Samsung smartphones have disappeared from store shelves in some areas of Russia, media outlet RBC reported Thursday, as overall smartphone sales reached a decade low. Customers in some major Russian cities are being asked to wait up to five days for deliveries, according to RBC. Western electronics manufacturers Samsung and Apple suspended shipments to Russia…
Details
An Israeli delegation will sit down with talks with Russian officials Thursday as tensions simmer over Russian threats to close a veteran Jewish immigration agency, according to Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz. The Kremlin initially did not approve the meeting on Sunday and the delegation’s trip was delayed, Haaretz reported. The Israeli-Russian negotiations will take place…
Details
An American teacher jailed on drug charges in Russia is being kept from communicating with family freely, his sister told CNN on Wednesday. Marc Fogel, 61, was last month found guilty of drug acquisition, manufacture, smuggling and possession and sentenced to 14 years in a maximum-security prison. Fogel’s family says he was carrying cannabis for…
Details
The United States has made a “substantial proposal” to Russia to free Americans including basketball star Brittney Griner, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday, as he announced he will speak to his Moscow counterpart for the first time since the Ukraine war. Blinken said he expected a telephone call “in the coming days” with…
Details
Jailed Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza faces a second criminal case, Novaya Gazeta Europe reported Wednesday. Kara-Murza, 40, has been in pre-trial detention since his April 12 return to Russia on charges of spreading “false” information about the Russian military and faces 10 years in prison. Authorities now accuse him of cooperating with an “undesirable” foreign…
Details
US basketball star Brittney Griner said at her trial Wednesday she had no intention of smuggling drugs into Russia and that she came to the country despite U.S. warnings so as not to let down her Russian team. Griner, a two-time Olympic basketball gold medalist and Women’s NBA champion who had played in Russia, was detained…
Details
Russia has handed down its first-ever sentence against a surrogate mother on human trafficking charges, Russian media reported Wednesday. A court in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk found Kazakh citizen Tamara Yandieva, 29, guilty of human trafficking and sentenced her to three years in prison, the state-run TASS news agency reported. Although surrogacy is legal…
Details
A barrage of Ukrainian rocket fire on the Russian-controlled Antonovskiy Bridge in the occupied Kherson region late Tuesday appeared to signal intensifying military preparations for Ukraine’s first major counteroffensive of the war. Video footage Wednesday showed huge craters in the strategic bridge over the Dnipro River that is part of a major highway connecting the…
Details
The Philippines has scrapped a deal to buy 16 Russian military-transport helicopters over fears of U.S. sanctions, the Associated Press reported Wednesday. The $227 million deal to acquire Mi-17s from Moscow was approved in November and canceled in June, before the end of then-President Rodrigo Duterte’s term in office. “We could face sanctions,” Former Defense…
Details
Russia’s prisons hope to replace Western brands like IKEA with products made by inmates as the government races to carry out its import substitution program, reports said Wednesday. State and municipal companies have signed 600 million rubles ($10 million) of contracts with penal colonies from the Middle Urals region so far this year, the local…
Details
The Kremlin on Wednesday vowed to hinder work of Western media in Russia after a European court upheld a broadcast ban imposed on Russian news channel RT France. “Of course, we will take similar measures of pressure on Western media that operate in our country,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “We will also not…
Details
Supplies of Russia’s Sputnik Light Covid-19 booster shot have run out in most regions as the country sees a new resurgence in the virus, the Kommersant business daily reported Wednesday. Russia on Wednesday recorded over 9,000 new coronavirus infections, an increase of nearly 3,000 compared to Tuesday. Sputnik Light consists of the first dose of…
Details
Russian tourist Alexandra Rumyantseva is tanning on a beach in Moscow-annexed Crimea, not far away from the front lines of Ukraine’s eastern and southern territories. Sitting on a rock in a white bikini by clear Black Sea waters on the outskirts of Sevastopol, Rumyantseva looks up as a Russian fighter jet whizzes through the perfectly…
Details
The European Union agreed to reduce gas consumption to break its dependence on Russia on Tuesday, as missile strikes on Ukraine’s Black Sea coast cast doubt on a grain export deal. The effort to help Germany wean itself off Russian gas for the winter came as Turkey announced a meeting in Russia next week between…
Details
Despite damaging Western sanctions imposed on Moscow in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s economy appears to be weathering the storm better than expected as it benefits from high energy prices, the IMF said Tuesday. The sanctions were meant to sever Russia from the global financial system and choke off funds available to…
