Russian authorities are reducing spots at universities and steering applicants toward engineering programs relevant to the defense industry Out of 100 Russian first-graders, 42 used to go on to college, but now that figure has halved, T-invariant reports.

Matryoshka bot network launches fake campaign claiming Zelensky “wished death” on Trump in his Christmas address Zelensky was referring to an unnamed person — but judging by context, he clearly had in mind Vladimir Putin, the Bot Blocker Project @antibot4navalny.bsky.social reports.

Covering their trail: Russia’s customs service has started concealing data on sanctioned imports The Kremlin is seeking to conceal data about “gray” imports to avoid new sanctions on goods critically important for the war effort.

Dressed for disaster. Russian fashion retail collapses despite losing Western competition This is not import substitution, but import placement, fashion historian Alexander Vasiliev notes.

Founder of investigative outlet IStories Roman Anin stripped of Russian citizenship The move follows Anin’s conviction in a case concerning the “spreading of false information about the army.”

Peace talk show: Why key elements of the Ukraine “peace plans” remain unworkable The points of contention include troop withdrawals from Donbas, limits on the size of Ukraine's armed forces, Russia's frozen assets, and security guarantees for Ukraine.

Generating pushback: Eastern European countries are turning away political asylum seekers from Russia and Belarus The Insider examines the increasingly common practice of forced returns (“pushbacks”) impacting asylum seekers looking to enter the EU.

Into the shadows: Sanctions have reduced Russia from an oil superpower to a global energy disrupter Whereas Moscow once set the terms, after four years of sanctions, it now plays by rules imposed on it.

Russia’s far-right Espanola brigade to merge with fellow nationalist organization “Russian Community” after founder’s death Espanola commander Mikhail Turkanov confirmed the news to The Insider. The unit announced it was disbanding in October.

Putin allows Mexican company to buy 99.9% stake in Russian unit of German pump manufacturer Ruhrpumpen Officially, the decision was based on “special economic measures [connected to] the unfriendly actions of certain foreign states.”

Backing the junta against jihadists: Trump's Nigerian war plans Trump has already threatened direct intervention if Nigerian authorities fail to stop the violence carried out by jihadist groups, whose victims are often Christians

Founder of Russia’s far-right Espanola brigade shot dead at his dacha in occupied Crimea, Astra reports Video surveillance footage released by the independent outlet depicts armed men arriving at Stanislav Orlov's residence in Sevastopol on Dec. 4.

Moscow car bomb kills another Russian general in latest attack on top military officers Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, 56, is the third general to be killed in a blast in or around the Russian capital since late last year.

According to the plan: Despite denials, Trump’s team looks to be implementing Project 2025

“Kazakh and Western companies drove themselves into a trap”: How Ukrainian drone strikes are reshaping Kazakhstan’s oil exports The Insider takes a deep dive into the effect of Kyiv's strikes on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium.

Not-so-useful idiots: How the International Russophile Movement consolidated the Kremlin’s European influence networks The Insider and Transparency International Russia shed light on the organization tasked with “amplifying destabilizing narratives” around the world.

Commander and founder of recently disbanded Russian military unit Espanola, Stanislav Orlov, confirmed dead The causes and circumstances of Orlov's death are not currently known. Espanola's core was made up of football ultras and neo-Nazis.

Ukraine says it attacked a Russian “shadow fleet” tanker in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time The multi-stage plan resulted in the SBU’s Alpha unit striking the tanker Qendil. The Insider reviewed the ship's movements using @starboardintelligence.com data.

Attacks force Russia’s “shadow fleet” tankers to reroute along Turkey’s Black Sea coast The Insider has confirmed, using @starboardintelligence.com data, that the routes of at least two vessels — sanctioned tankers Torx and Jumbo — to Russia changed. They are now sailing closer to Turkey's coast.

Putin rejects calls to unblock glucose-monitoring apps during mobile internet shutdowns, claims foreign software aids Ukrainian targeting Parents of children with Type 1 diabetes recently told The Insider that shutdowns have made it impossible to remotely monitor their children’s glucose levels.

EU adds 41 more oil tankers from Russia’s “shadow fleet” to sanctions list, bringing total to 600 Over one-third of Russia’s oil exports are currently shipped on vessels controlled by companies from EU member states, primarily Greece, Cyprus, and Malta.

Russia’s Matryoshka bot network uses Bondi Beach shooting to intimidate Europeans and criticize aid to Ukraine The new disinfo being spread on social media was flagged by @antibot4navalny.bsky.social and features videos posing as @thestudyofwar.bsky.social and BBC News.

Not worth the paper it’s written on: Why any “land for peace” deal in Ukraine would be legally void Any deal involving territorial concessions — leases, shared jurisdiction, or the partial surrender of Ukraine’s sovereignty — risks becoming invalid, argues international law scholar Gleb Bogush.

“They forced me to cook, clean, and fulfill their sexual whims”: Testimony of a Ukrainian woman enslaved by Russian soldiers

Hackers destroy 43 TB of data connected to Russia’s unified military registration system, setting back its development by “several months” The group also accessed an internal call of one of the system's developers — the Kazan-based company Mikord — which confirmed the extent of the breach.

