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INSIDE RUSSIA - WHAT'S HAPPENING IN RUSSIA RIGHT NOW | October 28, 2026
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INSIDE RUSSIA - WHAT'S HAPPENING IN RUSSIA RIGHT NOW | October 27, 2026
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--------------------------------- 1 ---------------------------------
PUTIN TELLS THE LEADERS OF FINLAND AND NORWAY THE HISTORY OF MEDIEVAL SLAVS
During a conversation with the leaders of Finland and Norway, Russian President Vladimir Putin told them about the history of the Slavs in the Middle Ages. The historical lecture took up most of the call, The Financial Times reports, citing sources familiar with the conversation.
Putin’s phone call with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre took place on October 27. An FT source said the participants did not interrupt Putin’s historical account because they wanted to understand how seriously he was approaching dialogue with Europe.
After the call, Stubb described the conversation as direct and substantive and stressed that negotiations were necessary to end the war. According to Støre, the sides also discussed the need for de-escalation.
The Kremlin said Putin outlined his assessment of the situation on the front line and reiterated that Russia’s “legitimate interests” must be taken into account to achieve lasting peace. He also accused EU and NATO countries of pursuing policies that, in his view, were prolonging the fighting. In addition, the participants discussed security in the Baltic Sea and Northern Europe and agreed to continue direct telephone contacts.
--------------------------------- 2 ---------------------------------
CENTRAL BANK OF RUSSIA ORDERS BANKS TO STEP UP CHECKS ON THE ORIGINS OF CITIZENS’ CASH
The Central Bank of Russia is demanding for the second time since the beginning of the year that banks tighten controls over cash circulation. The amount of cash in the Russian economy increased by nearly 3 trillion rubles ($35.29 billion) between January and October.
In methodological recommendations published on Monday, October 26, the Central Bank urges credit institutions to “assess the financial situation” of individual clients and identify their “sources of funds” if they deposit at least 5 million rubles ($58,824) in cash in a single transaction, or 5 million rubles ($58,824) or more over the course of a month.
Banks must “obtain documentary confirmation” of the origin of the cash involved in a transaction, according to the Central Bank’s recommendations.
In particular, banks may request an income and personal income tax certificate; a 3-NDFL tax return; documents confirming an individual’s income as a self-employed individual; a loan agreement; a certificate of inheritance; or documents confirming income from the sale or rental of real estate.
The regulator says that its supervisory work has revealed a sharp increase in transactions involving cash deposits into accounts and cash currency exchanges. Their possible purposes include “the legalization (laundering) of proceeds from crime and other unlawful purposes, including the transfer of cash from the ‘shadow’ economy into the legal economy.”
The Central Bank is imposing similar requirements on corporate clients and private entrepreneurs. According to the recommendations, their transactions must be subject to enhanced scrutiny if more than 5 million rubles ($58,824) is deposited into an account in a single transaction, or if deposits total 5 million rubles ($58,824) or more over the course of a month.
--------------------------------- 3 ---------------------------------
RUSSIAN MEN OF CONSCRIPTION AGE LACKING REGISTRATION WITH THE ENLISTMENT OFFICE MAY BE DENIED FOREIGN PASSPORTS AND THEIR RENEWALS
The absence of a military ID obtained through registration with the military enlistment office could be grounds for refusing to accept an application for an international passport from Russian men of conscription age, state outlet TASS reported, citing documents from the Interior Ministry.
Other grounds for an application denial include having an invalid domestic passport, errors or inaccurate information in the application form, and a photograph that does not meet the required format.
Currently, applicants are required to present a military ID or a certificate from the military enlistment office only if they have such documents. Otherwise, the Interior Ministry must independently request the relevant information from the enlistment office and check whether any restrictions on leaving the country apply.
According to Timofey Vaskin, head of the legal department at the human rights organization Conscript School, military registration documents are not required to obtain an international passport after the age of 30. He also noted that staff at multifunctional public services centers sometimes demand a military ID or a conscription registration certificate and refuse to accept applications without them. According to the lawyer, such actions are unlawful and can be appealed.
