Over 200 Russian Athletes Change ‘Sport Nationality’ to Keep Competing – Reports

At least 204 Russian athletes have changed their sport nationality in order to continue competing in international events and avoid bans over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the independent Kholod news website reported Thursday, citing publicly available information. An athlete’s sport nationality refers to the country they officially represent in their sport, which may differ from their…

Russian General Slams ‘Treacherous’ Top Brass in Post-Mutiny Audio

A Russian army general was heard railing against his superiors for “treacherously decapitating” the military after his dismissal in an audio message shared by a federal lawmaker late Wednesday. The speech criticizing Russia’s military leadership marks the first publicly known instance of a regular army officer voicing disaffection after Wagner’s failed mutiny last month —…

Russian General Reportedly Killed in Ukraine

A Russian general was reportedly killed in occupied southeastern Ukraine, Ukrainian and Russian officials said Tuesday. Lieutenant General Oleg Tsokov was targeted in a Monday night missile strike on a hotel in the Russian-occupied resort city of Berdiansk, according to Petro Andryushchenko, an aide to Mariupol’s Ukrainian mayor now operating outside the Russian-held city. “It was…

Russian Spy Chief Confirms Call With CIA Counterpart

Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), confirmed Wednesday that he held a phone call with CIA director William Burns in the days after Wagner’s mercenary mutiny last month. The New York Times and Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous U.S. officials, reported that Burns had called Naryshkin in late June to reassure him that Washington…

4 Missing in Russia’s Flood-Hit Black Sea Coast

At least four people are missing along southern Russia’s Black Sea coast, which has been battered by heavy rains and flash floods since the weekend, news agencies reported Wednesday. The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry’s Krasnodar region branch said it was organizing a search and rescue operation where local authorities issued a state of emergency earlier…

War, Sanctions Force Russian Officials to Vacation Close to Home – Reports

Russian officials are opting out of traditional European travel destinations in favor of those closer to home for their summer vacations, the investigative outlet Vyorstka reported Wednesday, citing multiple anonymous lawmakers and regional officials. Western sanctions and the Kremlin’s strict controls on foreign travel are limiting options for Russian civil servants to domestic resorts, ex-Soviet…

Belarusian Artist, Political Prisoner Dies in Jail

Belarusian artist and political prisoner Ales Pushkin died early Tuesday at a hospital where he was urgently transferred from a prison facility, the Belarusian human rights center Viasna reported, citing the artist’s wife.  The reasons for the 57-year-old dissident’s hospitalization in intensive care as well as the circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear. An acclaimed artist…

Russian Draft Officer, Ex-Submarine Commander Gunned Down in Krasnodar

A senior Russian draft officer and former submarine commander who Kyiv accuses of being behind missile attacks on Ukraine has been shot and killed in southern Russia, authorities said late Monday. Captain Stanislav Rzhitsky, 42, served as deputy head of the Krasnodar city administration’s mobilization department when he was reported as having been gunned down during a morning…

Russia’s First Transgender Politician Says Won’t Seek Election as Country Votes on Sex Change Ban

Russia’s first transgender politician announced Monday that she will not run in this year’s upcoming gubernatorial elections as federal lawmakers pursue a ban on legal or surgical sex changes. Yulia Alyoshina, the former head of the Civic Initiative party in Siberia’s Altai region, had been nominated as her party’s candidate for the regional governor elections…

Prigozhin Met Putin in Person After Failed Mutiny, Kremlin Confirms

President Vladimir Putin met with Russia’s Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and his fighters after their failed mutiny, the Kremlin confirmed Monday. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Putin had welcomed Prigozhin and 34 Wagner commanders at the Kremlin on June 29. “The commanders themselves outlined their version of events, emphasizing that they are soldiers…

Russian Army Chief Makes First Post-Mutiny Appearance Amid Rumors of Dismissal

Russia’s top military commander in Ukraine Valery Gerasimov on Monday made his first public appearance following Yevgeny Prigozhin’s failed mutiny last month. Gerasimov was shown in a Defense Ministry video listening to reports and instructing subordinates on Russia’s response to increased Ukrainian missile attacks on Russian territory and annexed Crimea. “I’m tasking the Aerospace Forces…

Uzbek President Cements Power with Election Win

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has won a third term that will keep him in charge of the tightly controlled, gas-rich Central Asian state until 2030, the electoral commission said on Monday. The 65-year-old has promised to open up Uzbekistan to foreign investment and tourism and implement major reforms in Central Asia’s most populous country. Mirziyoyev,…

47,000 Russian Troops Killed in Ukraine – Report

At least 47,000 Russian troops have been killed fighting in Ukraine, the independent news outlets Mediazona and Meduza reported in an investigation published Monday. Citing data from Russia’s national probate registry — a public database that records information on inheritances — and the government statistics agency Rosstat, journalists used a surge in probate cases opened…

The FSB’s Arrests of Russians Accused of Funding Ukraine’s Army, Explained

Russian law enforcement and security services have regularly reported investigations, detentions and arrests of Russian citizens suspected of financially supporting Ukraine’s army since March. Over the past month, however, such announcements have become increasingly frequent.  Little is known about the veracity of such cases, which are prosecuted as treason and punishable by up to life…

Russian Military Targets Women in Recruitment Ad

Russia’s Defense Ministry has launched a recruitment campaign targeting women for roles as doctors, nurses and cooks in the military, with possible deployment in occupied Ukraine, independent media reported Thursday. “Sign a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry in the same ranks as men,” read an advertisement in the western Siberian region of Omsk.  The…