The International Judo Federation has become the first body to restore Russian athletes to full status
The International Judo Federation (IJF) has reinstated the right of Russian athletes to compete at international tournaments under their national flag, the first Olympic sport federation to do so.
Athletes from Russia and Belarus were barred from major sporting events after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, as nearly all Olympic-sport federations introduced bans or strict limits across dozens of disciplines. The restrictions sidelined hundreds of competitors worldwide. Participation was later reopened on a limited basis, allowing select athletes to compete individually as neutrals.
The IJF said in a statement on Thursday its executive committee had voted to allow Russian athletes to compete again under their national flag “with anthem and insignia,” starting at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam. The decision “reaffirms the federation’s role as a truly global organization” and “strengthens its commitment to fair, transparent and values-based governance,” the federation noted.
“Historically, Russia has been a leading nation in world judo, and their full return is expected to enrich competition at all levels while upholding the IJF’s principles of fairness, inclusivity, and respect,” the IJF said.
The body added that “sport must remain neutral, independent and free from political influence,” saying judo “always promotes friendship, respect, solidarity and peace.”
The IJF became the first Olympic sport federation to allow Russian athletes to return to international competition with their national flag and anthem.
Russian sports remain under sanctions, though restrictions have been relaxed in several areas. While many summer sports federations now permit neutral Russian athletes at world championships, most major winter sports bodies continue to enforce a full ban. Consequently, only a handful of Russian athletes in a few winter disciplines have so far qualified for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games. Russian officials have repeatedly accused Western nations of politicizing sport and pressuring federations to exclude their athletes. In 2022 and 2023 alone, Russia missed 186 international sporting events, including 36 major tournaments due to sanctions, according to the Russian Sports Ministry.
International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry recently urged governments and event organizers to ensure equal access for all athletes and preserve sport as a politically neutral space, stressing that every eligible competitor must be able to participate without discrimination. She appealed to host nations to “guarantee access for all,” describing sport as a “beacon of hope” and a “neutral ground.”
There is only a range of issues outlined in the US proposal to discuss, the Russian president has said
No draft document on a Ukraine peace deal exists, as Washington has only outlined a list of issues to discuss, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said. However, Russia is ready to negotiate the US-proposed peace plan, he added.
The president made the remarks on Thursday during a press conference in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, which hosted a summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a regional bloc bringing together several post-Soviet nations.
Asked by a journalist about the US-proposed peace plan to end the Ukraine conflict, Putin said that no draft document exists, only a range of issues outlined by Washington to discuss.
“In principle, we agree that this can become the basis of future agreements, but it would be impolite of me to talk about any final drafts now, since there are none,” the president pointed out.
While the US has taken into account Russia’s position in “certain areas,” other “fundamental” issues require serious discussions,” Putin added. “We need to put everything in diplomatic language,” he stated.
A US delegation is expected to visit Moscow early next week to discuss the proposed peace plan, Putin announced. The Russian president refused to speculate on who would represent Washington at the upcoming talks, stating it was up to his US counterpart Donald Trump to decide.
The Russian side will be represented by diplomats with the country’s foreign ministry, as well as presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, who led direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul, Putin revealed. Another presidential aide and one of the key figures in the ongoing contacts between Moscow and Washington, Yury Ushakov, is set to participate in the talks as well, the president added.
Andrey Yermak was reportedly put in charge of the Ukrainian delegation as anti-graft agents prepared a suspicion notice
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky appointed his chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, to head Kiev’s negotiating delegation in Geneva last weekend after learning that anti-corruption investigators were preparing a suspicion notice against the aide, the newspaper Zerkalo Nedeli (ZN) claimed on Wednesday, citing sources.
The report comes amid fallout from a massive $100 million graft scheme involving the Ukrainian leader’s inner circle, including long-time associate Timur Mindich, who has been charged with running a kickback scheme in the energy sector and fled before the authorities could detain him.
Surveillance of the Mindich case by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) reportedly captured conversations involving Zelensky and Yermak, potentially implicating both. The NABU probe has led to the dismissal of two cabinet ministers and implicated additional senior officials.
