Russia and Burkina Faso signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of peaceful uses of atomic energy

On October 13, 2023, on the sidelines of the VI Russian Energy Week Forum in Moscow, ROSATOM and the Ministry of Mines, Quarries and Energy of Burkina Faso signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of peaceful uses of atomic energy. The document was signed by N.N. Spassky, Deputy Director General of…

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Kremlin’s Passive Stance On Israel-Hamas War Risks Damaging Its Relationship With Israel

Makeshift memorials have sprung up near synagogues and Israeli diplomatic missions across Russia in the days since Hamas militants launched a surprise offensive on Israel.  These spontaneous acts of sympathy by ordinary Russians contrasted with a lukewarm response from the Kremlin toward the attack that has resulted in the deaths of more than 1,300 people…

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Europe’s Top Rights Body Urges Members to Declare Russia ‘Dictatorship,’ Putin ‘Illegitimate’

Europe’s top human rights body on Friday passed a resolution calling on its members to no longer recognize President Vladimir Putin as Russia’s legitimate leader after his fourth term in office ends next year.  The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) said Putin’s 23-year rule as either president or prime minister “has turned the Russian…

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Anti-Drone Protection, Internet Disruptions in Bishkek as Putin Seeks to Restore Influence Among Allies

President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Kyrgyzstan is an attempt to stem the erosion of the Kremlin’s diminishing regional influence as its failures in Nagorno-Karabakh and 20-month war in Ukraine make allies increasingly uneasy, experts told The Moscow Times. With the two-day visit — Putin’s first foreign trip since being indicted by the International Criminal Court…

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France Probes Suspected Poisoning of Russian Journalist Who Staged TV Protest

Updated with Ovsyannikova’s remarks.  French prosecutors on Thursday opened a probe into the suspected poisoning of exiled Russian journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, who brandished an anti-war poster on state television after Moscow invaded Ukraine last year. The journalist, now living in France, felt unwell when she opened the door to her apartment in the center of…

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World Olympic Body Suspends Russia Over Admission of Ukraine Regional Organizations

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Thursday it had suspended Russia’s national Olympic body with “immediate effect” for violating the territorial integrity of Ukraine’s membership. “The Russian Olympic Committee is no longer entitled to operate as a National Olympic Committee, as defined in the Olympic Charter, and cannot receive any funding from the Olympic movement,”…

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Netherlands Probes Yandex Taxi App Over Fears of FSB Data Sharing – Bloomberg

Dutch authorities are investigating Yandex’s ride-hailing app Yango over fears that it could share European customers’ data with Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Bloomberg reported Wednesday. The Dutch Data Protection Authority confirmed the probe into Yango after Finland in August temporarily suspended user data transfers to Russia, a move prompted by a new law in…

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‘Increased’ Threat From Russia Against Critical Infrastructure – Finland

The threat of Russian operations against Finland’s critical infrastructure “has increased” since the country joined NATO, the Finnish intelligence service said Thursday as Helsinki investigates potential sabotage of its natural gas pipeline. “The threat of espionage and influencing operations against critical infrastructure has increased,” Antti Pelttari, the director of the Finnish Security Intelligence Service (Supo), told…

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400 Russians Seek Evacuation From Besieged Gaza Strip

Around 400 Russian nationals are seeking to evacuate the Gaza Strip as the Israeli military continues to bombard the coastal enclave in retaliation to Hamas’ surprise attack, Russia’s diplomatic mission in Palestine said Thursday. Alia Zaripova, the spokeswoman for Russia’s representative mission in Ramallah, said Moscow was working to evacuate its citizens from the besieged territory,…

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Russian Bishop Known as ‘Putin’s Confessor’ Named Head of Crimea Diocese

Russia’s Orthodox Church on Wednesday appointed a bishop who is reputed to be President Vladimir Putin’s spiritual adviser to head the diocese of annexed Crimea. The church’s governing body published a ruling transferring Metropolitan Tikhon (Shevkunov) from the Diocese of Pskov and Porkhov, which he has headed since 2018, to the Crimean Diocese. Metropolitan Tikhon was filmed…

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Russian Court Fines Memorial Co-Chair for ‘Discrediting’ Army

A Russian court on Wednesday fined veteran rights campaigner Oleg Orlov 150,000 rubles ($1,500) for “discrediting” the Russian Armed Forces. Orlov, who serves as co-chair of the Memorial human rights group, was found guilty of repeatedly  “discrediting” Russia’s military over his public opposition to the war in Ukraine. Under wartime censorship laws, the charges can carry…

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Rosatom expands cooperation with Myanmar in the field of nuclear infrastructure

On October 11, 2023, on the sidelines of Russian Energy Week, the State Atomic Energy Corporation “Rosatom” and the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar signed the Memorandum of Understanding in the field of nuclear infrastructure assessment and enhancement. The document was signed by Alexey Likhachev, Director General…

