Russian Police Arrest Wife of Exiled War Critic Gozman for Trafficking Cultural Goods

Russian law enforcement authorities placed the wife of opposition figure Leonid Gozman under house arrest on allegations of trafficking cultural goods from Russia to Italy, media reported Thursday. The independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, citing a court indictment, reported that the “cultural goods” listed by authorities include “kitchen and household utensils” inherited by the Gozman family…

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Russian Finance Minister Confirms Hike in ‘Exit Tax,’ Sales Discount for Foreign Companies

Foreign companies seeking to leave Russia will be forced to pay a heftier “exit tax” and “voluntary contribution” to the state treasury, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said Thursday, confirming earlier reporting of the planned increase. “The discount for foreigners will increase from 50% to 60%,” Siluanov, who heads a government investment commission that approves foreign…

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Russia to Deport 2K Undocumented Migrants

Russia will deport more than 2,000 undocumented migrants following a recent series of police raids, the Moscow branch of Russia’s Interior Ministry announced Thursday. The weeklong raids in the Russian capital, dubbed “Operation Nelegal 2024,” uncovered more than 13,000 violations of immigration law, according to the ministry’s statement. It said more than 10,000 foreigners were…

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Moldova Says Russia Planning to Illegally Bus In Voters to Moscow Polling Stations

Moldova claimed Wednesday that authorities in Russia were planning to undermine the country’s upcoming presidential election and a referendum on joining the EU by bussing in voters to polling stations at the Moldovan Embassy in Moscow. Moldova’s Foreign Ministry said it was alarmed by reports of Russia allegedly preparing to “artificially create the impression of…

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What Kadyrov’s ‘Blood Feud’ Declaration Really Means

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has declared a “blood feud” against three federal-level lawmakers hailing from the neighboring republics of Dagestan and Ingushetia.  The statement was yet another twist in the months-long dispute between Tatiana Kim, the CEO of Russia’s largest online retailer Wildberries, and her estranged husband Vladislav Bakalchuk.  The Moscow Times spoke to prominent…

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Man Who Died in Police Custody Amid Bashkortostan Protests Was Beaten to Death – RFE/RL

A man who died in police custody amid a regionwide crackdown on protesters and activists in Russia’s republic of Bashkortostan earlier this year was beaten to death by police, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported Wednesday, citing an independent forensic analysis conducted at the request of his family. Rifat Dautov was among more than 80 people…

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Alexey Likhachev, Director General of ROSATOM, held a working meeting with Aleksandar Vulin, Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia

On October 16, 2024, a meeting was held between Alexey Likhachev, Director General of ROSATOM, and Aleksandar Vulin, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia. During the meeting, the parties discussed the issues of expanding cooperation in the field of non-energy use of nuclear technologies, attracting Serbian companies to implement projects in third countries,…

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Russian Pop Star Shaman Seeks ‘Ya Russky’ Trademark for Vodka, Sex Toys

Russian pro-war singer Shaman filed to trademark the phrase “Ya Russky” (“I’m Russian”) for alcoholic beverages, various household products and even sex toys, the Moskva news agency reported Wednesday, citing documents it obtained. “Ya Russky” has become Shaman’s calling card after he emerged from relative obscurity with patriotic pop songs in the wake of Russia’s…

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Boris Nemtsov’s Daughter Creates Non-Profit to Help Independent Russian Media

Zhanna Nemtsova, the daughter of the late Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov, announced the creation of a non-profit foundation aimed at helping Russian independent media, saying that Russian civil society lacks a “transparent and competitive” donor system. Shortly after Moscow launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Russian government introduced draconian wartime censorship…

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Russian Officials ‘Resigned’ to Letting Ruble Fall Past 100 vs Dollar – Bloomberg

Russian authorities will no longer try to prevent the ruble from falling past 100 against the U.S. dollar as they expect the low exchange rate will benefit Russia’s state budget amid plans for more wartime spending, Bloomberg reported Tuesday, citing two anonymous sources familiar with the situation. Shortly after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s…

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As Ukraine’s Kursk Incursion Rages for a Third Month, What Is Happening on the Ground?

Russia’s southwestern Kursk region bordering Ukraine has been engulfed in battles with Kyiv’s troops for over two months. Ukraine has claimed over two dozen Kursk region settlements since launching its surprise incursion on Aug. 6, in the most significant cross-border attack on Russian territory since World War II. With most of the territory captured by…

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Persecuted En Masse, Russia’s Jehovah’s Witnesses ‘Expect to Outlast’ Putin’s Regime

When Russia added the Jehovah’s Witnesses to the country’s list of “extremist organizations” in April 2017, few could imagine the scale and longevity of repressions that the decision would set into motion.  “I could never have imagined that this could directly affect not only me, but anyone in the community,” said Alla, whose husband was…

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Persecuted En Masse, Russia’s Jehovah’s Witnesses ‘Expect to Outlast’ Putin’s Regime

