India Raids Network Sending Citizens to Fight for Russia

Indian authorities said they have detained members of a “trafficking” network sending citizens of the country to fight for the Russian army in Ukraine after raiding several travel agents. At least two Indian citizens fighting as soldiers in Russia’s armed forces have been killed in the war, with several recruits telling AFP they were shipped…

Russian Drone, Missile Attacks on Ukraine Kill 2

A late-night Russian strike on the northeastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv killed two people, the region’s governor said Friday, as both Moscow and Kyiv reported a wave of overnight aerial attacks. Kharkiv region Governor Oleh Syniehubov said Russia launched a “series of shelling” attacks on the town of Kupyansk, close to the front lines, late…

Lithuania Strips Ballerina’s Citizenship Over Pro-Putin Remarks

Lithuania has stripped Russian ballerina Ilze Liepa of her Lithuanian citizenship after she openly praised President Vladimir Putin, the news website Delfi reported Thursday, citing an adviser to the Baltic country’s president.  In a decree signed by Lithuanian President Gitanas Naused, 59-year-old Liepa was stripped of her Lithuanian citizenship, which she received in 2000. “Questions…

Russia to Set Up Voting Booths Along Northwestern Border

Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) announced Wednesday that it will set up special polling places for next week’s presidential race along the country’s borders with Poland, Belarus and the three Baltic states. The CEC said Russian citizens “who for various reasons” live in the five neighboring countries would be able to vote at specially organized…

Star Figure Skater Valieva Removed from Russian National Team

Figure skater Kamila Valieva has been removed from the Russian national team, the head of Russia’s Figure Skating Federation told state media on Thursday. “Valieva is currently not part of the national team. Everything was done in accordance with legal documents,” Alexander Kogan, who heads the figure skating body, was quoted as saying by the…

Russia Says Killed Islamic State Militants Plotting Synagogue Attack

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said Thursday it killed Islamic State militants who were planning a “terrorist attack” on a Moscow synagogue, state news agencies reported. The FSB said the Islamic State cell, based in central Russia’s Kaluga region, had been planning to kill Jewish worshippers at a synagogue in the Russian capital.   “During their arrest, the…

Russia Summons U.S. Ambassador Over ‘Meddling’ in Domestic Affairs

Moscow summoned the U.S. Ambassador to Russia on Thursday and threatened to expel American diplomats in protest against what it said was American interference in the country’s domestic affairs. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Washington was funding “anti-Russian” non-profit groups and “spreading disinformation” about the March 15-17 presidential election, as well as Moscow’s so-called “special military…

Germany ‘Strongly’ Discourages Citizens From Traveling to Russia

Germany has revised its travel advice for Russia to “strongly” discourage its citizens from traveling there, German media reported Thursday.  Previously, Germany had only advised citizens against visiting Russia. The updated travel recommendation now includes the word “strongly.” Germany’s Foreign Ministry, which issued the travel advice, said the change was “due to the continuing deterioration…

Armenia Asks Moscow to Remove Border Guards From Yerevan Airport

Armenia said Wednesday that it had officially asked Russia to withdraw its border guards from an airport in Yerevan. “Armenia has a clear position on this issue and it informed Russia in an official letter,” Armenian Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan told reporters. Under a 1992 agreement signed with Armenia, Russia maintains several border guard detachments at…

7 Killed in Separate Incidents in Occupied Ukraine

Seven people were killed on Wednesday in separate incidents in the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk under Russian control, Moscow-installed authorities announced. Five civilians were killed when the bus they were traveling in hit a mine and two more were killed by alleged Ukrainian shelling, authorities said. “There was a tragedy in the city of…

Russia Jails Journalist for Criticizing Ukraine Offensive

A Russian court on Wednesday sentenced a journalist to seven years in prison for criticizing the Ukraine offensive in social media posts. Roman Ivanov, 51, was found guilty of spreading “false information” about Russia’s Armed Forces and punished under Moscow’s strict military censorship laws. Moscow has used laws against “discrediting” the Armed Forces or publishing…

Russia and Ukraine Launch Overnight Drone Attacks

Ukrainian drones attacked a metal plant in Russia’s border region of Kursk on Wednesday, causing a fire at a fuel tank, the local governor said. Kyiv meanwhile announced it had intercepted dozens of Russian drones, as both sides launched a wave of overnight aerial attacks in an attempt to hit targets deep behind the front…

Kremlin Spokesman Says Russia Has ‘Best’ Democracy

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that Russia has the “best democracy” and lashed out at those who criticize Moscow for its handling of domestic political affairs.  “We will no longer tolerate criticism of our democracy and claims that it is not the kind that it should be,” Peskov said during a talk at the World…

15 participants of the World Youth Festival will go on an expedition to the North Pole aboard the ROSATOM’s nuclear icebreaker

Representatives from eight countries became the selection winners. Within the framework of the World Youth Festival (WYF) program ROSATOM selected 15 participants to join the scientific and educational expedition to the North Pole. The selection started on February, 28 – the Arctic Day – and was arranged in several stages. In total more than 2,000…

Kremlin Dismisses ICC Arrest Warrants for Military Officers

The Kremlin said Wednesday that it does not recognize the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants for two senior Russian military officers over their role in Moscow’s war against Ukraine. The court accused Lieutenant General Sergei Kobylash and Navy Admiral Viktor Sokolov of targeting Ukraine’s power infrastructure with strikes between October 2022 and March 2023. “We…

Another round of interdepartmental consultations between Russia and the IAEA takes place in Sochi

ROSATOM Director General Alexey Likhachev and IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi head the Delegations. On 6 March, another round of interdepartmental consultations of the Russian delegation with the IAEA delegation led by Director General Mr. Rafael Grossi took place in Sochi. The Russian delegation was headed by Director General of ROSATOM Mr. Alexey Likhachev. The…

Yulia Navalnaya Calls for Election Day Protest Against Putin

Yulia Navalnaya has called on her late husband’s supporters to protest against President Vladimir Putin and the invasion of Ukraine by turning up to polling places “at noon” on the final day of Russia’s upcoming election. In January, Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who died at an Arctic penal colony last month, announced the protest action —…

Kidnap, Lies, and Propaganda: Documentary Film ‘Ukraine’s Stolen Children’ Comes to London

A special screening of Shahida Tulaganova’s film “Ukraine’s Stolen Children” drew large audiences in London. The film is an exploration of one of the most insidious practices of Russia’s war: the mass abduction of children from occupied territory for adoption by Russian families. Veteran war correspondent Tulaganova has won multiple awards for her films, including…

‘Judge Righteously; Show Mercy to One Another’

Похороны: funeral If you have been following the the funeral of Alexei Navalny in Russian, you might be struggling to understand some of it. And no wonder.  The Russian language makes a distinction between a religious (in this case Orthodox Christian) funeral and a non-religious funeral. But for both, the general term for a funeral…

Heavy Police Presence Ahead of Navalny’s Funeral

Mourners of late opposition activist Alexei Navalny gathered under heavy police presence as they waited outside the Russian Orthodox church in southeastern Moscow where his memorial service will take place later Friday.  Authorities have installed metal detectors, security cameras and metal fencing around the perimeter of the church, as well as the nearby cemetery where Navalny…