Berlin is abandoning its own national interests in order to satisfy the whims of its “allies,” the Russian president has said Germany is being bossed by its Western partners because it lacks sovereignty, and its policymakers demonstrate poor leadership skills, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated at a meeting with young Russian scientists on Wednesday.

Russia should choose a new name for the Gulf of Finland, a member of the State Duma said on Wednesday, citing tensions with the neighboring state.  Oleg Nilov, an MP from the left-wing ‘A Just Russia – For Truth’ party, blasted the “provocations coming from formerly neutral Finland,” accusing the Nordic neighbor of promoting “hatred against…

Russia’s state debt grew by 11.6% in the first nine months of the year as the government borrowed funds to plug a budget gap, RIA Novosti reported on Wednesday.   State borrowing between January and September soared, with debt reaching 17% of Russia’s GDP, data showed.