Russia Confirms Secret Talks With U.S., EU on Eve of Nagorno-Karabakh War

Senior Russian, United States and European Union diplomats met in secret on the eve of Azerbaijan’s lightning campaign to retake the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Kremlin confirmed Wednesday. Politico Europe reported Wednesday that U.S.-EU-Russia talks on pressuring Baku to end its nine-month blockade of Karabakh took place on Sept. 17 in Istanbul.  Two days later, Azerbaijan’s…

Sacked Russian General Says Still ‘Serves Fatherland’ – Report

General Sergei Surovikin said he continues to serve Russia amid reports of his dismissal from the Defense Ministry after Yevegny Prigozhin’s failed mutiny in late June, the Noviye Izvestia news outlet reported Tuesday. Surovikin, long considered the main intermediary between the Wagner mercenary outfit and the Russian Defense Ministry, disappeared from public view after Wagner chief Yevgeny…

Kadyrov’s Son Will Not Be Prosecuted for Beating Detained Teen – Reports

Police in the republic of Chechnya’s capital have refused to open a criminal case against regional leader Ramzan Kadyrov’s son over his assault of a Russian teenager on video, the Baza Telegram channel reported Wednesday, citing internal police documents. Adam Kadyrov, 15, was shown last month kicking and punching Nikita Zhuravel, 19, who was arrested in the southern…

Ukraine Says Hit Air Defense System in Russia

Ukraine said Wednesday it struck a Russian anti-aircraft system in the border region of Belgorod overnight, as Kyiv’s attacks on Russian-controlled territory intensify. Since Kyiv launched its counteroffensive in June, Russian regions bordering Ukraine have accused the Ukrainian army of almost daily drone strikes and shelling. An unnamed source in the Ukrainian Security Service source…

Russia Jails State TV Protester 8.5 Years in Absentia

A Russian court sentenced Marina Ovsyannikova, the former state journalist who on live television protested the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, to eight-and-a-half years in prison in absentia, media reported Wednesday. Moscow’s Basmanny District Court convicted Ovsyannikova, who is currently living outside of Russia, of spreading “false information” about the Russian army over her anti-war picket…

Public Records Reveal Russia’s Secret Military, Intelligence Sites – Dossier Center

Publicly available records have revealed the hidden locations of Russia’s military and intelligence agencies across the country, the independent investigative outlet Dossier Center reported. According to Russian law, it is illegal to share any information about military, intelligence and other areas where public disclosure could harm national security. But Dossier said it had found properties…

Toxic Landfill in Southern Russia Catches Fire

A landfill in southern Russia’s Krasnodar region caught fire on Tuesday, sending potentially hazardous smoke over surrounding residential areas, activists and media reported. In a video posted online by a local activist group, large clouds of brownish-gray smoke could be seen billowing over fields and houses near the landfill, which is located outside the village of Poltavskaya.…

Transparency International Russia Relaunches From Abroad

Russia’s branch of the global anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International said Tuesday it has relaunched operations from abroad after being labeled “undesirable” by the authorities. Transparency Russia was forced to dissolve itself earlier this year after being added to the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office’s list of “undesirable” organizations. “The experience and knowledge in the field of anti-corruption…

Russia Places Ukraine’s Ex-Presidential Aide Arestovych on Wanted List

Russian authorities on Tuesday placed Oleksiy Arestovych, the former adviser to Ukraine’s president, on their wanted list in connection with unspecified criminal charges. Arestovych resigned from his position as presidential aide in January over controversial comments he made about a deadly Russian airstrike in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro. Russia’s Interior Ministry database lists…

Russia Charges Top Ukrainian Military Officials With ‘Terrorism’

Russia’s Investigative Committee said Tuesday it would press charges against four senior Ukrainian military officials over drone strikes on Russian territory. Moscow leveled the terrorism charges against Kyiv’s intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov, air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk, navy commander Oleksiy Neizhpapa and Serhiy Burdenyuk, commander of the 383rd unmanned aviation brigade. “It has also been established…

