Our Scans · Russia · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: Russia is becoming an independent geopolitical actor. Russia will seek to maintain the world's strategic balance of power. A resurgent Russia is likely to continue to stir up trouble across much of Central and East Europe and the Middle East. It remains to be seen whether a rapprochement is possible with the U.S. And, Russia's economy is expected to return to modest growth in late 2016 and 2017, further strengthening its hand.

• [New] Russian business outlet RBK stated, citing sources in the Russian shipping and insurance industries, that Russian insurance companies have effectively stopped insuring cargo ships travelling in the Black and Azov seas for protective coverage concerning military and terrorist risks. Critical Threats
• [New] Russia will likely still conduct strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure in the upcoming winter, which will likely be more destructive after Russia hinders Ukrainian efforts to fortify its facilities in August. Critical Threats
• [New] Ukraine has been working to repair and fortify previously damaged energy infrastructure ahead of expected Russian energy strikes in Winter 2026-2027. Critical Threats
• [New] Russian strikes against Kiev City's energy infrastructure in the coming weeks will disrupt Ukrainian efforts to repair and strengthen the energy facilities that Russia damaged in Winter of 2025-2026. Critical Threats
• [New] Lavrov's comments, which followed the drone discovery, are seen as a threat and warning of a more aggressive campaign against Europe, the West, and NATO, and are close to an admission of guilt by Russia in hybrid warfare operations. Counter Extremism Project
• [New] A severe helium shortage threatens semiconductor production, with China, Russia, and Qatar simultaneously restricting global helium exports. ODG Electronics
• [New] Russia still accounted for 11.6% of Belgium's gas consumption in 2025, a higher share than at the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, despite the EU's requirement to phase out Russian gas by 2027. Volt Belgie
• [New] The moment when Europe most needs to reduce dependency is precisely when it most needs American intelligence, space capabilities, semiconductors, and AI expertise, as Russia reconstitutes its forces and China supplies Moscow's war machine and competes for technologies Europe hopes to master. Hudson Institute
• [New] Russia is a durable, immediate, and direct threat to European security. Hudson Institute
• [New] Putin said that Ukraine's and Europe's peace proposals are exotic and unacceptable to Russia and noted that Russia will only participate in negotiations that reflect ground realities. Critical Threats
• [New] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continues emphasizing Ukraine's need for US-produced Patriot interceptor missiles to defend against Russian ballistic missile strikes during Winter 2026-2027. Critical Threats
• [New] If anything, North Korea has grown even more hostile to the U.S. and its allies, going to great lengths to assist Russia in its ongoing war with Ukraine. The Soufan Center
• [New] Russia had hoped to create food shortages, but the European Union intervened and allowed Ukraine to use its overland shipping infrastructure. EBSCO
• [New] Rystad Energy estimates Russia's spare production capacity, defined as barrels that could return quickly if all constraints were lifted, at around 620,000 bpd in 2026, rising modestly to 700,000 bpd in 2027. Rystad Energy
• [New] Russian Railways and Transmashholding could contribute to railway infrastructure and rolling-stock modernization. / Ghana RUSSIA'S PIVOT TO ASIA
• [New] Moscow wants to increase fertilizer supplies and support localized fertilizer production, strengthening Ghana's agricultural sector and creating opportunities for Russian investment and technology transfer. RUSSIA'S PIVOT TO ASIA
• [New] Given the sharp rise in trade volumes, sustained efforts to improve trade quality, diversification and facilitation could realistically lift Ghana-Russia trade volumes to US$ 2 billion in the near term. RUSSIA'S PIVOT TO ASIA
• [New] The German government expects it will need €12 billion - roughly $14 billion - to build a new arsenal of long-range weapons aimed at deterring Russia. Business Insider
• [New] The addition of more North Korean missiles to Russia's arsenal will likely allow Russia to intensify its ballistic missile strikes against Ukraine in the near future without having to dip into its S-400 and Zirkon missile stocks. Critical Threats
• [New] Russia's embassy in London warned Britain today that it would face consequences for supplying drones to Ukraine which are used to target Russian territory. Just Security
• [New] Russian forces are reportedly using a new type of warhead on waiter drones to threaten the ground lines of communication in Kherson Oblast that Ukrainian forces have tried to protect with netting. Critical Threats
• [New] The risks to nuclear and radiation safety are being exacerbated by the incompetent actions of Russian administrators. Electricity Info

Last updated: 29 August 2026