Russian Senators Ratify Defense Treaty With North Korea

Lawmakers from Russia’s upper-house Federation Council voted unanimously on Wednesday to ratify a mutual defense treaty with North Korea, as Western news outlets report that Ukrainian forces have engaged in clashes with North Korean soldiers sent to fight in the Kursk region. President Vladimir Putin signed the agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a…

In First, Ukrainian Drones Attack Russia’s Dagestan

Ukrainian drones targeted the North Caucasus republic of Dagestan, media reported and authorities reported early Wednesday, in the first such attack on the region since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. “This morning, air defense forces destroyed an unmanned aerial vehicle over Kaspiysk,” Dagestan head Sergei Melikov said on Telegram. Kaspiysk, a port city named after…

Russia Launches ‘Record’ Number of Satellites Into Orbit, Including 2 Iranian-Built Devices

Russia launched 55 satellites into orbit on Tuesday, including two privately built Iranian devices, in a demonstration of deepening cooperation between Moscow and Tehran. A Soyuz rocket lifted off from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East at 2:18 a.m. Moscow time, carrying the payload, Russia’s Roscosmos space agency reported. In total, Roscosmos said the…

Estonia Wants to Ban Russian Residents From Voting

Estonia’s coalition government on Monday said it hoped to amend the constitution to ban Russian and Belarusian residents from voting in municipal polls next year, to prevent potential meddling by Moscow and Minsk. More than 80,000 Russian citizens hold a residence permit in the former Soviet republic of 1.3 million people, which gained its independence…

Putin Met North Korean Foreign Minister, Kremlin Says

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui in the Kremlin on Monday, Moscow announced. The meeting took place amid western claims that Russia plans to deploy thousands of Pyongyang’s troops to the Ukraine conflict. Choe has been in Russia for a week and has pledged that North Korea would…

Over 3,300 Foreigners Have Received Russian Citizenship for Fighting in Ukraine, Official Says

More than 3,300 foreigners have been awarded Russian citizenship this year in return for aiding Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine, according to Interior Ministry spokeswoman Irina Volk.  In a Telegram post published Sunday, Volk praised her Interior Ministry colleagues for swiftly assisting “a foreign citizen from a neighboring country” who risked being deported from Russia to…

Steve Jobs Was Like Hitler, Russian State TV Boss Says

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is in the company of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler because of the iPhone’s impact on society, the head of one of Russia’s biggest state broadcasters said Monday. Channel One CEO Konstantin Ernst called the iPhone “extremely harmful and monstrous for humanity” for “destroying human connection,” according to the independent news website Agentstvo.…

Indonesia, Russia Kick Off First Joint Naval Drills

Indonesia and Russia kicked off their first joint naval drills on Monday, as the Southeast Asian archipelago’s new leader seeks to boost ties with Moscow. The region’s biggest economy maintains a neutral foreign policy, refusing to take sides in the Ukraine conflict or in great power competition between Washington and Beijing. But newly inaugurated Indonesian…

Russians Weary of War, Turning to TV for Distraction, Moscow Patriarch Says

War-fatigued Russians are turning to entertainment for distraction in what could threaten Russia’s “civilizational identity,” said the head of Russia’s Orthodox Church. “After almost three years of active military operations, we see there’s a certain weariness among our fellow citizens of reports from the front lines,” Patriarch Kirill said at the church’s World Russian People’s…

Exiled Businessman Chichvarkin Says He’s Leaving Russia’s Opposition, Citing Infighting

Self-exiled entrepreneur Yevgeny Chichvarkin said Friday that he is temporarily stepping away from Russia’s opposition, criticizing activists for “fighting each other” instead of uniting against the Kremlin. “I’ve decided to withdraw from the Russian opposition for now, until my colleagues and friends refocus on fighting the bloody, monstrous, disgraceful Putin regime,” Chichvarkin said in a video…

Russia Says Repelled Large Wave of Ukrainian Drone Attacks

Russia’s military said early Friday that its air defense systems destroyed 83 Ukrainian drones over multiple Russian regions and annexed Crimea overnight, with at least one of the drones crashing into an oil depot and sparking a fire. In southern Russia’s Stavropol region, Governor Vladimir Vladimirov said an unmanned aircraft “fell” into an oil depot…

Russia’s Constitutional Court Lifts Statute of Limitations for Anti-Corruption Asset Seizures

Russia’s Constitutional Court ruled Thursday that law enforcement authorities are no longer bound by statutes of limitations when seeking state seizure of assets in anti-corruption cases. “Prosecutors should not be constrained by time limits in anti-corruption lawsuits,” the court said. Those accused of corruption “must be denied the ability to use the statute of limitations…

Russian Lawmaker Calls for Ban on Halloween in Schools

A senior lawmaker in Russia’s upper-house Federation Council on Thursday called for a ban on Halloween celebrations in schools and universities, denouncing the holiday as a “Western” cultural import. “We need to do everything to ensure that this Western holiday is simply forgotten by the public and never again remembered,” Natalia Kosikhina, a senator from…

Russia-Iran Partnership Treaty ‘Coming Soon,’ Lavrov Says

Russia and Iran will sign a strategic partnership agreement “in the near future,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday, as political and military ties between the two countries deepen. Both under heavy Western sanctions, Russia and Iran have strengthened their ties since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with Iran widely believed to be supplying Russia with…

4 Killed in Gas Explosion in Russia’s Karachayevo-Cherkessia

At least four people were killed and 11 injured when a gas explosion ripped through an apartment building in the North Caucasus republic of Karachayevo-Cherkessia, regional authorities said Thursday. Video of the explosion site published by regional emergency officials showed the partially collapsed top two floors of the five-story building in the regional capital of…

U.S. Sanctions Nearly 400 Firms, Accusing Them of Aiding Russia’s War Effort

Washington on Wednesday unveiled a new round of sanctions against almost 400 people and companies it accused of supplying Russia with advanced technology to support its “war machine.” The U.S. Treasury Department announced sweeping sanctions against 275 individuals and entities in countries including India, China, Switzerland and Turkey, with the restrictions aimed at “disrupting global…

Moscow Summons Finnish Ambassador Over Property Seizures

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that it summoned the Finnish ambassador in Moscow to protest the seizure of Russian state properties in connection to a Ukrainian lawsuit. A Finnish court ordered the confiscation of $4.25 billion in Russian-owned assets at the request of Ukraine’s national gas provider Naftogaz. The order relates to a ruling last year…

Top 5 Takeaways From Navalny’s Memoir ‘Patriot’

Kremlin foe Alexei Navalny started writing his posthumously released memoir “Patriot” while recovering from a nearly fatal nerve agent poisoning in Germany.  Eventually incorporating his prison diary, the book provides new insights into his early life and political career, as well as the conditions he faced in the months leading up to his death in…

Russia Says It Captured Village in Ukraine’s Kharkiv Region

Russia’s military said Wednesday that its forces captured the village of Kruhliakivka in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, where it has been stepping up pressure on Kyiv’s forces for months. The village was home to around 1,200 people before the full-scale invasion and lies around 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Kupiansk, an embattled Ukrainian stronghold…

Russian Military Destroys 23 Ukrainian Drones Overnight

Russia’s military said early Wednesday that its air defense forces shot down nearly two dozen Ukrainian drones across six Russian regions overnight, with some of the downings causing minor property damage. Seven drones were destroyed over the Rostov region, where Governor Vasily Golubev said there were no injuries or damage. In the Kursk region, Governor Alexei…