FSB Says Thwarted Plots Targeting Army Officials, Admiral Kuznetsov Aircraft Carrier

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said Wednesday that it had prevented “terrorist attacks” against high-ranking Defense Ministry officials in Moscow and on the flagship Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier in northern Russia. The FSB detained a Russian citizen who was allegedly sending bombs disguised in gift packaging to three Defense Ministry division heads in the Russian…

Russian Strikes Kill 3 in Ukraine

Russian strikes killed three people in southern Ukraine, including at the Black Sea port of Odesa, authorities said on Wednesday. Russia has carried out nightly attacks on cities across Ukraine since launching its invasion in February 2022. “The aggressor targeted port infrastructure in the Odesa region. Unfortunately, two people were killed — a security guard…

U.S. Says It Broke Up Russian AI Bot Farm on X

The United States has disrupted a Russian disinformation campaign involving AI-powered bots used to create fake profiles on the social media platform X, the Justice Department said Tuesday. Officials seized two internet domains and searched 968 social media accounts that Russian operatives allegedly used to create an artificial intelligence “bot farm” and peddle disinformation in…

Only 16 Russians Take up Paris Olympic Places

Only 16 Russians and 17 Belarusians have accepted invitations to compete under a neutral banner at the Paris Olympics, according to the latest count on Tuesday. The updated list, which covers 10 disciplines ranging from cycling to swimming and tennis, could change if competitors withdraw, a spokesperson for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) told AFP.…

Southern Russian Heat Wave Knocks Out Power for Over 500K People

Nearly 600,000 people in southern Russia have been left without electricity amid an abnormal heat wave that led to a spike in energy consumption, the Energy Ministry said Tuesday. The power cuts have affected the Rostov region (324,000 people affected), the Krasnodar region and the republic of Adygea (181,000), and the Astrakhan region (94,300).  “Energy workers…

Yulia Navalnaya Arrested in Absentia on ‘Extremism’ Charges

A Moscow court has arrested exiled opposition figure Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, in absentia on charges of “participating in an extremist organization.” Navalnaya announced that she would continue Navalny’s work shortly after his death in an Arctic prison in February. Russian authorities designated Navalny’s activist network, including the disbanded Anti-Corruption…

Bulgaria Takes Gazprom to Court Over Halted Supplies

Bulgaria’s state-owned gas supplier Bulgargaz said Tuesday it was taking Gazprom to court and seeking millions of euros in damages over the Russian company’s cut of supplies after its invasion of Ukraine. Bulgaria, which was almost totally dependent on Russia for its gas, and Poland were the first EU countries that saw their supplies halted…

‘War Not the Solution,’ India’s Modi Tells Putin

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that waging war instead of engaging in dialogue is “not the solution” more than two years into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “I know that war cannot solve problems, solutions and peace talks can’t succeed among bombs, guns and bullets. And we need to find…

Georgia’s EU Accession Frozen, Says Brussels’ Envoy to Tbilisi

The European Union has halted Georgia’s accession talks amid strained ties over Tbilisi’s controversial “foreign influence” law, the bloc’s top diplomat in the South Caucasus country said Tuesday. “Regrettably, Georgia’s EU accession process is stopped for now — this has been decided by EU leaders during the last European Council,” said EU Ambassador to Tbilisi Pawel…

Kremlin Says Will Follow NATO Summit Closely

A Kremlin spokesman on Tuesday said that Russia will follow closely a NATO summit about to open in Washington, attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other world leaders. Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, told journalists that Moscow would follow “with the greatest attention… the rhetoric at the talks and the decisions that…

Russia Defense Ministry Says Destroyed 38 Ukrainian Drones

Russian forces destroyed 38 Ukrainian drones overnight in regions near the border, Moscow’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday. “Air defense systems on duty destroyed and intercepted three UAVs over Belgorod region, seven UAVs over Kursk region, two UAVs over Voronezh region, 21 UAVs over Rostov region and five UAVs over Astrakhan region,” the ministry said in…

Modi, Putin Hold Talks Amid Outrage Over Ukraine Strikes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was set to hold talks with President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, a day after the Indian leader arrived in Moscow amid global outcry over Russian strikes in Ukraine. Modi, visiting Moscow for the first time since Russia launched its campaign in Ukraine in February 2022, will seek to nurture New Delhi’s…

