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☆ Thousands of Ukrainians have been sent to Russian prisons. Ukraine says they’re being held as bargaining chips
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +22 min

The Ukrainian government says there are thousands of people like Dima, civilians arrested by Russia who have been held in arbitrary detention for years. In the early weeks of the war, Russian troops took over their home, parking their tank in the garden and stealing anything of value. Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia opened a second pre-trial detention facility in Simferopol, SIZO No. Detained civilians, however, are stuck in limbo. Mariana Checheliuk's photos were among those displayed by relatives of detained civilians at a recent protest in Kyiv.

Persons: Ukraine CNN — “, ”, Vasyl Khyliuk, Dmytro Khyliuk, Dima, –, Ivana Kottasova, Dmytro Lubinets, Lubinets, ” Achille Després, Cross, it’s, Vasyl, ” Vasyl, Halyna, “, Dmytro Khyliuk’s, Russia —, Khyliuk, Anastasiia, MIHR, Pantielieieva, CNN “ We’ve, ” Pantielieieva, Yulia Khrypun, Serhii, ’, Serhii Khrypun, Yulia, ” Yulia, Mariana Checheliuk, Mariana, Natalia Checheliuk, ” Natalia, ’ ” Natalia, Alexander Ermochenko, Mariana –, Mila, Natalia, Volodymyr, Zelensky, Mariana Checheliuk's Organizations: Ukraine CNN, Ukrainian Independent, Agency, Kyiv, CNN, Russian Federation, International Committee, Ukrainian, Organization for Security, Getty, Media Initiative, Human Rights, Penal, Russian Investigative Committee, Russian Prison Service, ICRC, Russian Ministry of Defense, Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, Russian Federal Security Service, Russian National Guard, Directorate, General Staff, Serhii, Crimean Human Rights, Maxar Technologies, Volunteers, Russia, United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, Security Service of Ukraine, Ukraine’s, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Information Bureau, Ministry, “, Headquarters Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Dima, Ukrainian, Kozarovychi, Russia, Geneva, Europe, Novozybkov, Russia’s Bryansk, Russia’s Vladimir, Mordovia, Russian, Moscow, Bryansk, Nove, Tokmak, Melitopol, Olenivka, Kursk, Crimea, Kamensk, Russia’s Rostov, Yulia Khrypun Russia, Chonhar, Kherson, Crimean, Crimean Tatars, Simferopol, SIZO, Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, ‘, Mariupol, Zaporizhzhia, Bezimenne, Donetsk People’s Republic, Azovstal, Donetsk, Taganrog, Kamyshin, Russia’s Volgograd, Qatar

☆ Paris 2024: Ukrainian athletes urged to avoid Russians and Belarusians at Olympics
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Radina Gigova | Svitlana Vlasova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Ukrainian athletes have been urged by the country’s National Olympic Committee (NOC) to avoid contact with Russians and Belarusians during the 2024 Olympics in Paris so that possible “provocative actions” can be prevented. Ukrainian athletes are also asked “not to communicate or discuss on social media with individual neutral athletes from Russia and Belarus” and not to share or respond to their content. Ukrainian athletes are also urged to refrain from “participating in press conferences, live broadcasts, interviews and other promotional events with individual neutral athletes of the Russian Federation and Belarus before and after the competition,” according to the recommendations. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced in December that Russian and Belarusian athletes will only be eligible to compete as individual neutral athletes at this year’s Paris Games. Teams of Russian and Belarusian athletes will not be considered, while athletes who actively support the war against Ukraine will also be ineligible.

Persons: ”, “, Dmytro Kuleba, ” Kuleba, Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin Organizations: CNN, country’s, Olympic Committee, Ministry of Youth, Sports, Belarus ”, Russian Federation, Paris, Games, IOC Locations: Paris, Russia, Belarus, Belarusian, Ukraine

☆ Arrests of Europeans for Aiding Russia Raise Fears of Kremlin’s Reach
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Paul Sonne | Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The authorities in Poland and Germany have arrested at least five of their citizens in recent days and accused them of spying for Russia or of offering to help Moscow commit violence on European soil, including a “possible attack” on the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. The arrests underscored fears of the Kremlin’s furtive network in the West and its use of foreign nationals, including violent criminals and soccer hooligans, to terrify or possibly even kill opponents sheltering abroad. The Polish National Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement that a Polish citizen, identified as Pawel K., was detained on Wednesday. It said he had offered to assist Russian agents in a possible plot aimed at killing Mr. Zelensky. It gave few details, other than saying he had “declared his readiness to act for the military intelligence of the Russian Federation and established contacts with citizens of the Russian Federation directly involved in the war in Ukraine.”

