, the Service points out the increased cooperation between the countries in the fields of energy, trade, finance, transport, science, and technology. Although China is formally trying to maintain the image of a “neutral” party.
3/13/2026
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russia Firing Doctors, Teachers, and Civil Servants

In the fourth quarter of 2025, the number of officially fired workers reached 32,600, which is by 59% more than a year earlier. The most affected sectors were public administration and security (4,900), healthcare (4,600), education (3,800), and manufacturing (3,900).
3/13/2026
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Ukraine and the World – Against russia’s Aggression. Sanctions in Action

The leaders of the G7 countries have agreed to maintain sanctions against russia. This was announced by President of France Emmanuel Macron. “In the conclusions of this extraordinary G7 meeting, which took place in the format of a video conference, the consensus was that we should not change our position regarding russia and maintain our effort for Ukraine,” he said.
3/12/2026
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Serfdom Returning to russian Education

The kremlin is purposefully building a system of narrow-profile education that completely deprives students of freedom of choice and makes them dependent solely on the state’s staffing needs. Giving up the Bologna model effectively makes it impossible to continue studying abroad.
3/12/2026
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Ships of the “Shadow Fleet” Flying the rf’s Flag Are Scaling up Hybrid Threats to Europe

The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine has received information about the kremlin’s plans to increase the number of tankers transporting oil under the rf’s flag. This decision is dictated by the increasingly frequent cases of detentions of tankers belonging to russia’s “shadow fleet” by European countries and the United States.
3/12/2026