INSIDE RUSSIA - WHAT'S HAPPENING IN RUSSIA RIGHT NOW | October 14, 2026

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UKRAINE ATTACKS THE DATA CENTER OF RUSSIA’S LARGEST BANK. RESIDENTS REPORT WIDESPREAD OUTAGES ACROSS THE RUSSIAN INTERNET 

Tonight, the data center of Russia’s largest bank Sberbank came under attack by Ukrainian drones. This was reported by Alexander Vedyakhin, the bank’s first deputy chairman of the executive board. According to him, “all Sberbank systems and services are operating normally.”

Meanwhile, users in Russia are reporting outages affecting mail service Mail.Ru, cloud service Mail.Ru Cloud, business ecosystem service Kontur, Tochka Bank, delivery service Samokat, Ozon marketplace, as well as Sberbank itself together with its AI chatbot GigaChat, according to data from the outage monitoring service Detector404.

Complaints are also coming in about social network VKontakte, amoCRM, and St. Petersburg internet provider SkyNet. Users are also reporting problems with Yandex Pay.

The largest number of complaints has been recorded for Mail.Ru — around 3,100 in one hour and 8,600 over the past 24 hours.

In the first two weeks of October, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked data centers of Russia’s largest IT company Yandex three times, which led to widespread outages affecting Russian internet services. According to experts, equipment deliveries and data center restoration could take around six months, Sirena writes.

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RUSSIAN PROVINCES ARE CHANGING BUSINESS SUPPORT POLICIES IN FAVOR OF WAR PARTICIPANTS

Authorities in several Russian provinces have introduced small-business support rules that offer the most favorable terms to participants in the war in Ukraine. Independent outlet The Insider drew attention to government assistance programs for former military personnel in Buryatia, Astrakhan, and Krasnoyarsk provinces, with similar programs also existing in Samara and Bashkortostan.

In August, the Buryatia Republic of Russia government introduced new rules for distributing subsidies to small and medium-sized businesses. While ordinary entrepreneurs can receive compensation for up to 50% of their expenses, war veterans are eligible for up to 70%, and those who became disabled during the war are eligible for up to 80%. War participants will also be given priority when receiving subsidies.

On October 12, the government of Astrakhan province adopted a policy stipulating that subsidies for developing farms will be provided first and foremost to war participants and their families.

In Krasnoyarsk province, the administration introduced additional “points” for small and medium-sized businesses for employing war participants, which gives them an advantage when competing for investment projects. Krasnoyarsk also has a subsidy eligibility criterion based on participation in the war, but no one received an advantage under this criterion in the summer and autumn of 2026, according to available records.

In February, the authorities of Samara province introduced a scoring system for distributing grants to businesses. Companies that hired war participants began receiving the maximum score of 60 points. In addition, provincial authorities held a competition for business owners who had participated in the war, as a result of which 52 people will receive grants of up to 500,000 rubles ($5,880).

Since 2025, Bashkortostan has introduced a program of preferential microloans for participants in the war in Ukraine. While interest rates for ordinary business categories range from 8% to 14%, the rate for businesses run by former military personnel is just 4.5%. According to publicly available data, three people have so far used the program.

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ESTONIA ANNOUNCES PLANS TO SHUT DOWN BACKUP GAS PIPELINE FOR RUSSIAN GAS SUPPLIES TO KALININGRAD PROVINCE 

Estonia plans to decommission a backup gas pipeline that Russia could use to supply fuel to its Kaliningrad province. As reported by Eesti Ekspress, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal intends to block transit along this route, either jointly with Latvia or through unilateral national sanctions.

The gas pipeline consists of two lines, each 22 kilometers long, running from Russia through southeastern Estonia into Latvia and then through Lithuania to the Kaliningrad province of Russia. This section of infrastructure is owned by Estonian system operator Elering. Under the current agreement, Russia retains the right to reserve this capacity to transport gas to its exclave in the event that the main pipeline through Lithuania or the floating LNG terminal in Kaliningrad becomes unavailable. 

As The Moscow Times writes, transit along this route is not currently taking place. However, around 0.5 TWh of Russian gas was delivered via this route in July 2023 and in the autumn of 2024, equivalent to approximately 15% of Estonia’s annual gas consumption, the outlet notes.

