Russia Adds DOXA Co-Founder Aramyan to ‘Terrorists and Extremists’ List

Russia’s state financial watchdog Rosfinmonitoring added Armen Aramyan, editor and co-founder of the independent youth Magazine DOXA, to the country’s list of “terrorists and extremists,” the outlet reported Tuesday. Last week, a Moscow court ordered Aramyan’s arrest in absentia on charges of “justifying terrorism” and spreading “fakes” about the military on social media. Prosecutors did…

Russia’s Army Plans to Enlist 20,000 Criminal Defendants for Ukraine War – IStories

Russia’s Defense Ministry plans to enlist around 20,000 people currently held in pre-trial detention to fight in Ukraine, the investigative news outlet IStories reported Tuesday, citing anonymous military and legal sources. According to a military official who spoke to IStories, efforts are already underway to identify who among the thousands of defendants awaiting trial might…

Russia’s Army Plans to Enlist 20K Criminal Defendants for Ukraine War – IStories

Russia’s Defense Ministry plans to enlist around 20,000 people currently held in pre-trial detention to fight in Ukraine, the investigative news outlet IStories reported Tuesday, citing anonymous military and legal sources. According to a military official who spoke to IStories, efforts are already underway to identify who among the thousands of defendants awaiting trial might…

Russia’s FSB Detains Nearly 40 Alleged Supporters of ‘Ukrainian Terrorist’ Groups

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) on Tuesday announced the arrests of nearly 40 individuals, including teenagers, accused of supporting “Ukrainian terrorist” groups. “Thirty-nine radicals aged 14 to 35, supporters of Ukrainian terrorist organizations banned in Russia, were detained,” the FSB said in a statement. The law enforcement body accused them of “inciting children and adolescents…

Russian Strike on Kherson Kills 6

A Russian strike on the center of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson killed six people on Tuesday, the regional prosecutor’s office said. Video published by the region’s governor showed debris and broken glass strewn around a market, while several bodies lay on the pavement. “Around 9:00 am… Russian forces struck the center of Kherson,…

Moscow Police Arrest 3 Journalists Outside Annexation Celebration on Red Square

Three journalists working for independent Russian media outlets were arrested in Moscow late Monday outside a concert celebrating the Kremlin’s claimed annexation of Ukrainian regions, the human rights watchdog OVD-Info said. The concert marked two years since President Vladimir Putin signed decrees annexing the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, along with the southern Zaporizhzhia…

Russian PM Mishustin Arrives in Tehran for Talks With Iranian President

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin landed in Tehran on Monday to meet with Iranian President Massed Pezeshkian, the Russian government announced. The visit comes ahead of a planned meeting between Pezeshkian and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Oct. 22-24 BRICS summit in the Tatarstan capital of Kazan. Mishustin’s trip also follows Western accusations that…

Unredacted Report on Navalny’s Death Shows Signs of Possible Poisoning – The Insider

An official Russian investigation into the death of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was redacted to remove any indications of possible poisoning, The Insider reported Sunday, citing “hundreds” of documents it said it had obtained. Navalny’s widow revealed last month that she received a letter from Russian investigators claiming there were no signs of foul play…

Russian Military to Have Authority Over Nuclear Strike Conditions, Kremlin Says

Russia’s Defense Ministry will soon have the authority to determine whether the conditions for using nuclear weapons are met, the Kremlin said Sunday, following announced plans to revise the country’s nuclear doctrine. “This is the prerogative of our specialists, our military, who are closely monitoring the weapons used and how they are being employed,” Kremlin…

Russian PM to Meet Iranian President in Tehran

Russia announced Sunday that Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin will meet Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran on Monday. The announcement came as Russia has condemned Israel’s “political murder” of Iran-backed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut. Mishustin will hold talks with Pezeshkian and First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref, the government statement said. “It is…

Russia Says Destroyed 125 Ukrainian Drones

Russia downed 125 Ukrainian drones over its territory overnight, the defense ministry said Sunday, with regional governors reporting some damage but no casualties from the attack. “125 Ukrainian fixed-wing UAVs were destroyed and intercepted by air defense systems on duty,” the ministry said on Telegram. Sixty-seven were destroyed over the Volgograd region in southern Russia,…

In Russia, International Safe Abortion Day Is a Reminder of Reproductive Rights Backsliding

Women’s rights activists across the globe on Saturday marked International Safe Abortion Day.  But for many in Russia, the occasion was a bitter reminder of how far the country’s government has backtracked on its once-liberal abortion policies, leaving thousands of women with increasingly limited access to safe, affordable and timely abortion care.  This week, the…

