Commander of Elite Russian Airborne Unit Killed in Ukraine

The commander of an elite Russian airborne unit has been killed in Ukraine, a Kremlin-backed military official in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region said Sunday. Alexander Khodakovsky, who serves as deputy national guard commander of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, announced the death of Russian Colonel Andrei Kondrashkin on the messaging app Telegram, adding that the killed colonel headed the 31st…

U.S.-Russia Trade Hits Two-Decade Low

Trade between Russia and the United States has hit a two-decade low, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, as Moscow faces unprecedented isolation from the West due to its invasion of Ukraine. Russian-U.S. trade turnover totaled $277.3 million in July 2023, the latest available month, marking an 11-fold drop from February 2022, according to analysis…

Two Russians, American Reach Space Station

Two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut docked with the International Space Station on Friday after blasting off amid raging tensions between Moscow and Washington over Ukraine. Earlier Friday Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub and NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara lifted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan aboard the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft. The…

Russian Civil Aviation Chief Dismissed

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has dismissed the head of state civil aviation agency Rosaviatsia, the government’s press service announced Friday. Alexander Neradko will leave his post as director of Rosaviatsia and will be replaced by his deputy, Dmitry Yadorov.   No official reason has been given for Neradko’s departure.  In May 2022, he was reprimanded…

Rich Russians Still Transferring Cash to Swiss Bank Accounts – Media

Wealthy Russians have continued to move cash through Swiss bank accounts even after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including family members of a tycoon publicly backing the war, a media investigation showed Thursday. Leaked documents analyzed by the Tamedia group showed that family members of Alexander Ponomarenko, the head of Moscow water company Mosvodokanal, had…

Moscow Expels U.S. Embassy Workers for ‘Liaising’ With Russian Citizen Accused of Spying

Updated with the U.S. State Department’s response. Moscow on Thursday said it was expelling two U.S. Embassy employees for allegedly “liaising” with a former U.S. consulate worker accused by Russian authorities of spying for Washington. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the two American diplomats, Jeffery Sillin and David Bernstein, were engaged in “illegal activities by liaising with a Russian citizen,…

Estonia, Lithuania Threaten Seizure of Russian Vehicles

Estonian and Lithuanian officials have warned that passenger vehicles with Russian license plates could soon be confiscated following a Baltics-wide entry ban.  Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia issued back-to-back entry bans this week for Russian-registered cars after the European Commission clarified that existing regulations prohibit the import or transfer of goods originating in Russia.  “These cars [with Russian…

American-Born MMA Fighter Elected to Russian Regional Parliament

American-born mixed martial artist Jeff Monson has been elected to office in the regional parliament of Russia’s republic of Bashkortostan, as the Central Election Commission on Wednesday officially recognized the results of this past weekend’s vote. Monson will now serve among the 87 ruling United Russia party members who were elected to  Bashkortostan’s 110-seat state assembly, known…

EU Parliament Calls Lukashenko ‘Accomplice’ to Russian War Crimes

The European Parliament has recognized Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko as an “accomplice” to Russia’s military aggression and war crimes in Ukraine, according to a resolution adopted on Wednesday. The resolution condemns Minsk’s involvement in Russia’s “unjustified, illegal, and unprovoked war against Ukraine.”  This involvement includes stationing and training Russian troops in Belarus, which Moscow used…

Russian Warplane Intentionally Targeted British Spy Plane in ‘Near Shoot-Down’ – BBC

A Russian warplane intentionally fired at a British spy aircraft over the Black Sea last year, the BBC reported Thursday, citing three anonymous Western defense sources with knowledge of the incident. One of two Russian Su-27 fighters that shadowed an unarmed Royal Air Force RC-135 reconnaissance plane “released” a missile in international airspace off the…

Russian Proxy Court Jails 2 Ukrainian Soldiers

A Russian-installed court in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region jailed two Ukrainian soldiers for 29 years each, Russia’s Investigative Committee said Wednesday, after it accused them of killing three civilians. Moscow has repeatedly sentenced captured Ukrainian soldiers to long jail terms, in court proceedings that Kyiv does not recognize on Russian-occupied territory. Russia’s Investigative Committee named…

‘We’re All Hostages Here’: Wanted Russian Activists, Draft Dodgers Stuck in Legal Limbo in Kazakhstan

When journalist Yevgeniya Baltatarova arrived in Kazakhstan in March 2022, she had no plans to stay in the country long-term.  Just days before, the Federal Security Service (FSB) raided her apartment in Ulan-Ude, the capital of the Siberian republic of Buryatia. According to Baltatarova, the officers were searching for evidence proving that she violated a then-unpassed “army…

Tech Billionaire Volozh to Remain Under EU Sanctions – Bloomberg

The EU will keep Russian tech billionaire Arkady Volozh under sanctions despite his recent condemnation of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, Bloomberg reported late Tuesday, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter.  Volozh co-founded Russia’s internet giant Yandex and announced his resignation in mid-2022 after being targeted by EU sanctions.  His lawyers last month petitioned the…

Moscow Dismisses ‘Speculation’ About Navalny’s Inclusion in Prisoner Swap

Moscow will not discuss “speculation” about the inclusion of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny in a list of candidates for a prisoner swap with the West, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Wednesday. “This is speculation that requires neither official commentary nor informal discussion,” Zakharova said at a briefing on the sidelines of the…

Estonia Bans Entry to Russian Vehicles

Updated to clarify that the ban applies to passenger vehicles.  Estonia has banned passenger vehicles with Russian license plates from entering the country, authorities in the Baltic nation announced Wednesday amid heated debates over an EU directive on sanctions enforcement. “Starting from today… Estonia will deny entry to all Russian registered vehicles,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna…

Ex-Austrian Minister Who Waltzed With Putin Moves to St. Petersburg With Ponies

A former Austrian foreign minister who danced with Russian President Vladimir Putin at her wedding has moved to St. Petersburg along with her two ponies, according to the independent news outlet The Insider. Karin Kneissl will head the Geopolitical Observatory for Russia’s Key Issues (GORKI), a research center at St. Petersburg State University that was established in…

Putin Touts ‘Futuristic’ Weapons, Chides Exiled Elites in Far East Forum Address

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a wide-ranging address on Tuesday at the annual Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, touching upon Moscow’s protracted war against Ukraine and anti-war elites in exile, while also playing up Russia’s development of “weapons based on new physical principles.” Putin’s remarks come ahead of a rare and closely watched summit with North Korean…

Azerbaijan Allows Russian Aid Delivery Into Nagorno-Karabakh

Russian humanitarian aid arrived Tuesday in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh via territory controlled by Azerbaijan, separatist authorities in the Armenian-populated enclave said. Armenia has accused Azerbaijan of spurring a humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh by closing the single road linking the mountainous territory with Armenia. That roadway, known as the Lachin corridor, is policed by…

N. Korea’s Kim Arrives in Russia for Putin Talks

Updated with Peskov’s remarks about Sergei Shoigu. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s armored train has crossed into Russia ahead of a rare and closely watched summit with President Vladimir Putin, Russian media reported Tuesday. Kim left Pyongyang accompanied by military, government and ruling party officials on Sunday afternoon, according to North Korean state media, his first…