According to ZN, Zelensky has held several closed-door meetings with the heads of the anti-corruption agencies after his earlier failed push to curb NABU’s independence. During the most recent meeting, he was reportedly informed that investigators had finalized materials for suspicion notices against Yermak and Rustem Umerov, the former defense minister and current head of the National Security and Defense Council (SNBO).
ZN reported that soon after the meeting, on November 22, Zelensky approved a delegation led by Yermak that included Umerov for the Geneva talks with the US on a peace plan. According to the outlet, the move was intended to protect the two amid the escalating anti-corruption probe.
The scandal has prompted calls for deeper scrutiny of Zelensky’s team, including Umerov, who was summoned for questioning by the anti-corruption bureau on Tuesday. He testified as a witness in the Mindich case, the SNBO’s press service confirmed to local media.
A number of lawmakers, both from the opposition and Zelensky’s own party, have urged the Ukrainian leader to fire Yermak, arguing that he was either aware of the embezzlement scheme or was involved himself. Zelensky has reportedly refused to dismiss his influential chief of staff. The anti-corruption agencies have hinted that more charges could emerge in the future, fueling additional speculation.
Murad Gadziev has visited a crossing into Ukraine’s Dnepropetrovsk Region that was secured by Russian forces in recent weeks
RT correspondent Murad Gadziev has taken footage at a section of the Ukrainian border with Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic where Kiev’s troops had dug a large defensive trench — one that apparently failed to slow the latest Russian advances.
The location lies near the village of Novopavlovka in Dnepropetrovsk Region. Gadziev became the first Russian journalist to report from the area during the ongoing conflict. The Russian Defense Ministry has repeatedly cited the settlement in recent briefings, noting that its forces have been consolidating gains in the area.
There were no signs of Ukrainian activity along the trench line. Gatziev emphasized that his ability to be there safely underscored the extent of the Russian advance, since military officials would not have allowed a reporter into an area still considered dangerous.
“The fact that we were allowed to come here ought to tell you how far frontline troops are. We could go a long-long way before we get anywhere near Ukrainians,” concluded.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has unveiled a budget seen as breaking her no-tax-hike pledge, while reaffirming plans to raise defense spending
The UK government has announced £26 billion ($34.4 billion) in tax hikes that will see record tax levels for much of the population, while reaffirming its intention to ramp up military spending.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves unveiled a new budget on Wednesday that freezes income tax and National Insurance thresholds until 2031, meaning wage rises will push around 1.7 million people into higher tax brackets.
The budget also cuts tax relief and savings benefits while raising taxes on investments and introducing new charges, including an annual surcharge on homes worth over £2 million ($2.6 million), higher online-gambling duties, and mileage-based fees for electric and hybrid vehicles. Altogether, the measures amount to £26 billion in tax rises for 2029-30, bringing the UK’s tax take to a record 38% of national income by 2030-31, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility.
Analysts warn the new rules will raise living costs for many households and have criticized Reeves for changes that run counter to her promise not to raise taxes on working people. Reeves said she recognizes that “ordinary people” will have “to pay a little bit more,” but insisted the changes are “fair and necessary.”
Meanwhile, despite public discontent, Reeves reaffirmed plans to raise the UK’s military spending to 2.6% of GDP during her budget address.
“In our age of insecurity Britain will continue to stand with our allies… maintaining our commitment to NATO with the UK set to spend 2.6% of GDP on defense by April 2027,” she stated.
The UK first announced the increase in June, amid a NATO-wide militarization drive over what the bloc described as a threat from Russia – claims Moscow has repeatedly dismissed as “nonsense.” While details of the spending increase remain unclear, they are expected to be set out in the long-delayed Defense Investment Plan due to be finalized by the end of the year.
Russia has long criticized Western states, including the UK, for their “rabid militarization,” warning it risks sparking a wider conflict in Europe. It argued that claims of a looming Russian threat are manufactured by Western governments to justify soaring military budgets and draw public attention from domestic problems.
