Crimea at Risk of Ukrainian Attacks, Kremlin Says

Russian-annexed Crimea remains at risk of Ukrainian attacks, the Kremlin said Thursday after Russian-aligned authorities claimed to have shot down a drone over the Black Sea peninsula. The Crimean affiliate of the U.S. news organization RFE/RL reported hearing powerful explosions in the port of Sevastopol, which is home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. Sevastopol’s Kremlin-aligned Governor…

Russia Presidential Rights Body Urged ‘Not to Upset’ Putin With War Questions – Reports

The Kremlin has urged members of the presidential Human Rights Council “not to upset” Russian leader Vladimir Putin with thorny questions about the war in Ukraine when they meet Wednesday, independent media reported, citing unnamed sources close to the council. According to the investigative news website Vyorstka, HRC chairman Valery Fadeyev cleared the topics to…

BBC Names Russian Pop Star, Jailed Anti-War Artist, Journalist to Influential Women List

The BBC has named Russian pop diva Alla Pugacheva, jailed anti-war activist Alexandra Skochilenko and prominent journalist Taisia Bekbulatova on its list of the year’s most influential women. The Russian entries in the 2022 edition of the annual 100 Women list of inspiring and influential women highlight the “female faces of conflict and resistance in Ukraine…

Latvian Decision to Revoke Russian TV Station’s License Sparks Fear, Disbelief

Latvia’s decision Tuesday to withdraw the broadcast license of independent Russian television channel Dozhd caused disbelief and anger among the media outlet’s journalists and soul-searching among other Russian journalists in exile. The Baltic country’s media watchdog said in a statement announcing the revocation that Dozhd posed “threats to national security and social order” following a…

Latvia Revokes Exiled Russian Station’s License Over War Coverage Violations

Latvia said Tuesday that it is revoking the independent Russian television channel Dozhd’s broadcasting license, citing “threats to national security and social order” following a series of infringements related to the channel’s coverage of the war in Ukraine. “Dozhd TV will disappear from the airwaves on Thursday, Dec. 8,” tweeted Ivars Abolins, chairman of Latvia’s…

Ukraine Races to Restore Power Grid Post-Russia Strikes as Winter Comes

Ukraine worked to restore power on Tuesday after Russia’s latest wave of missile strikes caused power disruptions across the country, right as winter frost builds and temperatures plunge. Out of the 70 missiles launched by Moscow, “most” were shot down, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, but the barrage still hit Ukraine’s already battered infrastructure.  Fresh power…

Kremlin Critic Faces 9-Year Jail Term for Spreading ‘Fake News’ About Bucha

A Russian prosecutor on Monday requested a nine-year prison sentence for Kremlin critic Ilya Yashin for denouncing Vladimir Putin’s military intervention in Ukraine. According to the prosecution, Yashin, a 39-year-old former Moscow city deputy, was guilty of claiming that the occupying Russian military had been responsible for the massacre of civilians in the Kyiv suburb…

Putin Signs Expanded ‘Gay Propaganda’ Ban

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law expanding the existing ban on so-called “LGBT propaganda” toward the entire population, not just minors, on Monday. People of all ages are now banned from accessing certain content under the new legislation. From now on, LGBT relationships and “lifestyles” cannot be displayed or mentioned, according to activists. The…

3 Killed, Nuclear-Capable Bombers Likely Damaged in Russian Airfield Explosions

Three people have been killed and at least two nuclear-capable bombers likely damaged in separate blasts at two Russian airfields, state and independent media outlets reported Monday. Russia’s Defense Ministry has not yet commented on the alleged incidents, which took place hundreds of kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Two Tu-95 long-range strategic nuclear bombers were damaged…

TikTok Videos Glorifying Wagner Mercenary Group Viewed By Millions – Watchdog

TikTok kept up hundreds of videos that promote and glorify violent acts allegedly committed by Russian mercenary group Wagner despite their direct violation of the platform’s policies, according to a new investigation by independent misinformation watchdog NewsGuard. NewsGuard’s analysts identified as many as 160 clips explicitly depicting or glorifying violent Wagner-linked activities on the video-sharing…

Putin Says Strikes on Ukraine Infrastructure ‘Inevitable’

President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia’s strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure were “inevitable” as the Kremlin rejected U.S. President Joe Biden’s terms for talks and warned the assault would continue.  After suffering humiliating military defeats during what has become the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II, Russia began targeting Ukrainian energy…

Edward Snowden Receives Russian Passport – Lawyer

American whistleblower Edward Snowden has received a Russian passport, the state-run TASS news agency reported Friday, citing Snowden’s lawyer. Snowden, who in 2013 exposed mass surveillance by his former employer the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), has lived in Russia since that year to avoid prosecution by U.S. authorities. President Vladimir Putin granted him citizenship…