‘I Was Sent to My Death’: Daria Trepova, Facing 28 Years for Pro-War Blogger’s Killing, Maintains Innocence

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — “I feel pain and shame that my naivety and gullibility led to such catastrophic consequences.”  As Daria Trepova gives her final word in court, two policemen stand in front of the glass cage for defendants, obscuring her from view.  “I still don’t plead guilty but I acknowledge my moral responsibility,” the…

Russia Says Apple Paid $13M in Anti-Monopoly Fines

Multinational tech giant Apple has paid the Russian government 1.2 billion rubles ($13.2 million) in fines, Russia’s Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAS) announced Monday. The Russian agency said it found Apple in violation of its anti-monopoly legislation in July 2022 for banning app developers from informing customers about purchase options outside the App Store. Western sanctions…

Kazakhstan to Ban Entry to Russian Media Executive Over Language Policy Criticism

Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry said it will ban entry to Russian media executive Tina Kandelaki over her remarks about the country’s language policies, local media reported Monday. Kandelaki, deputy CEO of the state-holding Gazprom-Media and head of the entertainment broadcaster TNT, criticized Kazakh authorities earlier this month for renaming some railway stations in the Central Asian country…

Zelensky Signs Decree on Russian Territories ‘Historically Inhabited’ by Ukrainians

Updated with Russian officials’ remarks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday signed a decree calling for the preservation of Ukrainian national identity in Russia.  The decree, announced to coincide with Ukraine’s Day of Unity on Jan. 22, states that “Russia has systematically destroyed national identity and oppressed Ukrainians in the lands historically inhabited by them,” namely the…

Russia’s Leningrad Region Issues Drone Strike Alert After Series of Attacks

Authorities in northwestern Russia’s Leningrad region warned residents late Sunday that the territory, with a population of over 2 million, could come under attack from drones following a recent spate of strikes on local energy infrastructure.  “A high-alert regime has been declared at critical infrastructure facilities in all districts,” the Leningrad region’s press service announced on…

Russian Plane Crashes in Afghan Mountains

A Russian plane believed to be carrying six people has crashed in mountainous northeastern Afghanistan, the air transport agency Rosaviatsia announced Sunday. The Falcon 10 “disappeared from the radar” and communication was lost on Saturday evening, the federal agency said. “According to preliminary information, six people were aboard the aircraft: four crew and two passengers.”…

Russia Arrests Head of Uzbek Diaspora Over Wartime Meme

Russia has placed the head of an Uzbek diaspora association in pre-trial detention for “inciting hatred” with a meme that spoofed the country’s economic inflation and mobilization for the war in Ukraine, authorities said Friday. Usman Baratov was accused of “mocking” Russian soldiers on social media. Russian Investigative Committee chief Alexander Bastrykin said he ordered a criminal…

Russia’s Novosibirsk Declares State of Emergency Over Growing Heating Outages

Authorities in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk on Friday declared a state of emergency amid a series of heating pipe bursts that have left residents without central heating in freezing temperatures. “Unfortunately, in the area of the heating system failure… things are getting worse,” Novosibirsk region Governor Andrei Travnikov wrote on the messaging app Telegram. Utility…

Hundreds Join Fresh Protests in Support of Jailed Activist in Russia’s Bashkortostan

Scores of demonstrators gathered in the capital of Russia’s republic of Bashkortostan on Friday to protest the jailing of prominent Bashkir activist Fayil Alsynov. According to the independent news outlet SOTAvision, around 1,500 protesters gathered at Salawat Yulayev Square in Ufa, singing songs, dancing and calling for the release of Alsynov, who this week was…

Police Search Offices of Russian Retailer Wildberries After Warehouse Fire

Russia’s biggest online retailer Wildberries said Thursday that law enforcement officers were carrying out searches at its Moscow headquarters, just days after a fire destroyed its warehouse in St. Petersburg. On Saturday, a fire covering some 70,000 square meters ripped through a Wildberries warehouse on the south side of St. Petersburg, destroying an estimated 17 billion rubles…

Lavrov Says Offensive in Ukraine ‘Cleansed’ Russian Society

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday that Moscow’s large-scale military intervention against Ukraine had “cleansed” Russian society, after thousands fled the country or were detained since fighting broke out. Since the Kremlin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022, officials in Moscow have repeatedly branded as “traitors” Russians who fled the country to escape…

Head of Russia’s Bashkortostan Blames ‘Separatists’ for Unrest

The governor of Russia’s republic of Bashkortostan said Thursday that violence between protesters and police in his region the day before was provoked by separatists living abroad.  Authorities launched criminal cases into what they described as mass riots and violence against law enforcement officials after clashes erupted on Wednesday over the imprisonment of activist Fayil…

In First, Russia Downs Drone Over St. Petersburg

Updated to include Kommersant, Ukrainska Pravda reports. Russian air defense systems intercepted a drone in St. Petersburg overnight, the first such instance in the country’s second-largest city since the invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago, authorities said Thursday. Residents reported hearing loud bangs at around 1:00 a.m. local time over Vasilyevsky Island, not far from the…

2023 Was Russia’s Third-Hottest Year on Record, Says Head of State Weather Service

Russia experienced its third hottest year on record in 2023, the head of Russia’s Hydrometeorological Center said at a press conference on Wednesday. Global temperatures last year smashed records going back to 1850, with the planet measuring 1.35-1.54 Celcius warmer on average compared to pre-industrial levels. While 2023 was just the third hottest ever reliably recorded for…

‘Nearly Naked’ Party Organizers Hit With 2 Multimillion-Dollar Lawsuits

Two lawsuits have been filed against the organizers of a “nearly naked” party that sparked nationwide controversy last month, Russian state media reported Wednesday. Television host and blogger Anastasia Ivleeva, who organized the star-studded private event on Dec. 21, was hit with a one billion-ruble ($11.2 million) class-action lawsuit for allegedly having caused “moral suffering.” The…

Russia Jails Prominent Bashkir Activist 4 Years

A court in Russia’s republic of Bashkortostan sentenced prominent local activist Fayil Alsynov to four years in a penal colony on charges of “inciting interethnic hatred,” the regional news outlet Idel.Realii reported Wednesday.  The case against the activist has mobilized many in the Ural Mountains republic who say that Alsynov is being unfairly targeted over…

Russian Police Detain Allies of Bashkir Activist Awaiting Court Sentence – Reports

Law enforcement agents in central Russia’s republic of Bashkortostan have detained several allies of activist Fayil Alsynov, who stands trial this week on charges of inciting ethnic hatred, according to the local Telegram channel. The detentions come amid unconfirmed reports that the Kremlin may have authorized regional law enforcement agencies to “use force” against protesters.  Thousands gathered…

Chinese State Banks Step Up Compliance on Russian Clients – Bloomberg

Chinese state banks are stepping up compliance on funding to Russian clients amid threats of secondary sanctions from the U.S., Bloomberg reported Tuesday, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter. Last month, the United States threatened to cut off access to its financial system for foreign banks that back companies targeted for supporting Russia’s defense industry. According…