DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Russia knew of Moscow terrorist attack plot weeks ago, Ukraine's military spy chief says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Law enforcement officers stand guard near the Crocus City Hall concert venue following a reported shooting incident, near Moscow, Russia. Chief of the Military Intelligence of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, attends the Kyiv Stratcom Forum 2024 in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 27, 2024. Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty ImagesThe Islamic State (IS) militant group claimed it was behind the Moscow attack last Friday in which 143 died. Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesBudanov claimed Russia knew where the combat groups would come from, and which countries the attackers would travel through to reach Russia. The damaged Crocus City Hall concert venue near Moscow, Russia, following an attack by gunmen.

Persons: Maksim Blinov, Budanov, Ukrinform, Kyrylo Budanov, Putin, Dmytro Kotsiubailo, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Bortnikov, Nikolai Patrushev —, —, Patrushev, Maria Zakharova, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Vyacheslav Oseledko Organizations: Crocus City Hall, Sputnik, AP Russia, Hall, Russian Federation, Kyiv Stratcom, Military Intelligence, Nurphoto, Islamic, Kremlin, Directorate of Intelligence, Getty, Russia, concertgoers, Russia's Federal Security Service, Russian Ministry of Emergencies, Anadolu, Security, RIA Novosti, Russian Foreign, U.S, CNBC, Economic, Afp Locations: Crocus, Moscow, Russia, Syria, Ukraine, Kyiv, U.S, Russian, Bishkek

☆ Russia claimed the West, Kyiv ordered the Moscow terror attack. Now it has the problem of proving it
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin at an expanded Prosecutor General's Office meeting on March 26, 2024, in Moscow. An investigation into the attack is ongoing, but the latest, outlandish accusations give Moscow a problem: It now has to find the evidence to back up its unsubstantiated claims. What's particularly awkward for the Kremlin is that the Islamic State militant group has already claimed responsibility for the attack. Ukraine denies any involvement in the attack, saying it was "absolutely predictable" that Moscow would look to blame it. The White House said Ukraine had "no involvement whatsoever" in the attack and that any claim to the contrary was "Kremlin propaganda."

Persons: Vladimir Putin, It's, Andrius, Putin, David Cameron, concertgoers, Alexander Bortnikov, Nikolai Patrushev, Sergei Karpukhin, Nikolai Patrushev —, —, Patrushev, Maria Zakharova, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Moscow, Margarita Simonyan, Putin's, Alexander Lukashenko, Rachabalizoda, Barotovich, Muhammadsobir, Shamsidin Fariduni, Tatyana Makeyevaolga Maltseva, Max Hess Organizations: General's, Getty, Ukraine, Crocus City Hall, Islamic State, West, Kremlin, Russia's Federal Security Service, Russian Security, AFP, Security, Islamic, RIA Novosti, Russian Foreign, U.S, Kremlin's, CNBC Wednesday, Institute for, Afp, Analysts, Foreign Policy Research Institute, CNBC, CIA Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Crocus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Ukrainian, Europe, Russian, U.S, Kyiv, Belarusian, Belarus, Basmanny, Soviet Union

☆ Belarus' leader undermined the Kremlin's dubious claims that Ukraine backed ISIS attackers
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Ella Sherman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

President Lukashenko claims Belarus and Russian security prevented Moscow shooting suspects from entering Belarus. AdvertisementBelarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said his country's security, with the help of Russia's Federal Security Service, tried to prevent Crocus City Hall shooting suspects from entering Belarus. "There was no chance they could enter Belarus," Lukashenko said, reported the state-run Belarusian Telegraph Agency. Lukashenko's statements on the concert hall terror suspects fleeing towards Belarus undermine the Kremlin's claims that the suspects tried to escape to Ukraine first, in an attempt to link Ukraine to the attack. No credible evidence has emerged to suggest that Ukraine was involved in the attack that killed at least 139 people.

