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☆ Russian courts saw hundreds of AWOL cases in March alone, a record high since the war began: report
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In March, Russia dealt with its highest-ever number of AWOL cases since the war began, Mediazona reported. AdvertisementRussian courts assessed 684 absences without leave in March, the highest-ever monthly count since the war in Ukraine began, independent Russian media reported. Citing public records, independent outlet Mediazona reported on April 12 that a daily average of 34 AWOL sentences were carried out in military courts that month. Related storiesRussian courts have dealt with some 2,300 AWOL cases since the start of 2024, and about 7,400 total cases since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022, according to Mediazona. This spring, Russia is set to call up some 150,000 men for routine, statutory military service, which typically lasts about one year.

Persons: Mediazona, —, Christopher Cavoli Organizations: Service, UK Defence Ministry, Russian Ministry of Defense, Business, US Army, NATO Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Europe

☆ Russia is rounding up more journalists a year after the arrest of Evan Gershkovich
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Radina Gigova | Olesya Dmitracova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Six journalists working for independent media outlets in Russia were arrested in a span of just a few hours this week on the eve of the anniversary of American reporter Evan Gershkovich’s detention in the city of Yekaterinburg. The journalists include Antonina Favorskaya, who covered the late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said Thursday. On Friday, Gershkovich marked the grim milestone of one year in Russian detention. Shortly after his arrest, the Wall Street Journal reporter was charged with espionage — an accusation vehemently denied by Gershkovich, his employer and the US government. APThe six journalists, including Favorskaya, were arrested on Wednesday and Thursday, RSF said.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich’s, Antonina Favorskaya, Alexey Navalny, Favorskaya, Gershkovich, Navalny, Alexey Navalny's, RSF, “, ”, Jeanne Cavelier, “ RSF, ” Cavelier, ” RSF, Alexandra Astakhova, Anastasia Musayeva Organizations: London CNN —, Wall Street, US Federal Bureau of, TASS Locations: Russia, Yekaterinburg, Russian, Moscow, Eastern Europe, Central Asia

☆ Russia Charges 4 People With Terrorism After Concert Hall Attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Neil Macfarquhar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The four men suspected of carrying out a bloody attack on a concert hall near Moscow, killing at least 137 people, were arraigned in a district court late Sunday and charged with committing a terrorist act. The four, who were from Tajikistan but worked as migrant laborers in Russia, were remanded in custody until May 22, according to state and independent media outlets reporting from the proceedings, at Basmanny District Court. The press service of the court only announced that the first two defendants, Dalerjon B. Mirzoyev and Saidakrami M. Rachalbalizoda, pleaded guilty to the charges. The men looked severely battered and injured as each of them was brought into the courtroom separately. Videos of them being tortured and beaten while under interrogation circulated widely on Russian social media.

Persons: Dalerjon, Rachalbalizoda Locations: Moscow, Tajikistan, Russia, Basmanny

☆ Russian election: As Putin readies for a fifth term, the Kremlin is stepping up its war on its own people
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Clare Sebastian | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

In January, she was jailed for five and a half years for spreading “false” information about the army. Russian independent news outlet Mediazona reported she was convicted after two reposts on VKontakte — Russia’s version of Facebook — including one about Russian troop deaths. Oskar CherdzhievRussia’s powerful investigative committee ordered a criminal case be opened on charges of spreading false information about the army. So they try to protect this.”‘Deeper and deeper into this darkness’With mainstream Russian media now entirely state-controlled, the authorities are targeting other forms of expression — the arts, literature and culture. In December, Akunin was added to Russia’s “terrorist and extremist list” for allegedly justifying extremism and spreading false information about the Russian army.

Persons: It’s, ”, Oleg Orlov, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Orlov, Tatyana Makeyeva, Darya, “, ” Korolenko, Konstantin Eggert, Evgeniya, Nadezhda Buyanova, —, Buyanova, Oskar Cherdzhiev Russia’s, Grigory Chkhartishvili, Boris Akunin, he’s, Akunin, Russia’s, Misha Japaridze, Alexey Navalny, Andrei Soldatov, ” Soldatov, Soldatov Organizations: CNN, Facebook, Higher School of, Center, Combating Extremism, Bolshevik Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Soviet, Orlov’s, Russian, Shakhty, Ukrainian, ” Russia, Covid, USSR

