https://www.rferl.org/z/666 RFE/RL's latest news, features, commentary, and multimedia content on Russia https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org/z/666 en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Mon, 13 Jul 2026 15:20:01 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL The European Union will not impose sanctions on the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and the chief of Russia’s largest private oil company, after Bulgaria vetoed the proposal. https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-russia-sanctions-patriach-kirill-lukoil/33802579.html https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-russia-sanctions-patriach-kirill-lukoil/33802579.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 11:00:36 +0200 NewsRussiaWider Europe Russian ultra-fast ballistic missiles continued to create havoc in Ukrainian cities, combining with drones and guided bombs to kill at least six people in the latest attacks, prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to urge Western allies to speed delivery of air defense weaponry. https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskyy-ukraine-russia-ballistic-missiles-patriot-trump/33801659.html https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskyy-ukraine-russia-ballistic-missiles-patriot-trump/33801659.html Sat, 11 Jul 2026 18:18:49 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Kyiv continues to strike Russian "shadow fleet" tankers in the Sea of Azov, according to footage released by the Ukrainian military. Ukraine says it struck 21 tankers overnight on July 10-11 and has hit numerous others in recent days, in a bid to disrupt the fuel supply to Russian forces in Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/kyiv-says-it-hit-more-russian-shadow-fleet-tankers-amid-fuel-crisis/33801623.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kyiv-says-it-hit-more-russian-shadow-fleet-tankers-amid-fuel-crisis/33801623.html Sat, 11 Jul 2026 15:31:18 +0200 VideosRussiaUkraineVideo ArchiveRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Ukrainian farmers, already struggling after nearly five years of all-out war, say a massively upscaled Russian campaign to pound his country’s vital agricultural sector is threatening this year's harvest. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-targets-ukrainian-harvest-crops-wheat-war/33800899.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-targets-ukrainian-harvest-crops-wheat-war/33800899.html Sat, 11 Jul 2026 13:45:24 +0200 FeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories With bridges cut and a drone blitz on shipping, Russian-occupied Crimea is reeling from a relentless Ukrainian campaign of targeted drone strikes. Vladimir Putin has said the peninsula he seized in 2014 has a “sacred meaning” – but life there is becoming increasingly intolerable. https://www.rferl.org/a/no-gas-no-lights-no-comms-no-tourists-ukraine-s-crimea-blockade-starts-to-bite/33801579.html https://www.rferl.org/a/no-gas-no-lights-no-comms-no-tourists-ukraine-s-crimea-blockade-starts-to-bite/33801579.html Sat, 11 Jul 2026 13:11:11 +0200 FeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline A bipartisan group of US senators said they had reached an agreement with the Trump administration to advance long-delayed legislation aimed at imposing tougher economic penalties on Russia and countries that continue to support Moscow’s war economy. https://www.rferl.org/a/senate-trump-russia-sanctions-ukraine-graham/33801207.html https://www.rferl.org/a/senate-trump-russia-sanctions-ukraine-graham/33801207.html Fri, 10 Jul 2026 22:56:03 +0200 NewsRussiaRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Ukraine launched multiple strikes against Kremling energy assets, including oil terminals and tankers at sea, reportedly forcing Moscow to halt shipping through a major waterway as Kyiv intensifies what it has labeled its "long-range sanctions" against Russia. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-energy-strikes-azov-ilsky-oil/33801161.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-energy-strikes-azov-ilsky-oil/33801161.html Fri, 10 Jul 2026 19:21:29 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Schemes, the investigative unit of RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, has identified a Russian prison doctor accused of subjecting Ukrainian inmates to physical, psychological, and sexual abuse. https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-prison-sexual-abuse-ukraine-torture/33801065.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-prison-sexual-abuse-ukraine-torture/33801065.html Fri, 10 Jul 2026 18:42:56 +0200 FeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline A Brazilian judge ordered a Russian man who spent years building a secret “deep-cover” identity to infiltrate organizations in the United States and Netherlands on behalf of Russian intelligence deported. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-brazil-intelligence-agent-deported-us-indictment-/33801082.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-brazil-intelligence-agent-deported-us-indictment-/33801082.html Fri, 10 Jul 2026 17:43:26 +0200 NewsRussia Authoritarian powers are increasingly working together across military, economic, and information fronts, even without a formal alliance, analyst Christopher Walker says. He argues democracies need a long-term strategy to counter their growing cooperation. https://www.rferl.org/a/christopher-walker-russia-china-iran-authoritarian-axis/33800288.html https://www.rferl.org/a/christopher-walker-russia-china-iran-authoritarian-axis/33800288.