Andrei Pivovarov was one of the 16 prisoners freed from Russia in last week’s major prisoner exchange between Moscow and the West. The prominent opposition activist, 42, was pulled off a Warsaw-bound plane by Russian security services in 2021 after the pro-democracy group Open Russia, which he headed, was banned as “undesirable.” He was sentenced to four…
Russia said Sunday its armed forces seized the village of Novoselivka Persha in eastern Ukraine, the latest in a string of frontline advances Moscow has claimed in recent weeks. Now grinding through a third year of fighting, neither Kyiv nor Moscow has managed to swing the conflict decisively in their favor, even though Moscow’s forces…
Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered condolences to North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un over devastating floods that caused untold casualties and damaged thousands of homes, the Kremlin said on Saturday. North Korea said this week it had seen a record downpour on July 27 which killed an unspecified number of people, flooded dwellings and…
Ukraine launched overnight drones attack on four southern Russian regions
BONN, Germany — Opposition figures Ilya Yashin, Vladimir Kara-Murza and Andrei Pivovarov, who were released this week as part of a landmark prisoner exchange between Russia and the West, held a press conference at the office of German news agency Deutsche Welle on Friday. “We’re feeling indescribable feelings,” activist Andrei Pivovarov said at the start…
Opposition figures Ilya Yashin, Vladimir Kara-Murza and Andrei Pivovarov, who were released this week as part of the largest prisoner exchange between Russia and the West since the Cold War, held a press conference in Bonn, Germany on Friday at the office of German news agency Deutsche Welle. “We’re feeling indescribable emotions,” activist Andrei Pivovarov…
Sasha Skochilenko did not know what was happening as she was taken from her St. Petersburg prison cell to Moscow, where men in balaclavas escorted her onto a plane with several other prisoners. “We were accompanied by a dozen people in balaclavas,” said the 33-year-old St. Petersburg artist, who was freed Thursday from a seven-year…
Ukraine announced Friday that it received the bodies of 250 killed soldiers in one of the largest exchanges of servicemen remains since Russia invaded in February 2022. The two warring sides regularly exchange soldiers’ bodies as well as prisoners of war in rare diplomatic dealmaking involving Moscow and Kyiv. “As a result of repatriation operations,…
Law enforcement authorities on Friday arrested a senior Russian lawmaker on accusations that he ordered the murder of his business partner. Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said that Senator Dmitry Savelyev “instructed his friend to organize the murder of a businessman” in August 2023. It said law enforcement agents staged that businessman’s murder,…
A man set himself on fire outside of a government service center in Moscow on Friday, Russian media reported, saying that he was hospitalized with severe burns. Eyewitnesses said they saw the man set fire to himself on the second floor of the service center located on the southwestern side of the Russian capital, according…
The Kremlin on Friday said possible talks over the conflict in Ukraine were based on “completely different principles” from negotiations over a prisoner swap deal that saw 24 people freed on Thursday. “If we talk about Ukraine and more complex international problems, there are completely different principles,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked…
The Kremlin on Friday confirmed that Vadim Krasikov, freed by Germany in Thursday’s prisoner swap deal with the West, is an operative with Russia’s FSB security service. Moscow also said that the children of an undercover spy couple released by Slovenia did not even know they were Russian until they boarded the plane back to…
The widow of a former Chechen military commander gunned down in Berlin said German authorities did not inform her they had agreed to release his convicted killer in a prisoner exchange with Russia on Thursday. Zelimkhan Khangoshvili was shot dead in 2019 by Vadim Krasikov, a Russian intelligence officer who was later sentenced to life…
The United States famously does not negotiate with terrorists. But it has shown willingness on multiple occasions to sit down with enemy states to negotiate the release of both American and foreign nationals, even giving up people who threatened their own national security in return. This latest prisoner exchange, which includes a total of 24…
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said Friday that U.S. President Joe Biden had “nothing to do with” the biggest prisoner exchange between Russia and the West since the Cold War. Washington and Moscow carried out a historic prisoner swap on Thursday, with Russian authorities releasing American journalists Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva, former U.S. Marine Paul…
Authorities in Moscow on Thursday designated the prisoner rights group Russia Behind Bars and three of its affiliates as “undesirable,” making their work illegal in Russia and putting staff members at risk of jail time. Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office banned the German non-profit Russland hinter gittern — Russia Behind Bars’ legal entity — the MRR-Fund…
