Russian Scientists Find Microplastics in Wasp Intestines

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Russian biologists have discovered microplastics in the intestines of common wasps, with its concentration increasing since 2019, Tomsk State University said Wednesday. “In contrast to well-studied marine and freshwater ecosystems, the occurrence of microplastics in terrestrial ecosystems remains virtually unchecked,” said Anastasia Simakova, head of the invertebrate department at Tomsk State University’s Biological Institute.  “Preliminary…

Russians Deride ‘Western Excess,’ Declare Love for Putin on Valentine’s Day

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While much of the world is celebrating Valentine’s Day with cards, chocolates and flowers, some in Russia have seized on current geopolitical tensions to undermine the romantic holiday and paint it as an example of Western “excess.” Soon after being disqualified from the presidential election, Communists of Russia party chairman Sergei Malinkovich urged lawmakers to “launch a legislative…

Russia Halts Annual Payments to Arctic Council

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Moscow has suspended annual payments to the Arctic Council until its work resumes in full, Russia’s Foreign Ministry told state media Wednesday. The United States, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden in March 2022 suspended participation in the Arctic Council over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  “Russia’s annual contributions to the Arctic Council’s budget have been suspended…

Putin Signs Law Allowing Seizures of War Critics’ Assets

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President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday signed a law that allows authorities to confiscate the assets of individuals convicted of “discrediting” and spreading “fake news” about the military.  The wartime legislation also allows seizing money and other valuables from those found guilty of inciting “extremist” activity and calling for “anti-Russian” sanctions.  The law does not appear…

Russian Shelling in Ukraine Kills 5

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Russian strikes killed five people across Ukraine on Tuesday, Ukrainian officials said. The governor of northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, Oleh Syniehubov, said three people were killed in his region, which borders Russia and has seen increased attacks in recent months. Syniehubov said a 61-year-old woman was killed when Russian forces shelled the city of Vovchansk,…

Putin to Skip Presidential Debates, Kremlin Says

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The Kremlin confirmed Tuesday that President Vladimir Putin will not take the stage to debate his rivals in Russia’s March presidential election. “Everyone can see Putin’s statements on all aspects of Russians’ lives on a virtually daily basis,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. He added that Putin “fundamentally differs” from all other candidates because…

Drunk Train Driver Causes Rail Collision in Russia

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Two trains collided in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region late Monday, with law enforcement officials saying one of the drivers involved in the crash was likely intoxicated. “A medical screening showed the locomotive driver had alcohol in his bloodstream,” the transportation unit of Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said in a statement. The law enforcement…

Russia Issues Arrest Warrant for Estonian PM

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Updated to include Peskov’s, Zakharova’s remarks.  Russia has issued an arrest warrant for Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, the independent news website Mediazona reported Tuesday, marking the country’s first-ever criminal case against an acting head of a foreign government.  Kallas appeared on Russia’s wanted list after she spoke in favor of dismantling a Soviet-era monument in…

Finland’s President-Elect Says No Political Ties With Russia Until Ukraine War Ends

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Finland’s President-elect Alexander Stubb said Monday his country will not maintain high-level ties with Russia until the Kremlin ends its war in Ukraine.  Relations between Moscow and Helsinki have sharply deteriorated since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, prompting Finland to drop decades of military non-alignment and join NATO. “We do not have a political relationship…

Russia Moves to Ban Foreign State-Funded Orgs as ‘Undesirables’

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Russian lawmakers on Monday introduced a bill that would expand current legislation on “undesirable” organizations to include state-sponsored entities in addition to non-governmental organizations. Since launching their “undesirable” list in 2015 to crack down on foreign-funded NGOs, Russian authorities have expanded the law to target independent news outlets, human rights groups, environmental organizations and educational institutions. Vasily Piskarev,…

Hopeful Putin Challenger Asks Top Russian Court to Overrule Ballot Block

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Pro-peace presidential hopeful Boris Nadezhdin announced Monday that he has filed two lawsuits with Russia’s Supreme Court challenging the decision by election authorities to bar him from running in the March presidential race. Russa’s Central Election Commission (CEC) voted unanimously Thursday to disqualify Nadezhdin over alleged errors in thousands of signatures endorsing his candidacy.  “Real…

Are Russian Troops in Ukraine Using Elon Musk’s Internet Satellites?

