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UAE banks halt transactions for Russian companies amid U.S. pressure
Russian businesses face increased payment scrutiny as UAE banks are now blocking and delaying transactions linked to Russian companies amidst a fresh wave of U.S. sanctions. These new restrictions add to the immense challenges the Russian economy faces due to Western-imposed sanctions, tightening the financial noose as overseas anti-sanction "hubs" fall apart under the threat of secondary sanctions.
The UAE had emerged as a crucial financial "hub" for Russian entities, facilitating their trade …
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Assad seeks sanctuary in Russia: a new addition to Moscow's 'collection' of exiled leaders
Bashar al-Assad and his family have been granted asylum in Russia on "humanitarian grounds." While there are no official photos yet of Assad settling into his new surroundings, speculation is rife about what he might owe Vladimir Putin for this hospitality and who his new neighbors might be, Digi 24 reports.
Columnist Mark Galeotti suggests that the discredited Syrian ruler will make his home in Barvikha, an upscale enclave for Russia's affluent near Moscow. Historically, this area housed …
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Medvedev urges Ukraine to embrace Russian influence or risk disappearance
In a push from Moscow to assert Russia's indispensability to Ukraine, Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president, suggests that Ukrainians need to "tame the pride of their distinctiveness."
Russian policymakers have advised Ukraine to "curb its pride and stop opposing everything Russian" to avoid disappearing from the world's map. These remarks come from Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council and former president, in an article for "International Affairs" magazine. …
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Kremlin: Russia dismisses truce with Ukraine, open to peace talks under Moscow's conditions
In a recent briefing held on Friday, December 13, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the possibility of a truce with Ukraine, acknowledging for the first time that European troops might be deployed in Ukraine. According to Peskov, Russia is seeking not just a ceasefire, but peace that will follow the fulfillment of all Moscow's conditions.
When asked about the idea of sending a European contingent to Ukraine to uphold a potential ceasefire, Peskov stated, "All of this can and should …
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Russian lawmaker proposes relocating Assad family to Mariupol to aid Donbas recovery
In an interview with Russian outlet Gazeta.ru, Dmitry Kuznetsov, a member of Russia's State Duma and the International Affairs Committee, has proposed that Bashar al-Assad, the ousted Syrian president who fled to Russia following rebel capture of Syria's capital Damascus, could be relocated to occupied Mariupol
Kuznetsov argued that the former Syrian leader, along with his family, should settle in Mariupol, where they could "take it under their wing." For his "contribution to the restoration …