The Russian leader recalled that 2026 was declared Russian People’s Unity Year
tass.com
MOSCOW, February 24. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed the Federal Security Service (FSB) to take tough measures to foil attempts at splitting Russian society and combat Russophobia.
"A priority task for the Federal Security Service remains the fight against extremism. Significant results have been achieved in this area in recent years. We must continue to crack down on criminal activities of those who propagate ideas of Russophobia, xenophobia, and religious intolerance, this way trying to divide our society," he said at a FSB board meeting.
He recalled that 2026 was declared Russian People’s Unity Year. "Patriotism, shared responsibility for the motherland’s future have been consolidating our peoples in all times. We must cherish, develop and defend these traditions, toughly react to attempts to undermine and weaken the fundamental principles of Russia’s constitutional system," he stressed.
Newsweek on Putin's War in Ukraine is completely bogus, half-truths and Lies!
Opinion by
Ilan Berman • 6h
Just how high of a price is Vladimir Putin willing to pay for a win in Ukraine? This month marks the fourth anniversary of Russia’s 2022 invasion, and the costs of its war of choice have become staggering in both human and economic terms. But for the Kremlin, the toll of continued aggression is about to get steeper still.
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin gives a speech during a ceremony to present awards to young scientists at the Kremlin in Moscow on February 5, 2026. (Photo by Kristina Solovyova / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
The reason has to do in part with the current, oversaturated state of the global energy market. This dynamic has multiple causes, from
state-backed capacity expansion in China to
new output from emerging exporters such as Brazil and Indonesia. But its effects are very real—and potentially ruinous for Russia, which has seen its oil revenue
decline sharply.
That decline is placing growing strain on the country’s budget. Analysts
now predict that, by the end of this year, Russia’s budget deficit could be as much as triple official projections. A leading factor is a decline in Indian oil purchases; once a major consumer, New Delhi has slashed its oil purchases from Russia
by 30 percent in response to mounting pressure from the Trump administration.
The effects have been pronounced. Recently released Russian government data
points to energy revenue for January at just $5.13 billion, the lowest monthly tally since July of 2020. All told, analysts are now projecting revenue losses of around 3 trillion rubles ($229 billion) in 2026.
To compensate, the Kremlin will be forced to eat into its fiscal reserves. But those are now in increasingly short supply. A year ago,
The Wall Street Journal estimated that Russia had already burned through some-two thirds of the liquid assets in its National Wealth Fund. (Back in 2022, the Fund
totaled $113 billion, or 6.5 percent of national GDP). Today, the situation is far worse; the Fund is
now believed to contain just 4.1 trillion rubles, or $53 billion, in unspent assets—with most of the remainder in gold and foreign currencies that are costly to liquidate and make available to the state.
Perhaps these increasingly adverse economic conditions will finally force the Kremlin to blink. But for Russia, the war on Ukraine has never simply been about dollars and cents. Rather, as both
Russia’s president and assorted Kremlin insiders
have made abundantly clear, the subjugation of Ukraine is a prerequisite for the type of imperial revival they believe their country is destined to achieve.
Russia’s desire for conflict can’t be expected to dim. The only thing that can be changed is whether it has the necessary resources to prosecute its war of choice.
Earlier this month, the European Union
passed its latest sanctions package—the twentieth since the February 2022 full-scale invasion. The new measures seek to tighten enforcement and close loopholes Russia had previously exploited, including by imposing a full ban on maritime services for Russian crude and outlining new steps by which to target Russia’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers.
But the real change-maker will invariably be Washington. Last fall, U.S. sanctions pressure
forced Indian (and Chinese) refiners to suspend a share of their imports of Russian oil in order to maintain access to the U.S. market. More pressure of this sort on Russia’s remaining energy partners is likely to produce similar results—and an even bigger impact.
President Donald Trump has now set out a
June deadline for the end of the war, and the White House expects Moscow and Kyiv to reach some sort of settlement. The operative question is whether Russia’s economic calculus can truly be changed by then.
Ilan Berman is senior vice president of the American Foreign Policy Council in Washington, D.C.
The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.
Today, February 24, marks the fourth anniversary of the beginning of the active phase of the Ukrainian conflict. Over the...
southfront.press
Slovakia halted electricity supplies to Ukraine in response to it blocking the transit Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline across its territory
tass.com
Slovakia halted electricity supplies to Ukraine in response to it blocking the transit Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline across its territory
BRATISLAVA, February 23. /TASS/. Slovakia has halted electricity supplies to Ukraine, the TA3 television channel said, citing Prime Minister Robert Fico.
