Russia’s top diplomat on Saturday accused Armenian leaders of worsening tensions but voiced hope the country would stay in Moscow’s orbit following furor over Azerbaijan’s recapture of the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh enclave. Speaking at the United Nations, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov charged that Western powers were “pulling the strings” to undermine Russian influence but added, “unfortunately,…
Western powers through their support for Ukraine are “de facto” fighting against Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday, as Kyiv claimed fresh advances on the ground. “You can call it anything you want, but they are fighting with us, they are straight-up fighting with us,” Lavrov told journalists at the United Nations. “We…
A fugitive Russian lawmaker has managed to retain his position in parliament a full year after being convicted on bribery charges, the investigative news website Mozhem Obyasnit reported Friday. Last August, State Duma deputy Vadim Belousov was found guilty of accepting a bribe of 3.2 billion rubles ($49 million) — described as the largest in modern…
Russia on Thursday slammed Bulgaria after it expelled the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in the southern Balkans nation. Bulgarian authorities ordered the Russian Orthodox Church representative in Sofia, Archimandrite Vassian, to leave Bulgaria alongside two Belarusian priests following accusations that they acted in the interests of the Kremlin. Bulgaria’s National Security Agency said the three…
RN-Purneftegaz (part of Rosneft’s oil and gas production complex) summarised the results of the first grant competition to support scientific, practical, applied, educational and research projects aimed at addressing social issues of the indigenous peoples of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District living in the Purovsky District.
Updated with Defense Ministry’s statement that one soldier went missing. The headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in annexed Crimea was targeted by a missile strike on Friday, state media and Kremlin-installed officials said. Russia’s Defense Ministry had said earlier that one serviceman was killed in the strike on Sevastopol, where the Black Sea Fleet is based,…
The Kremlin said on Friday it hopes Russia could once again become part of the Olympic community despite sanctions against Russian athletes over Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has suggested allowing athletes from Russia and Moscow’s ally Belarus to compete as individuals under a neutral flag at the 2024 Olympics in…
Scores of Russian officials have signed up to fight in the Ukraine war since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion nearly 19 months ago. Coming from all corners of the country and holding various positions, these officials harbor a range of motivations for going into military service. While some believe donning army fatigues may help advance…
Russia has imposed “temporary restrictions” on the export of gasoline and diesel in order to stabilize domestic fuel prices, the government said Thursday. “Temporary restrictions will help saturate the fuel market, which will in turn reduce prices for consumers,” Russia’s cabinet of ministers said in a statement. A decree signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin…
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has apologized for the deaths of Russian peacekeepers killed during Baku’s military campaign this week to regain control of the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Kremlin said Thursday. “[Aliyev] emphasized that the most thorough investigation into the incident will be carried out and all those responsible will be duly punished,” the…
One in five mobilized Russian soldiers who died in the Ukraine war were killed less than two months after being enlisted, the independent investigative outlet IStories and the war monitoring project Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT) reported Thursday, citing publicly available data. IStories and CIT said their figures are based on data related to the deaths of…
Moscow said Thursday it had downed multiple Ukrainian drones overnight in annexed Crimea and the Black Sea, as well as in parts of western Russia. “Air defense systems destroyed 19 Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea and the territory of the Republic of Crimea,” the Russian Defense Ministry said on the messaging app Telegram. Mikhail…
The Kremlin has ordered media and lawmakers to blame Armenia for Azerbaijan’s latest attack on the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, Russia’s independent news outlets Meduza and Vyorstka reported Wednesday, citing anonymous sources. The circulated instructions to media and officials follow Armenia’s frustration over what it sees as Russia’s failure to guarantee its security amid escalating…
When lawyer Olga Slastunina chose Troitsk as her new home back in 2006, the presence of the vast Troitsky Forest on her doorstep was one of the main draws. This green expanse, which she describes as “an absolute marvel,” created a special atmosphere in Troitsk, an academic town of 60,000 inhabitants that became a part…
