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☆ Brittney Griner, in Her Own Words
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Sarah Lyall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

COMING HOME, by Brittney Griner with Michelle BurfordIf you weren’t following women’s basketball, you probably hadn’t heard of Brittney Griner when she was arrested at a Moscow-area airport in February 2022. “Fear is one thing,” Griner writes in “Coming Home,” her new memoir, describing the stomach-curdling moment when an inspector seized her passport and told her to wait. “But uncertainty, the unknown, a free fall into mystery — that’s much stronger than fear; it’s terror.”At first, Griner naïvely thought she would be fined and sentenced to house arrest. But possession of even a small amount of drugs is a serious offense in Russia, and she was eventually charged with narcotics smuggling. Days later, when Russia invaded Ukraine, Griner found herself a high-profile pawn in a vicious geopolitical battle.

Persons: Brittney Griner, Michelle Burford, Brittney, —, Griner, ” Organizations: Phoenix Mercury, UMMC, Mercury Locations: Moscow, UMMC Yekaterinburg, Russian, United States, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Navalny is the latest in a long line of Putin critics who met an early death
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Lauren Said-Moorhouse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

CNN —When Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny returned to Russia in 2021, there were many who feared he would face an untimely end. The Kremlin has said it is investigating the critic’s death, the circumstances of which were not immediately clear. After his death, opposition leader Ilya Yashin said his friend had been working on a report about Russian troops and their involvement in Ukraine. Nemtsov’s death came two days before he was set to lead an opposition rally in the Russian capital. Alexander PerepilichnyyOver the years, suggestions have emerged of the possible use of a rare plant poison in the death of Russian financier Alexander Perepilichnyy.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s, ”, Navalny, Yegveny Prigozhin Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Reuters Yevgeny Prigozhin, –, Bill Browder, “ Putin, ” Boris Nemtsov, Boris Nemtsov, Dmitry Korotayev, Boris Yeltsin, Ilya Yashin, Nemtsov, Vladimir Putin, Nemtsov’s, Boris Berezovsky Boris Berezovsky, Yelena Gorbunova, Peter Macdiarmid, Boris Berezovsky, Putin, Berezovsky, Alexander Perepilichnyy, CNN Alexander Perepilichnyy, Perepilichnyy, Sergei Magnitsky, ANDREY SMIRNOV, Magnitsky, Browder, Alexander Litvinenko Alexander Litvinenko, Natasja Weitsz, Alexander Litvinenko, Litvinenko –, Robert Owen, Putin “, Litvinenko, Marina Litvinenko, Anna Politkovskaya, JENS SCHLUETER, Lom, Ali Gaitukayev, Politkovskaya, Chechen Republic …, ” Drownings, Prigozhin, Gennady Lopyrev –, “, Lopyrev, Pyotr Kucherenko, Pavel Antov, Vladimir Budanov, Budanov, Alexander Buzakov, Anatoly Gerashchenko, Ravil Maganov, Lukoil, Maganov “, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Sergei Skripal, Skripal, Yulia Organizations: CNN, Putin’s United, “, Kremlin, PMC Wagner, Reuters, Republican Party of Russia, Party, Newsweek, Royal Botanic, Getty Images, Hermitage Capital, KGB, Getty, Authorities, The, Protect Journalists, RIA Novosti, Russia’s, Science, Higher Education, Gazprom, Lukoil, Moscow Aviation Institute, TASS Locations: Russia, Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Putin’s United Russia, Ukraine, ” Boris Nemtsov Russian, Kremlin, Moscow, Russian, London's, England, Soviet Union, Britain, Surrey, London, Kew, American, Chechnya, Leipzig, Germany, AFP, The New York, Chechen Republic, Washington, Gelendzhik, ”, Cuba, India, United States

☆ The Kremlin may be retaliating against anti-war Russian celebs abroad — even trying to get countries to send them back, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

On January 25, seven members of Bi-2, a popular Russian-Belarusian rock band, were arrested in Thailand before a planned performance. The band left Russia after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and has been performing for Russian expats abroad while also speaking out against the war. VPI Event, the concert organizer, said it had obtained the incorrect permit, according to The Times, but said the band members' arrest was unusual. But Dmitri Gudkov, an exiled Russian politician who knows the band, told The Times the push to send the band to Russia was a "special operation." Maksim Galkin, an anti-war Russian comedian, also said he was being targeted by Russia.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Dmitri Gudkov, Ekaterina Schulmann, Schulmann, Maksim Galkin, Galkin, wouldn't Organizations: Service, Russian, Business, Authorities, Human Rights Watch, The Times, Russian Foreign Ministry, New York Times, Times, Bloomberg, Russia's Foreign, Russia Locations: Ukraine, Thailand, Indonesia, Russian, Belarusian, Russia, Moscow, Israel, Australia, Germany, Bali