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 19:49:28 +0200 FeaturesIranRussiaRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown StoriesChina Ukraine's sustained attacks on Russia's oil refineries immediately plunged Central Asian countries into energy chaos, highlighting years of short-term policy decisions that have left the region without a coordinated energy strategy and sufficient diversification to withstand major disruptions. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-oil-refineries-central-asia-energy-crisis/33800342.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-oil-refineries-central-asia-energy-crisis/33800342.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 18:23:08 +0200 News AnalysisKazakhstanKyrgyzstanRussiaTajikistanTurkmenistan UzbekistanThe Rundown Stories For more than four years, the inhabitants of Omsk, a Siberian city more than 2,250 kilometers east of Moscow, have watched the war against Ukraine from afar. This week they got a close-up view that has left many in shock. https://www.rferl.org/a/omsk-residents-describe-huge-shock-surprise-ukrainian-attack/33800151.html https://www.rferl.org/a/omsk-residents-describe-huge-shock-surprise-ukrainian-attack/33800151.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 17:22:11 +0200 RussiaFeaturesUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories The fuel crisis in Russia is causing tensions to boil over at gas stations across the country. Ukraine's repeated attacks on Russian energy facilities have caused serious fuel shortages. Social media users have shared videos of brawls breaking out as people wait in hours-long lines to refuel. https://www.rferl.org/a/brawls-break-out-at-russian-gas-stations-amid-anger-over-fuel-crisis-/33800286.html https://www.rferl.org/a/brawls-break-out-at-russian-gas-stations-amid-anger-over-fuel-crisis-/33800286.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 17:02:27 +0200 VideosRussiaVideo ArchiveThe Rundown Stories Speaking at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, US President Donald Trump said he thinks Russia is ready to make a deal to end the war with Ukraine. RFE/RL correspondent Zoriana Stepanenko asked Trump what led to that conclusion and how Ukraine's allies might ensure that Russia does not attack again. https://www.rferl.org/a/nato-united-states-trump-putin-russia-ukraine/33799663.html https://www.rferl.org/a/nato-united-states-trump-putin-russia-ukraine/33799663.html Wed, 08 Jul 2026 22:28:21 +0200 RussiaVideo ArchiveVideos If Trump follows through on his pledge to give Ukraine a license to manufacture the Patriot interceptor missiles, it will be a major boost for Zelensky and Ukraine’s air defense systems. Experts are skeptical. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-patriot-missile-defenses-zelenskyy-trump/33799530.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-patriot-missile-defenses-zelenskyy-trump/33799530.html Wed, 08 Jul 2026 17:43:46 +0200 FeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories An escalating energy crisis is underway in Crimea as blackouts sweep the Russian-occupied Ukrainian peninsula and local Kremlin-installed authorities set up "emergency assistance centers." https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-war-crimea-energy-crisis-electricity-drone-strikes/33798556.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-war-crimea-energy-crisis-electricity-drone-strikes/33798556.html Tue, 07 Jul 2026 14:40:02 +0200 Russia Invades UkraineRussiaUkrainePhoto GalleriesThe Rundown Stories Ukrainian drones struck Russia’s largest oil refinery in Omsk for the first time, according to Ukrainian officials. Locals filmed the strike and thick smoke rising over the facility, located more than 2,500 kilometers from Ukraine’s border. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainian-drones-hit-omsk-oil-refinery-for-the-first-time/33798604.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainian-drones-hit-omsk-oil-refinery-for-the-first-time/33798604.html Tue, 07 Jul 2026 14:00:09 +0200 RussiaRussia Invades Ukraine NATO leaders are meeting in the Turkish capital, Ankara, for the alliance’s annual summit on July 7-8 in the shadow of the Iran war and American complaints that not all European allies are pulling their weight when it comes to defense spending. https://www.rferl.org/a/six-things-to-watch-for-as-nato-summit-kicks-off-trump-iran-ukraine/33798584.html https://www.rferl.org/a/six-things-to-watch-for-as-nato-summit-kicks-off-trump-iran-ukraine/33798584.html Tue, 07 Jul 2026 13:29:36 +0200 News AnalysisNewsIranRussiaUkraineEurope US President Donald Trump has departed for Ankara, where NATO leaders are gathering for what could become one of the alliance's most consequential summits in years. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-nato-ankara-russia-ukraine-iran-europe/33798072.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-nato-ankara-russia-ukraine-iran-europe/33798072.html Tue, 07 Jul 2026 03:01:04 +0200 NewsIranRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories On the eve of the NATO summit in Ankara, the alliance’s Secretary-General Mark Rutte said European members and Canada are on track to bring their defense spending into line with that of the United States, which has long criticized Europe's lack of military spending and perceived "free riding." https://www.rferl.org/a/nato-summit-ankara-rutte-defense-spending-ukraine/33797955.html https://www.rferl.org/a/nato-summit-ankara-rutte-defense-spending-ukraine/33797955.html Mon, 06 Jul 2026 18:18:41 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories