Pro-Kremlin Matryoshka bot network blames France and Ukraine’s SBU for assassination attempt on Ukrainian businessman Yermolaiev Fake videos suggest the attack was due to his alleged plans to testify on Zelensky’s activities, @antibot4navalny.bsky.social reports.

Courts vs. ships: Ukraine is trying to stop illegal wheat exports from Russian-occupied territories. Ukraine can't halt the trade entirely, but it can drive up the cost to Russia — along with the risk.

Russia used “shadow fleet” to map weak points in Europe’s air defenses with drones, IISS report says “It is likely that Russian-linked vessels and the ‘shadow fleet’ were used as launch/recovery platforms for UAVs as part of the Kremlin’s wider unconventional war on Europe,” the report read.

Kremlin says “buckwheat effect” and panic buying are to blame for fuel crisis sparked by Ukrainian drone strikes on refineries Regional governors, local officials, and state media are increasingly repeating the same argument to explain the shortages.

At least 21 killed, over 80 injured in Russia’s latest drone and missile assault on Kyiv Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko described the attack as the worst air assault on the capital in over four years of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Farewell to windfall: Сompanies in almost all Russian industries are getting poorer Since the beginning of the year, two-thirds of Russia’s largest corporations have either seen a sharp drop in profits or else posted outright losses.

Belarus pardons 32 convicts, including 28 political prisoners The pardons appear to be linked to the upcoming Belarusian Independence Day, celebrated on July 3.

Ukrainian drone strike hits Roscosmos facility that makes sensors for cruise and ballistic missiles The company, which is part of the Russian Space Systems, a Roscosmos subsidiary, has been under U.S. sanctions since January 2025.

“Here speaks Russian warship 531, stay away”: Russian Navy corvette drives observers away from “shadow fleet” tanker in the Baltic Sea The incident was reported by @maikmarahrens.bsky.social. @starboardintelligence.com data shows the tanker Kira K left the Russian oil port of Primorsk on June 28.

Russian schoolgirls in Izhevsk tasked with sewing underwear for frontline soldiers taking part in the invasion of Ukraine The recent case is one of countless incidents of children being involved in supplying basic items for the Russian army.

Investigators ID officers at Arctic penal colony that Russian political prisoner Azat Miftakhov accused of torture The Investigative Committee refused to prosecute, while identifying two participants in the torture mentioned by Miftakhov: prison officer Yevgeny Taraev and inmate Mikhail Byatets.

Zimbabwe detains man suspected of recruiting five people into the Russian army to fight in Ukraine Police said the 36-year-old man was detained at a bus station in the country's capital city of Harare while accompanying one of the recruits, who intended to travel to Russia via South Africa.

Russia installs heavy machine guns on “shadow fleet” vessel for the first time, Dossier Center reports Images provided to Estonian outlet Delfi showed two 12.7 mm Kord heavy machine guns mounted on the floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) Marshal Vasilevsky.

Fighting for a poorer future: A sharp drop in investment signals a long-term structural crisis in Russia's economy. Even after the war in Ukraine inevitably ends, Russia’s recovery from its current self-inflicted crisis could take decades.

Superyacht linked to Putin spotted off the coast of Denmark @starboardintelligence.com data analyzed by The Insider shows Graceful appeared on radar June 28 north of the German coast. It is being escorted by the patrol boat Voevoda and a Russian destroyer.

Poland expels nine Ukrainians and two Belarusians accused of organizing Ukrainian refugee protests with Russian money The ABW called it a hybrid operation to erode public trust, stoke tensions and use people fleeing the war as tools of Russian influence.

Putin acknowledges fuel shortage, promises to increase supplies to occupied Crimea In an interview with propagandist Pavel Zarubin, Putin admitted that Russia is seeing “a certain shortage” of fuel but said it was “not critical.”

Putin decree paves the way for seized American canned food company to be sold to Russian buyers Glavprodukt, founded in 1999 by a U.S. businessman of Russian origin, was transferred to Russia’s federal property management agency in 2024.

Ex-commander who threatened Putin with military mutiny reportedly jailed for 11 days Alexander Lunin, a veteran of the invasion of Ukraine, was sentenced to 11 days in detention after accusing Russian commanders of torture and killings within the army.

Hackers claim breach of Russian drone-building plant’s database at Alabuga economic zone in Tatarstan A message briefly appeared on Alabuga's site from an underground group calling itself “Black Spark,” claiming to have downloaded its entire database.

A premier's premiere: Just about no one knows what Andy Burnham plans to do as Britain’s next leader As Britain tries to guess whether the likely new prime minister will steer Labour left or govern pragmatically, one thing appears unlikely to change: London's support for Ukraine.

Longtime Putin ally Sergei Ivanov dies at 73 Ivanov was one of the most prominent Russian officials of the Putin era, serving as Minister of Defense from 2001 to 2007 and head of the Presidential Administration from 2011 to 2016.

Gone viral: Why sexually transmitted infections are rising sharply in Europe As prevention programs weaken, fear of HIV fades, and gaps in testing leave vulnerable groups overlooked, the continent is experiencing record levels of gonorrhea and syphilis.

Russian security services broke into opposition activist Andrei Pivovarov’s iPhone using Israeli Cellebrite system, @citizenlab.ca reports The findings were supported by an expert report produced by Russia's Interior Ministry, which openly mentioned Cellebrite's UFED Physical Analyzer and UFED 4PC.

At least 11 Russian “shadow fleet” ships passed through the English Channel after Britain detained Smyrtos, including UK-sanctioned vessels Three more tankers are en route to the Channel. Most “shadow fleet” ships still choose to avoid the route, according to data from @starboardintelligence.com.

