Day: December 7, 2020
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Russian Sentenced to Jail in France for Money Laundering
A French court on Monday sentenced a Russian to five years in prison for money laundering, but cleared him of an original charge of defrauding nearly 200 people using ransomware. Prosecutors had said that Alexander Vinnik sent emails to his targets masquerading as invoices, whose attached document, when opened, activated malware that shut down the…
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Russia Bolsters Military Forces in Baltic Exclave Amid NATO Fears
Russia is looking to expand its military power in Kaliningrad by adding a new division that includes motorized rifle, artillery and tank regiments amid NATO buildup along the border with Russia’s Baltic exclave, a naval admiral said Monday. Admiral Alexander Nosatov, the commander of Russia’s Baltic Fleet, accused the Western military bloc of deploying an…
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Turkey Court Orders Release of Russian Reporters – Official
A Turkish court on Monday ordered the release of two Russian journalists detained in Istanbul after they were accused of filming near a facility manufacturing drones without authorization, an official said. Journalist Alexei Petrushko and cameraman Ivan Malyshkin from Kremlin-friendly NTV channel were arrested by police in Istanbul on Thursday morning. A Turkish foreign ministry…
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Estonia Builds Barbed Wire Fence on Russian Border – Reports
Estonia has installed a barbed-wire fence along an 8-kilometer section of its border with Russia in the first installment of its three-year border infrastructure project, media in the Baltic country reported Monday. Estonia began construction of border infrastructure stretching 23.5 kilometers from the Estonian-Latvian-Russian meeting point to the Luhamaa border crossing further north in July. In…
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Novokuibyshevsk Refinery Implements Pilot Project of Smart Safety Helmets
Specialists of the Novokuibyshevsk refinery, an enterprise of Rosneft Oil Company’s Samara refining complex, jointly with Rostelecom PJSC have performed pilot tests for the introduction of smart safety helmets–pieces of digital personal protective equipment–at the sites.
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Putin’s Ex-Son-in-Law Bought $380M Stake in Petrochemicals Giant for $100 – Investigation
President Vladimir Putin’s former son-in-law purchased $380 million worth of shares in Russia’s top petrochemicals company for $100 after marrying the president’s daughter, according to a report by the iStories investigative outlet. Kirill Shamalov acquired 3.8% of petrochemicals producer Sibur through a web of offshore companies months after marrying Katerina Tikhonova in February 2013, iStories reported,…
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Russia Urges Release of Reporters Detained in Turkey
President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman said on Monday the Kremlin hopes that two Russian journalists detained in Turkey will be released as soon as possible. Dmitry Peskov told reporters Russian diplomats were in contact with Turkish representatives to secure the release of two journalists working with Kremlin-friendly NTV channel “in the near future.” “We hope through…
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‘Cabaret Terezin’: Making Merry at Hell’s Gates
They did their best to keep spirits up by doing what they did before it happened, by writing music, singing, and dancing. By parodying their circumstances in lighthearted tunes, they could perhaps forget for a moment the death all around them. They were the prisoners in Theresienstadt, a concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, who organized…
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Don’t Perform Exorcisms at Home, Russian Orthodox Church Warns
The Russian Orthodox Church has warned worshippers against performing exorcisms at home, saying that casting out demons should be left to members of the clergy. Metropolitan Hilarion, who heads the church’s Department of External Relations, made the comments in reaction to a viral video showing parents attempting to expel a demon from their 10-year-old son…
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Russia Blames ‘Revisionist’ U.S. for Disputed Islanders’ Visas
The United States exercises World War II “revisionism” by classifying Russian visa-seekers born on a disputed island chain in the Far East as Japanese nationals, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Sunday. Russians born on the islands of Habomai, Shikotan, Kunashiri and Etorofu have been required to name Japan as their birthplace to receive permanent residency known…
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Putin Creates New Position for Chubais
Anatoly Chubais has been named President Vladimir Putin’s new point man on sustainable development and coordination with international organizations after stepping down as Rusnano CEO last week. “Anatoly Borisovich Chubais will be appointed as special representative to the President of the Russian Federation for relations with international organizations to achieve sustainable development goals,” said the…
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Russia Suggests Domestic Travel Ban to Slow Coronavirus
Update: Murashko’s words on restricting travel between regions were taken out of context and he had only been discussing travel restrictions in a general sense, a Health Ministry official told the RBC news website. “The Russian Health Ministry does not propose the introduction of any additional restrictions on the movement of citizens across the territory of…