Strikes on Russian-Held Ukraine Kill 26, Occupation Authorities Say

Updates throughout. Ukrainian strikes on parts of the Russian-held Luhansk and Kherson regions killed 26 people and injured dozens more on Friday, occupation authorities said. Both Ukrainian regions were among four Russia claimed to have annexed in September 2022 despite not fully controlling any of them following the full-scale military campaign launched that February. A…

Russia Remands French NGO Worker in ‘Foreign Agent’ Case

Updates throughout. A Moscow court on Friday ordered a French citizen accused of gathering Russian military information to be held in pre-trial detention, in the latest case of a Western citizen being detained in Russia. Laurent Vinatier, a 47-year-old who works for a Swiss conflict mediation NGO, was arrested on Thursday and officially charged with…

Russia Says Its Forests Can Absorb Its Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Climate Change and Poor Forestry Standards Make This Unlikely.

As the climate crisis intensifies, Russia is pinning its hopes on its vast forests to make up for its carbon emissions — the world’s fourth-highest — and even help the country become a global leader in carbon absorption. But the country’s substandard conservation and ineffective forestry practices, combined with the impacts of climate change itself,…

Russia Bans Nonexistent ‘Anti-Russian Separatist Movement’

Russia’s Supreme Court has banned the vaguely defined “Anti-Russian Separatist Movement” as an “extremist” organization, the independent news website Mediazona reported Friday. Rights groups say they have not been able to find a formal organization called the “Anti-Russian Separatist Movement,” leading to speculation that the authorities could use the designation as a pretext for wider…

Putin Touts BRICS, Rebukes ‘Hegemon’ West in Economic Forum Speech

Countries across the globe are racing to “strengthen their sovereignty” amid Western nations’ efforts to “maintain their elusive role as hegemons,” President Vladimir Putin said in his plenary address at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) Friday.  Moscow has sought to broaden its support from countries in Africa, South America and Asia and cast itself as…

ROSATOM participates in SPIEF-2024 Plenary Session “Technological Ecosystem of the Future: For the Benefit of Humanity and the Planet”

Alexey Likhachev, Director General of ROSATOM, outlined three key components of the technological landscape for the next hundred years. On June 7, the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF-2024) featured a plenary session titled “Technological Ecosystem of the Future: For the Benefit of Humanity and the Planet.” Participants included Alexey Likhachev, Director General of ROSATOM,…

Four Killed by Strike on Russian-Held Ukrainian City

Updates with new death toll. A missile attack on the Russian-controlled city of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine on Friday killed four people and injured over 40, Russian officials said. The eastern Luhansk region is almost entirely under Russian control. Moscow claimed to have annexed it in 2022. The main city, also called Luhansk, came under…

Russian Prosecutors Seek French NGO Worker’s Jailing Pending Trial

Russian prosecutors on Friday requested that a French man accused of collecting information about the military be placed in pre-trial detention pending a court hearing on charges of breaking Russia’s “foreign agents” law, his lawyer told AFP. Laurent Vinatier, a French national who works with the Geneva-based Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, was arrested Thursday in…

Kremlin Says France Seeks ‘Direct’ Role in Ukraine War

French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent statements are “inflaming” tensions in Europe and show he is readying France for a direct role in the Ukraine war, the Kremlin said on Friday. The French leader has taken an increasingly hawkish line in his support for Kyiv, promising on Thursday to transfer Mirage fighter jets to the embattled…

Indian Medical Students Drown in Russian River

Four Indian medical students have drowned while swimming in a river in northwestern Russia, local law enforcement officials said Friday. The incident happened on Tuesday in the Volkhov River in the city of Veliky Novgorod, the regional branch of Russia’s Investigative Committee said. “The students were swimming… in an area where swimming is banned,” the…

ROSATOM, together with partners from the Republic of Guinea, study the possibility of deploying floating power units in the country

The document was signed during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. On June 7, 2024, during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, the Mechanical Engineering Division of ROSATOM signed a memorandum of understanding with partners from the Republic of Guinea. This Memorandum of Understanding envisages cooperation on developing floating power units (FPUs) to supply electricity…