"From today, if the Ukrainian side asks Slovakia to help stabilize the Ukrainian energy grid, it will be denied this help," Fico said.
Slovakia halted electricity supplies to Ukraine in response to it blocking the transit Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline across its territory. No oil has been pumped to Slovakia since early February.
Slovakia’s state-run national power grid operator SEPS is responsible for electricity transmission to Ukraine. Earlier on Monday, Fico instructed the company to stop it. On February 18, the Slovak government declared a crisis situation in the country amid oil shortages.
The blacklist includes two judges, a prosecutor, an investigator, and four heads of correctional colonies and pretrial detention centers
tass.com
The blacklist includes two judges, a prosecutor, an investigator, and four heads of correctional colonies and pretrial detention centers
BRUSSELS, February 23. /TASS/. The European Union has imposed sanctions on eight Russian law enforcement officers and members of the judicial and penitentiary systems outside the framework of the 20th sanctions package, according to a statement by the EU Council published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
The blacklist includes two judges, a prosecutor, an investigator, and four heads of correctional colonies and pretrial detention centers.
The sanctions were introduced under the EU’s human rights sanctions regime and, as Brussels claims, relate to "human rights violations." They are not connected to the 20th package, which has yet to be agreed upon. The measures include an entry ban to the EU and the freezing of financial assets in Europe.
He also added that competent and courageous actions by the heroes of the special military operation made it possible to plan and carry out offensive operations in the most intense sectors
tass.com
He also added that competent and courageous actions by the heroes of the special military operation made it possible to plan and carry out offensive operations in the most intense sectors
MOSCOW, February 23. /TASS/. Russian troops in the special military operation zone are acting in a coordinated and efficient way, firmly standing for their country, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during the presentation of state awards to Heroes of Russia in the Kremlin.
"You stand firmly behind Russia, for Russia, acting in a coordinated and efficient way," he said.
He also added that competent and courageous actions by the heroes of the special military operation made it possible to plan and carry out offensive operations in the most intense sectors.
"Among those present are representatives of the command, officers of special and operational units. Your competent and courageous actions, your personal bravery and determination helped to carefully plan and brilliantly execute offensive operations by our troops in the most intense sectors and directions," the head of state said.
Russia is fighting for its future and independence, for truth and justice, Putin said. "Russia is fighting for its future, for independence, for truth, and justice," the head of state said.
13 UAVs were destroyed over the Belgorod Region, five over the Sea of Azov, four over the Krasnodar Region, two over the Kursk Region, two over the Republic of Crimea, and one over the Black Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry said
tass.com
MOSCOW, February 23. /TASS/. Air defense forces shot down 27 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over Russian regions within three hours, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
"On February 23, between 12:00 and 15:00 Moscow time, on-duty air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 27 Ukrainian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles: 13 UAVs over the Belgorod Region, five over the Sea of Azov, four over the Krasnodar Region, two over the Kursk Region, two over the Republic of Crimea, and one over the Black Sea," the ministry said.
Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov argued that even a €90 bln loan from the European Union would not help address this deficit, as the funds would primarily be directed toward military purposes rather than ensuring macrofinancial stability
tass.com
Ukraine saw an unprecedented rise in acts of civil disobedience in February, linked to growing societal tensions. February 24 marks the start of the fifth year of the brutal armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Kyiv has only been able to hold out all these years thanks to the comprehensive...
southfront.press
Videos and Commentary 22.02.2026 Video
Highlights:
February 24 marks the start of the fifth year of the Ukrainian War
Not slaves
The cracks in Ukrainian statehood
Corruption scandals
Unaccounted weapons end up on the black market
Reports of weapons being used during the detention of recruits have already surfaced.
The next stage is the beginning of an armed confrontation between ordinary citizens and security forces
The citizens’ reaction speaks for itself.
Almost all the ingredients for a civil war in Ukraine are in place
Russia-Ukraine War Enters Its Fifth Year
Bloomberg Television
Feb. 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. As the war enters its fifth year, peace talks are stalling and the fighting is largely at a
stalemate despite President Donald Trump's peace efforts. Allies say the US is pushing for a deal before Trump hosts the 250th anniversary celebrations of American independence on July 4.
Bloomberg's Oliver Crook breaks down the situation.
