Spending by Russians on marketplaces has decreased in recent weeks compared to recent months, according to SberIndex data. These are “only the first signs,” said Sber CFO Taras Skvortsov. Since mid-July, Ukrainian drones have been attacking Wildberries warehouses, and last week they began striking Ozon logistics centers. Details.

The military that staged a mutiny in Niger on Saturday seized the airport in the capital Niamey and held Russian troops hostage for several hours, a former Nigerian diplomat told The New York Times. The seizure of hostages from among the Niger military and foreigners at the air base adjacent to the airport was confirmed to Jeune Afrique by a source in the Niger security services. Details. The operation began around 1 a.m.

During a visit to Moscow, CIA Director John Ratcliffe concluded that FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov was a constructive player who could help restart diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine, Axios wrote, citing two sources familiar with the situation.

The German government is preparing to officially hold Russia responsible for an attempted drone attack on Leipzig/Halle airport and announce a “wide-ranging” response, Politico writes, citing three German officials. Among the options being discussed are new sanctions against Russian structures and an increase in arms supplies to Ukraine. Bild also writes about Berlin’s plans to publicly blame Moscow and its retaliatory measures. Details.

Russia's strike on the Kyiv region was one of the deadliest since the start of the war. The large number of casualties is due, among other things, to the storage of ammunition near houses At least 27 people were killed and another 42 were injured as a result of a Russian strike on an enterprise in the village of Mila...

Vladimir Putin on Friday got behind the wheel of the new Volga K50 crossover, which he was shown during a trip to Nizhny Novgorod. For the manufacturer, the appearance of Putin behind the wheel may be an attempt to push up the currently extremely low sales of the new Volga. Previously, such presidential trips actually had a positive effect on interest in Russian cars, but in recent years this effect, judging by sales, has disappeared.

St. Petersburg businessman Ilya Traber, after being released from the Lefortovo pre-trial detention center, is in his office/house on Starorusskaya Street, a source familiar with the authority told the Agency. ️ According to him, Traber was wearing an electronic bracelet that monitored his location. ️ The house and office on Starorusskaya Street, houses 14 and 12, Traber has been occupying for the third decade.

The hacker group Black8Mirror said that the analytical note it published this week with eight scenarios for ending the war in Ukraine was obtained from the correspondence of the head of Sberbank German Gref with the Metropolitan of Simferopol and Crimea Tikhon (Shevkunov), whom the media has for many years called “the confessor of Vladimir Putin.” Details.

At the Gazprom Pererabotka plant in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, a training session was supposed to take place in August, during which it was planned to practice actions when sending employees to the army for mobilization, it follows from a document published by an assistant to State Duma deputy Mikhail Delyagin and blogger Pavel Ivanov. The authenticity of the document cannot be independently verified.

Russian sentiment continued to improve in August, despite a new wave of gasoline shortages and attacks on the warehouses of the two leading marketplaces Wildberries and Ozon. The share of Russians experiencing tension, irritation, fear or melancholy has dropped to 25%, according to a new survey by the Levada Center. In July this figure was 28%, and in June - 29%. At the same time, the share of those in “normal, even condition” increased from 56% in June to 59% in August. Details.

Russia may attack Finland to seize its territory by 2040, according to a study by the Research Institute of the Finnish Defense Forces. Details. The study, “An Age of Turmoil: Finland's Operating Environment in 2040,” examines the factors that will shape the country's defense 14 years from now. The authors identified five main factors, one of which is security threats. They call Russia the main threat.

Putin visited the region in European Russia for the second time this summer Vladimir Putin arrived in Nizhny Novgorod on Friday. This is his first trip to the region of the European part of Russia since June 18 (outside the regions where the main presidential residences are located). Everyone else... pic.twitter.com/uSSTN850hs — Agency News (@agents_media) August 28, 2026 Vladimir Putin arrived in Nizhny Novgorod on Friday.

Gasoline production in Russia and its supplies to the domestic market in the first three weeks of August fell by almost 20% compared to the same period last year, Bloomberg writes, citing a source familiar with the data. Diesel production fell by more than 23%. Details. The total volume of oil refining in Russia has dropped to almost the lowest level in more than 20 years, according to data from EA Analytics, a division of the consulting company Energy Aspects.

The soldier killed in the car explosion was presumably Sergei Sechkov, the Ukrainian telegram channel Supernova+ reported. The details of Sechkov’s biography known from leaks coincide with the data published the day before by the Russian media. Sechkov’s father confirmed to the Agency that his son died in the explosion. According to the Ukrainian project “Peacemaker,” he served in the 332nd Separate Guards Helicopter Regiment of the Red Banner.

The Cabinet of Ministers is preparing a package of measures to control fuel circulation and control pricing on the fuel market, writes Kommersant. Among the condemned measures are the establishment of indicative prices and increased control over the cost of fuel, the newspaper writes. If prices are severely limited, this could make supplies to deficit regions unprofitable, the source warned journalists. Details .