Ben Aris
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long time Russia reporter. ex Daily Telegraph moscow bureau, ex Banker/Euromoney contributing editor, 15 yrs freelance. founder & editor business new europe
Articles by Ben Aris
Missile War Monitor: Russian strike wipes out Datagroup's Kyiv data centre, attack near capital kills three
Russian ballistic missiles destroyed telecoms company Datagroup's Kyiv data centre beyond repair, the company said on October 19, and an attack on an enterprise near Kyiv killed three that evening. "The restoration and further operation [of the data centre] are impossible," Datagroup said in a statement, adding that none of its staff were hurt and that it was serving customers through backup facilities, the Kyiv Post reported.
Send Schroeder to Moscow for peace talks with Putin
No one in Europe is talking to the Kremlin. You can’t end a war if you don’t start negotiations. Someone from Europe has to be appointed to talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin otherwise this war will go on forever or else Ukraine will be defeated – and soon. The Trump administration has made an effort. It culminated in the 27-point peace plan (27PPP) agreed at the Moscow meeting on December 3 that came very close to ending the war.
Jalta-Treffen in China? Putin will mit Trump und Xi über die Ukraine entscheiden, ohne Selenskyj und die EU
Weltordnung Putin will mit Trump und Xi in Shenzhen über den Ukraine-Krieg verhandeln. Zugleich drehen die USA der Ukraine bei Patriots und Starlink allmählich den Hahn zu. 19.10.2026, 16:50 Uhr Bei Google bevorzugen So sehen Sie häufiger Artikel von Berliner-Zeitung.de in ihren Google Ergebnissen Link kopiert Die Artikel-URL wurde erfolgreich in Ihrer Zwischenablage gespeichert. Donald Trump und Wladimir Putin im Juli 2018 in Helsinki.
Jalta-Treffen in China? Putin will mit Trump und Xi über die Ukraine entscheiden, ohne Selenskyj und die EU
Weltordnung Putin will mit Trump und Xi in Shenzhen über den Ukraine-Krieg verhandeln. Zugleich drehen die USA der Ukraine bei Patriots und Starlink allmählich den Hahn zu. 19.10.2026, 16:50 Uhr Bei Google bevorzugen So sehen Sie häufiger Artikel von Ostdeutscheallgemeine.com in ihren Google Ergebnissen Link kopiert Die Artikel-URL wurde erfolgreich in Ihrer Zwischenablage gespeichert. Donald Trump und Wladimir Putin im Juli 2018 in Helsinki.
Slovakia's fourth Mochovce reactor sends first power to the grid
The fourth unit of Slovakia's Mochovce nuclear power plant supplied electricity to the national grid for the first time on October 15, operator Slovenske elektrarne (SE) said, the Slovak news agency TASR reported. SE connected the first of the unit's two turbogenerators at 20:41 local time, with the reactor at 20% power. The reactor had reached minimum controlled power on August 6.
Missile War Monitor: Russian ballistic missiles kill one in Kyiv as Zelenskiy says US holds back paid-for Patriots
Russian ballistic missiles hit Kyiv overnight on October 18-19, killing one person and injuring eight, as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the US holds back Patriot interceptors Ukraine has paid for. The missiles hit a medical centre in the Desnianskyi district and a building in the Dniprovskyi district, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said, the Kyiv Independent reported.
Israel's Netanyahu says Russia's interests clash with Israel's over Iran
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Russia of cooperating with Iran and of letting antisemitic bot networks target Israel, telling reporters on October 18 that Russian and Israeli interests "sometimes even clash". "Russia has its own interests, and the State of Israel has its interests, and they do not always overlap. Sometimes they even clash," Netanyahu said at a rare press briefing at which he set out Israel's national security doctrine, answering a question from i24NEWS.
Ukraine's €70bn gap revives EU calls to make peace with Russia
A growing number of EU leaders are questioning whether Europe can keep paying for Ukraine's war, as Kyiv faces a €70bn funding gap for 2027 and the bloc's largest economies struggle with rising debt. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has repeated calls he first made in a March interview with Belgian daily L'Echo for the EU to normalise relations with Russia and negotiate an end to the war, arguing that Europe could not end the conflict militarily or economically without full US backing.
Putin proposes Ukraine peace summit with Trump and Xi that leaves Zelenskiy out
Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed meeting Donald Trump and Xi Jinping next month to settle the war in Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskiy has not been invited, The Wall Street Journal reported on October 18.
Ukraine's Zelenskiy talks to Trump envoys as Starlink row deepens
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy spoke to US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on October 18, his first call with senior US officials since Washington's diesel deal with Moscow, Axios reported. Zelenskiy's call with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on October 18. Source: Volodymyr Zelenskiy on X "Our teams maintain virtually nonstop communication.
