Belarus Jails 2 News Site Managers for 12 Years

Belarus on Friday handed long jail terms to senior staff at the country’s largest independent news site, which was forced to shutter after historic demonstrations against strongman Alexander Lukashenko. The verdicts are the latest in a crackdown targeting journalists, opposition figures and activists who challenged Lukashenko’s claim that he won a sixth presidential term in…

National Park Partially Closes After Viral Investigation Into Putin’s Mansion

A part of the Valdai National Park in northwestern Russia has been closed to visitors since an investigation revealed that President Vladimir Putin and his alleged mistress own property in the area, the independent Meduza news website reported Friday.  Authorities announced that the specially protected zone of the national park had been expanded due to the “worsening…

Russian Politician Fined for Viral Noodle Stunt During Putin Speech 

A court in the city of Novokuybyshevsk in Russia’s Samara region has found regional deputy Mikhail Abdalkin guilty of “discrediting the Russian armed forces” for posting a video of himself watching Vladimir Putin’s state-of-the-nation address with noodles hanging from his ears, TASS reported Thursday. The noodles in the video, which was posted across Abdalkin’s social media…

Strikers Force Russian E-Commerce Giant Wildberries to Rethink New Rules

Russian e-commerce platform Wildberries on Thursday announced a three-day suspension of controversial new rules that make employees financially liable for goods returned by customers after its staff launched a nationwide strike, the state-run TASS news agency reported.  New rules introduced by Wildberries this month made employees liable for the costs of any defective items that were returned…

FSB Building Fire Kills 4 Near Ukraine Border

Updated with new death toll. Four people were killed and five others injured in an explosion at a Russian border guard building less than 100 kilometers from the Ukrainian border on Thursday, regional online media reported, citing emergency services. Eyewitness footage published by the local news site 161.ru showed the Federal Security Service (FSB) border guard office…

Russia Says It Is Not a Threat to Finland

The Kremlin said Thursday that Russia was not a threat to Finland, ahead of the Finnish president’s visit to Turkey, which is expected to approve Helsinki’s NATO bid. Finland and Sweden dropped decades-long policies of military non-alignment and applied to join the Western alliance last May in the wake of Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine. “We have many…

Russian Opposition Ex-Mayor Roizman Detained Over Social Media Post

Russian police have detained opposition politician and former Yekaterinburg Mayor Yevgeny Roizman over a social media post in support of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, the local media outlet It’s My City reported Thursday.  Roizman allegedly posted a video clip briefly showing the logo of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, which was outlawed as an “extremist” organization…

Poland ‘Dismantles’ Russian Spy Ring

Polish counterintelligence has dismantled a Russian spy ring, Poland’s defense minister said Thursday. “The whole network has been dismantled,” Mariusz Blaszczak told Polish public radio PR1. “It was an espionage group… collecting information for those who attacked Ukraine. “The threat was real,” he added, without giving further details.  Poland’s interior minister is due to hold…

Russia, China, Iran Launch Naval Drills

Russia, China and Iran launched the active phase of joint naval exercises near the Islamic republic’s southernmost city on Thursday, the Russian military has confirmed after the Chinese defense ministry announced the drills. “Maritime Security Belt 2023” will run from March 15-18 in three stages, including an active phase on March 16-17, in the Gulf…

Wagner Boss Defends Russians’ Right to Criticize Military Top Brass

The outspoken founder of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said on Wednesday that he thought Russians should be free to criticize the country’s top military commanders after lawmakers introduced tougher penalties for anyone deemed to have discredited those fighting on Russia’s side in Ukraine. On Tuesday, the Russian parliament’s lower house approved legislation introducing long…

Putin Calls to Step Up Fight Against Destabilization

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday called on prosecutors to increase pressure on “attempts to destabilize” Russia’s domestic situation amid the Ukraine offensive. Moscow has heightened its crackdown on critical voices since sending troops to Ukraine last year, introducing new legislation to silence dissent.  “I ask you to react harshly to attempts to destabilize the socio-political…

Kremlin Denies Second Mobilization as Military Offices ‘Clarify’ Data of Draft-Eligible Men

The Kremlin on Wednesday denied that Russia was considering a second round of military mobilization for the war in Ukraine as military offices in a number of regions started asking reservists to “clarify” their personal information. Military commissariats in the Voronezh and Lipetsk regions have announced they will send summons to men eligible for the…

Russian Lawmakers Approve Punishments for ‘Fake’ Info on Army Volunteers, Mercenaries

Russian lawmakers have passed legislation introducing criminal punishment for “discrediting” and spreading “fake” information about any force fighting for Russia in Ukraine, not just the Russian Armed Forces. Russia outlawed “discrediting” and spreading “deliberately false” information about the Russian military shortly after the country invaded Ukraine last February. The move has led to the silencing of…

Russian Lawmakers Approve Punishments for Criticism, ‘Fake’ Info on Mercenaries

Russian lawmakers have passed legislation introducing criminal punishment for “discrediting” and spreading “fake” information about any force fighting for Russia in Ukraine, not just the Russian Armed Forces. Russia outlawed “discrediting” and spreading “deliberately false” information about the Russian military shortly after the country invaded Ukraine last February. The move has led to the silencing of…

Moscow Hosts First ‘Russia Lovers’ Gathering

Moscow played host Tuesday to an event that organizers touted as the first international gathering of Russia lovers as the country finds itself isolated over its invasion of Ukraine. The founding congress of the so-called “International Russophile Movement” describes itself as a meeting of “those who sincerely love our country, its history and culture,” the…

Russia Resumes Publication of Trade Statistics After Year-Long Pause

Russia’s Federal Customs Service is to resume publication of the country’s official foreign trade data after a year-long hiatus, the agency announced on Monday.  Russia’s customs body abruptly suspended the publication of its import and export statistics in March last year as the country found itself enduring wave upon wave of international sanctions in response to Russia’s…

Still No Sign of Integration for Occupied Ukrainian Regions

The Kremlin maintains direct control over the four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claims as its own territory amid continuing fighting and a lack of established borders, Russia’s Kommersant daily reported Monday, citing unnamed presidential administration sources.  Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions are not included in any of Russia’s eight federal districts and do…