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Western Intelligence Hacked ‘Russia’s Google’ Yandex to Spy on Accounts

Hackers working for Western intelligence agencies broke into Russian internet search company Yandex in late 2018 deploying a rare type of malware in an attempt to spy on user accounts, four people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The malware, called Regin, is known to be used by the “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing alliance of…

Putin Slams ‘Obsolete’ Liberal World Order in FT Interview

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview published on Thursday that liberal values were obsolete because they had been rejected by the majority of the people in Western nations. Putin told the Financial Times newspaper that German Chancellor Angela Merkel had made a cardinal mistake by adopting a liberal policy towards immigration from the Middle East. “The…

Pro-Russian Rebels Agree to Release 4 Ukrainian Prisoners

Two pro-Russian separatist republics in eastern Ukraine have agreed to release four Ukrainian prisoners as a “goodwill gesture” later this week, news agencies reported Thursday. Rebels in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics have for the past five years been at war with government forces in eastern Ukraine. Prisoner exchanges are stipulated in an…

A Moscow Homeless Shelter Moved to Accommodate the World Cup – One Year Later It Has Not Returned

In a dingy parking lot hidden behind three of Moscow’s biggest train stations a crowd gathers around a fold-out table laden with vats of boiled buckwheat, fish soup, baked potatoes and hot tea, with cookies and bananas for dessert. For many of the city’s homeless, this is the only chance they have to eat a…

Small Northern Russian Town Lands Key Role in Big Arctic Plan

Approximately 550 people living in an outpost on Russia’s Kara Sea coast could soon face big changes after the federal government earlier this month decided to give the local seaport international status. Behind the decision lies a plan to boost shipments on the Northern Sea Route, the government said. Foreign vessels will now be allowed to…

Moscow Police Detain Hundreds in 2 Years With Facial Recognition

Facial recognition cameras have helped police catch scores of suspects on the streets of Moscow and up to 10 criminals a month on the metro in the past two years, Russia’s Vedomosti business daily reported Thursday. Moscow claims the world’s largest network of 160,000 surveillance cameras, some equipped with facial recognition technology. Supporters of the technology say…

Russian Blogger Fined for ‘Disrespectful’ Reggaeton Dance at Monument

A Russian blogger has been fined for dancing to reggaeton music in front of a World War II monument under a new law banning “disrespect” of the authorities. The blogger, identified as “A. Chervyakova,” posted an Instagram video showing her dance at the Burial Mound of Immortality in April, court documents in the western Russian city…

Russia Frees First Batch of Captive Whales After Outcry

Russia released two killer whales and six beluga whales back into the wild on Thursday, the first group of almost 100 whales whose detention in the Far East since last year caused an international outcry. The whales, caught last summer in order to be sold to marine parks or aquariums in China, were released in the…

Half of Russians Can’t Tell Fake News, Real News Apart – State Pollster

Half of Russians are unable to tell the difference between real news and fake news, the head of a state-funded polling agency said on Wednesday. Almost one-third of Russians said they have encountered fake news online and one-fifths on television in recent years, the VTsIOM pollster said in April. MIT research has shown that fake…

Russian Church Plans $2Bln ‘Orthodox Vatican’

The Russian Orthodox Church has developed plans to construct its own Vatican to the tune of $2 billion in the Moscow region, the Vedomosti business daily reported on Thursday. Church officials have been in talks with officials in the city of Sergiyev Posad to transform it into the capital of Orthodoxy since 2017. Sergiyev Posad…

UN Seeks U.S.-Russia Understanding to Spur Syria Peace Process

UN Syria envoy Geir Pedersen is working on fostering “a deeper understanding” between Russia and the United States to move the Syrian peace process forward, he said in an interview published on Thursday. In an interview published by the Geneva-based Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, Pedersen also said he wanted to convene a group of influential…

Russian Space Contractor Escapes Jail Time After $6.5M Fraud

The former head of a contracting firm charged with embezzling almost $6.5 million during construction of a Russian spaceport and spending money on luxury goods has received a suspended sentence and escaped jail time. The Vostochny Cosmodrome, a $3 billion project seen in Moscow as vital to secure Russia’s independent access to space, has been…

