October 5:
Russia's deteriorating relations with the West continue to take a toll on the country's fiscal health. The Moscow Times reports that the increasingly acrimonious ties between the Kremlin and Western powers has steadily driven the Russian stock market downward, as most investors progressively divest themselves from Russian stocks in favor of more stable - and safer - holdings. "We have begun to think of Russia as an un-investable market," says one Western hedge fund executive.
October 6:
For his birthday, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been lionized with a Soviet-style art show portraying him as a latter-day Hercules. According to New York Magazine, the show - held at Moscow's "Red October" gallery - featured panels depicting each of Putin's "struggles" against contemporary analogues to Greek mythological challenges, from the Russian president's fight against terror to his government's defiant response to Western sanctions. "Interestingly, the events of the ancient legends about the mythological hero Hercules can be relayed onto our days, when the three-headed dog Cerberus reminds us of the USA, annihilation of the Stymphalian Birds — of stopping the air raids in Syria and the cleaning of the Augean stables is fighting corruption," the organizers of the show explained via social media.
October 7:
The ongoing crisis in Ukraine is prompting thousands of refugees from the former Soviet republic to flee to Russia, The Moscow Times reports. According to the paper, Russian-speaking Ukrainians from the country's east and south - displaced by the ongoing conflict there between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists, and discontented with economic prospects in their home country - are making their way to Russia en masse. According to Russian government statistics, over one million people have found their way to the Russian Federation to date, where many have come to reside in refugee camps and temporary lodgings.
October 8:
Russia's energy giant, Lukoil, is expanding its footprint in the Middle East. RIA Novosti reports that Lukoil president Vagit Alikperov is slated to visit Iraq later this month as part of an effort to ramp up involvement there. Lukoil is currently developing Iraq’s West Qurna-2 oil field, one of the largest in the world, and maintains majority stakes in two additional large fields elsewhere in the country. But Alikperov and other Lukoil executives are thinking still bigger; Alikperov's upcoming visit is intended to pave the way for “the expansion of our operations in Iraq," the oil chief has told reporters.
October 10:
On the heels of Vladimir Putin's July trip to Latin America, Moscow is expanding its public diplomacy outreach in the Western Hemisphere. According to RIA Novosti, Putin and his Argentinean counterpart, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, have formally launched a Spanish-language version of Russian state broadcaster RT in Argentina. Under the arrangement hammered out between Moscow and Buenos Aires, the Russian channel will be broadcast alongside Argentinean state ones, and will be accessible to 80 percent of Argentina's 43 million person population.
The Kremlin is militarizing its newest territorial holding. The Washington Free Beacon reports that Russia has begun moving tactical nuclear weapons into Crimea in a move designed to further cement its control over the recently-annexed territory. The step has drawn outrage from lawmakers on Capitol Hill. "It further positions Russian nuclear weapons closer to the heart of NATO, and it allows Russia to gain a military benefit from its seizure of Crimea, allowing Russia to profit from its action," a letter to the White House signed by members of the House Armed Services Committee notes.
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