Early one morning in July 2023, I boarded a minibus for a weekend pilgrimage to the Pochaiv Monastery in western Ukraine. The country’s second-largest Orthodox complex after the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, it was founded by monks who fled after the Mongols sacked the capital in 1240. Though it lies on the edge of a mainly…
A court in Moscow on Thursday sentenced a 59-year-old nurse to eight years in prison for social media posts opposing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Olga Menshikh was accused of spreading “fake” information about the military with two VKontakte posts that condemned Russian strikes on Vinnytsia, Ukraine that killed 28 people in July 2022 and Russian…
A Moscow court ordered that the trial of a 72-year-old U.S. citizen, accused of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine, proceed in secret on Thursday. The man, identified as Stefan Hubbard of Michigan, appeared in court wearing a black hat and beige jacket, walking slowly and dragging his feet, an AFP journalist reported from the…
A rescue operation to release a family of four killer whales from shallow waters off Far East Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula is continuing for the second day, emergency officials said Thursday. Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry said Wednesday the two orcas and two calves were caught in a low tide in the Sea of Okhotsk. Video published…
A young Russian man imprisoned in Chechnya for allegedly burning a Quran faces new charges of “high treason” that could see him sentenced to life in prison, the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office said Thursday. Nikita Zhuravel, 20, is serving three-and-a-half years in Chechen prison for “offending religious believers” and “hooliganism” after he was accused of…
President Vladimir Putin has appointed a military officer from occupied eastern Ukraine as his envoy to Russia’s Urals region, a key defense industry hub. Lieutenant Colonel Artyom Zhoga, the chairman of the Russian-installed parliament of Ukraine’s Donetsk region, gained fame when he was filmed last December asking Putin to stand for re-election. During the choreographed exchange,…
A new peace prize backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin bearing Leo Tolstoy’s name has divided the writer’s descendants, bringing to mind the unhappy families of his novel “Anna Karenina.” At the famed Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, the first Leo Tolstoy International Peace Prize was awarded on September 9 to the African Union, in the…
A list of 79 “blacklisted” artists that includes Beyonce, Lana Del Rey and Metallica is circulating among Russian ad agencies and event organizers, the investigative news website Vyorstka reported Wednesday, citing two anonymous sources in the industry. The list’s recipients are strongly urged to exclude the artists’ songs from their ads and other promotional materials, as…
Russian law enforcement agencies have opened a criminal case against the creators of the Universal Anonymous Payment System (UAPS) and the cryptocurrency exchange Cryptex. UAPS and other anonymous payment systems are believed to provide money transfer and laundering services directly to cybercriminals, while Cryptex gives its users anonymity by allowing them to register without providing…
Donetsk region, UKRAINE — In a dusty sky, the last storks of Donbas fly off to other horizons for the winter. Their supple wings, in the evening light, glide over fields of dried sunflowers and disappear behind massive slag heaps that, from one valley to another, seem to rise out of nowhere. Philippe, 30, a…
President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday signed laws to allow defendants in criminal cases to sign military contracts and be deployed to fight in Ukraine, expanding the pool of potential recruits for Russia’s two-and-a-half-year war. Under the new amendments, defendants who sign military contracts can have their criminal cases suspended at the request of a military unit…
Four independent Russian journalists went on trial Wednesday for “extremism” charges related to their alleged work for late opposition activist Alexei Navalny’s team. Antonina Favorskaya, Konstantin Gabov, Sergei Karelin and Artyom Kriger, who have all reported on Navalny as journalists, were detained this spring and summer on charges of “participating in an extremist community.” They were accused of…
The European Union took a step towards sanctioning Russia on Wednesday for a string of recent hybrid attacks and acts of sabotage across Europe, diplomats said. The EU and NATO have accused Moscow of being behind a spate of incidents aimed at destabilizing the West, as the two sides are at loggerheads over the Kremlin’s…
Russia’s federal budget for 2025-2027 submitted by the government to the State Duma could contribute to higher-than-expected inflation, analysts at Renaissance Capital warned Tuesday. According to bne IntelliNews, the 2025 budget boosts military spending by 25%, with the Russian Central Bank warning of fiscal risks to inflation. In addition, the planned indexation of housing and utility…
The Kremlin on Wednesday expressed worry over the latest escalation in the Middle East, calling on “all sides” to show “restraint” after Israel vowed to make Iran “pay” for firing a barrage of missiles at its territory. “This situation is developing according to the most worrying scenario,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “We call all…
