Don’t Use Dating Sites Amid Kursk Incursion, Russia Tells Border Region Residents

Russian law enforcement authorities are urging residents in regions bordering northeastern Ukraine to avoid using dating websites amid Kyiv’s ongoing incursion, state media reported Tuesday, citing an Interior Ministry spokesperson. “The use of online dating services is strongly discouraged. The enemy is actively using them to gather information,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying by…

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Putin Signs Decree Granting Residency to Foreigners Who Share ‘Traditional’ Russian Values

President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a decree allowing foreign citizens and stateless individuals to apply for temporary residency in the country if they share “traditional Russian spiritual and moral values,” even in cases when a person does not speak Russian. The decree states that those who oppose the “destructive neoliberal ideological agenda” in their…

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‘Traditional’ Values Will Protect Russia From Mpox Outbreak, Top Health Official Says

The head of Russia’s consumer protection watchdog said Monday that “traditional” values will help the country avoid an outbreak of the infectious viral disease mpox, which spreads through close physical and sexual contact. The World Health Organization declared a global health emergency last week as mpox, also known as monkeypox, continued to spread in the Democratic…

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Russia Blacklists Clooney Foundation

Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office on Monday banned a charitable foundation created by U.S. film star George Clooney and his wife Amal. “The activities of The Clooney Foundation for Justice are deemed undesirable on the territory of our country,” it said in a statement. The organization “conducts extensive work aimed at discrediting Russia, actively supports false patriots…

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Magnitude 7.0 Earthquake Strikes off Russian Far East

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off the coast of Russia’s Far East Kamchatka Peninsula early Sunday morning local time, according to the regional earthquake monitoring service. The local emergencies ministry said tremors were felt along the coast including in the region’s capital Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. “Operational teams of rescuers and firefighters are inspecting buildings,” the regional branch…

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Ukrainian Drones Spark Fuel Fire in South Russia

Ukrainian drones attacked an oil storage facility in Russia’s southern Rostov region early Sunday morning, sparking a large fuel fire, the local governor said. Videos published on social media showed thick black smoke and bursts of flames coming from the site of the blaze, which the governor said was in the town of Proletarsk. “In…

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A One-Pan Meal of Sturgeon at the Dacha

Why are we so drawn to the countryside? A break from the hustle and bustle of the city? Fresh air? Yes, that’s all true, but we are also drawn to the dacha lifestyle, which is closely connected with food. Many of our compatriots love those long dacha lunches and dinners. In Russia people’s obsession with…

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Counting the Economic Costs of Ukraine’s Kursk Assault

Ten days since launching its surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, Ukraine controls over 1,100 square kilometers of Russian territory. The attack has caused consternation in the Kremlin, changing the cadence of the fighting from a sluggish positional war to a new bout of emotionally charged confrontation which may have repercussions beyond the military state…

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Russia Adds Navalny Allies Pevchikh, Yarmysh to ‘Terrorists and Extremists’ List

Russian authorities on Friday added several close allies of the late activist Alexei Navalny to the government’s list of “extremists and terrorists.” Kira Yarmysh, Navalny’s former spokeswoman, and Maria Pevchikh, head of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, are among the latest to be included on the Rosfinmonitoring list. According to the independent news outlet Mediazona, at least…

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ROSATOM held Science Festival in Myanmar

The purpose of the event is to raise awareness of STEM disciplines and nuclear technologies. ROSATOM and the Ministry of Science and Technology of Myanmar organized a Science Festival that took place in Yangon, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. The festival’s scientific and educational events took place concurrently at multiple locations, including Nuclear…

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‘I Never Believed I Could Get on That Plane’: Freed Political Prisoner Sasha Skochilenko

St. Petersburg artist Sasha Skochilenko was sentenced to seven years in prison last year for spreading “fake news” about the Russian army after she replaced supermarket price tags with statements criticizing the invasion of Ukraine and the killing of Ukrainian civilians. Defending her actions in a court hearing ahead of her sentencing, the 33-year-old Skochilenko…

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Russia Says Ukraine Struck Shopping Mall in Occupied Donetsk

A crowded shopping mall in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Donetsk caught fire after alleged Ukrainian shelling on Friday. Denis Pushilin, the Kremlin-appointed governor of the Donetsk region, accused Ukrainian forces of wounding at least seven civilians in “targeted massive strikes” on southwestern Donetsk. He said the attacks damaged a local hospital and burned the Galaktika shopping…

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Belarus Warns of Ukrainian Border ‘Provocations’ Amid Kursk Offensive

Belarus again claimed that Ukraine is planning “armed provocations” with continued troop movements along their shared border, state media reported Friday. Kyiv previously claimed Minsk, Russia’s close ally, was playing up tensions on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border to divert attention from Ukraine’s incursion into Russian territory. “Given the presence of Ukrainian armed formations in the border areas,…

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Major Power Outage Hits Far East Russia

At least two regions in Russia’s Far East faced blackouts on Friday after authorities held previously scheduled regionwide power outage drills. People reported being stuck in traffic, at shopping malls and inside elevators in the regions of Khabarovsk and Primorye, where the city of Vladivostok is located. Earlier, the Primorye region’s Energy Ministry announced that it…

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Ukraine Says in Talks With Russia to Exchange Kursk Prisoners

Russia and Ukraine have entered negotiations to exchange prisoners captured during Kyiv’s unprecedented incursion into southwestern Russia’s Kursk region, Ukraine’s human rights commissioner said Wednesday. “There was a proactive conversation [with Russian human rights commissioner Tatiana Moskalkova],” ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets told Ukrainian television in a segment he posted on his Telegram channel, voicing hopes that the…

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UN Asks Moscow for Access to Embroiled Border Regions

The United Nations Human Rights Office said Thursday that it has asked authorities in Moscow to allow its representatives to visit Russian regions impacted by cross-border attacks from Ukrainian forces. “I can confirm that the UN Human Rights Office has sent a request to the Russian authorities,” Liz Throssell, a spokesperson for the department, said in…

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Russian Food Suppliers Warn of Price Hikes Up to 40%

Suppliers of bread, dairy, chocolate and beer in Russia have informed retailers of impending price increases of up to 40% over the next month, the business daily Kommersant reported Thursday, citing price-increase notices from at least 13 companies. The price hikes, slated for August and September, are being attributed to a combination of high inflation…

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Russia Opens 10K Cases for ‘Discrediting’ Army Since Invasion – Medizona

Authorities in Russia have launched more than 10,000 cases against people accused of “discrediting” the army since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the independent news outlet Mediazona reported Thursday. Legislation passed soon after Russia’s February 2022 invasion punishes public acts or statements seen as critical of the Russian armed forces. Thousands of people have been…

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The joint Russian Federation-IAEA School on Nuclear Knowledge Management is over in Moscow

The 5th School of Russia and IAEA on Nuclear Knowledge Management was held in Moscow at the Rosatom Technical Academy.  The event brought together 28 representatives from 14 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the CIS.  Viktor Mazepov, Director for International Cooperation of the Rosatom Technical Academy, addressed the participants with a welcoming speech:…

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