Traditionally, in early August, the indigenous peoples of the North celebrate Reindeer Day, the professional holiday of reindeer herders
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris greeted journalist Evan Gershkovich and two other Americans Thursday as they arrived back on U.S. soil after being freed by Russia in a huge prisoner swap. Biden and Harris, who is the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee after the president dropped out of the 2024 election, were at…
Some prisoners freed from Russia and Belarus in a major swap had feared for their lives, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Friday, after meeting a group of the detainees on their arrival in Germany. He described a “moving” encounter with the prisoners, many of whom “did not expect this to happen now,” adding: “Many feared for…
The historic prisoner swap with Russia that freed U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich and 15 other Westerners was the fruit of painstaking, secret talks — and one crucial phone call from President Joe Biden an hour before he dropped his reelection bid. Biden welcomed the families of the three U.S. citizens and one U.S. resident to…
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris called Russian opposition figurehead Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, to discuss Thursday’s massive Russia-West prisoner exchange, Navalnaya’s spokeswoman said. Harris called her “to discuss the exchange and express her support, noting Alexei and Yulia’s contribution to the fight for a democratic Russia,” the spokeswoman, Kira…
U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich, ex-U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, Russian-British opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza and U.S.-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva were freed from Russian prison, the White House said Thursday, in the largest and most complex prisoner exchange between Russia and the West since the end of the Cold War. The four were released in a swap involving over…
A historic prisoner swap is underway between Russia and the West, leading Western media reported Thursday, citing anonymous sources familiar with the situation. U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich, ex-U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, Russian-U.K. opposition figure and journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza and Russian-U.S. journalist Alsu Kurmasheva were freed in the exchange at an airport in Ankara, Turkey, The…
The Estonian government on Thursday revealed plans to introduce full customs controls on its border with Russia to combat sanctions evasion, with the measures scheduled to go into effect on Aug. 8. “The goods that allow [Russia] to wage war against Ukraine, undermine Europe’s and Estonia’s security shouldn’t be imported there,” Estonian Prime Minister Kristen…
Users across Russia started experiencing sharp declines in YouTube loading speeds on Thursday, according to online monitoring platforms, coming after Russian authorities criticized the video streaming website for failing to restore pro-Kremlin channels. Online platforms Downdetector, Brand Analytics, and Sboi.rf noted spikes in YouTube outages in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other major Russian cities and…
The Kremlin declined to comment on Thursday when asked about reports that Russia and the West could be gearing up for their biggest prisoner swap since the Cold War. Several prisoners in Russia and Western countries have reportedly been moved from their cells in recent days, fuelling speculation of an imminent exchange. “I still have…
Moldova on Thursday declared an employee of the Russian embassy in Chisinau as persona non grata, in the second espionage case to emerge in the country in recent weeks. The move came after prosecutors on Wednesday announced the detention of two officials suspected of treason and conspiring against the country. They did not identify the…
Former State Duma lawmaker turned opposition figure Ilya Ponomaryov was injured in a drone strike at his home outside the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Thursday, in what appears to have been an assassination attempt. “Today seems to be my second birthday,” Ponomaryov wrote on X (formerly Twitter), claiming that the aerial attack marked the fifth…
The head of the Russian military’s clothing and food supplier Voentorg was arrested on fraud charges, law enforcement officials said Thursday. Interior Ministry spokeswoman Irina Volk said the CEO had “entered into a criminal conspiracy” with several other individuals to sell toiletry kits to the military at inflated prices. She did not mention the company executive…
An apartment block in the Ural Mountains region of Sverdlovsk collapsed on Thursday morning after an apparent gas explosion, state media reported, citing emergency service officials. A large part of the five-story panel building in the industrial city of Nizhny Taigil was completely torn to pieces, videos on social media showed. Officials told state news…
