All articles tagged with #kremlin
President Vladimir Putin signed an executive order on Monday placing the Russian subsidiary of German retailer Metro AG under state temporary management. The shares were transferred to Torg Rus, a firm registered earlier this month, while Metro Russia stated it continues normal operations. This move follows recent seizures of French and Swiss assets and coincides with diplomatic tensions between Moscow and Berlin.
With 93% of precincts reporting, United Russia led with about 58% of the vote and a turnout of 59.32%—the highest since 2011—despite Meduza reports that Kremlin-backed officials used state machinery to boost turnout and votes, a claim insiders describe as achieved by 'very dirty means.' The Communist Party ~14%, LDPR ~9%, New People ~8%, and A Just Russia barely crossed the 5% threshold. United Russia reportedly won at least 208 of 225 single-member districts, consolidating a constitutional majority, while antiwar candidates aligned with Smart Voting failed to win seats.
In a tightly controlled parliamentary vote, the Kremlin extended its dominance as United Russia won the majority, while the liberal Yabloko party was barred from the ballot and anti-war candidates fared poorly; OSCE observers were not invited, and analysts say public appetite for peace is growing but not reflected in this election amid ongoing Ukrainian attacks and war context.
As Putin is sure to win again, the piece surveys seven likely successors—Mikhail Mishustin, Alexei Dyumin, Dmitry Patrushev, Boris Kovalchuk, Denis Manturov, Sergei Sobyanin, and Sergei Kiriyenko—spanning technocratic, security-service, business-elite, and regional power blocs. Mishustin is a noted outsider to the siloviki, while Dyumin, Patrushev’s circle, and the Kovalchuks wield security or oligarchic influence; Manturov heads the defense-industrial complex; Sobyanin runs Moscow; Kiriyenko shapes domestic policy and has been cultivating loyal cadres, though results are mixed. The article underscores that Russia’s next leader will likely resemble Putin in image more than his opponents, with who succeeds him shaped by Kremlin power dynamics.
Russia’s government moved to seize Nestlé’s assets in Russia, placing them under state control as part of a broader nationalization push against private firms, with Auchan affected as well; Nestlé says it is evaluating options while promising to protect employees and maintain operations where possible.
Russia’s first parliamentary elections since the Ukraine invasion are stage-managed by the Kremlin to project legitimacy for ongoing war efforts; analysts expect the Duma to remain largely unchanged with United Russia maintaining a supermajority, while the Kremlin filters candidates, pressures public-sector workers, mobilizes business support, and uses online voting to fine-tune results.
As Russia heads into a parliamentary election amid the Ukraine war, the wartime economy is under pressure: the budget deficit widens and reserve funds shrink while borrowing costs rise, even as oil revenues provide some support; consumer sentiment declines and growth slows, but unemployment remains low and defense spending sustains poorer regions, signaling fragile stability rather than a lasting economic strength.
A Russian businessman with Kremlin ties paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to help finance Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding after-party in the Bahamas, a move ethics experts call an extraordinary flouting of norms for a president’s family; Trump said he didn’t know the donor and that the after-party was separate from the ceremony, while critics warn such gifts could create foreign-influence concerns.
As Russia braces for parliamentary elections on Sept. 18–20, Putin positions the vote as a show of unity and a war-focused rally, insisting there will be no mobilization “as of today” while the Kremlin discourages anti-war voices; the outcome is framed as a foregone conclusion for United Russia, using the elections to bolster support for the war rather than to reflect genuine electoral competition.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s approval in state polls has fallen from as high as 89% before the Ukraine invasion to about 65% in the latest VTСIOM survey, with another Kremlin-linked poll showing a drop from 71% to 66% in July. Experts say the decline reflects rising public frustration with the war, and while the Kremlin may be signaling a cautious approach, the regime still maintains control and broad unrest appears unlikely. Regional variations in trust suggest officials could be using poll data to calibrate next moves as Ukraine’s counterattacks continue.
Kremlin adviser Boris Titov warned in an RBC interview that continuing to prioritise the military-industrial complex could push Russia’s economy toward out-of-control territory, describing the current mix as a limited-time 'berserk mode.' With growth seen at about 0.4% this year and non-military sectors stagnating, Ukrainian strikes on energy and export infrastructure could shave further gains.
President Vladimir Putin dismissed reports of a new general mobilization as 'complete nonsense,' calling them an information attack. While Moscow has not announced a fresh draft, Russia has implemented legal and procedural changes to the draft and maintains a partial mobilization from 2022; analysts warn a mass conscription would face logistical hurdles, and some observers suggest Moscow may rely on existing measures rather than a formal new mobilization.
The Kremlin said the CIA director met with Russian intelligence counterparts in Moscow, signaling ongoing dialogue between the two nations’ intelligence communities amid persistent U.S.–Russia tensions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Archangel Cathedral inside the Kremlin to inspect the open sarcophagus of medieval Grand Prince Dmitry Donskoy, whose nearly complete remains were uncovered during restoration. Archaeologists described the four-part lid, preserved textiles, and bones as indicating the prince’s remains, dating to the 14th century; the Russian Orthodox Church confirmed the remains belong to Donskoy, a pivotal ruler who built the first stone Kremlin and defeated the Mongols, with Putin lighting a candle beside the tomb as experts explained the identification.
Andrei Klepach, chief economist at state-backed VEB, was fired after a May speech in which he warned that Russia is falling behind economically, that a war of attrition with Ukraine won’t be won, and that a social crisis is likely. The dismissal, described by sources as ordered by the Kremlin, underscores loyalty expectations at Russia’s top levels amid mounting wartime costs and sanctions. The episode comes as Russia’s economy shows strain from spending and sanctions, with a large 2026 budget deficit in the first four months, even as oil revenues cushion some pressures.