DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Alexey Navalny's death wasn't directly ordered by Putin, WSJ reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Putin critic Alexey Navalny's death may not have been planned to happen when it did, WSJ reported. The Journal reported that this opinion is shared by several US intelligence agencies. AdvertisementAlexey Navalny's February death in a remote Arctic prison camp likely wasn't directly ordered by Vladimir Putin, despite Navalny's outspoken criticism of the Russian president, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday. Despite the suspicious circumstances of the opposition leader's death, the outlet reported Putin may not have intended Navalny to be killed when he was. None of the intelligence agencies cited by the Journal or the Pentagon have responded to requests for comment from Business Insider.

Persons: Alexey Navalny's, Navalny's, —, Vladimir Putin, Putin, — wasn't, Putin wasn't, Leonid Volkov, Navalny Organizations: Kremlin, Service, Street, CIA, National Intelligence, State, Journal, Pentagon, Business Locations: Russian, Poland

☆ This couple bought a rundown abandoned house for $1.5 million and plan to make it their forever home: Take a look inside
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Jenna Phipps | Nick Volkov | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Jenna Phipps and Nick Volkov bought this abandoned property in Vancouver with plans to turn it into their forever home. Jenna Phipps and Nick VolkovThe house was so dilapidated that the realtor had the couple sign a waiver before entering. The house was valued at $3.4 million CAD or $2.5 million USD with an asking price of $2.6 million CAD or $1.9 million USD. The original house was built in 1961 and had been abandoned for years before the couple bought it in 2024. Jenna Phipps and Nick Volkov

Persons: Jenna Phipps, Nick Volkov, Phipps, Volkov Organizations: CNBC, Royal Bank of Canada Locations: Vancouver, Vancouver , British Columbia, Canada

☆ Why the scale of Putin's landslide win matters so much
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

As of 7 a.m. Moscow time on Monday, Putin has secured around 87% of the vote in the presidential election. This marks a record win for Putin, who took home 77% of the votes in 2018. His opponents — who are far from Putin's level of clout and influence — were pre-approved by Russia's election commission and posed no serious challenges to the incumbent leader. David Szakonyi, a political science professor at George Washington University, told Business Insider last week that voter turnout is an extremely important metric for Putin. AdvertisementTo be sure, there are other factors at play in Putin's victory besides Russia's strong economy.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Putin, David Szakonyi, Szakonyi, Denis Volkov, Volkov, Alexei Navalny, Josef Stalin Organizations: Service, Business, George Washington University, Putin, Monetary Fund, Levada, New York Times, Times Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russia

“All of us decent people are hostages here.” Like other voters interviewed, she declined to provide her last name, for fear of reprisal. “It is so important to see people who think like you, who don’t agree with what is happening,” she said. More broadly, the muted, purely symbolic form of civil disobedience envisioned by the initiative underscores just how little the Russian opposition can do to influence events in the country amid the pervasive repression. Noon Against Putin has been expected to be particularly large-scale abroad, because dissident voters faced lower risks outside Russia. Ms. Navalnaya was seen standing in a long line outside the Russian Embassy in Berlin on Sunday afternoon.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Aleksei A, Navalny, Mr, Navalny’s, ”, Lena, Noon, Yulia Navalnaya, “, ” Leonid Volkov, Nanna Heitmann, Volkov, Kristina, Navalnaya, Valerie Hopkins, Tomas Dapkus, Anton Troianovski Organizations: Sunday, The New York Times, YouTube, Russian Embassy Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Lithuania, Lane, Berlin, Riga, Latvia

☆ Putin seen winning an expected landslide 88% of Russian election vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

President Vladimir Putin won a record post-Soviet landslide in Russia's election on Sunday, cementing his grip on power. The election comes just over two years since Putin triggered the deadliest European conflict since World War Two by ordering the invasion of Ukraine. War has hung over the three-day election: Ukraine has repeatedly attacked oil refineries in Russia, shelled Russian regions, and sought to pierce Russian borders with proxy forces - a move Putin said would not be left unpunished. As noon arrived across Asia and Europe, hundreds of people gathered at polling stations at Russian diplomatic missions. Putin says the West is engaged in a hybrid war against Russia and that Western intelligence and Ukraine are trying to disrupt the elections.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Josef Stalin, Putin's, Alexei Navalny, Yulia, Ruslan Shaveddinov, Leonid Volkov, Navalny, Joe Biden, Nikolas Gvosdev, Biden, Donald Trump, William Burns, China Organizations: Soviet, Research, National Security, KGB, Corruption, Criminal Court, Hague, Kremlin, Research Institute, Trump's Republican, Kyiv, CIA Locations: United States, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, St Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Asia, Europe, Russian, Berlin, Vilnius, West, Philadelphia, Congress, Ukrainian, Crimea, Kyiv

☆ Putin is coasting towards another term in power. Here’s what to know about Russia’s presidential election
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Russia is holding a presidential election that is all but certain to extend Vladimir Putin’s rule throughout this decade and into the 2030s. But this is not a normal election; the poll is essentially a constitutional box-ticking exercise that carries no prospect of removing Putin from power. But that is not to say Russians expect the election to change the direction of the country. Russia’s elections are neither free nor fair, and serve essentially as a formality to extend Putin’s term in power, according to independent bodies and observers both in and outside the country. In order to vote against Putin, you just need to vote for any other candidate,” he said on February 8.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, Alexey Navalny, Natalia Kolesnikova, Joseph Stalin, Putin’s, Dmitry Medvedev, euphemistically, —, Abbas Gallyamov, Gallyamov, ”, Callum Fraser, Nikolay Kharitonov, Leonid Slutsky, Vladislav Davankov, Davankov, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Boris Nadezhdin, Yekaterina Duntsova, Duntsova, Leonid Volkov, Volkov, Stringer, Alexey Navalny –, –, Yulia Navalnaya, “, “ Putin, Don’t, Navalnaya Organizations: CNN, Russian, Duma, Getty, Levada, Central, Commission, Royal United Services Institute, Communist Party, Slutsky, Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, Kremlin, CEC, Freedom, Putin, European Union, Foreign Affairs Locations: Russia, Ukraine, AFP, Soviet, Lithuanian, Vilnius, Chechen, Grozny, Moscow, Russian

☆ Top Navalny Aide Attacked With Hammer Outside Home in Lithuania
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Paul Sonne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Leonid Volkov, who served as one of Mr. Navalny’s top organizers, was pulling up to his house in Vilnius when the attack happened. Mr. Volkov survived the attack. Photographs posted online by another top aide to Mr. Navalny showed Mr. Volkov conscious but injured, with a mark on his head and blood streaming from one leg. Other photographs showed the bashed-in window of his car, which was parked in a driveway in front of a children’s basketball hoop. Later in the evening, the aide posted a photograph of Mr. Volkov being loaded into an ambulance and taken to the hospital.

Persons: Aleksei A, Navalny’s, Leonid Volkov, Kira Yarmysh, Volkov, Navalny, Ms, Yarmysh Locations: Russian, Lithuania’s, Vilnius, “

☆ Leonid Volkov: Navalny’s former chief of staff attacked with hammer in Lithuania
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Darya Tarasova | Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Russian opposition activist Leonid Volkov, who is the former chief of staff of the late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, was attacked Tuesday outside his house in Vilnius, Lithuania, according to Navalny’s spokesperson Kira Yarmysh. “Leonid Volkov has just been attacked outside his house. Someone broke a car window and sprayed tear gas in his eyes, after which the attacker started hitting Leonid with a hammer,” Yarmysh said in a social media post. Volkov, who had served as chairman of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation until 2023, dismissed the elections in February as a “circus,” saying on social media they were meant to signal Putin’s overwhelming mass support. They are a propaganda effort to spread hopelessness” among the electorate, Volkov said.

