#russia

#russia

Most dramatically, first Israel and the United States bombed Iran's nuclear facilities. Some commentators feared that President Trump's decision to bomb Iran would drag the United States into the "forever wars" in the Middle East that presidential candidate Trump had pledged to avoid. The tragic war in Gaza had become a humanitarian disaster. After years of promising to reduce engagement with the region from Democratic and Republican presidents alike, it appeared that the US was being dragged back into Middle East once again.

Zelenskyy said Ukrainian intelligence had observed that Belarus was deploying equipment in Belarusian settlements near the border, including on residential buildings to assist Russian forces in carrying out their attacks. Antennae and other equipment are located on the roofs of ordinary five-storey apartment buildings, which help guide Shaheds' [Russian drones] to targets in our western regions, he said. This is an absolute disregard for human lives, and it is important that Minsk stops playing with this, he added.

Eight years ago, Trump's said that "China and Russia challenge American power, influence, and interests, attempting to erode American security and prosperity." The new NSS doesn't name Russia as a threat to the U.S. - stating instead that "strategic stability with Russia" is a goal of American policy. Europe is presented as a bigger challenge; the U.S. should "help Europe correct its current trajectory," which the NSS says has been damaged by immigration and a risk of " civilizational erasure."

Belousov said that Russia's war spending is on track to reach about 5.1% of the country's GDP in 2025, out of an overall defense budget that reaches 7.3% of its annual GDP. The country's nominal GDP in 2024 was about 201.2 trillion rubles, and is expected to grow 1% this year to about 203 trillion rubles, or $2.52 trillion. Russian independent media, however, reported that the economic ministry has forecast a GDP of about $2.7 trillion for the year. A war budget of 5.1% would therefore be somewhere between $128 billion and $137.7 billion.

The German government has accused Russia of carrying out repeated hostile actions against Germany, including acts of sabotage, cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns. A spokesperson for the German Foreign Office said Friday that the Russian ambassador has been summoned to Berlin over allegations of repeated hybrid attacks on Germany. The move followed what officials described as mounting evidence of coordinated Russian activity aimed at undermining Germany's internal stability. The spokesperson said there were also indications of Russian attempts to influence elections.

It combines the latest autonomous and AI technologies with world-class warships and aircraft to create a highly advanced hybrid fighting force to detect, deter and defeat those who threaten us.

According to Reuters, Russia's Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (often shortened to just Roskomnadzor) said the online multiplayer game creation platform was "rife with inappropriate content that can negatively impact the spiritual and moral development of children." The communications watchdog accused Roblox of distributing extremist materials, including "LGBT propaganda." The BBC corroborated Reuters, stating local Russian media reported that Roskomnadzor had blocked Roblox's access because terrorism-related content and LGBTQIA+ information are often found on the platform.

During a U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on 3 December, new evidence was presented suggesting that Ukrainian children abducted by Russia have been transferred to North Korea, where they are reportedly held in military-style camps. The information, brought forward by Ukrainian journalist and media adviser Ostap Yarysh, marks one of the starkest escalations yet in Russia's forced displacement campaign, a campaign already recognised internationally as a war crime and the subject of International Criminal Court indictments against Vladimir Putin and Russia's Commissioner for Children, Maria Lvova-Belova.

In late October, the US Treasury announced sanctions on Lukoil and Rosneft, Russia's biggest oil producers. The changes sent seaborne shipments from these companies down 42%, to about 1.7 million barrels a day. However, Russia's total oil exports slipped by just 100,000 barrels per day after the sanctions came into effect. This means that Russia rapidly rerouted shipments through smaller, non-sanctioned producers.