NYT: Under Biden, the US imposed 170 new sanctions per month on energy, weapons, banking, tech. Under Trump: zero.
The pause lets Russia import chips, nav modules, and banking via third countries. 1/
Russian importers use new shell companies registered in March and April to reroute U.S. and EU components. These include STM32 microcontrollers found in Orlan drones and Bosch fuel pumps used in Russian military trucks. 2/
Between February and May 2025, Russian defense imports from Türkiye increased by 38% compared to the same period in 2024. Key goods: ball bearings, radio modules, and drone components. 3/
Putin: 23,000 houses, schools, hospitals, etc were built or restored in Donbas and Novorossiya [occupied territories] since 2022
[First he flattens Ukrainian homes, kills, and deports. Then builds new ones to resettle them with people from Russia. Colonialism by destruction] 1/
Putin: By 2030, Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, as well as Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, must reach the average Russian level on all indicators, including the quality of life. 2/
Putin: Providing housing for the citizens of Donbas and Novorossiya is a key priority.
It is important to create conditions for the construction of new housing. 3/
Margus Tsahkna: Putin cannot stop the war in Ukraine – for him, it’s existential;
Putin is a “warlord” committed to restoring the Soviet empire, and Ukraine is fighting for all of Europe, interview to @KyivIndependent 1/
Europe must step up – the continent has the resources and must assume leadership in Ukraine's defense, even if the U.S. hesitates; the EU is close to delivering €40 billion in aid this year 2/
Sanctions remain key – Estonia is pushing for the 18th EU sanctions package and the confiscation of €240 billion in frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine’s defense and reconstruction 3/
Russia has built a sophisticated method to evade sanctions and launder capital through beans into Europe, Kyiv Insider
Russia’s Sberbank, despite being disconnected from SWIFT and under sanctions, transfers funds into the EU using Revolut and N26 1/
These transactions go unnoticed or appear as regular personal transfers - a deliberate, layered workaround that undermines the sanctions regime 2/
The transfer scheme relies on intermediaries in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. Rubles are sent to these jurisdictions, converted into cryptocurrency, and then rerouted through payment providers to reach EU accounts
The process masks the origin and nature of the money 3/