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, “, ” Organizations: Prosecutor’s, Russian Federation Locations: Poland, Germany, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Polish, Russian

☆ A new commander is taking over Russia's Black Sea Fleet after the last one let its warships get torn apart by exploding drones
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewRussia has officially replaced the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, awarding Vice Adm. Sergei Pinchuk the daunting role of overseeing naval operations in a region that has long troubled Moscow. Pinchuk is a career navy officer who previously served as the deputy to Adm. Viktor Sokolov, the former Black Sea Fleet commander. Russia's Black Sea Fleet warships take part in the Navy Day celebrations in the port city of Novorossiysk on July 30, 2023. Beyond its USV force, Kyiv has also used missiles to inflict damage on the Black Sea Fleet. You realize the enormous responsibility that rests on you," Shoigu said during the teleconference, according to the Russian defense ministry's statement.

Persons: —, Sergei Pinchuk, Sergei Shoigu, Pinchuk, Viktor Sokolov, Sokolov, Shoigu, STRINGER, Aleksandr Moiseyev —, Konstantin Kabantsov Organizations: Service, Black, Fleet, Business, Russian, Black Sea, Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, Armed Forces, National Defense Control Center, AP, Ukrainian, Getty, Kyiv, Northern, Russian Federation, Ministry of Defense Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Novorossiysk, Sevastopol, Crimean, Russian

☆ Dramatic video appearing to show a flaming Russian Su-27 jet crashing into the Black Sea shot down by own side, Ukraine says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Russian Armed Forces appear to have downed their own Su-27 fighter jet over occupied Crimea. A Ukrainian spokesperson said human error was to blame for the Russian blunder. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementRussian Armed Forces downed one of their own Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jets over Crimea on Thursday, Ukrainian officials claim. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: —, Su, Dmytro Pletenchuk Organizations: Russian Armed Forces, Service, Ukraine's, Russian Federation, Business Locations: Crimea

“Special services and law enforcement agencies in the Bryansk region, near the border with Ukraine, detained four suspects from among those who committed a terrorist attack in the Crocus City Hall concert hall,” the committee said. The terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall was carefully planned.”Neither agency specified the nature of the alleged contacts. Suspects detainedVideo footage from the Crocus City Hall showed the vast complex, which is home to both a music hall and shopping center, on fire with smoke billowing into the air. A person places flowers at a makeshift memorial in front of the Crocus City Hall. On Friday, following reports of the Crocus City Hall attack, it advised US citizens not to travel to Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, “, ”, ” “, Maria Zakharova, Andrey Vorobyov, Rescuers, Putin, Stringer, Adrienne Watson, Washington Organizations: CNN, ISIS, Crocus City, Novosti, FSB, Security Service, Russian Federation, RIA Novosti, Tass, Russian Foreign Ministry, Renault, CNN State, ”, Telegram, Russian Emergencies Ministries, Kremlin, Getty, US National Security, State Department Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Bryansk, Crocus, Crocus City, responsibiliity, Russia, ” Moscow, AFP, Russian, ”, Khorasan, Afghanistan

☆ Death toll from Moscow concert hall attack rises to 115. The FSB confirmed 11 suspects have been arrested.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewThe death toll from the attack on Moscow's Crocus City Hall Friday night has risen to 115 as Russia's Federal Security Bureau confirmed eleven suspects had been arrested in connection with the attack. Emergency services vehicles are seen outside the burning Crocus City Hall concert hall following the shooting incident in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow on March 22, 2024. ArrestsRussia's FSB confirmed that 11 people had been arrested in connection with the attack on the concert hall. AdvertisementA woman lays flowers at a makeshift memorial in front of Moscow's Crocus City Hall a day after terrorist attack. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the terrorist attack "in the strongest possible terms," his spokesman said.

