Day: March 30, 2021
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Russian Envoy Planning U.S. Return After Biden ‘Killer’ Comment
Russia’s ambassador to the United States plans to return to Washington soon following talks in Moscow on the future of bilateral ties after U.S. President Joe Biden called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a “killer.” Ambassador Anatoly Antonov, who was recalled for emergency consultations on March 21, told the state-run TASS news agency Monday that…
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Austria in Talks to Buy 1M Sputnik V Doses
Austria said on Tuesday it was negotiating with Russia over the possible purchase of 1 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine — which has yet to be approved by EU regulators. Though EU member Hungary is already administering Sputnik V and a total of 57 countries have authorized its use, according to the Russian…
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‘Marusya’ Folk Singers Win Over Russian Audiences
Yasho Thierry from Côte d’Ivoire has been performing with the Russian folk music group “Marusya” for the past ten years. Based in the southern city of Krasnodar, the group was born from a chat about musical culture between an African student at the city’s university and the leader of a Russian folk ensemble, Pavel Chelakhov.…
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Russian Court in Crimea Jails Jehovah’s Witness for 6.5 Years
A court in Russia-annexed Crimea said Monday it has jailed a Jehovah’s Witness for six and a half years on charges of organizing an extremist group in the country’s latest prison sentence against members of the Christian denomination. The Sevastopol-based Gagarin district court said in a statement that it found the defendant guilty and sent…
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One Year On: How Russia’s Coronavirus Lockdown Hit the Economy
A year ago today Russia went into its first — and only — coronavirus lockdown. It was first officially declared a “nationwide non-working week,” designed to keep as many people at home as possible and keep Russia’s infection rate low, President Vladimir Putin outlined in an address to the nation days before swathes of the…
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Russia Stages Fresh Military Drills in the Arctic
Russia was holding fresh military exercises on Tuesday in the Arctic, a territory of growing importance for Moscow as it vies for regional dominance with rivals including the United States. Tensions between the West and Russia have led both sides to beef up their militaries in the remote High North, an area believed to be…
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Russian Lawyers Seek State Regulations on Recommendation Engines – Kommersant
Lawyers from the Russian Bar Association have called on lawmakers to impose regulations on websites’ recommendation algorithms, the Kommersant business daily reported Tuesday. The proposed regulations would apply to social networks, news aggregators, streaming services and online marketplaces, Kommersant cited the lawyers as saying in their proposal to the State Duma and Federation Council. Algorithms…
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Russian Troops Fined for Contentious Holy Water Shoe-Washing Video
Two Russian soldiers have been fined for washing their shoes in holy water, the Kommersant business daily reported Monday. Video of the two Navy servicemen boasting of washing their feet in “their [worshippers’] holy water” at a Russian Orthodox chapel in Russia’s western exclave of Kaliningrad sparked backlash last fall. The men, who are natives…
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Russia Says Hopes to Avoid Ban on Western Tech Giants
The Kremlin said Tuesday it hopes Moscow will not be forced to block Western tech giants in the country but stressed that the companies had to abide by Russian law. Russian authorities have in recent months ramped up pressure on foreign social media platforms, particularly those hosting content supporting jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. “No…
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Russian Police Probe Pro-Kremlin TV Host’s Hitler-Praising Comments – Reports
Moscow police are inspecting prominent talk show host Vladimir Solovyov’s remarks calling Hitler a “very brave man,” the RBC news website reported Monday. The Interior Ministry’s northern Moscow department said it had asked the state-run media holding All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK) for copies of Solovyov’s show that aired last month, RBC reported.…