Russia Adds Theater Director Berkovich, Playwright Petriychuk to ‘Terrorists and Extremists’ List

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Russia’s state financial watchdog Rosfinmonitoring on Monday added theater director Yevgenia (Zhenya) Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk to its list of “terrorists and extremists.” Berkovich and Petriychuk were arrested in May 2023 over their award-winning play “Finist the Brave Falcon,” which tells the story of Russian women who correspond with Islamist militants, fall in love with them and…

TikTok Users Turn Russian Pro-War Song Into ‘LGBT Anthem’

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A song by the Russian pro-war pop star Shaman is being used in TikTok videos showing same-sex couples embracing, a trend that appears aimed at ironically juxtaposing “extremist” LGBTQ+ lifestyles with the song’s militaristic overtones. “Moy Boy,” whose title translates into English as “My Fight,” features the lyrics “I’m Russian, I go to the end,” while…

Russia’s Novosibirsk Bans Migrants From Working as Taxi Drivers

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Russia’s Novosibirsk region has banned migrants from working as taxi drivers and selling beverages and tobacco, according to a decree signed by Governor Andrei Travnikov on Monday. The measure comes amid mounting pressure on foreign workers — mostly from Central Asian countries  —across Russia in the aftermath of last month’s deadly concert hall attack outside Moscow. The four…

Russian Shelling Kills 4 in Ukraine’s Donetsk Region

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Russian shelling killed four people in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, authorities said Monday, as Moscow’s forces aim to push deeper into the war-battered region. Donetsk region Governor Vadym Filashkin said attacks late Sunday against the mining town of Siversk, which is flanked by Russian forces, had led to the deaths. “The city was shelled yesterday…