When Russia added the Jehovah’s Witnesses to the country’s list of “extremist organizations” in April 2017, few could imagine the scale and longevity of repressions that the decision would set into motion.  “I could never have imagined that this could directly affect not only me, but anyone in the community,” said Alla, whose husband was…

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Persecuted En Masse, Russia’s Jehovah’s Witnesses ‘Expect to Outlast’ Putin’s Regime

When Russia added the Jehovah’s Witnesses to the country’s list of “extremist organizations” in April 2017, few could imagine the scale and longevity of repressions that the decision would set into motion.  “I could never have imagined that this could directly affect not only me, but anyone in the community,” said Alla, whose husband was…

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Persecuted En Masse, Russia’s Jehovah’s Witnesses ‘Expect to Outlast’ Putin’s Regime

When Russia added the Jehovah’s Witnesses to the country’s list of “extremist organizations” in April 2017, few could imagine the scale and longevity of repressions that the decision would set into motion.  “I could never have imagined that this could directly affect not only me, but anyone in the community,” said Alla, whose husband was…

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Moscow Court Jails Ukrainian TV Presenter 8 Years in Absentia for Inciting Hatred

A Moscow court on Monday sentenced Ukrainian journalist and TV presenter Yanina Sokolova to eight years in prison in absentia for making public calls to kill Russians. In August 2022, the head of Russia’s Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, accused Sokolova of “openly threatening the Russian people, emphasizing the need for their merciless destruction” during a television broadcast.…

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Moscow Court Jails Ukrainian TV Presenter 8 Years in Absentia for Inciting Hatred

A Moscow court on Monday sentenced Ukrainian journalist and TV presenter Yanina Sokolova to eight years in prison in absentia for making public calls to kill Russians. In August 2022, the head of Russia’s Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, accused Sokolova of “openly threatening the Russian people, emphasizing the need for their merciless destruction” during a television broadcast.…

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Moscow Court Jails Ukrainian TV Presenter 8 Years in Absentia for Inciting Hatred

A Moscow court on Monday sentenced Ukrainian journalist and TV presenter Yanina Sokolova to eight years in prison in absentia for making public calls to kill Russians. In August 2022, the head of Russia’s Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, accused Sokolova of “openly threatening the Russian people, emphasizing the need for their merciless destruction” during a television broadcast.…

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Russian Court Hands French Researcher 3-Year Prison Sentence for Breaking ‘Foreign Agent’ Law

A Moscow court on Monday sentenced French researcher Laurent Vinatier to three years in prison for breaking Russia’s laws on “foreign agents.” Vinatier, a 48-year-old researcher working for a Swiss conflict mediation NGO, was arrested in Moscow in June and charged with gathering information on Russia’s military without being registered as a “foreign agent,” a crime…

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Kremlin Denies Meddling in Moldova’s Upcoming Election

The Kremlin said Monday it “categorically rejects” accusations from authorities in Moldova that it is interfering in the country’s upcoming presidential election and a referendum on joining the European Union. “There are still many people in Moldova who support having good relations with our country,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “These people are being…

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Kremlin Denies Meddling in Moldova’s Upcoming Election

The Kremlin said Monday it “categorically rejects” accusations from authorities in Moldova that it is interfering in the country’s upcoming presidential election and a referendum on joining the European Union. “There are still many people in Moldova who support having good relations with our country,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “These people are being…

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Moscow and Beijing Pledge to Strengthen Military Ties as Russian Defense Minister Visits China

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov arrived in Beijing Monday for talks with his Chinese counterpart, who called for strengthening military cooperation between the two countries. Moscow and Beijing have forged closer ties since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, an alliance that has sparked anxiety in the West as both countries seek to…

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Moscow and Beijing Pledge to Strengthen Military Ties as Russian Defense Minister Visits China

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov arrived in Beijing Monday for talks with his Chinese counterpart, who called for strengthening military cooperation between the two countries. Moscow and Beijing have forged closer ties since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, an alliance that has sparked anxiety in the West as both countries seek to…

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Russia Accuses Ukraine of Forcibly Taking 1K Kursk Region Residents Since Incursion

Ukrainian troops have forcibly taken more than 1,000 residents of southwestern Russia’s Kursk region since launching their incursion in early August, Russia’s presidential human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova said Monday. “I’ve received messages regarding more than 1,000 such people from relatives trying to find them,” Moskalkova told the Argumenty i Fakty pro-Kremlin newspaper. “We know…

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Russia Accuses Ukraine of Forcibly Taking 1K Kursk Region Residents Since Incursion

Ukrainian troops have forcibly taken more than 1,000 residents of southwestern Russia’s Kursk region since launching their incursion in early August, Russia’s presidential human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova said Monday. “I’ve received messages regarding more than 1,000 such people from relatives trying to find them,” Moskalkova told the Argumenty i Fakty pro-Kremlin newspaper. “We know…

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