Russia’s foreign ministry said Thursday it had summoned envoys of Germany, Denmark and Sweden to express “bewilderment” over Moscow’s exclusion from an investigation into leaks on the Nord Stream pipelines. Multiple leaks were discovered on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines connecting Russia to Germany, further raising political tensions already sky-high since the Kremlin…
The Russian authorities have resorted to raiding hostels and hotels in search of men who may be eligible for military service as part of the country’s “partial” mobilization, according to multiple media reports. Two Moscow locations of the Travel Inn hostel chain were visited by the police last week, according to a report by broadcaster…
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday told his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Moscow would consider developing a “gas hub” in Turkey, with Russia’s supplies to Europe disrupted by Ukraine-related sanctions and leaks at key pipelines. “Turkey has turned out to be the most reliable route for deliveries today, even to Europe. We could…
The Kremlin has responded with fury to the attack on the Crimean Bridge on Saturday, launching a devastating series of missile attacks on Ukrainian cities in which it has targeted civilian infrastructure in an attempt to terrorize the local population. By now quite accustomed to the privations of war, Ukrainians have responded with hardened resolve…
A copy of an ambitious Russian plan for the reconstruction of the city of Mariupol — the occupied Ukrainian port city largely reduced to rubble by Russian forces in one of the most brutal battles in the Ukraine conflict to date — was published on Wednesday by Russian news website The Village. The plan, which…
One of the by-products of the Ukraine war has been the emergence of the online “Z-Universe,” an enormous network of websites and social media accounts named after a popular pro-war symbol. It is most active on Telegram, which, unlike Twitter and Facebook, is not banned in Russia. All its participants spread pro-Kremlin and anti-Ukrainian propaganda,…
In his brand new co-working space in Chelyabinsk, a city in central Russia, entrepreneur Maxim Novikov is counting the empty seats. The space is usually overflowing with designers, programmers and young Russians working on their start-ups. But since President Vladimir Putin announced a mobilization of hundreds of thousands of young Russian men last month, the…
Russian President Vladimir Putin must “return to the table” to discuss making peace in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday, adding that he thought Kyiv would have to negotiate with him at some point. “Today, first of all, Vladimir Putin must stop this war, respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity and come back to the table…
The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday overwhelmingly voted to condemn Russia’s annexation of parts of Ukraine after Moscow vetoed a similar effort in the Security Council. The General Assembly approved the resolution with 143 in favor and five against but 35 nations abstained including China, India, South Africa and Pakistan despite a major US…
Over 90,000 Russian soldiers have died, cannot be accounted for, or have suffered such serious injuries that they are unable to return to service, independent Russian media project iStories reported on Wednesday, citing sources close to the Kremlin. The figure falls roughly in line with estimates made by the Pentagon and other Western governments in…
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said his country was a reliable energy supplier and blamed the West for disruptions on the market at an energy forum in Moscow. After the Nord Stream pipelines connecting Russia to Europe were damaged by explosions, Putin said “the ball was in the EU’s court” to resume deliveries. “If…
Viewers in Latvia’s capital of Riga came out last week to see a screening of “F@ck This Job,” a documentary about independent Russian broadcaster TV Rain (Dozhd) and its struggle to survive Vladimir Putin’s war on the independent media. It was directed and narrated by Vera Krichevskaya, a co-founder of TV Rain with Sindeeva, who…
The Kremlin on Wednesday denied reports that Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin before he tweeted his proposal for ending the war in Ukraine. The U.S. billionaire sparked controversy last week when he tweeted a proposed peace deal involving re-running referendums on annexation under UN supervision in Moscow-occupied areas;…
Dozens of Russian cities have canceled or scaled back planned New Year’s Eve celebrations as the war strains local budgets and calls grow for money to be diverted to mobilized Russian soldiers lacking basic equipment and supplies. “After Feb. 24, most people believed it [the war] would not affect them personally. But now it will…
Russian authorities are mobilizing men from the country’s most vulnerable groups to send to the front in Ukraine, the independent Mediazona news website reported Tuesday. In Moscow, security officers have taken men to military enlistment centers from charity centers for the homeless and needy as well as hostels where labor migrants live, Mediazona reported. The…
Authorities in St. Petersburg have launched criminal proceedings against a pensioner who allegedly placed a handwritten note wishing death to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the grave of his parents. Irina Tsybaneva, 60, was arrested at her St. Petersburg home on Monday on charges of “desecration of the bodies of the dead and their burial…
The Druzhba oil pipeline linking Russia and Germany has been partly shut after a leak was discovered in Poland, the Polish PERN operator said on Wednesday. “The cause of the incident is not known for the moment. Pumping in the affected line was immediately stopped. Line 2 of the pipeline is functioning normally,” the operator…
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said it has arrested eight suspects in last week’s apparent attack that tore apart the Crimean Bridge and killed three people, Interfax reported Wednesday. Five Russians, three Ukrainians and one Armenian were detained over their alleged involvement in the Oct. 8 explosion that collapsed a road segment and caused a…
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday told UN nuclear agency chief Rafael Grossi he was “open to dialogue” on Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in territory controlled by Moscow’s forces in southern Ukraine. In televised comments with Grossi ahead of their meeting in Saint Petersburg, Putin told the IAEA chief he was “ready to discuss all…
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko claimed Monday that Ukraine was readying an attack on Belarus and announced the formation of a “joint military group” with Russia. “Ukraine is not just discussing but planning strikes on the territory of Belarus,” Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said during a meeting with security officials, according…
Russia has added U.S. tech giant Meta to its list of “terrorists and extremist” organizations, according to state financial watchdog Rosfinmonitoring’s database. Moscow banned Meta products Facebook and Instagram in March after authorities accused the company of tolerating “Russophobia” during Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, making the popular social media platforms inaccessible to Russian users…
The day Russia invaded Ukraine, social entrepreneur and political activist Alexei Minyaylo gathered his friends and partners to brainstorm how to “end this madness.” The answer came quickly: public opinion polling. “The authorities always use polls to create the illusion of a majority and that’s a very powerful social mechanism,” Minyaylo told The Moscow Times. …
Russia’s recession will be less severe than expected due to oil exports and relatively stable domestic demand, according to the latest International Monetary Fund forecasts released on Tuesday. While the IMF estimates Russia’s economy to have contracted by 21.8% during the second quarter at a quarterly annualized rate, for the year as a whole the Russian…
Kyiv has returned home dozens of Ukrainian children who had been taken to Russia amid Moscow’s invasion, Ukraine’s ministry for reintegrating temporarily occupied territories said Tuesday. The 37 children were “forcibly removed” from the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine at the end of August and taken to the southern Russian town of Kabardinka, the ministry…
Japanese automaker Nissan will sell its Russian assets – including a factory in St. Petersburg – to the Russian government, the Industry and Trade Ministry said Tuesday. The Kommersant business daily reports that the Japanese car manufacturer’s departure follows a similar scheme as French automaker Renault, which exited the Russian market in May. Russian car…
Russians are increasingly buying books about Nazi Germany and World War II following President Vladimir Putin’s “partial” mobilization of civilian reservists for the war in Ukraine. Sales of books about World War II surged by 20% despite an overall decline in book sales across Russia, the Kommersant business daily reported Tuesday, citing leading bookstores and…
Billionaire Silicon Valley investor Yuri Milner said Monday he had renounced his Russian citizenship. “My family and I left Russia for good in 2014, after the Russian annexation of Crimea. And this summer, we officially completed the process of renouncing our Russian citizenship,” the Moscow-born Milner tweeted. Milner, founder of the internet investment firm DST Global and…
With Russia firing a hail of missiles into Ukraine on Monday and Belarus making fresh threats against Kyiv, President Vladimir Putin is seeking to escalate the nearly eight-month war and compensate for humiliating recent losses, Western analysts say. According to Ukrainian authorities, 41 out of 75 missiles were intercepted, but the remainder struck cities around the country,…
The United Nations refugee chief on Monday warned more people will be forced to flee their homes in Ukraine after Russian missiles rained down on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. Moscow earlier on Monday unleashed the biggest wave of strikes across Ukraine in months in retaliation for an explosion this weekend that damaged a key…
Ukraine denounced Russia as a “terrorist state” at an urgent United Nations General Assembly meeting Monday following its neighbor’s latest attacks, as Western powers sought to underscore Moscow’s isolation. The UN called the debate to discuss Russia’s declared annexation of four partly occupied Ukrainian regions, but the debate was overshadowed by strikes on Kyiv and…
U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday condemned Russia’s missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, saying they “demonstrate the utter brutality” of Vladimir Putin’s “illegal war.” “The United States strongly condemns Russia’s missile strikes today across Ukraine,” Biden said in a statement. “These attacks killed and injured civilians and destroyed targets with no military purpose,” he said.…
A giant explosion that damaged the Crimean Bridge — a key route between mainland Russia and annexed Crimea — over the weekend has jammed traffic and delayed supply shipments but appeared Monday to be having little effect on day-to-day life on the peninsula. “People have been living on a powder keg since Feb. 24 and…
Cities across Ukraine were slammed by Russian missiles Monday morning, sending civilians scrambling for cover as Moscow hit back for an attack on its bridge to annexed Crimea that it blames on Kyiv. At least 11 people have been killed and dozens injured in the strikes, which Russian President Vladimir Putin said were targeting Ukrainian…
U.S. and Russian troops exchanged friendly greetings and posed for pictures together over the weekend on a northeast Syria highway in a rare display of congeniality between the rival forces. Both Washington and Moscow have troops on the ground in Syria backing opposing sides of the war that has ravaged the Middle Eastern country since…
Jailed Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza received the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize for “outstanding actions of civil society in the protection of human rights around the world.” The prize was awarded during the opening of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)’s autumn session in Strasbourg on Monday. Kara-Murza, an outspoken critic of…
Russian forces launched a barrage of fatal bombardments across Ukraine early on Monday and President Vladimir Putin vowed even more “severe” retaliation against Kyiv. The biggest wave of strikes across Ukraine in months killed at least 11 people nationwide, and was apparent retaliation for an explosion this weekend that damaged a key bridge linking Russia…
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Minsk and Moscow have agreed to deploy a joint regional group of military forces in response to alleged “aggravations” on Belarus’ western border, Belarusian state media reported Monday. “Given the worsening of the situation on the western borders of the Union State, we agreed to deploy a regional group of…
Russian pro-war bloggers and officials hailed Monday’s air strikes on cities across Ukraine, with many calling the attacks the first step of Moscow’s retaliation to last week’s humiliating blast on the Crimean Bridge. Some 80 Russian missiles slammed into 16 Ukrainian cities early Monday, including a number of cities in western Ukraine as well as…
The Moscow stock exchange plunged nearly 12% in early trading on Monday following multiple strikes on Ukrainian cities and a weekend explosion that partially destroyed the bridge connecting Crimea to Russia. The benchmark ruble-denominated MOEX index dropped 11.9% to 1,780.39 points at 9:03 a.m., briefly falling below the 1,800 mark for the first time since…
“Prisoners of conscience in the hands of bandits and thieves / Order will be disturbed in reality, not in dreams / The force of pressure will push the spring of freedom,” ring out the lyrics to “Right Now,” a new song by Russian rockers Mirolyubivnoye Morye (“Peaceful Sea”). “Peace to all, not war / In…
“Prisoners of conscience in the hands of bandits and thieves / Order will be disturbed in reality, not in dreams / The force of pressure will push the spring of freedom,” ring out the lyrics to “Right Now,” a new song by Russian rockers Mirolyubivnoye Morye (“Peaceful Sea”). “Peace to all, not war / In…
Divers were to inspect the waters beneath the Crimea bridge on Sunday a day after a huge blast damaged Russia’s key road and rail link to the annexed peninsula, killing three people. “We are ordering the examination by divers, they will start work from six in the morning,” Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin told state media…
An overnight Russian missile strike killed 17 people in Zaporizhzhia, local authorities said on Sunday, in the latest deadly attack to hit the southern Ukrainian city that President Volodymyr Zelensky called “absolute evil.” “After night missile attack on Zaporizhzhia, at least 20 houses and about 50 multi-storey buildings were damaged. 17 people died, as of…
The bridge linking Moscow-annexed Crimea to the Russian mainland has reopened to car traffic after it was heavily damaged by an explosion, the Russian-installed head of the peninsula said on Saturday. “Road traffic has begun on the Crimea bridge,” Sergei Aksyonov, the Moscow-backed leader of Crimea, said on Telegram. He added that there are “full…
Russia on Saturday appointed a new general to lead the Ukraine offensive after Moscow suffered a series of military setbacks that triggered criticism of the army’s leadership. The Russian defense ministry said General Sergei Surovikin had been appointed “commander of the Joint Grouping of Forces in the areas of the special military operation,” using the…
