Germany said on Monday it was not deterred by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threats to relaunch production of intermediate-range nuclear weapons if the United States confirms its intention to deploy missiles to Europe. “We will not be intimidated by such statements,” foreign ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer told a government press conference. In early July, Washington…
The whereabouts of four Russian political prisoners — Lilia Chanysheva, Ksenia Fadeyeva, Oleg Orlov and Alexandra Skochilenko — are unknown after their apparent transfer to new prison facilities, lawyers and relatives said on Monday. Prison authorities in Russia often subject high-profile inmates to secret and lengthy transfers across the country. Shortly before his death at…
Olympic organizers on Monday confirmed that they canceled the accreditation of some reporters after Russia’s state-run TASS news agency said several of its journalists could no longer cover the Paris Games. TASS reported on Sunday that the removal of its journalists’ accreditation, essential for covering sporting events, was “completely unexpected” and came after the journalists…
Rapper Timati has called for ending the merger of Russia’s leading online retailer Wildberries with the outdoor advertising firm Russ Group. Wildberries and Russ Group announced a merger last month to create a joint digital trading platform called RWB, which the Kremlin said received the personal approval of President Vladimir Putin. Reports surrounding the deal…
Russian mercenaries have suffered heavy losses in two-day fighting against Tuareg rebels near Mali’s border with Algeria, Russia’s Wagner mercenary group confirmed on Monday in a rare statement. A mainly Tuareg separatist coalition claimed earlier on Sunday it took a major victory over Mali’s army and its Russian allies. In its statement, Wagner detailed “fierce…
The Kremlin on Monday rejected U.S. media claims that Russia may be plotting attacks on critical infrastructure in France during the Olympic Games. NBC News reported Sunday that acts of sabotage against France’s high-speed train network ahead of the opening ceremony last week Friday showed a broad array of security threats to the Olympics, including a “Russian-backed sabotage…
A passenger train derailed on Monday in southern Russia, injuring dozens of people, the country’s state-owned railway company said. Russian Railways said the train — which was traveling through the Volgograd region — collided with a truck that drove into a railroad crossing at 12:35 local time. Eight passenger cars were thrown from the tracks, it added. “The…
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday congratulated Nicolas Maduro on his victory in Venezuela’s presidential race, as the election results were rejected by the opposition and several foreign countries. “I am confident that your role as head of state will continue to enhance the progressive development of [Russian-Venezuelan relations],” Putin was quoted as saying in…
The Wagner mercenary group confirmed Monday that some of its fighters were killed alongside soldiers from Mali’s army as they battled against rebel forces in recent days. The rebel movement, the Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security and Development (CSP-PSD), said in a statement on Saturday that its troops “decisively obliterated” the Wagner-backed Malian army…
At least one person has died and two others missing after a torrent of water poured over a cofferdam in northwestern Russia early Monday and flooded the surrounding area, authorities said. Water washed away the temporary barrier between two locks of the White Sea-Baltic Canal in the republic of Karelia, regional head Artur Parfenchikov wrote…