Russia Arrests Concert Hall Attack ‘Financier,’ Claims Ukraine Link

Russian authorities have arrested a suspected “financier” of last week’s deadly concert hall attack, Russia’s top investigative body said Thursday, claiming that Ukraine had paid “large amounts” to the perpetrators. “Another suspect involved in the terrorist financing scheme has been identified and detained,” Russia’s Investigative Committee said in a statement, adding that the person was…

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Russian Music Goes East

Although Russian culture has not been cancelled around the world, there have been disruptions in schedules and repertories as venues and event organizers were concerned that hosting Russians artists would be perceived as condoning or endorsing actions contrary to their values. Non-Russian symphony orchestras dedicated to preserving classical masterpieces are also facing a dilemma. While…

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Victims of the Crocus City Hall Attack

Camouflaged gunmen killed at least 143 people and wounded 360 others at the Crocus City concert hall near Moscow late last week, the deadliest attack in Russia since the 2004 Beslan school siege. Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry released the names of those who were killed and whose identities could be established, though the list could…

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Poland Says Raided Russian Spy Network

Polish security services said Thursday they had raided a Russian spy network in cooperation with Czech intelligence, which a day earlier had busted a major Russian propaganda network. The services said their operations were linked to charges filed earlier this year against a Polish citizen suspected of spying for Russia. “The Internal Security Agency is…

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Forum ATOMEXPO-2024 became a record-breaking event in number of participating countries and signed agreements

IV generation nuclear technologies were one of the core topics of the event. On March 26, 2024, the two-day International Forum ATOMEXPO-2024, one of the largest events in the global nuclear industry, completed its work at the Sirius University of Science and Technology (Sirius Federal Territory, Sochi). The exhibition area of the forum exceeded 25.5…

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Moscow Says Talks Ongoing Over Gershkovich Exchange

The Kremlin said Thursday that discussions continued to take place over a possible prisoner exchange involving Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was detained in Russia nearly one year ago on espionage charges. The 32-year-old American journalist was detained by Russian security agents in March 2023 and accused of spying, the first such charge…

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2 Russian Journalists Detained in Navalny ‘Extremism’ Case 

Russian police have detained at least two independent journalists on “extremism” charges in connection with a criminal case against the late opposition activist Alexei Navalny, media outlets reported. According to the independent broadcaster Sotavision, its photojournalist Antonina Favorskaya was detained for a second time late Wednesday after initially serving a 10-day administrative sentence in the Moscow…

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Russia Sentences Online War Critic to 6 Years Jail

A Russian court on Wednesday sentenced a man to six years in jail for online messages denouncing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as Moscow clamps down on public criticism of the conflict. Nikolai Farafonov, 35, was found guilty of “public incitement to commit terrorist acts” by a military court in Russia’s northern republic of Komi, local…

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Czechs Bust Major Russian Propaganda Network

Czech intelligence has busted a Moscow-financed network that spread Russian propaganda and wielded influence across Europe, including in the European Parliament, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Wednesday. The group used the Prague-based Voice of Europe news site to spread information seeking to discourage the European Union from sending aid to Ukraine, which has been…

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Russia, Mali To Strengthen Counterterrorism Efforts

Russia and Mali agreed to strengthen their cooperation over counterterrorism in a telephone call on Wednesday according to both parties, following the attack in Moscow that killed at least 137. Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to the head of the Malian junta, Colonel Assimi Goita, and the President of Congo-Brazzaville, Denis Sassou Nguesso, the Kremlin…

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ATOMEXPO-2024 discusses gender balance in high-tech industries

ROSATOM shared its experience in developing and supporting women with the international community. On March 26, the session Women’s Leadership in the Development of High Technologies and Innovations was held on the sidelines of the ATOMEXPO-2024 International Forum. It brought together representatives of business, universities, and women’s associations from Russia, Egypt, Indonesia, South Africa, Serbia,…

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On the margins of ATOMEXPO-2024 Rosatom signed two cooperation agreements on training specialists for the nuclear industry

Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd (South Africa) and MIREA will become partners of ROSATOM On March 26, at the ATOMEXPO International Forum with the participation of Tatiana Terentyeva, Deputy General Director for Personnel of ROSATOM, documents on cooperation in the field of personnel training were signed.  Among them is a roadmap between ROSATOM and Eskom Holdings…

