Recent exercises gauged the military’s ability to absorb a mass of recruits in case the Kremlin orders a fresh mobilization for the first time since 2022.

“Black August,” or “the August curse,” has become a sort of journalistic shorthand in Russia for dramatic crises that seem to happen in the last weeks of summer. But amid the uneasy speculation this year,

The worsening state of Russia’s economy is now a “liability” for Putin as he deals with the public and his officials, according to Sergey Guriev, who during his stint as rector at Moscow's New Economic School (NES) between 2004 and 2013, was an informal adviser to ex-President Dmitry Mevevdev and sat on Russian government advisory boards.

The attack comes after a two-wave drone strike on a shopping mall in Zelenskyy's home town mall killed 16 people.

Russia has no naval presence in the Mediterranean for the first time in more than a decade. The Kremlin's overstretched fleet is in a "shambles", according to Western officials, with vessels previously stationed in the Med diverted to protect Vladimir Putin's armada of sanctioned oil tankers.

Russia launched a daytime drone attack on a shopping center in Kryvyi Rih Friday, killing at least 14 and injuring 121 others, including 22 children.

Russia has withdrawn its ambassador from the UK, declaring that Britain should “reconsider its policies”. Andrei Kelin, who served as Moscow’s chief representative in London for more than seven years, left his diplomatic position on July 21.

Ukraine's military reportedly launched a drone attack on the Russian city of Orenburg overnight on Aug. 23, striking an Ozon logistics center, Russian Telegram media channels reported.

Yabloko spent decades censoring itself to survive. The Ukraine war made continuing that balancing act impossible.

Ye's heading to Russia for two sold-out St. Petersburg shows in October, but the Kremlin just made clear Putin won't be meeting him.

India‘s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will visit Russia and co-chair the 27th India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission meeting on trade, science, technology, and culture.

Germany is planning a new long-range strike arsenal of cruise missiles, Tomahawks, and future hypersonic weapons to help deter Russia.