U.S. Sanctions Nearly 400 Firms, Accusing Them of Aiding Russia’s War Effort

Washington on Wednesday unveiled a new round of sanctions against almost 400 people and companies it accused of supplying Russia with advanced technology to support its “war machine.” The U.S. Treasury Department announced sweeping sanctions against 275 individuals and entities in countries including India, China, Switzerland and Turkey, with the restrictions aimed at “disrupting global…

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History Teacher in Russia’s Khabarovsk Creates North Korean Ideology Club for Students

A history teacher in the Far East Russian city of Khabarovsk created a club for students to learn about Juche, the state ideology of North Korea, Russian media reported Tuesday. According to the club’s founder, Vladislav Kushnirenko, members of the club are currently undertaking work to “debunk myths” about the isolated country after having visited…

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Russia Charges Woman With Treason for Buying Pro-Ukraine Stamps, Human Rights Group Says

Russian law enforcement authorities in annexed Crimea charged a woman with treason for allegedly buying non-fungible token stamps in support of the Ukrainian military, the Memorial human rights group said. Lyudmila Kolesnikova, 34, said in a letter to volunteers that she had been placed in pre-trial detention after being arrested by Federal Security Service (FSB)…

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Chelyabinsk Region Official Resigns After Murder Sparks Ethnic Clashes

The head of Chelyabinsk region’s Korkino district announced her resignation Wednesday amid mounting criticism from regional authorities over ethnic unrest that erupted following a local woman’s murder. On Thursday night, enraged residents in the town of Korkino gathered outside homes believed to belong to Romani families, damaging property and clashing with riot police. About 40…

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Gazprom to continue contributing to sustainability of global gas market

October 29, 2024, 19:00 The Gazprom Board of Directors took note of the information about the development prospects of the shale gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) industries around the world, as well as opportunities and threats facing the Company. It was noted that in 2023, the share of shale gas in the global gas production remained at the level of 2022, thus making about 20 per cent, and…

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Board of Directors approves Gazprom’s work on implementation of LNG production and supply projects

October 29, 2024, 18:55 The Gazprom Board of Directors expressed its approval of the Company’s ongoing work on implementing the projects for the production and supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG). It was noted that the Company consistently reinforces its positions in this business segment in order to further increase the flexibility and reliability of consumer gas supplies. The large-scale plant within the Sakhalin II project is successfully…

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Gazprom preparing launch of new capacities at Irkutsk gas production center

October 29, 2024, 18:50 The Gazprom Board of Directors expressed its approval of the Company’s ongoing work with regard to the implementation of its major investment projects. The projects are aimed at solving strategic tasks, such as to expand the gas supply and gas infrastructure network in Russian regions, to accurately fulfill the export obligations, and to supply the domestic economy sectors with the products of natural gas processing. Gazprom…

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Gazprom Board of Directors approves revised investment program and budget for 2024

October 29, 2024, 18:13 The Gazprom Board of Directors endorsed the revised investment program and budget (financial plan) of the Company for 2024. The overall amount of investments under the 2024 investment program will total RUB 1,641.625 billion, which is RUB 67.998 billion more than was envisaged in the initial version of the investment program approved in December 2023. The adjustments to the 2024 investment program were introduced,…

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Tens of Thousands Rally in Georgia After Contested Vote

Tens of thousands of Georgians took to the streets Monday to protest against the ruling party’s victory in parliamentary polls denounced as “stolen” by the pro-Western opposition, while Georgia’s president alleged to AFP that the vote was rigged using “sophisticated” methods she linked to Russia. The Caucasus country — rocked by mass anti-government protests earlier this…

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Russia’s FSB Says 4 ‘Saboteurs’ Killed in Attempted Border Incursion in Bryansk Region

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said Monday that its agents killed four “saboteurs” who tried to cross into the western Bryansk region from Ukraine. “FSB border guards, together with the units of Russia’s armed forces and the National Guard, thwarted an attempt to cross over the Russian state border in the Klimovsky district on Oct. 27,” the…

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Finland Seizes Russian Cultural Center in Helsinki After Ukrainian Gas Provider Wins Lawsuit

Finnish authorities have begun seizing Russian state-owned property in the country after a Hague-based court ordered Moscow to compensate Ukraine’s national gas provider for assets it lost during the annexation of Crimea, the Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat reported Monday. Finland’s National Enforcement Authority, an agency of the country’s justice ministry, reportedly seized the 3,326-square-meter (35,800…

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NATO Chief Says North Korean Troops Sent to Russia’s Kursk Region

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Monday that North Korean troops were sent to Russia’s embroiled Kursk region, decrying the deployment as a sign of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “growing desperation.” Speaking in Brussels after a briefing with South Korean intelligence officials, Rutte said he could confirm that North Korean military units had been sent to…

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Russian Police Raid Homes of Romani People After Ethnic Tensions Flare in Chelyabinsk Region