--------------------------------- 4 ---------------------------------
RUSSIA’S LARGEST BOOKSTORE CHAIN SPENDS ONE MILLION DOLLARS DISPOSING OF BANNED BOOKS, SHREDDING THEM ON CAMERA
Books that have been banned by the Russian government and removed from sale in the country are being destroyed using an industrial shredder. The process is filmed on camera. The cost of disposal has already reached around 100 million rubles ($1.18 million), Alexander Brychkin, CEO of Russia’s largest bookstore chain Chitai-Gorod–Bukvoed, told RBC in an interview.
“We cannot just throw these books in the trash. They are toxic waste. Accordingly, they have to be disposed of, and we have to pay for that too. In addition, no one compensates us for the costs of removing them from the shelves, sending them back to the warehouse, transporting them, and then processing them at the warehouse,” he said.
Brychkin said the books are removed from sale even before an official ban, when the chain receives “notifications from the Russian Book Union that there are suspicions regarding a particular book.” He noted that bookstores have “no chance of complying with the law’s requirements,” since a book may have complied with Russian law when it was published, only for a sudden expert review to later identify prohibited information in it.
“Experts might say, for example, that a book contains LGBT propaganda. These expert reviews always appear unexpectedly. They are not discussed through any procedure established by law. And the moment such an expert review appears, we begin to be held liable,” Brychkin said.
--------------------------------- 5 ---------------------------------
PUTIN SAYS RUSSIA WILL SHARE ITS “HIGH-TECH DIGITAL KNOW-HOW” WITH ITS “AFRICAN FRIENDS”
Vladimir Putin said that Russia will share its “high-tech digital know-how” with its “African friends.” He made the statement at the Russia–Africa Forum currently held in Moscow.
Putin said, in particular, that Russia has “really good systems in public administration based on modern technologies,” has achieved “impressive results” in “technological sovereignty,” and has a “full pipeline for developing large generative models.”
At the same time, Putin accused Western countries of trying to “push Africans back into debt bondage.” According to him, Russia is actively participating in the “financial recovery of African countries.”
Putin also said that launching new joint projects would unlock the “potential of Russian-African cooperation.” According to him, “new representatives of Russian business circles are entering African markets.”
He also mentioned that 58 centers teaching the Russian language have opened in 29 African countries.
--------------------------------- 6 ---------------------------------
RUSSIAN AIRLINES WILL INCLUDE A NEW FEE IN THE TICKET PRICES TO “SUPPORT DELIVERIES” OF DOMESTICALLY PRODUCED AIRCRAFT
A new fee will be included in the ticket prices of Russian airlines to “support deliveries” of domestically produced aircraft. This is stated in the conclusion issued by the Russian Government’s Committee on Budget and Taxes regarding the draft federal budget for 2027–2029, Interfax reports.
The new fee will amount to 500 rubles ($5.88) for domestic flights and 1,000 rubles ($11.76) for international flights.
The measure, being developed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade on Vladimir Putin’s instructions, is intended to “offset the cost of leasing and operating” 258 aircraft of the MC-21, Tu-214, SJ-100, and Il-114-300 models, whose delivery is provided for under the “Comprehensive Program for Expanding Aircraft Production.”
Russian airlines are expected to begin including a fee to support the operation of SJ-100 and MC-21 aircraft in ticket prices, sources in the aviation industry told Interfax in September.
--------------------------------- 7 ---------------------------------
RUSSIAN PROVINCE AUTHORITIES BLAME DELAYS IN SOCIAL BENEFITS ON A LACK OF FUNDS DUE TO SPENDING ON THE WAR
Officials in the Russian province of Primorye explained that widespread delays in social benefit payments began because of spending on the war in Ukraine. The local Ministry of Labor said that the provincial budget was operating under “strained conditions.”
“Under these circumstances, funding for certain social support measures is being provided in stages, so some payments may be delayed temporarily,” the ministry said in a statement.
Problems with social benefit payments began in the province several months ago. Residents have complained about delays in subsidies, while families with children have not received the promised payments to help pay off their mortgages. The multifunctional public services center in the city of Nakhodka has stopped accepting benefit applications, citing a lack of funding.