Persons: Lukashenko, Putin, —, Aleksandr Lukashenko, Maria Zakharova, Crocus Organizations: Service, Federal Security Service, Crocus, Belarusian Telegraph Agency, ISIS, Russian Ministry of Foreign Locations: Belarus, Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Washington

☆ Russia detains suspects after deadly Moscow concert hall attack that killed 93 people
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Russian law enforcement officers walk at the site of a gun attack on the Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow, on March 23, 2024. MOSCOW (AP) — Eleven people have been detained after gunmen stormed a concert hall in Moscow and opened fire on the crowd, the head of Russia's Federal Security Service told President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, according to Russian state news agency Tass. At least 93 people were killed in the attack, including three children, Russian authorities said Saturday. Friday's attack came just days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on power in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide. The attack was the deadliest in Russia in years and came as the country's fight in Ukraine dragged into a third year.

Persons: Vladimir Putin Organizations: Russia's Federal Security Service, Crocus City, Tass Locations: Crocus, Krasnogorsk, Moscow, MOSCOW, Russia, Ukraine, Russian

☆ Kyiv rebuffs Putin's claims that gunmen who killed 133 Russian concertgoers had links to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin linked Moscow concert hall attackers to Ukraine. At least 133 people were killed by gunmen, and 11 have suspects been detained, say Russian sources. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementRussian President Vladimir Putin claimed the gunmen who attacked a Moscow concert hall and killed 133 people had links to Ukraine, an allegation Kyiv completely rejected. Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) had earlier claimed a link between Ukraine and the gunmen in a statement, said Russian news agency TASS.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, —, Putin, STRINGER, Hamid Karzai Organizations: Service, Crocus City, Russia's Federal Security Service, Putin, Main Intelligence, Ministry of Defense, Getty, Russia's, Islamic, Politico Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Crocus, Krasnogorsk, Russia's, Russian, Kyiv, Islamic State, Kabul

☆ Putin dismissed US warnings about a potential terror incident as 'blackmail' just 3 days before concert hall attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Gunmen stormed a concert hall in Moscow on Friday, killing 40 people and injuring more than 100. Earlier this month, the US embassy issued a security alert warning of a potential terror attack. AdvertisementRussian President Vladimir Putin dismissed US warnings about a potential terror incident in Moscow just days before gunmen attacked a concert hall in the city on Friday. AdvertisementRussian Rosguardia national guard servicemen secure an area near the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow on March 22, 2024. "We strongly condemn the horrendous attack carried out at a concert hall in Moscow," Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement.

Persons: Gunmen, Vladimir Putin, —, Vitaly Smolnikov, Putin, Dmitry Serebryakov Organizations: Service, Crocus, Hall, TASS, Federal Security Service, AP, US Locations: Moscow, Crocus, Russia, U.S, Washington

White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said Tuesday that the U.S. plans to announce a "major sanctions package" on Friday, seeking to hold Russia responsible for the death of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Estonia Prime Minister Kaja Kallas on Tuesday said the country, which borders Russia, successfully thwarted a "hybrid operation" by Russia's security services on its territory. Russia's Federal Security Service has reportedly detained a woman with dual Russian-U.S. citizenship on suspicion of treason, Russian media reported Tuesday. The woman, believed to be a 33 year-old resident of Los Angeles, was arrested in the Urals mountain city of Yekaterinburg. She was reportedly arrested on suspicion of treason for raising funds for Ukraine's armed forces.

Persons: John Kirby, Alexei Navalny, Kaja Kallas Organizations: White, Russia, Internal Security Service, ISS, Federal Security Service Locations: U.S, Estonia, Russia, Los Angeles, Yekaterinburg

Floral tributes to Alexei Navalny, President Vladimir Putin's fiercest foe who died Friday in a Russian penal colony, were removed overnight by groups of unknown people while police watched, videos on Russian social media channels show. Russia's prison service said in the Arctic penal colony where he was serving a 19-year sentence. On Saturday, police blocked access to a memorial in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk and detained several people, OVD-Info said. Videos and photos shared on Russian social media channels showed flowers being cleared from monuments to victims of Soviet-era repressions across Russia. The news of Navalny's death comes less than a month before an election that will give Putin another six years in power.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, ”, Nigel Gould, Davies, Navalny, Yulia Navalnaya, Alexei, Putin’s, ” Navalnaya, Joe Biden, Washington doesn’t, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Navalny “, Dmitry Peskov, Kira Yarmysh Organizations: Russia's Federal Security Service, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Russia’s Federal, Service Locations: Russian, Russia, Siberian, Novosibirsk, Moscow, British, Belarus, Eurasia, London, Russia’s, Kharp, Germany, ”

