# Russia
Russia has banned the export of diesel fuel and is starting to import petrol
On 8 July, the Russian government introduced a temporary ban on diesel fuel exports and announced that it would begin importing petroleum products. The authorities attribute this decision to the difficult situation on the fuel market following damage to a number of oil refineries.
Work has begun on installing new air defence systems on the Moscow Ring Road
Air defence systems have been spotted being installed on the Moscow Ring Road near the ‘Mega’ shopping centre. This comes against the backdrop of an increase in drone attacks on Russian regions, particularly Moscow.
Syrsky summarised the results of the strikes against the enemy in June and put forward the Russian Federation’s losses
In June, drones operated by the Ukrainian Defence Forces struck more than 200,000 verified enemy targets and killed nearly 28,000 Russian occupiers.
Budanov discussed whether Russia might carry out a new mobilisation this year
Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, believes that there are no technical reasons preventing Russia from carrying out a mobilisation similar to the one that took place in 2022. At that time, they carried out a partial mobilisation of the population.
There is talk in the Kremlin of a successor to Putin: who is Alexei Dyumin and why is he being touted as the frontrunner?
Alexei Dyumin has once again found himself in the spotlight amid reports that discussions about Vladimir Putin’s possible successors are becoming increasingly common in Russian political circles.
The Financial Times has suggested a likely timeframe for the start of substantive talks between Russia and Ukraine
Russia is unlikely to take part in substantive negotiations on ending the war against Ukraine until at least February 2027. Meanwhile, the Financial Times notes that Ukrainian drone strikes are having an increasingly significant impact on Russian military and fuel infrastructure.
Russians are handing in gold to pawnshops en masse due to financial difficulties – intelligence reports
The pawnbroking market in Russia grew rapidly in the first quarter of 2026: Russians are increasingly pawning gold for quick cash.
Alexei Dyumin is said to be one of Putin’s possible successors
Within Russian political circles, there is increasing discussion of Vladimir Putin’s potential successors. One of the leading contenders for the future presidency is said to be Alexei Dyumin, the current aide to the President of the Russian Federation and Secretary of the State Council
Fire in Stavropol: a factory producing trailers for KamAZ lorries has caught fire in Russia
On 4 July, a major fire broke out at a car trailer factory in Stavropol, Russia. The blaze was reported by Russian media and local Telegram channels
Melania Trump helped bring more than 20 Ukrainian children back from Russia
US First Lady Melania Trump has joined the efforts to bring back Ukrainian children whom Russia has illegally taken from the occupied territories. According to The Telegraph, her involvement has helped bring more than two dozen children home
There are noticeably fewer cars on the streets. In Novorossiysk, petrol has run out at all petrol stations
On Friday, 3 July, all petrol stations in Novorossiysk ran out of petrol; only diesel is available.
Russia plans to import aviation fuel from Japan in July due to the crisis following the attacks on oil refineries — Reuters
Росія хоче імпортувати авіаційне пальне з Японії через трейдерів уже в першій половині липня.
