An Apple for the Tsar

Apples are not at all as simple as they seem. Although they seem ordinary, no other fruit has left such a large trace in world history. In Russia, cultivated varieties of apples appeared in the 11th century during the reign of Yaroslav the Wise. It is believed that the first apple orchard was planted on…

Russia Labels Meduza CEO Timchenko ‘Foreign Agent’

Russian authorities designated Galina Timchenko, the exiled founder and CEO of the independent news website Meduza, as a “foreign agent” on Friday. The Russian Justice Ministry accused Timchenko of opposing the country’s “special military operation” in Ukraine and spreading “inaccurate information aimed at forming a negative image of the Russian armed forces.” Timchenko served as…

Sergey Ryabkov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, and Nikolay Spassky, Deputy Director General of ROSATOM, held consultations with the IAEA delegation

Delegation of the Agency also visited some events of ROSATOM. The delegation from the IAEA Department of Safeguards led by its head Massimo Aparo, Deputy Director General of the Agency, visited Russia on August, 26-29, 2024. Consultations with Sergey Ryabkov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, and Nikolay Spassky, Deputy Director General…

Delays and Rising Costs Hamper Russia-China Trade in August – Reuters

Russian payments for Chinese goods faced increasing delays and rising costs this past month due to stricter banking compliance in response to U.S. threats of secondary sanctions, Reuters reported Friday, citing Russian sources familiar with the matter. Chinese state banks have reportedly halted transactions with Russian companies “en masse,” leaving payments worth billions of yuan…

Pro-War Singer Shaman Performs for Soldiers and Evacuating Children in Kursk Region

Pro-war singers Shaman and Grigory Leps visited southwestern Russia’s Kursk region on Thursday to entertain wounded soldiers and send off children who were being evacuated from their homes as Ukraine’s incursion in the area continued into its fourth week. Between air raid alerts, acting Kursk region Governor Alexei Smirnov shared videos on Telegram of Shaman and…

Ex-Deputy Defense Minister Arrested for Fraud in Russian Military Theme Park Scandal

Former Deputy Defense Minister Pavel Popov was arrested on fraud charges related to a sprawling military theme park outside Moscow, federal investigators announced Thursday. Popov is accused of misusing Patriot Park resources for personal gain, allegedly coercing the park’s contract workers into performing unpaid construction work at his private property in the Moscow region between…

Russia’s Media Regulator Tells Internet Providers to Stop Speeding Up YouTube – Reports

Russia’s media regulator has warned internet providers to stop efforts that speed up YouTube loading speeds, an apparent acknowledgment of government attempts to throttle the popular video streaming platform, the independent news outlet Sotavision reported late Wednesday. Roskomnadzor’s control and regulatory arm, the main radio frequency center GRChTs, sent out the warning message following reports…

Alexey Likhachev, the Head of ROSATOM, and Mostafa Madbouly, the Prime Minister of Egypt, have discussed the progress of El-Dabaa NPP project implementation

They noted a fast pace of construction of the power units. Alexey Likhachev, ROSATOM Director General, and Mostafa Kamal Madbouly, the Prime Minister of Egypt, held negotiations on August 28. A fast pace of construction of the power units was noted. The meeting was also attended by Mahmoud Esmat, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy…

1 Killed, 2 Injured in Strikes on Russia’s Belgorod Region

Ukrainian strikes on the southwestern Belgorod region killed one person and injured two others, regional authorities said early Thursday. “The town of Shebekino was targeted by Ukrainian forces” and “unfortunately, one person was killed,” Belgorod region Governor Vyachelsav Gladkov wrote on Telegram. Two other people were hospitalized with shrapnel wounds, he said, while the airstrikes…

Activist Alleges Cover-Up After Discovery of Russian Soldiers’ Graves in Murmansk

At least 165 graves of Russian soldiers have been uncovered in the Arctic city of Murmansk, a significantly higher death figure than local authorities have publicly acknowledged, opposition activist Violetta Grudina said Wednesday. Grudina, an exiled former regional coordinator for Alexei Navalny’s now-banned political network, said the graves were found in a separate section of…

Russian Attacks Kill 6 in Eastern Ukraine

Russian attacks on eastern Ukraine’s partially occupied Donetsk region killed six people, the governor of the region said Wednesday, as Moscow announced the capture of another village in the area. The industrial region has suffered some of the heaviest fighting since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, as well as going back to 2014.…

Russian Internet Providers Work to Speed Up YouTube – Kommersant

Russian internet providers have started implementing workarounds to speed up YouTube amid what appears to be a government effort to throttle the video streaming platform, the Kommersant business daily reported Wednesday, citing industry insiders. The move comes nearly a month after online users in Russia started experiencing sharp declines in YouTube loading speeds. These disruptions coincided…

France, UAE Hacked Telegram Founder Durov’s Phone in 2017 – WSJ

French and Emirati spies hacked Telegram founder Pavel Durov’s iPhone in 2017, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter. The joint spy operation code-named “Purple Music” reportedly stemmed from concerns about the Islamic State’s use of Telegram, a private messaging app, for recruitment and plotting attacks — and came years…

Indonesian Embassy in Moscow Says Unaware of Citizens Recruited for Ukraine War

Indonesian authorities have “no information” to confirm earlier reports alleging that their citizens are being recruited to fight in Ukraine, the Southeast Asia country’s embassy in Russia said in a statement sent to the Moscow Times. “So far, the Embassy has no information that may corroborate the alleged involvement of Indonesian nationals fighting for either…

Russia’s FSB Arrests 6 Suspected of Plotting Terror Attack in Ingushetia

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) arrested six “adherents of an international terrorist organization” in the North Caucasus republic of Ingushetia, state media reported Wednesday, citing law enforcement officials. According to the FSB, the six arrested men were planning an attack on the police and an Orthodox church. Authorities say all of those who were arrested…

Mysterious Company Disappears After Posting Russia’s Third-Highest Profit – RTVI

A little-known company that posted Russia’s third-highest profit in just one year has vanished as mysteriously as it appeared, according to a new investigative report by the broadcaster RTVI. Banknota LLC, registered in June 2023, reported 3.7 trillion rubles ($40.4 billion) in revenue and 3.4 trillion rubles ($37.1 billion) in net profit last year — or about…

Kremlin Warns France Against Trying to ‘Intimidate’ Telegram Founder Durov

The Kremlin said Tuesday that France had leveled “very serious” charges against Telegram CEO Pavel Durov and warned Paris against trying to intimidate the tech entrepreneur after he was arrested in Paris over the weekend. French prosecutors accuse the 39-year-old billionaire of failing to curb the spread of illegal content on Telegram — charges his company denies.…

Ukraine Launches Attack on Belgorod Region, Pro-Kremlin Sources Say

Ukrainian forces launched an attack on border posts in the southwestern Belgorod region, Telegram channels linked to Russian security services said Tuesday, as regional officials reported an attempt “to break through the border.” The Mash Telegram channel reported that around 200 Ukrainian soldiers were deployed near the Nekhoteyevka checkpoint and another 300 near the Shebekino checkpoint,…

Torrential Rain Floods Streets of Sochi

Heavy rain overnight Monday triggered partial flooding in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi and its surrounding areas, local authorities said.  Sochi Mayor Andrey Proshunin said the Khostinsky district, located on the foothills of the western Caucasus mountains, received around 12.5 centimeters (4.9 inches) of rain between Monday night and Tuesday morning. “After midnight,…