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☆ A Russian drone unit is recruiting members of the Kremlin elite so they can 'sidestep' military service on the front, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A military unit called "Bars Kaskad" is recruiting Russia's elite, the UK Ministry of Defence said. It likely allows recruits to "sidestep" usual service requirements "with guaranteed safety," said the MoD. AdvertisementA special Russian military unit is recruiting Russian elites, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. The unit is primarily involved in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations far from the front lines in Ukraine, likely allowing Russian VIPs to "sidestep usual military service requirements with guaranteed safety," the MoD said. AdvertisementAlexei Blinovsky was pictured serving with Bars Kaskad on April 16, per the MoD.

Persons: —, SERGEI SUPINSKY, Ruslan Leviev, Russian, Yelena Blinovskaya, Alexei Blinovsky, Vladimir Putin's Organizations: UK Ministry of Defence, MoD, Service, Russian, Russian State Duma, Putin United Russia Party, Getty Images, Conflict Intelligence Team, Guardian Locations: Ukraine, Russian, AFP, Kaskad

☆ Russia’s political class is taking a dark and vengeful turn
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Now comes another shock to the system, with the appalling murder of at least 139 people in a terror attack at a concert hall just outside Moscow. And with its brutal official response to the attack, Russia seems to have taken an even darker turn. But after Friday’s Crocus City attack, the brutality of Russian security services appeared on naked display. It sends a message to ordinary Russians – and the world – that Russian state security forces are capable of anything. “Everyone asks me, what is to be done?” Medvedev said, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Putin, – implausibly, ”, Dmitry Peskov, ” Peskov, ” Putin, Tatyana Makeyeva, Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, Margarita Simonyan, approvingly, Simonyan, “, Alexander Zemlianichenko, Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s, ” Medvedev, Vladimir Vasiliev Organizations: CNN, ISIS, “ Intelligence, Kremlin, KGB, Getty, VK, Putin, “, United Russia, Novosti Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Kyiv, United States, Chechnya, Crocus, Basmanny, AFP, Russian

☆ Russia's ruling party says it is hit by cyberattack during presidential election
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Russia's governing party United Russia said on Saturday that it was facing a widespread denial of service attack — a form of cyberattack that snarls internet use — against its online presence, and had suspended non-essential services to repel the attack. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is running in Russia's presidential election as an independent candidate with United Russia's support, has accused Ukraine of seeking to sabotage the polls, which he is virtually certain to win.

Persons: Vladimir Putin Organizations: United Locations: United Russia, Russian, Ukraine

☆ Russia presidential election: Putin set to sweep to fifth term in power
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) approved only three candidates to oppose Putin: Leonid Slutsky of the Liberal Democratic Party, Vladislav Davankov of the New People Party and Nikolay Kharitonov of the Communist Party. “A vote for Slutsky and LDPR is absolutely not a vote against Putin,” he said. Although the ruling United Russia party has declared its “full support” for the president, Putin is running as an independent candidate, placing himself above party politics. A local election commission member prepares a polling station for early voting in the Republic of Karelia, March 10, 2024. Polls are set to open in Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka at 8 a.m. local time on Friday (4 p.m.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Joseph Stalin, Leonid Slutsky, Vladislav Davankov, Nikolay Kharitonov, Slutsky, “, ”, Stringer, Yekaterina Duntsova, Boris Nadezhdin, Alexey Navalny, Navalny “, Navalny, “ Putin, Yulia Navalnaya, Don’t, Natalia Kolesnikova, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Dmitry Serebryakov Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Commission, Liberal Democratic Party, New People Party, Communist Party, Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, United, Getty, CEC, Russian Security Service, The New York Times, TASS, Russia Locations: Alaska, Kaliningrad, Ukraine, Russia, Soviet, United Russia, AFP, Moscow, Republic of Karelia, Avdiivka, Russia’s, Kamchatka

☆ Analysis: As Putin sails to re-election, Russia’s leader has a succession problem
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Russian President Vladimir Putin is widely expected to sail to re-election in a nationwide vote that begins on March 15, securing a fifth term in office and a full third decade as Russia’s paramount leader. As Kremlin chairman, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin would become the country's leader temporarily if Putin were to die or be incarcerated while in office. In 2008, Putin reached the end of his second presidential term, and stepped aside for a handpicked placeholder, Dmitry Medvedev. Some Russian political observers speculate that the real competition to succeed Putin is not likely until the 2030s, when Putin reaches his sixth term. Even the former president Medvedev, who lost the number two slot in 2020 when he stepped down in a government shakeup, may still have aspirations.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexey Navalny, Joseph Stalin, Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Putin “, Joe Biden, Putin’s, …, ”, Andreas Umland, “ Putin, ” Umland, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin –, “ It’s, Umland, Mikhail Mishustin, Gleb Schelkunov, Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, Irina Buzhor, Leonid Brezhnev, Alexander Lukashenko, Xi Jinping, Nursultan Nazarbayev, Nazarbayev, President Kassym, Tokayev, Andrey Pertsev Organizations: CNN, Stockholm Centre, Eastern European Studies, Russian, Russian Federation, Soviet, Air Force One, United Russia, Russian Security Council, AP, Chinese Communist Party, country’s Security, Kremlin Locations: Soviet, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Russian, Belarusian, Kazakhstan

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Putin delivers State of the Nation address to Russian lawmakers, troops and journalists
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russia's Elections Commission said that the pro-Kremlin United Russia part had won local elections in four regions of Ukraine occupied by Russian forces, in a vote dismissed by Kyiv. Germany, the U.K., Spain, Poland and NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg were among those denying that sending ground troops into Ukraine was an option. The Kremlin had warned earlier Tuesday that such a move would lead to an "inevitable" conflict between NATO and Russia. Since then, state-run Russian media has been dominated by Russian officials relishing the obvious division in NATO, and Macron's apparent misreading of the NATO mood music. She claimed NATO countries' denials that they planned to send their ground troops into Ukraine showed the West had "betrayed Ukraine and will continue to use and betray it," repeating Moscow's baseless claims that Western countries are using Ukraine to destroy Russia.

