Ten top dancers at the Bolshoi Theater have been suspended for a month after performing at a gala in Uzbekistan, Russian media reported this week. The dancers, including stars such as Vladislav Lantratov and Yevgenia Obraztsova, were flown to Tashkent by the Foundation for the Development of Culture and Art of Uzbekistan. Dancers regularly perform…
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Dutch authorities have arrested a man on suspicion of selling microchips to Russia in breach of sanctions imposed by the West over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, officials said on Friday. The microchips, sold to companies and other bodies in Russia, could be used for military purposes, the Dutch financial and fiscal crime investigation service (FIOD) said. The 55-year-old…
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Prosecutors in the southern Russian city of Penza dropped all charges in what would have been the first criminal case for evading Moscow’s “partial” mobilization, human rights lawyer Pavel Chikov said Friday. “The Prosecutor’s Office…recognized the decision to initiate [criminal] proceedings as illegal,” Chikov wrote on his Telegram channel. “The suspect received the right to…
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The UN Human Rights Council on Friday agreed to monitor the rights situation in Russia, marking the first-ever resolution focused on violations inside the country. The 47-member top UN rights body accepted the draft text presented by all European Union countries with the exception of Hungary, with 17 nations voting in favor of appointing a…
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When even money and patriotism are insufficient to inspire Russians to sign up to fight in Ukraine, it’s time to bring out the big guns such as food staples. At least three Russian regions are promising to reward the families of new recruits with livestock, fish and vegetables since President Vladimir Putin ordered the mobilization…
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The Norwegian Nobel Committee on Friday awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize to Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian human rights champions. Russia’s Memorial group, Ukraine’s Center for Civil Liberties and jailed Belarusian rights activist Ales Bialiatski share this year’s prestigious award. “They have made an outstanding effort to document war crimes, human rights abuses and the…
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The head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill said Friday that Vladimir Putin’s reign over Russia had been mandated by God, congratulating the Kremlin chief on his 70th birthday. “God put you in power so that you could perform a service of special importance and of great responsibility for the fate of the country…
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An unnamed member of President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle has directly confronted him over mistakes and mismanagement of the war in Ukraine, The Washington Post reported Friday, citing U.S. intelligence. The insider’s confrontation and identity were reportedly included in U.S. President Joe Biden’s daily intelligence briefing and shared with other U.S. officials. The individual’s identity could…
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Russian President Vladimir Putin will mark his 70th birthday Friday with little fanfare as the war in Ukraine, which has killed tens of thousands and plunged Russia into economic and international isolation, continues to rage. In past years, Putin has celebrated by taking foreign trips, hiking in Siberia with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu or playing…
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Russian officials voiced anger over Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s remarks Thursday on preventive strikes that his spokesman later said had been misinterpreted. Zelensky appealed for the international community to “do preemptive strikes” instead of “waiting for Russian nuclear strikes” when asked about NATO’s role in the conflict in an address to an Australian think tank.…
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Two Russians who landed in a remote part of rural Alaska are seeking asylum in the United States, politicians in the far northern state said Thursday. The pair landed just weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an unpopular mobilization of citizens in a bid to turn the tide on his faltering invasion of Ukraine.…
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A senior Kremlin-installed official in Ukraine’s partially occupied Kherson region lashed out at Russian military officials Thursday, a rare example of full-throated criticism from an official as Moscow faces mounting military losses to Kyiv. “Many are saying that the Defense Minister — who allowed things to come to this — should simply shoot himself like…
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On Sept. 21, President Vladimir Putin announced the “partial” mobilization of Russia’s military reservists, sparking numerous protests across the country from those who did not imagine they would be affected by the war. Just two weeks later on Wednesday this week, Putin was forced to admit that mistakes had been made with the execution of…
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Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday banned price increases with immediate effect to curb galloping inflation in the former Soviet country. Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus with an iron fist since 1994, is known for folksy eccentricities and radical suggestions, such as drinking a shot of vodka daily to ward off the coronavirus. “From Oct.…