Persons: —, STRINGER, Andrey Vorobyov, OLGA MALTSEVA, Vladimir Putin, Dmitrii Peskov, Mykhailo Podolyak, Amaq, Daniel Byman, Hamid Karzai, Byman, Putin, Antonio Guterres Organizations: Service, Moscow's, Federal Security, Russia's, Business, Islamic, Kremlin, TASS, Associated Press, Getty, Health, Moscow Crocus City, Getty Images, Russian Federation, Novosti, State, Hall, Kyiv, ISIS, CNN, The New York Times, AP, Russian, CSIS, Central, UN, Council Locations: Moscow's Crocus, Islamic State, Russian, Crocus, Krasnogorsk, Moscow, AFP, Ukraine, Khorasan Province, Afghanistan, Kabul, Russia

☆ Russia's Wagner Group expands into Africa's Sahel with a new brand
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Natalia Kolesnikova | Afp | Getty ImagesWagner Group has been replaced by a new entity known as Russia's Africa Corps across its key strongholds in the continent, its new leader has confirmed. The new entity has been subsuming operations in Mali and Libya for several months, and negotiations to establish a Russian military base in the CAR are reportedly underway. watch now"The Africa Corps consists of mercenaries and volunteers, and does not form part of the Russian Armed Forces. It began recruiting in December 2023, and has also included job offers for former Wagner Group mercenaries; it may also recruit local residents," they explained. Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-bek Yevkurov oversaw the creation of the Africa Corps, which is expected to be fully completed by this summer.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Natalia Kolesnikova, Dmitry Utkin, Anton Yelizarov, Ibrahim Traoré, Piotr Żochowski, Miłosz Bartosiewicz, Yunus, bek Yevkurov, Yevkurov Organizations: Afp, Getty, Wagner, Africa Corps, Central African, Russian National Guard, Russian Federation, Telegram, Centre, Eastern Studies, CAR, Africa, Russian Armed Forces, Wagner Group, CES Locations: MOSCOW, Moscow, Central African Republic, Libya, Mali, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Belarus, Russia, Cossack, Sahel, Russian, Warsaw, Algeria, Africa, Ouagadougou

☆ Ukraine predicted where Russia would reroute trains after it blasted the railroad connecting Russia and China, and then attacked again, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ukraine's security service attacked a major railroad connecting Russia and China, reports say. A Ukrainian official told the BBC they had preempted the diversion, and Russians fell into the "trap." AdvertisementUkraine's security service attacked a railway line deep inside Russia in an act of sabotage and then attacked again when the trains were diverted. Speaking about the act of sabotage, a Ukrainian official told Politico: "This is the only serious railway connection between the Russian Federation and China. Aviation fuel on the second train spilled over 150 square meters, or over 1600 square feet, Politico reported.

Persons: —, Ukraine's, Baza Organizations: BBC, Service, Security, Russian Telegram, Russian Railway, Politico, Russian Federation and, Aviation Locations: Russia, China, Russia's, Ukraine, Russian Federation and China

☆ Ukraine says it created a whole battalion from Russians who signed up to fight their own country
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Siberian Battalion largely consists of people from ethnic minorities in Russia. The battalion is expected to be sent to fight against Russia very soon, Bloomberg reported. AdvertisementAdvertisementUkraine said Wednesday that it had created a whole battalion from Russians who wanted to fight their own country. The battalion does not recruit captured Russian soldiers, he added, as per the Kyiv Post. He called his battalion the Siberian Battalion.

Persons: —, Andriy Yusov, HUR, Yusov, Vladislav Ammosov Organizations: Siberian Battalion, Bloomberg, Service, International Legion of, Armed Forces of, Defense, Main Intelligence, Russian Federation, Kyiv Post, New, Radio Free Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Kyiv, Russian, Eastern Siberia, Europe, Radio Free Europe

☆ Kremlin: unacceptable for Biden to compare Putin to Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov leaves after the talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden in Geneva, Switzerland, June 16, 2021. Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Oct 20 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Friday that remarks by U.S. President Joe Biden comparing Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Palestinian militant group Hamas were "unacceptable". In remarks on Thursday, Biden sought to compare Hamas's actions to those of Putin, whose forces launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. "Hamas and Putin represent different threats, but they share this in common: They both want to annihilate a neighbouring democracy," he said. Israel has responded to Hamas's attack with heavy daily bombardments of the enclave that have killed almost 4,000 people, Palestinian officials say.

