Newly released Epstein emails resurrect Russiagate: ‘Lavrov can get insight on talking to me’ Meduza breaks down today’s biggest Russia-related news stories, November 12, 2025

🗞️ Top story — The Epstein Files: Newly released emails detail Russian outreach and global connections 📁

Congressional investigators on Wednesday released hundreds of emails from the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, revealing his extensive network of foreign contacts and his attempts to position himself as a key source of insight on President Donald Trump.

• Psst, Putin: In a June 2018 email — nearly a month before the Trump-Putin Helsinki summit — Epstein urged a top European diplomat, Thorbjorn Jagland (former Norwegian prime minister and head of the Council of Europe), to advise Putin that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov could “get insight on talking to me.” Epstein claimed he had previously advised Russia’s U.N. Ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, who “understood Trump after our conversations.”
• Trump’s worldview: After the controversial Helsinki summit, Epstein discussed the event with former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, writing that Trump seemed to think he’d “charmed” Putin and had “no idea of the symbolism” of the summit. “He has no idea of most things,” Epstein wrote about Trump. | Politico

🔍 $100M energy corruption scandal rocks Kyiv; Zelensky calls for ministers’ dismissal 🤑 

A massive $100 million kickback scheme in Ukraine’s energy sector has forced a high-level government shakeup, with President Volodymyr Zelensky calling for the immediate removal of two key cabinet ministers.

• The scheme: Anti-corruption authorities say they have detained five people and identified seven suspects in an alleged plot to control procurement at Energoatom and other state energy enterprises.
• High-level ties: One of the suspects is Timur Mindich, a former business associate of Zelensky from his comedy career. Calling the corruption “absolutely unacceptable,” Zelensky urged the dismissal of Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk and Justice Minister German Galushchenko. Hrynchuk said she had already submitted her resignation. Galushchenko, who also denies any wrongdoing, is not among the seven identified suspects.
• International reaction: The timing is critical, as Ukrainians face daily power outages due to Russian strikes, and foreign donors are funding the sector. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called the incident “extremely unfortunate” and urged Kyiv to act forcefully, noting, “There is no room for corruption, especially now.” | Reuters / Reuters (Kallas)

💥 Geopolitics & War

🇨🇳 Russia turns to yuan to fund record deficit 

Russia will issue its first yuan-denominated government bonds in early December to help cover a record budget deficit driven by wartime spending and falling oil revenues. The move broadens Moscow’s borrowing options under sanctions and further elevates the yuan’s role in Russia’s financial system. The budget deficit is projected to reach a record 5.7 trillion rubles ($70.3 billion) this year. | Bloomberg

🛢️ Lukoil’s foreign empire struggles under U.S. sanctions 

U.S. sanctions have scuttled Lukoil’s planned sale of overseas assets to Gunvor — branded by Washington as a “Kremlin’s puppet” — leaving Lukoil at risk of losing at least €14 billion abroad and reviving talk of a possible Rosneft takeover. Meanwhile, Putin has approved the sale of Citi’s Russian business, which some analysts view as a “political gesture” to the Trump administration to encourage a thaw in relations. | FT

🪖 The true aim of Putin’s war exposed in battle for Pokrovsk 

The battle for Pokrovsk highlights how Putin’s aims extend far beyond the Donbas, rooted instead in a longstanding effort to reassert dominance over Ukraine and restore Russia’s great-power status. These deeper ambitions, shaped by his view of the Soviet collapse as a historic calamity, help explain why Trump’s attempts to secure a cease-fire through territorial concessions have stalled. | WSJ

🛡️ NATO’s drone defense 📡

Europe has seen an unprecedented wave of mysterious drone flyovers, prompting European leaders to advance plans for a “drone wall” along NATO’s eastern flank. Danish firms MyDefence and Weibel Scientific are seeing surging demand from governments, airports, and military bases for jammers and advanced radar systems. More than 2,000 MyDefence units have already gone to Ukraine as Europe races to counter Russia’s evolving drone tactics. | AP

$70.3 billion

The projected record budget deficit for Russia this year, driving its decision to issue yuan-denominated bonds.

€14 billion

The approximate asset value Lukoil stands to lose after the U.S. blocked the sale of its foreign holdings.

From the Meduza archive

‘They wanted to humiliate me’ | How Russian authorities tried to charge Aslan Iritov — an activist who lost both hands in a 1990s car bombing — with “strangling a police officer with his fingers.” Iritov dedicated his life to fighting local land corruption, telling reporters after his ordeal, “I, at least, remained a man as I was. And they, excuse me, are bootlickers.” | Read the story