Details
Russia will withdraw from the International Space Station (ISS) “after 2024” and build its own orbiting space outpost, the newly appointed chief of state space agency Roscosmos said Tuesday. “I think that by that time we will start putting together a Russian orbital station,” Roscosmos chief Yury Borisov said at a meeting with Russian President…
Details
U.S. and German authorities’ decision to block Russian darknet drug marketplace Hydra following the invasion of Ukraine has made life more dangerous for some illegal drug users, according to Russian charities. Hydra, which was estimated to be worth over $1.3 billion at the time of its closure, had dominated Russia’s economic underworld, enabling the purchase…
Details
The Kremlin said Tuesday that a move to close in Russia the agency that processes Jewish immigration to Israel should not be “politicized,” calling it a purely legal matter. In a surprise move, a Moscow court said last week that the Justice Ministry had requested the “dissolution” of the Jewish Agency because of unspecified legal violations. Tens…
Details
A former top executive of disgraced payments company Wirecard believed to be under the protection of Russia’s security services near Moscow has at least two fake Russian passports, investigative reports said Monday. Austrian national Jan Marsalek is on Europol’s most-wanted list for alleged fraud after Wirecard — where he served as chief operating officer —…
Details
Ukraine said on Tuesday that Russian forces had launched multiple missile strikes at targets on the Black Sea coast near the southern port city of Odesa and in Mykolaiv. The attacks come days after Russian strikes hit the port of Odesa, calling into question a breakthrough deal to resume exports of grain from Ukraine, that…
Details
A convict whose violent beating by prison guards was caught on video and led to a mass outcry over prison torture in Russia has died from double pneumonia, his mother told independent media Monday. Video of Yevgeny Makarov’s torture northeast of Moscow was leaked in 2018, prompting a series of investigations across Russian correctional facilities and…
Details
Russia’s state-owned gas company on Monday announced an unexpected, drastic cut in supply to Europe, leading Ukraine to call the West to action over the “gas war.” The gas cuts came amid guarded hope of resuming exports this week of another key commodity — Ukraine’s grain — under a breakthrough deal that was called into…
Details
French prosecutors have opened an investigation into the assets owned by Russian oligarchs, a legal source said on Monday. The probe is expected to look into possible money laundering and corruption. The investigation, first reported by the Parisien newspaper, comes after anti-graft group Transparency International filed a legal complaint against oligarchs in France in May. …
Details
Gazprom said it was cutting daily gas deliveries via the Nord Stream pipeline to 33 million cubic meters a day — about 20% of the pipeline’s capacity — from Wednesday. The company said in a statement on Monday that it was halting the operation of one of the last two operating turbines due to the…
Details
Russia’s largest resort city Sochi experienced major flooding over the weekend as record rainfall washed out the city on the Black Sea coast. Local power supplies were cut off, apartment buildings were flooded, cars were seen being washed away and a river overflowed, leading to one civilian death and several injuries. Russian climate activist Arshak…
Details
Russia’s Avtovaz automaker will revive the classic three-door Lada Niva Legend, the sanctions-hit company announced Monday. Known for its simplicity and durability since the Soviet period, the Niva Legend’s Classic 2022 configuration is hitting the market with a limited number of 1,800 vehicles and a price tag of 800,000 rubles ($13,600). “We’re glad to expand…
Details
Britain said Monday it had reluctantly agreed to host next year’s Eurovision song contest, after organizers said there was no prospect of the event going ahead in war-torn Ukraine. The BBC will instead produce the world’s biggest live music event, taking in performers from across Europe and Central Asia as well as Israel and Australia,…
Details
Kazakhstan is significantly increasing its defense spending and seeking closer ties with China and NATO countries amid fears of Moscow’s geopolitical ambitions spreading beyond Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a Kazakh official. The Central Asian country will commit an extra 441 billion tenge ($918 million) to its defense budget, a nearly 1.5-fold increase…
Details
The Kremlin said Monday that Russian strikes on Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa “should not affect” a UN-brokered deal between Moscow and Kyiv to unblock grain exports. “This cannot and should not affect the start of shipment,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, two days after Moscow hit the port. He said Russia’s strikes…
Details