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Ukrainian military intelligence claims that Russian forces in occupied areas of the country are using Starlink satellite technology to communicate.  The GUR said Sunday that they had intercepted radio transmissions from the Donetsk region in which Russian soldiers discussed using Starlink terminals. Activated after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Starlink satellite internet replaced conventional internet…

Moscow Bans 18 U.K. Nationals From Entering Russia

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Russia has added 18 British military, political and academic figures to its entry ban list in response to London’s efforts “to reduce Moscow’s influence in the international arena,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced Monday. “Russophobic British officials don’t shy away from… discrediting our country’s constitutional order and social and political processes,” the ministry said. Minister of…

Russia’s Aviation Body Allegedly Allowed Aircraft Export to Ukraine – Izvestia

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Officials from Russia’s state civil aviation agency Rosaviatsia have been accused of de-registering aircraft that were later used by the Ukrainian military, the pro-Kremlin tabloid Izvestia reported Monday, citing anonymous law enforcement and Transportation Ministry sources. A Transport Ministry inspection in July revealed that 59 planes and helicopters had been illegally removed from Russia’s civil…

Kaliningrad Governor Blames Immanuel Kant for Ukraine War

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The governor of western Russia’s Kaliningrad region blamed the 18th-century German enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant for the outbreak of war in Ukraine.  “He is directly related to the military conflict in Ukraine,” Anton Alikhanov, who governs the western exclave of Kaliningrad, said Friday at a local political science forum. According to the regional news outlet FederalPress, Alikhanov…

Russia Closes In on Avdiivka as Western Aid for Kyiv Falters, War of Attrition Grinds On

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Russia’s nearly two-year war in Ukraine is likely to continue as a drawn-out war of attrition in 2024, with neither side expected to make major territorial gains, military analysts have told The Moscow Times. The Russian army, despite its firepower and personnel advantages, lacks the resources to achieve a decisive breakthrough in Ukrainian-held areas, resulting…

Russian Students Confront Pro-Kremlin Censorship Activist Mizulina

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Yekaterina Mizulina, the leader of Russia’s crackdown on anti-war artists and content creators, has been confronted by university students in the republic of Tatarstan, media outlets reported Friday, in a rare example of public backlash to her work. Videos of heated debates between Mizulina, who heads the Kremlin-aligned Safe Internet League, and Kazan Federal University (KFU) students…

Russia Adds Leftist Activist Udaltsov to ‘Extremists and Terrorists’ List

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Russia’s state financial watchdog Rosfinmonitoring has added jailed leftist activist Sergei Udaltsov to its list of “extremists and terrorists.” Udaltsov was placed in pre-trial detention last month on accusations of justifying terrorism in social media posts. He faces up to seven years in prison if found guilty. Being added to Russia’s registry of “extremists and…

Russian Blogger Charged With ‘Rehabilitating Nazism’ for WWII Monument Tickling Video

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Russian investigators said Friday they have detained a blogger on charges of “rehabilitating Nazism” after she posted an Instagram video in which she pretends to tickle a World War II monument. Investigators initially opened a criminal case against 23-year-old Alyona Agafonova in July, accusing her of “cynical and immoral acts” toward the Motherland Calls monument…

Russia, Ukraine Swap 100 POWs Each

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Ukraine and Russia on Thursday said they swapped 100 prisoners of war each, the latest exchange between the warring sides since Moscow accused Kyiv of downing a plane carrying captured Ukrainian soldiers. Moscow and Kyiv have both vowed to keep exchanging prisoners as Russia’s war against Ukraine drags quickly approaches its second anniversary. “Another 100…

Businessman Anisimov 7th Billionaire to Renounce Russian Citizenship Since Invasion – Forbes

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Kazakh-born businessman Vasily Anisimov is at least the seventh billionaire to renounce his Russian citizenship after the invasion of Ukraine, Forbes Russia reported Thursday, citing documents provided by the exiled oligarch. Anisimov, the former owner of the license for the “Putinka” vodka brand and the real estate holding Coalco, is reportedly listed as a citizen…

Russian Election Authority Rejects Pro-Peace Hopeful Nadezhdin’s Presidential Bid

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Russian election authorities on Thursday disqualified pro-peace presidential hopeful Boris Nadezhdin from the March election over alleged errors in his endorsement signatures. The veteran politician’s campaign has presented a rare challenge to a tightly controlled election in which President Vladimir Putin is likely to win a fifth term, with thousands of Russians lining up to…

In Russia’s Dagestan, a Landfill Upends Villagers’ Livelihoods as National Garbage Crisis Spirals

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Amid the plains of Russia’s North Caucasus republic of Dagestan lies Novaya Urada, a village of 1,000 residents.  This community, some 30 kilometers northwest of the regional capital Makhachkala, has deep roots in livestock farming and each year draws tourists hoping to photograph a vibrant poppy field nearby.  Yet Novaya Urada was thrown into upheaval…