Persons: Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, Alexander Zemlianichenko, Israel, Biden, Putin, Hamas, Peskov, Kevin Liffey, Christina Fincher Organizations: U.S, Rights, Hamas, Russian Federation, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Geneva, Switzerland, Gaza, Israel, Ukraine, Russia, Cairo

The announcement by Mikhail Ulyanov added new fuel to tensions between Russia and the United States over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and arms control disputes between the world's largest nuclear weapons powers. Ulyanov, Moscow's envoy to the CTBTO, said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that "#Russia plans to revoke ratification (which took place in the year 2000) of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty." "The aim is to be on equal footing with the #US who signed the Treaty, but didn't ratify it. While the United States signed but did not ratify the treaty, it has observed a moratorium on nuclear weapon test explosions since 1992 that it says it has no plans to abandon. The spokesperson said Russia should reach an "equal footing" with the United States "by not wielding arms control and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric in a failing attempt to coerce other states."

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Sergei Guneev, Washington, Mikhail Ulyanov, Ulyanov, Robert Floyd, Floyd, Francois Murphy, Alex Richardson, Angus MacSwan, Alexander Smith Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS, Acquire, Comprehensive, Treaty Organization, United, U.S . State Department, Party, Washington, Russian, Russian Federation, Conference, Disarmament, Thomson Locations: Sochi, Russia, Moscow, States VIENNA, WASHINGTON, United States, Ukraine, Ban, China, Egypt, Iran, Israel, North Korea, India, Pakistan, Vienna, U.S

CNN —Russia as a country has no place at the 2024 Paris Olympics and no Russian flag should be used at next year’s Games, French President Emmanuel Macron said. Speaking to French sports newspaper l’Equipe, Macron added that discussions should be held about the participation of some Russian athletes who “may also be victims of this regime.”“Obviously, there can’t be a Russian flag at the Paris Olympic Games. Because Russia as a country has no place [at the Games] when it has committed war crimes and deported children,” Macron said Wednesday. So far, no decision has been taken on Russian and Belarusian athletes’ participation at the 2024 Olympics. “We are ready to boycott the Olympic Games in Paris if the Russian Federation and Belarus are allowed to participate in the competition,” Shmyhal said.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Macron, ” Macron, Denys Shmyhal, ” Shmyhal, “ Organizations: CNN, Paris Olympic, International Olympic Committee, IOC, Ukrainian, Games, Olympic Games, Russian Federation Locations: Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Belarus, Paris

☆ Russian diplomats berate US, NATO over Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. is pushing NATO to the "most unfavourable" confrontation with Moscow with the decisions expected from the alliance's summit in Lithuania this week, while Kyiv's allies are "losing" in Ukraine, Russian diplomats said late on Monday. The Kremlin has been angered by the expected solidarity with Ukraine at the NATO summit which starts on Tuesday, saying Kyiv's potential membership in the alliance would be a threat to Russia and Moscow will react clearly and firmly. Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said the United States is preparing anti-Russian decisions at the NATO summit. Konstantin Gavrilov, a Vienna-based Russian diplomat and a senior Russian security negotiator, told the Russian RIA state news agency in an interview the West is "losing" in Ukraine. "Both the United States and NATO understand that time is not working for them.

Persons: Anatoly Antonov, Antonov, Konstantin Gavrilov, Gavrilov, Lidia Kelly, Lincoln Organizations: NATO, Diplomats, Russian Federation, Reuters, Thomson Locations: U.S, Moscow, Lithuania, Ukraine, Russia, Russian, United States, Vilnius, Lithuanian, Vienna, Bakhmut, Melbourne

☆ Insight: Young Russian lawyers step up to defend anti-war protesters
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Lucy Papachristou | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

"I have always had a keen sense of justice," Gominova told a Reuters reporter based in Poland. "Defending protesters in court is my version of protest," said Gominova, who began representing anti-war activists in court almost immediately after the invasion. With numerous civil society groups disbanded by the state, many other lawyers also defend anti-war activists independently, but it is hard to determine how many. Several Russian lawyers have attracted the attention – and condemnation – of authorities, not only for defending critics of the invasion but also for expressing their own opposition. Before the Ukraine conflict, Gominova, in St Petersburg, worked mainly on civil cases ranging from family disputes to consumer rights.

