Ukrainian Attacks in Russian-Held East Kill 5

Ukrainian shelling attacks killed five people in Russian-occupied areas of the eastern Donetsk region on Friday, Moscow-installed authorities said. The Kremlin often accuses Kyiv of indiscriminate attacks on civilians. Ukraine denies the claims, saying it bombs only military targets responsible for deadly strikes on its own civilians. “Five people were killed,” Russian-installed top official of…

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Russia Labels Wives of Mobilized Soldiers Group ‘Foreign Agent’

Russia on Friday labeled a women’s organization campaigning for the return of mobilized men from Ukraine and a former pro-peace presidential candidate “foreign agents.” Moscow uses the label, heavy in Soviet-era connotations, on Kremlin critics to silence dissent. Russia’s Justice Ministry included the Put’ Domoi (Way Home) movement, which has organized women-led protests in Moscow…

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Western Stars, Anti-War Rappers and Political Parodies: Russian Web Project Revisits ‘The Television We Lost’

Sting singing “I hope the Russians love their children too” from a Moscow TV studio. Appearances by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and interviews with Ukrainian politicians. Political satire on the country’s top comedy show. None of these things would appear on television in today’s Russia, which has been isolated from the West and under strict…

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G7 Urges North Korea, Russia to ‘Cease Unlawful Arms Transfers’

G7 foreign ministers said Friday they were “gravely concerned” about deepening cooperation between Russia and North Korea, particularly arms transfers from Pyongyang to Moscow for use on the battlefield in Ukraine. “We are gravely concerned by the deepening DPRK-Russia cooperation in flagrant violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions,” they said in a statement…

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Russia Extends Detention of U.S.-Russian Journalist Kurmasheva Until August

A Russian court on Friday extended the pre-trial detention of U.S.-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva until August, nearly a year after she was first charged with spreading “false information” about the army. Kurmasheva, who works for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), was arrested last year for failing to register as a “foreign agent.” She was subsequently charged with…

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Rosenergoatom joined the National System of Voluntary Certification of Low-Carbon Generating Facilities

From June, Russian companies will be able to offset their carbon footprint with energy produced at the Leningrad NPP. Rosenergoatom (Electric Energy Division of ROSATOM) has passed certification for inclusion in the register of low-carbon generating facilities and received the right to sell “green” attributes of electricity – atomic certificates. The first nuclear power plant…

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Their Ancestral Traditions Under Threat, a Village in Russia’s Far East Stands Up to Gold-Mining Giant

A small Indigenous community in Russia’s Far East republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is challenging a gold-mining giant owned by Russian magnate Alexei Mordashov in what they deem a last-ditch attempt to preserve their traditional livelihoods.  Residents of Tyanya, an Evenk village of about 470 people in Sakha’s southeastern Olyokminsky district, this month called on President…

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Russia Charges Blogger Varlamov With ‘Discrediting’ Army

Popular travel blogger Ilya Varlamov has been charged with “discrediting” the Russian armed forces, the independent news website Mediazona reported Thursday, citing the Moscow court system’s open database of cases. Moscow’s Tverskoy District Court registered a lawsuit against Varlamov that was filed by the local prosecutor’s office. The blogger is accused of “discrediting” the army…

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‘If We Talk About It, These People Might Survive’: Exhibition of Kremlin’s Political Prisoners Opens in Amsterdam

AMSTERDAM — An exhibition dedicated to political prisoners in Russia opened in the heart of the Dutch capital on Tuesday. “Faces of Russian Resistance” displays 16 stories of politicians, activists, artists and public figures designated as political prisoners by human rights groups.  “We understand that hundreds of people are now in prison based on political…

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Russia Upholds ‘Foreign Agent’ Status for Jailed Dissident Orlov

A Moscow court on Wednesday rejected an appeal by imprisoned dissident Oleg Orlov to be removed from the Russian Justice Ministry’s “foreign agent” list. Orlov, 71, who is serving a two-and-a-half-year prison term for criticizing the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, was designated a “foreign agent” ahead of his sentencing in February. Moscow’s Zamoskvoretsky court upheld…

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Home Appliances Made for Ukraine Sold in Russia – Kommersant

Major online retailers in Russia have started selling foreign-made household appliances destined for the Ukrainian market, the business newspaper Kommersant reported Wednesday, citing local distributors. Among the e-commerce sites offering products intended for Ukrainian consumers are Ozon and Wildberries, which have been found to sell Bosch washing machines and LG Smart TVs that bear Ukrainian…

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Moscow Blames Ukraine for Blocking POW Exchanges

Russia’s human rights commissioner Tatiana Moskalkova has blamed the authorities in Kyiv for roadblocking efforts to secure the further release of prisoners of war, the state-run Interfax news agency reported Wednesday. “Unfortunately, exchanges have been suspended for several months due to Ukraine constantly making new and far-fetched demands,” Moskalkova was quoted as saying by Interfax…

