Russia drove most ships from Ukraine’s ports. Now its drones are hunting the trains
By late August, Ukraine had exported only a third of its normal volume of farm goods. Russia damaged more than 250 locomotives in six months.
Shares in Russia’s second-largest bank hit record low as Wildberries-linked offering price holds steady
VTB sought access to Wildberries’ 80 million customers. After drone strikes hit the retailer’s warehouses, Moscow considered making the bank central to a support plan.
Fifth drone-related NORSI shutdown in under five months leaves all major Lukoil refineries offline
Russia’s second-largest gasoline producer is offline as Moscow orders fuel redistribution and regional authorities tighten sales limits.
Four EU states revive push to use Russia’s frozen billions for Ukraine
Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, and Poland want Brussels to resume work eight months after Belgium blocked the proposal.
US C-17 spends 8½ hours in Moscow during first CIA chief visit since 2021
Washington reportedly asked Kyiv to pause strikes on Moscow and St. Petersburg while John Ratcliffe held undisclosed talks with Russian security officials.
Ukraine fires state bank chair after alleged $3.3 million bail-laundering scheme
The government and central bank also moved against Sense Bank’s CEO and financial monitoring chief while reviewing the bank’s entire supervisory board.
Chernivtsi Oblast commissions three mini power plants to keep heat on during blackouts
The 3.9 MW addition contrasts with a March finding that 41% of 137 tracked donor units remained uncommissioned.
Russia turns failed drone defenses into grounds for state control of company assets
Russia can now take control of a company’s property and shares if it fails to protect key infrastructure from drones—even when the controller is foreign.
Russia’s biggest electronics chain delays seller payments as it expands online
Customers pay M.Video, which passes the money to independent sellers. Some waited months to receive it.
Why did Ozon fall as much as 29% while Russia’s market lost 2.9%?
After five weeks of strikes on privately held Wildberries, attacks on listed Ozon gave investors a direct price for warehouse risk.
Gasoline rationing returns to Moscow and St. Petersburg as Rosneft caps fills nationwide
Rationing has returned to Russia’s two biggest cities, and Rosneft is now capping fills at 30 liters at every station in the country.
Black Sea attacks delayed up to 2.5 million tons of wheat bound for Asia
Russian attacks on Ukraine’s ports and Black Sea ships surged from 14 in all of 2025 to 124 this July. Up to 2.5 million tons of wheat bound for Asia is delayed.
Russia diverts defense-industry chemicals to gasoline—but stations still run dry
A July decree sent defense-industry chemicals to the fuel pump; motor oil prices have since spiked 40%, and Rosgvardia is patrolling gas stations in Moscow Oblast.
Moldova halves grain-transit fees for Ukraine as its own farmers threaten protests
President Maia Sandu is defending the halved transit fees against her own farmers, arguing that a neighbor able to export and arm itself is worth more to Moldova than the risk to local grain prices.