Persons: Young, acquittals, Sofia Gominova, Gominova, Violetta Fitsner, Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Russia's, Evgenia Kara, Vladimir, Vadim Prokhorov –, Putin –, Prokhorov, Dmitry Talantov, Ivan Safronov, Maria Bontsler, Anastasia Rudenko, George Orwell's, Yuri Mikhailov, Mikhailov, Filipp Lebedev, Gabrielle Tetrault, Farber, Mike Collett, White, Mark Trevelyan, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Russia, Ukraine Lawyers, Petersburg Bar Association, Moscow Bar, Russia's, Ministry, Russian Federation, Reuters, U.S, of America, Facebook, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, acquittals Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union, Poland, St . Petersburg, St, Petersburg, Moscow, Ivanovo, Russian, St Petersburg, Tbilisi, Geneva

☆ Yevgeny Prigozhin: What is happening to Wagner boss?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Cnn Staff | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Yevgeny Prigozhin, the bombastic chief of Russia’s private mercenary group Wagner, appears to be falling out of favor fast in Moscow, after he unleashed a tirade against the Russian military on Friday and vowed to retaliate against its leaders. Prigozhin on Friday accused Russia’s military of attacking a Wagner camp and killing a “huge amount” of his men. Prigozhin founded Wagner to be a shadowy mercenary outfit that fought both in eastern Ukraine and, increasingly, for Russian-backed causes around the world. While many regular Russian troops saw setbacks on the battlefield, Wagner fighters seemed to be the only ones capable of delivering tangible progress. In one particularly grim video from early May, Prigozhin stood next to a pile of dead Wagner fighters and took aim specifically at Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of the Russian armed forces Gen. Valery Gerasimov.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Russia’s, ”, Prigozhin, Prighozhin, Vladimir Putin, Dimitry Peskov, Putin, Mark Hertling, Sergei Shoigu, Gen, Valery Gerasimov, “, ” Putin Organizations: CNN, Prigozhin, Kremlin, Defense, Russian Federation, Social, Central African, United, Bakhmut, Russian Defense Locations: Moscow, Russia’s Rostov, Russia, Ukrainian, Russian, Ukraine, Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya, Mozambique, Syria

☆ Vladimir Putin delivers keynote address at St Petersburg forum
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

MOSCOW, June 16 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin delivered the keynote address at Russia's showcase St Petersburg International Economic Forum. DE-DOLLARISATION:"We have never had, and do not have, the goal of de-dollarisation of the Russian economy. And we have never had, and do not have, the goal of influencing the de-dollarisation of the world economy. The influence of one or another currency on the world economy is connected with the economic potential of the country that is the issuer of that currency." UKRAINE CONFLICT:"Soon Ukraine will stop using its own equipment altogether.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, F16s, JOE BIDEN, Biden, It's, Gareth Jones Organizations: St Petersburg, Economic, Reuters, Eurasian Economic, Leopards, UNITED STATES, Russian Federation, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, RUSSIAN, RUSSIA, China, Russia, Russian, OPEC, UKRAINE, Ukraine, NATO

CNN —The boss of the Russian private military company Wagner says he won’t sign contracts with Russia’s Defense Ministry, rejecting an attempt to bring his force in line. Yevgeny Prigozhin’s comments follow an announcement by the Russian Ministry of Defense Saturday that “volunteer units” and private military groups would be required to sign a contract with the ministry. The order – signed by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu – said the move would “give the voluntary formations the necessary legal status,” and create “unified approaches” to their work. “The orders and decrees issued by (Defense Minister Sergei) Shoigu apply to employees of the Ministry of Defense and military personnel. PMC ‘Wagner’ will not sign any contracts with Shoigu,” Prigozhin said in a Telegram post.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, –, Sergei Shoigu –, ”, Prigozhin –, “, Sergei, Shoigu, PMC ‘ Wagner ’, ” Prigozhin, The Wagner Organizations: CNN, Russia’s Defense Ministry, Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian Defense, Ministry of Defense, PMC, Shoigu, Russian Federation, Russia, Russian Defense Ministry Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Bakhmut

☆ Russia's reaction to the drone attacks on Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

He received direct information both via the Defence Ministry and via the relevant departments." He also received "information from the Mayor of Moscow, the governor of the Moscow region, the Ministry of Emergency Situations". RUSSIA'S DEFENCE MINISTRY:"This morning, the Kyiv regime launched a terrorist attack with unmanned aerial vehicles on premises in the city of Moscow. Five more unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down by the Pantsir-S anti-aircraft missile and cannon complex in the Moscow region." RUSSIAN LAWMAKER ANDREI GURULYOV (UNITED RUSSIA)"I would not give in to panic about the drone attack on Moscow and the Moscow region.