Ukraine’s army said Wednesday it was withdrawing from the eastern town of Vuhledar, facing intense Russian attacks and the risk of being encircled. “The High Command gave permission for a maneuver to withdraw units from Vuhledar in order to save personnel and military equipment and take up a position for further operations,” the Khortytsia group…
Russian soldiers allegedly shot dead 16 Ukrainian prisoners of war in eastern Ukraine, marking the largest known execution of POWs in the two-and-a-half-year war, Ukrainian prosecutors said Tuesday. Ukraine’s prosecutor general’s office said videos circulating on social media appeared to show Russian servicemen committing the war crime near the Donetsk region city of Pokrovsk, which Moscow…
Russia has opened a criminal case against opposition politician Lev Shlosberg for allegedly failing to comply with restrictions on “foreign agents.” Shlosberg, who chairs the Pskov regional branch of the liberal Yabloko party, was designated as a “foreign agent” last year for opposing the war in Ukraine as well as “spreading false information about the decisions…
A tight-knit family of hackers and intelligence operatives was the driving force behind Russia’s “Evil Corp” cybercrime syndicate, sanctions leveled by London, Washington and Canberra have revealed. Once considered the “most significant cybercrime threat in the world,” Evil Corp has been credited with spying on NATO allies at the behest of Russia’s intelligence services. It…
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday told Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin he was ready to “expand” cooperation, as the two leaders exchanged congratulations on the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations, state media said. Xi said China was “ready to join Putin to constantly expand all-round pragmatic cooperation between [our] two countries,” state news agency Xinhua…
A Russian court sentenced 13 young men to up to 23 years in prison each on Wednesday for acts of railway sabotage in Moscow and Siberia aimed at thwarting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The court’s press service said the men were part of an “organized criminal group” that aimed to “influence the Russian authorities to cease…
At least three baby kangaroos have gone missing from two Russian zoos within a week, sparking suspicion that the animals may have been stolen in a coordinated campaign, according to media reports. Police in the Yaroslavl region, northeast of Moscow, launched a criminal investigation after a kangaroo born in the winter disappeared from its enclosure…
Moscow urged Israel to “immediately” pull its troops out of southern Lebanon on Tuesday after the Israeli military began what it said were “ground raids” against Hezbollah militants in the area. Israel announced the incursion after a week of intense air strikes on Lebanon that left hundreds dead and sparked international condemnation. In a major…
Moscow urged Israel to “immediately” pull its troops out of southern Lebanon on Tuesday after the Israeli military began what it said were “ground raids” against Hezbollah militants in the area. Israel announced the incursion after a week of intense air strikes on Lebanon that left hundreds dead and sparked international condemnation. In a major…
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 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 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 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…
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz plans to hold his first phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin in nearly two years, the German weekly Die Zeit reported Tuesday, citing anonymous government sources in Berlin. Although not yet officially requested, sources told Die Zeit that the phone call is being considered ahead of the G20 summit in…
Russia’s manufacturing sector contracted in September for the first time in two and a half years, following 28 consecutive months of growth since May 2022, according to a business survey published Tuesday. S&P Global’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for Russian manufacturing fell to 49.5 in September, down from 52.1 the month before, when the sector…
Authorities in St. Petersburg forced the cancelation of an annual Holocaust commemoration event scheduled for this weekend, citing Covid-19 restrictions, the Jewish Community Center of St. Petersburg announced on social media. This marks the first official ban on the mourning ceremony in the 32 years since it has been held in the municipality of Pushkin, including during…
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,…
Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer, has successfully merged with the outdoor advertising firm Russ Group, CEO Tatyana Kim announced Tuesday, following a bitter feud with her co-founder and ex-husband. Wildberries and Russ Group initially revealed plans to merge in June, creating a new digital trading platform called RWB. Reports at the time said Kim and…
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…
Russia’s government plans to increase defense spending by about 30% next year as it diverts more resources to fund its war in Ukraine, according to Russia’s draft budget plans, which were published on Monday. Moscow has already ramped up its military spending to levels not seen since the Soviet era, as it pumps out missiles…
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…
Russia’s Defense Ministry plans to enlist 133,000 young men for mandatory military service this fall and winter, according to a decree signed by President Vladimir Putin on Monday. Along with the 150,000 men drafted in the spring, the Russian military will have conscripted 283,000 men by the end of 2024. In the 2023 fall call-up,…