Today if you said a woman looked like chicken, she’d be deeply offended. But in the olden days in central Russia, a chicken was good omen at a wedding. Comparing a bride to a hen was considered a kind thing to say and a blessing for the upcoming marriage. Chickens were a traditional part of…
Russian investigators Saturday said three people were killed after a truck exploded on its bridge linking Moscow-annexed Crimea to the mainland, adding that the owner of the vehicle had been identified. “According to preliminary information, three people were killed,” Russia’s investigative committee said in a statement. It said they were likely to be “passengers of…
Russia on Friday labeled superstar rapper Oxxxymiron, popular among young Russians, a “foreign agent,” according to the interior ministry’s website. Oxxxymiron, the stage name of 37-year-old Miron Fyodorov, has called the Kremlin’s Ukraine offensive a “catastrophe and a crime.” His name was added to a register of “foreign agents” — a term used to crack…
Гойда: let’s go (maim and kill) Last Friday there was a big event on Red Square in Moscow to celebrate (sic) the new Russian regions (sic), i.e., Ukrainian land annexed (on paper) by Russia. One of the headliners was Ivan Okhlobystin, an actor-cum-Orthodox-priest-cum-political-rabblerouser, who got the crowd worked up shouting what he described as старорусское…
Authorities in St. Petersburg have called off the city’s official New Year’s and Christmas celebrations and plan to reallocate the funds to the Russian military, the city government announced Friday. The move comes amid widespread reports of newly mobilized Russian soldiers lacking equipment, uniforms and medical supplies. Russia’s second-largest city will scrap all its traditional…
Ten top dancers at the Bolshoi Theater have been suspended for a month after performing at a gala in Uzbekistan, Russian media reported this week. The dancers, including stars such as Vladislav Lantratov and Yevgenia Obraztsova, were flown to Tashkent by the Foundation for the Development of Culture and Art of Uzbekistan. Dancers regularly perform…
Dutch authorities have arrested a man on suspicion of selling microchips to Russia in breach of sanctions imposed by the West over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, officials said on Friday. The microchips, sold to companies and other bodies in Russia, could be used for military purposes, the Dutch financial and fiscal crime investigation service (FIOD) said. The 55-year-old…
Prosecutors in the southern Russian city of Penza dropped all charges in what would have been the first criminal case for evading Moscow’s “partial” mobilization, human rights lawyer Pavel Chikov said Friday. “The Prosecutor’s Office…recognized the decision to initiate [criminal] proceedings as illegal,” Chikov wrote on his Telegram channel. “The suspect received the right to…
The UN Human Rights Council on Friday agreed to monitor the rights situation in Russia, marking the first-ever resolution focused on violations inside the country. The 47-member top UN rights body accepted the draft text presented by all European Union countries with the exception of Hungary, with 17 nations voting in favor of appointing a…
When even money and patriotism are insufficient to inspire Russians to sign up to fight in Ukraine, it’s time to bring out the big guns such as food staples. At least three Russian regions are promising to reward the families of new recruits with livestock, fish and vegetables since President Vladimir Putin ordered the mobilization…
The Norwegian Nobel Committee on Friday awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize to Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian human rights champions. Russia’s Memorial group, Ukraine’s Center for Civil Liberties and jailed Belarusian rights activist Ales Bialiatski share this year’s prestigious award. “They have made an outstanding effort to document war crimes, human rights abuses and the…
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill said Friday that Vladimir Putin’s reign over Russia had been mandated by God, congratulating the Kremlin chief on his 70th birthday. “God put you in power so that you could perform a service of special importance and of great responsibility for the fate of the country…
An unnamed member of President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle has directly confronted him over mistakes and mismanagement of the war in Ukraine, The Washington Post reported Friday, citing U.S. intelligence. The insider’s confrontation and identity were reportedly included in U.S. President Joe Biden’s daily intelligence briefing and shared with other U.S. officials. The individual’s identity could…
Russian President Vladimir Putin will mark his 70th birthday Friday with little fanfare as the war in Ukraine, which has killed tens of thousands and plunged Russia into economic and international isolation, continues to rage. In past years, Putin has celebrated by taking foreign trips, hiking in Siberia with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu or playing…
Russian officials voiced anger over Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s remarks Thursday on preventive strikes that his spokesman later said had been misinterpreted. Zelensky appealed for the international community to “do preemptive strikes” instead of “waiting for Russian nuclear strikes” when asked about NATO’s role in the conflict in an address to an Australian think tank.…