# Russia
The war is returning to Russia: Bloomberg has identified five challenges weighing on Putin’s regime
The Russian dictator Putin is facing the ever-increasing consequences of the war he has unleashed against Ukraine. Whilst at the start of the full-scale invasion the Kremlin managed to shield most Russians from its impact, the effects of the fighting are now being felt far beyond the front line.
Russia could lose 20 per cent of its grain exports due to the Ukrainian blockade of the Sea of Azov
Ukrainian strikes in the waters of the Sea of Azov, which have hit more than 100 Russian vessels over the past nine days, have paralysed operations at the ports of Azov and Taman, through which millions of tonnes of Russian grain were being exported.
Russia carried out live-fire exercises near the border with Estonia without prior warning
On 9 July, Russia conducted live-fire exercises on Lake Peipus, a few kilometres from the border with Estonia, without prior notice. The Estonian authorities stated that no such exercises had previously been recorded in this area.
Syryskyi revealed the Russian Federation’s losses per square kilometre of territory seized in the Donetsk region
In the Donetsk region, Russian troops are losing more than 400 of their soldiers just to occupy a single square kilometre of territory.
The UK and the EU have imposed new sanctions on 24 individuals and entities linked to the Kremlin’s proxy networks
The United Kingdom, together with the European Union, has imposed sanctions on 24 individuals and organisations linked to Russian proxy networks responsible for cyber-attacks, election interference and the dissemination of anti-Ukrainian narratives in Europe.
Russia has sent spies to Japan to procure missile components – NYT
Following the mass expulsion of Russian intelligence officers from European and North American countries, Moscow has significantly stepped up its espionage activities in Japan. There, the agents’ task has been to establish a supply chain for high-tech components for the Russian military-industrial complex.
The Russians struck a civilian vessel flying the Togolese flag in the Odesa region. Sailors were killed and injured
On the morning of 13 July, Russian troops attacked a civilian merchant vessel flying the flag of the Republic of Togo as it was unloading mineral fertilisers at a port in the Odesa region.
Russians are living in fear of a catastrophe — RDK commander
There are increasing signs that the Russian dictator, Vladimir Putin, will soon declare a general mobilisation in the aggressor state.
The White House has backed a bill imposing new sanctions on Russia
US Senator Lindsey Graham has announced that US President Donald Trump’s administration has approved the final draft of a bill imposing new sanctions on Russia. According to him, this paves the way for the bill to be considered by Congress
Zelenskyy has announced the formation of an anti-ballistic coalition for the ‘Freya’ project
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that Ukraine is initiating the formation of an anti-ballistic coalition to implement the joint European ‘Freya’ project. The first meeting of the countries and companies that may join the project is due to take place in France in the coming days.
Russian billionaire Melnichenko has outlined five possible scenarios for Russia’s future after the war
Russian billionaire Andrei Melnichenko believes that the current standoff between Russia and the West cannot go on indefinitely. In a column for *The Economist*, he outlined five possible scenarios for the country’s future once the war is over.
Russia has lost around 40 per cent of its oil refining capacity as a result of Ukrainian strikes
The fuel crisis in Russia has become the most serious since the collapse of the USSR, and attacks by Ukrainian drones have, according to various estimates, put between 20 per cent and 40 per cent of the country’s oil refining capacity out of action. Around 50 million Russians are already feeling the effects of the fuel shortage.
