Regional retail chains will join the system of voluntary limitation of markups on basic socially significant goods, Interfax reports with reference to the press service of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation. This proposal was discussed at a working meeting of the ministry with representatives of retail and interested departments. We are talking, among other things, about limiting store markups on seasonal vegetables, sugar, bread, and dairy products.

Three people were killed in Donetsk as a result of heavy shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, reported the Russian-appointed head of the self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic” (DNR) Denis Pushilin. According to Pushilin, 11 people, including one child whose birth year was given as 2012, were injured in the city’s Kyivskyi, Voroshylovskyi, and Kuibyshivskyi districts. In the Kyivskyi district, one of the shells crashed into a vehicle, injuring the driver and two others.

From August 11, Latvia will strengthen the border security regime in the administrative territories of Ludza, Kraslava, Augsdaugava and Daugavpils counties bordering Russia and Belarus. This was announced by the Latvian government. The order stipulates that the State Border Guard, with the support of the military and State Police, will strengthen control over the Latvian-Belarusian border.

Three people died as a result of intense shelling of Donetsk “from the armed forces of Ukraine,” said the head of the self-proclaimed DPR Denis Pushilin. According to him, in the Kievsky, Voroshilovsky and Kuibyshevsky districts of the city, 11 people were injured, including a child born in 2012. In addition, in the Kiev region, one of the shells hit a car. The driver and two loaders were injured. Another person was wounded in Shakhtersk.

Experts believe that Roskomnadzor is massively blocking popular VPN protocols Since August 7, Russian users have been reporting problems with VPN services. One of the first to notice problems with connecting to services to bypass blocking was the author of the Telegram channel "Esher II" Philipp Kulin. In particular, problems with the popular VPN protocols OpenVPN and WireGuard became known.

What Russia’s elites learned from the 2008 invasion of Georgia Musa Sadulayev / AP / Scanpix / LETA A convoy of Russian troops advancing towards Tskhinvali. August 8, 2023. 15 years ago, in August 2008, the Russian military entered into open conflict with Georgia. Moscow launched an offensive deep into the country before securing a favorable peace treaty and avoiding international isolation.

Since August 7, numerous Russian Internet users have reported experiencing technical problems with VPN services. The issues have affected customers of mobile operators like MTS, MegaFon, Beeline, Tele2, Yota, and Tinkoff Mobile, while VPNs on fixed line providers like Rostelecom seem to be operating fine, according to the site SecurityLab.

Yandex is set to start sharing Yango taxi ride data with the FSB. Users in Israel, Europe, and elsewhere may find their privacy rights compromised by Russia’s new surveillance law. Starting on September 1, 2023, the FSB will gain round-the-clock access to user data collected by Yango, a Yandex-owned ride-hailing and delivery app also operating under the brand name Yandex Go.

The first Leopard 1 tanks purchased from Belgium by an unknown country have been sent to Ukraine, reports Belgian publication Business AM. 50 of the Leopard 1 tanks were fully decommissioned several years ago and stored in a warehouse in the city of Tournai. Belgium was not planning to transfer the tanks to Ukraine because making them operational was too expensive. Business AM writes that Belgium sold the tanks to a company called OIP Systems for 15,000 Euros (around $16,400) each.

The new Russian history textbook, which will be used to teach the subject to high school students starting in September 2023, claims that the law on “foreign agents” was only adopted in the country in 2022. Mediazona editor-in-chief Sergei Smirnov drew attention to this. Photos of the textbook pages were published the day before by Russian media, including RBC . "Foreign agents" are mentioned in paragraph 37, titled "Russia Today. Special Military Operation ( SVO )," on page 409.

The first Leopard 1 tanks, purchased by an unnamed state, were sent to Ukraine from Belgium. This was reported by the Belgian publication Business AM. 50 tanks were completely taken out of service several years ago and were stored in a warehouse in the city of Tournai. Belgium did not plan to transfer them to Ukraine, since putting them into operation turned out to be too expensive. According to Business AM, Belgium sold the tanks to OIP Systems at a price of 15 thousand euros apiece.

Your Browser Does Not Support the Audio Element. Power hides a lot of information about the Russian economy. How do researchers bypass these prohibitions? And by the way, what do they think about the economic situation of the country? At the end of June, the journalists of The Bell found that the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation hid the operational data on budget expenditures. Previously, such data were in the public domain on the main page of the Federal Portal "Electronic Budget".

A Meduza photo report on the territory bordering South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Georgia’s Russian-occupied regions Exactly 15 years ago, in August 2008, Russia invaded Georgia — Russian troops took the side of the “self-proclaimed republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia,” which were not completely under Tbilisi’s de facto control. The conflict only lasted five days — the Russian army drove Georgian troops out of the republics, achieved a favorable truce, and avoided international isolation.

Kursk regional governor Roman Starovoyt reported that a kamikaze drone crashed on the grounds of the Saint Nicholas Monastery in the village of Gornal in the Sudzhansky district. According to Starovoyt, one child sustained minor injuries to his hand. He was treated on-site and was then taken into a hospital for examination. The head of the monastery told RBK that the drone crashed on the monastery’s grounds.

The authorities in Italy have stopped the Investor Visa for Italy program for Russian and Belarusian nationals. The program provides residence permits in Italy in exchange for investments in the country, writes Italian publication Alreconomia. The visa program’s website currently features a short announcement stating that the program has stopped working for citizens of Russia and Belarus, in accordance with E.U. recommendations.