An ally of Vladimir Putin said that if Russia were to fire a nuclear weapon on Ukraine it would create a “radiation zone” that would end the conflict, according to the Financial Times. Russian tycoon Konstantin Malofeyev spoke to the news outlet about how the world is “on the brink of nuclear war.” He said…
Putin has signed off on a record defense budget for 2025 amid the ongoing Ukraine war. Defense spending will rise to 13.5 trillion rubles, making up a third of the country’s budget. Russia’s economy faces inflation and ruble decline, despite military-driven activities. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed off a federal budget that will boost…
By Elena Fabrichnaya and Gleb Bryanski MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia’s sanctions-hit, militarized economy is expected to slow next year and banks’ profits will fall, while the benchmark interest rate may climb to 23% by the end of this year, Andrei Kostin, CEO of Russia’s second-largest lender, VTB, said. Kostin predicted that GDP growth will slow to…
Gazprom’s natural gas flows via the Power of Siberia pipeline to China have reached full capacity of 38 billion cubic meters annually, the Russian gas giant said on Monday. Gazprom started sending gas to China via the Power of Siberia pipeline at the end of 2019, and flows have now reached the maximum design capacity….
(Reuters) – Syrian rebels’ capture of Aleppo from President Bashar al-Assad has brought the Syrian civil war back into focus, jolting frontlines that had been dormant for years with implications for the region and beyond. WHAT IS GOING ON? The rebels launched their surprise offensive on Nov. 26, attacking from areas to the north and…
China claimed it and Russia did not “target any third party” while their nuclear-capable bombers patrolled near the allies of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to the defense ministry in Japan, the joint Russia–China air patrols were carried out on Friday over the Sea of Japan, also known as the East…
The Syrian military and its ally Russia conducted deadly joint air raids on areas under Islamist-led rebel control on Monday, as they battle a lightning offensive that has wrested swathes of Syria from government control. Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad is backed by Russia and Iran, both of which have confirmed they will help his army…
North Korean soldiers. Photo: Getty Images Intelligence reports indicate that 2,000 North Korean military personnel have been deployed to combat units of the Russian army, assigned to marine brigades and airborne divisions. Source: Andrii Cherniak, spokesperson for Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU), in an interview with Donbas Realii (a Radio Liberty project) Quote: “There are…
German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock accused China of providing Russia with weapons for its war of aggression against Ukraine and threatening peace in Europe ahead of a potentially thorny visit to Beijing. “Instead of taking responsibility for peace and security in the world as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China is opposing…
Chinese defence companies saw their lowest annual revenue growth in four years amid a domestic economic slowdown while global arms sales continued to grow, fuelled by demand from the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, a Swedish think tank report said. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s (SIPRI) annual report on the…