In First, Ukrainian Drones Target Russia’s Kirov Region

Ukrainian drones struck an oil depot in Russia’s Kirov region, located some 700 kilometers east of Moscow, regional authorities said Wednesday, marking the first such attack on the region since Moscow’s full-scale invasion. “Two drones were shot down, and three fell on the grounds of the Zenit plant in the town of Kotelnich, where they…

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…

How Anti-Kremlin Artists Are Diagnosing a Sick Regime

Читайте русскую версию здесь. Artists Against the Kremlin is an exhibition of Russian-speaking artists organized by All Rights Reversed gallery with the support of The Moscow Times at De Balie arts center in Amsterdam.The more than 100 paintings, installations, photographs and sculptures — most of them new — on display were created by artists who,…

Russian TV to Premiere Joe Biden Comedy Series in 2025

The Russian television channel TNT has begun production on a comedy series about U.S. President Joe Biden that is set to premiere next year, the network announced Tuesday. The show, called “Goodbye,” revolves around the American leader traveling to Russia “incognito” to find out “why his sanctions aren’t working against Russians,” TNT said in a press release.…

Indian PM Modi Tells Putin He Supports End to Ukraine War

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that he supports a swift end to the grinding conflict in Ukraine after visiting the war-torn country last week. Modi has pursued a delicate balance between maintaining India’s historically warm ties with Russia while courting closer security partnerships with Western nations as a…

Russia Revokes Goldman Sachs’ Brokerage License

Russia’s Central Bank has revoked the broker and dealer licenses of Goldman Sachs as the U.S. investment bank continues to scale back its presence in the country in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. On Tuesday, the Central Bank said it canceled the bank’s brokerage and dealer licenses on July 9, acting “based on Goldman Sachs’…

Deadly Russian Strikes Pound Ukraine for 2nd Day

Russia fired a wave of attack drones and missiles at Ukraine that killed at least four people, authorities said Tuesday after the second night of heavy strikes across the war-battered nation. The overnight barrage came a day after the Kremlin launched one of its largest-ever aerial attacks on Ukraine, which targeted energy facilities and killed…

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,…

Russia Charges Deutsche Welle Journalist Over Kursk Reporting

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said Tuesday that it has filed criminal charges against a Deutsche Welle reporter and a Ukrainian television journalist for illegally crossing the border into the Kursk region during a reporting assignment. “The FSB of Russia has pressed criminal charges and an investigation is underway,” the law enforcement agency was quoted…

By Pressing Onward With Elections in Battlefield Kursk Region, Kremlin Seeks to Show Everything Is Business as Usual

The Kremlin refuses to cancel next month’s elections in the Kursk border region despite Ukraine’s ongoing offensive there, deeming it to be “only a local crisis” from a military perspective, three Russian officials familiar with the election preparations told Politika.Kozlov.  The officials agreed to speak on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the…

Ukrainian Drone Attack Damages High-Rise in Russia’s Saratov Region, Injures Residents

An overnight Ukrainian drone attack in southern Russia’s Saratov region damaged several high-rise apartment buildings and injured multiple people, local authorities said early Monday. “Air defense systems shot down drones early this morning,” Saratov region Governor Roman Busargin wrote on Telegram. “Debris fell on residential buildings in both Saratov and Engels.” The cities of Saratov…

Durov: Mysterious and Controversial Telegram Founder

Russian-born tech entrepreneur Pavel Durov has founded wildly popular social networks as well as a cryptocurrency, amassed a multi-billion-dollar fortune and locked horns with authorities not just in Russia but around the world. Still a few months shy of his 40th birthday, the man once dubbed the “Russian Zuckerberg” after Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg now…

Kyiv Says Belarus ‘Concentrating’ Troops on Border, Warns Against ‘Unfriendly Actions’

Ukraine accused its Moscow-allied neighbor Belarus on Sunday of “concentrating” troops on the countries’ shared border and warned Minsk against “unfriendly actions,” in a statement by Kyiv’s foreign ministry. The statement came as Kyiv mounts an incursion into Russia’s Kursk region and as Russia continues its advance into eastern Ukraine. Belarus had allowed Russian troops…

How the World Reacted to Telegram Boss Pavel Durov’s Detention

French-Russian tech billionaire Pavel Durov is to appear in court on Sunday after being arrested at a Paris airport for offenses related to his popular Telegram messaging app, sources told AFP. France had reportedly issued an arrest warrant for Durov in a preliminary investigation into alleged offenses including fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime and…