Updated with death toll. At least seven people were killed in a gas explosion at an apartment block in the Ural Mountains region of Sverdlovsk on Thursday, Russian emergency officials said. A large part of the five-story panel building in the industrial city of Nizhny Taigil was completely torn to pieces, videos showed. Officials told state media…
Sibintek (a subsidiary of Rosneft) launched a summer internship for students of technical specialities
This article was first published by Politika.Kozlov. Russia may be preparing to free between 20 and 30 political prisoners and journalists in an imminent exchange with the United States and Germany, a source familiar with the planning said, in what, if confirmed, would be the largest swap since the end of the Cold War. Previous…
Moscow’s forces consolidated their territorial gains in eastern Ukraine in July, taking control of almost 200 square kilometers (77 square miles) of land, or roughly the size of Washington D.C., according to an AFP analysis published on Wednesday. The analysis, based on data from the Institute for the Study of War, shows an increase over…
A member of Ukraine’s Azov battalion has died in Russian custody, independent Russian media reported and Ukraine’s human rights commissioner confirmed Wednesday. Oleksandr Ishchenko was among 24 former and current Azov members, including nine women, who were arrested in southern Russia on terrorism charges in March-May 2022. Russia’s Memorial human rights organization considers all of them to be political prisoners.…
A Slovenia court on Wednesday sentenced two Russian nationals suspected of spying for Moscow to more than a year and a half in prison but then ordered their expulsion from the country. The couple, who went by the names of Ludwig Gisch and Maria Rosa Mayer Munos, pleaded guilty at Wednesday’s hearing on charges of…
Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza was removed from his prison in Siberia and is being transferred elsewhere, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing Russia’s prison service. Prison authorities told the agency that Kara-Murza, who is serving a 25-year prison sentence for treason and other charges, was removed from the IK-16 penal colony in the Omsk region and sent to…
The lawyer of former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan said she was unable to confirm the whereabouts of her client after receiving multiple requests from journalists amid growing speculation that Russia is preparing a prisoner exchange with the West. “I had asked the prison’s administration, but they’re not responding,” lawyer Olga Karlova was quoted as saying…
Russia’s lower-house State Duma on Wednesday rejected a bill that would have granted draft deferments to men with three or more children, as some families demand a return of their loved ones from Ukraine. The military initially granted deferments to fathers with three or more children under the age of 16 after President Vladimir Putin announced…
A Ukraine-based paramilitary unit of Russian citizens opposed to the Kremlin announced Wednesday that it was breaking ties with former Russian lawmaker turned opposition figure Ilya Ponomaryov. The Freedom of Russia Legion said in a statement that it would “unilaterally revoke” its signature from the Irpin Declaration, “thereby terminating participation in any political projects.” The…
President Vladimir Putin ordered a signing-on bonus of 400,000 rubles ($4,600) for new recruits to fight in Ukraine, the latest sign of a scramble to boost Russian troop numbers amid growing battlefield losses. A presidential decree published Wednesday promises the federally issued lump sum to anyone who signs a military contract for a minimum of one…
The Kremlin said it “strongly condemns” the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran after the militant group announced his death early Wednesday. Hamas said the political leader was killed in an Israeli strike in Iran, where he was attending the inauguration ceremony of the country’s new president. The group vowed that the killing would…
Rosneft subsidiaries released more than 8.3 million fry into Russian rivers and water bodies in July as part of a programme to preserve biodiversity and replenish aquatic bioresources
Igor Sechin, Chief Executive Officer of Rosneft, and Mikhail Kotyukov, Governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, held a working meeting to discuss cooperation between the Company and the regional government
The European Parliament’s biggest group has expressed concern over espionage risks emanating from Hungary’s recent decision to relax visa rules for Russian and Belarusian nationals, according to a letter seen by AFP on Tuesday. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban — the only EU leader to have maintained close ties with the Kremlin since Russia launched…
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday decided to pardon a German man facing the death penalty, the country’s state news agency reported. Lukashenko “took the decision to pardon the German citizen Rico Krieger… taking into account all the circumstances,” Belta news agency reported, citing the president’s press service. Krieger, 30, was shown on Belarusian public…