Russian Cop Detained for Shooting at Playing Child While Drunk

A Russian police officer has been detained for firing his handgun at a child who accidentally kicked a ball into his car while playing with friends, Russian authorities have said. The intoxicated 36-year-old had been parked near a courtyard in the western city of Kursk when he became “infuriated” by the ball that hit his…

2 Killed, 7 Injured as Russian Plane Makes Emergency Landing in Siberia

Two people were killed and at least seven injured when an Antonov An-24 passenger plane made an emergency landing at a regional airport in Russia’s republic of Buryatia, in Siberia, on Thursday, the area’s emergency situations ministry said. There were 46 people, including four crew, on board the plane, which was en route from the…

Russia Returns to European Rights Body After 5-Year Suspension

Europe’s top human rights body has confirmed Russia’s return as a member after the country was suspended for five years over the annexation of Crimea. Russia was suspended from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in 2014, leading Moscow to halt its annual payments to the organization in 2017. PACE voted this…

Moscow, St. Petersburg Become Cheaper for Expats, Ranking Says

Moscow and St. Petersburg are becoming more affordable for expats, according to new rankings from a global consulting firm. Moscow placed 27th and St. Petersburg 75th out of 209 cities worldwide for the most expensive locations to work abroad in Mercer’s 2019 ranking, dropping by 10 and 26 spots from last year respectively.  “Despite moderate…

Putin and Trump Will Meet on June 28, Kremlin Says

Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump will have an hourlong meeting on the sidelines of a G20 summit on June 28 in Osaka in Japan, a Kremlin aide said on Wednesday, in their first official encounter for almost a year. The meeting will take place amid growing tension over Tehran. Trump threatened…

Russian Paratroopers Drown in Crimea After Failed Parachute Landing

Two Russian paratroopers have drowned after a failed parachute landing attempt, the country’s military was quoted by news agencies as saying on Wednesday. It was unclear if the paratroopers died during the snap combat readiness inspections currently taking place in Russia’s central, eastern and southern military districts. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Monday that…

Iran ‘Won’t Be Alone’ If U.S. Attacks, Russian Official Says

Iran “won’t be alone” if the United States decides to launch a military strike on the Islamic republic, a senior Russian diplomat said on Wednesday. U.S. President Donald Trump targeted Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top Iranian officials with sanctions on Monday. The dramatic step to increase pressure on Iran follows Tehran’s…

Newest Entrants Into the World’s Richest Are the Kids of Russian Titans

Alexei Mordashov’s children are quickly climbing the ranks of the world’s wealthiest, even as one of them just emerged from his teens. The country’s fourth-richest man transferred some of his holdings last week in European tour operator TUI AG, worth $890 million, to his sons Kirill, 20, and Nikita, 19. In February, he gave them…

Russia Will Restrict Lake Baikal Tourism, Putin Aide Says

Tourists could be barred from visiting Russia’s Lake Baikal in order to protect its ecosystem, a senior aide to President Vladimir Putin has said. Pollution has plagued Lake Baikal, the world’s deepest and oldest freshwater lake, for at least two decades. Scientists recently warned that government proposals risk exacerbating the problem.  “We’ll have to artificially…

Russian Senate Rules to Leave Nuclear Arms Treaty in Unanimous Vote

Russian senators have voted unanimously to uphold President Vladimir Putin’s suspension of a landmark nuclear arms control treaty with the United States on Wednesday. The U.S. will withdraw from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty on Aug. 2 unless Moscow ends violations, which Russia denies, of the 1987 pact. Putin signed a decree suspending Russia’s…

Russia to Pay Kazakhstan Compensation for Contaminated Oil in Crisis Breakthrough

Russia has agreed to pay Kazakhstan a fixed per-barrel rate of compensation for tainted oil, industry sources said on Wednesday, a breakthrough in an oil contamination crisis that disrupted Russian and Kazakh flows earlier this year. It is the first such deal and could serve as a template for other agreements, including with Western buyers…

Russia Says Plane to Venezuela Carried Military Specialists

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that the Russian air force plane that landed in Venezuela this week was carrying a rotation of military specialists but that their number in the country had not increased, the state-run TASS news agency reported. The plane landed on Monday in Venezuela’s main airport, according to a Reuters witness…

Russia Shows Off New Military Technology at 2019 Army Forum, in Photos

If there’s one thing Russia’s good at, it’s rolling out the tanks for a grand display of military might and armed excellence. The 2019 Army forum, held Tuesday in the outskirts of Moscow, was no different.

