U.S. Charges 5 Russian Military Officers Over Ukraine Cyberattacks

The United States charged five Russian military officers on Thursday for allegedly conducting cyberattacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine ahead of the Russian invasion. Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen said the members of Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency indicted in Maryland waged a cyber campaign against Ukraine known as WhisperGate. “The WhisperGate campaign included the…

Serbian President Turns Down Putin’s BRICS Summit Invite

Serbian leader Aleksandar Vucic said he would not be able to accept Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invitation to attend the BRICS summit in Russia next month, media reported Thursday. “We have important guests [coming] from abroad at that time,” Vucic was quoted as saying by the Balkan service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The Tatarstan…

Ex-Deputy Emergency Situations Minister Accused of ‘Stealing’ Moscow Apartment

A former deputy minister of Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry was charged over the alleged theft of an apartment, federal investigators said Thursday. Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said Pavel Baryshev used fraudulent documents between 2017 and 2019 to acquire a three-bedroom apartment in the Moscow area valued at 20 million rubles ($223,700). Law enforcement authorities…

Dostoevsky’s Only Great-Grandson Dmitry Dies at 79

Dmitry Dostoevsky, the only great-grandson of the Russian novelist and short-story writer Fyodor Dostoevsky, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 79. Dmitry was the grandson of one of the famed novelist’s four children, also named Fyodor Dostoevsky. Born in April 1945, he led a varied life, working as a diamond cutter, cab driver,…

Russian Firms Bought Dutch Microchip-Making Machine Parts via China – Trouw

Russian companies have been able to purchase spare parts for outdated microchip-making machines produced by Dutch tech giant ASML through Chinese intermediaries since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Dutch daily Trouw reported Wednesday, citing Russian customs data. Small Russian importers reportedly obtained these parts at least 170 times between February 2022 and December 2023. Trouw…

Putin Backs Harris for U.S. President, With Wry Smile

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday he supported Kamala Harris in November’s U.S. presidential election, an apparent wry remark a day after the United States issued indictments accusing Moscow of vote interference. Putin regularly comments on political and social issues in the United States, often in a mocking way. He said last year that the…

Putin Says Russia ‘Ready’ for Talks With Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he was ready for talks with Kyiv, after having previously rebuffed the idea of negotiations while Ukraine’s offensive into the Kursk region was ongoing. Ukraine launched a surprise incursion into the southwestern Kursk region in early August, sending thousands of troops across the border and seizing dozens of…

Belarusian Military Says Destroyed Drones After Airspace Violation

Belarus’ Defense Ministry said early Thursday that it destroyed several drones after they violated the country’s airspace overnight. “Late last night, on September 5, a violation of Belarusian airspace was detected, reportedly involving unmanned aerial vehicles,” the ministry said in a statement posted on Telegram. “A decision was made to neutralize the threat. Prompt actions…