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RUSSIA’S INVESTIGATIVE COMMITTEE OPENS A CRIMINAL CASE AGAINST FOUNDER OF ANTI-CORRUPTION MEDIA OUTLET UNDER FOREIGN AGENT LAW 

The Investigative Committee of the Chelyabinsk province of Russia announced a criminal case against journalist Yevgeny Krotenko under the article on violating the procedure for operating as a foreign agent (Part 2, Article 330.1 of the Criminal Code). 

As Horizontal Russia notes, he is currently living in exile.

The Investigative Committee accuses the journalist of publishing posts on his personal Telegram blog without the foreign agent label. He was previously fined under a similar administrative article. In August 2025, the Ministry of Justice added Krotenko to the foreign agent register, explaining that the designation was due to his dissemination of negative and unreliable information about Russian military personnel and materials from other foreign agents.

Yevgeny Krotenko is a founder of the Chelyabinsk-based outlet Russkaya Pressa, which publishes corruption investigations. In February, a criminal extortion case was opened against the journalist (paragraphs “a” and “d” of Part 2, Article 163 of the Criminal Code) over allegations that he demanded 300,000 rubles ($3,500) from local businessman Sergey Weinstein in exchange for removing an article about him. The second defendant in the case, Chelyabinsk media manager Sergey Shumakov, was sentenced to three years in a penal colony in early October. The Russkaya Pressa has written several times about Weinstein’s alleged ties to organized crime.

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RUSSIAN ENTREPRENEURS PROPOSE ABOLISHING TAX BREAKS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES AND INTRODUCING AN EXCISE TAX ON CANDY

The Russian public organization Delovaya Rossiya has prepared a set of 52 initiatives aimed at “transforming the economy” and “improving economic conditions.” RBC has reviewed the document’s key points. The proposals are timed to coincide with a celebratory forum marking the organization’s 25th anniversary, which will take place tomorrow.

As The Bell notes, the program “looks very bad” for small and medium-sized businesses because it proposes abolishing special tax regimes, while large companies, by contrast, would receive new tax deductions and protectionist measures. The initiatives also address taxes on wealthy Russians and the consumer sector.

In particular, the draft document proposes that Delovaya Rossiya:

restrict imports if a Russian company develops a “strategic innovative product”;

abolish the simplified taxation system (STS) (6% rate) and the AutoSTS (8%) based on “income”;

lower the revenue threshold for paying VAT under the AutoSTS from 60 million rubles ($705,800) to 20 million rubles ($235,300);

abolish the patent-based taxation system, which is popular among microbusinesses;

introduce mandatory social contributions for those who receive most of their income from dividends and interest;

introduce an inheritance and gift tax on amounts exceeding 50 million rubles ($588,200);

abolish the preferential VAT rate on sugar and introduce an excise tax on candy.

The program’s release was preceded by a meeting between Delovaya Rossiya chairman Alexey Repik and Vladimir Putin. During the conversation, statements were made that “a Russian entrepreneur is not a short-term opportunist but a patriot,” The Bell notes. Putin also said he might personally attend tomorrow’s forum.

Delovaya Rossiya is a business association representing the interests of private, non-resource-based companies and comprising more than 10,000 entrepreneurs. It is one of Russia’s “Big Four” business associations, alongside the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, Opora Rossii, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

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RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPEAKS OF INTRODUCING VISAS FOR MONTENEGRIN CITIZENS 

Russia may introduce a visa regime for Montenegrin citizens in response to the country introducing visas for Russians starting November 1, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. 

“In practice, this means that starting November 1, our citizens will be able to enter Montenegro and stay in its territory on the basis of visas. Accordingly, Montenegrin citizens will also have to obtain visas to travel to Russia,” she stated.

A visa regime with Russia causes “obvious damage” to Montenegro’s interests and “destroys the results of many years of work within the framework of Russian-Montenegrin relations,” Zakharova believes. The introduction of visas “will reduce tourist traffic from Russia, hit Montenegrin businesses, and lead to a deterioration in the investment climate.”

“At the same time, it is pointless for the Montenegrin authorities to expect Brussels to compensate them for the inevitable losses,” the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

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THE NETHERLANDS DENY VISAS TO THREE OF RUSSIA’S LEADING GYMNASTS AHEAD OF THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS DUE TO “THREAT TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS”

The Netherlands denied visas to three leading Russian gymnasts — Angelina Melnikova, Viktoria Listunova, and Anna Kalmykova — ahead of the World Championships, where the first team qualification spots for the 2028 Olympics will be awarded. 

