Russia

China’s drone exports to Russia use a new route through Thailand

Chinese-made technology is routinely found on the battlefield in Ukraine

Yekaterina Oreshkina, owner of the BonCafe bakery chain, at a cafe she closed due to rising food prices, rent and taxes, while keeping her other outlets open, in Moscow.

In Russia, many restaurants and cafes close as consumption stalls amid major slowdown

Russians are cutting back on discretionary spending at the fastest rate since the start of the Ukraine war

Last year, almost 72,000 permits were okayed for Indians – nearly a third of the total annual quota for migrant workers on visas.

Russia, facing labour crunch worsened by war, pivots to India for workers

The move reflects strong defence and economic ties between Moscow and New Delhi

Russian President Vladimir Putin told the Russian Security Council that the situation brought to mind Russia’s 19th century sale of Alaska to the United States.

Putin says US stand on Greenland ownership is of no concern to Russia

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that US President Donald Trump’s stand on acquiring Greenland was of no concern to Russia.

A port in the Jiangsu province of China. In dollar terms, the value of bilateral trade between Russia and China reached US$228.1 billion, down 6.9% year on year.

China’s 2025 trade with Russia posts first decline in 5 years

It follows a slide in Russian demand for Chinese cars, and a drop in the value of China’s imports of Russian crude oil

Under a spheres-of-influence system, countries like Ukraine risk losing agency over their own futures, forced to accept domination by larger neighbours.
THINKING ALOUD

Is Trump’s embrace of great power politics tenable?

While the liberal international order has clear flaws, the alternative carries significant risks to smaller nations’ autonomy and long-term global stability

The operation took place after the tanker, originally known as the Bella-1 (top) slipped through a US maritime blockade of sanctioned tankers in the Caribbean and rebuffed US Coast Guard efforts to board it.

US seizes Russian-flagged tanker, another tied to Venezuela as Trump widens oil push

It appears to be the first time in recent memory that the US military has seized a Russian-flagged vessel

The US is also demanding that Venezuela, led by interim leader Delcy Rodriguez (pictured), reduce its relationships with China, Russia, Iran and Cuba, ABC reported.

US tells Venezuela to cut ties with China and Russia, ABC says

Any move to cut ties would represent a full political realignment for the country

The dispute over the tanker comes as US President Donald Trump is trying to negotiate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

Russia asks United States to stop pursuit of fleeing oil tanker

US forces have been tracking the tanker, known as the Bella 1, for nearly two weeks

The loss is largely related to currency-translation adjustments, according to a statement.

Citigroup to take US$1.1 billion loss on Russian business unit sale

Other lenders have also scaled back, with Goldman Sachs gaining approval earlier this year to sell its business in Russia