Russia is ramping up weapons production not only for the war in Ukraine but also for a potential future conflict with NATO, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports. Analysts observe large-scale investments in the production of drones, armored vehicles, aircraft, and ships — the key platforms Russia is likely to rely on in a future confrontation with the Alliance.
Russian businesses report growing delays in deliveries from CIS countries due to stricter customs checks. The tightest controls are at the borders with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, and Georgia. The only route currently operating without delays is through Belarus. While deliveries previously took 10–30 days, they now stretch up to 45 days. Businesses attribute this to attempts by Russia’s neighbors to mitigate the risks of secondary sanctions.
A Russian national is on trial in the United Kingdom for financing sanctioned groups in Donbas. 53-year-old Mikhail Vlasov is accused of transferring around £4,000 in cryptocurrency between 2022 and 2023 to support the so-called “DNR/LNR” militias.
The French financial regulator has fined Delubac Bank €600,000 for due diligence failures involving clients from high-risk jurisdictions. The ACPR found the bank failed to properly vet the origin of funds and cross-border transfers involving customers from Russia and Belarus, exposing it to sanctions-evasion risks.
Read more news in ESCU’s Russian Media Monitoring Report #24:
