Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Aug. 20

Russia has confirmed 942,106 cases of coronavirus and 16,099 deaths. Aug. 20: What you need to know today Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak has the coronavirus, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said. He is at least the fifth Russian cabinet member to contract the virus. Russia said Saturday that it has produced the first batch of its coronavirus vaccine, after…

EU Rejects Belarus Vote Result as Lukashenko Orders Clampdown

The European Union on Wednesday rejected the result of Belarus’s disputed presidential election as strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko ordered his security forces to prevent any further unrest. Following an emergency video conference on the elections, European Council chief Charles Michel said the EU would soon levy sanctions against a “substantial number” of people responsible for…

Russia Slams ‘Foreign Meddling’ in Belarus, Rules Out Immediate Military Aid

The Kremlin said Wednesday that events in Belarus did not yet warrant Russia’s military involvement, while Russia’s foreign minister admitted shortcomings in the disputed presidential elections.  Both, however, criticized alleged foreign interference in the post-Soviet country’s affairs following major protests against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s claim to victory on Aug. 9.  A collective military pact…

Belarus Opposition Urges EU To Reject Vote as Leaders Hold Emergency Talks

The exiled head of Belarus’s opposition urged European leaders to reject President Alexander Lukashenko’s “fraudulent” re-election on Wednesday as the EU held an emergency summit on the country’s political crisis. The European Council convened to discuss the fallout from the vote that saw security services in ex-Soviet Belarus brutally disperse peaceful demonstrators demanding that their…

Belarus Resumes Dispersing Protests as Lukashenko Decries ‘Gestapo’ Opposition

Belarusian authorities resumed breaking up protests and employees were denied entry into offices for joining the opposition in the second week of demonstrations against the country’s disputed election, Belarusian media reported Wednesday. Riot police dispersed a Minsk Tractor Works (MTZ) strike and a state-run media demonstration, according to the reports. Protesters were reportedly denied entry…

Russian YouTuber Accused of Taking Moscow ‘Metro-2’ Secrets to Ukraine – Reports

A popular urban exploration YouTuber from Russia is suspected of sending secret information about the Moscow metro to Ukraine, the state-run TASS news agency reported weeks after his arrest. Russian-Ukrainian citizen Andrei Pyzh was arrested on Aug. 6 on charges of obtaining and spreading state secrets. Pyzh has uploaded hundreds of videos showing his explorations…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Aug. 19

Russia has confirmed 937,321 cases of coronavirus and 15,989 deaths. Aug. 19: What you need to know today Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak has the coronavirus, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said. He is at least the fifth Russian cabinet member to contract the virus. Russia said Saturday that it has produced the first batch of its coronavirus vaccine, after…

EU Leaders Urge Putin to Push for Talks in Belarus Over Disputed Vote

European leaders urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to push for dialogue in neighbouring Belarus on Tuesday, as opposition supporters protested President Alexander Lukashenko’s disputed election win for a 10th day. Thousands of demonstrators gathered on Independence Square in central Minsk on Tuesday evening waving the red-and-white flags of the opposition and calling on Lukashenko to…

Council of Europe Urges Russia to Up Anti-Corruption Efforts

The Council of Europe’s anti-corruption council on Tuesday urged Russia to boost efforts against graft among members of its parliament, judges and prosecutors. The European rights watchdog’s GRECO anti-corruption body said there had been some progress, but “work is still needed.” “The transparency of the legislative process still needs strengthening, with public consultations on bills becoming the…

Russia Surpasses 930K Coronavirus Cases

The highest number of new cases were in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Russia’s fatality rate has remained low compared to other badly-hit countries, raising speculation that Moscow could be underreporting figures. Russian authorities began easing anti-virus measures in June ahead of a massive World War II military parade in Moscow and a nationwide vote on…

Norway Arrests Man Suspected of Spying for Russia

Norway’s intelligence service said Monday its agents had arrested a Norwegian man suspected of passing sensitive information to Russia. “The man is formally suspected of providing information to a foreign country that could damage fundamental national interests,” the PST intelligence agency wrote on Twitter. A PST official later confirmed the country in question was Russia.…

