Russia to Explore Mega Oil Merger – WSJ

Moscow is exploring a plan to merge its three largest oil companies into a single mega oil producer, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.  Under the merger, state-backed Rosneft Oil would absorb Gazprom Neft—a subsidiary of the natural gas giant Gazprom—and Lukoil, sources familiar with the discussions told The Wall Street Journal. The deal would…

Burkina Faso Says Country Prefers Russia Partnership Over France

Burkina Faso’s foreign minister praised cooperation with Russia on Saturday as “suiting” his country better than its historic ties with France. Following a 2022 military coup, Burkina Faso’s new leadership broke with Paris and has embraced Russia, which has sent army instructors to help Ouagadougou’s fight against an Islamist insurgency. Attending a Russia-Africa summit in…

Russian Police Target Romani Community in Fresh Raids, Seizing Weapons and Issuing Draft Notices

Russian law enforcement officers seized weapons and handed out military summons to Roma amid a fresh wave of police raids in the Chelyabinsk region, where a murder last month ignited long-simmering ethnic tensions and sparked local reprisals against the local Romani community. Chelyabinsk region police have carried out at least six “crime prevention” raids over…

Pro-Russia Hackers Ramp Up Cyber Attacks on South Korea, Presidential Office Says

Pro-Russia hacking groups have ramped up attacks against South Korea amid North Korean troop deployments in Russia, South Korea’s presidential office said Friday. Authorities in Seoul said they have convened an emergency meeting due to recent attacks targeting some government and private websites. No major damage has been reported, aside from temporary outages, South Korea’s…

Ukrainian Drone Strike Sparks Blaze at Oil Refinery in Russia’s Saratov Region

Ukraine’s military intelligence claimed responsibility for a drone strike on an oil refinery in southern Russia’s Saratov region that eyewitnesses said sparked a blaze late Friday, according to media reports. “A drone was eliminated over the territory of Saratov overnight. Part of the debris fell in an industrial zone in the Zavodsky district,” Saratov region…

Trump’s Win Gives Optimism to Russian Brokers

Russian and Western traders and brokers are optimistic following Donald Trump’s election victory, the Financial Times reported, citing market sources. “All the talk this morning is about how to trade Russia and whether sanctions will be thrown off… [traders at Western banks] are questioning suddenly whether the ruble is now tradeable,” FT wrote. The value of Russian assets rose…

Russia Signs Security, Energy Deals With Venezuela

Venezuela and its most powerful ally Russia signed agreements Thursday on intelligence-gathering and counter-espionage, as well as energy cooperation, during a visit by a senior Kremlin official to Caracas. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko told Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez that his country stood ready to support Venezuela’s armed forces with “the most sophisticated…

Offering Concessions to Russia ‘Suicidal’ for Europe, Zelensky Warns

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Thursday that offering concessions to Russia to end the war would be “suicidal” for Europe, coming as top Russian officials threatened the “destruction” of Ukraine’s population unless the West engaged in peace talks. Authorities in Kyiv have for months called on their Western allies to double down on past commitments to…

Putin’s Guns-And-Butter Economics Take a Blow as Russia Turns to Turkish Dairy Farmers

Unhappy at Turkey’s continued delivery of guns to Ukraine, Russia is on the other hand only too happy to get hold of a share of Turkey’s butter. Russia began importing Turkish butter last week with an initial 20-ton shipment. President Vladimir Putin has previously contended that Russia’s war economy is well balanced to supply both guns and butter, but fine words…

Trump Advisers Push to ‘Freeze’ War in Ukraine, Pause Kyiv’s Bid to Join NATO – WSJ

Advisers to President-elect Donald Trump have put forward several proposals that would effectively freeze the war in Ukraine, solidifying Moscow’s territorial gains, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing anonymous sources close to Trump. Trump, who criticized outgoing President Joe Biden’s handling of the Ukraine conflict, vowed during his campaign to end the war before…

U.K. Sanctions Russian Mercenary Groups, Salisbury Poisoning Suspect

The United Kingdom on Thursday introduced a new round of sanctions targeting Russia’s military, private mercenary groups and an intelligence agent suspected of involvement in the 2018 Novichok poisoning in Salisbury. “New targets include suppliers supporting Russia’s military production, Russian-backed mercenary groups operating in Sub-Saharan Africa and a GRU agent involved in the use of…

Russian Court Jails Foreign Student 14 Years for ‘Promoting Terrorism’

A Siberian court sentenced a foreign student to 14 years in prison on charges of promoting and participating in terrorist activities, state media reported Thursday, citing law enforcement officials. The First Eastern Military Garrison Court in Khabarovsk found the student guilty of “justifying and propagandizing” an international terrorist organization since early 2023, according to the…

Will a Second Trump Presidency Reshape U.S.-Russia Ties? Experts Weigh In

Donald Trump’s sweeping presidential election victory over Vice President Kamala Harris was welcomed by Russian officials on Wednesday, with many expressing cautious hope for better relations with Washington under the new leadership.  Unlike incumbent Joe Biden, who has been one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies in its fight against the full-scale Russian invasion, Trump has built…

Putin Oversees Launch Ceremony for Russia’s Newest Nuclear Icebreaker

President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday presided over the launch ceremony for Russia’s latest nuclear-powered icebreaker, as Moscow aims to expand its presence in the Arctic and replace markets lost to Western sanctions. “Strengthening the nation’s icebreaker fleet is crucial to our plans for Arctic development and boosting cargo traffic on the Northern Sea Route,” Putin…

Zelensky Says He Hopes Trump ‘Victory’ Will Bring ‘Just Peace in Ukraine Closer’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Donald Trump Wednesday on his “impressive victory” in the U.S. election and said he hoped his presidency would bring a “just peace in Ukraine closer.” A likely second Trump term raises questions over Washington’s long-term support for Ukraine — which has fended off Russia’s full-scale invasion for almost three years — as the…

Moscow Behind Incendiary Packages Sent Across Europe, Lithuanian Official Says

Moscow is responsible for sending incendiary devices in packages from Lithuania to other countries in Europe, an adviser to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda told local media Tuesday. The accusations come a day after The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed Western security officials, reported that Russia was orchestrating a covert sabotage campaign that involved sending packages…