Could Putin pull Russia out of key Ukraine grain deal, and what would the impact be on global markets? April 7, 2023 Russia could pull out of a wartime deal that allows the export of Ukrainian grain to global markets if the West fails to remove obstacles to Russian agricultural exports, Moscow’s top diplomat has said. The deal, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in July, unblocked shipments stuck in Ukraine’s blockaded and mined ports, alleviating [...]
As Russia’s war in Ukraine rages on, venture investors are looking to cash in on ‘defence tech’ April 7, 2023 Russia's invasion of Ukraine brought a sharp close to a decade-long venture capital funding frenzy last year, as soaring inflation, rapid rate hikes and tumbling valuations caused investors to hurriedly tuck away their cheque books.
Russian tycoon’s ex criticised by London judge for ‘costly and destructive’ divorce fight with £9m bill April 5, 2023 A wealthy Russian businesswoman’s ex-husband has come under fire from a London judge who oversaw a “costly and destructive” divorce fight. Sir Jonathan Cohen said Alla Rakshina, 42, and ex-husband Lazaros Xanthopoulos, 43, ran up lawyers’ bills of nearly £9 million as disputes over jurisdiction, money and children featured in more than 60 hearings in [...]
Finland officially joins NATO as security bloc’s border with Russia doubles April 4, 2023 Finland has officially joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in a move that doubles the Western alliance’s border with Russia. The historic realignment was triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. It has sparked warnings from Moscow that it will seek to bolster defences along its border. Finland shares a 832-mile border with [...]
Watch the moment Russia is rocked by an explosion in St Petersburg cafe which kills prominent pro war blogger April 3, 2023 An explosion has torn through a cafe in Russia’s second-largest city, killing a prominent military blogger who had supported the fighting in Ukraine and was speaking at a patriotic discussion event. Russian news reports said blogger Vladlen Tatarsky was killed in the explosion at the Street Food Bar No 1 cafe in St Petersburg. Twenty-five [...]
Advantage Putin? Wimbledon U-turns to let Russia and Belarus stars like Sabalenka and Medvedev compete March 31, 2023 Russian and Belarusian players will be allowed to compete at Wimbledon this year, the All England Club has announced. Athletes from the two countries must sign declarations of neutrality and must not express support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while players who receive funding from the Russian or Belarusian states, including sponsorship from state owned [...]
Four ex bankers convicted over accounts with Putin-linked man who’s ‘part of system that managed his offshore wealth’ March 30, 2023 Four former bankers with the Swiss affiliate of a key Russian bank have been found guilty of failing to properly check accounts opened in the name of a Russian cellist with long-time ties to President Vladimir Putin. The defendants were handed suspended sentences in Zurich district court that, if violated, could lead collectively to hundreds [...]
Ed Warner: Is China about to bring Russia and its athletes in from the sporting cold? March 30, 2023 The war in Ukraine doesn’t look like ending any time soon. Just as Russia is recalibrating its geopolitical and industrial relations, so the prospect of a conflict stretching years into the future will necessitate a realignment of its place in the sporting world. Asia’s warmth towards the Kremlin points a way back into the international [...]
Losing Bakhmut will let Putin ‘sell this victory to the West, to his society, to China, to Iran’ – Zelensky March 29, 2023 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned defeat in the battle for Bakhmut would enable Russia to start building international support for a deal that would require his nation to make unacceptable compromises. And he has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping, long aligned to Russia, to visit. Mr Zelensky said if the eastern city of Bakhmut [...]
Lloyd’s of London’s war underwriters prepare to pay out over ships stuck in Ukrainian waters March 28, 2023 Lloyd’s of London’s war underwriters have begun setting aside cash reserves as they prepare to pay out on a flurry of claims from the owners of ships stuck in Ukraine’s territorial waters. The insurance market is readying itself for a new wave of claims from shipowners that have now become viable following the anniversary of [...]