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Woman Injured in Drone Crash at Belgorod Government Building

A woman was injured after a drone crashed into a government building in western Russia’s Belgorod on Wednesday, regional authorities said. “An enemy drone crashed into an administrative building in [the city of] Belgorod,” Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on the messaging app Telegram. “The explosion shattered windows on the building’s third and fourth floors and damaged its…

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Police Raid Warehouse Near Moscow for Migrant ‘Document Check’

Russian police have detained dozens of workers at a warehouse of the online retailer Wildberries on suspicion of breaking migration laws, state media reported Wednesday. Wildberries’ press service said a “document inspection” had been carried out at its warehouse in the Moscow region town of Elektrostal, which reportedly employs 8,000 people. “The inspection is over, 38 warehouse [workers]…

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Elena Skvortsova Hides Street Art in Plain Sight

If you happen upon a small ceramic statue tucked inside a drainpipe or half-buried in a pile of leaves, chances are it’s a work by Elena Skvortsova. Skovtsova is a ceramicist living in Moscow. She creates decorative plates, small statues, vases, and other works that she exhibits in galleries and on the street. She often tucks…

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Antidepressant Sales in Russia Hit 5-Year High – Vedomosti

Antidepressant sales in Russian pharmacies have hit a five-year high in the first months of 2024, the Vedomosti business daily reported Wednesday, citing the pharmaceutical market research company DSM Group. Experts linked the rise to doctors increasingly prescribing antidepressants instead of Soviet-era sedatives and tranquilizers whose effects have not been scientifically proven. According to the DSM…

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Ukraine Says Detained 2 Russian FSB Agents

Ukraine said Wednesday that it detained two agents of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) accused of sharing the location of sensitive military targets with the Russian military. Since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion, Kyiv has waged a crackdown on those suspected of having collaborated with Russia, opening thousands of criminal cases. “As a result…

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Samsung Pay to Stop Supporting Russia’s Mir Card

Russia’s Mir payment system will no longer be available on Samsung’s mobile payment service starting next week, the South Korean company announced on Wednesday. “Starting April 3, 2024, adding and using Mir cards to Samsung Pay will not be available,” Samsung said in a statement published on its website. “Samsung Pay will continue working in…

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Ukraine Says Weekend Missile Attack Damaged 4 Russian Ships

Ukraine said Tuesday that it had damaged four Russian naval ships in a weekend missile attack against annexed Crimea. The Ukrainian navy had previously said that the overnight attack between Saturday and Sunday damaged only two amphibious landing ships — the Yamal and the Azov. According to new information, “Ukraine’s Defense forces [also] successfully damaged the…

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Ukrainian Shelling of Russia’s Belgorod Region Injures 5

Ukrainian strikes have left five people wounded in western Russia’s Belgorod region, authorities said Tuesday, in the latest bout in escalating cross-border attacks between Russia and Ukraine. Recent months have seen a sharp uptick in Ukrainian attacks along Russia’s western border, as well as incursions by pro-Kyiv militias comprised of Russian volunteer fighters. Belgorod region…

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Russian Rights Chief Says Torturing Concert Attack Suspects ‘Inadmissible’

Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatiana Moskalkova has criticized the alleged violent detention of the four suspected gunmen in last week’s deadly attack on a Moscow concert hall, state media reported Tuesday. “Despite the drastic nature of detaining criminals and no criminal punishment stipulated for actions that inflict harm during detention, it’s absolutely inadmissible to use torture…

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Consortium Leader of MBIR Reactor International Research Centre, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and Rusatom Bel concluded a Cooperation Agreement

The agreement ensures the cooperation on International Research Centre project based on MBIR. On March 25, 2024, within XIII International Forum ATOMEXPO-2024 in Sochi a Cooperation Agreement on the project of the International Research Center based on Multipurpose fast research reactor (IRC MBIR) was signed between the Consortium Leader of IRC MBIR, National Academy of…

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What Was Putin Doing During the Moscow Concert Hall Attack?

On March 7, U.S. officials warned the Russian government that they had information about a planned terrorist attack possibly targeting concerts in Moscow. Fifteen days later, camouflaged gunmen attacked the Crocus City Hall concert venue near Moscow, killing at least 137 people, with the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group claiming responsibility.  The deadliest attack in…

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