Putin Replaces Head of Russian Army Grouping in Southern Ukraine – TASS

President Vladimir Putin has replaced the commander of Russia’s Dnipro grouping of forces in southern Ukraine, the state-run news agency TASS reported Monday, citing an anonymous source.  Colonel General Mikhail Teplinsky, who served as the head of the Russian Airborne forces, was reportedly named commander of the Russian Army in southern Ukraine’s partially occupied Kherson region.…

France Seeks Deportation of 39 Russian Nationals Over ‘Radical’ Islamist Views – Interior Minister

France is seeking the deportation of 39 Russian nationals suspected of holding “radical” Islamist views, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said Monday. Russian citizens are under “the strictest control” following a deadly Oct. 13 school stabbing in northern France that authorities have described as an Islamist terrorist attack, Darmanin told France’s RMC radio. Shortly after…

Political Prisoners in Russia Stage One-Day Solidarity Hunger Strike

Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and other Russian political prisoners, including journalist and activist Vladimir Kara-Murza as well as opposition politician Ilya Yashin, staged a one-day hunger strike on Monday in a show of solidarity with political prisoners worldwide.  Dating back to the Soviet period, “Political Prisoner Day” used to take place each year on Oct. 30,…

Dozens Arrested After Anti-Israeli Mob Storms Airport in Russia’s Dagestan

Updated with Peskov’s remarks. At least 60 people were arrested after an anti-Israeli mob stormed an airport in Russia’s North Caucasus republic of Dagestan on Sunday night, Russia’s Interior Ministry has said. “More than 150 active participants of the riots have been identified, 60 of them have been detained and taken in for further investigation,” law enforcement…

Maxim Katz Wants to Unite Russia’s Splintered Opposition. That May Be Easier Said Than Done.

To his critics, Maxim Katz’s ideas for uniting Russia’s anti-Kremlin opposition are as realistic as a unicorn. Katz proposed last month what he calls “a concrete plan” to ensure that Putin is removed from power and asked opposition figures, including allies of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, to unite behind it. “The Russian opposition should…

Russia’s Updated Climate Doctrine Drops Mention of Fossil Fuels

An updated version of Russia’s climate doctrine signed by President Vladimir Putin on Thursday has dropped language that directly links the burning of fossil fuels to greenhouse gas emissions.  Russia’s climate doctrine, first introduced in 2009, outlines the government’s policy on climate change mitigation and adaptation. Thursday’s updated doctrine notes the “unprecedentedly high” rate of…

Former Ukrainian Lawmaker Shot, Wounded in Annexed Crimea

Updated with criminal investigation. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has launched a criminal investigation into the attempted assassination of Oleg Tsaryov, a former Ukrainian lawmaker who was reportedly slated to lead a pro-Russian puppet government in Kyiv. Oleg Tsaryov was shot and badly wounded at his home in annexed Crimea, his associates said earlier on Friday. “[Tsaryov]…

Siberian Region Bans Halloween Festivities at Schools

Far East Russia’s republic of Sakha (Yakutia) has banned Halloween celebrations at schools across the region, local media reported Friday. Sakha’s Deputy Education Minister Alevtina Argunova circulated a letter to school principals demanding that they cancel all Halloween celebrations in classrooms, according to the news website SakhaDay. Instead, Argunova was said to have encouraged school…

FSB Says Killed ‘Ukrainian Agent,’ Arrests 2 Others in Occupied Zaporizhzhia

Russian security forces killed what they claim was a Ukrainian GUR military intelligence agent and arrested two others in southern Ukraine’s partially occupied Zaporizhzhia region, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said Friday. The FSB described the shootout and arrests as a “special operation” that “thwarted the activities of three large secret intelligence groups.” “One of…

Russia Rejects Kyiv-Backed Peace Talks in Malta

Russia on Thursday criticized Ukrainian-backed peace talks set to be held in Malta this weekend, warning any discussions without its participation would be counterproductive. The talks, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hopes will drum up support for his own peace plan, come after similar gatherings in Jeddah and Copenhagen earlier this year. “Obviously such gatherings…