☆ Dozens of journalists detained in Moscow as military wives protest mobilization
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Darya Tarasova | Amy Cassidy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A number of people, including journalists from foreign press organizations, have been detained in Moscow after authorities cracked down on protesters at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s election headquarters, independent outlets reported Saturday. Independent Russian media group Mediazona reported Saturday that among those held are journalists working for Kommersant, France Press and Spiegel, as well as human rights activists. Another seven journalists covering the rally were taken to the Basmanny police station, OVD-info said. One state media employee has since been released from Kitay-Gorod along with three minors, according to OVD-info on Telegram. They said: “Police officers told them that they planned to soon release the rest of the employees of federal and foreign media, but to leave ‘foreign agents’ media representatives in the police station.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Mediazona, Andrei Zaiko, ”, “ Organizations: CNN, ”, Independent, Kommersant, France Press, Spiegel, Fuji, “ Police, Kremlin Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Putin’s, Independent Russian

☆ Putin is urging women to have as many as 8 children after so many Russians died in his war with Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

President Vladimir Putin is urging Russians to have more children. Russian birthrates are falling amid war in Ukraine and a deepening economic crisis. AdvertisementRussian President Vladimir Putin is urging women to have as many as eight children after so many Russians are dying in his war with Ukraine, worsening the country's spiraling population crisis. "Many of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers, had seven, eight, or even more children," said Putin. The war in Ukraine has led an estimated 900,000 people to flee the country.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, —, Le Monde, Alexei Raksha Organizations: Service, Russian People's Council, UK's Ministry of Defence, Ukraine, AFP, RFE Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Meduza, Rosstat

☆ Russia put a Meta employee on a wanted list after designating the company a 'terrorist and extremist' organization
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Meta spokesperson is wanted by the Russian government. AdvertisementA Meta spokesperson has been wanted by Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs database since February, media outlets based in Russia found on Sunday. According to Mediazona, a Russian outlet not affiliated with the state, Andy Stone is wanted by the ministry for unspecified terrorism charges. Before the war in Ukraine, Meta products like Facebook and Instagram enjoyed popularity among Russian users. However, the sites are now banned in Russia, and Meta itself has been listed as a "terrorist" and "extremist" organization since October 2022.

Persons: —, Mediazona, Andy Stone, Stone, Instagram, WhatsApp, Meta Organizations: Service, Russia's Ministry, Internal Affairs, TASS, Meta, Facebook, Business Locations: Russian, Russia, Ukraine

Russia has added the spokesman of U.S. technology company Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, to a wanted list, according to an online database maintained by the country’s interior ministry. The interior ministry’s database doesn't give details of the case against Stone, stating only that he is wanted on criminal charges. In March this year, Russia's federal Investigative Committee opened a criminal investigation into Meta. It alleged that the company's actions following Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022 amounted to inciting violence against Russians. In April 2022, Russia also formally barred Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg from entering the country.

Persons: Andy Stone, Stone, Meta didn't, Mediazona, ’ ”, couldn't, X, Mark Zuckerberg Organizations: Meta, Tass, federal, Russian, Facebook, Twitter Locations: Russia, Russian, Ukraine

☆ Russian artist receives seven-year sentence for anti-war protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Anna Chernova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Russian artist Alexandra Skochilenko, who had replaced price tags with anti-war messages in a St. Petersburg grocery store as an act of protest, was sentenced to seven years in jail by a court in the Russian city on Thursday. “Today, scientists and doctors around the world are fighting to increase human life expectancy and find cures for deadly diseases. Therefore, I don’t understand: what is (this) war for? War is death,” she added, according to a courtroom correspondent for the independent news outlet Mediazona. “Her persecution has become synonymous with the absurdly cruel oppression faced by Russians openly opposing their country’s criminal war.”

Persons: Alexandra Skochilenko, Skochilenko, Skochilenko “, “, ”, Marie Struthers, Struthers, ” Skochilenko “, ” Struthers Organizations: CNN, Armed Forces, Russian Federation, Novaya Gazeta, “, Amnesty, Central Asia Locations: Russian, St, Petersburg, St . Petersburg, Ukraine, Eastern Europe

Authorities have detained nearly 20,000 people for anti-war activity and opened over 800 criminal cases against anti-war dissidents, according to the OVD-Info rights group. Skochilenko replaced price tags in a supermarket in her native St Petersburg on March 31 2022 with five small pieces of paper urging an end to the war. "Even you, your honour (the judge), even you, the state prosecutor, you also don’t want people to die prematurely, for young soldiers to lie in the fields, for civilians to die." Copies of the imitation price tags produced by Skochilenko are on display on a website maintained by her supporters. Another alleges Russia was sending conscripts to fight in Ukraine, which Russia has also denied.