West Condemns Russian Strike on Kyiv Children’s Hospital

Western leaders and diplomats expressed outrage after Russian missiles destroyed a children’s hospital in Kyiv, amid a rare daytime attack on Ukrainian cities which killed at least 20 on Monday. Russia fired dozens of missiles at cities across Ukraine in a massive barrage that killed at least 31 people and smashed into Okhmatdyt children’s hospital…

WhatsApp Disrupted in Dagestan to Stop Spread of Extremism – TASS

Authorities in Russia’s North Caucasus republic of Dagestan are slowing access to WhatsApp over the platform’s refusal to curb the spread of “calls to participate in extremist actions,” the state news agency TASS reported Monday, citing an unidentified source. Users in Dagestan began experiencing disruptions with access to WhatsApp on Sunday, with additional reports saying…

Kremlin Not Expecting Better Ties with France After Election

Moscow does not “have any particular hope” for improved ties with Paris following France’s snap parliamentary election, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.  “So far, we have not seen such a clearly expressed political will [to restore bilateral relations]  from anyone,” Peskov said. After leading the election’s first round in June, the far-right National…

FSB Claims to Foil Ukrainian, NATO Attempt to Hijack Strategic Bomber

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said Monday it had prevented an attempt by Ukraine to hijack a missile-carrying strategic bomber. In the process, the FSB claimed it gained intelligence to help Russia’s military strike Ukrainian territory. “The FSB has stopped another Ukrainian special services attempt to carry out an operation to hijack the Tu-22M3 long-range strategic…

Russian Munitions Depot Ablaze From Ukraine Drone Strike

An overnight Ukrainian drone attack set a Russian munitions depot ablaze the Voronezh region, near the two countries’ shared border, Russian and Ukrainian officials said Sunday. “Several drones were detected and destroyed overnight by air defense systems above the Voronezh region,” regional governor Alexander Gusev wrote on Telegram. “Their falling debris set off a fire…

Russian Wrestlers Reject Olympics Invitation

Russian wrestlers who were given permission to participate in this summer’s Olympic Games have rejected the invitation, the Russian Wrestling Federation said Saturday. After initially barring Russian athletes from the Games over Moscow’s war on Ukraine, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has moved to allow a handful of Russian athletes to take part under a neutral…

Russia Says Captured Village in East Ukraine

Russia on Saturday said its forces had captured a village in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, as Moscow continues to advance slowly across the battlefield. Russia’s Defence Ministry said its troops “liberated the village of Sokil,” around 30 kilometers (18 miles) northwest of Donetsk city, the capital of the region by the same name that Moscow…

Putin Congratulates Iran’s New President, Hopes for Closer Ties

Russian leader Vladimir Putin congratulated Iran’s reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian on his victory in a presidential runoff, the Kremlin said on Saturday. “I hope that your tenure as president will contribute to a reinforcement of constructive bilateral cooperation between our friendly peoples,” Putin said in a message to Pezeshkian. The two countries, the target of…

Russian Strikes Kill 4, Wound 23 in East Ukraine

Russian attacks killed four and wounded nearly two dozen others in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine on Friday, regional officials said. Moscow has centered its firepower on the industrial region, which it claims to have annexed and has been partially controlled by Kremlin-backed forces since 2014. Regional Governor Vadym Filashkin said a 32-year-old woman…

Russian Strikes Kill 7, Wound Dozens in East Ukraine

Multiple Russian attacks killed at least seven and wounded more than two dozen others in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine on Friday, officials said. Moscow has centered its firepower on the industrial region, which it claims to have annexed and has been partially controlled by Kremlin-backed forces since 2014. Russian-installed officials also said Ukrainian…

‘Youngest’ Person Added to Russian Terror List – Reports

Russian authorities have added a 14-year-old teen to its list of “terrorists and extremists,” independent media reported Friday. Gleb Sinitsyn is the youngest defendant to appear on the state financial watchdog Rosfinmonitoring’s list, according to the news website Sota. Sinitsyn is listed as a native of the central Russian city of Ivanovo and was born…