The provincial government insists that residents will receive the money they are entitled to once funds become available in the budget. However, it has not specified when that might happen.
--------------------------------- 8 ---------------------------------
RUSSIA PROPOSES ALLOWING REGISTRATION OF CARS STOLEN FROM “UNFRIENDLY” COUNTRIES
The Russian authorities propose allowing the registration of cars stolen from “unfriendly” countries in Russia. The authors of the legislative initiative believe this would allow these cars to “avoid gathering dust.”
The bill was drafted on Vladimir Putin’s instructions. The Government Committee on Transport has recommended that it be approved in its first reading, Kommersant reports.
Under the bill, the Interior Ministry would be able to determine the “specific procedures” for registering vehicles listed as wanted by Interpol. Deputy Interior Minister Igor Zubov said the measure would be temporary, allowing the cars to “avoid gathering dust” and be driven.
The party that initiated the search with the Interpol would be notified that the car had been registered in Russia.
“After that, they will have every opportunity to reach out to us, come here, and send us documents,” Igor Zubov said.
--------------------------------- 9 ---------------------------------
NORTH KOREAN FILMS WILL BEGIN SCREENING IN RUSSIAN MOVIE THEATERS
Representatives of the Russian and North Korean film industries are discussing the creation of joint film projects and the distribution of each other’s films. In particular, Russian films may be shot in North Korea, and North Korean films may be screened in Russia, CEO of the state cinema agency Roskino Elza Antonova told TASS.
According to Antonova, the two sides discussed prospects for cooperation during an ongoing visit by a Moscow delegation to Pyongyang. The visit coincides with the first Russian Film Week in the North Korean capital, which runs from October 24 to 28. As part of the event, local audiences are being shown Russian films on military-patriotic themes made with state support.
As a way to develop bilateral ties, filmmakers from both countries are considering expanding the film-week format. Russian films will continue to be screened in North Korea, while North Korean films will be presented to audiences in Russia. “We have begun discussing the creation of joint projects and the mutual distribution of our countries’ national films,” TASS quoted Antonova as saying.
ON THAT NOTE, WE END TODAY’S NEWS BROADCAST.
STAY TUNED FOR DAILY UPDATES ON WHAT’S HAPPENING IN RUSSIA.
K
--------------------------------- 1 ---------------------------------
PUTIN TELLS THE LEADERS OF FINLAND AND NORWAY THE HISTORY OF MEDIEVAL SLAVS
During a conversation with the leaders of Finland and Norway, Russian President Vladimir Putin told them about the history of the Slavs in the Middle Ages. The historical lecture took up most of the call, The Financial Times reports, citing sources familiar with the conversation.
Putin’s phone call with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre took place on October 27. An FT source said the participants did not interrupt Putin’s historical account because they wanted to understand how seriously he was approaching dialogue with Europe.
After the call, Stubb described the conversation as direct and substantive and stressed that negotiations were necessary to end the war. According to Støre, the sides also discussed the need for de-escalation.
The Kremlin said Putin outlined his assessment of the situation on the front line and reiterated that Russia’s “legitimate interests” must be taken into account to achieve lasting peace. He also accused EU and NATO countries of pursuing policies that, in his view, were prolonging the fighting. In addition, the participants discussed security in the Baltic Sea and Northern Europe and agreed to continue direct telephone contacts.
--------------------------------- 2 ---------------------------------
CENTRAL BANK OF RUSSIA ORDERS BANKS TO STEP UP CHECKS ON THE ORIGINS OF CITIZENS’ CASH
The Central Bank of Russia is demanding for the second time since the beginning of the year that banks tighten controls over cash circulation. The amount of cash in the Russian economy increased by nearly 3 trillion rubles ($35.29 billion) between January and October.
In methodological recommendations published on Monday, October 26, the Central Bank urges credit institutions to “assess the financial situation” of individual clients and identify their “sources of funds” if they deposit at least 5 million rubles ($58,824) in cash in a single transaction, or 5 million rubles ($58,824) or more over the course of a month.
Banks must “obtain documentary confirmation” of the origin of the cash involved in a transaction, according to the Central Bank’s recommendations.