Here are a few of the fiercest fighters that the Defense Ministry put on display:

1 in 10 Russians Have Been Tortured by Authorities – Poll

One in 10 Russians say they have been tortured by law enforcement officials, a survey by the independent Levada Center pollster said. Russian law enforcement has been rocked with several torture scandals, with victims including LGBT people in Chechnya, Jehovah’s Witnesses and prisoners. In 2018, United Nations human rights investigators called on Russia to halt frequent torture…

Russian Arctic Island Becomes Nature Reserve

Regional authorities in Russia’s Arctic have introduced stricter environmental regimes on Kolguev Island to protect the island’s bird and wildlife species. The small island located in the southeastern Barents Sea, north of the Nenets coast, is considered a crucial area for migrating birds. It is also inhabited by several endangered species. The Kolguevsky Nature Reserve was…

Russia Is Laying Groundwork for Georgian Wine Ban, Media Reports

Russian authorities are taking steps toward banning Georgian wines amid an escalation in tensions between the ex-Soviet neighbors over the past week, the Kommersant business daily reported on Wednesday. Violent protests erupted in Georgia’s capital last week after a Russian lawmaker addressed the Georgian parliament in Russian from the speaker’s chair. On Monday, Russia’s state consumer…

Russia Will Respond to Any NATO Steps Over Missiles, Minister Says

Moscow will respond in kind to any steps NATO takes over Russia’s decision to suspend a 1987 nuclear missile treaty, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Wednesday, according to the state-run RIA news agency. NATO defense ministers will discuss later on Wednesday their next steps if Moscow keeps a missile system that the…

Russians Are Increasingly Protesting Social, Not Political Issues – Study

Russians are increasingly likely to rally over social than political issues, according to a newly released study of protests in the first three months of 2019. Freedom of assembly has been gradually restricted in Russia since a wave of mass protests in 2011-2012 against President Vladimir Putin. Observers say that nonpolitical demonstrations have become more frequent…

Baptized Russian Soldiers Won WWII While Atheists Died, Orthodox Bishop Says

Baptized Russian soldiers won World War II while most of the country’s atheist soldiers died in battle, according to an Orthodox Church bishop. Metropolitan Ioann of Belgorod and Stary Oskol’s remarks were caught on video during a service honoring the anniversary of the beginning of the war. Although ultimately victorious, the Soviet Union lost over 27…

Police Catch Drugging, Robbing Spree Suspect in Central Moscow

Russian police have detained a man suspected of being behind a string of druggings and robberies at popular hangout spots in central Moscow, media reported Tuesday. Russia’s The Village news website said Monday that at least 24 victims, including its photo editor, had been drugged and robbed by a single suspect in the past month. The…

Two Russian Biathletes Get Four-Year Bans for Doping

Two Russian biathletes have been suspended for four years for doping violations detected in data from Russia‘s former anti-doping agency laboratory, the International Biathlon Union (IBU) said on Tuesday. Alexander Pechenkin and Alexander Chernyshov were among the four Russian biathletes who were charged with doping violations by the IBU and provisionally suspended last November. In addition to a…

NATO Calls on Russia to Destroy New Missile, Warns of Response

NATO urged Russia on Tuesday to destroy a new missile before an August deadline and save a treaty that keeps land-based nuclear warheads out of Europe or face a more determined alliance response in the region. NATO defense ministers will discuss on Wednesday their next steps if Moscow keeps the missile system that the United States says…

Russia Sentences Polish National to 14 Years for Espionage

A court in Moscow has sentenced a Polish national to 14 years behind bars on charges of espionage, Russian media have reported. Marian Radzajewski, 42, has reportedly been held in custody in Russia since April 2018. Security officials said they had caught him “in the attempt of making a deal” to allegedly smuggle secret parts…

Downed U.S. Drone Was in Iranian Airspace, Putin’s Aide Says

Russia has military intelligence that shows that a U.S. drone was in Iranian air space when it was shot down by Iran last week, Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of Russia’s Security Council, said on Tuesday. Speaking at a briefing for journalists in Jerusalem, Patrushev said evidence presented by the United States alleging Iran was behind attacks…

