Week-ending 20 March 2026
Russia’s War against Ukraine
Russia has received €6bn (£5bn) from selling its fossil fuels in the fortnight since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran, data suggests. (The Guardian, 12/3/26)
European countries pushed back against Donald Trump’s decision to ease some US sanctions on Russian oil, insisting the international community should maintain pressure on Moscow over its war against Ukraine. (The Guardian, 13/3/26)
Russia has agreed to stop recruiting Kenyan citizens to fight with its army in Ukraine, Kenya’s foreign minister said after talks in Moscow. (The Moscow Times, 16/3/26)
Russians’ psychological well-being has worsened as financial anxiety grows and hopes for a quick end to the war in Ukraine fade. (The Moscow Times, 16/3/26)
Russia has quietly stepped up its intelligence operations in Vienna, taking advantage of legal loopholes and Austria’s neutrality. (The Moscow Times, 17/3/26)
Authorities in St. Petersburg warned that mobile internet in the city of 5.6 million could be shut off for “security reasons.” (The Moscow Times, 17/3/26)
Pro-Kremlin blogger Ilya Remeslo said President Putin must be jailed. He was later reported admitted to a psychiatric hospital. (RFE/RL, 19/3/26; The Moscow Times, 18/3/26)
The Red Cross said around 1,000 bodies are exchanged each month between Russia and Ukraine, but many thousands of dead remain unidentified. (The Moscow Times, 19/3/26)
Mobile internet outages lead to deaths from Ukrainian attacks since Russians are sometimes unable to receive air raid alerts, Belgorod’s governor said. (The Moscow Times, 19/3/26)
A $5 million provision has been earmarked by the US Congress to document the forced transfer of Ukrainian children into Russia’s custody. (RFE/RL, 20/3/26)
Russian oil major Lukoil posted a net loss of 1.06 trillion rubles ($12.5 billion) in 2025 as U.S. sanctions forced it to sell off its vast overseas assets. (The Moscow Times, 20/3/26)
Other news
The Russian Justice Ministry has designated scholar Nina Khrushcheva, great-granddaughter of the Soviet leader, a “foreign agent.” (Meduza, 13/3/26)
Income inequality in Russia has reached its highest level in more than a decade, according to an analysis by the research group Yesli Byt Tochnim. (The Moscow Times, 13/3/26)
Ukraine’s Paralympians accused the International Paralympic Committee of unfair treatment as the Russian team competes under its own flag at the games. (RFE/RL, 14/3/26)
Russia’s most popular messaging app, Telegram, has largely stopped working inside the country, according to user reports on outage-tracking websites. (Meduza, 16/3/26)
Mr Nobody Against Putin, a primary school teacher’s record of the indoctrination of his pupils to support the invasion of Ukraine, won the Oscar for best documentary. The Presidential Human Rights Council condemned the film for featuring children without parental consent. (The Moscow Times, 16/3/26, 18/3/26; The Guardian, 16/3/26)
Widespread mobile Internet outages have been hitting Moscow for over a week, causing significant disruptions to daily life. (RFE/RL, 17/3/26)
Meduza editor-in-chief Ivan Kolpakov was added to the Russian Interior Ministry’s wanted list. A warrant has been issued for his arrest. (Meduza, 17/3/26; The Moscow Times, 17/3/26)
The lack of footage since October suggests Putin may be trying to obscure his location at any given time. (RFE/RL, 19/3/26)
Russia risks a diabetes “epidemic” if current trends continue, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Policy Tatiana Golikova said. (The Moscow Times, 20/3/26)