☆ Putin questioned about American journalist Evan Gershkovich, who has been detained in Russia for more than 300 days
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Marielle Descalsota | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Vladimir Putin was asked about Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in an interview with Tucker Carlson. Putin said that he believes an agreement between the US and Russia regarding Gershkovich's release can be reached and that the two countries have been in discussions. Advertisement"At the end of the day, it does not make any sense to keep him in prison in Russia," Putin said. While Putin said he would not rule out Gershkovich's release, he appeared to double down on charging the journalist with espionage. In 2020, Paul Whelan, a former US Marine, was sentenced to 16 years in prison after Russia charged him with espionage.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Evan Gershkovich, Tucker Carlson, Putin, Gershkovich, —, Evan Gershkovich's, he'd, Dow Jones, Evan, Paul Whelan Organizations: Wall Street, Service, Street, Fox News, US State Department, Federal Security Service Locations: Moscow, Russian, American, Russia

☆ Female saboteurs who poisoned 46 Russian soldiers in Crimea are on the run after shoot-out with police, say reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Read previewUkrainian saboteurs who are alleged to have poisoned and killed 46 Russian soldiers are on the run in annexed Crimea after a shoot-out with police, a local report says. Two young saboteurs who had poisoned members of the Russian military in Simferopol and Bakhchisarai fled when authorities attempted to detain them in Crimea, Telegram channel Kremlin Snuffbox said on Tuesday. It was reported in December that members of a Ukrainian partisan group called Crimean Combat Seagulls poisoned and killed 24 Russian soldiers after lacing their vodka with arsenic and strychnine. In another incident, saboteurs killed 18 and hospitalized 14 Russian personnel in Bakhchisarai, Crimea, by putting arsenic and rat poison in pies and beer, Kremlin Snuffbox previously reported. There were also been reports of two mass poisonings of Russian troops in Mariupol in 2023.

Persons: —, Bakhchisarai, Snuffbox Organizations: Service, Telegram, Business, Federal Security Service, Crimean, Seagulls, Kremlin Locations: Crimea, Simferopol, Yalta, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Bakhchisarai, Mariupol, Russia

☆ Russia Arrests Man in Crimea for Passing Secrets to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Monday that it had detained a Russian man in Crimea on suspicion of treason, accusing him of passing military secrets to Ukraine, according to a state news agency. In a statement quoted by RIA, the FSB said that the unnamed man had "collected and transmitted information about specified sites with reference to geographic coordinates to a representative of the Ukrainian military". Crimea, which is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine, has been under de facto Russian control since 2014. (Writing by Felix Light; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)

Persons: Felix Light, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Federal Security Service, RIA Locations: MOSCOW, Russian, Crimea, Ukraine

☆ Donald Trump's lawsuit over 'Steele dossier' in London court
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The "Steele dossier" made allegations about ties between Trump's 2016 election campaign and Russia, and said Trump engaged in "perverted sexual acts" which were monitored by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). Trump has previously criticised what he described as Steele's "fake dossier", and his lawyers say the report is inaccurate. In court filings, Trump denies the allegations made in the Steele dossier, including that he engaged in perverted sexual behaviour in Russia and that he paid bribes to Russian officials to further his business interests. Orbis, however, is applying to have the lawsuit thrown out of court on the grounds it has no real prospect of success, according to a High Court order dated June 9. Trump's lawsuit against Orbis is one of many legal cases the former president is involved in.