Space war: Russia may be deploying killer satellites as US throttles Ukraine's access
An AI generated video depicting a Russian satellite crashing into a Finnish spy satellite providing intelligence to Ukraine's militayr has been doing the rounds on social media.
Russia wins UN committee vote branding Western sanctions a form of colonialism
Neo-colonialism is back as a hot button issue and has been very effectively used by the Kremlin to undermine the West’s influence in Africa while binding these countries more closely to Russia’s expanding influence in the Global South. A Russian-drafted resolution equating unilateral economic sanctions to modern colonialism cleared a UN General Assembly committee by 85 votes to 49, with 23 abstentions, on October 15.
Ukraine's Cheese Kingdom to suspend operations by year-end
Cheese Kingdom, once Ukraine's largest specialist cheese chain, will suspend operations by the end of 2026, citing security risks, co-owner Lyubov Nikolayeva told LIGA.net on October 16. A specialist cheese shop, with cheese wheels and wine on wooden shelves. Photo: social media The chain, known in Ukrainian as Syrne Korolivstvo, sold more than 100 kinds of European cheese and had 84 stores at its 2021 peak. That fell to 48 by June 2025 and to 32 by October, Forbes Ukraine reported on October 16.
World of Tanks developer Lesta Games sold to little-known company
Lesta Games, the nationalised developer of World of Tanks, has been sold to Industrial Structures, a little-known company with undisclosed owners, Kommersant reported on October 16. The buyer, which calls itself a consortium of private investors, plans to invest up to RUB10bn ($120mn) in Russia's gaming industry over the next three years, including through a new venture fund, and aims to release at least five new games in that time, it told Kommersant. Neither side disclosed the price.
Missile War Monitor: Ukrainian drones set St Petersburg oil terminal on fire as Russia claims 1,015 downed
Ukrainian drones set fire to the Petersburg Oil Terminal overnight on October 17-18, St Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said, Moscow 24 reported. There were no casualties, according to preliminary information. A FIRE IS REPORTED; NO HALT OR SHUTDOWN OF THE TERMINAL IS REPORTED. THE TERMINAL IS A FUEL STORAGE AND EXPORT FACILITY IN THE PORT, NOT A REFINERY.
Putin says Russia's 660 km "security zone" in Ukraine, not up for negotiation
Russia is carving out a "security zone" inside Ukraine along its shared border that will be off the table in any peace talks, President Vladimir Putin said on October 16, Reuters reported. "The Russian armed forces were tasked not only with expelling the enemy from our land but also with establishing a security zone in the adjacent territory. This task is being carried out successfully," Putin said in televised comments, wearing military uniform on a visit to a command post.
Trump waives Russia's "hellish" sanctions two days before they bite
US President Donald Trump has put a sweeping package of sanctions and tariffs under the Graham Act on hold and given Russia a comprehensive waiver only two days before it was due to take effect, AP reported on October 17. Trump signed an executive order on October 16 telling Congress that the pause was in the US national interest. He had signed the so-called “sanctions from hell” – or more formally, the Lindsey O.
Ukraine's heating season kicks off as Russia plunges the biggest cities into darkness
Heating season has officially begun as Russia plunges Kyiv into darkness with one of the largest drone and missiles attacks on power assets of the war. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko switched on the capital's central heating on October 16 amidst Russian strikes on what remains of the capital’s generation capacity that forced emergency blackouts across the city. Russia hit 15 energy sites in massive strike, using hundreds of high powered drones and dozens of missiles.
Czech and Belgian leaders break ranks on Ukraine funding as Zelenskiy urges joint EU path with Moldova
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said he opposed earmarking tens of billions of additional euros of borrowed EU money for Ukraine in the bloc's next seven-year budget, exposing cracks behind the show of unity at the October 15-16 Brussels summit, the Kyiv Independent reported. "I don't like that there are 100 billion euros from the European budget for Ukraine, that this money should be borrowed," Babis told reporters.
Missile War Monitor: Ukraine has run out of Patriot interceptors, CNN reports, after no ballistic missile was downed overnight
Ukraine has run out of missiles for the US-made Patriot air defence system, leaving it more vulnerable to Russian ballistic missile attack, a source familiar with the situation told CNN. Almost all the ballistic missiles from the last Russian strike were not intercepted for want of interceptors, the same source said. THE SOURCE IS UNNAMED. CNN PUBLISHED THE REPORT ON OCTOBER 15 AND HAS UPDATED IT SINCE. NO UKRAINIAN OFFICIAL HAS CONFIRMED A COMPLETE EXHAUSTION.
