YouTube Blocks Anti-War Videos at Russia’s Request – Agentstvo

YouTube has blocked at least three videos that show viewers how to evade military service after it received a request from the Russian authorities, the investigative news outlet Agentstvo reported Monday. Russia’s state media watchdog Roskomnadzor notified YouTube between December and February that the three videos violated Russia’s law on information technology and information protection,…

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The first tier of the inner containment has been installed in the reactor building at Unit No. 1 of El-Dabaa NPP (Egypt)

Board Chairman of the Nuclear Power Plants Authority of Egypt and First Deputy Director General for Nuclear Energy of ROSATOM checked the progress of the project work. On Thursday, May 16, 2024, the senior management of the El-Dabaa NPP construction project led by Dr. Amged El-Wakeel, Board Chairman of the Nuclear Power Plants Authority of…

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The first tier of the inner containment has been installed into the design position in the reactor building at the first power unit of the El-Dabaa NPP (Egypt)

Board Chairman of the Nuclear Power Plants Authority of Egypt and First Deputy Director General for Nuclear Energy of ROSATOM checked the progress of the project work. On Thursday, May 16, 2024, the senior management of the El-Dabaa NPP construction project led by Dr. Amged El-Wakeel, Board Chairman of the Nuclear Power Plants Authority of…

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Russian Anti-War News Startup Helpdesk Media Closes

The Russian anti-war news startup Helpdesk Media announced Monday that it was closing due to a lack of funding. Founded by former Meduza publisher Ilya Krasilshchik soon after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Helpdesk Media positioned itself as a service journalism startup that told stories about the war, raised money for its victims, and ran a support hotline…

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Russian Refinery Halts Operation After Drone Strike

A Ukrainian drone attack forced an oil refinery in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region to suspend operations Sunday, its operator and authorities said. Facing Russia’s invasion for over two years, Ukraine has stepped up attacks inside Russia in recent weeks, targeting energy sites in particular. “During the night, six drones fell on the territory of the…

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Russia Seizes Deutsche Bank, UniCredit Assets

A Russian court has ruled that Deutsche Bank and UniCredit’s assets in Russia are to be seized, documents showed. European banks have largely exited Russia after Moscow launched its offensive on Kyiv in 2022. A court in St. Petersburg ruled in favor of seizing 239 million euros ($260 million) from Deutsche Bank, documents dated May…

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ROSATOM showcases advanced nuclear technologies and logistical solutions at 8th Russia-China Expo

Alexey Likhachev, Director General of ROSATOM, reported to the President of Russia and the Vice Premier of China on the corporation’s major achievements in nuclear technology and the prospects for expanding the strategic partnership between Russia and China. On the opening day of the 8th Russia-China Expo, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Vice Premier…

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A Porridge So Rich It Held Diamonds

The basis of the Russian diet historically has always been porridge. Even today porridges made with a variety of grains remain a simple and uncomplicated meal for Russians. But here’s the paradox. This simple porridge became a dish that was synonymous with one of the most elegant and intricate Russian dishes ever invented. You’ve probably…

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Military Spending Pushes Russian Economic Growth Up

Russia’s economy grew 5.4% in the first quarter of 2024, official statistics published Friday showed, as President Vladimir Putin denied military spending on his Ukraine offensive was reaching unsustainable levels. The Kremlin has heavily militarized Russia’s economy since sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022, with the vast outlays helping to power growth and cushion…

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Ukrainian Missile Strikes Destroy Russian Warplanes in Crimea, Satellite Images Show

Ukrainian missile strikes destroyed at least three Russian warplanes in annexed Crimea this week, media outlets reported Friday, citing satellite images. Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed to have intercepted 15 U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles on Wednesday and Thursday.  Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Russian-installed governor of the Crimean city of Sevastopol, said Wednesday that Russian air defense systems had…

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Microsoft Blocks Russian Corporate Clients From Cloud Services, Vendor Says

Microsoft has started blocking Russian corporate clients from using its cloud services in compliance with Western sanctions, a Russian distributor of the tech company’s products Softline said Friday. “Microsoft has apparently approved a list of products to be disconnected. Rolling shutdowns began yesterday evening,” Softline said on its Telegram channel dedicated to supporting its customers…

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Russia Arrests in Absentia Feminist Activist Marshenkulova for ‘Justifying Terrorism’

A Moscow court on Friday ordered the arrest in absentia of exiled feminist activist Zalina Marshenkulova for “justifying” the killing of a pro-war blogger. Russian investigators last month charged Marshenkulova with “justifying terrorism,” a crime punishable by up to seven years in prison, over an April 2023 Telegram post about the death of pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky,…

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Russia Expels U.K. Defense Attache in Tit-For-Tat Move