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Jailed Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza faces up to 20 years in prison on newly levied charges of “treason,” the state-run TASS news agency reported Thursday, citing his lawyer Vadim Prokhorov. The latest charges against Kara-Murza, 40, are based on alleged evidence of “longtime cooperation with a NATO state,” TASS cited a source in Russia’s Federal Security…
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A growing list of failings and defeats in Ukraine have spawned angry outbursts from Russia’s elite, who still support the “military operation” but have gone as far as to suggest army chiefs should face the firing squad. Before September saw a series of battlefield reversals, public criticism of the army was rare. The offensive had…
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The Venice Film Festival has always favored Russian cinema. The films of directors Andrei Konchalovsky and Alexander Sokurov were given awards here, and it’s where Andrei Tarkovsky began his international career. So the absence of Russian filmmakers at the festival this year was noticeable. But their absence probably was not due to a boycott of…
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The European Union on Thursday adopted a fresh round of sanctions on Russia in response to Moscow’s annexation of four Ukrainian territories, which was legally finalized by President Vladimir Putin this week. “This new sanctions package against Russia is proof of our determination to stop Putin’s war machine and respond to his latest escalation with…
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Russian regions experiencing the highest rates of poverty have mobilized the largest share of conscripts to be sent to fight in Ukraine, according to a report published by two teams of independent Russian investigative journalists on Wednesday. At least 213,200 conscripts from 53 Russian regions have been recruited in the two weeks since Russian President…
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The Kremlin said Thursday that an OPEC+ decision to sharply cut production was designed to stabilize global oil markets, after Washington said the move was a concession to Moscow. “The decisions that were taken were aimed at stabilizing oil markets,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. He said it was proof that “some countries understand the…
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A joke on social media proposing that Czechs seize the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad has gone viral, sparking mirth as well as anger from those taking it as real. “Time to split Kaliningrad so that our Czech brothers have access to the sea,” a Pole identifying himself as “Papiez internetu” (pope of the internet) tweeted…
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A SpaceX rocket carrying a Russian crew member blasted off from Florida Wednesday on a voyage that carries significant symbolism as war rages in Ukraine. Anna Kikina, the only female cosmonaut in service, is part of the Crew-5 mission, which also includes one Japanese and two American astronauts. “Let’s do this,” said Nicole Mann, commander…
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A new piece of street art in a Tbilisi underpass is a play on the classic Soviet “The Motherland Calls” poster from World War II. But instead of holding the military oath as in the original, the woman is clutching a Georgian khinkali dumpling. And instead of the patriotic slogan, the caption now reads, “Hurry,…
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The United States believes “elements” within the Ukrainian government are responsible for the car bomb assassination of a far-right ideologue’s daughter in Russia, The New York Times reported Wednesday, citing a closely held U.S. intelligence assessment. The daring Aug. 20 attack that killed journalist Daria Dugina outside Moscow demonstrated Kyiv’s ability to carry out sabotage…
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Recently mobilized Russian soldiers are decrying “inhumane” conditions, weapons shortages and mistreatment by officers, according to video published by the independent news website The Insider on Wednesday. Footage of new recruits sleeping on the floor, being armed with outdated rifles and ordered to source their own supplies appeared almost immediately after President Vladimir Putin announced…
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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered his government to take over operations at Europe’s largest nuclear power station in the Russia-annexed region of Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine. “The government will ensure that the nuclear facilities at the plant… are integrated as federal property,” the executive order said. The power station has been occupied by…
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Russian officials sought to allay concerns Wednesday that Ukraine could achieve a major breakthrough in its ongoing counteroffensive amid reports that Kyiv’s forces were advancing in both the south and east of the country. Russian pro-war blogger Semyon Pegov confirmed Wednesday that Ukraine had recaptured a number of locations in the southern Kherson region, including…
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Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, an ally of President Vladimir Putin, said Wednesday he was granted a top rank in Russia’s army, just as Moscow’s forces suffer a series of defeats in Ukraine. The 46-year-old Chechen leader — one of the most outspoken voices in Russia backing Putin’s Ukraine offensive — said it was a “huge honor” for him.…
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Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that he believed the situation in the four newly annexed Ukrainian regions would stabilize shortly despite Russian forces’ ongoing losses to Kyiv’s counteroffensive. “We are working on the assumption that the situation in the new territories will stabilize,” Putin said during a televised video call with Russian teachers. Kyiv…
