German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul criticized China for supporting Russia, which is waging an unprovoked large-scale war against Ukraine.
The National Electronic Media Council of Latvia decided to restrict access to nine more internet resources spreading Russian propaganda.
Gazprom admitted the failure of the project to create a joint gas hub with Turkey. The company’s head, Alexey Miller, stated that the issue was closed due to a lack of interest from Turkish partners.
The three largest exporters of Russian grain need over 60 bulk carriers to restore their fleet, but building them in Russia is four times more expensive than in China. In total, Russian grain exporters need to replace 61 large-tonnage vessels. Because of this, Russia plans to place orders for the first ten ships in China.
Wholesale gasoline prices in Russia continue to hit historical records. On August 18, at the St. Petersburg Commodity Exchange, the price of AI-92 gasoline reached 71,500 rubles per ton, and AI-95 – 80,430 rubles per ton. During the day, prices rose by 1.33% and 2.2%, respectively, and since the beginning of the year, AI-92 gasoline has risen by 38%, and AI-95 – by 49%. To cool the fuel market, the Russian government imposed a complete ban on gasoline exports until the end of August and then extended it until the end of September.
Russian taxi fleets are preparing to massively sell foreign cars from March 2026. The reason is a new law requiring that only domestically assembled vehicles be used for transporting citizens. The innovation prohibits carriers from purchasing foreign cars and registering already used foreign vehicles in the transport registry.
Russian citizens have not done enough for the state to receive a pension, says State Duma deputy and Olympic figure skating champion Irina Rodnina. According to 75-year-old Rodnina, who previously stated that her pension does not exceed 30,000 rubles, like that of a “normal Russian person,” a pension is not a salary but rather an old-age allowance.
Most respondents (58%) of Russians do not intend to pass the “Ready for Labor and Defense” standards even if additional incentives, such as paid days off, are introduced.
In the first seven months of 2025, Belarus produced agricultural products worth 16.1 billion rubles across all categories of farms, which is 12.7% less than last year. Production in agricultural organizations fell by 11.4% to 15.6 billion rubles.
Patients in Belarus complain about widespread disorder in the healthcare system: queues, lack of doctors, lost documents, and even refusal of basic care. Residents of both cities and villages admit they often hear the same advice: contact the Ministry of Health directly or the hotline. But the main problem is that the country catastrophically lacks specialists and order in the organization of work. Meanwhile, doctors note that they “are leaving medicine forever. People are angry, doctors are also at the limit. It is frightening to imagine what will happen to medicine in 10 years.”
The Belarusian holding Amkodor – one of the largest manufacturers of road-building, municipal, snow-removal, forestry, agricultural, and other special equipment in the CIS, which was among the first to fall under international sanctions – has been transferred to state ownership.
The self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Lukashenko, ordered cockroaches to be removed from hotels to improve the country’s tourist service:
“If cockroaches crawl on the walls and under the beds in hotels, no tourists will come here.”
