Ex-German Leader Sues Outlet Over Navalny’s ‘Putin’s Errand Boy’ Claims

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has said he will sue a German magazine for defamation over poisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s comments that he is Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “errand boy” who receives “covert payments” from the Kremlin. Putin’s close friend Schroeder, 76, last week cast doubt on the Kremlin’s role in Navalny’s near-fatal poisoning…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Oct. 8

Russia has confirmed 1,260,112 cases of coronavirus and 22,056 deaths. Oct. 8: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 11,493 new Covid-19 cases Thursday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 1,260,112. Russia’s number of new daily cases has been higher than 11,000 for three consecutive days. Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, is self-isolating…

St. Petersburg Man Sets Himself on Fire Holding ‘Happy Birthday, Mr. President’ Sign

An elderly man wearing a “Happy Birthday Mr. President” sign set himself on fire on a crowded street in central St. Petersburg on President Vladimir Putin’s 68th birthday Wednesday, media reported. The unnamed 71-year-old businessman was hospitalized in serious condition after his self-immolation witnessed by dozens of passersby outside a shopping mall. The Sobaka.ru outlet…

Russia Adds Belarus Opposition Leader Tikhanovskaya to Wanted List

Russia has added Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya to its interstate wanted list on a criminal charge, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported Wednesday.  Tikhanovskaya claimed victory against strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko in Belarus’ Aug. 9 presidential election but fled to neighboring Lithuania soon after, citing pressure from the authorities.  The Russian police database…

‘We Owe Nothing to Anyone’: Russia Rejects Watchdog’s Navalny Novichok Confirmation

Russia rejects the global chemical weapons watchdog’s findings of a Novichok-type nerve agent in Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s samples, Moscow’s envoy in the Hague-based organization said Tuesday. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said earlier Tuesday that Navalny’s blood and urine samples taken by its experts in Germany contained traces of a…

Armenia Prime Minister Says Turkey Behind ‘War’ in Karabakh

Turkey’s “full support” motivated its ally Azerbaijan to reignite fighting in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Tuesday in an interview with AFP, calling the escalating conflict a “war against terrorism”. “While it is true that the leadership of Azerbaijan has been actively promoting bellicose rhetoric for the last 15 years,…

‘The People Captured Power Themselves’: Kyrgyzstan Cleans Up After Night of Chaos

BISHKEK — Store owners in Kyrgyzstan’s capital spent Monday emptying their premises of stock and boarding up the facades. The day after disputed parliamentary elections triggered widespread protests, they wanted to avoid the looting they’d seen in previous revolutions in 2005 and 2010.      By Tuesday the Central Asian nation’s Central Electoral Commission had canceled the…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Oct. 6

Russia has confirmed 1,237,504 cases of coronavirus and 21,663 deaths. Oct. 6: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 11,615 new Covid-19 cases Tuesday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 1,237,504. Tuesday’s increase is just 41 fewer than the country’s highest daily total of 11,656 which was recorded on May 11. The Russian capital re-opened two temporary…

Kyrgyz Protesters Take Government House, Free Ex-Leader After Post-Vote Clashes

Protesters seized Kyrgyzstan’s seat of government and freed a jailed former president on Tuesday after demonstrations against an election marred by vote-buying accusations spiralled into violent clashes with police. Opposition supporters hit the streets of the capital Bishkek the previous evening to demand the resignation of pro-Russian President Sooronbay Jeenbekov and a re-run of Sunday’s…

Russia Sees Warmest September in Recorded History

Russia experienced the warmest September in its 130-year recorded history last month, the state weather service said Monday as climate change continues to reshape the country’s weather patterns.  Nearly every geographical region except southeast Russia experienced temperatures several degrees above their September averages, according to the Russian Hydrometeorology Center’s chief specialist Marina Makarova. “The largest…

Striking Dockers in Far East Russia Pelt New Management With Helmets

Striking dockers in Russia’s Far East capital of Vladivostok tossed their helmets at upper management in protest during an attempted negotiation Monday, the local VL.ru news website reported.   Video shows the Far East Shipping Company (FESCO) President Arkady Korostelev and Roman Kukharuk, the newly appointed manager of its subsidiary the Commercial Port of Vladivostok, attempting…

Russia’s Coronavirus Deaths Are Double Reported Figures – Statistics Agency

Official government statistics suggest that more than 45,000 Russians with coronavirus have died since the start of the pandemic, double the number of deaths estimated by Russia’s coronavirus task force. According to state statistics agency Rosstat, 45,663 people diagnosed with Covid-19 have died between April and August in Russia. The national task force, which collates…

Belarus Police Use Water Cannon in Minsk, Detain Protesters

Belarusian police on Sunday used water cannon to disperse a rally in Minsk as tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in the latest weekend protest against strongman Alexander Lukashenko’s disputed re-election. Demonstrators dedicated their march — which came after Brussels and Washington introduced sanctions against a number of Belarusian officials — to the plight of…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Oct. 4

Russia has confirmed 1,215,001 cases of coronavirus and 21,358 deaths. Oct. 4: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 10,499 new Covid-19 cases Sunday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 1,215,001 as the number of new infections across the country continues to rise.  Moscow could receive bulk shipments of Russia’s coronavirus vaccine by the end of…

Armenia Says Facing ‘Decisive Moment’ as Karabakh Fighting Intensifies

Armenian and Azerbaijani forces were engaged in fierce clashes Saturday as fighting over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region intensified, with Armenia reporting heavy losses and its leader saying it was facing a historic threat. Armenia’s defense ministry said separatist forces had repelled a massive attack by Azerbaijan, seven days after new fighting erupted in the decades-old…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Oct. 3

Russia has confirmed 1,204,502 cases of coronavirus and 21,251 deaths. Oct. 3: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 9,859 new Covid-19 cases Saturday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 1,204,502 as the number of new infections across the country continues to rise.  Ukraine’s former President Petro Poroshenko has been hospitalized with double pneumonia, his wife said…

Karabakh Tests ‘Competitive Cooperation’ of Putin, Erdogan

The marriage of convenience between Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan has confounded sceptics by withstanding Russian and Turkish rivalries in Syria and Libya. Now, with the deadliest fighting in decades returning to Azerbaijan’s Armenian separatist region of Nagorno Karabakh, the bond between the two strong-willed leaders is being tested in Russia’s own backyard, analysts said.…

China Restricts Russian Seafood Imports After Coronavirus Found on Packaging

Chinese authorities have restricted seafood imports from Russia after finding traces of the coronavirus on the seafood’s outer packaging, the Vedomosti business daily reported Thursday.  China, the destination for 60% of Russia’s seafood exports, has so far placed restrictions on four Russian companies, Russian Fishery Industries Association president German Zverev told Vedomosti.  China previously sent…

Russia Says Ready for ‘Close Coordination’ With Turkey on Karabakh

Russia said on Thursday its foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu had confirmed in a phone call they were ready for “close coordination” to stabilize the situation in Nagorny Karabakh. Fighting over the breakaway region between majority-Muslim Azerbaijan and Christian Armenia has raised fears of a wider conflict involving regional powers Turkey and Russia.…

Belarus Opposition Leader Takes Risky Diplomatic Path

Once a political novice, Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya is joining Europe’s diplomatic big leagues but risks undermining her own cause in the process, experts said. After meeting French President Emmanuel Macron this week, the self-proclaimed victor of Belarus’s presidential election in August is set to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The high-profile meetings are…