U.S. Widens Sanctions Against Russia Over Ukraine Invasion

The United States on Wednesday announced a raft of new sanctions aimed at constraining Moscow’s ability to wage war on Ukraine while raising the stakes for foreign banks that still do business with Russia. The Treasury Department and State Department’s sanctions impacted more than 300 targets, including entities in Russia and countries like China, Turkey…

Russian Nuclear-Powered Submarine Arrives in Cuba

A Russian nuclear-powered submarine and other naval vessels arrived in Cuba on Wednesday for a five-day visit to the island in a show of force amid spiraling U.S.-Russian tensions. The submarine Kazan, which Cuba says is not carrying nuclear weapons, was accompanied by the frigate Admiral Gorshkov, as well as an oil tanker and a…

Russian Exiled Media Raise Funds for Political Prisoners

Russian exiled media and activists held a telethon on Wednesday in support of the growing number of political prisoners inside Russia, raising tens of thousands of euros for those currently held behind bars. Moscow has waged a sweeping crackdown against domestic dissent since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Leading rights group Memorial…

Russian Peacekeepers Complete Withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh

Russian peacekeepers on Wednesday completed their withdrawal from the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which Baku recaptured last year from Armenian separatists, officials in Baku said. Azerbaijan and Armenia had fought two wars — first from 1988 to 1994 and then again in 2020 — for control of the then-breakaway enclave. “The process of the full withdrawal of the manpower,…

‘Another Attempt to Marginalize Us’: Experts and Activists Weigh In on ‘Anti-Russian Separatist’ Ban

Russia’s Supreme Court last week ruled to ban the so-called “Anti-Russian Separatist Movement” and “its structural divisions” as an extremist organization.  Though no organization with this name formally exists in Russia or elsewhere, the country’s Justice Ministry defined the group as an “international public movement to destroy the multinational unity and territorial integrity of Russia.” …

Moscow Demands Release of Russian Woman Accused of Spying in Denmark

Moscow has called for the immediate release of a Russian woman arrested in Denmark on suspicion of espionage, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Wednesday, accusing Copenhagen of “persecution.” Danish authorities announced Tuesday that a Russian citizen had been arrested on suspicion of “enabling a foreign intelligence service to operate in Denmark.” They did not…

Serbia Praises Security Cooperation With Moscow

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin praised security cooperation with Russia, emphasizing continued mutual support on the international stage, in a statement on Tuesday. Vulin, the former head of intelligence services, made the comments following a meeting with Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev in Moscow, said a government statement. Kolokoltsev informed Vulin of “attempts to…

Far East Russia’s Sakha Declares Wildfire Emergency

Authorities in Far East Russia’s republic of Sakha (Yakutia) on Tuesday declared a state of emergency due to ongoing wildfires across the region. More than 40 wildfires were burning in Sakha as of Tuesday morning, according to regional authorities, engulfing a total area of some 830 square kilometers — roughly the size of Berlin or…

Moscow Says Captured 2 Villages in Eastern Ukraine

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday that its forces captured two villages in eastern Ukraine, the latest in a string of gains for Moscow since launching a surprise ground offensive against the northeastern Kharkiv region last month. Russian forces took control of Tymkivka in the Kharkiv region and Miasozharivka in the partially occupied Luhansk region, the…

New Russian Defense Minister Meets Pro-War Bloggers

Russia’s newly appointed Defense Minister Andrei Belousov met with a group of military bloggers on Monday, a gesture that observers said showed that the Kremlin seeks to use his appointment to boost support from military commentators. Belousov, who replaced longtime Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, met with leading correspondents covering the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine, including…

Denmark Arrests Suspected Russian Spy

Danish authorities announced Tuesday that they arrested a Russian citizen for suspected espionage, with media reports saying it was a woman well-known in the Russian diaspora. The Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) said the Russian national was arrested south of Copenhagen and suspected of “enabling a foreign intelligence service to operate in Denmark.” The agency said…

Zelensky Says Russia Destroyed Half of Ukraine’s Energy Capacity

Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid have destroyed half of its electricity generation capacity since the winter, leading to scheduled power outages and regular blackouts, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday. “As a result of the strikes of Russian missiles and drones, nine gigawatts of capacity have already been destroyed. The peak of electricity…

Russia, Belarus Begin Joint Tactical Nuclear Drills

Russian and Belarusian armed forces have begun joint non-strategic nuclear weapon exercises, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday, marking the “second stage” of wider drills announced by Moscow early last month. Moscow’s Defense Ministry said the latest stage of “the exercises are aimed at maintaining the readiness of personnel and equipment of units for the combat…

Russian Military Jet Crash Kills 2 Pilots

A Russian military jet crashed during a training flight in the North Caucasus region of North Ossetia, killing two people on board, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday. A statement said the Su-34 jet crashed “in a mountainous zone” and added that there was “no damage on the ground.” It did not specify when the accident…