The European Union has agreed to impose sanctions on the “Night Wolves,” a notorious pro-Kremlin biker gang, as part of the bloc’s latest penalties over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Financial Times reported Friday. The Night Wolves are famous for their nationalist leanings, provocative pro-Kremlin trips to Europe and ties with President Vladimir Putin. The…
Details
A Siberian regional opposition deputy has fled to Georgia shortly after Russian authorities launched a criminal investigation against her on allegations of spreading “fake” information about the Russian army. Helga Pirogova, 33, was arrested last week and charged days later over a since-deleted tweet that criticized the mother of a deceased volunteer soldier who praised…
Details
A Russian chess robot latched onto and broke a child prodigy’s finger during a tournament in Moscow, news outlets have reported. Video shared by the Baza Telegram channel Thursday showed the robot arm squeezing the boy’s finger and adults rushing to his help. The news outlet identified the victim as 7-year-old Kristofer, one of Moscow’s…
Details
Laptops and computer keyboards with Russian-language layouts are increasingly reaching Russia under a government scheme to maintain imports despite Western sanctions and an exodus of international businesses over the war in Ukraine, the Kommersant business daily reported Monday. Russia’s “parallel import” scheme allows the supply of keyboards and laptops originally intended for foreign markets without approval…
Details
Russia’s top diplomat reassured Egyptian leaders Sunday that their orders for Russian grain would be met as he began a tour of African countries dependent on imports for their food supply. “We confirmed the commitment of Russian exporters of cereal products to meet their orders in full,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a news conference…
Details
Russia on Sunday blocked the website of a new editorial project by independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, which was forced to suspend publication in March amid repression of critics of the offensive in Ukraine. On July 15, its staff launched a paper magazine that can be seen online via a new website called “Novaya Rasskaz-Gazeta.” This…
Details
A Ukrainian official said Sunday that the country’s southern region of Kherson, which fell to Russian troops early in their February invasion, would be recaptured by Kyiv’s forces by September. “We can say that the Kherson region will definitely be liberated by September, and all the occupiers’ plans will fail,” Serhiy Khlan, an aide to…
Details
Russia said Sunday that its missile barrage on a Ukrainian port central to a freshly-inked grain export deal had destroyed Western-supplied weapons, after the attack sparked an outcry from Ukraine’s allies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced Saturday’s strike on the Odesa port — which came just one day after the warring sides struck a deal…
Details
Russian missiles struck Ukraine’s key Black Sea port of Odesa Saturday, officials said, in an attack Kyiv described as a “spit in the face” of a deal signed by the warring neighbors a day earlier to resume grain exports blocked by the conflict. Two cruise missiles hit terminal infrastructure, regional authorities said on social media,…
Details
The whistleblower behind the “Panama Papers” which revealed major tax evasion and fraud worldwide said he feared Russian retribution, in an interview published Saturday by Germany’s Der Spiegel. The magazine quoted him under his pseudonym John Doe as saying he had evidence of financial wrongdoing by top Russian officials and their allies which helped fund…
Details
What is Russia’s most famous dessert? Most people would answer without a moment’s hesitation: medovik (honey cake). It brings us back to our childhood — it’s comforting and homey. Why do we love it so much? What is the secret to its appeal? Of course, it’s the main ingredient that gives it flavor and aroma…
Details
Russia’s ongoing attack on Ukraine has left up to 25 million tons of wheat and other grain stranded in the country’s Black Sea ports. While the blockade — which the UN said risked exacerbating the threat of a global food crisis — is due to end in weeks thanks to a landmark deal signed Friday,…
Details
Russia and Ukraine on Friday signed a landmark deal with the United Nations and Turkey on resuming grain shipments that could ease a global food crisis in which millions face hunger. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov each signed separate but identical agreements with UN and Turkish officials on reopening…
Details
Диета: diet If there is one word that is immediately understandable in Russian, it’s диета (diet). Right? Well, mostly right. In English, the most common meaning of the word today is “the restriction of food intake to lose weight,” but it can also mean the food usually consumed by a creature or food prescribed for…
Details
A Russian crackdown on the agency that processes the immigration of Jews to Israel is a response to new Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s tougher stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, analysts said Friday. On Thursday, a Moscow court said the Justice Ministry had requested the “dissolution” of the Jewish Agency over unspecified legal violations…
DetailsIn 2021, Rosneft invested approximately 55 billion roubles in environmental protection and restoration activities.
