Belarus annuls passports of at least 15 expelled political prisoners, RFE/RL reports The most recent release of political prisoners took place on March 19. In a familiar pattern, Washington reciprocated by easing its sanctions pressure on Minsk.

Hungary’s foreign minister Péter Szijjártó confirms authenticity of wiretapped calls with Sergey Lavrov cited in The Insider’s investigation The official claimed the report merely proved that “he says the same [things] publicly as he does on the phone.”

Bad chemistry: Who synthesized the poison that killed Navalny and what a subsidiary of a German company has to do with it The Insider identifies the scientists who made epibatidine in Russia and where they may have got the reagents used to synthesize it.

America’s “special military operation”: How the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran is unfolding The alliance has failed to compel Tehran to give up the fight, and the costs to the global economy will continue to rise if U.S. forces attempt a ground invasion.

Kremlin hotline: Hungary colluded with Russia to delist sanctioned oligarchs, companies and banks A new investigation with @vsquare.bsky.social, Delfi Estonia, FRONTSTORY.PL and ICJK.

Chinese captain of Russian “shadow fleet” tanker Boracay sentenced to 1 year in prison in France The 39-year-old Chen Zhangjie was also fined €150,000 refusing to comply with lawful orders from the French Navy when it attempted to inspect his ship, which was flying the false flag of Benin.

Vučić says 3-month extension of Russian gas deal will keep Serbian prices among Europe’s lowest Although Serbia has sought to diversify its sources of supply by buying natural gas from Azerbaijan and LNG from terminals in Greece, cheaper ‌imports from Russia cover up to 90% of its needs.

Moscow courts jail seven protesters against internet restrictions, one says he was repeatedly beaten by police Most received 15-day terms behind bars for “petty hooliganism” and “disobeying the police.” At least 18 people were detained nationwide, as per rights group OVD-Info.

Air raid alerts, slumping tourism, and an economic downturn: How Dubai is faring under Iran’s attacks Sectors such as real estate and hospitality have been hit the hardest, with hotels offering deals to locals to make up for the lack of tourists.

U.S. lets Russian tanker break maritime blockade and deliver oil to Cuba, Trump says he sees “no problem with it” “Whether or not [Cuba] gets a boat of oil isn't going to matter. I’d prefer letting it in, whether it’s Russia or anybody else,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.

U.S. deports dozens more Russians on ICE flight routed through Egypt The deportation flight, which touched down in Moscow on Sunday, was the second since the start of the year, according to the non-profit Russian America for Democracy in Russia.

Russia to fully ban gasoline exports starting April 1 The move, aimed at propping up the domestic market, comes at a moment when fuel shortages caused by the ongoing war in Iran have made exports even more attractive to Russian companies.

Russian man jailed for assaulting woman in London after Barron Trump witnessed the attack on FaceTime Matvei Rumiantsev, 23, beat up the victim when he became jealous of her friendship with Donald Trump's son, who alerted the authorities of the attack.

Russian State Duma MPs visit U.S. Congress at the invitation of Republican congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna The politicians were temporarily removed from U.S. sanctions lists to facilitate the trip. A return visit to Moscow may take place before mid-July.

Funeral held in Yerevan for Aishat Baymuradova, woman murdered after fleeing domestic abuse in Chechnya The 23-year-old's body was found on Oct. 19, 2025. Armenia later named two suspects in the murder case, both of whom are Russian citizens.

Key oil ports of Ust-Luga and Primorsk attacked again as strikes on Russia’s Baltic Sea oil infrastructure enter fourth consecutive night Even before the latest round of strikes, 40% of Russia’s oil export capacity was estimated to be offline.

“Shaking down businesses in a difficult time for the country”: Putin urges Russia’s oligarchs to chip in for the war in Ukraine According to sources cited by the independent outlet The Bell, Suleiman Kerimov has already pledged to contribute 100 billion rubles ($1.2 billion).

Cat feeders, chess apps, Excel spreadsheets, and pagers: Russians cope with nationwide internet outages in unusual ways With shutdowns across multiple regions growing more frequent, sales of walkie-talkies and corded phones have also reportedly gone up.

Canada imposes additional sanctions on 100 vessels from Russia’s “shadow fleet” In the announcement, the country’s foreign ministry notes that Russia continues to rely on oil and gas revenues to fund its military operations in Ukraine.

Slovakia launches treason investigation against PM Robert Fico for blocking energy supplies to Ukraine The сomplaint filed against Fico accuses him of serious crimes, including abuse of power, treason, and breach of duty in the management of property.

Prosecutors search Rusal-controlled aluminum plant in Sweden as two executives detained on suspicion of sanctions violations Prosecutor Sara Nilsson stated that the case concerns suspected crimes that could harm the security of Sweden and Europe.

Russia temporarily halts ammonium nitrate exports after Ukrainian drone attack shuts down major fertilizer producer On Feb. 25, a Ukrainian drone attack shut down the Dorogobuzh chemical plant, which produces 5% of all mineral fertilizers made in Russia.

The secret life of insects: A GRU colonel loses a colony of rare ants after failing to protect Iran from missile strikes As The Insider found, Russian intelligence officers stationed abroad have time for some rather exotic — and lucrative — hobbies.

The virtual ruble: Why Russia’s digital currency experiment could strengthen the Kremlin’s authoritarian control

Rostelecom says demand for landlines is rising as Russians turn to “reliable” communication amid rolling nationwide internet shutdowns The CEO of Russia’s largest telecom operator said Telegram in the country “is dying,” while WhatsApp is already “dead.”

