Free Top Stories

One year on: Sanctions had a very limited effect on Russia's economy in 2022

22 February 2023

RosStat reported an even milder contraction in Russia's GDP in 2022 than the most optimistic forecasts from all the economists that follow Russia on February 20. This has been the least painful of all the crises since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Boom in solar power production in North Macedonia creates problems for power grid

19 February 2023

Skopje eased procedures for households and companies to install rooftop solar panels and sell energy back to the grid, officials are now trying to find a solution to the fluctuations in supply.

HESS: Russia is down, but not out, in Central Asia

18 February 2023

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has weakened its influence in Central Asia, especially in Kazakhstan. Russia is no longer a regional hegemon, which may increase regional instability. Tensions between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are especially dangerous.

Rosatom’s nuclear exports surge in 2022

16 February 2023

Russia's nuclear exports were already booming well before the war in Ukraine started but now they are growing even faster. Moscow is using nuclear power as foreign policy tool to bind allies in the non-aligned world more tightly to its cause.