Ukraine's Zelenskiy asks EU for €70bn more, says diesel deal fills Putin's pocket
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy asked EU leaders for at least €70bn ($78bn) more for next year and said Donald Trump's diesel deal with Russia would put cash "straight into Putin's pocket", as the bloc's Brussels summit closed on October 16 without a budget deal or a decision on Ukraine. "The war will cost €155 billion next year. And we need at least €70 billion more from you - for defence, for weapons, and for our resilience. This is a realistic amount.
Ukraine's data centre strikes expose the cost of Russia's sovereign internet, Carnegie says
Russia's decade-long drive to keep all of its internet infrastructure on home soil has made it a sitting duck. Ukrainian drones have knocked out almost half of Yandex's capacity in only four days, causing chaos for everyone from taxi customers to firemen, according to an analysis from Carnegie Politika published on October 16.
Ukraine, Hungary reset ties as Kyiv eyes last EU accession clusters by year-end
Ukraine and Hungary agreed to rebuild relations at the first bilateral meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Prime Minister Peter Magyar, held in Brussels on October 16, and Kyiv now wants its last two EU accession clusters opened by the end of the year. "Today, we have truly opened a new chapter. This is a reset across all tracks: political, economic, humanitarian and others," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said, Kyiv Post reported.
EU summit ends without budget deal as Ukraine seeks €40bn for 2027 defence
EU leaders failed to agree the bloc's 2028-2034 budget at their Brussels summit and pushed the fight to an extraordinary meeting on November 26, as Kyiv told the G7 that €40bn of its defence needs for next year is unfunded. The leaders lined up behind Ukraine after US President Donald Trump's turn towards Moscow, but made little headway on how to pay for Kyiv's war.
Missile War Monitor: Russian drones cut power to 370,000 subscribers in Volyn as Moscow claims 644 drones downed
Russian drones cut power to 370,000 subscribers in Ukraine's Volyn region overnight on October 15-16, acting regional head Roman Romaniuk said, UNN reported. Ukrenergo reported a large-scale outage in parts of Kyiv and the Kyiv region after an attack on "a critical energy infrastructure facility", which it did not name, Interfax-Ukraine reported.
„Der westliche Deeskalationsansatz ist falsch“: Chodorkowskis Plan für ein anderes Russland
Putins Kriegswirtschaft schwächelt, doch ein Ende ist nicht in Sicht. Michail Chodorkowski erklärt im Gespräch, warum der Kreml den Krieg braucht und was Europa tun kann. 16.10.2026, 15:06 Uhr Bei Google bevorzugen So sehen Sie häufiger Artikel von Berliner-Zeitung.de in ihren Google Ergebnissen Link kopiert Die Artikel-URL wurde erfolgreich in Ihrer Zwischenablage gespeichert. „Solange Putin an der Macht ist, wird es kein Kriegsende geben“: Chodorkowski warnt Europa vor falschen Hoffnungen.
„Der westliche Deeskalationsansatz ist falsch“: Chodorkowskis Plan für ein anderes Russland
Putins Kriegswirtschaft schwächelt, doch ein Ende ist nicht in Sicht. Michail Chodorkowski erklärt im Gespräch, warum der Kreml den Krieg braucht und was Europa tun kann. 16.10.2026, 15:06 Uhr Bei Google bevorzugen So sehen Sie häufiger Artikel von Ostdeutscheallgemeine.com in ihren Google Ergebnissen Link kopiert Die Artikel-URL wurde erfolgreich in Ihrer Zwischenablage gespeichert. „Solange Putin an der Macht ist, wird es kein Kriegsende geben“: Chodorkowski warnt Europa vor falschen Hoffnungen.
MOSCOW BLOG: Europe’s delusions risk starting a war with Russia
Europe is talking itself into war with Russia. The bust up between Ukraine and America in the last days has not only been the most dramatic split between the two since the famous Oval Office fracas in February last year, but is also pushing Europe into more and more extreme positions to protect and help its friend Ukraine.
„Zu wenig Druck“: EU gesteht Wirkungslosigkeit ihrer Georgien-Politik ein
Die EU hat eingeräumt, dass ihre Politik gegenüber Georgien weder den Kurs der Regierung der Partei Georgischer Traum verändert noch Europas eigene strategische Interessen schützt. „Unser derzeitiger Ansatz erzeugt nicht genügend Druck, um Veränderungen herbeizuführen. Er erlaubt uns auch nicht, Europas strategische Interessen in vollem Umfang zu verfolgen.