☆ What US charges does crypto exchange Binance face?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Cryptocurrency exchange Binance founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao speaks at a Binance fifth anniversary event in Paris, France, July 8, 2022. The agreement will resolve criminal charges that Binance conducted an unlicensed money transmitter business, conspiracy and breaching sanctions regulations, the U.S. Department of Justice said. UNLICENSED MONEY SERVICE BUSINESSThe U.S. said that Binance, Zhao and other executives "knowingly and willfully conspired" to operate as an unlicensed money services business (MSB) from August 2017 until October 2022. MONEY LAUNDERING CHECKSThe U.S. said that Binance facilitated "billions of dollars" of crypto transactions for its customers, including in the United States, without implementing so-called "know your customer" checks. From around January 2018 to May 2022, Binance processed 1.1 million crypto transactions worth at least $898.6 million between U.S. customers and those who lived in Iran, the U.S. said.

Persons: Changpeng Zhao, ZHAO, Tom Wilson, Binance, Zhao, laundered, Crypto, Elizabeth Howcroft, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: ZHAO REUTERS, U.S . Department of Justice, Reuters, Binance, U.S, Treasury's, Palestinian, Hamas, Islamic, Palestine Islamic, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, U.S, United States, Russian, Iran, Islamic State, al Qaeda, Palestine, London

☆ Putin's war with Ukraine has basically killed off one of Russia's most successful tech companies
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Putin's war in Ukraine may have killed off one of Russia's most promising tech companies. AdvertisementPutin's war in Ukraine has taken quite a toll on the country's most successful tech company. The Dutch-domiciled company owns Russia's most popular search engine, which is often referred to as "Russia's Google." AdvertisementIt was also one of the most promising Russian tech companies in terms of global expansion. The tech company has, however, come under increasing government scrutiny in recent years after Putin's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Persons: —, Arkady Volozh, Volozh, Yandex Organizations: Yandex, Service, Bloomberg, Google, Reuters, VK Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Israel, Russia

Kyiv CNN —Over the last week, a secret delivery of American weapons and a cross-river raid have injected much-needed energy into Ukraine’s largely stalled counteroffensive. In the east, Ukrainians claim to have inflicted massive losses on Russian forces trying to encircle an embattled city. Russian forces have launched waves of attacks repelled by the Ukrainian troops who are heavily entrenched in the area. Smoke rises above the area of the front line town of Avdiivka on October 18, 2023, amid the ongoing Russian military action in Ukraine. Stringer/AFP/Getty ImagesAvdiivka is no stranger to Russian assaults and has been on the front line of the conflict in eastern Ukraine since 2014.

Persons: Valerii Zaluzhnyi, “, It’s, John Hamilton, Volodymyr Zelensky, Joe Biden, Zelensky, Stringer, WarGonzo, Mykola Miakshykov, UOC, ” Organizations: CNN, US Army Tactical Missile, Armed Forces of, ”, Army Tactical Missile, White, US Army, Battles, Analysts, Getty, Kremlin, Popular, Ukrainian, Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan, Zelensky Locations: Kyiv, Berdiansk, Azov, Luhansk, Ukraine, Armed Forces of Ukraine, New Mexico, Moscow, Avdiivka, Donetsk, Russia, AFP, Kherson, Dnipro, Russian, Popular Russian, Krynky, Poyma, Kherson ., Obukhivka, Dnipropetrovsk Region, Ukrainian

☆ Russian Putin critics like Prigozhin who met an early death
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Lauren Said-Moorhouse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

