Page 4 - Russia

Russia holds parliamentary vote in regions seized from Ukraine during war

Russia's parliamentary election for the first time includes residents of regions that Moscow illegally annexed from Ukraine after the start of its full-scale invasion more than 4 1/2 years ago, part of Kremlin efforts to cement its gains. Officials in Kyiv vigorously denounced the action as illegal, and a human rights activist described residents there as being coerced to participate in the election. While the vote across Russia started Friday and lasts until Sunday to help boost turnout, balloting actually has been underway in the annexed parts of Ukraine and some areas on the Russian side of the border since the end of last month. Officials cited security reasons for the extended period. Russian authorities say the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia territories, often referred to by Moscow officials as the "new regions," have over 3.5 million voters. They were annexed by Russia in September 2022, despite not fully being under Moscow's control. The move has not been ...

Trump says son will repay Russian oligarch amid wedding party controversy

Trump said his son Donald Trump Jr. told him he was repaying the Russian businessman, while a person familiar with the matter also confirmed a repayment but gave no details

Nestle weighing all options after Kremlin moves to seize Russia business

The maker of Nescafe coffee and KitKat chocolates said it took note of the decision, announced in a presidential decree on Thursday, and was assessing the situation

Russia's wartime economy faces strain from debt, military spending

The frictions in Russia's wartime economy are growing, as massive military spending balloons the budget deficit. Consumers and businesses are gloomier. Growth has slowed. None of that, however, signals an imminent financial crisis or economic collapse, economists say. With crucial oil export revenues holding up due to high prices from the Iran war, the government is able to find the money to pay for its four-and-a-half-year-old invasion of Ukraine, at least for now. Meanwhile, low unemployment and government largesse in poor regions help keep a lid on consumer grumbling. That picture suits the Kremlin's narrative of stability ahead of Russia's stage-managed parliamentary election that got underway Friday and concludes Sunday. But economists warn that longer-term problems are gnawing at the foundations - and could one day result in a crisis. Consumers and businesses are more pessimistic --------------------------------------------------------- Indicators of consumer sentiment hav

Russia votes in wartime election as Putin seeks to reinforce political grip

It's a challenging time for Russia to hold a parliamentary election, even one whose outcome is all but assured. The economic and political climate has been seriously affected by 4 years of full-fledged war with Ukraine. Swarms of enemy drones have inflicted massive damage on Russian oil refineries and logistical facilities. The public, which no longer sees the fighting as something distant, is increasingly nervous. United Russia, the main Kremlin party, is poised to keep its overwhelming grip on the State Duma alongside a few other parties aligned with President Vladimir Putin. Still, authorities have tightened control over the first wartime balloting for the lower chamber of parliament since the 2022 full-scale invasion. The Kremlin stifled even the slightest signs of dissent before three days of voting that began Friday in Russia's Far East. The only party that dared to criticize the war was unceremoniously removed from the ballot, and a few anti-war politicians have been imprison

Russia, China veto US proposal to extend UN monitoring of Iran sanctions

Russia and China vetoed a United Nations resolution Thursday that would have authorized UN experts to keep monitoring sanctions that were reimposed against Iran last year over its nuclear program. The UN Security Council sanctions are still in effect, which freeze Iran's assets abroad, halt arms deals with Tehran and penalize any development of Iran's ballistic missile program, among other measures. Using a provision in the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major powers France, Germany and the United Kingdom triggered the "snapback" mechanism, which reimposed the sanctions on September 27, 2025. It restored the Security Council sanctions committee and authorized a panel of UN experts to monitor implementation. The United States drafted a resolution to extend the UN expert panel's mandate for a year, coming as America also pursues a wider campaign to isolate Tehran from its remaining economic partners as the more than six-month-old war in Iran has hit a stalemate. The proposal was .

US sanctions Bill gives Ukraine leverage on Russia, but enforcement looms

Ukraine has long argued that Russia will only negotiate seriously if the cost of continuing the war becomes too high. For Kyiv, punitive sanctions that impose real economic costs on Moscow are a key part of that strategy. This week's passage of a long-sought, sweeping package of US sanctions aimed at cutting off some of the financial resources President Vladimir Putin relies on to fund the war gives Ukraine another potential source of leverage, but its impact may depend on whether and how aggressively the measures are implemented by the United States. The House on Wednesday approved the sanctions package targeting Russian officials and key sectors of the economy. On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the vote "symbolic," adding that the House passed the bill on the same night Russia launched another large-scale attack across Ukraine, capabilities the full implementation of the deal would derail. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that if the United

US House passes Russia sanctions bill; 100% tariff threat looms over India

The US House of Representatives passed a bill that would authorise President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on Russia and steep tariffs on its trading partners in oil and gas, including India and China. The Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, passed by the US Senate last month, was approved by the House in a 262-159 vote on Wednesday evening and will now go to Trump to be signed into a law. Besides 203 Republicans, 58 Democrats and one Independent voted in favour of the legislation. Seven Republicans and 152 Democrats opposed it. Democratic opposition largely centered around the tariff authorities provided to Trump. The bill is named after Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who died in July after spending more than a year building support for it. "What we're not for is giving more tariff authority to this president," Congressman Richard Neal, a Democrat, said during debate on the bill. The bill seeks to impose sanctions not only on Russi

India monitors US debate on Russia sanctions Bill enabling 100% oil tariffs

The Brics joint declaration, adopted unanimously, criticised unilateral coercive sanctions and secondary sanctions, and also unilateral tariffs and non-tariff measures.