A 72-year-old American man detained in Russia pleaded guilty to fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported Monday. Last week, a Moscow court ordered Stephen Hubbard to be placed in pre-trial detention until March 26, 2025. Prosecutors accuse him of having signed a monthly contract with the Ukrainian military…
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…
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 President Vladimir Putin on Monday vowed that Moscow would achieve all the goals it has set for itself in the ongoing war against Ukraine. “The truth is on our side. All goals set will be achieved,” Putin said in a video message released to mark the second anniversary of what Russia calls “Reunification Day”…
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…
Europe’s physics lab CERN said Sunday that some 500 scientists linked to Russian institutes will be affected when it stops cooperation with Russia in late November as planned. CERN’s decision-making body agreed in June 2022 to terminate cooperation agreements with Russia and its ally Belarus over the war in Ukraine. Thus, Belarus’s five-year agreement was…
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,…
Ukraine on Sunday claimed to have sent more than 100 drones deep inside Russia to hit a major weapons depot, as Kyiv ups its attacks further inside Russian territory. “Defense forces struck the Kotluban military depot” in the Volgograd region, hundreds of kilometers from the Ukrainian border, a day after a shipment of Iranian weapons…
Russia condemned Israel on Saturday for killing Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, urging an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon as Moscow’s foreign minister suggested an effort was underway to drag Washington into a regional war. Nasrallah, who headed Iranian-backed Hezbollah for more than three decades, died in a bombardment targeting the group’s headquarters in the southern suburbs…
Authorities in Russia said Saturday the death toll from a blast at a service station in the North Caucasus republic of Dagestan a day earlier had risen to 13. The Emergency Situations Ministry said on Telegram that rescuers had pulled three bodies from the rubble Saturday morning after finding 10 bodies Friday, including those of…
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…
Two Russian strikes on a hospital in the Ukrainian border city of Sumy killed seven people Saturday, regional authorities said. Sumy lies across the border from Russia’s Kursk region, where Kyiv launched a surprise offensive early last month. The first strike killed 1 person and damaged several floors of a hospital, and after that, patients…
Updates with new death toll Russian strikes on a hospital in the Ukrainian border city of Sumy killed 10 people Saturday as Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Moscow for “waging war on hospitals.” Ukrainian Interior Minister Igor Klymenko wrote on Telegram that the first strike “killed one person” and damaged several floors of the hospital.…
Russian forces pressed further toward encircling the Ukrainian stronghold of Vuhledar in recent days, sparking worries that a key defensive outpost for Kyiv could soon fall into Russian hands. On Wednesday, British intelligence reported that Russian troops had closed in on Vuhledar from three directions, threatening to cut off the last remaining roadway out of…
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…
An explosion tore through a service station in Russia’s Caucasus republic of Dagestan on Friday, killing at least nine people and injuring 10 others, the emergency situations ministry said. Two children were among the dead, the ministry added on social media network Telegram. A previous ministry statement put the toll at five dead and three…
Gazprom, once Russia’s most profitable company, has dropped out of Forbes Russia’s 2024 top 100 list, the business magazine wrote Friday. “Last year’s leader Gazprom fell off the list with a record loss of 583 billion rubles [$6.3 billion] in 2023,” Forbes Russia wrote. However, it noted that the record loss was “more on paper,”…
The Russian judge who convicted Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich said the trial was short because the court did not examine any “material evidence” and the verdict did not take long because he could “type quickly.” “The case itself was small. I don’t remember how many folders there were, three or five,” Judge Andrei…
Finland will place a key NATO base less than 200 kilometers (125 miles) from its eastern border with Russia, a move that Helsinki says will “send a message” to Moscow, the Finnish Defense Ministry said Friday. Finland, which shares a 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) border with Russia, became a NATO member last year, dropping decades of military…
A bill submitted to the Russian parliament has raised fears that the thousands of Russian dissidents seeking political refuge in post-Soviet and other non-Western states could soon be at risk of arrest and extradition back to Russia. The bill, recently introduced to the lower-house State Duma by the ruling United Russia party, would allow prosecutors…
High school students in Russia’s Far East were shown a graphic video of a medical abortion video during an unannounced lecture, the Telegram news channel Ostorozhno Novosti reported Friday. “Many felt sick while watching,” the outlet wrote, citing students from school No. 7 in the Sakhalin region town of Okha, around 6,000 kilometers (3,700 miles)…
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 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…