Russia Outlaws Children’s Criminal Underground Movement

Russia has blacklisted a popular informal movement that pushes youngsters into the criminal underground as an extremist organization, Interfax reported Monday. AUE (“Arestantsky. Uklad. Edin,” or “Prison. Order. Universal”) is based on prison culture and consists mostly of children and teenagers ruled indirectly by adult criminals. Authorities warn that AUE “poses a real threat to…

Belarus State TV Workers Join Anti-Lukashenko Strike

Belarusian state television and radio workers walked off the job Monday, becoming the latest public employees to support the opposition in calling for new elections after last week’s official results showed a landslide victory for strongman President Alexander Lukashenko. The unprecedented show of resistance comes after several state television presenters resigned last week in protest…

Russia Approaches 930K Coronavirus Cases

The highest number of new cases were in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Russia’s fatality rate has remained low compared to other badly-hit countries, raising speculation that Moscow could be underreporting figures. Russian authorities began easing anti-virus measures in June ahead of a massive World War II military parade in Moscow and a nationwide vote on…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Aug. 16

Russia has confirmed 922,853 cases of coronavirus and 15,685 deaths. Aug. 16: What you need to know today Vietnam’s health ministry is looking to buy a bulk order of Russia’s coronavirus vaccine, state media said on Friday, despite global skepticism over its effectiveness and safety. Russia said Saturday that it has produced the first batch of its coronavirus…

Draniki: Out of the Belarusian Frying Pan

Belarus is almost never in the news, let alone above the fold, but this week, Russia’s near neighbor gave the coronavirus a run for its money in front-page column inches as frustrated voters took to the streets to protest fraudulent election results.  With the country’s internet blocked and very few foreign correspondents accredited, grainy footage…

EU Approves Belarus Sanctions

European Union ministers agreed Friday to draw up a list of targets in Belarus for a new round of sanctions in response to strongman Alexander Lukashenko’s post-election crackdown. At a videoconference hosted by Brussels’ diplomatic chief Josep Borrell, the foreign ministers also agreed to take up the stand-off between Greece and Turkey at their next…

Belarus Sees Walkouts, Protest Calls After ‘Bloody’ Vote Crackdown

The main challenger in Belarus’s disputed presidential election called for mass weekend rallies and workers were walking off the job on Friday as defiance mounted against strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko. In a video address to supporters, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya accused Lukashenko’s regime of a “bloody massacre” in a crackdown on post-election protests, as people detained during…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Aug. 14

Russia has confirmed 912,823 cases of coronavirus and 15,498 deaths. Aug. 13: What you need to know today Vietnam’s health ministry is looking to buy a bulk order of Russia’s coronavirus vaccine, state media said on Friday, despite global skepticism over its effectiveness and safety. More than half of Russian doctors aren’t ready to get the country’s highly touted…

Russian Media Responds to Belarus Protest Crackdown

Tens of thousands of peaceful demonstrators in Belarus have gathered in recent days to protest President Alexander Lukashenko’s disputed victory and the violent police crackdown that followed. Belarusians formed human chains in cities including Minsk, many wearing white and holding flowers, to protest against police brutality during the four nights of unrest after Sunday’s vote.…

Russia’s Coronavirus Cases Surpass 910K

The highest number of new cases were in Moscow and Sverdlovsk in the Urals. Russia’s fatality rate has remained low compared to other badly-hit countries, raising speculation that Moscow could be underreporting figures. Russian authorities began easing anti-virus measures in June ahead of a massive World War II military parade in Moscow and a nationwide…

Belarus: Symbols of the Opposition

White bracelets, flowers, a punched fist and a Soviet-era song: all have become symbols of opposition to the re-election of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko to serve a sixth term. White The color white has become central in the protests sparked by Sunday’s vote, which have massed behind Lukashenko’s presidential challenger Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, a 37-year-old English teacher by…