„Zu wenig Druck“: EU gesteht Wirkungslosigkeit ihrer Georgien-Politik ein
Die EU hat eingeräumt, dass ihre Politik gegenüber Georgien weder den Kurs der Regierung der Partei Georgischer Traum verändert noch Europas eigene strategische Interessen schützt. „Unser derzeitiger Ansatz erzeugt nicht genügend Druck, um Veränderungen herbeizuführen. Er erlaubt uns auch nicht, Europas strategische Interessen in vollem Umfang zu verfolgen.
„Zu wenig Druck“: EU gesteht Wirkungslosigkeit ihrer Georgien-Politik ein
Die EU hat eingeräumt, dass ihre Politik gegenüber Georgien weder den Kurs der Regierung der Partei Georgischer Traum verändert noch Europas eigene strategische Interessen schützt. „Unser derzeitiger Ansatz erzeugt nicht genügend Druck, um Veränderungen herbeizuführen. Er erlaubt uns auch nicht, Europas strategische Interessen in vollem Umfang zu verfolgen.
Indonesia cuts extreme poverty rate to 3.7%
Indonesia has cut the share of its people living in extreme poverty from 86% in 1984 to 3.7% in 2025, World Bank data compiled by Our World in Data show. Share of people living below the international poverty line of $3 a day in China and Indonesia, 1984-2025. Source: Our World in Data, World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026), CC BY.
INTERVIEW: Europe must break Putin’s belief that he can win – Khodorkovsky
Vladimir Putin’s ability to sustain the war in Ukraine is weakening, but neither economic pressure nor public discontent is likely to force him to stop soon, former Russian oligarch turned dissident Mikhail Khodorkovsky told a group of journalists in Berlin on October 15.
Zelenskiy lifts refinery strike ban as Musk says US military sets Starlink limits
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv would resume strikes on Russian refineries after Washington asked Ukraine to pause them, while Elon Musk said limits on Starshield and Starlink were set by the US military. The dispute played out alongside renewed circulation on October 14 of a Truth Social post in which US President Donald Trump called Zelenskiy “a dictator without elections”. Trump published that post on February 19, 2025, not this week.
Ukraine's spending freeze stalls shelters, grid protection before winter
Ukraine has pushed UAH39bn ($865mn) of spending on bomb shelters and grid protection into December, a delay Zelenskiy's former press secretary Iuliia Mendel called a failure of leadership on October 14. With winter coming and Russian missiles still hitting power plants, the government "ran short of cash and did something remarkable: it put the money for bomb shelters on hold", Mendel, who was President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's spokeswoman in 2019-2021, wrote in a post on X.
Missile War Monitor: Ukraine says a Neptune strike destroyed six Su-34M bombers at Borisoglebsk
Ukraine's Navy said Neptune missiles destroyed six Su-34M bombers at the Borisoglebsk military airbase in Russia's Voronezh region overnight on October 14-15, Ukrinform reported. The morning edition of this monitor could carry the fire at the base only as a monitoring-channel claim, with no statement from either side; this is Kyiv's own account.
Ukraine strikes Ryazan refinery as Zelenskiy ends three-day pause
Ukraine has resumed its strikes on Russian oil refineries, with a drone attack starting a fire at a plant in the Ryazan region, regional governor Pavel Malkov said on October 15. Material damage was being assessed and emergency services were at the scene, Malkov said on Telegram, Reuters reported. The strike came hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told the Financial Times that Kyiv's three-day halt was over. "The block [on attacking refineries] is out.
US asks Europe to unfreeze Russian central bank assets
The US has proposed that European countries unfreeze some of Russia's immobilised sovereign assets and transfer them to a vehicle overseen by Washington, in an attempt to revive peace talks, the Financial Times reported on October 15. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner put the idea to European delegates at a meeting in Miami, and it was rejected. How the money would be released, and what it would be spent on, has not been settled.
Drohnen gegen Yandex: Der Mythos vom Ende der russischen Bot-Armee
Die ukrainischen Drohnenangriffe auf Rechenzentren von Yandex haben russische Desinformations- und Einflussoperationen in den sozialen Medien nachweislich nicht beeinträchtigt, entgegen anderslautender viraler Behauptungen. Das sagten Desinformationsforscher dem Online-Portal Kyiv Independent. Die Ukraine hatte zwischen dem 9. und 11. Oktober Rechenzentren von Yandex, dem größten Internetkonzern Russlands, in drei Regionen angegriffen.