Bulgarian Nuclear Plant Starts to Replace Russian Fuel

Bulgaria’s sole nuclear power plant on Monday began using atomic fuel produced by the U.S.-based Westinghouse Electric Corporation, a key step as the country shifts away from its reliance on Russian energy. The state-owned Kozloduy plant on the Danube River supplies more than a third of the country’s electricity and has so far relied on…

Russian State TV Cameraman Wounded in Mine Explosion

A Russian state television cameraman was injured in a mine explosion in the western Belgorod region, local authorities said Monday. “In the city of Shebekino, four people were blown up by a mine, three of them regional defense fighters and one employee of the Rossiya 24 TV channel,” Belgorod region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on…

Moscow Says Captured Village in Southeastern Ukraine

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Monday its forces seized control of a village in the southern part of eastern Ukraine’s partially occupied Donetsk region. Russian troops “continued to advance into the depths of the enemy’s defense and liberated the settlement of Staromaiorske,” located southwest of the Russian-held city of Donetsk. Ukrainian troops had retaken the village…

Putin to Visit North Korea, Vietnam – Report

President Vladimir Putin will travel to North Korea and Vietnam in the coming weeks, the business newspaper Vedomosti reported Monday, citing Russian diplomats familiar with the matter. Russia’s Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora told the newspaper that he is “actively preparing” for the Kremlin leader’s visit to Pyongyang but otherwise did not specify an…

Zelensky Denies Russian Foothold in Ukraine’s Sumy Region

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday denied Russian troops had captured a village in the northeastern Sumy region, where the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov previously claimed Moscow’s forces had advanced. Kadyrov said on Sunday that Russian forces had seized the border village of Ryzhivka. There was no immediate comment from Russia’s Defense Ministry and a…

U.S. Says Russian Offensive Against Kharkiv ‘Stalled’

U.S. President Joe Biden’s national security advisor said on Sunday that Russia’s advance on northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region “has stalled.” “The momentum of that operation in Kharkiv has stalled out,” Jake Sullivan told CBS. “Kharkiv is still under threat but Russians have not been able to make material progress on the ground in recent days…

Ukraine Says Hit Su-57 Fighter Jet Inside Russia

Ukraine said Sunday it had hit an Su-57 fighter jet parked at an airfield in southern Russia, its first ever attack on Moscow’s latest generation stealth aircraft. The flagship Su-57 entered into service with Russia’s aerospace forces in December 2020 and was designed to replace ageing Soviet-designed fighter aircraft such as the Su-27 and MiG-29.…

Russian Attacks Kill 2 in South, Northeast Ukraine

Russian shelling and aerial attacks killed two people in southern and northeastern Ukraine Saturday, authorities said, a day after the United Nations warned monthly civilian casualties had reached near-year highs. At least 174 civilians were killed in Ukraine in May, the deadliest month since June 2023 as Russian forces pushed into the northeastern Kharkiv region,…

Biden Says Putin ‘Not Going to Stop at Ukraine’

U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday pledged Washington’s support for Kyiv in its battle against the Russian invasion, warning that Vladimir Putin would “not stop” at Ukraine. “Putin is not going to stop at Ukraine,” Biden said alongside French President Emmanuel Macron after talks in Paris. “All of Europe will be threatened, we are not…

Strikes on Russian-Held Ukraine Kill 26, Occupation Authorities Say

Updates throughout. Ukrainian strikes on parts of the Russian-held Luhansk and Kherson regions killed 26 people and injured dozens more on Friday, occupation authorities said. Both Ukrainian regions were among four Russia claimed to have annexed in September 2022 despite not fully controlling any of them following the full-scale military campaign launched that February. A…

Russia Remands French NGO Worker in ‘Foreign Agent’ Case

Updates throughout. A Moscow court on Friday ordered a French citizen accused of gathering Russian military information to be held in pre-trial detention, in the latest case of a Western citizen being detained in Russia. Laurent Vinatier, a 47-year-old who works for a Swiss conflict mediation NGO, was arrested on Thursday and officially charged with…

Russia Says Its Forests Can Absorb Its Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Climate Change and Poor Forestry Standards Make This Unlikely.

As the climate crisis intensifies, Russia is pinning its hopes on its vast forests to make up for its carbon emissions — the world’s fourth-highest — and even help the country become a global leader in carbon absorption. But the country’s substandard conservation and ineffective forestry practices, combined with the impacts of climate change itself,…

Russia Bans Nonexistent ‘Anti-Russian Separatist Movement’

Russia’s Supreme Court has banned the vaguely defined “Anti-Russian Separatist Movement” as an “extremist” organization, the independent news website Mediazona reported Friday. Rights groups say they have not been able to find a formal organization called the “Anti-Russian Separatist Movement,” leading to speculation that the authorities could use the designation as a pretext for wider…