Ukraine Orders Evacuations From Parts of Donetsk Region

Ukraine on Thursday ordered the evacuation of children and their guardians from several towns and villages in the eastern Donetsk region, where fighting with Russian troops has intensified since Moscow launched a new ground offensive early last month. President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Russian firepower is now concentrated in Donetsk, which the Kremlin claimed to…

U.S. Says Russia Planning Naval Drills in Caribbean Sea

Washington is tracking Russian warships headed to the Caribbean Sea for military exercises this summer, Reuters and the Associated Press reported, citing unnamed U.S. officials. According to the reports, officials said they believe the anticipated drills were “certainly” part of Russia’s broader response to U.S. support for Ukraine. AP said Moscow has not notified Washington…

Russia Detains French Citizen for Gathering Military Information

Russian law enforcement authorities on Thursday detained a French citizen on suspicion of gathering information about the military and accused him of violating the country’s law on “foreign agents.” “The suspect carried out a targeted collection of Russian defense and military-technical information for several years,” Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said in a…

Russian Court Remands Pro-Putin Witch After She Collapses in Court

A Moscow court on Thursday remanded the self-proclaimed witch Alyona Polyn, known for casting spells in support of President Vladimir Putin, shortly after she collapsed in court, state media reported. Polyn, whose real name is Yelena Sulikova, was detained in the Moscow region earlier this week on charges of disseminating “extremist” literature and “insulting believers’…

Russian Central Bank Chief Calls for ‘Open Economy’

Russia’s Central Bank chief on Thursday called for Russia to be an “open economy” despite the barrage of Western sanctions and trading restrictions it has faced over the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina was speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Russia’s premier business and investment event that used to…

Russia Says Captured Colombian Who Fought for Ukraine

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Thursday that its forces captured a Columbian man who purportedly fought as a mercenary on the side of Ukraine. “Angel Cardenas Montilla came to Ukraine following an advertisement on TikTok inviting mercenaries to fight against Russia,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement. It did not say where the man was…

Tram Collision in Siberia Kills 1, Injures 100

At least one person was killed and more than 100 others were injured after two trams collided on a bridge in the Siberian city of Kemerovo early Thursday, local officials said. Security camera footage shared on social media showed passengers being tossed onto a busy roadway from one of the careening trams as the driver…

Ukraine Drone Strike Halts Operations at Russian Oil Refinery

A Ukrainian drone attack started a fire at an oil refinery in southern Russia, forcing it to halt operations, regional authorities said early Thursday, adding that there were no casualties. Russia’s Defense Ministry said 13 drones were destroyed overnight in annexed Crimea, six in the southwestern Belgorod region and an anti-ship missile was shot down…

Putin Threatens to Arm Countries That Could Hit Western Targets

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday criticized the West’s delivery of long-range weapons to Ukraine, arguing Moscow could arm other countries with similar weapons to attack Western targets. The comment — which Putin made at a rare press conference with foreign news outlets — came after several Western countries including the United States gave Ukraine…

Russian Twitch Streamer Jailed 5.5 Years for Bucha Testimonies

A Moscow court on Wednesday sentenced Twitch streamer Anna Bazhutova to five and a half years in prison for livestreaming witness testimony about alleged Russian atrocities in the Ukrainian city of Bucha. “It’s f***** up. It’s disgusting and vile,” the 30-year-old Bazhutova, speaking from the glass defendant’s box, said in reaction to the ruling against…

Taliban, BRICS and Family Values: Russia’s Isolation on Show at Economic Forum

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Russia’s premier business and investment event, kicked off in the country’s second-largest city on Wednesday with a focus on Russia’s place in a “multipolar” world, partnerships with the Global South and, increasingly, on domestic business deals. Once dubbed the “Russian Davos,” SPIEF had long attracted leading Western businesspeople,…

Moscow to Deploy More Military Instructors in Burkina Faso

Moscow will increase the number of its military instructors in Burkina Faso, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced Wednesday during a visit to the West African nation as part of a wider regional tour. “Russian instructors work here and their number will increase,” Lavrov said at a news conference in the capital Ouagadougou. “At the…

