Since early December, the Russian ruble has continued to strengthen against global currencies: on Dec. 7, it reached a value of only 76 rubles for one U.S. dollar, a figure unseen since May 2023. It soon dropped to 79 rubles per U.S. dollar, an exchange rate close to one seen on the eve of Russia's full-scale war. Ruble's strength came despite increasing sanction pressure by the Trump administration, which began targeting Russian oil giants Lukoil and Rosneft in October. The measures, which f

A U.S.-backed 28-point peace plan leaked last month caused uproar in Ukraine and among its allies, among other reasons, because it contained a controversial point implying, in vague terms, a "full amnesty" for acts committed during the war. While Ukrainian officials later claimed that this clause had since been removed, critics fear that it could still return to the text, bringing with it a culture of impunity for war crimes. As talks aiming to secure a peace deal continued with a high-level U

Over the past week, Ukraine's Armed Forces carried out new strikes on Russian oil refineries, forcing Russian authorities to extend a ban on gasoline exports and announce the introduction of a partial ban on diesel exports. Ukraine's sustained campaign of strikes on refineries is now causing mild havoc at gas stations in Russia and occupied Crimea, with prices skyrocketing and short-term shortages widely reported. While, for now, these strikes are unlikely to cause massive disruptions to globa

The Kremlin confirmed on Sept. 18 the resignation of Vladimir Putin's long-time close associate, the deputy head of his administration, Dmitry Kozak. According to Peskov, Kozak is leaving of his own accord. His resignation has been accepted, with Sept. 19 set as Kozak's last day in office, Interfax reported, citing an undisclosed source. The New York Times previously reported that Kozak had privately advised Putin against launching the war in Ukraine in 2022. He also reportedly warned of the d

An unprecedented Russian attack creates a new reality for Polish society.

Over the past days, Moscow's grand avenues, like every year in early May, were taken over by the growling of 80-year-old tanks and the smell of gasoline burned by military vehicles. To the delight of many locals, soldiers marched in multiple rehearsals for the May 9 Victory Day Parade in the week leading up to the actual event. But as Moscow prepares for its fourth parade since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the atmosphere this year is different. At the turn of the mont

It's no secret that U.S. officials have been trying to drive a wedge between Russia and its key ally, China. Former United States Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg was among the government officials who made the intention public, saying that the U.S. would try to "break (Vladimir) Putin's alliances." Kellogg was later demoted, with the word Russia removed from his job title. U.S. State Secretary Marco Rubio echoed Kellogg's sentiment, saying that having a relationship with Ru

On the night of Dec. 15, 2024, two Russian oil tankers, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, sank in the Kerch Strait, a narrow maritime connection between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, off the coast of occupied Crimea. Both vessels were constructed for service on rivers, not on the open sea, and did not have valid sailing documents at the time of the disaster. The tankers also violated a weather-based ban on entering the Kerch Strait. The vessel crews then attempted for days to obtain an aut

Donald Trump was long seen as Russian candidate of choice, in Moscow, however, reactions following inauguration are mixed.