Persons: Leonid Volkov, Alexey Navalny, Kira Yarmysh, “ Leonid Volkov, Leonid, ” Yarmysh, ” Ivan Zhdanov, Navalny’s, Volkov, “, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Navalny Organizations: CNN, Corruption Foundation, Navalny’s, Kremlin Locations: Russian, Vilnius, Lithuania, Russia

☆ Russia’s presidential election is nearing. We already know who the winner will be
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —Russia is nearing a presidential election that is all but certain to extend Vladimir Putin’s rule throughout this decade and into the 2030s. The president’s dominance over the Russian electoral system has already been reinforced as the election looms. Voting will be held from Friday March 15 until Sunday March 17, the first Russian presidential election to take place over three days. The region makes up more than a third of Russia’s total territory but has only about 5% of its population. In order to vote against Putin, you just need to vote for any other candidate,” Navalny said on February 8.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, Alexey Navalny, Maxim Shemetov, Joseph Stalin, Putin’s, Dmitry Medvedev, ” Callum Fraser, Nikolay Kharitonov, Leonid Slutsky, Vladislav Davankov, Davankov, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Boris Nadezhdin, Yekaterina Duntsova, Duntsova, Leonid Volkov, Volkov, Vladimir Nikolayev, euphemistically, Abbas Gallyamov, Gallyamov, Alexey Navalny –, –, ”, ” Navalny, Yulia Navalnaya, “, “ Putin, Don’t Organizations: CNN, Russian, Duma, Federal, Reuters, Kommersant, CEC, Royal United Services Institute, Communist Party, Slutsky, Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, Kremlin, Freedom, Putin, Levada, EU, Foreign Affairs Council, European Union Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russia’s, Soviet, AFP

The sudden death of Russian President Vladimir Putin's most formidable antagonist has left an open wound in Russia's political opposition. Navalny also was the first opposition leader in Russia to receive a lengthy prison sentence in recent years. In the three years since Navalny lost his freedom, multiple prominent dissidents were imprisoned, while others fled Russia under pressure. MIKHAIL KHODORKOVSKYMikhail Khodorkovsky, 60, is a former tycoon turned Russian opposition figure in exile. Kara-Murza was an associate of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, another fierce Putin critic who was assassinated near the Kremlin in 2015.

Persons: Vladimir Putin's, Alexei Navalny, Navalny, Leonid Volkov, Maria Pevchikh, Ivan Zhdanov, Kira Yarmysh —, “ Alexei, ” Volkov, MIKHAIL KHODORKOVSKY Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Khodorkovsky, Putin, Andrei Pivovarov, Garry Kasparov, Dmitry Gudkov, VLADIMIR KARA, MURZA, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Boris Nemtsov, Kara, Nemtsov, Sergei Magnitsky, Yevgenia, ILYA YASHIN Ilya Yashin, Navalny's, Yashin's, Yashin, ” Yashin Organizations: YouTube, Putin, TEAM, Corruption Foundation, Olympics, Kremlin, Putin's Russia —, U.S, Associated Press Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Black, Sochi, London, Putin's Russia, Washington, Moscow

☆ Putin Opponent Alexei Navalny Dies in Arctic Jail, Russia Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

By Guy Faulconbridge, Felix LightMOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia's most prominent opposition leader Alexei Navalny collapsed and died on Friday after a walk at the "Polar Wolf" Arctic penal colony where he was serving a long jail term, the Russian prison service said. "Russian authorities publish a confession that they killed Alexei Navalny in prison," Navalny aide Leonid Volkov wrote on social media. "Alexei Navalny paid with his life for his resistance to a system of oppression," France's Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said. "My sincere belief is that it was the conditions of detention that led to Navalny's death," Russian newspaper editor and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov told Reuters. Navalny long forecast Russia could face seismic political turmoil, including revolution, because he said Putin built a brittle system of personal rule reliant on sycophancy and corruption.

Persons: Guy Faulconbridge, Felix Light, Alexei Navalny, Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Leonid Volkov, Stephane Sejourne, Vladimir Putin's, Navalny's, Kira Yarmysh, Dmitry Muratov, Putin, Yulia, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Federal Penitentiary Service, Nenets Autonomous, IK, Kremlin, Peace, Reuters, KREMLIN, U.S, CIA Locations: Nenets, Nenets Autonomous District, Kharp, Moscow, Russian, Russia, Germany, Siberia, Europe