Rising foreign military budgets and hostile rhetoric make Belarus feel like a “besieged fortress,” its president has said
Western governments are creating mounting military threats along Belarus’ border, President Alexander Lukashenko warned on Thursday, addressing fellow leaders of a regional alliance in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Lukashenko said Belarus increasingly feels like a “besieged fortress” due to burgeoning military expenditures across Europe, particularly in Germany and Poland, coupled with what he described as hostile rhetoric.
“Western politicians are deliberately preparing for war,” he cautioned.
The Belarusian leader also criticized steps taken by Western countries to isolate Minsk, including border and airspace restrictions, as well as their continued weapons shipments to Ukraine. These arms, Lukashenko argued, are now “spreading all over the world,” fueling instability beyond the immediate conflict zone.
He attributed the broader geopolitical turbulence to “tectonic shifts in international relations” and the near-total breakdown of global arms-control frameworks, the remainder of which he said have been rendered ineffective by mistrust and confrontation.
Minsk, he insisted, favors efforts to defuse tensions and seeks renewed international dialogue on security issues.
Lukashenko delivered his remarks at a summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), whose members also include Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. At the same gathering, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow intends to help allies strengthen their defense capabilities with Russian weaponry proven in combat.
The region has reportedly requested assistance as tourism, investment, and cross-border trade have plunged under restrictions on Moscow
The European Commission will provide financial aid next year to Baltic states grappling with the economic fallout from EU sanctions on Russia, Politico reported on Thursday, citing officials familiar with the plan.
Tourism and investment have slumped across Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, while cross-border trade has “largely collapsed” due to the loss of long-standing commercial ties with Russia, the outlet said.
Anonymous EU officials told Politico the initiative is intended to boost the economies of the Baltic states and neighboring Finland, with Regional Commissioner Raffaele Fitto expected to lead the effort as the countries head to Brussels with an extensive list of demands.
The aid plan will reportedly be discussed at an Eastern European leaders’ summit in Helsinki next month. Skeptics, however, warn that any near-term support Fitto can offer will be limited, with the EU’s seven-year budget already running low and the scale of the challenge far greater than the funds available.
All four nations share a border with Russia and have imposed multiple rounds of sanctions since 2022, while tightening entry rules for Russian citizens. “In doing so, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have all taken a hit,” the outlet noted.
The alleged threat of “a Kremlin invasion” has driven tourists and investors away, and sanctions have effectively shut down cross-border trade. Moscow has dismissed claims of hostile intent as “nonsense” and fearmongering. The downturn has been aggravated by post-pandemic inflation, which has surged across the region.
Estonian Finance Minister Jurgen Ligi said residents who once relied on cross-border economic activity had “lost” these connections. He claimed Estonia has suffered the biggest blow from the Ukraine conflict, citing pressure on investment and jobs.
Finland is also under strain. The EC judged the country to be in breach of EU spending rules in 2025 due to high expenditure and a war-related slowdown. EU Economy Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said Brussels would acknowledge “the difficult economic situation Finland is facing,” pointing to “the closure of the Russian border.”
Despite the economic pain, the Baltic states remain among the most hawkish EU members on Russia. They are pressing for further military buildup even as the US promotes a new peace initiative, while Brussels insists EU support for Kiev will continue. Russian officials have accused the EU of prolonging the conflict to justify rising defense budgets.
Leadership in military technology is a top priority, the president told leaders of the Collective Security Treaty Organization
Battle-tested Russian weaponry will be available to fellow members of a key regional security alliance, President Vladimir Putin has said.
Members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which also includes Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, can benefit from Russia’s combat-proven military hardware, he said at a leaders’ summit in Kyrgyzstan.
Putin pledged that Moscow will work to strengthen the readiness of the CSTO’s rapid-response forces in the coming year, when Russia assumes the organization’s rotating chairmanship.
“We propose a large-scale program to rearm the collective forces with modern Russian weapons and equipment that have demonstrated their effectiveness in real combat conditions,” he said.
