Stories from Russia

Leaked transcripts of conversations from early June last year show the Russian Defense Minister discussing a multi-million dollar drone production and bulletproof vest procurement agreement with a businessman.

The assembly of Exida vehicles is being moved from the Moscow region to Saint Petersburg. Russian automotive holding Ageir plans to begin production at the Shushary plant in Saint Petersburg. Currently, the vehicles are assembled at a former Mercedes plant in the Moscow region owned by the Autodom holding. The move was reported by Vedomosti. AXIT plans to move its production from the former Mercedes plant near Moscow to an AGR site in Saint Petersburg. The assembly may be transferred to Shushary at a former GM and Hyundai plant. AXIT is forming joint ventures with AGR to facilitate this move. The project is being considered as a primary option for localizing brands in Russia.

An agent of Ukrainian intelligence was detained in Crimea for conducting photo and video surveillance of military units, air defense systems, fuel depots, and critical infrastructure. The individual allegedly sent coordinates of these locations to an adversary. The suspect was allegedly planning to flee the region with a handler following the act. A Russian source reported that an agent was detained for sending coordinates of various critical infrastructure objects in Crimea to the enemy. During a search, officials seized a ready-to-use remote-controlled improvised bomb, explosives, and an assembly device. The individual was allegedly tasked with carrying out terrorist attacks before fleeing Russia. The agent allegedly used Telegram to transmit footage of military units and fuel depots to a handler in Ukraine.

Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Europe should not build a dividing wall. Peskov expressed concern that the initiative for a drone wall might prove to be an illusion similar to the Maginot Line built by the French in the 1930s. He noted that German forces bypassed the Maginot Line via Belgium. Peskov suggested that a unified, well-thought-out defense system across Europe would be a different matter from a wall. The remarks were made in the context of ongoing geopolitical tensions. The spokesperson characterized the situation as something they would prefer not to see. Gennady Magazinov, deputy head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service, stated that the fuel situation in Russia is stable and fully secured.

The director of Provgen stated that Russian law allows digging up to 5 meters deep on private property without special licenses. Construction deeper than 5 meters requires coordination and permits from the local department of natural resources.

Anti-plagiarism software providers noted that programs may incorrectly identify artificial intelligence usage. To counter this, services are being offered on social media to clean AI signatures from academic works using neural networks.

The Ministry of Finance is preparing a proposal to change family mortgage conditions based on the number of children. The proposal includes a mechanism to reduce interest rates upon the birth of subsequent children.

Explosions and a fire, likely at an oil refinery, were reported in Orsk, Russia. The Orsk airport has been temporarily closed, and flight restrictions have been implemented for airports in Perm and Yekaterinburg. Orsk is located approximately 1,400 kilometers from Ukraine.

Yan Landratov, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Civil Society, Public Issues and Religious Associations, has proposed introducing a system for video games similar to film distribution certificates. The commentator expressed sadness regarding the proposal. The proposal aims to digitize vehicle documentation, though the specific impact on owners and the complexity of implementation remain to be determined. Experts noted that regulation and distribution of games on domestic platforms are already operational within the Russian market. The specific mechanism and necessity for this new regulatory framework are currently under discussion. A State Duma deputy proposed setting a ceiling for tuition fees at 1.5 to 2 million rubles. The deputy stated that the state should intervene in tuition costs.

Aeroflot was the only airline to report an operating loss of 14.5 billion rubles. The operating loss has been reported at 14.5 billion rubles, according to Kommersant citing a report. GTELK, a company specializing in railway and aviation equipment, reported a record net loss of 10.5 billion rubles for the first three months of 2026. The company formed reserves for expected credit losses from leasing totaling 16 billion rubles during this period. This reserve amount exceeds the total reserves formed during the entire previous year. In 2025, these expenses were nearly 15 billion rubles on a year-on-year basis, according to reports from Frank Media. The company has continued operations despite the ongoing special military operation. The financial results were previously reported by leading Russian business publications in April.