The reported death in prison of Alexei Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most prominent political rival, sent shockwaves throughout Russia and the world on Friday – even if some were unsurprised by the outcome. “There is no doubt that the death of Navalny was the consequence of something Putin and his thugs did,” U.S. President Joe Biden said in remarks at the White House on Friday. The Latest Photos From Ukraine View All 91 ImagesHere is what you need to know about Navalny, his death and Russia’s handling of political prisoners. Who Was Alexei Navalny? Navalny later participated in several mass protests and lobbed criticisms more directly at Putin and other Kremlin officials.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, Navalny, Joe Biden, “, ” Konstantin Sonin, ” Navalny, Yulia Navalnaya, Navalnaya, ”, Leonid Volkov, Navalny’s, Evan Gershkovich, Ilya Yashin, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Alexei Gorinov, Maria Ponomarenko – Organizations: White, overdevelopment, Associated Press, Reuters, Washington Post, University of Chicago, Ukraine, Munich, Russia’s Federal, Service, Nenets Autonomous, Tass, Wall Street Locations: Russian, Russia, U.S, Moscow, Ukraine, Belarus, Germany, Russia’s, Nenets, Nenets Autonomous District, Kharp, Bucha

The news of Mr. Navalny’s death shocked many at the conference and could add new urgency to the discussion. Ms. Harris said at the start of her address to the conference — which had already been expected to focus on Russia — that the United States was still trying to confirm the reports of Mr. Navalny’s death, but that it held Russia’s government responsible. “I made it clear to him that I believe the consequences of that would be devastating for Russia,” Mr. Biden told reporters after meeting with Mr. Putin in Geneva in 2021. “What do you think happens when he’s saying it’s not about hurting Navalny, all the stuff he says to rationalize the treatment of Navalny, and then he dies in prison?” Mr. Biden continued. “I saw Yulia Navalnaya and Leonid Volkov last night here in Munich,” said Michael McFaul, a former American ambassador to Moscow.

Persons: Aleksei A, Yulia Navalnaya, clampdown, Navalnaya, Leonid Volkov, Kamala Harris, Antony J, Blinken, Vladimir V, Putin, Navalny’s, Harris, ”, Mr, Biden, Navalny, “, ” Mr, it’s, Ms, Michael McFaul, Aleksei, ” Edward Wong Organizations: Munich Security Conference, ” Locations: Munich, Europe, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, United States, Geneva, American

☆ Russians are freezing as Soviet-era infrastructure in the country crumbles —and Moscow keeps spending on war
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Heating systems are breaking down in Russia's harsh winter, leaving many people freezing. Much of Russia's Soviet-era infrastructure needs modernizing. AdvertisementHeating systems are breaking down in Russia's harsh winter, leaving many people freezing as Moscow continues to spend on its war in Ukraine. The brutal conditions are made worse because Russia's infrastructure is poorly maintained, with many of its facilitates dating from the Soviet era, according to media reports. About 40% of the communal heating grid in the country needs to be replaced urgently, she added.

Persons: —, Svetlana Razvorotneva, Vladimir Putin, Denis Volkov, ” Organizations: Service, Financial Times, Reuters, “, Levada Center Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Siberia, Soviet, St . Petersburg, The, Russian, Nizhny Novgorod

☆ What You Can Still Complain About in Russia: A Cat Thrown From a Train
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Anatoly Kurmanaev | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The tragedy gripped Russia for days. Federal lawmakers convened a special committee and an investigation was launched, as hundreds of volunteers searched for the victim in subzero temperatures, and state news media ran live updates on the fallout. Eventually, the victim — Twix the cat — was found dead. A national outcry over the demise of a pet who was mistakenly thrown from a long-distance train by an attendant has highlighted both the limits of and the demand for an emotional outlet in wartime Russia. A combination of propaganda, a crackdown on dissent and public fatigue with the inconclusive war has turned internet curiosities into a focus of national attention for days, even weeks.

Persons: Denis Volkov Organizations: Levada Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian

Navalny aides said lawyers Vadim Kobzev, Igor Sergunin and Alexei Liptser were being investigated on suspicion of belonging to an "extremist group". Later on Friday, a Moscow court remanded all three in investigative custody until Dec. 13, according to a statement posted by the court on Telegram. Navalny told the judge on learning of the investigations against his lawyers. REUTERS/Yulia Morozova/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights"As in Soviet times, not only political activists and political prisoners but also their lawyers are being persecuted." Navalny aide Leonid Volkov posted on the X social media platform that the three lawyers faced up to six years in prison if found guilty of belonging to an extremist group, "just for being Navalny's lawyers".

