INSIDE RUSSIA - WHAT'S HAPPENING IN RUSSIA RIGHT NOW | October 16, 2026

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RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SAYS “THERE WILL BE NO CEASEFIRE TO ALLOW ZELENSKY TO BE SUPPLIED WITH WEAPONS AGAIN” 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had “made it clear that he is not interested in elections because he has surrounded the issue with conditions that are unacceptable from the outset.”

“There will be no ceasefire to allow him to be brought back to his senses and supplied with weapons again,” Lavrov said following his participation in the summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia in Baku.

He also said that Russian authorities had reviewed media reports about a new peace deal for Ukraine but had received no official proposals, Kommersant reports.

Earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine would hold elections if Putin agreed to a 60-day ceasefire. The Kremlin rejected Zelensky’s proposal. Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, said that Kyiv does not actually want elections and argued that Ukraine needs two months without strikes to “regroup, heal its wounds, and continue the war.”

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JAPAN’S PRIME MINISTER REJECTS ESPIONAGE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST JAPANESE JOURNALIST DETAINED IN RUSSIA 

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said there was “no truth” to the espionage allegations against Imai Yuki, a journalist for the Japanese newspaper Hokkaido Shimbun, and added that “the details of the allegations remain unclear,” The Japan Times reports.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said that Japanese authorities had still been unable to contact the journalist but were working to arrange a meeting “as soon as possible.”

The Committee to Protect Journalists called for the immediate release of the Japanese journalist. According to the committee, Russia is currently holding at least 30 journalists in detention in connection with their professional activities.

On October 13, the Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB) reported that it had detained a journalist for the Japanese newspaper Hokkaido Shimbun in Sakhalin province on suspicion of espionage. A criminal case has been opened against him under Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code. By order of Moscow’s Lefortovo Court, he was remanded in custody.

The FSB claimed that he had allegedly been collecting information about the number of mobilized participants in the war in Ukraine on the Kuril Islands.

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RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT ALLOWS INCREASES IN STATE CONTRACT PRICES DUE TO ANTI-DRONE MEASURES  

The Russian authorities have approved policies allowing the terms of certain construction government contracts related to protection against drones to be changed. The Insider drew attention to the decree dated October 2.

The document provides for the revision, by mutual agreement, of contracts concluded before January 1, 2027, if they cannot be fulfilled due to circumstances beyond the parties’ control. This applies to federal contracts for measures to counter the threat of drone attacks or work at facilities included on special lists.

The parties will be able to extend deadlines, change the scope of work, equipment, and materials, establish or increase advance payments, and raise prices. Provincial and local authorities have been advised to adopt similar measures.

For facilities in the Belgorod, Bryansk, and Kursk provinces of Russia, as well as in occupied territories of Ukraine, downtime caused by the constant threat of shelling will be taken into account. The decree also provides for waiving penalties related to the inability to fulfill a contract due to measures against drone attacks. Procurement for such measures may be carried out through a sole supplier.

Experts interviewed by Novaya Gazeta Europe said the decree opens up “an entire corruption portal,” as contractors will be able to use the threat of shelling to explain their own problems — labor shortages, material delays, and missed deadlines — and secure additional payments for the same scope of work.

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REALTORS ACROSS RUSSIA BEGIN REQUIRING EXTRACTS FROM THE MILITARY SUMMONS REGISTRY WHEN CONDUCTING REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS 

Russian realtors have begun requesting extracts from the military summons registry when conducting real estate transactions, independent outlet Verstka found after examining real estate agency websites and forums and speaking with realtors.

At least 15 real estate agencies across Russia currently request or recommend that their clients obtain such extracts. 

For example, Konstantin Barsukov, CEO of the Moscow-based company RELIGHT Real Estate, mentioned that his company obtains extracts from clients twice if ownership registration is scheduled to take place 20 or more days after the advance payment is made.