FBI thwarts Russian plot to kill a prominent dissident in Washington

The intelligence services of the Russian Federation are plotting to carry out targeted killings in the US and in European nations supporting Ukraine, federal authorities said Tuesday in announcing they'd thwarted a plot to kill a prominent Russian dissident believed to be living in Washington, D.C. Five people assumed to be living abroad were charged in the plot, according to an indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court. It said a network of the Russian intelligence services has paid and tried to pay individuals in the United States and in other countries since 2024 to surveil and then kill Russian dissidents. The associates recruited by the network also have been solicited to carry out acts of terrorism against civilian and military infrastructure in European countries that are perceived to be aligned with Ukraine, the indictment said. James C. Barnacle Jr., head of New York's FBI office, said the agency disrupted the plans "through relentless work" as members of the ...

India, others face 100% tariffs as US House advances Russia sanctions Bill

The US House of Representatives voted to advance a bill that would authorise President Donald Trump to impose 100 per cent tariffs on India and other countries for buying oil and gas from Russia and extend existing sanctions on Iran. The Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 cleared a procedural hurdle in the House of Representatives on Tuesday evening after two Democratic lawmakers broke ranks with the party and voted in favour with the Republicans. The resolution to advance the Russia sanctions bill and a slew of other legislations was approved by a 214-211 vote, shocking the House Democratic leadership. The bill is expected to come up for a final vote in the House on Wednesday. Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, on Monday opposed the Russia sanctions bill contending that it would grant President Trump unchecked authority to impose tariffs without any guardrails. Last month, the US Senate passed the

Russian retail showcase at INNOPROM India tests consumer demand, opens door to two-way trade

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Ukraine to halt Russia strikes if Kremlin spares critical infra: Zelenskyy

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that Ukraine is ready to halt its strikes on Russian territory if allies can secure a genuine Russian commitment not to hit Ukraine's critical infrastructure. His comments came after US President Donald Trump claimed in a social media post that Russia and Ukraine had agreed "not to hit" each other's energy infrastructure, though Trump did not offer further details on the purported agreement. Russia did not immediately comment on Trump's claim. Previous efforts to broker even a partial ceasefire have repeatedly fallen apart within hours, with both sides accusing each other of violations. Trump did not offer further details about the agreement but it comes a day after the US president called on Zelenskyy to stop targeting Russian oil refineries and other infrastructure used to produce and distribute diesel, claiming the attacks are causing a global shortage. Diesel prices have surged in the US, and high fuel costs associated with the Iran war

US lawmaker submits amendment naming India in Russia sanctions act

Racing against time, US lawmakers submitted amendments to the Russia sanctions bill, with one seeking to name its top trading partners -- including India -- in the legislation, and another proposing to scrap the section imposing tariffs altogether. The Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, passed by the US Senate by an overwhelming 86-11 vote last month, seeks to impose sanctions not only on Russia's leadership and energy sector, but also on the "shadow fleet" of vessels that enable Moscow to evade sanctions on oil deliveries. The US believes that Russia's crude oil trade is funding the war against Ukraine. The Bill also seeks to authorise President Donald Trump to impose 100 per cent tariffs on Russia's top oil trading partners, including China and India. The bill passed by the US Senate on August 7 does not name Russia's trading partners, but mentions the five largest importers of oil and gas by volume. The bill must be passed by the House of Representatives before it

Brics declaration balances tariffs, sanctions and West Asia concerns: GTRI

At the 18th Brics Summit, the New Delhi Declaration has criticised tariffs, sanctions and carbon trade measures linked to Western countries without naming them

Brics Summit 2026 ticks all boxes on practical, actionable outcomes

BRICS Summit: India pushes practical cooperation as China, Russia pitch their priorities

Brics Summit: Russian President Putin proposes new insurance mechanism

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday proposed a new insurance mechanism and a collaborative initiative for the grain market among the BRICS nations as he called upon the grouping to adopt a holistic approach in combating pressing global challenges. Putin proposed the new initiatives for economic growth among the BRICS member nations as well as the Global South nations amid crippling sanctions imposed by the Western powers on Moscow for its war on Ukraine. The G-7 countries, the European Union and the UK prohibited Western companies from insuring any ship transporting Russian crude unless the oil was purchased at or below a specified price cap. The sanctions relating to the insurance sector have adversely impacted Russian crude oil exports. "We have independent routes for moving capital, labour and technologies. In fact, we can operate regardless of outside pressure," Putin said at the concluding session of the 18th BRICS summit here. "We have some promising initiatives going

What China, Russia want & India wishes

The three strongmen in this breathless buildup share more contradictions than congruence. Each has a different worldview, as also a different adversary

Russia faces over 30,000 sanctions: Putin condemns 'ugly' trade tactics

Speaking at the Brics Business Forum in New Delhi, the Russian president criticised economic coercion, trade restrictions and the threat of secondary sanctions

Brics through the years: India is hosting the summit for the fourth time

The earlier occasions were in 2012 (New Delhi), 2016 (Goa) and 2021 (held virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic)