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A Russian court on Tuesday sentenced a Ukrainian man to 25 years in prison for the murder of an army recruitment officer and former submarine commander. The convicted man, Sergei Denysenko, was arrested in July last year, two days after the killing of recruitment official Stanislav Rzhitsky, who was shot dead while jogging in a…

U.S. Man Jailed in Russia Interviewed on State TV

BusinessBy admin October 29, 2024 Leave a comment

A U.S. soldier serving a prison sentence in Russia’s Far East appeared on state television Tuesday, saying he hoped to be exchanged at some point in the future. Gordon Black spoke to state broadcaster Rossiya from prison, looking pale and wearing the same clothes he had on at the time of his arrest earlier this…

Gazprom Board of Directors approves revised investment program and budget for 2024

October 29, 2024, 18:13 The Gazprom Board of Directors endorsed the revised investment program and budget (financial plan) of the Company for 2024. The overall amount of investments under the 2024 investment program will total RUB 1,641.625 billion, which is RUB 67.998 billion more than was envisaged in the initial version of the investment program approved in December 2023. The adjustments to the 2024 investment program were introduced,…

Russia Fines Google $2.5 Decillion Over YouTube Bans – RBC

Google has racked up some 2 undecillion rubles ($2.5 decillion) worth of fines in Russia after years of refusing to restore the accounts of pro-Kremlin and state-run media outlets, the RBC news website reported Tuesday, citing an anonymous source familiar with court rulings against the tech company. According to RBC’s sources, Google began accumulating daily…

Russian Army Says It Has Captured Key Town of Selydove in Eastern Ukraine

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday that its forces captured the eastern Ukrainian town of Selydove as part of a wider push to seize the nearby logistics hub of Pokrovsk. The capture of the frontline town of Selydove, located around 18 kilometers (10 miles) southeast of Pokrovsk, is the latest battlefield gain for Russia, which has…

Moscow Court Jails IT Worker for Trying to Share ‘State Secrets’ With CIA

A Moscow court sentenced an IT specialist to more than 13 years in prison for attempting to pass state secrets to the CIA, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said Tuesday. Firuz Dadoboyev was found “guilty of treason for the benefit of the United States.” He was also fined 300,000 rubles ($3,000). Russia’s FSB claimed Dadoboyev illegally…

Estonia Summons Russian Diplomat Over Border River Dispute

Estonia’s Foreign Ministry summoned Russia’s charge d’affaires amid an ongoing border dispute over a shared river, media in the Baltic country reported Tuesday. In May, Estonian border guards accused their Russian counterparts of removing two dozen navigation buoys from the Narva River, which flows north into the Baltic Sea from Lake Peipsi, or Lake Chudskoye…

Chechnya’s Mufti Slams Ban on Hijabs in Schools

The republic of Chechnya’s supreme mufti on Tuesday decried bans on hijabs and other religious clothing in schools as unconstitutional, arguing that the restrictions violate a person’s right to freedom of conscience and religion. Supreme Mufti Salah Mezhiev issued his criticism a week after education authorities in central Russia’s Vladimir region ordered a ban on…

North Korea’s Foreign Minister Arrives in Russia for Talks

North Korea’s Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui arrived in Russia Tuesday for an official visit after South Korea and the United States claimed Pyongyang sent thousands of troops to train in Russia. Choe flew to the city of Vladivostok in Russia’s Far East, the state-run TASS news agency reported, citing a diplomatic source. According to…

Drone Attacks Russian Special Forces University in Chechnya

An early morning drone strike damaged a special forces university in the North Caucasus republic of Chechnya, regional leader Ramzan Kadyrov said Tuesday, marking the first such attack on the region since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. “At 6:30 this morning, the roof of an empty building on the territory of the Russian Special Forces…

Tens of Thousands Rally in Georgia After Contested Vote

Tens of thousands of Georgians took to the streets Monday to protest against the ruling party’s victory in parliamentary polls denounced as “stolen” by the pro-Western opposition, while Georgia’s president alleged to AFP that the vote was rigged using “sophisticated” methods she linked to Russia. The Caucasus country — rocked by mass anti-government protests earlier this…

U.K. Sanctions 3 Russian PR Firms, Senior Managers

Britain’s government on Monday unveiled new sanctions on three Russian public relations firms and their top managers, accusing them of “attempting to undermine and destabilize Ukraine and its democracy.” London said it was targeting Russia’s state-funded Social Design Agency (SDA), its partner company Structura and another firm called Ano Dialog, as well as three senior…

Russia’s FSB Says 4 ‘Saboteurs’ Killed in Attempted Border Incursion in Bryansk Region

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said Monday that its agents killed four “saboteurs” who tried to cross into the western Bryansk region from Ukraine. “FSB border guards, together with the units of Russia’s armed forces and the National Guard, thwarted an attempt to cross over the Russian state border in the Klimovsky district on Oct. 27,” the…

Finland Seizes Russian Cultural Center in Helsinki After Ukrainian Gas Provider Wins Lawsuit

Finnish authorities have begun seizing Russian state-owned property in the country after a Hague-based court ordered Moscow to compensate Ukraine’s national gas provider for assets it lost during the annexation of Crimea, the Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat reported Monday. Finland’s National Enforcement Authority, an agency of the country’s justice ministry, reportedly seized the 3,326-square-meter (35,800…

NATO Chief Says North Korean Troops Sent to Russia’s Kursk Region

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Monday that North Korean troops were sent to Russia’s embroiled Kursk region, decrying the deployment as a sign of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “growing desperation.” Speaking in Brussels after a briefing with South Korean intelligence officials, Rutte said he could confirm that North Korean military units had been sent to…

Russian Police Raid Homes of Romani People After Ethnic Tensions Flare in Chelyabinsk Region

Police in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region detained around 20 Roma for “crime prevention talks” after ethnic tensions flared last week over a woman’s murder, local media reported Sunday. Enraged residents in the town of Korkino gathered Thursday night outside homes believed to belong to Roma, where they damaged property and clashed with riot police. The unrest…

Punitive Psychiatry: An Increasingly Common Tool in Russia’s Crackdown on Activists

An increasing number of Russian political activists have been placed in forced psychiatric treatment — a practice dating back to the Soviet era that involves confinement in mental hospitals. According to rights activists, some political prisoners who have undergone this treatment report being subjected to humiliation, beatings and being injected with powerful antipsychotic drugs. The number of…

Ukrainian Drone Strike in Russia’s Kursk Region Kills 2

A Ukrainian drone attack in southwestern Russia’s Kursk region killed two people, regional authorities said Monday. Kursk region Governor Alexei Smirnov said a “Ukrainian copter drone” targeted a civilian vehicle in the Lgovsky District. “Two explosives were dropped. Two young people who were inside [the car] died,” Smirnov said. The Lgovsky District lies just north of…

Rosneft’s Ecologists Discuss the Company’s Strategic Goals at the Corporate Congress

The 10th Anniversary Congress of Rosneft ecologists was held in Moscow

Kremlin ‘Strongly Rejects’ Accusations of Election Interference in Georgia

The Kremlin on Monday said it “strongly rejects” accusations from Georgia’s president that it interfered in this past weekend’s parliamentary elections. Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili claimed that Moscow was behind election fraud in Georgia, saying it was part of a “Russian special operation.” “We strongly reject these accusations. There was no intervention. These accusations are…

St. Petersburg Opposition Lawmaker Vishnevsky Resigns Over ‘Foreign Agent’ Ban

St. Petersburg opposition lawmaker Boris Vishnevsky said Monday that he would step down from the regional legislative assembly to comply with new amendments to Russia’s “foreign agent” law. In May, federal lawmakers passed legislation prohibiting “foreign agents” from running in elections, changes introduced after several people hit with designation said they planned to run for local…

Russia’s Vladimir Region Bans Hijabs in Schools

Authorities in Russia’s Vladimir region have banned students from wearing hijabs while at school. According to the ban, which was enacted last week Tuesday, “clothing and elements demonstrating the student’s religious affiliation… are not allowed inside educational institutions,” including hijabs and niqabs. The Vladimir region’s Education Ministry insisted in a statement on Saturday that the ban…

Ukraine Probes Reports Russia Shot at Civilians in Frontline Town

Ukraine is investigating reports that Russian soldiers shot at civilians in the embattled frontline town of Selydove, prosecutors said Sunday. A video posted on Telegram by “Ghost of Khortytsia,” a Ukrainian army unit, purported to show Russian forces opening fire on a civilian vehicle. The footage taken from a drone shows a person rushing around…

Russian Army Claims New Advance in East Ukraine

Russia said Sunday its military had advanced further in east Ukraine, capturing a frontline village just a few kilometers north of a key Ukrainian-held industrial hub. Moscow has made steady gains on the battlefield for months, pressing their advantage against overstretched and outmanned Ukrainian forces. Russian army units “liberated the settlement of Izmailovka,” the Russian…

Putin Says Hopes West ‘Heard’ Warning Over Long-Range Strikes

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sunday he hoped the West “heard” his warning about the danger of a direct war with NATO if it allowed Ukraine to use long-range weapons against Russia. Putin made the initial threat in September after Britain and the United States mulled letting Kyiv use long-range arms against Russian targets, warning…

Russia Says Shot Down 51 Ukrainian Drones

Russia shot down 51 Ukrainian drones from above several regions, including near the border, Moscow’s defense ministry said on Sunday. Eighteen were intercepted in the Tambov region, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) from the Ukrainian border, and 16 in the area of the border town Belgorod, the ministry said in a statement on Telegram. The…

G7 Agrees New Steps to Curb Russian Sanctions Evasion

MoscowBy admin October 26, 2024 Leave a comment

Finance ministers of the G7 nations vowed Saturday to step up efforts to prevent Russia from evading sanctions imposed after its invasion of Ukraine. “We remain committed to taking further initiatives in response to oil price cap violations,” the group said in a statement following a meeting in Washington. Those further steps were not spelled…

‘Vladimir’: A Putin Play Where Putin Never Appears

“Vladimir” is already the second play this year in New York that focuses on Putin and his era. Earlier in 2024, Broadway featured “Patriots,” written by Peter Morgan, the creator of the award-winning Netflix series “The Crown,” and directed by Rupert Goold. That play ran for several weeks, centering on Boris Berezovsky’s rise and fall…

Russian Overnight Attacks on Ukraine Kill 6

anotherBy admin October 26, 2024 Leave a comment

Russian missile strikes killed four people including a child in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro last night, while a teenager and another person died in attacks on Kyiv and the surrounding region, officials said Saturday. The strikes came less than 48 hours after Russia finished hosting a three-day summit of the BRICS group of emerging…

A Halloween Trick That Turned into a Pumpkin Treat

MoscowBy admin October 26, 2024 Leave a comment

In Russia most people think there are three feast days of Christ the Savior in the late summer and early autumn. Each holiday has a religious name, but they are long — for example, “The Procession of the Venerable Wood of the Life-Creating Cross of the Lord.” So people gave them names associated with what…

Russian Police Launch Manhunt After 6 Inmates Escape Prison

anotherBy admin October 26, 2024 Leave a comment

Russian authorities announced a manhunt on Saturday after six convicts escaped the correctional facility where they were being held through a secret tunnel. Prison guards in the western Lipetsk region were alerted to the prisoners’ disappearance after carrying out a routine inspection. “In general regime penal colony No. 2, an underground tunnel was discovered during…

Russia Labels Telegram News Channel Astra ‘Foreign Agent’

Authorities in Russia designated the anti-war Telegram news channel Astra as a “foreign agent” on Friday. Russia’s Justice Ministry accused Astra of spreading “inaccurate information” about government policy in order to promote a “negative image” of the Russian military. “[Astra] opposed the special military operation in Ukraine… The creator and editor-in-chief of the internet portal reside outside…

Putin Appoints Former Separatist Commander to Security Council

President Vladimir Putin on Friday appointed Lieutenant Colonel Artyom Zhoga, currently the Kremlin’s envoy to the Urals Federal District, to Russia’s National Security Council. Zhoga, a former military officer from the Russian-occupied Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, gained prominence last year after publicly urging Putin to seek re-election in the 2025 presidential race. Earlier this…

Police in Central Russia Arrest Politician for Using Slave Labor, Defrauding Soldier

A local politician in central Russia’s Vladimir region was charged with using slave labor and defrauding a soldier who fought in the Ukraine war, regional investigators said Friday. According to the Vladimir region branch of Russia’s Investigative Committee, the politician allegedly led an organized criminal group that stole 1 million rubles ($10,350) from a soldier’s…

Kremlin Slams ‘Western Interference’ Ahead of Georgian Parliamentary Elections

The Kremlin on Friday accused the West of trying to interfere in Georgia’s upcoming parliamentary elections, while also dismissing claims that it was meddling in the South Caucasus country’s politics. Georgia will hold parliamentary elections on Saturday, which some observers have called a key test of the country’s democracy and its prospects of joining the…

‘My Government Doesn’t See Me as a Citizen’: Russian Ex-State Worker Reflects on Being Outed, Forced Into Exile

Denis Leontovich took a job at the regional youth policy agency in southern Russia’s Samara region in February 2024. After just a few weeks on the job, he would resign and leave the country in a matter of hours after he was outed as gay by a federal lawmaker and started receiving threats. “I didn’t…

4 Hospitalized After Stabbing Attack at St. Petersburg Supermarket

At least four people were hospitalized after a man attacked several shoppers at a supermarket in St. Petersburg, Russian media reported Friday. Eyewitnesses told the Fontanka news outlet that an “aggressive man” hurled champagne bottles at people inside the O’Key supermarket before grabbing a knife from a display window and using it to attack shoppers.…

Russia’s Central Bank Raises Key Rate to Historic 21%, Signals Aggressive Fight to Curb Inflation

BusinessBy admin October 25, 2024 Leave a comment

Russia’s Central Bank raised its key interest rate from 19% to a historic 21% on Friday, taking it even higher than the emergency rate initially introduced after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine as officials scrambled to shield the economy from Western sanctions. A rate increase of 1% had been widely anticipated by analysts, as inflation…

ROSATOM’s international project, Global Atomic Quiz 2024, starts on November 10

On November 10, ROSATOM will once again present its international project for raising nuclear awareness – the Global Atomic Quiz 2024 – in celebration of World Science Day. This year’s quiz marks its fifth anniversary and features a special commemorative edition. Conducted online in 13 languages, the quiz will feature events designed especially for schoolchildren…

Elon Musk Held Secret Talks With Putin Amid Shifting Views on Ukraine – WSJ

U.S. billionaire Elon Musk held secret talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin throughout the war in Ukraine as his initial support for Kyiv appeared to shift in Moscow’s favor, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing several anonymous current and ex-U.S., European and Russian officials. The private conversations reportedly addressed personal topics, business and geopolitical…

Riot Police Clash With Lynch Mob in Russia’s Chelyabinsk Region After Woman’s Murder

Enraged residents in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region clashed with riot police Thursday night after the stabbing death of a local woman, which both authorities and residents blamed on members of the Roma community. Local media identified the victim as Yelena Sarafanova, a mother of two and taxi driver in the town of Korkino. Her body was…

Rosneft Supports Research of Red Book Birds in the Samara Region

Rosneft’s Samara Group of enterprises — Samaraneftegaz, Novokuibyshevsk Refinery, Kuibyshev Refinery, Syzran Refinery, Novokuibyshevsk Petrochemical Company, Novokuibyshevsk Oils and Additives Plant — summarised the results of a regular grant competition to support R&D initiatives

Rosneft Provides New Educational Equipment to Khanty-Mansiysk School

RN-Yuganskneftegaz (Rosneft’s largest oil production enterprise) provided modern equipment and educational facilities to School No. 9 in Khanty-Mansiysk, which is attended by nearly 1,000 students

Putin Says Ball in Washington’s Court on U.S.-Russia Ties

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday his relationship with the United States after the presidential elections would depend on what attitude Washington adopts, as he welcomed comments by Donald Trump on his desire to end the Ukraine conflict as “sincere.” But the Kremlin leader struck a hardline tone, warning the West it was an “illusion”…

Serbia Doesn’t Endorse Russian Emigres’ Anti-Kremlin Protests, Says Deputy PM

Serbia’s Deputy Prime Minister said Thursday that his government does not endorse Russian emigres living in the country who stage protests against the Kremlin. Tens of thousands of Russians fled to Serbia after President Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and then a partial mobilization of troops later that year. An…

Russian Police Arrest Current, Former Energy Officials in Fraud Probe

Russian law enforcement authorities have arrested one current and one former deputy energy minister on suspicion of fraud, the Kommersant business daily reported Thursday, citing anonymous sources. Federal Security Service (FSB) agents reportedly first arrested Anatoly Yanovsky, who oversaw policy on Russia’s coal industry as deputy energy minister between 2008 and 2021. Current Deputy Energy…

UN Chief Guterres Calls for ‘Just Peace’ in Ukraine

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday urged a “just peace” in Ukraine, delivering his remarks in front of Russian President Vladimir Putin as he called for an end to more than two years of war. Guterres was in Russia for the first time since April 2022 and was due to hold talks on Ukraine…

How Russia Courted the Global South at BRICS Summit

The Russia-hosted BRICS summit came to a close on Thursday in Kazan, the capital of Russia’s republic of Tatarstan. The largest international event held in Russia since it invaded Ukraine more than two years ago, the summit was seen as a tool for the Kremlin to shake off its pariah status and strengthen its influence…

French Supermarket Chain Auchan to Sell Russian Business – Reports

French retail giant Auchan is in “the final stage of negotiations” to sell its Russian subsidiary to local buyers after more than 20 years in the country, the business publication La Lettre reported Thursday, citing unnamed sources. Auchan reportedly narrowed its options to two potential buyers after receiving 10 “unsolicited expressions of interest” over the…

Russian Man to Stand Trial in Germany for Murdering Ukrainian Soldiers

German prosecutors charged a Russian man with the murder of two Ukrainian soldiers who were receiving medical treatment in southern Germany, media reported Wednesday. The 57-year-old Russian national was arrested in April after the two Ukrainian soldiers were found stabbed to death at a shopping center in the Bavarian town of Murnau. Witnesses said the…

Lukashenko Says Belarus Ready to Join BRICS

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Thursday that his country is ready to become an “active member” of the BRICS group of countries. “We fully share the BRICS philosophy. Belarus is coming to you with specific ideas and projects,” Lukashenko said at the bloc’s annual summit in the city of Kazan. “We’re ready to become an…

Putin Warns Against ‘Illusory’ Attempts to Defeat Russia

President Vladimir Putin warned Thursday that attempts to defeat Russia on the battlefield were “illusory,” remarks made ahead of his first meeting with UN chief Antonio Guterres in more than two years. Putin was speaking in the Tatarstan capital of Kazan on the final day of the BRICS summit, a forum Moscow hopes will help forge a…

Women Set Fire to United Russia Office in Perm

BusinessBy admin October 24, 2024 Leave a comment

Two women in the Ural Mountains city of Perm threw Molotov cocktails at the local office of the ruling United Russia party, igniting a blaze inside the building, Russian media reported Thursday. Emergency services told local media that the fire engulfed some 40 square meters (430 square feet) of the office, and photos taken from…

Rosatom Technical Academy and the IAEA Signed an Agreement to Extend the Academy’s Status as an IAEA Collaborating Centre for Knowledge Management and HR Development

On October 23, 2024, Rosatom Technical Academy and the IAEA signed an agreement to extend the Academy’s status as an IAEA Collaborating Centre in the field of nuclear knowledge management and human resources development and to expand the programmatic areas of collaboration. The Agreement was signed on the sidelines of the first International Conference on…

Russian Parliament Ratifies Defense Treaty With North Korea

Russian lawmakers voted unanimously on Thursday to ratify a strategic partnership agreement between Russia and North Korea that, among other things, provides for “mutual assistance” if either country comes under attack. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a visit to the isolated East Asian country in…

Ukraine Accuses Russian Troops of Executing 4 POWs

Kyiv claimed Thursday that Russian forces had executed four captured Ukrainian servicemen in the eastern Donetsk region, the latest war crime allegation against Moscow. The Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office said four servicemen fighting in the national guard had been captured on Oct. 6 near the Donetsk region town of Selydove, where Russian forces are advancing.…

Russia Grants Yanukovych’s Oldest Son Citizenship