Azerbaijan on Wednesday announced it had halted its military operation in the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh after separatist Armenian forces agreed to lay down their arms and hold reintegration talks. Baku and the ethnic-Armenian authorities in Karabakh said a ceasefire deal had been brokered by Russian peacekeepers to stop the fighting a day after Azerbaijan…
Norway will be the last European nation that borders Russia to ban Russian-registered vehicles amid an uproar over an EU directive on import restrictions. Over the past week, Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Poland have implemented bans on passenger vehicles with Russian license plates. “Norway will introduce restrictions on importing and using Russian-registered cars in…
Several residents and rescue workers were killed when a gas explosion ripped through a late Soviet-era apartment building outside Moscow, authorities and state media reported Wednesday. Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry said first responders arrived soon after being alerted in the early morning of an incident in the suburb of Balashikha, northeast of Moscow. Footage shared by…
Ukrainian drones likely attacked Wagner-backed paramilitary forces in Sudan, CNN reported Tuesday, citing anonymous Ukrainian and Sudanese military sources as well as footage of the aerial strikes. Videos shared by CNN show 14 separate drone attacks on the stronghold of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the city of Omdurman, located across the Nile River…
Russia said early Wednesday it had destroyed four Ukrainian drones overnight in two western regions. In the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, an attack at around 9:00 pm by two drones had been “thwarted,” the Russian Defense said on the messaging app Telegram. Another attack was reported in the Oryol region, which is located further…
The outbreak of fresh hostilities between South Caucasus foes Azerbaijan and Armenia over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh marks the latest example of Moscow’s diminished sway in the region, experts have said. Azerbaijan on Tuesday launched a military operation in the majority-Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh nearly three years after fighting a brutal war with Yerevan…
Russia has threatened to block the adoption of a new political declaration at the UN Sustainable Development Goals Summit in New York, arguing that sanctions undermine its own progress toward achieving them, the Coalition for Sustainable Development of Russia (CSDR) said Monday. In a joint letter to the UN General Assembly, Russia — along with…
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu arrived in Iran Tuesday for meetings to deepen Moscow’s defense ties with Tehran, Russian news agencies reported. Moscow has sought to strengthen its alliances with other countries ostracised by the West, including Iran, which has supplied Moscow with attack drones for its offensive in Ukraine. “During the visit, the Russian…
A ban on Russian-registered vehicles by Moscow’s European Union neighbors appears set to hurt not only ordinary Russians but also political dissidents and Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russia. Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Poland have implemented bans on passenger vehicles with Russian license plates in recent days amid intense debate over the enforcement of an EU directive…
Speculation over Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov’s health condition has mounted in recent days following claims in Ukrainian media that he is in a coma or even dead. Kadyrov, 46, has ruled the North Caucasus republic of Chechnya for 15 years, earning a reputation for brutality both within his region and towards civilians in Ukraine. In…
South Korea summoned the Russian ambassador on Tuesday, the foreign ministry said, to warn Moscow over military cooperation with North Korea the country’s leader Kim Jong Un met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia. Kim spent nearly a week touring Russia’s Far East before returning home Monday, visiting a space centre and weapons factories. The…
A Moscow court on Tuesday rejected U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich’s appeal against the three-month extension of his pre-trial detention on spying charges, media reported Tuesday. Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal and former Moscow Times journalist, had challenged the judge’s August decision to extend his custody until Nov. 30. The Moscow City Court…
Turkey has become a leading destination for exports of coal from Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions this year, according to an investigation by Reuters published Tuesday. About 160,400 tons of coal — or 95% of all shipments — from the regions were delivered to the NATO member state between February and July this year,…
