Author: disinfo1

The front lines in Ukraine seem increasingly entrenched, and the battles — increasingly devoid of perspective. Behind the scenes of international diplomacy, analysts believe that Vladimir Putin has been given a respite until spring to achieve his objectives in Donbas. After that, if he does not succeed, neither the United States nor China will have any reason to delay the pressure for a ceasefire. This is the conclusion of Ukrainian political analyst Oleksandr Kocetkov, who argues that, according to information from diplomatic circles, “we have practically reached a set of basic compromises on stopping the fighting”, even if some details…

As silence descends on Moscow following the latest signs of a possible rift between Vladimir Putin and his Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, another figure seems to be emerging behind the scenes. Sources close to the power circles suggest that Ekaterina Tikhonova, one of the Russian president’s daughters, might even be eyeing the position of the veteran diplomat. Lavrov, considered for years Putin’s “man” in relations with the West, is said to have been excluded from the Kremlin’s top meetings — a detail that, in a regime so focused on symbols, equates to a form of internal exile. According to sources…

Bulgaria only has enough gasoline for a month, warned the president of the Bulgarian State Reserves Agency on Tuesday, against the backdrop of American sanctions against the Russian company Lukoil, according to Agerpres, quoting Reuters. Lukoil owns the largest oil refinery in Bulgaria and most of its storage and pipeline infrastructure. Last month, the US, UK, and France imposed sanctions against Lukoil and Rosneft, Russia’s largest oil companies, due to Moscow’s conflict in Ukraine. This threatened their operations, which still extend across Europe. The American sanctions, scheduled to begin on November 21, have sparked concerns about fuel supply in Bulgaria…

The Ulyanovsk region in Russia suspends access to mobile internet until the end of the war against Ukraine, local authorities announced, according to Moscow Times. According to the regional minister of Digital Development, Oleg Yagfarov, the authorities in Ulyanovsk cannot intervene in this decision, as the measure was taken at the federal level, “to ensure national security”. The restrictions will only be lifted through a decision from Moscow. Internet access issues in the region have already been reported for over a week, notes the Ulyanovskaia Pravda publication. The regional government justified the measure through a decision taken “last week by…

Russian President Vladimir Putin was filmed with a swollen hand during a recent press conference, sparking new speculation about his health, writes the New York Post. Putin, whose right hand has been a source of rumors about his health over the years, was seen tightly gripping his hand due to what appeared to be discomfort during a public event. The images have sparked new speculation that the Kremlin leader might be struggling with a serious illness. “Something is not right with Putin’s hands,” Anton Gerașcenko, former adviser to the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs, told East2West. “In addition to being…

Russian authorities intend to increase fines for dozens of economic offenses, from fraud and tax evasion to illegal entrepreneurial activity, by 1.5 to 3 times. The proposal comes from the Ministry of Justice, and on November 10, the governmental commission for legislative activity approved the corresponding changes in the Criminal Code, according to two sources cited by Vedomosti. The explanatory note of the initiative emphasizes that the current sanctions have lost their deterrent efficiency, and updating the amounts is necessary. Thus, for fraud (art. 159 Criminal Code), the fine will increase from 120-300 thousand to 150-500 thousand rubles, and the…

Russia will introduce a new tax — the “technology tax”, from 2026, announced on Tuesday the press service of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade (Minpromtorg). This tax will be levied on electronic and technical equipment, which are largely imported on the Russian market. “In the first stage, it will be applied to finished electronic products, such as laptops, smartphones, and lighting fixtures,” the ministry conveyed, quoted by RBC. Subsequently, the tax will also extend to the components and electronic modules used in the assembly of these products. The administration of the tax will be the responsibility of the…

Experts believe that, starting with the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the occupation of parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Russia is leading a systematic campaign to change the demographic composition of the occupied Ukrainian territories, writes IWPR. This policy involves the forced deportation of Ukrainians to remote regions of Russia and the repopulation of these territories with other ethnic groups. Such actions constitute a blatant violation of international law, especially the Geneva Convention (Part IV), which protects civilians during armed conflicts. “We can document these cases thanks to active citizens from temporarily occupied territories who provide us…

Foreigners who have signed a contract with the Russian Federation Ministry of Defense to participate in hostilities will no longer be able to be extradited at the request of other states for criminal prosecution or the execution of penalties. A government commission has approved legislative changes in this regard, reports “Vedomosti”. In total, three draft laws are prepared in the State Duma that target foreign citizens and stateless persons who serve or have served in the Russian army or other armed structures.According to the new provisions, these individuals will no longer be able to be administratively expelled – instead of…

Russians are beginning to realize the extent of the economic difficulties their country is facing. Their economic expectations have suddenly plummeted, according to a survey conducted by the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM). The organization conducts monthly surveys for the Central Bank of Russia on inflation expectations, consumer behavior, and population saving trends, and quarterly evaluates four economic indicators to calculate indices on economic prospects. In the fourth quarter, all indices recorded declines, and three of them – significant, reflecting an increasingly pessimistic perception of the economy’s evolution over the next year, notes FOM. The biggest drop was recorded in the…