A large fire broke out on Tuesday at a production facility in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg, local media reported, with photos and videos on social media showing a large column of black smoke billowing into the sky. According to local media reports, the blaze erupted late Tuesday afternoon at NPO Avtomatiki, a subsidiary…
The Kremlin is increasingly turning to creative measures to boost its troops without formally declaring another unpopular mobilization as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine grinds on. From TV marathons promoting war recruitment to increasing payments, Russian regions are looking for ways to address the need for fresh troops on the front line. The Kremlin said last year…
Two more Russian political prisoners have been moved to unknown locations, lawyers and relatives said Tuesday, coming days after the transfer of four high-profile dissidents that has fueled speculation of a potential prisoner swap between Moscow and the West. Imprisoned activists Lilia Chanysheva, Ksenia Fadeyeva and Oleg Orlov were reportedly moved from their jail cells…
The Kremlin on Tuesday said Venezuela’s opposition must accept that it lost the presidential election after protestors took to the streets to challenge official results showing a victory for Nicolas Maduro. Several foreign countries including nine in Latin America have questioned Sunday’s election results, while Venezuela’s security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at…
Spanish authorities have granted an emergency request for the replica of an 18th-century Russian frigate to make a port call so that it can replenish provisions and replace broken parts, media reported Tuesday. The EU implemented a ban on Russian vessels docking at its ports as part of a broader sanctions package in response to…
Austria’s Raiffeisen Bank said Tuesday that it will continue to scale back its Russian business as it navigates a “very difficult” exit from the country, where it generated half of its post-tax profit in 2024 so far. In its semi-annual earnings report, Raiffeisen Bank International said its Russian division posted 705 million euros ($763.6 million) of the…
Authorities in southwestern Russia said Tuesday a fire that had broken out after a Ukrainian attack over the weekend had finally been extinguished. Acting Kursk region Governor Alexei Smirnov said that “emergency responders have extinguished a fire at an oil depot.” Three fuel tanks were hit in a Ukrainian drone attack in the early hours…
When a Russian lawmaker said late last week that the country would start throttling YouTube loading speeds on desktop browsers by up to 70%, it appeared to confirm many Russians’ fears that the country would gradually cut off access to the video platform. Over the past decade, YouTube has become a vital platform for dissenting viewpoints…
Germany said on Monday it was not deterred by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threats to relaunch production of intermediate-range nuclear weapons if the United States confirms its intention to deploy missiles to Europe. “We will not be intimidated by such statements,” foreign ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer told a government press conference. In early July, Washington…
The whereabouts of four Russian political prisoners — Lilia Chanysheva, Ksenia Fadeyeva, Oleg Orlov and Alexandra Skochilenko — are unknown after their apparent transfer to new prison facilities, lawyers and relatives said on Monday. Prison authorities in Russia often subject high-profile inmates to secret and lengthy transfers across the country. Shortly before his death at…
Olympic organizers on Monday confirmed that they canceled the accreditation of some reporters after Russia’s state-run TASS news agency said several of its journalists could no longer cover the Paris Games. TASS reported on Sunday that the removal of its journalists’ accreditation, essential for covering sporting events, was “completely unexpected” and came after the journalists…
Rapper Timati has called for ending the merger of Russia’s leading online retailer Wildberries with the outdoor advertising firm Russ Group. Wildberries and Russ Group announced a merger last month to create a joint digital trading platform called RWB, which the Kremlin said received the personal approval of President Vladimir Putin. Reports surrounding the deal…
Russian mercenaries have suffered heavy losses in two-day fighting against Tuareg rebels near Mali’s border with Algeria, Russia’s Wagner mercenary group confirmed on Monday in a rare statement. A mainly Tuareg separatist coalition claimed earlier on Sunday it took a major victory over Mali’s army and its Russian allies. In its statement, Wagner detailed “fierce…
The Kremlin on Monday rejected U.S. media claims that Russia may be plotting attacks on critical infrastructure in France during the Olympic Games. NBC News reported Sunday that acts of sabotage against France’s high-speed train network ahead of the opening ceremony last week Friday showed a broad array of security threats to the Olympics, including a “Russian-backed sabotage…