‘Increased’ Threat From Russia Against Critical Infrastructure – Finland

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The threat of Russian operations against Finland’s critical infrastructure “has increased” since the country joined NATO, the Finnish intelligence service said Thursday as Helsinki investigates potential sabotage of its natural gas pipeline. “The threat of espionage and influencing operations against critical infrastructure has increased,” Antti Pelttari, the director of the Finnish Security Intelligence Service (Supo), told…

400 Russians Seek Evacuation From Besieged Gaza Strip

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Around 400 Russian nationals are seeking to evacuate the Gaza Strip as the Israeli military continues to bombard the coastal enclave in retaliation to Hamas’ surprise attack, Russia’s diplomatic mission in Palestine said Thursday. Alia Zaripova, the spokeswoman for Russia’s representative mission in Ramallah, said Moscow was working to evacuate its citizens from the besieged territory,…

Russian Bishop Known as ‘Putin’s Confessor’ Named Head of Crimea Diocese

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Russia’s Orthodox Church on Wednesday appointed a bishop who is reputed to be President Vladimir Putin’s spiritual adviser to head the diocese of annexed Crimea. The church’s governing body published a ruling transferring Metropolitan Tikhon (Shevkunov) from the Diocese of Pskov and Porkhov, which he has headed since 2018, to the Crimean Diocese. Metropolitan Tikhon was filmed…

Ukraine Says Withstanding Russian Attacks on Avdiivka

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President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that Ukrainian forces were “holding our ground” in Avdiivka, after Moscow said it had improved its position in the frontline eastern town. The Donbas town is symbolically and strategically important to Kyiv and near the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk, seized by separatist forces in 2014. “Avdiivka. We are holding our…

Iraqi PM Asks Putin to Mediate Israel-Hamas War

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Iraq’s prime minister on Wednesday called for Russian President Vladimir Putin to help reach a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas militants. “Mr. President, I appeal to you as a president of a permanent UN Security Council member to come forward with an initiative on a real ceasefire and search for a real solution to…

Russian Court Fines Memorial Co-Chair for ‘Discrediting’ Army

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A Russian court on Wednesday fined veteran rights campaigner Oleg Orlov 150,000 rubles ($1,500) for “discrediting” the Russian Armed Forces. Orlov, who serves as co-chair of the Memorial human rights group, was found guilty of repeatedly  “discrediting” Russia’s military over his public opposition to the war in Ukraine. Under wartime censorship laws, the charges can carry…

Rosatom and the Russian-Kyrgyz Development Fund signed a letter of intent for the implementation of the wind power plant construction project

Business

JSC NovaWind (wind power division of Rosatom) and the Russian-Kyrgyz Development Fund signed an agreement to develop and implement an investment project for the construction of a wind power plant in the Issyk-Kul region of the Kyrgyz Republic. The installed capacity of the planned wind power plant will be 100 MW. “Rosatom is interested in…

5 Injured in Moscow Metro Collision

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Updated with new injury count.  A train operator and at least four other people were injured when two metro cars collided in southeastern Moscow early Wednesday, according to local authorities and state media. “A train without passengers was being transferred to the depot when it rolled into a train waiting at the Pechatniki metro station,”…

IMF Lowers Russia’s 2024 GDP Growth Forecast

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Russia’s economy is set to grow by 1.1% in 2024, slower than previously predicted, the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday in its latest World Economic Outlook report. The updated forecast placed Russia at the bottom of the IMF’s list of major emerging markets and developing economies, where average growth for this year and next was predicted…

Putin Expresses Concern Over ‘Catastrophic Increase’ in Israel-Gaza Death Toll

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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday voiced concern over the “catastrophic increase” in the number of civilians killed since fighting between Israel and the Hamas militant group erupted over the weekend.  During a telephone call with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, “emphasis was placed on the sharply worsening situation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict zone,” the…

Russia Loses Bid to Regain Seat on UN Rights Body

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The UN General Assembly on Tuesday rejected a bid by Russia to regain a seat on the Human Rights Council, from which it was ousted after invading Ukraine. Russia, which was competing with Bulgaria and Albania for two open spots allocated to the Eastern Europe regional group, nonetheless received 83 votes in its favor from…

European Football Body UEFA Upholds Russian Youth Team Ban

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The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has ruled to keep Russia’s Under-17 team banned from international competitions following backlash from some of the organization’s members, The Associated Press reported Tuesday. UEFA and the world football authority FIFA banned Russian clubs and national teams from competitions days after Russia invaded Ukraine last year. Last month, UEFA…

2 Killed in Shelling of Russian Border Region – Governor

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Two people were killed in Ukrainian shelling of Russia’s western Belgorod region, its Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said Tuesday. An elderly man was killed instantly when an artillery shell hit a home in the village of Popovka, which is located some 50 kilometers from the border with Ukraine. His wife sustained severe shrapnel wounds and died hours…