Report Estimates 120,000 Russian Soldiers Killed in Ukraine

Around 120,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since the Ukraine war began in 2022, according to a joint investigation by independent media outlets Mediazona and Meduza published on Friday.  This updated figure is an estimate based on Russia’s registry of inheritance cases. The report says the true toll likely lies between 106,000 and 140,000 deaths. …

Kyiv, Allies Slam Orban for Ukraine Talks With Putin

Kyiv and its Western allies hit out at Hungarian leader Viktor Orban on Friday after Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted him in Moscow for talks on the Ukraine war. Putin told Orban, Russia’s closest EU ally, that Ukraine must withdraw its troops from regions that Moscow has annexed if it wants peace. But Kyiv was…

Russian University Launches ‘Social Rating’ Platform

Russia’s State Social University (RSSU) has launched a “social rating” platform that claims to build a person’s “social portrait” with possible applications in future government policies. Named “We,” the platform promises to determine a user’s comparative “social status” based on a survey that includes questions about income, family status, benefits, creditworthiness, criminal record, lifestyle and…

YouTube Bans Pro-War Russian Artists

Video-sharing website YouTube blocked the channels of several Russian singers and artists who support the country’s war in Ukraine on Thursday, following an appeal from the Lithuanian Radio and Television Commission (LRTK). The accounts of singers Yaroslav Dronov (who goes by Shaman) and Polina Gagarina were among those suspended.  “My YouTube channel was blocked because…

Moscow Scraps Paper Ballots in Favor of Online Voting

Election officials in Moscow have scrapped paper ballots in favor of online voting at an upcoming vote for the Russian capital’s legislative assembly, state news agencies reported Thursday. Watchdogs and researchers say Russia’s opaque online voting system enables electoral fraud by making independent monitoring impossible. Moscow’s election commission voted 12-1 to make electronic voting the default way…

Russia’s Central Bank Chief Signals Interest Rate Hike

Russia’s central bank chief said Thursday that inflation was running ahead of expectations and hinted the bank was likely to hike interest rates later this month. Prices have risen fast in Russia since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, the Kremlin has massively ramped up spending on its army…

Russia Forces Apple to Remove VPNs From App Store

At least two VPN services said Thursday that Russian authorities have successfully forced Apple to delete their applications from its App Store in Russia. Identically worded messages from Apple’s app review team to Red Shield VPN and Le VPN state that their applications will be removed “per demand from Roskomnadzor.” Roskomnadzor is Russia’s state media…

India’s Modi To Visit Russia Next Week

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Russia on July 8 and 9, the Kremlin said Thursday. This will be his first trip to the country since Moscow launched its military offensive in Ukraine. The war has tested relations between Moscow and New Delhi, even though India has ramped up its purchases of Russian oil…

Russia Moves to Ban Lawmakers From Unauthorized Foreign Travel

A bill introduced to Russia’s lower-house State Duma Thursday outlining a formal ban against unauthorized foreign travel for Russian senators and deputies has been passed. The Kremlin said in April that Russian officials face various restrictions on their ability to travel abroad. Reuters reported at the time that Russian officials across state bodies faced “chaotic” travel rules…

Kremlin Officials Wishing for a Trump Victory — While Claiming Otherwise

Russia’s leadership is following the U.S. presidential campaign in private with excitement and interest — and are rooting for their favorite candidate, Donald Trump, to win, three government and presidential administration officials, three Foreign Ministry officials, former officials and two sources from Russia’s business elite told The Moscow Times. Officials in the Kremlin, the government…

Ukraine, ‘Russian Legion’ Claim April Arson Attack on Kaliningrad Warship

Ukraine’s military intelligence and a pro-Kyiv paramilitary unit composed of Russian nationals claimed responsibility for damaging a Russian warship in the Baltic Sea region of Kaliningrad. In April, Ukraine’s military intelligence published a video of the Serpukhov guided missile corvette, stationed in the Kaliningrad region city of Baltiysk, catching fire from the inside. At the time it…

Russia Says It Destroyed Ukrainian Fighter Jet, Vehicles

Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Thursday that its troops destroyed a Mig-29 fighter jet during a strike on an airbase in central Ukraine. The jet and other equipment and vehicles were destroyed in the base at Dolgintsevo, which was hit by an Iskandar ballistic missile, it said. The ministry published images of the attack on…