“Since August 2026, agencies have been requesting extracts from both parties. This has no legal force, but the other party has the right to withdraw from the deal if the extract is not shown. I request it from both parties in my own transactions,” writes realtor Denis Derbyshev from the city of Yekaterinburg.

In August, the media outlet Orenday quoted Orenburg real estate expert Natalya Londa, who noted that realtors are obliged to ensure transactions are conducted safely and take into account risks associated with military summonses being sent to their clients.

A Verstka journalist also contacted the Omsk city real estate agency Ledon, posing as someone looking to sell an apartment and buy a new one. The journalist was told that the company’s lawyer requests information from the military summons registry when preparing transactions.

“If one of the parties is evading conscription, [the state real estate agency] Rosreestr will not register the transfer of ownership, so this really matters. As a rule, a party to the transaction knows they are evading conscription but prefers to conceal it. I hope that doesn’t apply to you. Otherwise, there’s no point in starting anything,” the manager wrote.

At the Moscow-based Inkom Real Estate network, a Verstka journalist was told that an extract from the military summons registry may be needed “if the person is of conscription age,” since the client and agents need to understand whether any restrictions have been imposed on a party to the transaction.

Another Moscow agency, Vladis, also said that the extract is an important document frequently required for transactions involving resale homes. Several realtors in St. Petersburg also recommend or request information from the summons registry.

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RUSSIAN COURT DECLARES THE PHRASE “I’M AGAINST THE PARTY OF CROOKS AND THIEVES” TO BE “EXTREMIST”

The Sverdlovsky District Court in the Russian city of Kostroma fined activist and former Russian Government candidate for the anti-war party Yabloko, Andrey Tarasov, 1,000 rubles ($11.76) in a case involving the “display of extremist symbols” (Part 1, Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation), RusNews reports. 

The case was prompted by a photo of Tarasov wearing a T-shirt bearing the slogan “I’m against the party of crooks and thieves.” 

An expert brought in by the Interior Ministry justified classifying the slogan as “extremist” on the grounds that deceased opposition politician Alexei Navalny was considered its author. The expert’s report states that the slogan “delegitimized the ruling party in the eyes of voters” and “serves to identify opposition sentiment.” 

The case against Tarasov was launched following a complaint by Sergey Shpotin, a representative of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF), who ran for governor of Kostroma province in 2025. The Communist expressed outrage that his fellow party members were being “dragged through the courts,” while “this new liberal gets away with absolutely everything.”

The phrase “party of crooks and thieves” is used to refer to Putin’s party United Russia. Opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, also killed on the order of the Kremlin, first used the expression in reference to the ruling party on Radio Liberty in 2010. Navalny later popularized it on his LiveJournal blog. During the 2011 Russian Government election campaign, the phrase “party of crooks and thieves” was widely used by opposition groups and individual citizens alike.

Posters, flags, and stickers bearing the slogan “Down with the party of crooks and thieves” became widespread during the mass protests of 2011–2012, which began amid Vladimir Putin’s plans to return to the presidency. Meanwhile, a Levada Center poll conducted in June 2012 found that 42% agreed with describing United Russia as the “party of crooks and thieves.”

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“WE’VE DONE A LOT OF WORK”: RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT BOASTS ABOUT CUTTING 100,000 CITIZENS OFF FROM HIGHER EDUCATION

The number of students admitted to fee-paying programs in certain academic fields at Russian universities fell by 28%, or nearly 100,000 people, as a result of government regulation. This was announced by Science and Higher Education Minister Valery Falkov at a Federation Council meeting. 

According to the minister, the number of students enrolled in full-time programs fell by more than 30,000, while enrollment in part-time and online programs dropped by nearly 67,000.

“This year, we’ve done a lot of work. Restrictions on fee-paying admissions affected 40 academic programs for which there is an oversupply in the labor market. These are primarily management, economics, and law,” Falkov reported.

