Day: October 2, 2019
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Putin Backs Trump in U.S. Domestic Row, Jokes About Election Meddling
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday sided with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump in the domestic political storm raging in the United States, and briefly joked that Moscow would hack the U.S. presidential election in 2020. Putin said Trump, who faces an impeachment inquiry over accusations that he pressured Ukraine’s president to dig up dirt…
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Russian Hostels in Apartments Still Open Despite New Ban – Reports
Many Russian hostels and hotels located in residential buildings are still open for booking despite a controversial ban that went into effect yesterday, according to media reports. Under the new law, it’s now illegal to provide hotel services in residential buildings, sparking concerns for the future of budget travel in Russia. Hoteliers previously warned that…
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Italian Circus Traverses Russia With Exotic Animal Performers, Igniting Animal Rights Concerns
One of the oldest and largest Italian circuses has arrived in Russia’s northernmost city of Pevek after an epic cross-country trek — but their tour has raised concerns among Russians over the ethics of using wild animals as performers. The Togni circus, which includes human and animal performers, had come all the way from Kazan…
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Russian iPhone User Sues Apple for Turning Him Gay
A Russian man is seeking more than $15,000 in damages from Apple after claiming that the U.S. tech giant drove him to homosexuality, the Govorit Moskva radio station has reported. The plaintiff, identified as D. Razumilov, alleges that he became “mired in same-sex relationships” this summer after receiving 69 GayCoins on a cryptocurrency payment app…
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Putin Slams Climate Activist Greta Thunberg’s UN Speech
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday took aim at teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg, telling an energy forum he did not share the excitement about her United Nations speech last month. The 16-year-old Swede electrified the UN summit in New York when she denounced world leaders for failing to tackle climate change, unleashing the outrage…
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Moscow Cancer Center Employees Threaten to Quit as Doctor Resignation Wave Hits Capital
A wave of resignations sweeping Russia’s health sector has reached the country’s capital this week after employees at one of Moscow’s best cancer hospitals threatened to quit in protest of its new leadership. Nurses, doctors, ambulance staff and paramedics across Russia have expressed their grievances by resigning or staging various forms of strikes since the…
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Putin Says No Proof Iran Was Behind Saudi Oil Attacks
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that there was no evidence that Iran was responsible for an attack on Saudi oil infrastructure last month and that the United States had not presented any proof of Iran’s role. France tried to set up a meeting between the leaders of Iran and the United States after…
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‘A Victory for Common Sense’: Russia Reacts to Ukraine’s Donbass Compromise
Ukraine has agreed to sign a peace plan with pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine that it had previously rejected, marking the first major breakthrough since a lapsed 2015 peace accord and a step toward an international peace summit. Negotiators meeting in Minsk, Belarus on Tuesday agreed on a schedule to allow elections in eastern Ukraine’s…
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Russian Deliveries to Arctic Military Bases Up 200% From 2018, State Shipping Company Says
State military shipping company Oboronlogistika has made 11 shipments to the Arctic archipelago of Novaya Zemlya and other parts of the region so far this year as part of its exclusive delivery agreement with the Defense Ministry. About 30,000 tons of goods were delivered, the company said. In 2018, the company’s total delivery volume amounted to 11,000 tons. Various…
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Russian Town Rallies Against New Mayor From Rebel-Held Eastern Ukraine
Protesters in Russia’s Buddhist republic of Kalmykia took to the streets against the appointment as mayor of a one-time leader of separatist-held eastern Ukraine. Dmitry Trapeznikov, 38, briefly led the self-proclaimed Donetsk people’s republic in war-torn eastern Ukraine after his predecessor was assassinated last year. On Thursday, the Kalmyk governor announced that he appointed Trapeznikov…
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Russia’s Historic Buildings Go On the Market for 1 Ruble
Russia has placed 19th-century gates in St. Petersburg, a house from a Turgenev novel and other significant historical buildings on the market to save them from destruction. The cost to rent them? One ruble. Several “house for a ruble” programs have popped up across the country in an effort to save historic buildings that have…
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Russia Opens Fire on North Korean Fishing Boat, Detains 21 for Alleged Poaching
Russian border guards opened fire on a North Korean fishing boat and detained 21 crew for alleged poaching in the Sea of Japan, the Federal Security Service was quoted as saying on Wednesday. Five people were injured in the incident, which caused a fire on board, the Interfax news agency cited the service as saying.…
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Ukraine Peace Talks Get Breakthrough as Kiev Accepts Compromise
Talks to end the five-year conflict in eastern Ukraine produced the first major breakthrough since a lapsed 2015 peace accord, paving the way for an international summit to cement progress. Negotiators meeting Tuesday in the Belarusian capital of Minsk agreed on a schedule under which elections will be held in the breakaway regions and a…
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Cuts, Beatings and Sheep’s Blood: Russian State Journalist Sues Over War Correspondent Course Injuries
A Russian state journalist has sued the organizer of a training course for war correspondents over injuries he says he received during the training. Svyatoslav Pavlov’s gruesome account of the course at a military site in Crimea included scenes of ripped earlobes and bags placed over journalists’ heads causing asphyxiation. The courses are required for…