Russia news

'Russian barrels are in demand' — Oil price spike boosts Russia's economy
Russia

'Russian barrels are in demand' — Oil price spike boosts Russia's economy

by Luca Léry Moffat

The Iran war could be a boon for Russia, experts say, as turmoil in global energy markets changes the calculus for the world's largest petrostate. January and February this year were bleak on the fiscal front for Russia, as low oil prices, a looming global oil glut, and compounding sanctions tightened the screws on Russia's energy sector. The country relies in large part on its colossal oil and gas revenues to fund its full-scale invasion of Ukraine — now in its fifth year. But energy prices h

News Feed

It's official — Ukraine has a new bank

Ukraine will have a new bank on its books as of tomorrow, after Estonian fintech Iute Group finalized its entry into the market on March 16 — the first foreign bank to enter the country's competitive banking sector since 2021. Representatives from Iute and Ukraine's Deposit Guarantee Fund announced on Monday at a press conference in Kyiv that Ukraine's central bank had approved the sale, paving the way for the bank to begin operations tomorrow. Iute purchased a bridge bank from Ukraine's guara

One battle after another: Kyiv's historic markets lose ground to trendy food halls

The food hall development revolution spreading across Europe has reached Ukraine's historic markets. At the end of 2025, Kyiv's historic Bessarabskyi market — a more than 100-year-old, 900-square-meter brick building located at the western end of the city's main thoroughfare Khreshchatyk — was reopened as a brightly-lit, upscale food court. While the status-protected exterior remained unchanged, the market's center now features a large bar, with most of the interior converted into a dining are

A view at the coffee shop at the Bessarabskyi market in Kyiv, Ukraine on Feb. 11, 2026.

About Russia

The Kyiv Independent’s coverage of news on Russia. Spanning eleven time zones across Eastern Europe and Asia, Russia has an estimated population of 146 million people. Russia’s capital city is Moscow, which is home to almost one in 10 Russians. Russia’s official currency is the Russian Ruble.

News Feed