Kenya repatriates 18 citizens recruited by Russia’s Ministry of Defense, shuts down hundreds of agencies luring workers to Russia In total, at least 82 Kenyans have appealed to the country’s embassy in Moscow for help returning home.

Swedish Navy says armed guards have appeared aboard Russia’s “shadow fleet” tankers Armed individuals, who are “believed to come from private security companies,” have been spotted on the vessels.

The mob's humanitarian backdoor: Ramzan Kadyrov's mafia connections reach deep into German critical infrastructure As Moscow organizes spying and sabotage operations across Europe, high-level Kadyrov associates enjoy easy access to ports and rail hubs.

Wines linked to Putin pulled from San Francisco tasting competition Russia's Association of Winegrowers and Winemakers reported that a decision was made to disqualify all 95 Russian entries following an appeal by an unnamed “U.S. elected official.”

Russian occupation authorities in Crimea confiscate property of Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk A Moscow-installed “official” justified the move by claiming Usyk was a “supporter of Nazi ideology” who “repeatedly condemned the special military operation.”

ECHR rules Russia’s persecution of Navalny and his supporters unlawful and politically motivated The Anti-Corruption Foundation's lawyers said it was the organization's biggest ever win at the ECHR.

Wines linked to Putin and Patriarch Kirill enter U.S. tasting contest in San Francisco, brought in personal luggage by Kovalchuk aide The Insider details how wines made next door to Putin's Black Sea palace ended up in California.

Ukraine claims first Sea Baby underwater drone strike on Russian Kilo-class submarine in Novorossiysk The submarine was docked in Novorossiysk after Ukrainian drone attacks pushed much of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet out of occupied Crimea.

“A harsh sentence for an innocent man”: Russia upholds sentence of election rights advocate Grigory Melkonyants In May 2025, Melkonyants was sentenced to five years in prison; his defense appealed, but the verdict stood.

Germany offers to take in freed Belarusian opposition figures Maria Kalesnikava and Viktar Babaryka “We are highly interested in strengthening this democratic movement, even if it now has to develop outside Belarus,” explained interior minister Alexander Dobrindt.

Russians set to lose access to imported medicines by 2030 as the country pivots to a new national healthcare development strategy One of the plan's goals is for 90% of the drugs required for Russia's healthcare system to be produced domestically.

Moscow court designates Pussy Riot an “extremist” organization The verdict aims “to erase Pussy Riot’s very existence from the Russian consciousness,” the group's co-founder Nadya Tolokonnikova told The Insider. “Pussy Riot have become those-who-must-not-be-named in Russia.”

EU imposes sanctions on hackers featured in The Insider’s investigations, along with figures from the International Russophile Movement Among others, the new sanctions target three members of the GRU hacker group from military unit No. 29155.

The Santa clause: America’s unrealistic new national security strategy offers Europeans an unexpected opportunity David Gioe reviews the ramifications of the U.S. foreign policy overhaul unveiled by the White House in early December.

Wildfires, floods, and drinking water shortages: U.S. boycott disrupts global plans to combat climate change Global warming is expected to bring a range of severe consequences, exposing nearly 1 billion people to an acute shortage of fresh water.

Ukraine’s armed forces say they struck two Russian vessels in the Caspian Sea that were allegedly transporting Iranian weapons Both ships are under U.S. sanctions and belong to a firm sanctioned over its involvement in transporting weapons for Russia.

Kremlin aide’s proposal to replace Russian military with National Guard in Donbas is a distinction without a difference, analyst explains Ukraine-based political scientist Georgy Chizhov says Yuri Ushakov’s "plan" would not change realities on the ground.

German court blocks confiscation of “shadow fleet” tanker Eventin The Main Customs Office ordered the seizure of the ship — and its €40M crude oil cargo — in March after it lost control and was towed to anchorage off the island of Rügen in the Baltic Sea.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense is recruiting college students to join the army as drone operators Lawyers warn that, under Vladimir Putin’s “partial mobilization” decree, such contracts are in fact open-ended and cannot be terminated after one year.

The price of belonging: How Europe's war on illegal migration traps legal immigrants Tightening grounds for legal entry does not help combat illegal migration but complicates life for those who have lived in a country perfectly legally for many years.

A nation adrift: A year into al-Sharaa’s rule, Syria remains undecided on its political system and foreign policy The country is rebuilding a regime of personal rule centered on its leader, who is skillfully maneuvering, building ties at home and abroad.

Hackers breach developer of Russia’s unified military registry system, obtaining months-long access to internal data The data has since been shared with the anti-war draft evasion charity Get Lost and independent investigative publication @istories.bsky.social.

Germany records nearly 2,000 unidentified UAVs in its airspace, investigation connects sightings to Russia-linked ships WELT, BILD and the Axel Springer Academy reported that the drones most frequently flew over Bundeswehr military sites, NATO training grounds, and critical infrastructure objects.

Soldier who hunted down deserters shot dead in Russia’s Far East, suspect says he was defending his family The dispute preceding the murder involved a $10,000 bribe and an apartment raid that resulted in an octogenarian suffering a broken leg.

Ukrainian drone attack disables Russian oil platform in the Caspian Sea, marking a first in the region SBU sources confirmed the operation to several Ukrainian outlets. At least four strikes were recorded, halting extraction from more than 20 wells at the Lukoil-operated Filanovsky field.