According to the Russian Gymnastics Federation (RGF), the visa refusal notices stated that “one or more member states of the Schengen Area consider the athletes a threat to their international relations.” The Dutch ministries of foreign affairs and sports told the ANP news agency that they do not comment on individual applications. At the same time, the Ministry of Sports explained that the refusal was not related to the Russian athletes’ sporting results.

Angelina Melnikova competes for CSKA, a club subordinate to Russia’s Ministry of Defense. Ukraine’s Ministry of Sports claims that the athlete has a contract with the Russian armed forces. She also published a photograph featuring the Z symbol. Additionally, Melnikova held training sessions for the children of Russian servicemen and circulated information about a fundraising campaign for the daughter of a serviceman killed in the war, the Ukrainian ministry reported. In 2025, the gymnast participated in United Russia’s primaries ahead of elections to the Voronezh City Government, but later withdrew her candidacy. In February 2026, Ukraine imposed personal sanctions against her.

Viktoria Listunova attended a rally-concert in Moscow featuring Vladimir Putin in March 2022, held against the backdrop of the invasion of Ukraine. Later, the athlete circulated information about a fundraising campaign for the family of a Russian serviceman killed in the war. In March 2025, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) denied Listunova neutral status. According to her coach, the reason may have been a May 9 greeting card posted by the athlete that featured the St. George’s ribbon. FIG did not officially disclose the grounds for its decision.

Anna Kalmykova competes for Moscow’s Dynamo club. According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Sports, the athlete has a contract with the Russian National Guard. 

Ukrainian authorities have previously sought to have Russian gymnasts excluded from competitions. In January 2025, they appealed to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and FIG, demanding that athletes who support the war be barred from competition. Melnikova and Listunova were among the gymnasts mentioned. In April, Ukrainian sports authorities specifically demanded that Melnikova be stripped of her neutral status.

In November 2025, Melnikova was unable to compete in the final of the German Gymnastics League following a scandal over her political position.

In August 2026, Croatia initially denied visas to all three gymnasts ahead of the European Championships in Zagreb. At the time, the stated reason was insufficient justification of the purpose and conditions of their stay. A few days later, the decision concerning Melnikova and Kalmykova was reconsidered. Listunova was never issued a visa.

The RGF called the Netherlands’ decision a deliberate attempt to eliminate the strongest rivals from the competition for medals and Olympic qualification spots. Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev said that the Russian Olympic Committee would ask the IOC and FIG to strip the World Championships of their status as an Olympic qualifying event. Russia’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Vladimir Tarabrin, accused the country’s authorities of attempting to weaken the Russian team.

However, not all members of the Russian national team were left without visas. According to the RGF, visas have so far been issued to 47 of the 61 members of the Russian delegation, including five of the six male gymnasts and three of the six female gymnasts.

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RUSSIAN OFFICIAL PROPOSES SUSPENDING THE LICENSING OF PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES

Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko proposed suspending the licensing of private universities in the country.

“I propose that our resolution today include an appeal to the government recommending that the licensing of higher education institutions be suspended until order is restored in this sector and the legislation is clarified,” she said at a plenary session.

According to Matviyenko, a “whole segment” of private educational institutions has emerged in Russia that merely simulates educational activity.

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ESTONIA, FOLLOWING FINLAND, CALLS ON THE EU TO BAN THE ISSUANCE OF TOURIST VISAS TO RUSSIANS 

Estonia supports Finland’s initiative to completely ban the issuance of tourist visas to Russians across the European Union, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said. 

“While Russia continues its relentless offensive against Ukraine, bombing cities, destroying civilian infrastructure, and killing innocent people, it is unacceptable that Russian citizens should still be able to enjoy vacations freely within the Schengen Area,” the minister said.

In his opinion, European visa policy should reflect the scale of Russia’s ongoing aggression, and the Union should continue to increase pressure on the Kremlin by all available means. “We also call on the EU to promptly adopt the necessary implementing acts to introduce a comprehensive entry ban for Russian military personnel,” Tsahkna added.

On October 12, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen called on the EU to completely stop issuing tourist visas to Russians until the war in Ukraine ends. She noted that her country had adopted such measures back in 2022.

“The same must finally happen at the EU level. As long as Russia continues its aggression, tourist visas should not be issued to its citizens… It is wrong that Russians can come to Europe and enjoy its way of life and freedoms while their country is bombing Ukrainians’ homes,” Valtonen noted.

ON THAT NOTE, WE END TODAY’S NEWS BROADCAST.

STAY TUNED FOR DAILY UPDATES ON WHAT’S HAPPENING IN RUSSIA.

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