Navalny-Backed Opposition Candidates in Siberia Attacked With Foul-Smelling Chemical

Assailants have spilled a foul-smelling liquid at the office of Siberian opposition candidates backed by Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny ahead of upcoming regional elections, the candidates said Tuesday. The attack is the latest attempt to disrupt the work of a coalition of opposition candidates planning to challenge pro-Kremlin incumbents in the Novosibirsk city council elections…

Russia Begins Coronavirus Vaccine Rollout

Russia has begun releasing its coronavirus vaccine to the general public, the Health Ministry announced Tuesday as developers prepare to conduct large-scale clinical trials while administering the shot to civilians. Its developer has said that a yearlong mass vaccination campaign would begin as soon as the Sputnik V vaccine entered civil circulation. “The first batch…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Sept. 7

Russia has confirmed 1,030,690 cases of coronavirus and 17,871 deaths. Sept. 7: What you need to know today Saudi King Salman and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed Monday the possible joint production of a Russian coronavirus vaccine, the Kremlin said.  Russia’s coronavirus cases continue to rise as the country confirmed 5,185 new coronavirus infections Monday, bringing the country’s official number of…

Russian FM Meets Syria’s Assad on Rare Visit

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad discussed economic cooperation Monday with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, as Moscow’s envoy made his first visit to war-torn Syria since 2012, the presidency said. Assad said “the Syrian government was determined to continue working with Russian partners” to implement signed agreements, and encourage the “success of Russian investments in Syria,”…

Explainer: What is Nord Stream 2 and Why Might Navalny’s Poisoning Stop Its Completion?

The confirmation that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with Novichok has heightened calls for Germany to review its support for Nord Stream 2 — Gazprom’s mega gas pipeline project linking the two countries. German Chancellor Angela Merkel will not rule out consequences for the project if Russia fails to thoroughly investigate the incident,…

Russia’s ‘Basic Instinct’ Dig Provokes Spat With Ally Serbia

Serbia accused Russia of “primitivism and vulgarity” on Sunday after Russia’s diplomatic spokeswoman appeared to mock Serbia’s president on social media, marking a rare criticism toward Belgrade’s longtime ally. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova struck a nerve Saturday when she posted a photo of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic alongside a screengrab of Hollywood star…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Sept. 6

Russia has confirmed 1,025,505 cases of coronavirus and 17,820 deaths. Sept. 6: What you need to know today Russia recorded more than 30,000 excess deaths in July as the coronavirus pandemic continued to sweep across the country, new data from the country’s statistics service Rosstat has shown. Russia’s coronavirus cases continue to rise as the country confirmed 5,195 new coronavirus infections Sunday,…

A Tale of Two Charlottes

Apple season is officially open! One of the more colorful hybrid holidays in Russia is Yablochny Spas, or “Apple Savior,” celebrated each year in late August, traditionally the moment when apples are ripe for picking.  In a delightful tradition reminiscent of Holy Thursday in early spring, Orthodox faithful bring baskets of apples and other early…

Travel Ban, Oil Supplies on Russia-Belarus Agenda

Russia and Belarus are preparing to reopen borders that were closed because of the coronavirus pandemic and are discussing rerouting Belarusian oil exports through Russia, news outlets reported after high-level talks Thursday. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and his delegation met Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and his government in Minsk amid continuing protests against his…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Sept. 5

Russia has confirmed 1,020,310 cases of coronavirus and 17,759 deaths. Sept. 5: What you need to know today Russia recorded more than 30,000 excess deaths in July as the coronavirus pandemic continued to sweep across the country, new data from the country’s statistics service Rosstat has shown. Russia’s coronavirus cases continue to rise as the country confirmed 5,205 new coronavirus infections Saturday,…

Lukashenko Says ‘Intercepted Call’ Shows Germany ‘Falsified’ Navalny Poisoning Claims

Germany “falsified” its statement that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned, Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko told Russia’s visiting prime minister Thursday, citing an intercepted conversation. The German government said Wednesday that Navalny, 44, who remains in a medically induced coma and on a ventilator two weeks after falling ill on a flight, was poisoned…

Germany Says Kremlin Critic Navalny Was Poisoned With Novichok

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a substance from the deadly Novichok family, the German government said Wednesday, demanding explanations from Moscow. “The Russian government is urged to explain the incident … the substance in Navalny’s organism is undoubtedly from the Novichok family,” said government spokesman Steffen Seibert in a statement. Prominent Kremlin…

Novichok, Feared Soviet-Designed Poison

The Soviet-designed nerve agent Novichok that Germany says poisoned Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny is a military-grade toxin banned as a chemical weapon after it was used in a previous attack in Britain.  The newest class of nerve agent, the Novichok family of toxins was developed by the Soviet government towards the end of the…

Novichok Use Shows ‘Only State’ Could Have Poisoned Navalny – Aide

Germany’s finding that Alexey Navalny was poisoned with nerve agent Novichok shows that only the Russian state could be responsible, the head of the opposition leader’s organization said on Wednesday. “Only the state (FSB, GRU) can use Novichok. This is beyond any reasonable doubt,” Ivan Zhdanov, the director of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, said on Twitter,…

‘Everyone Who Can Leave, Will Leave’: Violence, Raids and Internet Blackouts Scare Off Belarus’ Entrepreneurs

Eight years ago, Anton, a Russian programmer then in his mid-twenties, was lured to Minsk with an unbeatable offer from one of Belarus’ booming online games companies. He knew the country’s strongman president Alexander Lukashenko was no liberal, but having protested at the Bolotnaya Square demonstrations in Moscow in 2011-12 against Vladimir Putin’s return to…

Russia’s Constitutional Reforms Prevent Disputed Islands’ Transfer to Japan – Ex-PM Medvedev

Russia’s controversial constitutional reforms will make discussions with Japan on the dispute over a set of Pacific islands easier for Moscow, former Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday. Russia and Japan are attempting to strike a formal peace treaty, which Tokyo insists on for the return of the Russian-held Kuril Islands. A set of constitutional…

Belarus Strongman Thanks RT for ‘Support’

Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko has thanked Russian television channel RT for providing “support” after some staff and presenters at Belarus’s state broadcaster quit in protest over his disputed re-election. “I am grateful to you for this support,” Lukashenko told an RT journalist in a video released by the channel. “This is worth a lot,” he…