News about Russia
On the evening of July 28, the U.S. Senate approved a bill that will allow pressure to be exerted on the Kremlin: 86 votes in favor and 12 against.
The European Union is considering changing the mechanism for imposing sanctions against Russia, moving away from the practice of large “packages” in favor of smaller, issue-specific blocks. The idea is being discussed following difficult negotiations on the 21st package of restrictions, which once again demonstrated how difficult it is to secure unanimous support from all member states.
A joint U.S.-Russian crew returned to Earth on Sunday after an eight-month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
At its meeting on July 24, the Bank of Russia cut its key rate by 0.25 percentage points to 14% per annum, despite expectations from most analysts, who had forecast that the rate would remain at 14.25%. At the same time, the regulator revised its inflation forecast downward and warned of persistent risks of rising prices.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is considering the possibility of launching a military operation in Mali against the terrorist group JNIM, also known as “Al-Qaeda in the Sahel.”
The Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs delivered a note of protest to Oleg Ozerov, the Russian ambassador to Moldova, regarding the crash of a drone carrying explosives in the village of Kopanka, Keușen District, on the night of July 13.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the launch of a campaign to dismantle the International Criminal Court. Washington is also threatening its allies with cuts in aid if they support the court.
The Russian government and the state corporation Roscosmos have established procedures for the procurement and planning of Earth remote sensing data. This marks the first time that rules governing the ordering and sale of satellite imagery have been introduced.
The Russian Center for Science and Culture (Russian House) in the Moldovan capital has officially ceased operations. The Russian Embassy in Moldova announced this on July 4.
In 2025, Latvia’s trade with Russia accounted for 2.6% of the country’s total foreign trade. The Ministry of Economy reported this while commenting on Russia’s decision to temporarily close a number of railway border crossings on the borders with Finland, Estonia, and Latvia, effective July 1.
The Danish shipyard Fayard remains the last facility in the European Union that continues to service specialized Arc7 ice-class gas carriers used to transport Russian liquefied natural gas from the Yamal LNG project.
Two-thirds of Ukrainian citizens believe it is necessary to begin negotiations with Russia to end the war, while 24% of Ukrainians support continuing the fighting.
At its shareholders’ meeting on June 30, Russia’s largest bank decided to pay dividends amounting to 50% of last year’s net income.
The X5 Group, which operates the “Pyaterochka” and “Perekrestok” retail chains, has suspended purchases of products from Italy’s Ferrero Group. The company cited the supplier’s “unjustifiably high selling prices” as the reason for the decision.
On June 27, St. Petersburg hosted another spectacular and large-scale graduation celebration, “Scarlet Sails 2026.” The event is considered one of the largest and most spectacular in Europe.
On June 26, Liliana Daria, Moldova’s ambassador to Moscow, was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry following an incident involving the detention of diplomatic couriers.
On June 26, Crimean Head Sergey Aksyonov and Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev jointly declared a state of emergency in the region.
The Latvian government plans to expand the list of agricultural products banned from import from Russia and Belarus. This is stated in a letter prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture and endorsed by the government on Tuesday.
The International Arbitration Tribunal in The Hague found that Russia had violated certain provisions of international maritime law during the construction of the Crimean Bridge across the Kerch Strait, but rejected Ukraine’s main claims regarding the status of the strait, control over marine resources, and the dismantling of the structure.
Two types of beer and five types of snacks have been added to the Belarusian State Standards Committee’s Register of Hazardous Products. Over the weekend, they were completely removed from the shelves of Belarusian stores.