No evidence has been presented that points to the involvement of the Kremlin or Russian security services in the crash. Nemtsov’s death came two days before he was set to lead an opposition rally in the Russian capital. Alexander PerepilichnyyOver the years, suggestions have emerged of the possible use of a rare plant poison in the death of Russian financier Alexander Perepilichnyy. ANDREY SMIRNOV/AFP/AFP/Getty ImagesRussian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky died in a Russian prison in 2009. The most prominent voice of dissent in Putin’s Russia, the lawyer, politician and corruption activist for years orchestrated massive street protests.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Wagner, –, Bill Browder, “ Putin, Boris Nemtsov, Boris Yeltsin, Ilya Yashin, Nemtsov, Vladimir Putin, ”, Nemtsov’s, Boris Berezovsky Boris Berezovsky, Warrick Page, Boris Berezovsky, Putin, Berezovsky, Alexander Perepilichnyy, Perepilichnyy, Sergei Magnitsky, ANDREY SMIRNOV, Magnitsky, Browder, Alexander Litvinenko Alexander Litvinenko, Alexander Litvinenko, Litvinenko –, Robert Owen, Putin “, Litvinenko, Marina Litvinenko, Anna Politkovskaya, JENS SCHLUETER, Lom, Ali Gaitukayev, Politkovskaya, Chechen Republic …, ” Drownings, Prigozhin, Gennady Lopyrev –, “, Lopyrev, Pyotr Kucherenko, Pavel Antov, Vladimir Budanov, Budanov, Alexander Buzakov, Anatoly Gerashchenko, Ravil Maganov, Lukoil, Maganov “, Alexey Navalny, Navalny, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Sergei Skripal, Skripal, Yulia Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Getty, Republican Party of Russia, Party, Newsweek, of Justice, Royal Botanic, AFP, Getty Images, Hermitage Capital, KGB, Authorities, The, Protect Journalists, RIA Novosti, Russia’s, Science, Higher Education, Gazprom, Lukoil, Reuters, Moscow Aviation Institute, TASS, Putin’s United, “ Locations: Russia, Boris Nemtsov Russian, AFP, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, London's, Europe, England, Soviet Union, Britain, Surrey, London, Kew, American, Chechnya, Leipzig, Germany, The New York, Chechen Republic, Washington, Gelendzhik, ”, Cuba, India, Putin’s Russia, Putin’s United Russia, United States

☆ Ukrainian intelligence says it lured Russian helicopter to land in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Ukraine's GUR military intelligence agency deliberately lured a Russian military pilot to land his Mi-8 helicopter at a Ukrainian airfield, spokesperson Andriy Yusov said on Wednesday, amid differing media reports of what happened. A successful operation to capture a working Russian helicopter and its pilot would represent an audacious coup for Ukraine, allowing it to simultaneously replenish its limited aviation stocks while also potentially getting valuable intelligence on the Russian air force. The report said the helicopter landed in eastern Ukraine with the pilot. Ukrainian military journalist Yuriy Butusov reported that the Mi-8 helicopter had landed at a Ukrainian air base "some time ago", citing unnamed sources in the Ukrainian military command. In April, Ukraine's domestic security service accused a number of Ukrainian military personnel of treason after what it said was an unsuccessful attempt to lure a Russian pilot to land at a Ukrainian air base, which led to a lethal Russian missile strike on that location in July 2022.

Persons: Ukraine's, Andriy Yusov, Yusov, Yuriy Butusov, Butusov, GUR, Max Hunder, Nick Macfie Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Fighterbomber

☆ Putin foes who, like Prigozhin, have suffered mysterious fates
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses participants of the international military-technical forum Army-2023 via a video link in Moscow, Russia, in this picture released August 14, 2023. Prigozhin, 62, spearheaded a mutiny against Russia's top army brass on June 23-24, which President Vladimir Putin said could have tipped Russia into civil war. Moscow denied involvement. Russia denied involvement. Russia denied any involvement.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Klimentyev, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, ALEXEI NAVALNY Russia's, Alexei Navalny, Novichok, Navalny, SERGEI SKRIPAL, Sergei Skripal, Yulia, VLADIMIR KARA, MURZA, Vladimir Kara, Murza, ALEXANDER LITVINENKO Alexander Litvinenko, Andrei Lugovoy, Dmitry Kovtun, Litvinenko, ALEXANDER PEREPILICHNY, Alexander Perepilichny, Perepilichny, VIKTOR YUSHCHENKO Viktor Yushchenko, Viktor Yanukovich, Yanukovich, ANNA POLITKOVSKAYA Anna Politkovskaya, Politkovskaya, Lisa Shumaker, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS, Russia's, Reuters, Kremlin, Russia's Federal Security Service, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine's, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Kremlin, Germany, Siberia, Russian, English, Salisbury, Soviet, Britain, British, London, Ukrainian

☆ Russia's Luna-25 moon-lander spun out of control and crashed, fumbling an attempt to become the first country to land on the lunar south pole. India is up next.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the moon's surface, ending its mission. The country was racing India to be the first country to land a spacecraft on the lunar's south pole. The moon's south pole likely contains frozen water that could be used to produce air and rocket fuel. The Luna-25 was in a race with an Indian spacecraft launched on July 14 to be the first to reach the south pole. A previous Indian attempt to land at the south pole in 2019 ended when the spacecraft crashed into the moon's surface.

