Russian Publisher Raided for Selling Books By Renowned Writer on ‘Extremists and Terrorists’ List

Russian investigators raided the Zakharov publishing house Tuesday after it refused to stop selling books by Russian-Georgian writer Boris Akunin, who this week was added to the country’s “extremists and terrorists” registry. “The Investigative Committee wants all the documents we possess — contracts, payments, everything — linked to Boris Akunin,” Irina Bogat, the publishing house’s…

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Russia Adds Prominent Writer Akunin to ‘Extremists and Terrorists’ Registry

Russian-Georgian writer Boris Akunin (Grigory Chkhartishvili) has been added to state financial watchdog Rosfinmonitoring’s list of “extremists and terrorists,” the independent Mediazona news website reported Monday. Akunin, 67, who lives in the U.K., has publicly condemned the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine and is a co-founder of the TrueRussia Foundation, which helps people affected by the…

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Russian Court Postpones Navalny’s Court Hearings Until ‘Whereabouts Established’

A Russian court has postponed jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s hearings until “his whereabouts are established,” his team said Monday.  The announcement comes nearly two weeks after he first went missing in Russia’s prison system, sparking alarm from his aides and supporters that his life may be in danger. Navalny’s team said last week that the 47-year-old…

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Russian Soldiers Convicted of Bribing Officer to Avoid Deployment – Kommersant

Five current and former Russian soldiers have received varying sentences for bribing a superior officer in exchange for avoiding a second deployment in Ukraine, the Kommersant business daily reported Monday, citing anonymous sources. The unidentified officer was reportedly investigated for accepting the bribes, but the newspaper said it was unclear whether he stood trial, adding…

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Moscow ‘Welcomes’ Election Victory of Serbian Leader’s Party

The Kremlin on Monday said it “welcomed” the victory claimed by Serbia’s ruling party in parliamentary elections held the day before.  Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic looks poised to tighten his grip on power after his Serbian Progressive Party secured a dominating victory at Sunday’s polls, a contest largely seen as a referendum on his government “We welcome…

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Vladimir Putin’s Rhetorical Tricks

Поговорим: Let’s talk I have been listening to, reading, and writing about Vladimir Putin’s press conferences and “разговоры” (conversations) with the people (народ) for a couple of decades now, and although I haven’t checked year-by-year, my sense is that his rhetorical devices haven’t changed all that much. In some cases they seem to have tapered…

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Airport in Southern Russia’s Krasnodar Receives First Flight Since Start of War

An airport in southern Russia’s Krasnodar region on Friday received its first flight since closing down early last year as Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine, the Russian civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia said. Rosaviatsia banned flights to 11 airports in southern and western Russia on the day President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Ukraine, as fighting along…

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Russian Bookstores, Publishing House Ban Books by Prominent Writers Over Anti-War Statements

One of Russia’s leading publishing houses, AST, has suspended the printing and sale of books by Russian poet, journalist and prose writer Dmitry Bykov and Russian-Georgian writer Boris Akunin over their anti-war views, it announced Friday.  “Public statements made by these writers — which caused a widespread public outcry — require legal assessment. Publication and…

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In First, Russia Strips Citizenship From 2 Men Over Draft Dodging

A court in Russia’s Ural Mountains has stripped two naturalized citizens of their Russian passports for draft dodging, the Interior Ministry said Friday, marking the first such case since new legislation legalizing denaturalization came into force. The unidentified 21-year-old and 24-year-old men were required to report to a military enlistment office within 14 days after obtaining…

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Putin ‘Hopes’ Moscow, Washington Will Find Solution on Arrested U.S. Citizens

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Moscow was in “difficult” talks with Washington about a prisoner swap involving WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich and jailed ex-Marine Paul Whelan. “There are contacts on this issue and dialogue is ongoing, but it’s not straightforward,” Putin said. “I hope that we will find a solution. But, I repeat,…

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‘Why Is Your ‘Reality’ Different From Ours?’ – Viewers Challenge Putin at Press Conference

Several audience-submitted questions at President Vladimir Putin’s end-of-year press conference Thursday were unexpectedly critical of the president and the current state of affairs in Russia. The conference and public call-in, Putin’s first since the invasion of Ukraine, has been filled with questions from the public sent via text message, along with questions from journalists inside…

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Russian Activist Fined for Anti-FSB Protest After Transfer From Kyrgyzstan – NGO

Russian left-wing activist and anarchist Lev Skoryakin was released from detention after being fined for staging a protest against Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), the human rights watchdog OVD-Info reported Wednesday. Rights activists said Skoryakin was abducted from jail in the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan in October and flown to Moscow, where he faced…

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In First, Russia Strips Naturalized Citizens of Passports

Two naturalized Russians have been stripped of their citizenship, Russia’s Interior Ministry said Wednesday, marking the first such case since new legislation legalizing denaturalization went into force. The amendments to Russia’s citizenship laws, which came into effect in late October, list more than 60 crimes as grounds for losing citizenship, including spreading “fake news” about Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.…

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100K Residents of Southern Russia’s Rostov Region Without Power – Governor

Around 100,000 residents of southern Russia’s Rostov region were hit by power outages in freezing weather, its governor said Wednesday. Images shared on social media showed icy roads, downed trees and power lines in the city of Rostov-on-Don 1,000 kilometers south of Moscow and 100 kilometers east of Ukraine. More than 300 residents including 71 children sought medical…

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Russian Ex-Policeman Arrested on Suspicion of Unlawfully Granting 100K Migrants Legal Status

A former senior police officer in St. Petersburg has been arrested on suspicion of unlawfully granting more than 100,000 labor migrants legal status, state media reported Wednesday, citing anonymous law enforcement officials. Authorities uncovered the large-scale legalization scheme in October 2022 and detained St. Petersburg municipal deputy and regional MMA chief Viktor Danishevsky, as well as…

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