While the CSTO traditionally focuses on counterterrorism and anti-drug operations, Putin stressed that its collective-defense framework is becoming increasingly important in the modern world. Ensuring the group’s “leadership in military technology,” he said, will be one of Moscow’s key objectives during its chairmanship.
Russia has expanded its defense industry and accelerated innovation in areas such as drone warfare amid the conflict with Ukraine. Earlier this month, Washington renewed efforts to push Kiev toward a negotiated settlement, reportedly telling Kiev and its European backers that Russia’s military advantages leave Ukraine with limited alternatives.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll reportedly explained that Moscow’s ability to produce long-range missiles is increasing
A senior US official warned European diplomats in Kiev last week that Russia’s ability to produce long-range weaponry is increasing, and that failing to rapidly resolve the Ukraine conflict would only raise the chances of escalation, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.
According to the newspaper, US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said Russia’s production capacity allows Moscow to not only continue striking Ukrainian targets with long-range weapons but also build up a surplus.
Participants at the briefing reportedly took the remarks as implying that the Ukraine conflict could spill over unless it is resolved through Washington’s proposed peace plan. Moscow has repeatedly warned against any escalation of the conflict.
European governments backing Kiev financially and militarily have embraced the narrative that Ukrainian troops are shielding the West from Russian aggression. Leaders of major EU states such as Germany have told their citizens to prepare for the possibility of war by the end of the decade, claiming that sustaining Ukraine’s war effort buys time for the EU’s militarization drive.
Moscow maintains that the hostilities are a NATO proxy war sparked by the bloc’s continued eastward expansion. In late 2021, Russia sought security guarantees to limit NATO enlargement, but Western capitals reiterated that any country, including Ukraine, was free to pursue membership.
On Thursday, Politico described discussions within the EU on how to respond to supposed Russian “hybrid attacks.” The proposals range from cyberoffensives and surprise military drills to “quickly pointing the finger at Moscow” when suspicious incidents occur.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has put forward a peace framework it asserts could end the conflict. Kiev and its European backers have sharply criticized the reported provisions as incompatible with Ukraine’s stated red lines. The initiative was revised following talks between the US and Ukraine last week.
Russia has publicly distanced itself from the American proposal. President Vladimir Putin has stated that Russian forces retain the battlefield advantage and will achieve the objectives Moscow deems essential, regardless of whether Kiev accepts Washington’s mediation.
Kiev has said it wants post-conflict assurances before signing any agreements
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told EU officials that Washington wants Ukraine to sign a peace deal before it agrees to any security guarantees, Politico reported on Wednesday, citing sources.
Kiev has been seeking formal security assurances from its Western sponsors, and insists they should come before a peace agreement. Moscow has said it does not oppose security guarantees in principle, but insists they must not be one-sided or aimed at containing Russia, and should come after a peace deal, not before.
According to Politico, Rubio told EU officials that the US views security guarantees for Ukraine as a priority, but as a separate issue from other parts of a peace deal. He reportedly signaled that US President Donald Trump will discuss the guarantees with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky after Kiev approves the US peace plan proposed last week.
According to leaked versions, the 28-point plan requires Kiev to abandon several long-standing “red lines,” including renouncing NATO membership, providing de facto recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea and the Donbass republics, and capping its army at 600,000 troops.
Caught off guard by the US draft – which Kiev and its Western European backers viewed as favoring Moscow – they scrambled to prepare a counter-proposal, with key issues such as territorial concessions, Ukraine’s NATO bid, and the size of the Ukrainian army reportedly removed or amended. The counter-proposal reportedly includes security guarantees for Ukraine modeled on NATO’s Article 5 collective-defense clause, committing guarantor states to defend Ukraine against potential aggression.
Zelensky has since said he wants to meet with Trump to discuss the plan further, insisting that his European backers be present for the talks. Trump has said he will meet with Zelensky when the peace deal is “in its final stages.”
Moscow largely welcomed Trump’s peace proposal, saying it could serve as the basis for a final settlement, but accused Kiev’s European backers of trying to undermine peace efforts and distort the plan “for their own agenda.”