Persons: Navalny Putin, Alexei Navalny, Navalny, Vadim Kobzev, Igor Sergunin, Alexei Liptser, Vladimir Putin, Kobzev, Yulia Morozova, Putin, Leonid Volkov, " Volkov, they’re, Volkov, Alexander Marrow, Maxim, Peter Graff, Diane Craft Organizations: IK, REUTERS, Kremlin, U.S . Central Intelligence Agency, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Vladimir Region, Basmanny, Germany, Siberia

Navalny, 47, now faces a transfer to a "special regime" prison colony, the harshest grade in Russia's penal system, with the prospect of staying there until he is in his mid-70s. Daniel Kholodny, a TV technician who worked for Navalny, was sentenced to eight years in jail in August as part of the same trial. "For all of us - their colleagues and friends - this is constant pain," Navalny aide Leonid Volkov posted on X, formerly Twitter. The Kremlin has tried to portray Navalny as politically irrelevant, and Putin makes a point of never speaking his name. Moscow has cast him as an extremist and, without providing evidence, as a puppet of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Viktor Rogov, Vladimir Putin, Daniel Kholodny, Alexei, Kholodny, Navalny, Leonid Volkov, Putin, Russia's, Nelson Mandela, Vladimir Kara, Murza, PUTIN, scoundrels, Mark Trevelyan, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: IK, Navalny, U.S . Central Intelligence Agency, Kremlin, U.S . State Department, European Union, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Vladimir, Navalny, Moscow, Ukraine, Siberia, Melekhovo, Russia, Germany

We'll also guide you step-by-step on how to use a VPN to watch UFC 293, no matter where you are. How to watch UFC 293 in the USUS viewers can watch the main event of UFC 293 on ESPN Plus tonight at 10 p.m. Ways to save on the UFC 293 pay-per-view priceIf you're not already a member and plan to sign up for ESPN Plus to watch UFC 293, you can take advantage of a discounted package. How to watch UFC 293 everywhere elseIf you're not in the US, you still have a few options to watch UFC 293. In Canada, UFC 293 will be available as a pay-per-view through most TV providers and directly via UFC Fight Pass.

Persons: Israel Adesanya, Sean Strickland, Strickland, Tai Tuivasa, Alexander Volkov, We'll, McGregor, ExpressVPN, CEST, Felipe Dos Santos, Justin Tafa, Austen Lane, Tyson Pedro, Anton Turkalj, ESPN Plus Carlos Ulberg, Da Woon Jung, Jack Jenkins, Chepe Mariscal, Jamie Mullarkey, John Makdessi, Landon Quinones, Charles Radtke, Shane Young, Gabriel Miranda, Kevin Jousset, Kiefer Crosbie Organizations: UFC, ESPN Plus, ESPN, Amazon, Apple, PlayStation, Samsung, TNT Sports, BT, BT Sport, You'll, LG, AEST, ESPN Plus Israel, ESPN Plus Carlos Locations: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, Switzerland, Asia, Africa, Brazil

SYDNEY (AP) — American Sean Strickland stunned Nigerian-born New Zealander Israel Adesanya to take the middleweight title by unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 293, the first UFC event in Australia's largest city in six years. I don’t cry much but I’m trying to keep it together right now," an emotional Strickland said immediately after the bout. Strickland sensed the opportunity to go after the champion and a flurry of punches and kicks in the final minute helped ensure the decision and the middleweight title. "You don’t fight that guy with that many highlight-reel knockouts,” Strickland said about Adesanya. In the co-main event, Alexander Volkov (37-10) won his heavyweight bout by submission in the second round against 30-year-old Sydney-born Tai Tuivasa.

Persons: Sean Strickland, Zealander Israel Adesanya, Strickland, “, Alex Pereira, Adesanya, ” Strickland, “ He’s, he’s, ”, I’ve, Alexander Volkov, Tai Tuivasa, Tuivasa, Tyson Pedro, Sweden's Anton Turkalj, New Zealander Justin Tafa, Austen Lane, Manel Kape, Felipe dos Santos, ___ Organizations: SYDNEY, UFC, Qudos Bank, New Zealander Locations: Zealander, Australia's, American, Australia, New South Wales, Sydney

☆ Russian tourism in Crimea is down, but many still shrug off risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Summary This content was produced in Russian-annexed Crimea, where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in Ukraine. They said it was all calm here with no problems on the Crimea Bridge. Fewer visitors to Crimea have meant more for Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea and Dagestan in Russia's north Caucasus region, he said. FATAL CROSSINGFor one Russian couple, the choice of Crimea as a holiday destination proved fatal. "The goal of our trip is, of course, to have a rest, and support Russian tour operators, hoteliers, and Russian tourism, no doubt."