Russia ordered the expulsion of the United Kingdom’s defense attache in Moscow on Thursday, a move it said was direct retaliation for London expelling Russia’s defense attache last week. The U.K. had accused Moscow’s defense attache — a diplomat in charge of military affairs — of being “an undeclared military intelligence officer,” a charge Moscow…

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Russian Scientists Discover New Dinosaur Species in Siberia

Russian paleontologists at St. Petersburg State University said Thursday that they have discovered a new species of fast-running dinosaurs believed to have lived in Siberia at least 100 million years ago. A single specimen of the Kiyacursor longipes was found in the Kiya River of the coal-producing Kemerovo region. The dinosaur belongs to a genus of carnivorous ceratosaurs thought…

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Russia Sues Kremlin Critic Khodorkovsky, Ex-Business Partner 

Russian prosecutors have filed an unspecified lawsuit against the exiled former tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his one-time business partner Platon Lebedev, the Vedomosti business newspaper reported Thursday. Moscow’s Meshchansky District Court registered the suit against Khodorkovsky, Lebedev, and the defunct Siberian Leasing Company on May 8, the newspaper said, citing Russia’s database of court cases. Initial…

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Russia Labels Independent News Outlet SOTA ‘Undesirable’

Russian authorities on Thursday labeled the independent news outlet SOTA as “undesirable,” effectively banning anyone from working with or having links to the organization. Russia’s General Prosector’s Office, which announced the designation, described SOTA’s news coverage as “nothing more than an outright attempt to destabilize the socio-political situation inside Russia.” It also accused the news…

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Russia’s First Transgender Politician Announces Detransition

Russia’s first transgender politician said Thursday that he has returned to his gender assigned at birth, a surprise announcement that comes amid a nationwide crackdown on the LGBTQ+ community. Roman Alyoshin previously went by the name Yulia Alyoshina, which he said was listed in an internal passport he received in 2020. Last year, while still identifying as a woman, he dropped…

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No Changes Planned for General Staff, Putin Says

President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that he does not plan to make any personnel changes to Russia’s General Staff following the ouster of longtime Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu earlier this week. General Valery Gerasimov will appear to maintain his position as chief of Russia’s General Staff, the central organ of command of the country’s armed forces, despite the ongoing…

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Kadyrov Ally Steps Down as Chechen Parliament Speaker

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov’s close ally Magomed Daudov announced Tuesday that he is stepping down as speaker of the North Caucasus republic’s legislative assembly, a post he held for nearly nine years.  “After consulting with the head of the republic of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov, I decided to resign as Speaker of the Chechen Parliament,” Daudov told regional…

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Putin Hails Russian Advances, Blinken Unveils Aid in Kyiv

President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday hailed Russian advances in the Kharkiv region and the recapture of a symbolic town further south that was one of the only prizes of Ukraine’s underwhelming counteroffensive last summer. Moscow’s claims came as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced fresh military aid while in Kyiv and said Washington had…

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Sri Lanka Says 16 Citizens Killed Fighting in Ukraine

At least 16 citizens of Sri Lanka fighting as mercenaries have been killed in Russia’s war against Ukraine, the island nation’s deputy defense minister said Wednesday. Sri Lankan authorities opened an inquiry last week into the recruitment of its citizens in the war and have since identified 288 retired soldiers who participated in the conflict,…

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Putin Appoints 5 New Regional Governors

President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday named five successors to regional governors who were promoted to federal office earlier this week as part of a wider government reshuffle. In the central Tula region, former governor Alexei Dyumin’s deputy Dmitry Milyayev was appointed as the new acting regional head. Milyayev has held public office in the Tula…

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​​Russia Says Downed Ukrainian Drones, ATACMS Missiles

Russian air defense systems have intercepted dozens of Ukrainian drones and U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles overnight and early Wednesday morning, Russia’s Defense Ministry said. The attacks caused temporary airport closures in the central republic of Tatarstan, as well as explosions at a fuel depot in the southern city of Rostov, where the military headquarters overseeing Moscow’s…

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Russian Strikes Wound 20 in Ukraine’s Kharkiv City

Russian strikes on the center of Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv injured 20 people on Tuesday, officials said. The city, located in Ukraine’s northeast just 30 kilometers from Russia’s border, has faced intensifying aerial attacks in recent months. Moscow also launched a major assault on the wider Kharkiv region last week, capturing several border villages…

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Russia’s Incoming Defense Minister Pledges Military Overhaul

Russia’s incoming Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said Tuesday that he will work toward increasing the military’s effectiveness so that Moscow can achieve “victory” in its war against Ukraine. “The main priority, of course, remains achieving victory and ensuring that the military-political goals of the special military operation… are achieved,” Belousov said in an address to Russia’s…

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