Drohnen gegen Yandex: Der Mythos vom Ende der russischen Bot-Armee
Die ukrainischen Drohnenangriffe auf Rechenzentren von Yandex haben russische Desinformations- und Einflussoperationen in den sozialen Medien nachweislich nicht beeinträchtigt, entgegen anderslautender viraler Behauptungen. Das sagten Desinformationsforscher dem Online-Portal Kyiv Independent. Die Ukraine hatte zwischen dem 9. und 11. Oktober Rechenzentren von Yandex, dem größten Internetkonzern Russlands, in drei Regionen angegriffen.
EU admits its Georgia policy is failing as Tbilisi doubles down on confrontation
The EU has acknowledged that its policy towards Georgia is neither changing the course of the Georgian Dream government nor protecting Europe's own strategic interests, and will return to the issue in January, JAMnews reported on October 13. "Our current approach is not creating enough pressure to bring about change, nor is it allowing us to fully pursue Europe's strategic interests.
COMMENT: Trump-Putin diesel deal is largely for show, Russia gains little, Carnegie's Vakulenko says
The diesel agreement between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will add little Russian diesel to the global market and earn Moscow only "small fry", Sergey Vakulenko, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, argued in a commentary for Carnegie Politika published on October 13. Under the deal, Russia is to export 300,000 tonnes of diesel in October, 500,000 tonnes in November and 1mn tonnes a month after that through April 2027.
Ukraine's Yandex strikes did not cripple Russian influence operations, monitors say
Ukraine's drone strikes on Yandex data centres have not been shown to disrupt Russian disinformation and influence operations on social media, despite viral claims to the contrary, disinformation researchers told the Kyiv Independent on October 13. Ukraine hit data centres run by Yandex, Russia's largest internet company, in three regions between October 9 and 11 in response to Russian strikes on similar facilities in Ukraine.
SpaceX throttles Ukraine's military Starlink without warning, Kyiv says
SpaceX has imposed a speed limit on Starlink terminals used by Ukraine's armed forces, disrupting a number of combat missions, presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov said on October 14, adding that the military was given no warning. The cap applies to terminals in motion under Starshield, the "military package" of SpaceX's satellite service, and is set at 100 mph (160 km/h), Beskrestnov, who advises President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on defence technology, wrote on his Telegram channel.
Russia destroys Ukrainian retailer Epicentr's last big logistics hub
Russia has destroyed the last big logistics hub of Ukrainian retailer Epicentr, hitting its distribution centre in Khmelnytskyi 10 times in a single day, the company said on October 13. Fire tears through the racking at Epicentr's distribution centre in Khmelnytskyi after Russian drone strikes on October 13.
Ukraine, Moldova open two more EU accession clusters
Ukraine and Moldova opened two more clusters of EU accession talks in Luxembourg on October 13, leaving only two of the six still closed to them, Ukraine's foreign ministry said. All 27 member states agreed to open Cluster 2, the internal market, and Cluster 3, competitiveness and inclusive growth, which run from the free movement of goods, workers, services and capital to economic policy, taxation, digital transformation, education and science.
Missile War Monitor: Russian ballistic missiles hit Kyiv's CHP-4; Air Force says it downed only four of 39
Russia fired 39 ballistic-trajectory missiles and 128 drones at Ukraine overnight, mostly at Kyiv, its region and Kharkiv, and only four missiles were downed, Ukraine's Air Force said. The Air Force listed the missiles as Iskander-M, KN-23, S-400, Zircon and Onyx types launched from the Kursk, Bryansk, Voronezh and Rostov regions from 18:00 on October 13, with a large number aimed at energy facilities, Suspilne reported.
US, Europe draft four-point peace plan for Ukraine
The US and Europe are drafting a four-point plan to end the war in Ukraine that would freeze the fighting on the current front line, The Washington Post columnist David Ignatius reported. Rebuilding Ukraine would be the first pillar. The World Bank and BlackRock would design financing to rebuild devastated regions, support soldiers’ families and restart the economy. Negotiators have asked Kyiv for detailed cost estimates and guarantees against the money being looted.
Ukraine gets no Western warning of Russian ballistic strike on Kyiv
Ukraine had no warning from its Western partners before Russia fired five ballistic missiles at Kyiv overnight, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on October 13, Kyiv Post reported. "Unfortunately, there was no warning from our partners about this strike. Intelligence on the launch of Russian ballistic missiles helps save lives," Zelenskiy said in a Telegram post.
Infographic guide to Russia and Ukraine's missile and drone arsenals
Four years into the full-scale war, Russia and Ukraine are fighting with arsenals that barely resemble each other. This guide sets the two side by side, class by class, in nine charts. As the brutal tit-for-tat missile war escalates, Russia still massively outguns Ukraine in almost all classes of missile and drone, as Kyiv's air defences dwindle. Ukraine has won the drone war on volume.
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