Persons: Alexandra, Sasha, Skochilenko, Alexandra Skochilenko, Moscow's, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Gladyshev, Putin, Andrew Osborn, Mark Trevelyan, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Authorities, Moscow, Wednesday, Amnesty, NATO, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Saint Petersburg, Russia, Russian, St Petersburg, Mariupol, Moscow

☆ Lawyers Seek Release of Russian Artist Who Staged Anti-War Price Tag Protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

Critics say it is part of a crackdown on anyone who speaks out against Moscow's "special military operation". Authorities have detained nearly 20,000 people for anti-war activity and opened over 800 criminal cases against anti-war dissidents, according to the OVD-Info rights group. The justice ministry has designated the rights group a "foreign agent" and its website is blocked in Russia. Copies of the imitation price tags produced by Skochilenko are on display on a website maintained by her supporters. Another alleges Russia was sending conscripts to fight in Ukraine, which Russia has also denied.

Persons: Andrew Osborn, Alexandra Skochilenko, Sasha, Moscow's, Vladimir Putin, Skochilenko, Alexander Gladyshev, Putin, Mark Trevelyan, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Authorities, Moscow, Wednesday, Amnesty, NATO, Reuters Locations: Russian, Ukraine, St Petersburg, Russia, Mariupol, Moscow

☆ Protesting the Ukraine war is banned in Russia, so young people are sabotaging trains and railroad tracks instead: UK intel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Activists against Russia's war with Ukraine have been sabotaging railways, UK intel said. As protesting is criminalized in Russia, sabotage is appealing for young people, UK intel said. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . "Russia's military logistics, including supplying the war in Ukraine, remain reliant" on the country's more than 20,000 miles of railway line, the UK intelligence group said. Some of the railroad sabotage cases involved damage to tracks and arson, according to Mediazona.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin Organizations: intel, UK intel, Service, UK's Ministry of Defense, Russian Locations: Ukraine, Russia, UK

☆ Hundreds of Russian soldiers are going AWOL and refusing to fight as morale plummets, UK intelligence says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's conviction rate for AWOL soldiers soared to 100 a week, UK officials said. Mediazona, citing data from the websites of military courts as of July 19, reported a dramatic increase in cases of Russian soldiers absent without official leave (AWOL) since March 2023. By June, Russian military courts were handing out 100 sentences per week, the outlet said. "Although some soldiers have refused to fight and attrition rates remain high, Russia highly likely mitigates their loss by committing a mass of poorly trained soldiers to the frontline." In addition to low morale, the respected Institute for the Study of War think tank stated last week that the Russian military is suffering from infighting and shortages.

Persons: Mediazona Organizations: Service, UK Ministry of Defence, Russian Army, Russian, MoD, Central, New York Times Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Moscow

☆ Video of a Ka-52 attack helicopter being shot down in Ukraine hints Russia isn't learning what it should have by now, former US general says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Jake Epstein | Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ukrainian forces destroyed three Russian Ka-52 attack helicopters this week alone. One video circulating around social media shows the moment a helicopter gets shot down. Russian forces have benefitted from its Ka-52s for much of the ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive, using them to inflict damage on enemy ground forces lacking adequate protection. Ukrainian forces have found success this week in downing the formidable Ka-52, which is Russia calls the "Alligator" and NATO calls the "Hokum-B." A Ukrainian soldier looks at fragments of the Russian Ka-52 helicopter destroyed by the Ukrainian army.

Persons: couldn't, —, Ben Hodges, It's, Hodges, Maxym, Russia's, Andriy Yermak, Russia shouldn't Organizations: Service, US Army, NATO, Air Defense Systems, Army, Stingers, RBS, Getty, BBC Russian Service Locations: Wall, Silicon, Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Donetsk, Army Europe, Soviet, Ukrainian, Moscow, Asia

☆ A Russian general who was relieved of command in Ukraine died after 'a long illness,' official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Russian general has died after a "long illness," an official said in a Telegram post. Colonel General Gennady Zhidko was a senior officer heavily involved in attacking Ukraine. But after a series of humiliating defeats last year, Zhidko was removed from his post. Colonel General Gennady Zhidko, a former deputy defense minister, was leading Russian forces fighting in Ukraine from May 2022 to last autumn. Zhidko was eventually replaced by General Sergei Surovikin, who was then replaced by Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov in January this year.

