Russia’s 2024 regional and municipal elections ended in few surprises, with the ruling, pro-Kremlin United Russia party solidifying its control in over 4,000 races nationwide, including in occupied Ukrainian territories. With the invasion of Ukraine in its third year, the Kremlin effectively banned any independent opposition candidates and thinned out the list of Kremlin-approved candidates…
Many of the evacuated residents of southwestern Russia’s Kursk region have not yet received payments promised by President Vladimir Putin over one month into Ukraine’s surprise incursion, the independent news outlet Agentstvo reported Monday, citing regional volunteers. On Aug. 8, two days after Ukrainian forces crossed into the region and captured settlements there, Putin promised one-time…
Latvia’s armed forces on Monday said the Russian drone that crashed on the Baltic state’s territory was an Iranian-designed Shahed equipped with explosives. Riga had earlier announced that investigators were looking into a drone that had crashed in the eastern part of the country on Saturday. Latvia, which was once ruled by the Soviet Union…
A small propeller-powered plane crashed during a training flight at an airfield in the Moscow region, killing the two pilots on board, authorities said Monday. The Aviatik Alliance Aleks-251 twin-engine aircraft crashed near the Vatulino airfield in the town of Ruza, around 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Moscow. The transportation arm of Russia’s Investigative Committee,…
The Kremlin said Monday that it would not grant an interview with President Vladimir Putin to Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was released by Russia this summer in a prisoner swap. Gershkovich made a handwritten request to interview Putin while filling out a form requesting a presidential pardon ahead of the prisoner exchange,…
Alexander Maslyakov, one of the best-known and best-loved television personalities of the Soviet and modern Russian era, died at age 82 on Sunday. His death was reported by the game show KVN, which Maslyakov hosted from 1964 to 2022. Maslyakov had been diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. KVN, which stands for “Club of the…
7 September marked the fifth International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies since its establishment by the UN General Assembly in 2019
Russian children’s rights ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova married U.S.-sanctioned media tycoon Konstantin Malofeyev, Russian media reported Monday, citing sources familiar with the matter. The couple wed on Sunday at a restaurant in the elite Moscow region village of Deauville, according to the Telegram news channel Baza, which has ties to Russia’s security services. The independent news…
The European Union said Monday its allies had shared intelligence that Iran supplied Russia with ballistic missiles, and warned of new sanctions on Tehran if the deliveries were confirmed. “We are aware of the credible information provided by allies on the delivery of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia,” EU spokesman Peter Stano said. “We are…
Over 300 Russian soldiers who fought in Moscow’s war on Ukraine and ran as candidates from the ruling United Russia party have secured political office in Russia’s 2024 regional and local elections, state media reported Monday, citing a senior party official. Vladimir Yakushev, who serves as acting secretary of United Russia’s general council, told the…
German authorities warned Monday that a notorious Russian military intelligence unit carried out cyberattacks against targets in Europe and around the world. The German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) said unit 29155 of the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) “carried out cyberattacks and other reconnaissance activities against targets in NATO and EU…
China said Monday it would hold joint military drills with Russia later this month, as the two allies continue to boost military and economic cooperation to counter what they see as U.S. domination in global affairs. China’s Defense Ministry said that naval and air forces will participate in the “North-Joint 2024” exercises in the skies…