Russian invasion The world's response

Orbán visits Moscow - promises to buy more oil

On Friday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán visited Moscow. There he met with Vladimir Putin, who praised his pro-Russian policies.

- We are aware of your balanced stance on the situation in Ukraine, Putin said, according to state television.

Orbán also promised Putin to continue buying Russian oil, writes AFP.

Putin praised Orbán's proposal for a meeting between the Russian and US governments in Budapest. The planned meeting was canceled by Trump after Russia refused to compromise in the peace talks.

Hungary is dependent on Russian oil, and Orbán has consistently kept good terms with the Kremlin during the war. Last month, he secured an exemption from US sanctions on Russian oil.

Expert: Gripen can contribute to Russian financial crisis

Saab and Jas Gripen can contribute to weakening Russian arms exports and pushing the country closer to a financial crisis. This is what Jack Watling at the British think tank Royal United Services Institute tells DI.

Russian arms exports fell by 64 percent during the period 2020–2024 compared to 2015–2019. The war in Ukraine is eating up the country's arms production.

According to Watling, Russia must continue to export weapons such as fighter jets to avoid a financial crisis. Several countries in Africa and Southeast Asia have old Russian planes - Sweden and NATO have a chance to step in now that the Russians cannot sell them new, he says.

- If NATO countries can export equivalent or improved systems, regardless of whether it is Gripen or Rafale, to new countries, Russia could potentially be deprived of some of the markets that they have counted on to stabilize their economy.

Chess legend saw NATO in front of Pål Jonson

Chess legend Garry Kasparov launched a harsh attack on NATO's passivity in Ukraine when he recently participated in a panel discussion in Halifax, Canada. The same panel included Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson (M).

- NATO is not strong. NATO does not exist. It's fake! said a very irritated Kasparov.

Kasparov was born in Baku in the then Soviet Union and is a Russian citizen. He has made himself known as a strong critic of Vladimir Putin and has previously pressed for NATO and the West to help with combat troops in Ukraine.

- If it weren't for Ukraine standing up to Russia, Russian tanks would already be in Poland [...] We have everything, we have military, political and economic power on our side. And yet we are losing this war. 

Putin's Russia
Russia bans Human Rights Watch in the country

Russian authorities classify the human rights organization Human Rights Watch as an "undesirable organization" and ban them from operating in the country, writes AFP.

The law also means that it will be a criminal offense to cooperate with or support the organization, which was forced to close its offices in Russia in 2022.

Human Rights Watch, which was founded in the United States in 1978, has repeatedly accused Russia of "a plethora" of war crimes.

Over 275 organizations are currently on Russia's list of "undesirables", including WWF, Greenpeace and Transparency International, writes AP.