Sanctions Force Russia to Scale Back Ambitious 2030 Tech Strategy

Russia has lowered its ambitious technological advancement goals after losing access to sophisticated imports due to its invasion of Ukraine, the Kommersant business daily reported Monday.  The Russian government late last year revised its list of 18 technological areas that will receive state backing into 2030, Kommersant reported. While the Russian government previously associated its…

WSJ Reporter Formally Charged With Spying – Russian Agencies

Russian authorities have formally brought espionage charges against arrested U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich, Interfax reported Friday, citing sources familiar with his case. Gershkovich, a journalist with The Wall Street Journal, categorically denied the espionage accusations, the state-run TASS news agency reported. Gershkovich was detained while reporting in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg last week…

Report Details How Authorities Shame, Intimidate Anti-War Russians

Russian security agents have stepped up the humiliation and intimidation of anti-war activists to suppress dissent among the wider public, the BBC’s Russian service reported. Russian anthropologists refer to the tactics, which involve on-camera apologies or acts of performative patriotism to atone for opposing the war in Ukraine, as “guilt-shame rituals.” These rituals “serve two functions:…

Russia Becomes World’s Second-Largest Crypto Miner

Russia has become the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency mining country this year, the Kommersant business daily reported Friday, citing Bitriver, Russia’s largest bitcoin mining provider.  While the United States remains by far the world’s largest crypto miner, boasting 3-4 gigawatts of mining capacity, Russia’s generating capacity reached 1 gigawatt in January-March 2023. In taking second place for the first…

Russian Orthodox Church Establishes ‘Head Military Priest’ Post

Russian Orthodox Church leader Patriarch Kirill on Thursday established a new senior ecclesiastical position to oversee the Church’s activities in Ukrainian territories where Russia is waging war on Kyiv.  Archpriest Dimitry Vasilenkov, who is a clergy member of the St. Petersburg diocese, has been named head military priest, the Church’s press service said in a statement, citing Patriarch…

Russians Absent During Mobilization Called in for Questioning by FSB

Russia’s powerful Federal Security Service (FSB) has begun summoning men who have recently returned to the country after long absences during last year’s nationwide mobilization campaign, Russian investigative news website iStores reported on Thursday.  Several residents of Siberia’s Omsk region told iStories they had received phone calls asking them to attend the local FSB office.  One…

Moscow Says Foiled Attempt By Ukrainian ‘Saboteurs’ to Enter Russia

Russian security forces foiled an attempt of a group of Ukrainian “saboteurs” to enter Russia, the governor of the Bryansk region that borders Ukraine said Thursday. The announcement came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that saboteurs were acting inside Russia.  “Today, the border department of the FSB (security service) of the Bryansk region thwarted…

Putin Claims Western Intelligence Behind ‘Terrorist Attacks’ in Occupied Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday accused Western intelligence agencies of “regularly” staging “terrorist attacks” in Russia and in Moscow-occupied Ukrainian territories. “Terrorist attacks targeting government and law enforcement officials, journalists, public figures, teachers of schools and universities are staged regularly,” Putin said at a Security Council meeting dedicated to ensuring law and order in…

Russian Cafe Bomb Suspect Charged With Terrorism

Russian investigators on Tuesday charged Darya Trepova with terrorism over a bombing attack in St. Petersburg that killed a prominent military blogger and wounded dozens of people. Trepova, a 26-year-old woman, was detained after an explosion ripped through a cafe in Russia’s second city at the weekend, killing Vladlen Tatarsky, a high-profile blogger and supporter…

Belarusian Troops Begin Training on Russian Nuclear-Capable Missile System

Belarusian troops have begun training on a nuclear-capable Russian missile system following President Vladimir Putin’s recent decision to deploy tactical weapons on Belarusian territory, Moscow and Minsk said on Tuesday. Back in March Putin announced that Russia would station tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus, a move that drew sharp criticism from the West, while…