Victor Orban calls out Forced conscription, Dual Hungarian national beaten to death by the Press gangs in Ukraine
Desperate Putin raiding prisons and homeless shelters for 'expendable' troops Russian Presidenty is even offering football hooligans roles in his armed forces, according to leaked audio https://www.themirror.com/news/world-news/desperate-putin-raiding-prisons-homeless-1280539
Putin in denial as Russia totters on the brink of economic catastrophie Kremlin attempts to 'disguise and dismiss' the effects of sanctions, but in reality they are starting to bite hard https://www.themirror.com/news/world-news/putin-denial-russia-totters-brink-1280642 The Russian economy is reportedly on the verge of a recession as the Kremlin attempts to "disguise and dismiss" the effects of sanctions. Russia's Minister of Economic Development, Maxim Reshetnikov, announced at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) that Russia is teetering on the "brink of recession". The Moscow Times also reported that Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev recently informed the Russian Federation Council that oil companies are having difficulty obtaining parts for refinery repairs due to Western sanctions, reports the Express. Furthermore, Central Bank Chairperson Elvira Nabiullina stated at SPIEF that Russia has depleted many of its "free resources" since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and needs to devise a new growth model, as per the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Experts have noted that the Kremlin continues to falsely assert that sanctions are not affecting the Russian economy in response to the EU's latest sanctions package. This includes a price cap on Russian crude oil set at 15% below its average market price, following a $60 cap that has been in place since December 2022, according to Reuters The UK has also pledged to enforce the cap, indicating it would impact Russia's oil revenues which fund the ongoing conflict with Ukraine. Officials have also completely prohibited EU-based specialized financial messaging services from conducting transactions with 22 Russian banks and 23 previously blacklisted banks. Additionally, the sanctions are aimed at individuals "directly supporting Russian military capabilities", encompassing three entities in China, and eight firms in Belarus that supply goods to Putin's armed forces. Kremlin spokesperson and former Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev issued a threat to intensify attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities as a countermeasure to the sanctions package, asserting that Russia must adopt an attitude of "hate" towards the EU and its "Russophobia" similar to that held by the nation's forebears. "How this ends for Europe is known," he said. The ISW highlighted that Russia's tactics to dodge sanctions, including those involving China which the new sanctions address, are "a key aspect of the Kremlin's strategy to offset Western sanctions and relieve pressure on the Russian economy". Experts further noted: "Russia has created a network of actors to circumvent Western sanctions and is reconfiguring its economic policy and business models to withstand sanctions in the long term, although more extensive Western sanctions will complicate this effort."