Putin’s Daughters to Attend St. Petersburg Economic Forum

President Vladimir Putin’s daughters Katerina Tikhonova and Maria Vorontsova are scheduled to speak at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) this week, according to the annual event’s program. Tech executive Tikhonova is among the speakers of a panel discussion on “the defense industry’s role in ensuring technological sovereignty” on Thursday. Washington sanctioned her for…

Russian Supreme Court Upholds Sentence for Jailed Sociologist Kagarlitsky

Russia’s Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a five-year prison sentence against the prominent anti-war sociologist Boris Kagarlitsky on charges of “justifying terrorism,” state media reported. Kagarlitsky, 65, was initially fined 600,000 rubles ($6,600) in December over a since-deleted YouTube video about the 2022 Crimea bridge explosion. In February, a military court of appeals reversed that…

Serhii Plokhy’s ‘Russo-Ukrainian War’ Shortlisted for Pushkin House Book Prize

Over a year into Russia’s grotesque full-scale invasion of Ukraine, disinformation and misconceptions of the conflict — fuelled both by the Kremlin and by political actors abroad — continued to permeate public debate. “The Russo-Ukrainian War: The Return of History” by Serhii Plokhy takes aim at many of these myths, demonstrating how Russia’s centuries-long imperial obsession…

Russian Duolingo Removes LGBTQ+ References in Censorship Compliance

The popular language learning platform Duolingo has removed references to LGBTQ+ people in its Russian version at Moscow’s request, the state-run news agency TASS reported Tuesday. Russia’s state media watchdog Roskomnadzor had this spring ordered Duolingo to comply with its “LGBT propaganda” law after conservative activists spotted phrases like “Ben and Peter love each other” and “Clara met…

Starbucks Applies for Russian Patents After Leaving Country

Starbucks has applied for several patents in Russia almost two years after exiting the country over its war in Ukraine, the Vedomosti business daily reported Tuesday, citing the database of Russia’s intellectual property agency Rospatent. Experts speculate the move could signal either Starbucks’ potential return to the Russian market or an effort to extend patent…

Moscow Claims West Planning Regime Change in Georgia

Russia’s deputy foreign minister claimed Tuesday that the West may be planning to overthrow the government of Georgia ahead of its parliamentary elections later this year, as tensions continue to boil over in the South Caucasus nation after the recent passing of a controversial “foreign influence” law. “We see Western attempts to escalate the situation…

Western Army Trainers in Ukraine Not Immune From Strikes, Kremlin Says

Western army instructors training Ukrainian soldiers in the country would have no “immunity” from Russian strikes, the Kremlin said Tuesday, amid reports that France could despatch military trainers to Ukraine. Ukraine’s army chief Oleksandr Syrsky said last week that French military instructors would soon arrive in the country, but Kyiv’s Defense Ministry later walked back…

Sanctioned VTB Bank to Open Branches in Occupied Ukraine

Russia’s second-largest lender VTB Bank announced Tuesday that it plans to open new offices in occupied Ukraine this year. “The bank will open two new branches in Luhansk in July and, by the end of the year, it plans to start customer service in Mariupol and Donetsk,” VTB said in a statement. The three cities are located in…

Governor of Russia’s Altai Republic Resigns

Updated with Turchak appointment. Oleg Khorokhordin announced Tuesday that he was stepping down as governor of the Siberian republic of Altai, making him the third regional head to resign within a week as the country prepares for regional elections in September. “I’m resigning from the post of head of the Altai Republic in connection with…

George Clooney Denies Plans to Seek Arrest of Russian Journalists

American actor George Clooney denied on Monday that the human rights organization he co-founded with his wife intends to seek the arrest of Russian journalists who support Moscow’s war against Ukraine. The legal director at the Clooney Foundation for Justice’s Docket initiative, Anya Neistat, had previously said the organization was seeking the arrest and extradition…

3 Killed in Russian Attacks on Eastern Ukraine

Three people including a 12-year-old boy were killed in Russian attacks on eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces have claimed steady advances in recent weeks, local authorities said Monday. The head of the Donetsk region, which the Kremlin claimed to have annexed in late 2022, said two people were killed and another wounded by Russian attacks…