Storm Shrouds Siberian Town in Coal Dust

A wind storm enveloped a town in Russia’s Kemerovo (Kuzbass) region in black coal dust on Sunday, media reported. Visibility reportedly dropped to almost zero in the southern Western Siberian town of Kiselyovsk after strong winds lifted dust from the town’s open-pit coal mines into the air. Photos and videos shared on social media showed…

Dozens of Russian Glide Bombs Have Fallen on Its Own Territory – Washington Post

Russia accidentally dropped at least 38 unguided bombs over its own territory in April 2023-April 2024, The Washington Post reported Monday, citing internal bomb cleanup and evacuation documents it obtained from Ukrainian intelligence. The FAB-500 glide bombs that carry a 500-kilogram payload have fallen on Russia’s Belgorod region which borders Ukraine, the newspaper reported. Russia had started…

St. Petersburg Court Charges Son of Anti-War Candidate With ‘Discrediting’ Army

A St. Petersburg court has pressed misdemeanor charges against the son of a Leningrad siege survivor who is running to unseat the pro-Kremlin incumbent governor of Russia’s second-largest city, local media reported Friday. Denis Vasilyev was accused of “discrediting” the Russian military, according to the Zaks.ru news website, which cited a local court’s press service. The charges…

Russia Adds Journalist Kriger to ‘Terrorists and Extremists’ List

Russia’s state financial watchdog Rosfinmonitoring has added journalist Artyom Kriger to its list of “terrorists and extremists,” his employer SOTAvision reported on Thursday. Kriger, 23, was arrested last week on charges related to the “extremism” case against late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, according to SOTAvision, an independent news outlet. The journalist was accused of “participation in…

Poland, Baltics Urge EU to Strengthen Eastern Borders

Poland and the Baltic states are urging the EU to strengthen its eastern borders, warning in a joint letter to Brussels of a “looming threat” from Russia and Belarus. The four EU member countries are trenchant critics of Moscow, which they accuse of orchestrating hybrid attacks including “intimidation, instrumentalization of migrants, sabotage, disinformation, foreign information manipulation…

Russia’s FSB Falsified Evidence Against Jailed Anti-War Teenager – Mediazona

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) falsified evidence against a 15-year-old schoolboy who was jailed last week on terrorism charges, the independent news outlet Mediazona reported Thursday, citing case materials. A Moscow military court ordered Arseniy Turbin to spend five years at a juvenile correctional facility on charges of “participating in terrorist activities.” He was accused of…

Russia Moves to Investigate ‘Finnish Genocide of Soviet Peoples’

Updated with historical context. Russian prosecutors announced Thursday that they have asked a court to recognize crimes committed by Nazi Germany and its then-collaborator Finland in the northwestern city of Petrozavodsk as a “genocide.” The Prosecutor General’s Office said archival documents and witness testimonies indicated that over 8,000 civilians and 18,000 Soviet prisoners of war…

‘I Have Nothing to Fear’: The Anti-War Leningrad Siege Survivor Running for St. Petersburg Governor

Lyudmila Vasilyeva, at 83 years old, has a long history of activism. A Leningrad siege survivor and pensioner, Vasilyeva is now a hopeful for governor of Russia’s second-largest city, St. Petersburg. She aims to challenge the incumbent, Alexander Beglov, who is running from the ruling, pro-Kremlin United Russia party.  Calling for the end of the…

Kadyrov Urges Killing Relatives of Gunmen Behind Dagestan Attacks

Сhechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has called on law enforcement and security officials to kill the family members of suspected Islamic militants following deadly attacks on religious sites in the neighboring republic of Dagestan over the weekend, the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) affiliate Kavkaz.Realii reported Wednesday. “If [the suspected shooter] is connected with Shaitans, then…

EU Toughens Sanctions on Belarus to Tackle Evasion

EU countries on Wednesday agreed to new sanctions against Belarus over the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine so that they align more closely with measures targeting Russia and close holes that have allowed Moscow to circumvent restrictions, officials said. “EU Ambassadors agreed in principle on a new package of sanctions targeting Belarus,” Belgium, which holds the…

Russia Blocks Dozens of EU Media Outlets in ‘Retaliatory Move’

Moscow will block access to 81 European media outlets in retaliation to the EU’s ban against four Kremlin-funded news organizations, Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday.  Brussels said last month it would suspend the broadcasting activities of the state-run RIA Novosti news agency, the pro-government newspapers Izvestia and Rossiiskaya Gazeta, as well as the news website Voice of Europe…

Indian PM Modi to Visit Russia in July – Reports

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to meet with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow early next month, Indian and Russian media reported Monday. The Indian English-language newspaper The Tribune, without citing sources, reported that Modi was expected to visit Moscow on July 8 to “underline the engagement” between the two countries. Likewise, Russian officials quoted by…

Elderly Woman Killed in Ukrainian Drone Strikes on Western Russia, Officials Say

Updated with attack on Voronezh region munitions depot. Overnight drone attacks against southwestern Russia’s Belgorod region have left at least one person dead and scores of buildings and vehicles damaged, regional authorities said early Tuesday, while Ukraine’s military claimed responsibility for a strike on an ammunition depot. “An elderly woman died as a result of a…

EU Sanctions Russian Pro-War Pop Star Shaman

Brussels on Monday sanctioned Russian pop singer Shaman over his role in promoting Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, applying restrictive measures against the performer that include an asset freeze and travel ban. “Since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, [Shaman] has repeatedly participated in Kremlin-organized concerts, including the Kremlin’s anniversary event for…