Court in Russia’s Tyumen fines woman for “discrediting the army” after she mentions “f***ing great payoff” from sending husband to war “We’ll really be living the f***ing life... He’ll get killed there, knock on wood. We’ll buy a house or something,” the woman said during a livestream online.

Vladimir authorities revoke permit for rally in support of free internet, at least 13th Russian city to ban protests against shutdowns Murom, Krasnodar, Volgograd, Perm, Irkutsk, Moscow, St. Petersburg, and five towns in the Moscow Region faced similar bans.

Greenpeace says up to six oil tanks destroyed after strike on Russia’s port of Primorsk, with smoke plume stretching over 120 miles Primorsk, one of the key ports for Russian oil exports in the Gulf of Finland, was struck by drones on March 23.

Russian court bans Oscar-winning documentary “Mr. Nobody Against Putin” Prosecutors said the film takes a “negative attitude toward the 'special military operation'” while featuring the “extremist” anti-war white-blue-white flag.

Fire in Russia’s key oil port of Ust-Luga confirmed by satellite images and NASA data Ukrainian channels published photos of a burning port on March 25, claiming the location was the major oil export hub of Ust-Luga. Multiple resources now indicate the location is accurate.

Drones attack Turkish tanker carrying Russian oil in the Black Sea The Altura, carrying 1 million barrels of Russian Urals crude from Novorossiysk, was targeted in a drone attack about 25 kilometers from the Bosphorus. No crew members were injured.

UK government authorizes military to detain Russian “shadow fleet” ships in its territorial waters Officials in London said they expect the move to force operators to “divert to longer, financially painful routes, or risk being detained.”

Iran allows ships from “non-hostile” countries like Russia and China to pass through the Strait of Hormuz Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi added that passage was allowed for ships from countries that Tehran “determined are our friends.” He listed China, Russia, India, Iraq and Pakistan as examples.

Iran war has benefited Moscow, pushing Russia’s oil revenues to a four-year high If current oil prices persist until the summer, Moscow may avoid running a federal budget deficit, experts say — but it is highly unlikely to salvage its struggling economy.

U.S. citizen among the suspects in arson attack against Czech drone maker The alleged arsonists have received support from pro-Palestinian demonstrators, yet the LPP Holding facility that was attacked was supplying Ukraine, rather than Israel.

Germany and Spain arrest Ukrainian and Romanian nationals suspected of doing spy work for Russia Since December 2025, the suspects had been spying on the owner of a German company supplying drones and drone components to the Ukrainian army.

What doesn’t kill Iran only makes it stronger: After four weeks of war, the Ayatollahs’ regime has become even more dangerous Neither the Iranian regime nor the country’s military is showing signs of collapse, writes Antonio Giustozzi of RUSI @rusi.bsky.social. theins.press/en/opinion/a...

The price of a few cents: Women in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine are being jailed for tiny payments to Ukraine

Russia’s State Duma passes law criminalizing the denial of the “genocide of the Soviet people” The offense will now carry the same penalties as the rehabilitation of Nazism: a fine of up to $37,200, or forced labor or imprisonment for up to three years.

First batch of Russian internet satellites reaches orbit, but a homegrown Starlink rival is still far off To provide acceptable-quality communications across Russia, Rassvet needs to launch about 250 spacecraft. So far, only 16 have been launched.

Declaration of digital independence: The EU is trying to protect itself from America’s monopoly on internet platforms In response, officials in Washington are threatening to punish Europe for what they call “unfair competition and discrimination.”

Internet in central Moscow restored after weeks of shutdowns, lawyer says FSB directly approved the move “What threat the FSB feared, we still don't know. Maybe it really was drones, or maybe something else,” commented cyber lawyer Sarkis Darbinyan. Analysts also noted improved access to Telegram.

Global phishing attack on Signal was initiated by Russian security agencies, Correctiv reports Victims are asked to enter a code and a PIN allegedly sent to them, after which the attackers gain full access to their accounts, messages, and contact lists.

Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development proposes exemption allowing security officers and scientists to search “extremist materials” online Legislation introducing fines for browsing so-called “knowingly extremist materials” came into effect last September.

"How much are drone coils these days?": The Insider and @nordsint.bsky.social go undercover to reveal how Chinese firms supply Russia’s defense industry Despite domestic export bans, Chinese drone tech still makes its way into the hands of the Russian military — at two to three times the price.

The censorship shelf: Why some of Russia’s best films are being pulled from release without ever reaching audiences Works that are even tangentially critical of the Kremlin have no hope of reaching cinemas — even if they are critically acclaimed.

Russian LNG carrier damaged by Ukrainian sea drone to be towed to Libyan port The Arctic Metagaz caught fire after the March 3 strike and drifted unmanned between Italy and Malta while still carrying its cargo. An industry source referred to it as a “a ticking time bomb full of gas.”

Department of inefficiency: The legacy of Elon Musk’s DOGE threatens millions of lives worldwide

Russia ramps up ship-to-ship oil transfers amid sanctions and freezing weather, experts point to weaker oversight and higher spill risks “What used to be a controlled logistical operation is becoming a workaround, and that’s where the real danger lies,” said @creacleanair.bsky.social's Isaac Levi.

Macron announces seizure of Russian “shadow fleet” tanker Deyna in the Mediterranean The detention follows a similar incident in January involving the “shadow fleet” tanker Grinch, which was later released after paying a multimillion-euro fine.