Persons: Donald Trump, Letitia James, Caitlin Ochs, Donald Trump's, Trump, Christopher Steele, Steele, Joe Biden's, Sam Tobin, Ed Osmond Organizations: U.S, Trump Organization, REUTERS, Orbis Business Intelligence, Russia's Federal Security Service, Orbis, New, Republican, Democrat, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Russia, British, New York, Washington, United States

☆ Donald Trump's Lawsuit Over 'Steele Dossier' in London Court
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Sam TobinLONDON (Reuters) - Donald Trump's lawyers will argue at London's High Court on Monday that the former U.S. president can pursue his lawsuit against a British private investigations firm over a dossier which alleged that Russia supported his 2016 election campaign. The "Steele dossier" made allegations about ties between Trump's 2016 election campaign and Russia, and said Trump engaged in "perverted sexual acts" which were monitored by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). Trump has previously criticised what he described as Steele's "fake dossier", and his lawyers say the report is inaccurate. He is seeking compensation for "personal and reputational damage and distress", which Trump's lawyers say were caused by the "false, intrusive and damaging allegations about (his) personal life". Trump's lawsuit against Orbis is one of many legal cases the former president is involved in.

Persons: Sam Tobin LONDON, Donald Trump's, Trump, Christopher Steele, Steele, Joe Biden's, Sam Tobin, Ed Osmond Organizations: Orbis Business Intelligence, Russia's Federal Security Service, Orbis, New, Republican, Democrat Locations: Russia, British, New York, Washington, United States

☆ Finland lifts ban on transferring Yandex data to Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of Russian technology giant Yandex is on display at the company's headquarters in Moscow, Russia December 9, 2022. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOSLO, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Finland's data protection regulator said on Tuesday it had lifted a temporary ban on Russian tech group Yandex (YNDX.O) and Dutch-based partner Ridetech from transferring to Russia the personal data of customers of Yandex's Yango ride-hailing app. The emergency ban was announced in August in response to Russian legislation which Finland at the time believed would give Russia's Federal Security Service the right to receive data from Finnish users processed in taxi operations. Yango has said it processes data in strict compliance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and EU legislation, and that Russia in any case had no jurisdiction over the company's international business. Norway had also planned a similar ban to the one issued by Finland but had not issued a formal order and will refrain from doing so, a spokesperson for the Norwegian Data Protection Agency said.

Persons: Evgenia, Ridetech, Yango, Terje Solsvik, Ros Russell Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Federal Security Service, Yandex, General Data Protection, Norwegian Data Protection Agency, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Rights OSLO, Finland, Finnish, Norway

☆ The plane carrying Prigozhin seemed fine on radar until a 'sudden downward' drop in its last 30 seconds
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A plane crash in Russia on Wednesday killed 10 people on board. It plummeted suddenly after appearing fine on radar, a flight-tracking expert told Reuters. The plane plummeted more than 8,000 feet from its cruising altitude of 28,000 within approximately 30 seconds, he added. "Whatever happened, happened quickly," Petchenik said, according to the news agency. President Joe Biden suggested on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin was likely behind the crash, though he didn't speak with certainty.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Ian Petchenik, Petchenik, John Sawers, Joe Biden, Biden, I'm, Frank Gardner Organizations: Wednesday, Reuters, Service, Embraer, Financial Times, Telegram, Financial, BBC, CNN, Russia's Federal Security Service, BBC's Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, St . Petersburg, Kuzhenkino, Tver Oblast, Russian

☆ 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 accuses Ukraine of orchestrating a phone scam scheme to trick elderly Russians into setting military recruitment offices on fire amid string of arson attacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia accused Ukraine of inciting elderly Russians into attacks on military recruitment offices. Russia offered no evidence of the alleged phone scam scheme and Ukraine has not yet responded to the allegations. Several attacks on Russian recruitment centers have been documented since the country invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Russian state media reported that use of the scheme has exploded in just the last week, tying Ukraine's alleged arson attempts to Russian military gains in Ukraine. The government noted that arson attacks carry up to 20 years in jail.

