Stories under this heading cover Russia, as well as countries in the eastern part of the European continent, such as Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova.
Kazakhstan has announced that it will launch an online system that will track all goods crossing its borders from 1 April in an attempt to demonstrate that it is complying with Western sanctions on Russia.
Open source intelligence (OSINT) groups are reporting that Russia has begun to deploy Stalin-era tanks to Ukraine after reportedly suffering "significant armoured vehicle losses".
After receiving photographs of a train transporting tanks in Russia's Far East to the west, the Georgia-based OSINT group Conflict Intelligence Team has identified them as T-54 and T-55 tanks. Although Russia's use of the later T-62 tank has been previously reported, this is the first recorded instance of Russia deploying even older tanks, they report.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak stated on Sunday that Moscow will not adhere to the price cap of $60 per barrel imposed by the G7 on the sale of Russian oil to non-EU countries, and will reduce production in order to make up for lost exports.
Novak also argued that the price cap mechanism contravenes World Trade Organization rules, would cause a decrease in energy investment, and could potentially lead to worldwide shortages and further market disruption.