Persons: Russia's Luna, Roscosmos, Luna, Vitaly Egorov, Russia's, cosmonautics, Egorov, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, Russia's Soyuz, Space Corporation, Luna, Soviet Union, NASA, Vostochny Locations: India, Wall, Silicon, Indian, Russian, Soviet, Soviet Union, United States, China, Russia, Roscosmos, Ukraine, Russia's Far

CNN —Russian tour operators are pleading with vacationers to Crimea not to make decisions “based on emotions,” as Ukraine’s strike on the Crimea bridge on Monday played havoc on travel between the occupied Ukrainian peninsula and Russia. Hundreds of cars were waiting Tuesday to cross the bridge both to and from Crimea, and Russian-backed officials were encouraging drivers to travel along the land route through occupied southern Ukraine. Or we shift their reservations in Crimea to later dates.”Road traffic over the Crimea bridge resumed overnight over one of the bridge’s four lanes, but there is heavy traffic. TASS reported that bus services from Rostov, in southern Russia, to Crimea had been restored – via southern Ukraine, rather than over the Crimea bridge. A tourist from the Russian city of Rostov told the Russian tourism website Tourdom about her experience driving to Crimea.

Persons: “, ” Elena Bazhenova, ”, ” Bazhenova, Multitour, ” Kizey, Viktor Korotaev, ” Denis Pushilin, ” Ilya Umansky Organizations: CNN, Russian Union of Tourist Industry, Tourists, AP Rail, Novosti, TASS, Russian Union of Travel Industry, Crimean Locations: Russian, Crimea, Ukrainian, Russia, Ukraine, Kerch, Russia’s Krasnodar, –, Krasnodar Territory, Moscow, Ukraine’s Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Mariupol, Donetsk People’s Republic, Chonhar, Ukraine’s Kherson, Rostov, Alushta

Blood seeps from the door into a puddle on the road as an occupants of another car implores the girl to keep still. The video was verified by Reuters as having been filmed on the Crimean Bridge. The damaged car’s colour, alloy wheels and open fuel cap matched video from the scene shot in daylight, which showed the same car on the damaged bridge. "Two civilians were killed – a man and a woman driving a car on the bridge. "At about 3 o'clock in the morning, the family heard the first bang, after which the lights went out on the bridge," the relative said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin's, Angelina, Alexei, Nataliya, Vyacheslav Gladkov, –, Guy Faulconbridge, Lidia Kelly, Kevin Liffey, William Maclean Organizations: Reuters, Russia's, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Moscow, Ukrainian, Belgorod, Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Crimea, Europe, Melbourne

☆ Russian censors scour the internet for claims Putin is a 'bald dwarf' or seriously ill, leaked documents show
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Russian government unit scours the internet for insults about Putin, reports say. Staff at the agency will reportedly hunt down insults about Putin classed as "negative discrediting information", including labelling the Russian president a "thief," or a "bald dwarf". They are allegedly charged with tracking comparisons of Putin to negative figures, such as serial killers or in pornographic films. The Kremlin has closely monitored the internet for signs of dissent, clamping down on Russian search engine Yandex, Reuters reported. According to a Wall Street Journal report last year, Putin never uses the internet because he's concerned about being spied on.

☆ Russians fleeing Putin's draft and war in Ukraine could face traffic jams at the border, skyrocketing plane ticket costs, and up to 10 years in prison for desertion
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Jake Epstein | John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Many Russians are trying to flee the country after Putin declared partial military mobilization. Plane tickets have sold out or skyrocketed in price, and land border crossings are seeing increased traffic. In trying to avoid deployment, fleeing Russians are facing traffic jams at border crossings and plane tickets that are either incredibly expensive or simply sold out. "Incoming traffic at the eastern border increased during the night," Finland's border guard said in a Wednesday statement. Western officials, as well as former diplomats and Russia experts, say that Putin's partial mobilization shows that Russia is "failing" or "losing" in Ukraine.

☆ A Russian YouTuber who said he's lost 80% of his revenue following sanctions is scrambling to shift his followers onto other social platforms
▼ + stars: | 2022-05-15 | by ( Ryan Hogg | Charissa Cheong | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

He told Insider his YouTube channel had lost 80% of its revenue since February 24. We want to live and work in a global and open world," Lapotkov told Insider, adding, "unfortunately, we can't change the global situation right now." Lapotkov told Insider it would not be easy to replace the lost income by sending fans to platforms like VK and Telegram. He told Insider that rebuilding a profitable following on alternative sites is incredibly challenging. Diana Akhmadishina, a brand ambassador for Adidas Russia who has moved her business ventures onto VK, told Insider that "VK just isn't as cool anymore in Russia.

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