Persons: general's Organizations: Ukrainian, Service, General's, Russia, Russia's Federal Security Service, Ministry of Internal Affairs Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russian, St . Petersburg

☆ Finland and Norway ban Yandex from transferring data to Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The logo of Russian technology giant Yandex is on display at the company's headquarters in Moscow, Russia December 9, 2022. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/File PhotoHELSINKI, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Finnish and Norwegian regulators said on Tuesday they had banned Russian tech group Yandex (YNDX.O) and its Netherlands-based partner Ridetech International from transferring to Russia any personal data of customers of Yandex's Yango ride-hailing app. The Yango ride-hailing service, which operates in 14 countries including Finland and Norway, is one of many services offered by Yandex, often dubbed "Russia's Google". "There is an acute risk to privacy as Russian authorities could potentially monitor the movements of Norwegian citizens via Yango," the Norwegian Data Protection Authority said in a separate statement. It said it processes data in strict compliance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and EU legislation.

Persons: Evgenia, Yango, Arkadi Volozh, Anne Kauranen, Terje Solsvik, Alexander Marrow, Susan Fenton Organizations: REUTERS, Ridetech, Finnish DPA, Federal Security Service, Russian Federation, Yandex, Norwegian Data Protection Authority, General Data Protection, Nasdaq, EU General Data, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Russian, Netherlands, Finnish, Finland, Norway, Yango, Yandex's New York, Ukraine, Oslo, London

☆ What are Russia's new charges against jailed Putin foe Navalny?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Yulia Morozova/File PhotoAug 4 (Reuters) - Russian state prosecutors have asked a court to sentence jailed opposition politician Alexei Navalny to a further 20 years in a penal colony on various criminal charges including extremism, with a verdict expected on Friday. Navalny, President Vladimir Putin's fiercest and most vocal domestic opponent, is already serving sentences totalling 11-1/2 years on fraud and other charges, which he says were trumped up to silence him. Navalny says the charges, like all those before them, have been fabricated to keep him out of public life and politics. It was not clear what the terrorism case could relate to, but Russia's Federal Security Service has said that Ukraine and Russian opposition figures, including Navalny supporters, were involved in the killing of a prominent Russian war blogger. Terrorism carries a sentence in Russia of up to 35 years.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Yulia Morozova, Navalny, Vladimir Putin's, Dmitry Peskov, Filipp Lebedev, Lucy Papachristou, Gareth Jones, Conor Humphries Organizations: REUTERS, Nazism, Federal Security Service, Terrorism, Thomson Locations: Vladimir Region, Basmanny, Moscow, Russia, Russian, Ukraine

☆ Russian court jails top cyber security executive for 14 years in treason case
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] People, including supporters of founder of Group-IB cybersecurity firm Ilya Sachkov charged with treason, gather in a court building during a hearing in Moscow, Russia July 26, 2023. Sachkov, 37, who is no longer associated with Group-IB but owns a share in its former Russian business, was arrested in September 2021 by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) on treason charges in a case that was classified. Former colleagues who bought Group-IB's Russian business and renamed it F.A.C.C.T said in a statement that his legal team would appeal against his conviction and ask President Vladimir Putin to intervene. "This is a hard moment for all of us and a black day for the (Russian) cybersecurity market." Sachkov had ruffled official feathers a year before his arrest at an event attended by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

Persons: Ilya Sachkov, Sachkov, F.A.C.C.T, Vladimir Putin, Ilya, Mikhail Mishustin, Putin's, Putin, Andrew Osborn, William Maclean Organizations: IB, REUTERS, TASS, Russia's Federal Security Service, Employees, Russian, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, MOSCOW, Russian

☆ Russia's FSB says traces of explosives found on foreign grain ship
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 24 (Reuters) - Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Monday that it had found traces of explosives on a ship travelling from Turkey to the port of Rostov-on-Don in Russia to pick up grain. The FSB said the ship had been docked in the Ukrainian port of Kiliia in May, and that it may have been used to deliver explosives to Ukraine. It said the ship had changed its name while in the Turkish port of Tuzla earlier this month and replaced its crew, which had consisted of 12 Ukrainian nationals. "These circumstances may indicate the possibility of using the foreign civilian ship to deliver explosives to the territory of Ukraine," it said. It came one week after Russia pulled out of an agreement that had enabled Ukraine to export grain from its Black Sea ports, with ships undergoing security inspections.