Moscow Records Hottest September Since 1847

Moscow last month experienced its hottest September in 176 years, scientists from the Meteorological Observatory at Moscow State University (MGU) have said, marking the third-warmest September since records began. The average temperature in the Russian capital this September reached 15.5 degrees Celsius, surpassing the historic average of 12.2 C by over three degrees. Temperatures climbed higher only in…

Ukrainian Soldier Calls Russian Tank Manufacturer for Tech Support

A Ukrainian soldier who captured a Russian T-72 tank with mechanical problems filmed himself calling the tank’s manufacturer in Russia for technical support. The soldier, who goes by the callsign “Kochevnik,” called two people said to be senior figures at the Uralvagonzavod tank manufactory in Nizhny Tagil, as shown in a video published by the Telegram channel Ukrainian Militant. “[The…

In Historic First, Russian Activists Appeal to European Rights Court for Climate Justice

Russia’s first-ever climate litigation case is currently moving through the European Court of Human Rights as activists make a last-ditch attempt to challenge the president and the government for failing to meet global climate goals. The case, brought by Russia’s oldest independent human rights organization the Moscow Helsinki Group, along with the environmental group Ecodefense…

As Putin’s Re-Election Looms, Kremlin Pushes to Indoctrinate a New Generation of Voters

The Kremlin has launched a sweeping propaganda campaign to convince young Russians that their country has built the world’s most free and fair elections since President Vladimir Putin came to power, officials have told The Moscow Times. In an unprecedented move, Russian authorities on Monday held a nationwide school lesson marking the 30th anniversary of…

Kazakhstan Won’t Help Russia to Bust Sanctions – President

Kazakhstan’s leader said Thursday his country would not help Russia circumvent Western sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine, amid suspicions that Moscow is still receiving vital goods via Central Asian nations. “Kazakhstan has unambiguously stated that it will follow the sanctions regime,” said President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev following talks in Berlin with German Chancellor Olaf…

Cyberattack on Russian Air Booking System Sparks Flight Delays

A mass cyberattack on Russia’s air booking system Leonardo sparked flight delays among major carriers on Thursday. Russia’s flagship airline Aeroflot said the denial-of-service attack resulted in delays of up to an hour for departures at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport. Aeroflot’s subsidiary Rossiya Airlines reported similar delays at Sheremetyevo, according to Interfax. Less than an…

Russia Says Repelled Incursion in Border Region

Russian authorities said Thursday that an attempted incursion on the country’s southwestern border with Ukraine had been thwarted. “Border guards, together with other security forces, engaged in a battle on the border,” the Belgorod region’s emergency response center said. It did not provide further details. The statement was issued following rumors that a Ukrainian sabotage…

Russia’s FSB Arrests Draft Dodger for Passing Information to Ukraine

A Russian man accused of passing information to Ukrainian intelligence services about defense fortifications in annexed Crimea has been arrested, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said Thursday. Video shared by the state-run TASS news agency showed masked agents apprehending the unidentified man, who was then filmed giving a confession. “I understood the information would be used…

Pro-War Russian Journalists Sent Severed Pig’s Heads – Reports

At least three pro-war Russian journalists have received severed pig’s heads from unknown senders over the past week, according to media reports. The journalists — including state media columnist Timofey Sergeitsev, military expert Konstantin Sivkov and TASS news agency photojournalist Mikhail Tereshchenko — reported having previously received death threats. Sergeitsev, who last year authored a…

Putin Urges Action Over Fuel Price Rise

Russian President Vladimir Putin urged the government to respond “more promptly” to rising fuel prices Wednesday, as the cost of wholesale petrol continued to grow despite an export ban. Russia’s government announced last week it was temporarily limiting exports of petrol and diesel fuel to “stabilize” the domestic market, amid reports of shortages in some…

Kremlin Wavers on Vow to Protect Detained Ex-Karabakh Leader Vardanyan

The Kremlin on Wednesday vowed to “protect the rights” of Ruben Vardanyan, the ex-leader of the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh detained by Azerbaijan, only to backtrack on the promise moments later when journalists pointed out that Vardanyan is no longer a Russian citizen. Azerbaijan’s state border service said Wednesday it detained Vardanyan as he attempted to cross the…