Zelensky Vows More ‘Retribution’ for Russia, POWs Exchanged

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed more “retribution” against Russia on Saturday as he celebrated Independence Day near where his forces launched a surprise offensive into Russian territory two weeks ago. Zelensky also signed a law banning the Russia-linked branch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, calling the legislation a “liberation from Moscow’s devils,” drawing a sharp…

Telegram Boss Pavel Durov Detained in France – French Media

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov was detained at a Paris airport for allegedly enabling criminal activity with his encrypted messaging app, French media reported Saturday. France issued an arrest warrant for Durov on charges of complicity in drug trafficking, crimes against children and fraud due to the lack of moderation on Telegram and his failure to…

Russia Frees Israeli-Canadian Racer Wanted by U.S.

A Russian court on Saturday freed Israeli-Canadian citizen Joshua Cartu who was arrested earlier this week at the request of the U.S. over alleged financial crimes. Dubbed “Ferrari fugitive,” the racing car driver and entrepreneur has been accused along with his brothers of defrauding investors of millions of dollars. He was detained on Monday by…

Russia, Ukraine Exchange 230 Prisoners of War

Russia and Ukraine announced Saturday they had exchanged 115 prisoners of war each, just over two weeks after Kyiv launched a surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk region. The exchange came as Kyiv mounted its offensive in Kursk and as Russia eyes more east Ukrainian towns. It also came on Ukrainian Independence Day. Both countries thanked…

Zelensky Vows More ‘Retribution’ for Russia as POWs Exchanged

President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed more “retribution” against Russia on Ukrainian Independence Day Saturday, as Kyiv and Moscow announced the exchange of 230 prisoners just over two weeks into Ukraine’s surprise offensive on Kursk. Zelensky also signed a law banning the Russian-linked branch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and called the legislation a “liberation from Moscow’s…

Russia Has Enough Coal to Last Over 100 Years, Official Says

Russia has more than 100 years worth of coal at current and higher production capacities, the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Alexander Kozlov said Friday.  Russia’s total coal reserves are estimated at 273 billion metric tons, 46.4 billion of which is currently being extracted, according to the RIA Novosti state news agency.  “Even with…

Russian Court Jails 5 More Dagestan Airport Rioters

Five men who took part in last year’s airport storming in the North Caucasus republic of Dagestan were handed varying jail sentences, court authorities said Friday. Hundreds of people descended on Dagestan’s Makhachkala International Airport in late October as they searched for Israeli citizens rumored to be onboard a flight arriving from Tel Aviv. The mob paralyzed…

Police ‘Neutralize’ 4 Inmates After Hostage Standoff at Volgograd Region Prison

Knife-wielding inmates killed at least three Russian prison guards Friday in a prison siege, officials said, with the assailants having apparent connections to the Islamic State (IS) group. Russian special forces stormed IK-19 Surovikino penal colony in Russia’s southern Volgograd region and shot dead all four attackers after an hours-long standoff. “Four criminals took eight colony…

The new name of the management company of the Wind Energy Division of ROSATOM – Rosatom Renewable Energy, JSC

The legal entity’s name was changed as part of the implementation of the the state corporation branding policy. In order to switch to a «monolithic» brand, JSC NovaWind, the management company of the Wind Energy Division of the State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM, was renamed into Rosatom Renewable Energy, JSC (in Russian — Акционерное общество…

Atoms Empowering Africa winners travel to Russia to see nuclear innovations and cultural destinations

In an inspiring showcase of talent and ambition, twenty talented young individuals from across Africa have emerged as winners of ROSATOM’s Atoms Empowering Africa competition. This unique initiative offered these future leaders the invaluable opportunity to delve into the latest advancements in nuclear technology while immersing themselves in the rich cultural heritage of Russia.  The…

Moscow Activist Kotov Detained for Allegedly Donating to Navalny’s ‘Extremist’ Groups

An activist who previously served prison time for breaking Russian protest laws was detained for donating money to Alexei Navalny’s outlawed political organizations, independent media reported Thursday. Programmer Konstantin Kotov was arrested during the 2019 Moscow election protests and ended up serving 18 months for “multiple breaches” of Russian protest laws. His original four-year sentence…