In a Telegram post, groups calling themselves the “Freedom of Russia Legion” and “Russian Volunteer Corps” said they had “liberated” a settlement in the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine. The situation in Belgorod marks “the first time” that Ukrainian-aligned forces have launched “a cross-border land operation against Russian targets,” according to CNN’s Sam Kiley. A helicopter circles over Russia's Belgorod region, the site of fighting between Russian defectors and pro-Kremlin troops amid the war in Ukraine. The Freedom for Russia Legion numbers a few hundred of diehard, battle-hardened Russian volunteers fighting their own people as part of the Ukrainian armed forces. Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesperson, said: “Russian forces are working to push out the Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group from the territory of the Russian Federation and destroy it.

CNN —An acclaimed theater director and playwright have been arrested in Russia and accused of “justifying terrorism” for their play about Russian women being recruited online to marry Islamic State fighters in Syria. Yevgenia Berkovich was arrested on Friday alongside the play’s author, Svetlana Petriychuk, after investigators alleged that their award-winning play “Finist, the Brave Falcon” was in violation of the law. Prosecutors argue the work “romanticizes, justifies and glorifies terrorists” as well as promoting the “ideology of radical feminism”, Russian state media TASS reported. It was staged in 2021 by Berkovich’s own company, with the support of the Union of Theater Workers of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, according to independent news website Meduza. Russia’s cultural scene has faced increased repression since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.

☆ Ex-FBI official arrested for alleged money laundering, Russia sanctions, taking money from former foreign agent
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Jonathan_Dienst_Byline.Jpg | Jonathan Dienst | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Charles McGonigal, 55, was arrested on Saturday after arriving at JFK airport in New York on a flight from the Middle East. From August 2017 through his retirement in September 2018, McGonigal allegedly concealed his relationship with this former foreign security officer from the FBI. Charles McGonigal, the former head of counterintelligence for the FBI’s New York office. In 2022, federal prosecutors in New York charged Deripaska with violating sanctions. McGonigal joined the FBI in 1996, and was first assigned to the New York Field Office, where he worked on Russian foreign counterintelligence and organized crime.

REUTERS/Clodagh KilcoyneKVIV/MOSCOW, Dec 26 (Reuters) - Russian forces bombarded scores of towns in Ukraine on Christmas Day as Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was open to negotiations, a stance Washington has dismissed as posturing because of continued Russian attacks. Ukraine has traditionally not celebrated Christmas on Dec. 25, but Jan. 7, the same as Russia. That range reaches deep into neighbours of Belarus: Ukraine and NATO member Poland, which has very strained relations with Minsk. The S-400 system is a Russian mobile, surface-to-air missile (SAM) interception system capable of engaging aircraft, UAVs, cruise missiles, and has a terminal ballistic missile defence capability. Blasts were heard at Russia's Engels air base, hundreds of kilometres (miles) from the Ukraine frontlines, Ukrainian and Russian media reported on Monday.

☆ Belarus says Russia-deployed Iskander missile systems ready for use
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 25 (Reuters) - The Iskander tactical missile systems and the S-400 air defence systems that Russia has deployed to Belarus are fully prepared to perform their intended tasks, a senior Belarusian defence ministry official said on Sunday. "These types of weapons (Iskander and S-400 systems) are on combat duty today and they are fully prepared to perform tasks for their intended purpose." It is not clear how many of the Iskander systems - which are capable of carrying nuclear weapons - have been deployed to Belarus after Russian President Vladimir Putin said in June that Moscow would supply Minsk with them and the air defence systems. The Iskander-M, a mobile guided missile system code named "SS-26 Stone" by NATO, replaced the Soviet "Scud". The S-400 system is a Russian mobile, surface-to-air missile (SAM) interception system capable of engaging aircraft, UAVs, cruise missiles, and has a terminal ballistic missile defence capability.

☆ Duma prepares higher taxation for Russians who left country - speaker
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 25 (Reuters) - Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the Duma, said the Russian lower house of parliament was preparing a law to introduce higher taxation for people who have left the country, as many have since the war in Ukraine began in February. "It is right to cancel preferences for those who have left the Russian Federation and to introduce an increased tax rate for them," Volodin wrote on the Telegram messaging app. The number of Russians who have left since the start of the war is unclear. Russians working abroad who are Russian tax residents must pay the tax independently, according to the Federal Tax Service of Russia. "It's completely understandable why they fled," Volodin said.

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