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…

EU Condemns Russian Elections in Occupied Ukraine

The European Union on Monday slammed elections in Russian-occupied Ukraine, warning Kremlin-backed officials and vote organizers that they would face “consequences.” Russia’s Central Election Commission claimed that the pro-Kremlin ruling United Russia party secured overwhelming majorities in the legislative votes in Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, as well as in annexed Crimea.  “The European Union…

Moscow Mayor Sobyanin Wins Re-Election

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has won his third term in office by a sweeping margin following a relatively muted wartime campaign, poll results showed Monday. With 100% of the ballots counted as of early Monday, Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) website showed Sobyanin securing 76.39%, or 2.5 million, of the votes. Moscow’s electoral commission said…

Russia Summons Armenian Ambassador Over ‘Unfriendly Steps’

Russia on Friday summoned the ambassador of Armenia over “unfriendly steps,” as Yerevan announced drills with the U.S. military and has grown increasingly critical of Moscow’s role in the Nagorno-Karabakh standoff. The move followed warnings by the Kremlin against conducting drills with the U.S. and mounting tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory. …

Kremlin Seeks to ‘Legitimize’ Authority With Elections in Occupied Ukraine

The Kremlin is working to solidify its control — both militarily and politically — over the four Moscow-occupied regions of Ukraine with this month’s regional elections there, experts and officials told The Moscow Times. Nearly a year after Moscow staged widely disputed referendums to annex Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, Russian authorities now aim…

Vote Fraud Reported as Russian Local, Regional Elections Get Underway

Reports of widespread voting irregularities have marred the first day of Russia’s local and regional elections, the independent election watchdog Golos reported Friday. Elections are taking place on Sept. 8-10 in 49 Russian regions, as well as annexed Crimea and the four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claims to have annexed, with Kremlin-backed candidates mostly expected to clinch easy…

Russian Airlines Bear Costs of Flights Rerouted By Drone Strikes – RBC

Russian airlines have suffered thousands in additional costs due to regular airport closures prompted by drone strikes inside Russia, the RBC news website reported Friday, citing aviation industry experts.  Moscow’s four international airports have repeatedly restricted access to their runways amid an increasing number of drone attacks on the Russian capital. “If a plane was flying…

Putin Orders State Support for AI as Race Heats Up

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his government to fund research into artificial intelligence as competition with the West to develop such technology heats up, according to a Kremlin document published Thursday. Generative AI bots burst into the spotlight late in 2022 after U.S.-made ChatGPT demonstrated its ability to engage in human-like conversations, prompting Russia…

Russian Border Towns Postpone Local Elections Amid Shelling, Drone Attacks

Russian authorities said Thursday they will “postpone” local elections in two municipalities near the border with Ukraine amid ongoing threats from drone and artillery strikes. Local elections scheduled in the western Belgorod region’s town of Shebekino and the village of Zhuravlyovka were just two of the 4,270 regional and municipal races set to take place across Russia,…

Army General Overseeing Moscow’s Air Defense Charged With Bribery – Kommersant

The former commander of the city of Moscow’s air defense force has been charged with bribery in connection with the expropriation of Russian Defense Ministry-owned land, the Kommersant business daily reported Thursday, citing case materials. Investigators accuse Major General Konstantin Ogienko of receiving through his subordinate part of a 30-million-ruble ($300,000) sum promised by a civilian…

U.S. Announces $1Bln to Aid Ukraine as Russian Strike Kills at Least 17

The European Union condemned the strike along with the “escalation” of Russian attacks on “civilian objects” that has seen hundreds killed or wounded in recent weeks. “Intentional attacks against civilians are war crimes,” the bloc said in a statement. Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that “this Russian war of aggression…

Russia Detains 4 Men for Donating to Navalny’s ‘Extremist’ Orgs

At least four Russians have been detained for donating to jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s “extremist” organizations, state and independent media reported Wednesday. Law enforcement officers carried out searches in connection with financing Navalny’s groups in the Russian cities of Nizhny Novgorod, Moscow and Krasnoyarsk, according to the independent human rights watchdog OVD-Info. The watchdog…

Russia Announces ‘Tactical’ Withdrawal From Ukraine’s Robotyne

A Kremlin-installed official in southern Ukraine admitted Tuesday that Russian forces have withdrawn from the village of Robotyne more than a week after Kyiv announced its recapture. “The Russian army abandoned — tactically abandoned this settlement,” said Yevgeny Balitsky, the Russian-appointed governor of Ukraine’s occupied Zaporizhzhia region. Ukraine, which launched a grinding counteroffensive in June,…

Putin’s Daughter Publishes in Western Academic Journals Amid Ukraine Invasion

Western academic journals have continued to publish articles by President Vladimir Putin’s oldest daughter since Moscow’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the independent news outlet Mozhem Obyasnit reported Tuesday. Maria Vorontsova is a candidate of medical sciences, roughly equivalent to a Ph.D. in Western countries, and an endocrinologist by training.  Her profile on the Moscow State…

Russia-Based Recruiters Lure Cubans to Fight in Ukraine with Promises of Money, Citizenship

Russia-based recruiters are targeting Cuban nationals online for the war in Ukraine, promising them lucrative military contracts, help with relocating to Russia and even citizenship for them and their families, according to an investigation by The Moscow Times’ Russian service.  In a rare accusation against longtime ally Moscow, Cuban authorities announced Tuesday that they had…

Exiled Experts Lament Dashed Hopes for Russia’s Green Energy Transition

Throughout her career, independent renewables expert Tatiana Lanshina has launched innovative research and nonprofit projects related to Russia’s energy transition, including initiatives such as renewable energy certificates under the international I-REC standard.  Following the Kremlin’s military offensive on Ukraine in February 2022, Lanshina realized that her experience in Russia was now worth nothing. Currently based…

Bomb Detonates at St. Petersburg Military Enlistment Office

A bomb went off outside a military enlistment office in St. Petersburg, the local news website Fontanka reported Tuesday, citing eyewitnesses. Local residents reported hearing sounds of explosions near the enlistment office around noon on Tuesday. Authorities cordoned off a nearby abandoned bomb shelter, which Fontanka said sustained “minor damage.” Investigators believe the explosion occurred…