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Türkiye is taking over the Russian experience of healthcare organization in the Novovoronezh NPP region

Mersin Province (Türkiye) Regional Healthcare Department representatives visited the region to adopt the best practices of Russian healthcare system at industrial facilities. 31 May 2024, Novovoronezh, Voronezh region, Russia. A delegation of state healthcare organization of Mersin Province of the Republic of Türkiye and specialists of AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC visited Novovoronezh, a satellite city of…

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Putin Taps Ex-Bodyguard Dyumin to Head Russia’s State Council

President Vladimir Putin’s former personal security guard and newly appointed presidential aide Alexei Dyumin was tapped to head Russia’s State Council on Wednesday. “Aide to the president Alexei Dyumin has been appointed Secretary of the State Council of the Russian Federation by presidential executive order,” an announcement on the Kremlin’s website read. Russia’s State Council is…

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Putin Says Western Weapons Striking Russia Would Have ‘Serious Consequences’

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Tuesday of “serious consequences” if Western countries allowed Ukraine to use their weapons to strike Russia. Speaking in Uzbekistan, Putin’s comments came in response to calls within some NATO member states to allow Ukraine to hit targets inside Russia. “This constant escalation can lead to serious consequences,” Putin said. “In…

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Russia’s Human Rights Chief Slams Chatbots for Dodging Ukraine War Questions

Russian tech companies Yandex and VKontakte are being grilled by government officials for making their homegrown artificial intelligence chatbots avoid subjects related to the invasion of Ukraine, the Kommersant business daily reported Tuesday. Presidential Human Rights Council chief Valery Fadeyev said he was surprised to learn that Yandex’s Alisa and VKontakte’s Marusia refuse to answer when…

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Russian Chatbots Slammed for Dodging Ukraine War Questions

Russian tech companies Yandex and VK are being grilled by pro-war figures for making their homegrown artificial intelligence chatbots avoid subjects related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Kommersant business daily reported Tuesday. Russia’s presidential Human Rights Council chief Valery Fadeyev said he was surprised to learn that Yandex’s Alisa and VK’s Marusia refuse to…

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Court Extends Navalny Lawyers’ Pre-Trial Detention for ‘Extremism’

A Russian court has extended the pre-trial detention of two lawyers who represented the late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, the independent news website Mediazona reported Tuesday. Vadim Kobzev, Alexei Lipster, and Igor Sergunin were arrested last October on accusations of participating in “extremist” activities for passing Navalny’s letters on to his associates.  Russia in 2021 outlawed Navalny’s…

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Court Rejects Navalny Ally Fadeyeva’s Appeal Against 9-Year ‘Extremism’ Sentence

A court in Siberia has rejected an appeal by Ksenia Fadeyeva, an ally of the late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, against her nine-year prison sentence for “extremism,” local media reported Tuesday. Fadeyeva, Navalny’s former regional coordinator in the city of Tomsk, was among his few allies who remained in Russia despite the risk of criminal prosecution…

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Another round of Interdepartmental consultations between Russia and the IAEA takes place in Kaliningrad

ROSATOM Director General Mr. Alexey Likhachev and IAEA Director General Mr. Rafael Grossi head Delegations. On 28 May, another round of Interdepartmental consultations of the Russian side with the IAEA delegation led by Director General Mr. Rafael Grossi took place in Kaliningrad. The Russian delegation headed by Director General of ROSATOM Mr. Alexey Likhachev comprised…

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Missing Ukrainian Journalist Held in Russia – Reports

Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna is being held in custody in Russia nine months after her disappearance, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) said, citing a letter from the Russian Defense Ministry to her father. Roshchyna, an award-winning freelance journalist, went missing in August while attempting to enter the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region in southern Ukraine for…

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Western Companies U-Turn on Russia Exit Plans – FT

Western companies are reconsidering leaving Russia amid increasing Kremlin-imposed exit costs, difficulty finding suitable buyers and rebounding consumer activity, the Financial Times reported Tuesday. As of last month, 2,175 foreign companies remain in Russia compared with 1,610 that left or scaled back operations, according to the Kyiv School of Economics. Some remaining companies are increasingly open about…

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Moldova Grants Citizenship to Members of Russian Anti-War Rock Band Bi-2

Moldova has granted citizenship to several members of the Russian-Belarusian rock band Bi-2, the government in Chisinau announced late Monday, months after the music group was detained in Thailand and faced potential deportation to Russia. President Maia Sandu signed a decree giving Moldovan passports to “certain members of Bi-2,” her office chief Adrian Balutel announced…

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The Russian Federation and Uzbekistan sign an agreement on the construction of a small nuclear power plant

The agreement was signed during the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Uzbekistan. Tashkent, Uzbekistan – During the state visit of the President of Russia to Uzbekistan, a protocol was signed between the two countries in the presence of the heads of state of Russia and Uzbekistan. The protocol amended the Intergovernmental Agreement on…

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