Persons: Siberian Viktor Motorin, Olga Morskova, Alexei Volkov, Volkov, Vasyl Maliuk, Alexander Semashko, Sergei Lenkov, Mark Trevelyan, Alexander Marrow, Gareth Jones, Sharon Singleton Organizations: National Union of Hospitality Industries, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Crimea, Ukraine, YALTA, Siberian, Moscow, Russia, Khanty, Siberia, Turkey, Thailand, Rybinsk, Sochi, Novorossiysk, Kaliningrad, Dagestan, Russia's, Caucasus, Stavropol, Vologda

One summer evening as the sun sank behind the Dnipro River, the mammoth waterway that bisects Ukraine, Anatolii Volkov walked along a river beach, head down. A Ukrainian archaeologist, Mr. Volkov looked as if he was just taking a stroll. “Look at this,” he said. He bent down and picked up an object about two inches long. He rubbed his fingers over the grooves.

Persons: Anatolii Volkov, Volkov, ” Locations: Dnipro, Ukraine, Ukrainian

☆ ‘Everything Changed’: The War Arrives on Russians’ Doorstep
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Valerie Hopkins | Anatoly Kurmanaev | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To some in the region, the assaults on Shebekino, the most sustained attack on a Russian town since the start of the war, made clear Moscow’s lack of concern for their fate. In social media posts, they used the hashtag #ShebekinoIsRussia, a cry for attention from the wider public across the country, which has largely carried on with daily life. In interviews, some in Shebekino expressed anger at how state television anchors struggled to pronounce the town’s name, even as they lauded the evacuation efforts. “It seems that in Moscow they don’t understand what we have going on here,” said Ruslan, the English teacher. Levada’s director, Denis Volkov, said it was too early to say whether the escalation of border attacks would rally Russians around the flag.

Persons: Shebekino, ”, Ruslan, Denis Volkov, “ Organizations: Levada Locations: Moscow, Kremlin, Shebekino

☆ Putin accuses the West of creating Nazis while comparing the war in Ukraine to WWII, in what experts are calling a perversion of history
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

He sought to portray the war in Ukraine as part of a plot to destroy Russia. Putin has sought to portray the war in Ukraine as a battle against Western powers who he claims are determined to destroy Russia. A real war has been unleashed against our Motherland," he said during a parade in Moscow on Tuesday. During the war, Russia was allied against fascist powers with Western powers including the UK and US. "They've even said that the West created Nazis," he added, calling it a "grotesque perversion of and distortion of history".

Whatever the provenance of the two drones that approached the Kremlin early Wednesday morning, one thing was clear: The Russian government wanted the world to know about them. The Kremlin made a deliberate choice to quickly make public what it claimed was a drone attack aimed at assassinating President Vladimir V. Putin. It published an unusual, five-paragraph statement on its website that named the Ukrainian government as the perpetrator and asserted the right to retaliate against Kyiv. The Kremlin’s messaging diverged significantly from its response to previous episodes involving attacks on Russia or Russian-occupied territory. Now the question is whether Russia will use the incident to justify more and even deadlier strikes against Ukraine.

CNN —Jailed Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny said he faces a new “terrorist case,” in what could mean decades more in prison for the outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. His comments come as his daughter, Daria Navalnaya, told CNN that the Russian authorities were depriving her father of food. Navalny is currently serving a nine-year jail term at a maximum-security prison east of Moscow after being convicted of large-scale fraud by a Russian court last year. Alexey Navalny, pictured in Moscow on August 27, 2018, said on Wednesday that he faces a new "terrorist case," despite being imprisoned. Zhdanov also said that the investigator in the terrorism case was considering the killing of military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky as part of the charges.

Search resuls for: "Volkov"

25 mentions found