Azerbaijan on Tuesday launched a military operation in the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region and demanded the total withdrawal of Armenian forces from the disputed mountainous territory as a precondition for peace. Fears of a fresh war have been building in recent months, with Armenia accusing Azerbaijan of a troop build-up and decrying a blockade of its…
Azerbaijan on Tuesday launched a military operation against the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region and demanded the total withdrawal of Armenian forces from the disputed mountainous territory as a precondition for peace. Fears of a fresh war have been growing in recent months, with Armenia accusing Azerbaijan of a troop build-up and decrying a blockade of its…
The Kremlin is considering running media personality Alexei Venediktov as Vladimir Putin’s “liberal” rival in the 2024 presidential elections, the Vedomosti business daily reported Tuesday, citing four anonymous sources close to the presidential administration. Venediktov is the former editor-in-chief of Ekho Moskvy, a liberal-leaning radio station that was blocked by authorities days after Russia invaded Ukraine…
The Kremlin has instructed Russian state-run media outlets to stop referring to Volodymyr Zelensky as “president” of Ukraine, the independent news website Holod reported Monday, citing the recipients of the presidential administration’s directive. Television broadcasters and online publications are instead advised to use the phrase “the Zelensky regime” or call the Ukrainian president by name…
Moscow and Beijing are closely aligned in their positions on the United States and resolving the Ukraine conflict, the Russian Foreign Ministry said following talks between their top diplomats on Monday. The statement came after China’s Wang Yi kicked off a four-day visit to Moscow with a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the…
MTSKHETA-MTIANETI, Georgia — In the mountain village of Zemo Mleta, locals’ memories of Georgia’s 2008 war with Russia run deep. “Some of my friends fled their homes in South Ossetia after the horror that happened in 2008,” said Tamar, a woman selling souvenirs at a roadside market. The five-day conflict ended with the region of…
Russian legal news website Advokatskaya Ulitsa announced Monday it will close at the end of this month over its “foreign agent” status. “After Ultisa was added to the [foreign agent] registry, I as a publisher was left with few options for organizing the project’s further work,” the website’s editor-in-chief Katerina Gorbunova said. “I’m not satisfied…
Rosneft employees took part in the Moscow Marathon.
Chinese curbs on the export of drones and their components have caused supply disruptions and shortages in Russia, the Kommersant business daily reported Monday. Beijing this summer announced the drone export restrictions, which came into effect on Sept. 1, after Washington accused it of aiding Moscow’s war efforts in Ukraine. Chinese authorities said the restrictions…
A pregnant Russian soldier has been sentenced to six years in prison for desertion in a precedent-setting case, the newspaper Kommersant reported Monday. Lance Corporal Madina Kabaloyeva was found guilty of failing to report for duty during Russia’s “partial” mobilization, which started in September 2022, a wartime crime punishable by up to 10 years in…
Russia hit out at Ukraine at the International Court of Justice on Monday, as the two warring countries squared off in a legal case over Moscow’s claim that “genocide” in eastern Ukraine was a pretext for last year’s invasion. Moscow’s representative, Gennady Kuzmin, said Ukraine’s case that Russia “abused” the United Nations Genocide Convention as…
China’s top diplomat Wang Yi will begin a four-day trip to Russia for security talks on Monday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, the latest in a series of high-level visits and phone calls between the two sides. Wang will hold security consultations at the invitation of Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of Russia’s security council, with China’s…
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…
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…
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un expressed his “heartfelt thanks” to President Vladimir Putin, state media said Monday, as he headed home after nearly a week in Russia. Kim’s tour of Russia’s Far East, which began Tuesday, has sparked concern in the West that Pyongyang could provide Moscow with weapons for its war in Ukraine. During…
Russia said it repelled Ukrainian drone attacks over several parts of Crimea, outer Moscow and two border regions on Sunday. Crimea has been targeted by Ukraine throughout Russia’s offensive but attacks there have recently intensified as Kyiv vows to recapture the Black Sea peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014. And since Ukraine launched its counter-offensive…
Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov on Sunday released new video footage in which he smiled and recommended everyone practise sport, in an apparent move to quash speculation about his ill health. Speculation has swirled for months that the hugely influential 46-year-old head of Chechnya accused by rights groups of running a “totalitarian regime” might be ill.…