The government gained the authority to regulate not only state-funded (tuition-free) university admissions but also fee-paying enrollment in 2025, after President Vladimir Putin demanded that the Cabinet prepare around one million skilled workers by 2028 to address labor shortages in industry. At the same time, Russian universities sharply increased tuition fees; in some cases, prices rose by more than 30%.

On October 15, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education proposed requiring applicants for fee-paying places to pay tuition in advance, as soon as they’ve been granted admission, covering at least one semester. The ministry said this was necessary to address the problem of “virtual” competition, in which applicants confirm their admission with several universities at once and occupy places that could otherwise go to other people.

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RUSSIANS WILL BE BANNED FROM SELLING CRYPTOCURRENCY TO ONE ANOTHER 

In September, a law came into force in Russia allowing cryptocurrency transactions only through intermediaries approved by the Central Bank. Now, the Central Bank has clarified that crypto transactions between Russians will soon become illegal.

Transactions and operations involving digital currencies directly between individuals (P2P) will be permitted only until July 1, 2027, according to the regulator’s explanation. The Central Bank also reminds users that transfers of digital currency between individuals, including those resulting from transactions between them, are prohibited.

“Buying, selling, and exchanging foreign currency between individuals violates currency legislation and carries an administrative fine for citizens of 20% to 40% of the amount of the illegal currency transaction,” the Federal Tax Service reminded the public.

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CHAIRMAN OF PUTIN’S PARTY UNITED RUSSIA SAYS IT IS NOT “A PARTY OF OFFICIALS” AND CALLS FOR ABANDONING THE TERM “PARTY OF POWER” 

Dmitry Medvedev, chairman of Putin’s party United Russia and deputy chair of the Security Council, called for abandoning the term “party of power” along with perceiving United Russia as “a party of officials."

He said this while speaking at a meeting of the federal council of United Russia’s local branches.

“We are a serious party; we are a ruling party. I was looking at some material today and once again came across the term ‘party of power.’ I don’t know about you, but it really irritates me. Let’s forget this term altogether. What do you mean, ‘party of power’? Power is created by the party — that’s a different matter — and by people. But ‘party of power’ makes it sound as though it’s a party of officials. That’s not the case,” Dmitry Medvedev noted.

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BUSINESSES EXPLAIN WHY INVESTMENT IN RUSSIA HAS COLLAPSED AT ITS SHARPEST RATE IN 17 YEARS 

Investment activity among Russian businesses continues to decline, according to a Central Bank of Russia survey of 11,500 domestic companies.

In the third quarter of 2026, the balance of assessments of the current investment situation turned negative. This had previously happened in the first quarter of the year, when fixed investment plunged by 14.3% year-on-year, the largest decline since 2009, and in the pandemic year of 2020. 

For the year as a whole, the Russian Ministry of Economic Development forecasts a 5.4% decline in investment; however, in the first half of the year, it already fell by 9.9%.

Meanwhile, businesses surveyed by the Central Bank cited a lack of their own funds (26.7%), insufficient demand (20.8%), and uncertainty about the country’s economic situation (25.8%) as the main obstacles to investment. 

In the first seven months of the year, Russian companies earned 13 trillion rubles ($152.94 billion) — their worst result since 2020, down 15.7% from the same period last year. At the same time, one in three companies was operating at a loss. As a result of the corporate profit tax increase in 2025, Russian businesses have less and less money available, while companies’ own funds remain the main source of investment financing, accounting for more than half of fixed investment, according to data of the state statistics agency Rosstat.

Unpredictable tax hikes, increased government military spending, Ukrainian drone strikes on oil refineries and marketplace warehouses, and now data centers, asset seizures and criminal prosecutions of businesspeople, tighter regulation, and other government actions also discourage investment in new projects.

“The normal, pragmatic behavior of a businessperson-investor is this: if you don’t know what will happen tomorrow, you’re better off doing nothing at all and not investing,” says Igor Nikolayev, chief research fellow at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Economics.

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

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