Russia’s Central Bank cut its key interest rate by 150 basis points from 9.5% to 8% on Friday, citing a slowing in inflation. The cut marks fourth time this year Russia’s Central Bank has lowered its rate, after it implemented an emergency hike from 9.5% to 20% in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. …
Details
Russian authorities have launched a criminal investigation against a regional independent deputy on Friday on suspicion of spreading “fake” information about the Russian army, a new crime introduced following the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Helga Pirogova, 33, was arrested late Tuesday when leaving a charity auction in support of those prosecuted for taking part in…
Details
Half of all Russian spies operating under diplomatic cover around Europe have been expelled since the start of the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine, the head of British foreign intelligence said Thusday. “So across Europe, roughly half — at last count something north of 400 Russian intelligence officers operating under diplomatic cover — have been expelled,”…
Details
Russia has expanded its short list of so-called “unfriendly” nations, adding five European states that Moscow says have taken “hostile” actions. The list of “unfriendly” countries, first established in May 2021 to include the United States and the Czech Republic, restricts the number of local staff that can be hired at designated nations’ diplomatic missions…
Details
A Russian air strike killed seven people, four of them children, in Syria’s rebel-held Idlib region on Friday, a war monitor said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it confirmed the deaths “including four children who are siblings, two men and an unidentified person… as a result of Russian air strikes,” in the Jisr…
Details
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke about the oil market in a telephone conversation on Thursday, the Kremlin said. The call comes less than a week after Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler met visiting U.S. President Joe Biden. Putin and Prince Mohammed discussed “in detail the situation on…
Details
The Kremlin said Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is in good health, dismissing rumors that the leader was unwell as completely unfounded. “Everything is fine with his health,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Scrutiny over the 69-year-old Putin’s health has intensified since he launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February. “Ukrainian, American…
Details
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko Thursday said Russia, Ukraine and the West must agree to halt the Ukraine conflict to avoid the “abyss of nuclear war” and insisted Kyiv should accept Moscow’s demands. “We must stop, reach an agreement, end this mess, operation and war in Ukraine,” Lukashenko, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top ally, told AFP…
Details
Kyiv on Thursday accused Moscow of storing heavy weapons at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in occupied Ukrainian territory, after Russia said Ukraine’s troops had fired on the facility. Ukraine state energy company Energoatom said on social media that Russia had moved over two dozen pieces of military equipment and ammunition into the engine room of the first reactor.…
Details
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto traveled to Moscow on Thursday to discuss purchasing more Russian gas on behalf of his country, the ruling Fidesz party said. “In order to ensure the security of Hungary’s energy supply, the government has decided to purchase an additional 700 million cubic meters of natural gas in addition to the…
Details
Problems with Russian gas supplies to Europe are caused by sanctions that create “technical difficulties,” the Kremlin said Thursday as the Nord Stream 1 pipeline reopened after maintenance but with a reduced flow. Europe was on edge during the 10-day Nord Stream 1 repair works, fearing that Moscow would not reopen the taps in retaliation…
Details
ODESA, Ukraine — As well-dressed patrons gathered outside the Opera and Ballet Theater in this Black Sea port city for a recent afternoon performance, there were telltale signs of the ongoing war with Russia. The crowd, a mix of men and women wearing military uniforms as well as suits and dresses, was much smaller than…
Details
Major Western banks’ Russian divisions have started hiring staff this month after Moscow obstructed their exit from the country, Reuters reported Thursday. Following the Kremlin’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, Western banks in Russia moved to remove foreign nationals from senior positions and study ways to exit the market — but they have recently started…
Details
Russia has levied its first fine for likening the Soviet Union to Nazi Germany since prohibiting such comparisons earlier this month, the Moscow-based Sova Center for Information and Analysis reported. Under the law signed by President Vladimir Putin on July 1, publicly comparing the goals and actions of the U.S.S.R. and Red Army with those…
Details
The Kremlin is seeking to hold referendums for captured Ukrainian territories to join Russia in September, Bloomberg reported Thursday, corroborating previous reporting on the unconfirmed absorption plans. The move would likely ignite further ire from Kyiv’s Western allies, which do not recognize Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and have already hit Moscow with heavy sanctions…
Details