Trump Secretly Sent Putin Rare Covid Tests at Pandemic’s Height, Book Reveals – WP

Ex-U.S. President Donald Trump secretly sent Covid-19 tests to Russian President Vladimir Putin amid a domestic shortage at the height of the pandemic in 2020, The Washington Post reported Tuesday, citing its associate editor Bob Woodward’s upcoming book. Putin, a known germophobe who was widely said to have taken extra precautionary measures including extended self-isolation…

Russia Jails Ukrainian Woman 8 Years for Annexation Day Bomb Plot – Mediazona

A Russian court has sentenced a 26-year-old Ukrainian woman to eight years in prison for allegedly plotting an explosion on the day that Russia claimed to have annexed four Ukrainian regions, the independent news website Mediazona reported Monday, citing her lawyer. Irina Navalnaya was detained by occupying authorities in Mariupol in September 2022 on suspicion of attempted terrorism…

Belgorod Region Offers Record 3M Ruble Military Sign-Up Payment

Southwestern Russia’s Belgorod region is offering a nationwide record of 3 million rubles ($31,200) in one-time payments for signing military contracts to fight in Ukraine, authorities said Monday. “The payment will amount to 3 million rubles from all sources: the federal, regional, municipal budgets and extra-budgetary funds,” Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said at a regional administration…

Russian State Media Corporation Hit By ‘Unprecedented’ Hacking Attack – Reports

Hackers targeted Russian state media giant VGTRK on Monday, disrupting its online broadcasting, the state-run Gazeta.ru news outlet reported.  VGTRK operates several national television channels, including Rossia 1 and Rossia 24, in addition to more than 80 regional television and radio stations.  “Online broadcasting and internal services are down, even the internet and telephones are…

Putin Abandons Peace Talks, Seeks to Destroy Ukrainian State After Kursk Incursion – Report

President Vladimir Putin has all but abandoned the idea of peace talks with Kyiv following Ukraine’s Kursk region incursion, which dealt a “humiliating” blow to the Russian leader, the independent Poyasnitelnaya Zapiska (Explanatory Note) news outlet reported, citing sources close to the Kremlin. “The Kremlin has come to a corresponding conclusion that they will destroy Ukrainian statehood. The…

Investigators Collected Snow, Underwear and More From Scene of Navalny’s Death – Dossier Center

Russian investigators seized 75 items, including snow and underwear, from the scene of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s death, the investigative news outlet Dossier Center reported Friday, citing documents it said it had obtained. Navalny died in an Arctic penal colony on Feb. 16 under murky circumstances, leading his allies to assert that he was murdered. His…

In Russia’s Caucasus, a Tentative Border Redraw Edges Republics Closer to Instability

Last month, Fortanga, an independent news outlet from the republic of Ingushetia in Russia’s North Caucasus, broke the news that the neighboring republic of North Ossetia-Alania was plotting to redraw the two regions’ shared border. Documents obtained by Fortanga revealed that North Ossetian officials were hoping to incorporate into their territory parts of Ingushetia’s Dzheyrakhsky…

Siberian Region Declares ‘High Alert’ Over Electricity Shortages

Authorities in Russia’s Irkutsk region in southeastern Siberia introduced a state of “high alert” due to electricity shortages, according to a government decree published Friday.  The decree signed by Governor Igor Kobzev instructs local emergency services to develop additional plans for mitigating the consequences of widespread power cuts and check the preparedness of local emergency…

Ukraine Claims Attack on Russian Oil Depot

Ukraine’s military said its forces struck an oil base in western Russia’s Voronezh region overnight Friday as Russian authorities dismissed the attack as insignificant. The Annanefteprodukt fuel storage base in the Voronezh region’s Anninsky district was hit by Ukraine’s SBU security service and other military branches, according to the Ukrainian General Staff. “At least one…

Ukraine Claims Drone Strike on Russia’s Borisoglebsk Air Base – Reports

Ukrainian drones struck the Borisoglebsk aviation center in western Russia’s Voronezh region overnight, Ukrainian media reported Thursday, citing anonymous security service sources. The targeted base stored guided aerial bombs, Su-35 and Su-34 fighter jets as well as aviation fuel, according to the UNIAN news agency and the news website liga.net. “That’s where the enemy bombs Ukrainian territories…

What Went Wrong for Ukraine at Vuhledar?