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The first criminal case for evading mobilization opened in the southern Russian city of Penza on Wednesday, human rights lawyer Pavel Chikov wrote on his Telegram channel. The case centers on a 32-year-old man who allegedly refused to sign a summons to the local conscript office and was subsequently detained by the OMON, a special…
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Yevgenia Kuzevanova has been raising money to buy everything from first aid kits to instant noodles for Russian forces in Ukraine. Her online group Help for Soldiers, which is based in Russia’s Sverdlovsk region near the Ural mountains, is one of many civilian movements frantically gathering basic equipment for an under-equipped Russian army. “This is…
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An elite, highly secretive Russian military intelligence unit may have lost up to three-quarters of its reconnaissance manpower in Ukraine, according to research published by the BBC’s Russian service Tuesday. Like other special forces units, the exact size of the GRU intelligence agency’s 3rd Guards Spetsnaz Brigade is classified. But based on the brigade’s death…
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Moscow said Wednesday it should be part of the probe into leaks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines, after Sweden blocked off the area around the pipelines pending an investigation. “There should really be an investigation. Naturally, with the participation of Russia,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin said, as quoted by Russian news agencies. …
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Kazakhstan hit back at Russia on Oct. 5 after its ambassador to Moscow was summoned for a dressing-down over aggressive, anti-Russian remarks made by Ukraine’s envoy to Astana. The diplomatic impasse has shed light on the awkward fissures created among once steadfast allies as a consequence of the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces.…
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Russia will resume gas deliveries to Italy after suspending them due to a transport problem in Austria, Russian energy giant Gazprom said in a statement Wednesday. “Transportation of Russian gas through the territory of Austria is resuming,” Gazprom said, adding that a “solution” was found with Italian buyers following regulatory changes in Austria. Most Russian gas…
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Russian President Vladimir Putin finalized the annexation of four partially occupied Ukrainian regions Wednesday with laws and decrees signed as his forces’ losses on the battlefield continue to mount. The Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine, as well as the southern Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, are “accepted into the Russian Federation in line with federal…
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Russia increased oil production in September as major Western countries debated energy price caps over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the Kommersant business daily reported Wednesday, citing unnamed sources familiar with the data. Last month’s average daily output rose by 1% from August to nearly 1.47 million metric tons, or 10.8 million barrels per day, according…
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A Russian pilot and a member of ground crew staff died Tuesday when a plane that Russia recently delivered to Mali’s armed forces crashed near the northern city of Gao, an official and the military said. Video provided to AFP by a witness showed an aircraft descending at high speed before crashing in a plume…
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The White House on Tuesday described an upcoming appeals hearing for jailed U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner in Russia as a “sham.” Griner, who was sentenced to nine years prison in August for possessing vape cartridges with a small quantity of cannibis oil, is due to go back to court on October 25. White House…
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Associates of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on Tuesday said they are relaunching his regional political network to fight against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent “partial” mobilization ordered by President Vladimir Putin. “It’s time for us to restore our network to fight mobilization and war,” said Ivan Zhdanov, the former director of Navalny’s…
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A court in the western Russian city of Voronezh on Tuesday sentenced a 28-year-old U.S. citizen to four years and six months behind bars for kicking a law enforcement official. “This man, who disagreed with lawful actions taken by the authorities, used violence against a police officer who was on duty, kicking him several times,”…
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The Kremlin has hailed U.S. billionaire Elon Musk’s attempt to put forward a peace plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, calling it a “very positive” sign on Tuesday. The world’s wealthiest man outlined his proposal for a peace deal to his 107 million Twitter followers on Monday. Its terms sparked fierce backlash from Ukraine…
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Japan has ordered a senior Russian official stationed in the country to leave in retaliation for the expulsion of a Japanese diplomat over alleged spying, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. The tit-for-tat move came after Tokyo demanded an apology last week from Moscow for detaining a diplomat based in the eastern city of Vladivostok, accusing…
