Investigation Links German Ex-Ballet Director Zelensky with Putin’s Daughter

A new investigation has named the former director of the Bavarian State Ballet as the partner of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s second-eldest daughter.  Igor Zelensky, 52, is reportedly in a serious, long-term relationship with Katerina Tikhonova, 35, widely believed to be Putin’s daughter, Russian news outlet iStories and German news site Der Spiegel reported Thursday.…

Russia to Shutter Moscow Offices of Canada’s CBC Broadcaster

Russia is shutting down the Moscow offices of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in retaliation to Ottawa banning Russia’s state-run RT and RT France networks, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced Wednesday. The Foreign Ministry is also withdrawing the press accreditations and canceling the visas of CBC’s journalists in Russia, Zakharova told reporters. “A decision…

Google Russia Prepares Bankruptcy Procedure

Google’s Russian branch has initiated a bankruptcy procedure over its inability to pay a $100-million fine for keeping up content Moscow deems illegal, media reported Wednesday as Russia continues to intensify its pressure on Big Tech following its invasion of Ukraine. A Moscow court fined Google 7.2 billion rubles ($113.5 million) in December 2021 for…

Google Russia to File for Bankruptcy

Google’s Russian branch has initiated a bankruptcy procedure over its inability to pay a $100-million fine for keeping up content Moscow deems illegal, media reported Wednesday as Russia continues to intensify its pressure on Big Tech following its invasion of Ukraine. Google confirmed the reports the next day. “Google Russia has published a notice of…

Russia Expels 34 French Diplomats: Foreign Ministry

Moscow said Wednesday it was expelling 34 “employees of French diplomatic missions” in a tit-for-tat move following the expulsion of Russian diplomats from France as part of joint European action over Russia’s campaign in Ukraine. “Thirty-four employees of French diplomatic missions in Russia have been declared persona non grata,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a…

Russia Expels Dozens of European Diplomats

Moscow on Wednesday kicked out diplomats from France, Italy and Spain in retaliation for the expulsion of Russian diplomats from European countries as part of a joint action against Russia’s campaign in Ukraine. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement it was expelling 34 “employees of French diplomatic missions” in Russia and gave them two…

Shelling Hits Russian Border Village, Sugar Refinery

A village and a sugar refinery near Russia’s border with Ukraine were shelled late Tuesday, according to officials.   Belgorod region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said the village of Bezymeno 50 kilometers northwest of Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv was damaged in an attack that wounded at least one person. “There is some damage. A door-to-door assessment…

Explainer: Is Russia Running Low on Missiles?

Precision-guided missiles have been one of the weapons of choice for the Russian Armed Forces since invading Ukraine in late February.  These domestically-produced missiles have been responsible for some of Russia’s most deadly attacks in Ukraine, including  on the Ukrainian port city of Odesa and on a train station in the eastern Ukrainian city of…

Russia Expels 2 Finnish Embassy Staff

Moscow said on Tuesday that two employees of Finland’s embassy in Russia will have to leave the country in response to a similar move by Helsinki. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it summoned Finland’s ambassador to Moscow and expressed its “strong protest” against the expulsion of two Russian diplomats from neighboring Finland…

Russia Says 265 Azovstal Defenders Surrendered

Russia said Tuesday that 265 Ukrainian soldiers holed up in Mariupol’s besieged Azovstal steel plant had “surrendered,” contradicting Kyiv’s account that the evacuated soldiers would be exchanged later. “The surrender of fighters from the Azov nationalist unit and Ukrainian servicemen blocked in the Azovstal plant in Mariupol began yesterday,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a…

In Photos: Mariupol Under Russian Occupation

The southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol has been under near-constant Russian bombardment since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. Securing the strategic port on the Sea of Azov would allow Russia to establish a broad “land bridge” connecting the annexed Crimean peninsula with eastern Ukraine’s separatist-held Donbas region. But the city’s Ukrainian…

Medvedev Criticizes ‘Unfair’ Wimbledon Ban on Russian Players

Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev has criticized the banning of Russian and Belarusian athletes from this summer’s Wimbledon tournament as “unfair.”  The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), which runs the prestigious tournament, indefinitely barred Russian and Belarusian tennis players from competing last month in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Speaking ahead of this…

Finland’s End of Military Neutrality a ‘Mistake,’ Putin Tells Finnish President

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Saturday about the Nordic country’s application for NATO membership, expected to be announced this weekend, his office said. The phone call, which was “initiated by Finland… was direct and straightforward and it was conducted without aggravations. Avoiding tensions was considered important,” Niinisto was…

Pentagon Chief Urges ‘Immediate’ Ukraine Ceasefire in Call With Russian Counterpart

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urged Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Friday to move immediately to implement a ceasefire in Ukraine, in their first conversation since before the war began, the Pentagon said. “Secretary Austin urged an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and emphasized the importance of maintaining lines of communication,” the Pentagon said in a statement. The Pentagon…

Russia Advises Citizens to Avoid Travel to U.K.

Russia has advised its citizens to “refrain” from traveling to the United Kingdom and from trying to obtain a British visa, citing what it called London’s “unfriendly” stance toward Moscow and long delays for visa applications. In a statement Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry accused the British Embassy in Moscow of prioritizing applications from Ukrainian…

UK Sanctions Putin Circle Including Alleged Girlfriend

Britain on Friday sanctioned 12 members of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “inner circle” accused of hiding corrupt riches in return for influential state positions. They included his ex-wife Lyudmila Ocheretnaya and Alina Kabaeva, a former Olympic gymnast who the U.K. government said was “alleged to have a close personal relationship with Putin.” “We are exposing…

Moscow Says EU Becoming ‘Aggressive, Militant’

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday said he doubted the motives of Ukraine’s intention of joining the European Union while accusing Brussels of ambitions beyond the European continent. Ukraine, where Russia launched a military campaign on Feb. 24, “is ready to declare a neutral, non-aligned status,” Lavrov told reporters following a meeting of CIS…

Putin Says Sanctions Hurting West More Than Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday Western countries were worse hit by sanctions imposed on Moscow over Ukraine than Russia, which he insists has been resilient in the face of “external challenges.” Western countries have slapped Russia with a barrage of unprecedented sanctions after Putin sent troops into neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24. Western governments…