Pro-Russia Japanese MP Resigns From Party Over Moscow Trip

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A pro-Russia Japanese lawmaker left his opposition party Tuesday after facing criticism for making a surprise visit to Moscow and declaring his support for Russia in its war against Ukraine.  Muneo Suzuki, a former parliamentary vice-minister of foreign affairs, submitted a letter of resignation to the center-right opposition Japan Innovation Party, the party’s secretary-general Fumitake…

Ukraine Says Russia Trying to Besiege Eastern Town

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Russian forces were Tuesday trying to encircle the eastern frontline Ukrainian town of Avdiivka, an official said, adding it was being heavily bombed. Kyiv’s forces have managed to cling on to Avdiivka despite repeated Russian strikes. The town lies just north of the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk, which was captured by separatist forces in 2014. “For…

Russian Forces Close In on East Ukraine’s Avdiivka

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Russian forces closed in on the frontline town of Avdiivka in east Ukraine on Tuesday, as Kyiv warned Moscow was stepping up strikes in an attempt to encircle it completely. The Russian attacks come after months of a slower-than-expected Ukrainian counteroffensive, launched this summer to claw back territory lost during Moscow’s invasion. Avdiivka is an…

4 Russians Killed, 6 Missing in Israel – Embassy

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Updated with the latest death toll and number of people missing. Four Russian citizens have been killed and at least six others remain missing following the Hamas militant group’s surprise attack on Israel over the weekend, Russia’s Embassy in Tel Aviv told state media Tuesday. The latest updated toll comes after Russian Ambassador Anatoly Viktorov said on…

Russian ISS Segment Springs Third Leak in Under a Year

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The Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS) sprung its third coolant leak in under a year Monday, raising new questions about the reliability of the country’s space program even as officials said crew members weren’t in danger. Flakes of frozen coolant spraying into space were seen in an official live feed of the…

Sanctioned Russian Billionaire Fridman Returns to Moscow, Intends to Move to Israel – Reports

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Updated to add details from the Financial Times’ report. Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman has left Britain and intends to move to Israel, the RBC news website reported Monday, citing an unidentified source familiar with the matter. Alfa Group, the investment conglomerate which Fridman co-founded, confirmed this information to RBC. “The businessman is currently in Moscow…

Russia Charges Ex-Lawyer Novikov for Fighting With Ukraine Army

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Russia has charged prominent Russian lawyer Ilya Novikov in absentia for joining the Ukrainian military, the Federal Security Service (FSB) said Monday. Novikov left Russia after the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and joined the Ukrainian territorial defense forces, according to the FSB’s statement. It said that Novikov “underwent military training, participates in combat operations and is engaged in…

Putin Launches Russian Gas Shipments to Uzbekistan

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Russian Vladimir Putin on Saturday announced the start of gas supplies to Uzbekistan via Kazakhstan, a boost for Russia’s industry hit by a flurry of Western sanctions over the offensive in Ukraine. Despite being home to a wealth of natural  resources including gas, the Central Asian country of Uzbekistan has faced energy shortages. Moscow meanwhile…

Russian Defense Minister Inspects Factory for Advanced Missiles

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Russia’s Defense minister Sergei Shoigu inspected a military factory producing the Sarmat intercontinental missile, saying it would soon be ready for use, his ministry posted on Telegram Saturday. The Sarmat is capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads and is among Russia’s next-generation missiles which Putin has described as “invincible.” The Russian Defense Ministry posted footage…

Russia Calls for ‘Immediate Ceasefire’ in Gaza

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Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday called for Israeli and Palestinian forces to stop armed hostilities after attacks launched by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel. “We call on the Palestinian and Israeli sides to immediately ceasefire, renounce violence, show the necessary restraint,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. Zakharova called the parties to set…

A Short History of Russian Salads

Moscow

We can’t live without salads; they are an essential part of our everyday life. Their names, so utterly familiar in Russia, sound strange to foreigners. We have salad Olivier; vinaigrette salad (not dressing); “herring under a fur coat” (really); a spring salad called “Mimosa” that is not a flower or a drink; and even a…

Kazakhstan Moves to Promote Its Language Over Russian

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Kazakhstan announced on Friday new efforts to increase the share of the Kazakh language over Russian in its media landscape, amid growing skepticism over Moscow’s influence since the invasion of Ukraine. Kazakh is the official language of the former Soviet republic in Central Asia, but Russian is recognized too and is still widely spoken among…

Hate Speech, Part One

Moscow

Шовинист: chauvinist Long before the war began in 2022, I’d been tracking the linguistic dehumanization of Ukrainians practiced by some Russian speakers. At first I was mostly tracking bloggers and young people; lately I’ve been listening and reading Russian media figures, leaders, public figures and even religious figures and academics. Other folks are following this…