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Putin's financial safety net melts away: Russia's National Wealth Fund could run out Sooner than expected
As Russia grapples with economic challenges, its primary financial cushion—the National Wealth Fund—could become depleted within six months if oil prices significantly drop.
The National Wealth Fund, once bolstered by substantial revenues from oil and gas, is rapidly diminishing. Since the large-scale invasion of Ukraine, this financial buffer has been utilized to plug budget gaps but is now shrinking significantly.
By February 1, the liquid assets of the fund, which include gold and foreign …
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New US asylum regulations lead to surge in detentions of Russian migrants
Recent changes in entry and asylum procedures for Russian citizens have resulted in a wave of arrests at the U.S. border. Russian nationals seeking political asylum in the United States have been experiencing significant difficulties for several months, immigration attorneys and asylum seekers told The Moscow Times.
Many Russians who pre-registered with the CBP One program find themselves in immigration detention centers indefinitely after crossing the border, awaiting decisions on their cases. …
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Kremlin rejects Zelensky's territory swap proposal as 'impossible'
Russia has firmly stated it will never discuss exchanging its territory, rejecting a claim by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow will not negotiate territory swaps with Ukraine. This comes after Zelensky suggested swapping parts of the Kursk region, controlled by Ukrainian forces, for land captured by Russia.
Peskov insisted that such a territorial exchange is out of the question, ensuring that Ukrainian forces would be expelled from …
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Syrian Army blocks Russian convoy transporting air defense missiles to Tartus naval base
A convoy of approximately 35 Russian military trucks, heavily laden with air defense missiles and other weaponry, was stopped in Syria by the Syrian army. The convoy was en route to the port of Tartus, carrying the military equipment, including the transport-launch containers with S-300 and S-400 anti-aircraft missiles, back to Russia. The convoy was blocked and forced to return to the Khmeimim base in the Latakia countryside, as reported by journalist Mete Sohtaoglu.
In an analysis by Defence …
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Ukrainian Security Service colonel arrested for alleged espionage for Russia's FSB
In a shocking development, Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) Colonel Dmytro Kozyura has been detained on suspicion of espionage for Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). The security service announced the arrest of the Chief of Staff of its Anti-Terrorist Center on Wednesday, February 12, without naming the suspect. Nonetheless, Ukrainian media outlets have identified him as Kozyura.
Kozyura has been leading the SBU's Anti-Terrorist Directorate since 2016. Telegraf published a photograph …