Persons: Bernadette Baum Organizations: Federal Security Service, Don, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Turkey, Rostov, Russia, Ukrainian, Kiliia, Ukraine, Turkish, Tuzla, Kerch

☆ Russia moves to ban iPhones for government officials after claiming they were hacked by the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russian government ministries are beginning to ban officials from using Apple iPhones. Russia's trade ministry will impose a ban starting Monday, the Financial Times reported. Beginning July 17, employees at Russia's trade ministry will no longer be allowed to use iPhones on the job, the Financial Times reported. In March, the Kremlin told officials to stop using Apple products, citing fears they were vulnerable to US hacking. Following the Russian claims, Apple announced patches to its iOS software, crediting researchers at the Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab with identifying vulnerabilities.

Persons: Apple Organizations: Apple, Financial Times, Service, Kremlin, iOS, Washington Post, Federal Security Service Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Ukraine

☆ U.S. ambassador visits detained journalist Evan Gershkovich in Russian prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Abigail Williams | Rebecca Shabad | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy saw American journalist Evan Gershkovich on Monday, the second visit by Biden administration officials since the Wall Street Journal reporter was arrested in March. U.S. consular officials, including Tracy, were last able to see Gershkovich on April 17, about two weeks after Russian government officials arrested him. A Moscow court ruled last month that Gershkovich must remain in prison until Aug. 30. "Ambassador Tracy reports that Mr. Gershkovich is in good health and remains strong, despite his circumstances," a State Department spokesperson said. "U.S. Embassy officials will continue to provide all appropriate support to Mr. Gershkovich and his family, and we expect Russian authorities to provide continued consular access."

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Lynne Tracy, Tracy, Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Mr, Whelan Organizations: Court, Biden, Street, State Department, Embassy, Federal Security Service Locations: Moscow, American, U.S, Russia, Moscow's

☆ Russians are reminding troops the enemy is Ukraine amid fears of a Wagner coup attempt against the defense ministry
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has prompted fears of an impending coup in Russia. Russian civilians and officials are imploring troops to keep their focus on Ukraine amid the panic. "Everyone who holds a weapon at the line of contact, remember: your enemy is across from you," a message shared repeatedly states. Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin. Press service of "Concord"/Handout via REUTERSThe Russian defense ministry, meanwhile, also attempted to refocus attention on the fight in Ukraine in a Friday Telegram post.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, Russia's, Putin, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Samuel Bendett, Simon Miles, Miles, Sergey Surovikin, Bendett Organizations: Service, Ukraine —, Russian, Staff, Federal Security Service, Center for Naval Analyses, Press, Armed Forces, Russian Federation, [ Armed Forces, Duke University's Sanford School of Public, Soviet Union Locations: Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, gunpoint, Concord, Soviet

"The FSB has uncovered an intelligence action of the American special services using Apple mobile devices," the FSB said in a statement. The FSB said the plot showed "close cooperation" between Apple and the National Security Agency (NSA), the U.S. agency responsible for cryptographic and communications intelligence and security. The FSB provided no evidence that Apple cooperated with, or had any awareness of, the spying campaign. "The hidden data collection was carried out through software vulnerabilities in U.S.-made mobile phones," Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said all officials in the presidential administration knew that gadgets such as iPhones were "absolutely transparent."

Persons: Russia Apple, NSA Kaspersky, Apple, Eugene Kaspersky, Igor Kuznetsov, Kaspersky, Dmitry Peskov, Guy Faulconbridge, Raphael Satter, James Pearson, Zeba Siddiqui, Mark Potter, Andrew Heavens, Matthew Lewis, Diane Craft Organizations: NSA, Apple, Federal Security Service, FSB, Apple Inc, Soviet, National Security Agency, Twitter, Reuters, NATO, Harvard University's, Federal Guards Service, Kremlin, Kommersant, San, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, MOSCOW, Soviet Union, U.S, Israel, Syria, China, States, United Kingdom, Australia, Washington, London, San Francisco

Search resuls for: "Russia's Federal Security Service"

25 mentions found