Week-ending 3 July 2026
Russia’s War against Ukraine
Russia and Ukraine each released 160 prisoners of war on Friday, with Russia’s Defense Ministry saying that the United Arab Emirates mediated the exchange. (The Moscow Times, 26/6/26)
Sergey Aksyonov, the Russian-installed head of occupied Crimea, announced a state of emergency would take effect across Crimea and Sevastopol on June 26. (Meduza, 26/6/26)
Moscow is building a new missile defense complex near a research institute linked to Russian President Putin’s daughter. (RFE/RL, 27/6/26)
Vladimir Putin has admitted Russia is facing fuel shortages. (The Guardian, 29/6/26)
Ukraine war veteran Alexander Lunin was convicted of “displaying extremist or Nazi symbols,” days after he posted a video online threatening mutiny. (The Moscow Times, Meduza, 29/6/26)
The disruptions to Russia’s energy sector are having a ripple effect in Central Asia, with fuel prices rising across the region. (RFE/RL, 29/6/26)
A Russian military contract recruitment post on the social network VK used an AI-generated image of the late opposition politician Alexey Navalny. (Meduza, 29/6/26)
State Hermitage Museum canceled archaeological work in Crimea. (The Moscow Times, 29/6/26)
The European Commission has proposed a Schengen-wide entry ban on anyone who has fought with the Russian army or pro-Kremlin militias in Ukraine over the past four years. (The Guardian, 30/6/26)
Penza Governor O. Melnichenko declared a state of high alert citing the fuel crisis. (Meduza, 30/6/26)
Euroclear is suing Russia’s Central Bank to block a Moscow court ruling that ordered it to pay more than $250 billion in damages over frozen assets in Europe. (The Moscow Times, 30/6/26)
Eight in 10 Russians — 81% — support ending the war “as early as tomorrow.” (Meduza, 30/6/26)
Russia closed railway border checkpoints with Finland, Estonia, Latvia. (The Moscow Times, 1/7/26)
Russia plans to reduce the number of professions off-limits to women. (The Moscow Times, 1/7/26)
Russia has begun importing gasoline from India. (Meduza, 1/7/26)
Six in 10 Russians say economic conditions in their city or region are deteriorating. (Meduza, 1/7/26)
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused more than 2 million military casualties. (The Guardian, 2/7/26)
Government officials now get priority access to gasoline in at least four regions. (Meduza, 2/7/26)
Men are reportedly being detained and forced to sign contracts to fight in Ukraine. (RFE/RL, 2/7/26)
A Kremlin surveillance campaign used drones launched from shadow fleet vessels to target nuclear sites in Europe. (The Guardian, 2/7/26)
Gasoline prices in Sevastopol surged by 30% last week. (The Moscow Times, 2/7/26)
Gas stations in Novorossiysk ran out of fuel entirely on July 3. (Meduza, 3/7/26)
Other news
A court in the Orenburg region handed down prison sentences to a bar owner and two employees for belonging to the “international LGBT movement.” (The Moscow Times, Meduza, 29/6/26)
A Moscow judge fined the deputy chairman of the Spiritual Board of Muslims of Russia, Damir Mukhetdinov, 20,000 rubles for inciting enmity. (Meduza, 1/7/26)
Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) issued a warning to Apple because iPhones and iPads come with a foreign search engine installed by default. (Meduza, 1/7/26)
The family of Sergei Ivanov, the late former Russian defense minister, owns properties worth a combined 4.2 billion rubles (almost $54.2 million). (Meduza, 1/7/26)
A court in Buryatia fined two inmates for displaying symbols of the “extremist movement AUE” — a designation the court applied to the word ”fart” (“a stroke of luck”). (Meduza, 1/7/26)
A court fined blogger Arsen Markaryan 20,000 rubles for having a “dismissive and contemptuous emotional and semantic attitude toward Russians.” (Meduza, 1/7/26)
Yabloko party member Elena Perepelitsa was detained in Moscow in connection with donations she allegedly made to a banned organization. (The Moscow Times, 2/7/26)
A Moscow court has sentenced former Rosnano top manager Irina Rapoport in absentia to 15 years in prison on charges of embezzlement and commercial bribery. (Meduza, 2/7/26)