Persons: Gennady Zhidko, Zhidko, Mikhail Degtyarev, Degtyarev, Mediazona —, Sergei Surovikin, Staff Valery Gerasimov Organizations: Service, Newsweek, Kremlin, Staff, West Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Moscow, Kharkiv, Khabarovsk Krai, London

☆ The Kremlin won't admit how many soldiers have died in Ukraine, but researchers have now identified 30,000 dead Russians by name
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Researchers have identified more than 30,000 Russians killed fighting in Ukraine. More than 1,300 dead soldiers were identified in the last two weeks alone, they said. But researchers working with the BBC say they have now identified — by name — more than 30,000 dead Russian soldiers, including more than 1,300 in the last two weeks alone. More than 5,600 inmates have been identified as killed in Ukraine. At least 9,000 civilians have also been killed in Ukraine, according to the United Nations, most in areas targeted by Russian forces.

Persons: Mediazona, Wagner, Gen, Mikhail Teplinsky, Teplinsky's, Dmitry Peskov Organizations: Service, VDV Airborne Forces, Russia — Kremlin, United Nations, Russian Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Zaporizhzhia, Russia —

☆ A top Russian general's rare admission that his elite paratroopers suffered heavy casualties in Ukraine was mysteriously removed
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A top Russian general admitted his elite paratroopers suffered thousands of casualties in Ukraine. It's unclear exactly how many casualties Russian forces have suffered during the Ukraine war. Favorited by Russian ultranationalists, Teplinsky oversaw successful combat operations last year but was eventually dismissed from his leadership role. This prompted some insubordination from the Russian airborne commander, who even expressed his frustration with Moscow's military brass directly to Putin. The elite paratroopers suffered heavy losses early on and continued to struggle in the months that followed.

Persons: Gen, Mikhail Teplinsky, Russia's, Teplinsky, Teplinksy, VDV, Vladimir Putin, Gian Marco Benedetto, —, Putin Organizations: Service, Russia's VDV Airborne Forces, Moscow Times, Zvezda, Airborne Forces, Anadolu Agency, Getty, BBC Russian Service, Wagner Group, Institute for Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Zaporizhzhya, Washington

☆ Russian troops fought alongside the decomposing corpse of a comrade for weeks. Ukraine's soldiers 'genuinely shocked' at how enemy treats their dead, report says.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The bodies of Russian soldiers are being left behind in Ukraine as Moscow denies the true death toll. Ukrainian soldiers told The Times they were "genuinely shocked" at how Russia treats their dead. And in one case, Russian troops were forced to fight alongside the decomposing corpse of their dead comrade for weeks, a Ukrainian soldier told The Times of London. The first image was of a fresh Russian corpse; the other was of an older corpse reduced to a skeleton about a hundred yards away. Ukrainian soldiers are "genuinely shocked" at how differently Russia treats their dead compared with how they treat their own, with scores of injured and dead Russian soldiers being abandoned on the battlefield, The Times reported.

Persons: OLGA MALTSEVA Organizations: Times, Service, The Times, Iron, Steel, Getty Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, London, Ukraine's, Mariupol, AFP, Meduza

☆ Russian Supreme Court rejects Navalny challenge to prison conditions, Mediazona reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 22 (Reuters) - Russia's Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a challenge by the jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny to prison officials' refusal to give him writing equipment, the Russian independent news site Mediazona reported. He is also on trial for a host of further offences that could keep him in prison for decades more. "In order to have them fetch a can of coffee out of my things and bring it to the cell, I have to write an application." Navalny's complaint had made it through a series of lower courts before being definitively thrown out by the Supreme Court. Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Kevin Liffey and David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Navalny, I’m, Mediazona, Kevin Liffey, David Gregorio Our Organizations: IK, Supreme, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Melekhovo, Moscow

☆ The Africans fighting on Russia’s front line in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +18 min

In journeying to Russia, Tarimo was following the route of many young Africans, including future heads of state, since the 1960s. Tarimo also ended up treading the path of a handful of other Africans who took up arms for Wagner in Ukraine. The presidents of South Africa and Zambia are now among a group of African leaders seeking to mediate between Russia and Ukraine. In November last year, his family learned he too had died in Ukraine fighting for Wagner. He said that, like Tarimo, Nyirenda cast his desire to join Wagner as repayment for Soviet and Russian support of African anti-colonial movements.

Persons: Russian Wagner, Nemes, Wagner, ”, Tarimo, “ Nemes, Rehema Kigobe, – Tarimo, Aboya, Claire Amuhaya, Nemes Tarimo, Rehema, “, Vladimir Putin, Chadema, Alexander Shilkin, ” Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Kristian Malundama, Malundama, Tarimo’s, Prigozhin, Lemekani, Christian, didn’t, Will, Nyirenda, Ronald Kalifungwa, Zikonde, –, …, “ I’m, Christopher Kangwa, Tionge, ” Nyirenda, ” Kangwa, Fabrice Organizations: Moscow’s Pushkin Institute, Russian Technological University, Reuters, Friendship University, Soviet Union, National Congress, European Union, United Nations General Assembly, Wagner Group, Central African Republic, Officials, Dar es Salaam, Democratic, Tanzanian, Zambian, Instagram, Research Nuclear University, Baptist, YouTube, ” Reuters, Ivorian Locations: Russian, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Dar es, Tanzania’s, Odradivka, Moscow, IT, Russia, Ukraine, Zambian, Ivory Coast, Soviet, Kenyan, Africa, United States, South Africa, Zambia, Mali, Libya, Central, Tanzania, kwa, Sochi, Tanzanian, Tarimo’s, Yaroslavl region’s, Rybinsk, Democratic Republic of Congo, Yaroslavl, Ukraine’s, Lusaka’s Northmead, China, Lemekani, Tver region’s, Tver’s, Russia’s, Mordovia, Yopougon, Abidjan, Ivory Coast’s, Cocody

☆ Alexey Navalny appeal against lack of access to writing materials in prison dismissed by Supreme Court
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Radina Gigova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Russia’s Supreme Court has on Thursday dismissed an appeal by jailed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny against restrictions imposed on access to writing materials in prison, according to Russian independent news site Mediazona. The decision came as Navalny is facing a new trial on charges of “extremism” that could result in his prison sentence being extended by decades. A court spokesperson said Monday that the trial will take place behind closed doors. Just hours after the trial began, Navalny announced the start of a campaign aimed at turning Russians against the war in Ukraine. In comments posted to his Twitter account, Navalny said the “absurd” charges could lead to him serving a further 30 years behind bars.

Persons: CNN —, Alexey Navalny, Navalny, “, Kira Yarmysh, “ Aleksey, ”, Vladimir Putin Organizations: CNN, CNN — Russia’s Locations: Russian, Moscow, Ukraine

☆ Navalny appears in a Russian court to face new charges of extremism.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Neil Macfarquhar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A new trial of Aleksei A. Navalny, Russia’s jailed opposition leader, began on Monday, with several extremism charges potentially adding decades to the prison sentences that he is already serving. Although the charges were filed in a Moscow district court, the trial was held about 150 miles east of the capital in the penal colony where Mr. Navalny has been held since 2021. Journalists monitoring proceedings from another room were able to watch the start of the hearing via video feed, with Mr. Navalny barely visible or audible, according to a reporter for the Mediazona news outlet. The new charges from Basmanny District Court included inciting and financing extremism, as well as “rehabilitating Nazism.” Mr. Navalny said earlier that he was barely given time to study the materials filed in the case, included in some 200 volumes or nearly 4,000 pages. If Mr. Navalny is convicted — and acquittals are extremely rare in Russian courts, especially against opposition figures — the case could add another 30 years to his jail term.

Persons: Aleksei A, Russia’s, Navalny, ” Mr, — Organizations: Journalists Locations: Moscow, Basmanny

☆ A woman left a note on the grave of Putin's parents calling him a 'freak.' She was convicted of desecrating the site.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Russian woman who left an insulting note on the grave of Putin's parents was convicted Thursday. The note, left last October, called Putin a "freak and a killer," per the Associated Press. The note, left by 60-year-old Irina Tsybaneva last October, read: "Parents of a maniac, take him to your place." She may not leave the city or move house for two years without notifying authorities, according to Russian newspaper Kommersant. She said she intended the note to be secret, concealing it in the grass, the paper earlier reported.

☆ They Refused to Fight for Russia. The Law Did Not Treat Them Kindly.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Neil Macfarquhar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Refusing an order to participate in combat carries a sentence of three to 10 years. That has not stopped Russian men from going to unusual lengths to avoid fighting. Hailed as a hero for various battlefield events, it took him six months to recover, at which point he decided to flee. Many criminal cases involve soldiers who refused orders to enter battle, leading to confrontations with their commanders, according to several lawyers who defend soldiers. “People realize that they are not ready — that their commanders are not ready, that they have to go in blind, not knowing where or why,” he said.

☆ Russians trying to help the Kremlin are being scammed into throwing Molotov cocktails at its offices and cars instead: reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

They were told by scammers to chuck Molotov cocktails, but most were unsuccessful, per local media. The people involved have tried to set fire to enlistment offices, bank ATMs, a car trunk, and a police department, though most have been unsuccessful, the outlet reported. Olga told authorities an unknown man had been calling her for a month, saying he was a bank employee. He'd taught Olga how to create the Molotov cocktails and instructed her to start a fire in the government building, according to Shot. We're standing on the street where they stopped me," Olga told the man on the phone.

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