Ukraine’s Zelenskiy Simplifies Citizenship Process for ‘Persecuted’ Russians

Ukraine’s new president has made it easier for Russians facing “political persecution” to become Ukrainian citizens in an ongoing passport battle between the countries. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last month ordered an overhaul of the process for granting Ukrainian citizenship in response to Russia expanding the number of Ukrainians who can apply for fast-track Russian passports.…

Russia, China to Discuss ‘U.S. Meddling’ in Moscow and Hong Kong Protests

Russia and China plan to discuss foreign interference as anti-government protests continue to rock Moscow and Hong Kong and spur accusations of U.S. meddling. Russian lawmakers said they plan to cut short their summer recess to debate foreign powers’ “meddling in domestic issues” as they blamed Google for allegedly promoting last Saturday’s 50,000-strong protest on YouTube.…

Record Protests Rock Moscow

An estimated 50,000 protesters took to the streets of Moscow on Saturday, Aug. 10, in one of the largest protests in Russia since 2012. They rallied against the barring of opposition candidates from local elections next month and police crackdowns at recent rallies. 256 were detained in a march after the demonstration.

Who Turned Out to Moscow’s Opposition Protest?

The estimated 50,000 people who braved Moscow’s rainy weather on Saturday to support opposition politicians barred from a local election and protesters arrested on charges of “mass unrest” last month were largely young adults who see themselves as ordinary people, a survey has said. Russian state television has branded participants of the latest authorized gathering…

Russia Tells Google Not to Advertise ‘Illegal’ Events After Election Protests

Russia’s state communications watchdog has asked Google to stop advertising “illegal mass events” on its YouTube video platform, it said Sunday. Tens of thousands of Russians staged what observers called the country’s biggest political protest for eight years on Saturday, defying a crackdown to demand free elections to Moscow’s city legislature. Multiple YouTube channels broadcast…

Russian Protesters Gather Outside Presidential Administration Building, Dozens Detained

Russian riot police ringed off the presidential administration building in Moscow on Saturday after a crowd gathered nearby following an opposition rally and hundreds more were seen walking toward the area chanting, Reuters witnesses said. Police detained at least 120 people, according to the OVD-Info police-monitoring website, after more than 500 people were seen moving…

‘A Number the Authorities Can’t Ignore’: Moscow Opposition Sees Record Protest Turnout Despite Crackdowns

Nearly 50,000 people took to Moscow’s streets to rally for fair elections on a rainy Saturday despite weeks of heavy crackdowns, making it one of Russia’s largest protests in several years. This summer’s protest movement, which began as a standoff between opposition figures and Moscow authorities over the barring of independent candidates from an upcoming…

Nearly 50,000 Protest for Fair Elections in Moscow

Nearly 50,000 Russian opposition activists and their supporters have taken to Moscow’s streets for a fifth consecutive weekend in spite of a government crackdown as support from citizens and celebrities grows across the county. The protests, which demand that Moscow authorities allow independent candidates to appear on the ballot in the city’s upcoming elections, have…

U.S.-Based Experts Suspect Russia Blast Involved Nuclear-Powered Missile

U.S.-based nuclear experts said on Friday they suspected an accidental blast and radiation release in northern Russia this week occurred during the testing of a nuclear-powered cruise missile vaunted by President Vladimir Putin last year. The Russian Defense Ministry, quoted by state-run news outlets, said that two people died and six were injured on Thursday in an explosion…

A Timeline of Putin’s 2 Decades in Power

Russian President Vladimir Putin was appointed acting prime minister on Aug. 9, 1999, by then-president Boris Yeltsin. He has been in office as president or prime minister ever since, a period spanning two decades. Here are some highlights of Putin’s 20 years in power: Aug. 9, 1999 — During an economic crisis, Boris Yeltsin names little-known…

‘Who Is Putin?’ How Russia Reacted to Leader’s Rise to Power, 20 Years Ago

On this day 20 years ago, Russian President Boris Yeltsin named Vladimir Putin the country’s acting prime minister and successor for the presidency. At the time, most Russians knew little about the 46-year-old head of the Federal Security Service (FSB), who had largely kept out of the public eye. The Kremlin’s political opponents, meanwhile, criticized Yeltsin’s…

In Photos: 20 Years of Putin

The world was a very different place in 1999. We were introduced to Britney Spears. Bill Clinton was impeached. Napster was launched. And everyone worried about Y2K and the havoc it would soon wreak on dial-up internet and our giant PCs. It was also the year Vladimir Putin was appointed as prime minister of Russia…

What to Expect From Moscow Protests This Saturday

Moscow’s opposition plans to press ahead with more protests this Saturday even after election officials closed all avenues for several Kremlin critics to run for office in the Russian capital next month. The ongoing standoff between Russia’s opposition and its leadership that has taken place in recent weeks has drawn international attention to what would have otherwise…

Russia Freezes Bank Accounts Linked to Opposition Politician Navalny Following Raids

Russian authorities on Thursday froze a slew of bank accounts linked to jailed opposition politician Alexei Navalny as part of a money laundering investigation, Kira Yarmysh, his spokeswoman, and Russian investigators said. Russia’s Investigative Committee announced during protests in Moscow last weekend that it had opened a criminal case into the laundering of 1 billion…

Russia Deploys Missile System 70km From Norway’s Vardo Radar

Russia’s Bal coastal missile system (NATO reporting name SSC-3 or Styx) was moved from its permanent deployment location to the Sredny Peninsula on the Barents Sea coast on Wednesday evening, the Northern Fleet’s press service reported. Sredny Peninsula is the smallest peninsula between the Pechenga Bay and Rybachny (Fisher) Peninsula, a northwestern appendix to the Kola Peninsula.…

Russian Designer Lebedev Announces Emigration in Video Address, Sparking ‘Trolling’ Suspicion

Outspoken designer Artemy Lebedev has announced his emigration from Russia in an emotional video address that has left many viewers dubious about its sincerity. A well-known designer and popular blogger famous for his provocative views, Lebedev owns the design studio Art.Lebedev. The studio has developed the official logos of the Russian cities of Moscow, Yekaterinburg…

Opposition Candidate Sobol Barred From Moscow Vote

Russian election officials have issued a final decision to block opposition candidate Lyubov Sobol from running for Moscow’s city council next month. Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) said it had received 19 appeals from various candidates including Sobol against the Moscow commission’s decision to disqualify them from the ballot on Sept. 8. That decision, based…