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Russian musical superstar Alla Pugacheva slammed critics of her opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Tuesday, calling supporters of the war “slaves” and “lackeys.” “How lucky am I to be hated by the people I’ve always hated,” Pugacheva wrote in an Instagram post. “The reason is clear,” she added, in an apparent reference to…
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Russian authorities have fined the winner of this year’s Miss Crimea beauty pageant, Olga Valeyeva, after video emerged of her singing a patriotic Ukrainian song, the state-run TASS news agency reported. Valeyeva appeared alongside a friend in a video posted to Instagram singing “Chervona Kalyna,” a song that has become an anthem of Ukrainian resistance…
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Students were routinely roped in for harvesting in the Soviet Union. “With what examples are we bringing up our schoolchildren?” he told a government meeting. “They say it’s exploitation. But how is it exploitation if a person works for five or six hours? It’s a pleasure for the parents and good physical training for children.”…
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Ukrainians who have fled their country’s occupied regions annexed by Moscow have one month to accept or reject Russian citizenship, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. President Vladimir Putin moved to annex Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine and Zaporizhzhia and Kherson in the south on Friday following widely disputed referendums, incurring new Western sanctions. Russian lawmakers are…
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Russia’s space agency is discussing with Moscow a continuation of its participation in the International Space Station past 2024, a Roscosmos official said Monday. Sergei Krikalev, head of Russia’s human space flight programs, told reporters that Roscosmos had started “to discuss extending our participation in ISS program with our government and hope to have permission…
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At least six newly mobilized Russian soldiers have died since the start of the country’s “partial” mobilization for the war in Ukraine less than two weeks ago, human rights lawyer Pavel Chikov said. Three of the soldiers died at an army training center in the Sverdlovsk region, local news outlet EAN reported Monday. “I confirm…
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Nearly two weeks into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “partial” mobilization for the war in Ukraine, crowds of Russians seeking to escape the draft continue to line up at the country’s southern border with Georgia, which does not require a visa to enter. Over 93,000 Russians have passed through the Verkhniy Lars checkpoint since Sept. 17,…
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Russian authorities on Monday placed Marina Ovsyannikova, the former state TV journalist who denounced the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine on-air, on the federal wanted list. Ovsyannikova, 44, became well-known in Russia and abroad in March after holding up an anti-war sign during a primetime news program on state broadcaster Channel One, where she was employed…
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After retiring from the Russian Air Force at the rank of lieutenant-colonel, Vitaly Votanovsky got involved in political activism in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar. Now, he is a vociferous opponent of the invasion of Ukraine and has been repeatedly detained for photographing the graves of dead soldiers. “Putin destroyed the country’s military mobilization…
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On Sunday Dmitry Ozerkov, a top curator at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, announced in an Instagram post that he had resigned from the museum and left Russia. “I left because I don’t intend to have anything in common with today’s Russia.” Ozerkov worked at the Hermitage for 22 years, first as curator of…
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Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said Monday he would send his teenage sons, including his 14-year-old son Adam, to fight in Ukraine. “It’s time to prove themselves in a real fight and I only welcome this desire,” Kadyrov, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin and vocal backer of the war, said in a post on…
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Russia plans to confer with residents in two Moscow-annexed regions in Ukraine while determining the exact borders of the areas to be integrated into Russia, the Kremlin said Monday. “We are going to continue to consult the populations of these regions,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said referring to the southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions that…
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An elderly Russian scientist accused of passing state secrets to China as a guest university lecturer died Sunday under house arrest, his lawyers said. Valery Mitko, the former president of the Arctic Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg, was charged with high treason in early 2020 and banned from leaving his home. Russian authorities accused Mitko…
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Around half of those recruited into the Russian military from Far Eastern Russia’s Khabarovsk region had been sent home due to wrongful mobilization, the region’s governor said Monday. Russia’s first draft since World War II has sparked protests and criticism, even among Kremlin loyalists, for the chaotic mobilization process. Several regional leaders have reported taking measures…
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