Dutch Businessman Helps Russia Import Western Brands Like Nike, Lego – Reuters

Russian consumers enjoy continued access to Western brands like Nike and Lego thanks to a Dutch businessman who imports them via grey-market methods, Reuters reported Saturday. Wijnand Herinckx, 40, has built a “thriving” business ferrying these brands’ products into Russia after they exited the country in 2022 over the war in Ukraine, Reuters said, citing customs data,…

IOC Issues First List of Russians and Belarusians Eligible for Olympics

Saturday’s IOC statement also listed taekwondo, but that section included no names. “It is absolutely true — none of our taekwondists will perform at the Olympic Games in Paris,” Vadim Ivanov, Russia’s taekwondo head coach told the state-run RIA Novosti news agency. After initially banning the two countries’ athletes from world sport following Russia’s invasion of…

Sweden Says Russian Bomber Violated Its Airspace

A Russian Su-24 bomber violated Swedish airspace near the strategic Baltic Sea island of Gotland, leaving only after Sweden scrambled two JAS-39 fighter jets, Sweden’s military said on Saturday. The incident on Friday occurred three months after the Scandinavian country became a full member of NATO, dropping two centuries of military non-alliance. “On Friday afternoon,…

Russian Inflation Rises Once Again in May

The pace of inflation in Russia accelerated yet again in May as officials warn huge public spending to support the military offensive on Ukraine is overheating the economy. Increases in government expenditure have supported Russia’s economy in the face of a barrage of Western sanctions but also triggered surging prices and labor shortages in many…

Moldova Turns Back Plane Carrying Pro-Russian Activists

Moldova’s authorities and an opposition politician said Friday aviation officials had denied landing permission to a flight bound for the capital Chisinau carrying pro-Russian opposition activists. According to Romanian authorities, the flight from Armenia was redirected to an airport near the capital Bucharest. Moldovan pro-Russian MP Marina Tauber announced the incident in a post on…