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Rosatom and the Russian-Kyrgyz Development Fund signed a letter of intent for the implementation of the wind power plant construction project

JSC NovaWind (wind power division of Rosatom) and the Russian-Kyrgyz Development Fund signed an agreement to develop and implement an investment project for the construction of a wind power plant in the Issyk-Kul region of the Kyrgyz Republic. The installed capacity of the planned wind power plant will be 100 MW. “Rosatom is interested in…

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5 Injured in Moscow Metro Collision

Updated with new injury count.  A train operator and at least four other people were injured when two metro cars collided in southeastern Moscow early Wednesday, according to local authorities and state media. “A train without passengers was being transferred to the depot when it rolled into a train waiting at the Pechatniki metro station,”…

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Putin Expresses Concern Over ‘Catastrophic Increase’ in Israel-Gaza Death Toll

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday voiced concern over the “catastrophic increase” in the number of civilians killed since fighting between Israel and the Hamas militant group erupted over the weekend.  During a telephone call with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, “emphasis was placed on the sharply worsening situation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict zone,” the…

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European Football Body UEFA Upholds Russian Youth Team Ban

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has ruled to keep Russia’s Under-17 team banned from international competitions following backlash from some of the organization’s members, The Associated Press reported Tuesday. UEFA and the world football authority FIFA banned Russian clubs and national teams from competitions days after Russia invaded Ukraine last year. Last month, UEFA…

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Pro-Russia Japanese MP Resigns From Party Over Moscow Trip

A pro-Russia Japanese lawmaker left his opposition party Tuesday after facing criticism for making a surprise visit to Moscow and declaring his support for Russia in its war against Ukraine.  Muneo Suzuki, a former parliamentary vice-minister of foreign affairs, submitted a letter of resignation to the center-right opposition Japan Innovation Party, the party’s secretary-general Fumitake…

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Russian Court Upholds U.S. Journalist Gershkovich’s Extended Detention

A Moscow court has rejected Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich’s appeal against the extension of his pre-trial detention on widely criticized spying charges, Interfax reported Tuesday. Gershkovich, 32, a U.S. citizen and former Moscow Times journalist, was in August ordered to stay in pre-trial detention until Nov. 30. He challenged that ruling, having lost two…

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Israel-Hamas War Pulls Russians’ Attention Away From Ukraine – Analysis

Russians’ interest in the deadly Hamas attack on Israel was significantly higher than interest in the war in Ukraine over the weekend, according to an analysis of Google Trends data by the independent media outlet Vyorstka.  Observers have called the attack, which the Palestinian militant group launched on the Russian president’s birthday, “Hamas’ gift to…

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Sanctioned Russian Billionaire Fridman Returns to Moscow, Intends to Move to Israel – Reports

Updated to add details from the Financial Times’ report. Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman has left Britain and intends to move to Israel, the RBC news website reported Monday, citing an unidentified source familiar with the matter. Alfa Group, the investment conglomerate which Fridman co-founded, confirmed this information to RBC. “The businessman is currently in Moscow…

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Explainer: Despite Reports, Russian Navy Unlikely to Have Abandoned Sevastopol Base

Reports circulated last week that Russia had withdrawn much of its Black Sea Fleet from Sevastopol in annexed Crimea. This followed a wave of attacks from Ukraine attacking warships, submarines, and infrastructure in the strategic naval base. Though the news was met with celebration among Ukraine’s allies, with the British Armed Forces Minister calling it…

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Hamas Strikes Mosque Named After Chechen Leader Near Jerusalem – Israel

A rocket fired by Hamas militants hit a mosque near Jerusalem dedicated to Akhmat Kadyrov, a Chechen separatist fighter in the 1990s who later switched sides and pledged allegiance to Russia, Israel’s foreign ministry reported Monday. According to the ministry, a Hamas rocket “directly hit the Akhmat Kadyrov mosque,” the second-largest mosque in Israel. No injuries…

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Russia to Hike Spending on ‘Patriotic Education’ Fourfold – RBC

Russia’s government is set to spend four times more on “patriotic education” in 2024 than in 2022, the RBC news website reported Monday, citing a draft budget proposal. A total of 45.85 billion rubles ($450 million) will be allocated toward various youth movements, school officials engaged in “patriotic” education, state insignia, and monitoring of youth online.…

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Russia Charges Ex-Lawyer Novikov for Fighting With Ukraine Army

Russia has charged prominent Russian lawyer Ilya Novikov in absentia for joining the Ukrainian military, the Federal Security Service (FSB) said Monday. Novikov left Russia after the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and joined the Ukrainian territorial defense forces, according to the FSB’s statement. It said that Novikov “underwent military training, participates in combat operations and is engaged in…

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