Russia said it has sent 35 emergency doctors and humanitarian aid to eastern Libya, after the country was hit by unprecedented flooding a week ago. “The ministry’s third plane with specialists…has landed in Libya. Around 35 employees of Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations will provide medical assistance to the population affected by the floods,” said…
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un left Russia on Sunday on his armoured train, Russian news agencies reported, wrapping up a six-day trip which has focused largely on military matters. Kim’s first official visit abroad since the coronavirus pandemic has fanned Western fears that Moscow and Pyongyang will defy sanctions and strike an arms deal.…
Russia shot down one Ukrainian drone over the outskirts of Moscow and six others over the annexed Crimean peninsula on Sunday, according to the Ministry of Defense. At around 1:45 am one drone was intercepted over Moscow’s Istrinsky district, the Defense Ministry said in a Telegram post. “According to preliminary data, there was no damage…
One person died in a Russian village near the border with Ukraine in a Ukrainian strike, the regional governor of Kursk said Saturday. Governor Roman Starovoit said on Telegram the village of Plekhovo “was bombarded from Ukraine,” adding that “a man of 30 was killed after receiving injuries from shell shrapnel.” Starovoit said several houses…
North Macedonia has ordered expulsion of three more Russian diplomats in the third such move since the start of the Russian invasion on Ukraine last year, the foreign ministry confirmed on Saturday. The ambassador of the Russian Federation in Skopje, Sergey Bazdnikin was summoned on Sept. 12 and was informed that three of his colleagues…
Russia said Saturday that its forces had not been pushed out of Andriivka, a village near the key frontline town of Bakhmut, a day after Ukraine said it had “liberated” the site and inflicted heavy losses on enemy troops. Andriivka is around 14 kilometers (nine miles) south of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, where Kyiv…
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…
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met Saturday with the Russian defense minister in Vladivostok, where he inspected state-of-the-art weapons including a hypersonic missile system on the latest leg of a rare visit outside his country. Upon arriving in Vladivostok, a Pacific port city near the Chinese and North Korean borders, Kim was greeted by…
Russian energy giant Gazprom said Friday it has made the first delivery of liquefied natural gas to China via the Arctic Northern Sea Route as receding ice sheets render the route more viable. Moscow hopes the route will help increase oil and gas deliveries to Asia at a time when its traditional European clients are…
A shopping mall in the Russian city of Izhevsk is set to be converted into a drone production facility, the third such repurposing in the city over the past year, local activists said Friday. The Russian drone manufacturer Aeroscan recently purchased Izhevsk’s Stolitsa shopping mall and notified its tenants that their leases would be terminated…
Finland will ban entry to passenger vehicles registered in Russia starting Saturday, the Nordic country’s top diplomat announced Friday afternoon. “Our decision is for the ban to come into force after midnight,” Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen was quoted as saying by the state broadcaster Yle. “We estimate the new rules will significantly reduce traffic on the…
The Kremlin on Friday denied a Russian investigation into a mysterious plane crash that killed Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has been too slow, despite no update on what may have caused the crash in more than three weeks. Western countries suspected foul play and pointed to the Kremlin when Prigozhin’s plane crashed between Moscow and…
Russia’s Central Bank raised interest rates from 12% to 13% on Friday as it said it remains concerned about an inflationary spiral taking hold across the Russian economy. The move is the second rate hike in two months following an emergency meeting in August held after the Russian ruble fell below 100 against the U.S.…
Russia on Friday sentenced a soldier to 13 years in a “maximum security” penal colony for deserting his unit to avoid fighting in Ukraine. Moscow has handed severe punishments for desertion during mobilization — which triggered a wave of emigration last year — and to soldiers who refused to go into battle. A military tribunal…
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…
A Russian court has sentenced a Russian man to 12.5 years in prison on treason charges related to arms smuggling to the United States, state-run news agencies reported Friday, citing the Federal Security Service (FSB). Sergei Kabanov was arrested in 2021, though the exact date of his detention remains unknown. Details of Kabanov’s case were kept under tight wraps…