Author: disinfo1
For months, European Union officials have been focused on a plan to use frozen Russian assets to provide Ukraine with a loan that could help Kiev carry the next phase of the war. It is becoming increasingly clear that if the plan fails, the EU will be left with only weak alternatives, says Jeanne Smialek, head of the Brussels office for The New York Times. A loan plan in which the European Union would use assets held by the Central Bank of Russia in Belgium to transfer 140 billion euros to Ukraine was supposed to be approved at a political…
Russian giant Gazprom has taken control of Aurus, which produces the luxury limousines used by Vladimir Putin and other high-ranking officials in Russia, reports Moscow Times. Aurus was taken over by 51%, in the summer of 2025, by Gazprom Tech, a division of the parent company Gazprom. The transaction was concluded for the amount of 12-13 billion rubles, equivalent to about 140 million euros, according to Vedomosti publication. Gazprom Tech was created in 2023 and owns assets in areas such as aviation, shipbuilding, and the auto industry. One of the sources familiar with the transaction stated that Gazprom did not…
On Monday, November 17, Russia conveyed its “negative” view of the United States’ ongoing approval of a bill to sanction countries that negotiate with Moscow, an initiative supported by President Donald Trump. “We will be attentive to the development of this bill and its details. Of course, we see it as something negative,” stated the spokesperson for the Russian presidency, Dmitry Peskov, in the daily telephone press conference, according to Agerpres. On Sunday, President Trump warned that there would be “severe sanctions” for “any country” doing business with Russia, and possibly Iran as well, supporting an initiative in the US…
An armistice in Ukraine is unlikely before spring, and European allies must maintain their support despite the corruption scandal affecting Kiev, Finnish President Alexander Stubb told the Associated Press. He described the attitude Europe should adopt in the coming period using the Finnish term “sisu”, which means endurance, resilience, and strength. Europeans must demonstrate sisu to help Ukraine get through the winter months, he said, while Russia continues its hybrid attacks and information warfare across the continent. Stubb, who has a good relationship with the American president through their shared passion for golf, presents himself as one of the key…
The former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov and the renowned economist Sergei Guriev have been added to the official list of “extremists and terrorists” by the Federal Financial Monitoring Service of the Russian Federation, in a new crackdown on government opponents in Moscow. The institution included the names of Mikhail Kasyanov and Sergei Guriev on a list that already contains 19,131 individuals and 823 organizations, reports Reuters. Since the beginning of the War in Ukraine, the evidence of this list has expanded considerably, with individuals or entities considered by the Kremlin to be involved in anti-state activities, writes Mediafax. Mikhail…
The European Commission is preparing a project of measures to reduce border blockages and create common rules for military transport, in the context of concerns about European security and the need for a rapid response in crisis situations. The European Commission intends to launch a set of measures to facilitate the rapid movement of armed forces within the European Union, according to a draft document consulted by Reuters. The new proposal aims to create both an emergency system for cross-border military transport and the development of an initiative through which member states can pool their transport capabilities. The European Union…
Officials from European Union countries believe that the special envoy of the US president, Steve Witkoff, does not understand all the nuances of Russia’s war against Ukraine. This would be one of the reasons why EU leaders want to speak directly with Donald Trump, reports Politico. The publication recalls that Donald Trump sent his friend Witkoff to conduct personal negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and to act as his special envoy in the Middle East. However, according to Bloomberg, EU officials were shocked by the fact that Witkoff does not understand the “complexity of the war between Russia and…
The Ministry of National Defense of Romania announced that it has begun the relocation of military equipment from the area of Ceatalchioi commune, Tulcea county, due to the danger of explosion of a ship loaded with LPG, hit on the Danube by Russian drones. “As a result of the measures ordered by the competent authorities regarding the preventive evacuation of the population from the commune of Ceatalchioi, Tulcea county, the Ministry of National Defense informs that there are also certain military surveillance systems in the area, installed for monitoring the situation near the border. In accordance with operational procedures, these…
On Monday, Russia complained about the “belligerent rhetoric” of the German Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius, after he warned that the Kremlin regime might be preparing to attack a NATO member in the near future, reports DPA, quoted by Agerpres. “In Russia, there are no supporters of any kind of confrontation with NATO,” said the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, on Monday, according to the TASS news agency. The statement is a reaction to the interview given to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, in which Pistorius said that a Russian attack against a NATO country is conceivable by 2029. “Such militaristic and belligerent…
All 14 members of the Board of Directors of “Gazprom” have relatives who work (or have worked) in public administration or state-controlled businesses. Most of them — 12 in total — have relatives who, at some point, were employed in the structures of the Gazprom giant. The independent Russian publication “Project” documented this situation in a comprehensive study on nepotism in Russia. Ostentatious luxury. One of the most evident cases of conflict of interest is represented by the family of Gazprom’s vice president, Vitali Markelov. After being appointed to the company’s leadership in 2012, his son, Maksim Markelov, was hired…