After almost two years of fighting, Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from Vuhledar, a key defensive outpost in the frontline Donetsk region. The military command said the decision was taken to preserve the lives of Ukrainian soldiers and their precious equipment. The town, which military analyst Ivan Stupak told The Moscow Times was the “entryway to…

Putin Names Separatist Officer as Kremlin Envoy to Russia’s Defense Hub

President Vladimir Putin has appointed a military officer from occupied eastern Ukraine as his envoy to Russia’s Urals region, a key defense industry hub. Lieutenant Colonel Artyom Zhoga, the chairman of the Russian-installed parliament of Ukraine’s Donetsk region, gained fame when he was filmed last December asking Putin to stand for re-election. During the choreographed exchange,…

Beyonce, Lana Del Rey, Metallica ‘Blacklisted’ in Russia – Vyorstka

A list of 79 “blacklisted” artists that includes Beyonce, Lana Del Rey and Metallica is circulating among Russian ad agencies and event organizers, the investigative news website Vyorstka reported Wednesday, citing two anonymous sources in the industry. The list’s recipients are strongly urged to exclude the artists’ songs from their ads and other promotional materials, as…

Russia Opens Criminal Case Against Cryptex, UAPS Payment System Creators

Russian law enforcement agencies have opened a criminal case against the creators of the Universal Anonymous Payment System (UAPS) and the cryptocurrency exchange Cryptex. UAPS and other anonymous payment systems are believed to provide money transfer and laundering services directly to cybercriminals, while Cryptex gives its users anonymity by allowing them to register without providing…

Trial Opens for Russian Journalists in Navalny ‘Extremism’ Case

Four independent Russian journalists went on trial Wednesday for “extremism” charges related to their alleged work for late opposition activist Alexei Navalny’s team. Antonina Favorskaya, Konstantin Gabov, Sergei Karelin and Artyom Kriger, who have all reported on Navalny as journalists, were detained this spring and summer on charges of “participating in an extremist community.” They were accused of…

Russia’s 2025 Budget Seen as Pro-Inflationary – Analysts

Russia’s federal budget for 2025-2027 submitted by the government to the State Duma could contribute to higher-than-expected inflation, analysts at Renaissance Capital warned Tuesday. According to bne IntelliNews, the 2025 budget boosts military spending by 25%, with the Russian Central Bank warning of fiscal risks to inflation. In addition, the planned indexation of housing and utility…

Kyiv Accuses Russian Troops of Executing 16 Ukrainian POWs

Russian soldiers allegedly shot dead 16 Ukrainian prisoners of war in eastern Ukraine, marking the largest known execution of POWs in the two-and-a-half-year war, Ukrainian prosecutors said Tuesday. Ukraine’s prosecutor general’s office said videos circulating on social media appeared to show Russian servicemen committing the war crime near the Donetsk region city of Pokrovsk, which Moscow…

Russia’s ‘Evil Corp’ Hackers Unmasked by Sweeping Sanctions

A tight-knit family of hackers and intelligence operatives was the driving force behind Russia’s “Evil Corp” cybercrime syndicate, sanctions leveled by London, Washington and Canberra have revealed. Once considered the “most significant cybercrime threat in the world,” Evil Corp has been credited with spying on NATO allies at the behest of Russia’s intelligence services. It…

China’s Xi Tells Putin Ready to ‘Expand’ Ties – State Media

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday told Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin he was ready to “expand” cooperation, as the two leaders exchanged congratulations on the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations, state media said. Xi said China was “ready to join Putin to constantly expand all-round pragmatic cooperation between [our] two countries,” state news agency Xinhua…