Russia Tries Independent Election Monitor Co-Chair

The co-chair of an independent Russian election monitoring watchdog, Grigory Melkonyants, went on trial Friday accused of cooperation with an “undesirable” organization. The trial of the co-leader of Golos, one of Russia’s most prominent rights movements, comes as Moscow has intensified its crackdown on critical voices since launching its offensive in Ukraine. Melkonyants, who denies…

Russian Defense Contractor Arrested for Supplying Faulty Equipment

Russian law enforcement authorities arrested the manager of a Russian defense contractor, accusing him of defrauding the military by supplying substandard equipment, Russia’s Investigative Committee said Friday. Vladislav Pylsky, who manages a subsidiary of the Siberian Navigation Company, allegedly provided the military with goods that “did not meet technical requirements,” costing the armed forces 164 million rubles ($1.76…

Russian Prosecutors Seek Life Sentence for Nationalist Writer’s Alleged Attacker

Russian prosecutors are seeking a life sentence for Alexander Permyakov, who is accused of trying to assassinate pro-war nationalist writer Zakhar Prilepin, the independent news website Mediazona reported Friday. Permyakov was arrested last May after a car bomb wounded Prilepin and killed his security guard in the Nizhny Novgorod region. According to his lawyer, Permyakov…

U.S. Intel Warns of ‘Lethal’ Response From Moscow if Ukraine Strikes Deeper Into Russia – NYT

U.S. intelligence officials believe Russia could retaliate with lethal force if the Biden administration allows Ukraine to use Western weapons to strike deep within Russian territory, The New York Times reported Thursday, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter. The warning comes as President Vladimir Putin this week announced plans to revise Russia’s nuclear weapons…

Russia May Soon Block Discord – Kommersant

Russian authorities may soon block the popular messaging platform Discord, the Kommersant business daily reported Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter. Discord, which allows users to communicate in virtual communities known as “servers,” is widely used by gamers, students and cryptocurrency traders. It reportedly has between 29 and 40 million active users in Russia.…

Russia Charges Australian, Romanian Journalists Over Reporting From Kursk

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) pressed criminal charges against two Australian journalists and one Romanian journalist for illegally crossing the border into the southwestern Kursk region while on reporting assignments, state media reported Friday. Authorities in Russia have so far charged 12 foreign journalists over their work in the Kursk region following a surprise incursion…

Google Restricts Account Creation in Russia, Digital Ministry Says

Google has restricted the creation of new accounts inside Russia, state media reported Thursday, citing Russia’s Digital Communications Ministry. Authorities said that Telecom operators reported a “significant decrease in the number of SMS messages sent by” Google to users in Russia, referring to messages the tech company uses to verify new account creation. While two-factor authentication…

Russia’s Belgorod Region to Equip School Buses With Anti-Drone Tech

School buses in southwestern Russia’s Belgorod region will soon be outfitted with “electronic warfare systems” designed to counter drone attacks, the region’s governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said Thursday. These electronic warfare systems work by disrupting radio frequencies, effectively jamming communication, targeting systems and radars used by drones. The Belgorod region received 55 of the systems, according…

Beer Sales Surge in Russia

Beer sales in Russia have seen significant growth since the start of the year, outpacing other fast-moving consumer goods, the Kommersant business daily reported Thursday, citing market data. According to NielsenIQ, a global marketing research firm, beer sales in Russia rose 8.7% year-on-year between January and July, a stark contrast to the modest 1.6% growth…

Russia Returns 9 Ukrainian Children With Help From Qatar

Authorities in Moscow returned nine Ukrainian children with the help of Qatari mediators, Russia’s presidential commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, announced Thursday. Lvova-Belova posted photos on Telegram showing her alongside Qatari Ambassador Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, speaking to the children at the Qatari Embassy in Moscow. “There are eight boys, ages 12 to…

Russia Convicts Nearly 800 Foreign Nationals Fighting for Ukraine Since 2014

Russia has convicted 785 foreign nationals for fighting on the side of Ukraine since hostilities between the two countries first broke out in 2014, Russia’s Investigative Committee said Thursday. Investigators disclosed the figure while announcing criminal charges against Georgian citizen Giorgi Goglidze, accusing him of fighting for Kyiv “for monetary compensation.” In November 2023, Russia’s…

Moscow in Secret Talks to Supply Missiles to Iran-Backed Houthis – Reuters

Moscow has been secretly negotiating the delivery of anti-ship cruise missiles to Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militias, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing anonymous Western and regional sources. “Russia is negotiating with the Houthis for the transfer of [P-800] Yakhont supersonic anti-ship missiles,” a Western intelligence told Reuters. The talks are reportedly brokered by Iran, though Tehran seeks to…