Russia Plans to Simplify Citizenship for Foreign Students, Official Says

Foreign students who graduate from Russian universities may find it easier to get a Russian passport as soon as this year as the country grapples with a shrinking population, a cabinet official has said. The Russian government has enacted a number of financial programs in recent years to reverse its declining population and record-low migration…

Russia Cleared to Return to Europe’s Top Rights Body, Ukraine Walks Out

Europe’s top human rights body has voted to allow Russia to return as a member of its parliamentary assembly, dividing the 70-year-old watchdog tasked with monitoring civil liberties among its 47 member states. Russia was suspended from the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) in 2014 over Moscow’s behavior toward Ukraine, including the annexation of…

Russia Says Military Plane Landed in Venezuela to Service Equipment

A Russian Air Force plane that landed in Venezuela is there to service Russian military equipment already in the country, Russia‘s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Tuesday, according to Interfax. The plane landed on Monday in Venezuela’s main airport, according to a Reuters witness and a website that tracks plane movements, three months after a similar arrival…

Russia’s Middle Class Is Shrinking – Bank Report

Russia’s middle class has fallen by nearly one-fifth since the start of the country’s economic crisis in 2014, an analysis by the Moscow-based Alfa Bank has said. Low oil prices and Western sanctions have reduced Russians’ real incomes for five years in a row. Economists forecast that the population’s purchasing power will keep falling in…

Head of Russia’s Ingushetia Resigns Following Months of Border Deal Unrest

The head of Russia’s smallest region has resigned following months of controversy over a land-swap deal with the neighboring republic of Chechnya, Russian media have reported. Residents of the North Caucasus republic of Ingushetia first took to the streets against the border-swap agreement signed with Chechnya in fall 2018. Violent protests reignited in March as…

Russian Flight Ban Could Cost Georgia $300M, Experts Say

Georgia’s economy could lose up to $300 million annually from the absence of Russian tourists amid tensions between the ex-Soviet neighbors, Georgian analysts estimate. Angry protests erupted in Tbilisi after a Russian lawmaker’s visit last week, prompting Russian President Vladimir Putin to suspend flights to Georgia, a popular vacation destination for Russians, as of July…

Nearly Half of Russians Oppose 4-Day Work Week, Poll Says

Nearly half of Russians say they wouldn’t support a switch to a four-day work week over fears that it would reduce their earnings, a new poll has said. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that a shift to a four-day work week is “very likely” to happen as a way to help workers…

Businessman Yakobashvili Doesn’t Plan to Return to Russia After Gallery Searched

Prominent businessman David Yakobashvili told Interfax news agency on Monday he did not plan to return to Russia after security services searched his art gallery, though he later denied this was the reason for his staying away. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) searched a Moscow art gallery owned by Yakobashvili earlier this month as part…

Putin Extends Ban on EU Food Imports Until End of 2020

President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Monday extending a Russian ban on food imports from the European Union until the end of 2020, according to a government database. Russia imposed an embargo on a wide range of imports from the EU and other countries in 2014 in retaliation for international sanctions over Moscow’s role…

IS Claims Gun Attack on Police Near Chechen Leader’s Residence

The Islamic State (IS) terror group has claimed responsibility for a gun attack on security officials in Russia’s republic of Chechnya, the online monitor Site Intelligence Group reported on Sunday. IS has claimed a series of attacks over the past year in Chechnya, a predominately Muslim republic in Russia’s North Caucasus. An estimated 3,400 Russians fought…

Russia Warns of Repeat of Cuban Missile Crisis – Reports

The U.S. deployment of land-based missile systems near Russia’s borders could lead to a stand-off comparable to the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted as saying on Monday. Russia has been fiercely critical of U.S. plans to deploy missile systems in eastern Europe, and of Washington’s withdrawal from the…

Most Russians Say Soviet Union ‘Took Care of Ordinary People’ – Poll

A majority of Russians believe that the Soviet system took care of the common man and woman, according to a recent poll by the independent Levada Center pollster. Russia has seen an upward trend in positive opinions about the Soviet Union in recent years, with nostalgia toward it hitting a 14-year high in December. Public…