Jailed U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich has spent 100 days in detention on charges of espionage that he and his employer, The Wall Street Journal, strongly deny. Newsrooms around the world, including The Moscow Times, made shows of support for Gershkovich to mark 100 days since his arrest. Gershkovich, 31, was detained by the Federal Security Service (FSB) on…
Russian law enforcement and security services have regularly reported investigations, detentions and arrests of Russian citizens suspected of financially supporting Ukraine’s army since March. Over the past month, however, such announcements have become increasingly frequent. Little is known about the veracity of such cases, which are prosecuted as treason and punishable by up to life…
Плевать: to spit, to not care I have a friend who loves the word наплевать (to spit), only she stretches out each syllable: на–пле–вать and ends with sharp downward jab of her chin. This doesn’t mean “I spit on it” — or it does, sort of. It is a verbal description of a gesture (spitting)…
Russia has blocked U.S. tech giant Meta’s competitor app to Twitter just a day after its launch, a senior Russian lawmaker said Friday. Threads — a “public conversation” app built by Instagram developers— was downloaded by more than 30 million people after going live on Apple and Android app stores on Thursday. “This service is…
The former director of a Siberian coal mine has been sentenced to two years in prison over an accident that killed more than 50 people in November 2021, the Russian authorities said Friday. Both miners and rescuers died after smoke filled the Listvyazhnaya mine in the Siberian region of Kemerovo following a gas explosion. It…
Russian journalist Yelena Milashina has vowed to continue traveling to the republic of Chechnya despite a violent attack this week that left her hospitalized with multiple bone fractures and a brain injury. “I will continue to travel to Chechnya, whether [Chechen leader Ramzan] Kadyrov wants me to or not,” Milashina told the independent media outlet…
The Kremlin said Friday it will “closely follow” upcoming talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Turkey counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, describing their meeting in Istanbul as “important.” The Ukrainian and Turkish leaders will meet in Istanbul for talks on the eve of the 500th day since Moscow launched its offensive. “We will very…
At least six people were killed and two others were injured in a blast at an explosives factory in the Samara region of central Russia, state news agencies reported Friday. “Eight people were injured, six of whom died” at the Promsintez plant in the city of Chapayevsk, the RIA Novosti news agency cited the emergency services as saying. …
Russia’s Defense Ministry has launched a recruitment campaign targeting women for roles as doctors, nurses and cooks in the military, with possible deployment in occupied Ukraine, independent media reported Thursday. “Sign a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry in the same ranks as men,” read an advertisement in the western Siberian region of Omsk. The…
Russian authorities are investigating the U.S. food and chocolate maker Mars Inc. on suspicion of financing the Ukrainian armed forces, state media reported Friday, citing anonymous law enforcement sources. Prosecutors in the Moscow region are carrying out a probe into Mars’ compliance with Russian tax laws, as well as allegations that the company provided financial…
Dozens of Ukrainian clergy members in occupied Ukraine have faced persecution by the Russian military since Moscow launched its invasion last year, according to an investigation by the independent news outlet Vyorstka, citing media reports and civil rights organizations. At least 43 clergy members have faced persecution in the Kyiv, Donetsk and Kherson regions, according…
A Russian lawyer was attacked and doused in green antiseptic dye at a bus stop in Moscow on Thursday. Yelena Ponomareva, 46, said she was diagnosed with second-degree chemical eye burns following the attack carried out by an unidentified assailant. A photo shared by her colleague showed Ponomareva’s head, arms and dress fully covered in…
The UN’s nuclear watchdog is “making progress” on inspecting several parts of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine after claims it had been mined, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi said Friday. Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of planning a provocation at the site, raising alarm over risks…