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Russian Defense Minister inspects nuclear weapons
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 13 Aug 2023

On August 12 Shoigu went to the Russian Arctic. The Defense Ministry was eager that the media should report that he was looking at a nuclear arms test site. Sometimes Russia likes to remind the world of its nuclear deterrent. Russia has been expanding its bases in the Arctic for several years. Th...

UK announces new business-busting sanctions on Russia
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 12 Aug 2023

On August 9 London said this was the largest ever action it had taken to prevent Russia from obtaining military supplies. Businesses and individuals in Switzerland, Slovakia, Turkey and the UAE have been sanctioned. A Slovak has been sanctioned for allegedly attempting to broker an arms deal betw...

Russian moon mission
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 12 Aug 2023

On August 11 Russia launched its first lunar mission since 1976. Russia's space sector has been sputtering for several years. Because of the war Roscosmos will not receive Western cooperation. The European Space Agency ended collaboration in 2022. The mission underscores Putin's claim that there ...

Poland sends 10,000 troops to Belarus Border on 3rd anniversary of disputed election
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 10 Aug 2023

Poland is one of the biggest supporters of Ukraine. Poland is worried that Belarus will stage a false flag incident and blame Poland for it. They are worried that Wagner fighters will cross the border posing as refugees. Poland is also anxious because Belarus might send illegal immigrants from th...

Ukraine getting more tanks as Russia reactivates old models
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 10 Aug 2023

On August 7 a Belgian businessman confirmed an EU country bought 49 old Leopard tanks from him as a gift to Ukraine. He will not say which country it is. Most of the tanks will be reanimated and the rest used for spare parts. It will take up to 6 months for the tanks to be operational. On August ...

Georgia bans export of US cars to Russia
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 07 Aug 2023

On August 2 Georgia made the announcement. It had already banned the re-export of EU cars to Russia in July 2023. Georgia presumably fears secondary sanctions if it does not do this. From January to July 2023 Georgia sold 3,786 cars to Russia worth USD 52 million. The Russian elite prefers to dri...

Ukraine claims Russia attacked blood transfusion center
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 07 Aug 2023

On August 7 Ukraine said a guided bomb hit the center near Kupyansk, in northeast Ukraine, killing 2 people. Ukraine provided photographic evidence. Zelensky said it was a war crime. He said those who did this were beasts and terrorists. If Russia did hit the transfusion center it might have been...

Russian tanker hit by Ukrainian drones according to Russian media
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 05 Aug 2023

On August 5 the tanker was allegedly hit in the Kerch Strait. This caused traffic to be stopped on the Kerch Bridge for about 3 hours. The bridge links Crimea to mainland Russia.  The chemical tanker SIG did not spill anything due to the drone attack. The tanker is under US sanctions for deliveri...

Afghan-Kazakh Business Forum
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 04 Aug 2023

On August 4 the forum opened. Kazakhstan officially lists the Taliban as a terrorist organization, despite that the Kazakh Embassy in Kabul has remained open since the Taliban took over. 200 Afghan delegates came to Astana. Afghan-Kazakh trade is worth USD 1 billion per annum. They aim to raise i...

Drone attacks on Russian naval base
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 04 Aug 2023

On August 4 Ukrainian sea drones attacked Novorossiysk and were all destroyed, Russia said. This is the first time that Ukraine has attacked a naval base in Russia itself and not Crimea. The local governor said no damage or casualties were sustained. However, a Ukrainian source told Reuters that ...

Commander of Russian paratroopers said 8,500 paratroopers wounded in Ukraine
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 03 Aug 2023

On August 2 the head of the airborne forces made the statement on Paratroopers' Day. He said that 5,000 paratroopers came back to Russia from Ukraine for medical care but 3,500 chose not to. Presumably those 3,500 were less seriously wounded. He did not give any indication about the number killed...

Russia attacks Ukraine's grain facilities 3 km from Romania
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 03 Aug 2023

On August 2 Izmail on the River Danube was struck by Russia. Exporting Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea now seems impossible. Ukraine wants to export more along the River Danube, which flows all the way from Germany. Russia has already attacked the Port of Odessa. Ukraine said the grain faci...

Russia hit by more drones
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 02 Aug 2023

On August 1 drones attacked Moscow and hit an office in the financial center. Vnukovo Airport was forced to stop take offs and landings for hours because of the presence of drones. Russia said it brought down 3 drones by shooting them or by electronic warfare. There were also attempted drone atta...

Essential CIS Politics: August 2023
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · Report · 01 Aug 2023

* Russia extends the upper limit on the conscription age. * Assessments of the Ukrainian counter-offensive point to poor results. * Russia ends the Black Sea Grain Initiative. * NATO gives no time frame for admitting Ukraine. * Russia imposes national management on we...

Central Asian banks no longer transfer money to Russia
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 01 Aug 2023

On July 20 the US Treasury introduced sanctions on Unistream (a Russian money transfer company). Unistream dealt with former Soviet countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus. The US sanctions seem to be working. On July 24 Kazpochta and Nurbank said that they will not process payments to Russia ...

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