Day: July 28, 2022

Moscow’s former chief rabbi now living in exile in Israel warned Thursday of “dark clouds on the horizon” for Russian Jews, as ties between the two countries deteriorate over the Ukraine war. Pinchas Goldschmidt, who left Russia in March over opposition to the conflict, told reporters that “the Jewish community was pressured…to openly support the war. Our…

Estonia said Thursday it would block Russian nationals from obtaining temporary residence permits or visas to study in Estonia. “The continuation of sanctions against Russia is essential to ensuring relentless pressure on the country,” Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said in a statement. “If the sanctions help in stopping Russian aggression, a positive effect on our own security…

Russian strikes on military facilities and residential buildings across war-scarred Ukraine Thursday left several dead in attacks President Volodymyr Zelensky described as “missile terrorism.” The deadliest attacks, which struck the central Kirovohrad region, came as the country was marking its first Day Of Ukraine Statehood that was announced by Zelensky earlier. Russia’s invasion has morphed…

A former Russian state television producer has been fined on charges of “discrediting” the Russian military, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported Thursday.   Marina Ovsyannikova, 44, became famous for protesting the war in Ukraine on a live newscast by her former employer, Channel One, in March.  Prosecutors say the journalist “discredited” the Russian Armed…

A Russian court fined U.S. tech giants WhatsApp, Snapchat and Tinder on Thursday for refusing to store the personal data of Russian users inside the country, Interfax news agency reported.  U.S. company Meta, the owner of messaging service Whatsapp, was ordered by Moscow’s Tagansky District Court to pay 18 million rubles ($298,136), according to Interfax,…

Ukrainians have been living with the reality of war for nearly half a year as Russia’s offensive shows no sign of letting up. Five months after the Kremlin first sent troops into its western neighbor on Feb. 24, Russia now occupies swathes of Ukraine’s south and east and continues to press forward in the country’s…

The Kremlin confirmed that Russia is in talks with the United States to exchange prisoners held by each country after the U.S. state secretary disclosed a “substantial proposal” for a possible swap.  Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that Washington made the proposal “weeks ago” to facilitate the release of basketball star Brittney Griner…

Samsung smartphones have disappeared from store shelves in some areas of Russia, media outlet RBC reported Thursday, as overall smartphone sales reached a decade low.  Customers in some major Russian cities are being asked to wait up to five days for deliveries, according to RBC.  Western electronics manufacturers Samsung and Apple suspended shipments to Russia…

An Israeli delegation will sit down with talks with Russian officials Thursday as tensions simmer over Russian threats to close a veteran Jewish immigration agency, according to Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz. The Kremlin initially did not approve the meeting on Sunday and the delegation’s trip was delayed, Haaretz reported. The Israeli-Russian negotiations will take place…

An American teacher jailed on drug charges in Russia is being kept from communicating with family freely, his sister told CNN on Wednesday. Marc Fogel, 61, was last month found guilty of drug acquisition, manufacture, smuggling and possession and sentenced to 14 years in a maximum-security prison. Fogel’s family says he was carrying cannabis for…