In particular, banks may request an income and personal income tax certificate; a 3-NDFL tax return; documents confirming an individual’s income as a self-employed individual; a loan agreement; a certificate of inheritance; or documents confirming income from the sale or rental of real estate.
The regulator says that its supervisory work has revealed a sharp increase in transactions involving cash deposits into accounts and cash currency exchanges. Their possible purposes include “the legalization (laundering) of proceeds from crime and other unlawful purposes, including the transfer of cash from the ‘shadow’ economy into the legal economy.”
The Central Bank is imposing similar requirements on corporate clients and private entrepreneurs. According to the recommendations, their transactions must be subject to enhanced scrutiny if more than 5 million rubles ($58,824) is deposited into an account in a single transaction, or if deposits total 5 million rubles ($58,824) or more over the course of a month.
--------------------------------- 3 ---------------------------------
RUSSIAN MEN OF CONSCRIPTION AGE LACKING REGISTRATION WITH THE ENLISTMENT OFFICE MAY BE DENIED FOREIGN PASSPORTS AND THEIR RENEWALS
The absence of a military ID obtained through registration with the military enlistment office could be grounds for refusing to accept an application for an international passport from Russian men of conscription age, state outlet TASS reported, citing documents from the Interior Ministry.
Other grounds for an application denial include having an invalid domestic passport, errors or inaccurate information in the application form, and a photograph that does not meet the required format.
Currently, applicants are required to present a military ID or a certificate from the military enlistment office only if they have such documents. Otherwise, the Interior Ministry must independently request the relevant information from the enlistment office and check whether any restrictions on leaving the country apply.
According to Timofey Vaskin, head of the legal department at the human rights organization Conscript School, military registration documents are not required to obtain an international passport after the age of 30. He also noted that staff at multifunctional public services centers sometimes demand a military ID or a conscription registration certificate and refuse to accept applications without them. According to the lawyer, such actions are unlawful and can be appealed.
--------------------------------- 4 ---------------------------------
RUSSIA’S LARGEST BOOKSTORE CHAIN SPENDS ONE MILLION DOLLARS DISPOSING OF BANNED BOOKS, SHREDDING THEM ON CAMERA
Books that have been banned by the Russian government and removed from sale in the country are being destroyed using an industrial shredder. The process is filmed on camera. The cost of disposal has already reached around 100 million rubles ($1.18 million), Alexander Brychkin, CEO of Russia’s largest bookstore chain Chitai-Gorod–Bukvoed, told RBC in an interview.
“We cannot just throw these books in the trash. They are toxic waste. Accordingly, they have to be disposed of, and we have to pay for that too. In addition, no one compensates us for the costs of removing them from the shelves, sending them back to the warehouse, transporting them, and then processing them at the warehouse,” he said.
Brychkin said the books are removed from sale even before an official ban, when the chain receives “notifications from the Russian Book Union that there are suspicions regarding a particular book.” He noted that bookstores have “no chance of complying with the law’s requirements,” since a book may have complied with Russian law when it was published, only for a sudden expert review to later identify prohibited information in it.
“Experts might say, for example, that a book contains LGBT propaganda. These expert reviews always appear unexpectedly. They are not discussed through any procedure established by law. And the moment such an expert review appears, we begin to be held liable,” Brychkin said.
--------------------------------- 5 ---------------------------------
PUTIN SAYS RUSSIA WILL SHARE ITS “HIGH-TECH DIGITAL KNOW-HOW” WITH ITS “AFRICAN FRIENDS”
Vladimir Putin said that Russia will share its “high-tech digital know-how” with its “African friends.” He made the statement at the Russia–Africa Forum currently held in Moscow.
Putin said, in particular, that Russia has “really good systems in public administration based on modern technologies,” has achieved “impressive results” in “technological sovereignty,” and has a “full pipeline for developing large generative models.”
At the same time, Putin accused Western countries of trying to “push Africans back into debt bondage.” According to him, Russia is actively participating in the “financial recovery of African countries.”
Putin also said that launching new joint projects would unlock the “potential of Russian-African cooperation.” According to him, “new representatives of Russian business circles are entering African markets.”
He also mentioned that 58 centers teaching the Russian language have opened in 29 African countries.
