Olympic Organizers Confirm Russian Journalists Stripped of Accreditation

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…

What We Know About Russian Mercenary Losses in Mali

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…

Kremlin Dismisses Claims of Russian ‘Sabotage Campaign’ Against Olympics

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…

Russia Says Kyiv’s Statements on Peace Talks Contradictory

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday he “does not listen” to what he called Ukraine’s contradictory statements on peace talks. Lavrov spoke after Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba visited China for talks this week. President Volodymyr Zelensky then said Beijing sent a “clear signal” it supported Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Answering questions from Russian journalists…

Volcanic Ash Creates ‘Alien’ Landscape at Nature Preserve in Kamchatka

A recent volcanic eruption in Far East Russia has blanketed the remote landscape of a major nature preserve with ash, the Kamchatka peninsula’s park service said Friday.  Bezymyanny volcano, one of Kamchatka’s most active, erupted on Wednesday, with ash spewing up to 12 kilometers into the Earth’s atmosphere and plumes extending around 2,500 kilometers southeast of the…

Moscow Labels Dozens of Indigenous Groups, Free Russia Foundation as ‘Extremist’

Authorities in Moscow have added an unprecedented 54 Indigenous groups and the U.S.-based Free Russia Foundation to the country’s growing list of “extremist” organizations. Russia’s Justice Ministry labeled the 55 seemingly unrelated organizations as “structural divisions” of the vaguely defined “Anti-Russian Separatist Movement,” which Russia’s Supreme Court banned as an “extremist” organization last month. Rights groups…

Novosibirsk Mayor Says China ‘Ready’ to Help Develop Public Transport Network

A major state-owned Chinese construction company is prepared to help expand the public rail and road networks in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, the mayor’s office announced Thursday. Novosibirsk Mayor Maxim Kudryavtsev said in a statement that his administration met with representatives from the China Railway Tunnel Group, a subsidiary of the government-owned China Railway…

A Timeline of Russia’s Defense Ministry Purge

Since at least April, the Russian military has been in upheaval, punctuated by arrests of senior Defense Ministry officials on charges including bribery and abuse of power. This turmoil appears to have peaked in May with the dismissal of longtime Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who faced accusations of mishandling the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. While…

Ex-Russian Military Construction Head Arrested for Abuse of Power – Kommersant

The former head of the Russian military’s construction company has been arrested on abuse of power charges, the Kommersant business daily reported late Wednesday, citing anonymous government sources familiar with the matter. Andrei Belkov headed the Defense Ministry’s chief military construction authority for special facilities until 2021, when he was picked to head the newly…

Russian Attack Helicopter Crashes Southwest of Moscow, Killing Crew

A military attack helicopter crashed in an uninhabited area of central Russia, killing the entire crew, authorities said early Thursday. “A Mi–28 helicopter crashed in the Zhizdrinsky district,” Kaluga region Governor Vladislav Shapsha said. “A task force and rescuers are working at the crash site.” The Zhizdrinsky district, located in the central Kaluga region, is around…

Wildberries Founder Announces Divorce as Husband Enlists Kadyrov to Fight ‘Hostile Takeover’

Russia’s wealthiest woman Tatiana Bakalchuk has announced that she is divorcing her husband and business partner Vladislav Bakalchuk, who is seeking the help of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov to fight what he characterized as a “hostile takeover” of the leading online retailer Wildberries. “I confirm the start of divorce proceedings,” Tatiana Bakalchuk, who founded Wildberries in…

Russia Bans Entry of Top Japanese Business Execs

Russia has banned the head of Toyota and 12 other senior Japanese business figures from entering the country, prompting a protest from authorities in Tokyo on Wednesday. The list, published by Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, includes Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda, Rakuten chief Hiroshi Mikitani and Akihiko Tanaka, president of the government-backed Japan International Cooperation…

Russian Arrested Over ‘Destabilization’ Plot for Paris Olympics – Prosecutors

French police on Tuesday arrested a Russian man suspected of plotting acts of “destabilization” during the Paris Olympics, prosecutors said. The man, born in 1984, was held in custody and placed under judicial investigation on suspicion of “organizing events likely to lead to destabilization during the Olympic Games,” a source in the state prosecution service,…