Police in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region detained around 20 Roma for “crime prevention talks” after ethnic tensions flared last week over a woman’s murder, local media reported Sunday. Enraged residents in the town of Korkino gathered Thursday night outside homes believed to belong to Roma, where they damaged property and clashed with riot police. The unrest…

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Punitive Psychiatry: An Increasingly Common Tool in Russia’s Crackdown on Activists

An increasing number of Russian political activists have been placed in forced psychiatric treatment — a practice dating back to the Soviet era that involves confinement in mental hospitals.  According to rights activists, some political prisoners who have undergone this treatment report being subjected to humiliation, beatings and being injected with powerful antipsychotic drugs. The number of…

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Kremlin ‘Strongly Rejects’ Accusations of Election Interference in Georgia

The Kremlin on Monday said it “strongly rejects” accusations from Georgia’s president that it interfered in this past weekend’s parliamentary elections. Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili claimed that Moscow was behind election fraud in Georgia, saying it was part of a “Russian special operation.” “We strongly reject these accusations. There was no intervention. These accusations are…

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St. Petersburg Opposition Lawmaker Vishnevsky Resigns Over ‘Foreign Agent’ Ban

St. Petersburg opposition lawmaker Boris Vishnevsky said Monday that he would step down from the regional legislative assembly to comply with new amendments to Russia’s “foreign agent” law. In May, federal lawmakers passed legislation prohibiting “foreign agents” from running in elections, changes introduced after several people hit with designation said they planned to run for local…

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Russia’s Vladimir Region Bans Hijabs in Schools

Authorities in Russia’s Vladimir region have banned students from wearing hijabs while at school. According to the ban, which was enacted last week Tuesday, “clothing and elements demonstrating the student’s religious affiliation… are not allowed inside educational institutions,” including hijabs and niqabs. The Vladimir region’s Education Ministry insisted in a statement on Saturday that the ban…

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Russia Labels Telegram News Channel Astra ‘Foreign Agent’

Authorities in Russia designated the anti-war Telegram news channel Astra as a “foreign agent” on Friday. Russia’s Justice Ministry accused Astra of spreading “inaccurate information” about government policy in order to promote a “negative image” of the Russian military. “[Astra] opposed the special military operation in Ukraine… The creator and editor-in-chief of the internet portal reside outside…

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Putin Appoints Former Separatist Commander to Security Council

President Vladimir Putin on Friday appointed Lieutenant Colonel Artyom Zhoga, currently the Kremlin’s envoy to the Urals Federal District, to Russia’s National Security Council. Zhoga, a former military officer from the Russian-occupied Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, gained prominence last year after publicly urging Putin to seek re-election in the 2025 presidential race. Earlier this…

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Police in Central Russia Arrest Politician for Using Slave Labor, Defrauding Soldier

A local politician in central Russia’s Vladimir region was charged with using slave labor and defrauding a soldier who fought in the Ukraine war, regional investigators said Friday. According to the Vladimir region branch of Russia’s Investigative Committee, the politician allegedly led an organized criminal group that stole 1 million rubles ($10,350) from a soldier’s…

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Kremlin Slams ‘Western Interference’ Ahead of Georgian Parliamentary Elections

The Kremlin on Friday accused the West of trying to interfere in Georgia’s upcoming parliamentary elections, while also dismissing claims that it was meddling in the South Caucasus country’s politics. Georgia will hold parliamentary elections on Saturday, which some observers have called a key test of the country’s democracy and its prospects of joining the…

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Russia’s Central Bank Raises Key Rate to Historic 21%, Signals Aggressive Fight to Curb Inflation

Russia’s Central Bank raised its key interest rate from 19% to a historic 21% on Friday, taking it even higher than the emergency rate initially introduced after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine as officials scrambled to shield the economy from Western sanctions. A rate increase of 1% had been widely anticipated by analysts, as inflation…

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ROSATOM’s international project, Global Atomic Quiz 2024, starts on November 10

On November 10, ROSATOM will once again present its international project for raising nuclear awareness – the Global Atomic Quiz 2024 – in celebration of World Science Day. This year’s quiz marks its fifth anniversary and features a special commemorative edition. Conducted online in 13 languages, the quiz will feature events designed especially for schoolchildren…

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Elon Musk Held Secret Talks With Putin Amid Shifting Views on Ukraine – WSJ

U.S. billionaire Elon Musk held secret talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin throughout the war in Ukraine as his initial support for Kyiv appeared to shift in Moscow’s favor, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing several anonymous current and ex-U.S., European and Russian officials. The private conversations reportedly addressed personal topics, business and geopolitical…

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Russian Police Arrest Current, Former Energy Officials in Fraud Probe

Russian law enforcement authorities have arrested one current and one former deputy energy minister on suspicion of fraud, the Kommersant business daily reported Thursday, citing anonymous sources. Federal Security Service (FSB) agents reportedly first arrested Anatoly Yanovsky, who oversaw policy on Russia’s coal industry as deputy energy minister between 2008 and 2021. Current Deputy Energy…

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