Cherepovets to unveil Russia’s latest monument to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin Stalin is depicted alongside the metallurgist and scientist Ivan Bardin, who notably adopted 11 children of colleagues who were repressed under Stalin’s rule.

Russian government says fuel supplies are sufficient and blames gas station lines on panic buying as Ukraine’s strike campaign continues The Insider counted fuel-sale restrictions or disruptions in place across 83 Russian regions and occupied territories as of June 25.

Ukrainian drones hit power plant and chemical facility in Russia’s Tula Region Ukrainian channel Exilenova+ reported that the target of the attack was the Azot chemical plant in Novomoskovsk, with NASA's FIRMS fire-monitoring service detecting a blaze at the district power plant.

France seizes Russian “shadow fleet” tanker Deliver off the coast of Sicily According to data from @starboardintelligence.com, the vessel switched off its transponder on June 23 and disappeared from radar that morning.

The outsider’s dilemma: Israel can neither accept Trump’s Iran policy nor refuse to go along After the U.S. and Iran signed a Memorandum of Understanding, Israel became hostage to an agreement that it perceives as a security threat.

Russian courts hand down record number of treason and espionage verdicts, rights group reports 48 convictions were issued in March alone, according to the rights group Pervy Otdel. A total of 110 people, including 26 Ukrainians, were convicted of treason, espionage and related charges in Q1 2026.

Russia’s Lenin Library to get classified repository for “destructive literature,” deputy culture minister says Libraries are working to ensure that books by “foreign agents” who “undermine spiritual and moral values” do not end up in curated selections.

UK planning to auction oil from detained Russian “shadow fleet” tanker Smyrtos to benefit Ukraine The proceeds from the sale of the 98,000 metric tons of Urals crude, valued at £35 million, could help fund Kyiv's war effort, according to a report by @telegraph.co.uk.

Russia freezes assets of EPK, the country’s largest bearing maker and a key supplier for its defense industry Sanctions have driven up prices for Western bearings by an average factor of 2.5 and extended delivery times to between six and nine months.

Beretta CEO served on board of Russian arms importer after start of war in Ukraine, supplying Benelli shotguns used by Russian forces The Insider found that Pietro Gussalli Beretta was on the board of Russian Eagle throughout 2022. The firm imported 3,919 Beretta-made guns into Russia that year.

Moscow allows fuel trucks to enter the city around the clock after Ukrainian drone strikes on major refinery The recent strikes in the city's southeast put out of commission a refinery that supplies 40% of Moscow’s gasoline and about half of its diesel.

Roads of death: Ukrainian strikes on transport corridors are disrupting Russia’s military logistics Ukraine is increasingly targeting roads, bridges, railways, and trucks in an effort to cut off Russian supply lines to Crimea and the occupied territories.

The case against Putin-linked crime boss Ilya Traber was built on testimony from a freed Russian POW Former inmate Igor Lykov enlisted to fight in Ukraine while in pre-trial detention, was captured, then returned to Russia in a prisoner exchange.

At least 23.5% of Russians placed on “terrorists and extremists” list are being prosecuted in politically motivated cases For 66.8%, public information is insufficient to determine the charges, a report by the Russian Anti-War Committee suggests.

Son of Satan, grandson of Scarp: Russia’s successful Sarmat tests are not a strategic breakthrough but a return to the Cold War arms race The new ICBM threatens the U.S., but its fielding changes less than it may seem, writes Sam Lair of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies.

Not so strange bedfellows: An aspiring MAGA influencer’s Russian friend turns out to be an FSB officer with ties to the Wagner Group Elizabeth Lane appears to have a close personal relationship with Dmitry Grizdak, an intelligence officer registered to the same address as Navalny’s poisoners.

Pyongyang blames Moscow for delay in opening Tumen River road bridge “Our officials are beside themselves with frustration that the Tumen bridge opening has been delayed due to Russia’s pathetic construction problems,” a source in North Hamgyong province told South Korean outlet Daily NK.

Russian electronic warfare disrupts navigation on one of its own “shadow fleet” tankers in the Baltic @starboardintelligence.com data showed the Sierra Leone-flagged tanker Pate abruptly changing position. The deviations were first noted by @auonsson.bsky.social.

Voronezh electronics plant hit in Ukrainian strike shares building with Russian military chipmaker previously investigated by The Insider Our 2024 report showed VZPP-Mikron is involved in the provision of Taiwanese silicon for Russian military orders.

Same players, different deal: Zelensky now has the upper hand as Kyiv and Moscow resume the negotiation game Under the new circumstances, the Russian elites may actually begin to press Putin to make a deal, explains political scientist Georgy Chizhov.

FSB-initiated museum of “genocide of the Soviet people” opens at former site of GULAG History Museum in Moscow The GULAG Museum, which documented Soviet-era repression, suspended its work in November 2024, officially over “fire safety violations.” Its main exhibition was later dismantled.

Gasoline shortage in Russia spreads to occupied Ukraine as prices rise nationwide following Kyiv’s sustained campaign against refineries Shortages have been reported in Primorsky Krai, Tuva, Orenburg, Yakutia, as well as occupied Crimea and Donetsk.

Oil prices continue to fall after Strait of Hormuz opens, but gasoline prices are unlikely to drop soon, analyst says “Any price relief at the pump will take time to materialise,” warns Isabelle Gilks, principal retail fuel analyst at Wood Mackenzie.

Suppliers to Russia’s interior ministry and National Guard arrested for assembling radios from foreign components The case concerns a contract for the supply of Radon P45 radio stations worth $12,700, fulfilled by Profi-Svyaz and its affiliate, Astrakom.

5.11 tactical clothing worn by Russian troops was imported by Polish, Latvian, and Hong Kong firms The Insider identified the entities involved in importing branded gear used by participants in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.