Hamas Delegates Arrive in Moscow for Talks – Foreign Ministry

Delegates from the Palestinian militant group Hamas have arrived in Moscow for talks, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced Thursday evening. “I can confirm that representatives of the [Hamas] Palestinian movement are visiting Moscow,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a weekly briefing. “We will inform you additionally about its contacts,” she added. Moscow had…

Former State TV Journalist Loses Custody of Children in Russian Court

Former Russian state TV journalist Marina Ovsyannikova has lost custody of her two children after a court battle with her ex-husband, independent media reported Thursday. Moscow’s Shcherbinka District Court issued the ruling behind closed doors as it dealt with issues relating to minors, according to the independent Sota news outlet, which cited the court’s spokesperson in…

Israel Resumes Repatriation Services for Jews Living in Russia

Israel has resumed accepting applications from Russians for its repatriation program days after suspending document processing over fears of protests outside the Israeli embassy in Moscow, Israel’s Ambassador in Russia Alexander Ben Zvi said Thursday. Ben Zvi told the state-run news agency TASS that his diplomatic mission stopped accepting repatriation applications on Tuesday to avoid…

Swedish Court Acquits Alleged Russian ‘Agent’

A Stockholm court on Thursday acquitted a Russian-Swede accused of passing Western technology to Russia’s military, ruling that while he did export the material his actions did not amount to espionage. Prosecutors had sought a five-year sentence against Sergei Skvortsov, a 60-year-old dual national who has lived in Sweden since the 1990s running import-export companies.…

15% of Russians Who Fled War, Mobilization Have Returned – Survey

Over 15% of Russians who left the country following the invasion of Ukraine and the Kremlin’s “partial” military mobilization have since returned, either temporarily or permanently, the Financial Times reported Wednesday, citing new research.  Researchers Emil Kamalov and Ivetta Sergeeva from the European University Institute in Florence, Italy conducted a long-term survey of 5,000 Russian…

Tatarstan Head Awards Kadyrov’s Son After Row Over Detainee Beating

The head of Russia’s republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov awarded the teenage son of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov with his region’s second-highest ranking, Kadyrov’s ally Adam Delimkhanov said Tuesday.  Minnikhanov presented the Duslyk (“friendship” in Tatar) Order to 15-year-old Adam Kadyrov during an official visit to Chechnya’s capital Grozny, as seen in a video posted…

Kremlin to Raffle Apartments, Trips to Boost Putin’s Popularity Ahead of 2024 Election – Meduza

The Kremlin plans to boost President Vladimir Putin’s approval rating ahead of next year’s elections by launching a nationwide lottery among Russian families, the independent news website Meduza reported Wednesday, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter.  A source close to the Kremlin, two high-ranking regional officials and a senior United Russia ruling party member…

Putin Raises Concerns of ‘Catastrophic Deterioration’ in Gaza With Erdogan

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed fears of a sharp deterioration of the situation in besieged Gaza during a call with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Kremlin said Tuesday. The leaders expressed “deep concern over the growing number of civilian casualties and the catastrophic deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip,” the…

Ukrainian Deliveryman Accused of Mass Poisoning Attempt – Kommersant

A Ukrainian-born deliveryman has been accused of attempting to poison the graduates of a Russian military aviation academy during their reunion, Russia’s Kommersant business daily reported Tuesday, citing anonymous law enforcement sources. Around 77 alumni of the Armavir Higher Military Aviation School for Pilots in southern Russia’s Krasnodar region were attending a 20-year reunion party…

Russian Propaganda Seizes on West’s ‘Double Standards’ as Israeli Strikes Pound Gaza

Footage of apartment buildings in the Gaza Strip crumbling under Israeli airstrikes and suffering Palestinian civilians has filled Russian political talk shows and newscasts for weeks.  “They are razing Gaza to the ground,” state television anchor and propagandist Vladimir Solovyov said during a recent show. “We [the Russian army] don’t fight like that, not even close.”…

Russia Says Detected Sea Drones in Crimea

Russia’s military said Tuesday it had detected three Ukrainian seaborne drones off the coast of annexed Crimea. “Around 4:00 a.m. Moscow time, technical surveillance systems detected three unmanned Ukrainian Navy boats in the northern Black Sea,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement. Russia’s Defense Ministry said the seaborne drones were fired on but it…