--------------------------------- 6 ---------------------------------
RUSSIAN AIRLINES WILL INCLUDE A NEW FEE IN THE TICKET PRICES TO “SUPPORT DELIVERIES” OF DOMESTICALLY PRODUCED AIRCRAFT
A new fee will be included in the ticket prices of Russian airlines to “support deliveries” of domestically produced aircraft. This is stated in the conclusion issued by the Russian Government’s Committee on Budget and Taxes regarding the draft federal budget for 2027–2029, Interfax reports.
The new fee will amount to 500 rubles ($5.88) for domestic flights and 1,000 rubles ($11.76) for international flights.
The measure, being developed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade on Vladimir Putin’s instructions, is intended to “offset the cost of leasing and operating” 258 aircraft of the MC-21, Tu-214, SJ-100, and Il-114-300 models, whose delivery is provided for under the “Comprehensive Program for Expanding Aircraft Production.”
Russian airlines are expected to begin including a fee to support the operation of SJ-100 and MC-21 aircraft in ticket prices, sources in the aviation industry told Interfax in September.
--------------------------------- 7 ---------------------------------
RUSSIAN PROVINCE AUTHORITIES BLAME DELAYS IN SOCIAL BENEFITS ON A LACK OF FUNDS DUE TO SPENDING ON THE WAR
Officials in the Russian province of Primorye explained that widespread delays in social benefit payments began because of spending on the war in Ukraine. The local Ministry of Labor said that the provincial budget was operating under “strained conditions.”
“Under these circumstances, funding for certain social support measures is being provided in stages, so some payments may be delayed temporarily,” the ministry said in a statement.
Problems with social benefit payments began in the province several months ago. Residents have complained about delays in subsidies, while families with children have not received the promised payments to help pay off their mortgages. The multifunctional public services center in the city of Nakhodka has stopped accepting benefit applications, citing a lack of funding.
The provincial government insists that residents will receive the money they are entitled to once funds become available in the budget. However, it has not specified when that might happen.
--------------------------------- 8 ---------------------------------
RUSSIA PROPOSES ALLOWING REGISTRATION OF CARS STOLEN FROM “UNFRIENDLY” COUNTRIES
The Russian authorities propose allowing the registration of cars stolen from “unfriendly” countries in Russia. The authors of the legislative initiative believe this would allow these cars to “avoid gathering dust.”
The bill was drafted on Vladimir Putin’s instructions. The Government Committee on Transport has recommended that it be approved in its first reading, Kommersant reports.
Under the bill, the Interior Ministry would be able to determine the “specific procedures” for registering vehicles listed as wanted by Interpol. Deputy Interior Minister Igor Zubov said the measure would be temporary, allowing the cars to “avoid gathering dust” and be driven.
The party that initiated the search with the Interpol would be notified that the car had been registered in Russia.
“After that, they will have every opportunity to reach out to us, come here, and send us documents,” Igor Zubov said.
--------------------------------- 9 ---------------------------------
NORTH KOREAN FILMS WILL BEGIN SCREENING IN RUSSIAN MOVIE THEATERS
Representatives of the Russian and North Korean film industries are discussing the creation of joint film projects and the distribution of each other’s films. In particular, Russian films may be shot in North Korea, and North Korean films may be screened in Russia, CEO of the state cinema agency Roskino Elza Antonova told TASS.
According to Antonova, the two sides discussed prospects for cooperation during an ongoing visit by a Moscow delegation to Pyongyang. The visit coincides with the first Russian Film Week in the North Korean capital, which runs from October 24 to 28. As part of the event, local audiences are being shown Russian films on military-patriotic themes made with state support.
As a way to develop bilateral ties, filmmakers from both countries are considering expanding the film-week format. Russian films will continue to be screened in North Korea, while North Korean films will be presented to audiences in Russia. “We have begun discussing the creation of joint projects and the mutual distribution of our countries’ national films,” TASS quoted Antonova as saying.
ON THAT NOTE, WE END TODAY’S NEWS BROADCAST.
STAY TUNED FOR DAILY UPDATES ON WHAT’S HAPPENING IN RUSSIA.
K
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