Persons: Alexander NEMENOV, ALEXANDER NEMENOV, Emmanuel Macron, Jens Stoltenberg, Macron, Vyacheslav Volodin, Volodin, Maria Zakharova, — Holly Ellyatt Organizations: Commission, Kremlin, Kyiv, Getty Images, NATO, NATO's, Foreign Ministry, Ukraine —, Russian Foreign, Sputnik, Tass Locations: St, Basil's, Moscow, Russia's, Kremlin United Russia, Ukraine, AFP, Germany, Spain, Poland, Russia, NATO, Russian

☆ Alexey Navalny: Jailed Russian opposition figure dies aged 47, prison service says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Anna Chernova | Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Jailed Russian opposition figure and outspoken Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny, who made global headlines when he was poisoned with a nerve agent in 2020, has died aged 47, the Russian prison service said. Russia’s prison service said it was investigating the “sudden death” of Navalny. Navalny’s spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, said his lawyer is traveling to Kharp, where Navalny has been held since December. The White House at the time said it was “deeply concerned” about the reports of Navalny’s disappearance. “Navalny has never been hidden for so long,” Navalny’s team said in a Telegram post.

Persons: CNN —, Alexey Navalny, Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Navalnvy, Dmitry Peskov, Putin, Kira Yarmysh, “, ” Yarmysh, Navalany’s, he’d, “ Navalny, ”, Ivan Zhdanov Organizations: CNN, United, Novosti, Navalny’s, IK Locations: Russian, United Russia, Russia, Germany, Soviet, Navalny, Kharp, Moscow

Alexei Navalny, the fiercest foe of Russian President Vladimir Putin who crusaded against official corruption and staged massive anti-Kremlin protests, died in prison Friday, Russian authorities said. Before his arrest, he campaigned against official corruption, organized major anti-Kremlin protests and ran for public office. Shortly after Navalny’s death was reported, the Russian SOTA social media channel shared images of the opposition politician reportedly in court yesterday. In the footage, Navalny is seen standing up and is laughing and joking with the judge via video link. The day before the sentence, Navalny had registered as a candidate for Moscow mayor.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Navalny, Dmitry Peskov, Putin, Kira Yarmysh, Boris Nemtsov, —, ”, Dmitry Medvedev’s, Sergei Skripal, “ Alexei, David Roher, Oscar, Navalny’s, “, Alexei, alexey, navalny Organizations: Kremlin, Federal Penitentiary Service, People’s Friendship University, Yale, Moscow, Fund, Fighting, YouTube, Federal Security Service, Navalny’s Foundation Locations: ”, Moscow, Germany, Russian, Russia, Kharp, Butyn, Crimean, St, Petersburg, Siberian, Tomsk, Omsk, England, Ukraine

☆ The wild life of Alexey Navalny, who challenged Putin and appears to have died in prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( James Pasley | Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Russian dissident Alexey Navalny became President Vladimir Putin's biggest opponent. On Friday, Russian officials said he had died suddenly in prison. AdvertisementAlexey Navalny, an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has died in prison, according to Russian officials. In 2020, Navalny almost died after he was poisoned with a nerve agent, allegedly by Russian agents. Russia's prison agency said on Friday that he had died suddenly.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Putin's, —, Vladimir Putin, Crooks, Putin, Navalny Organizations: Service, Putin Locations: United Russia, Russian, Germany, Russia

☆ Jailed Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny had long been a thorn in Putin’s side
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Laura Smith-Spark | Zamira Rahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

From prison, Navalny denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine via social media and encouraged anti-war protests across the country. Navalny was detained and sent to a Russian prison in 2021 after he had returned to Russia from Germany, where he was recovering from Novichok poisoning he blamed on the Russian government. Navalny took up Nemtsov’s mantle, becoming Russia’s most prominent opposition figure. Alexey Navalny was given a suspended sentence and his brother was sentenced to a prison term. Russia launched a new fraud accusation and jail threat against Navalny at the end of 2020, increasing pressure on him.

Persons: CNN — Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Navalny, Alexei Navalny, Dmitry Lovetsky, “, Putin, ”, Kira Yarmysh, Dmitry Peskov, Alexander Litvinenko, Novichok, Sergei Skripal, Russia’s, Boris Nemtsov, Alexey Navalny, ‘ Putin, Oleg, Yves Rocher, “ Putin, ” Navalny, Dasha Navalnaya, Margarita Kotova, gaunt, Alexey, –, Putin –, Alexander Nemenov, vociferously, I’m, Yulia Navalnaya Organizations: CNN, United, Kremlin, CNN Former, Getty, Corruption, Navalny, “, Moscow’s, Peoples University, Transneft, Court, of Human Locations: United Russia, Russia, Ukraine, Siberia, Germany, Moscow, CNN Former Russian, Britain, Russian, English, Salisbury, Siberian, Tomsk, Omsk, France, Sweden, Anadolu, Melekhovo, Vladimir Region, Butyn, AFP, Moscow’s

☆ 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

☆ Russia's Parliament to Vote on Suspending Moscow's OSCE Participation
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Russia's parliament will vote on Feb. 21 on suspending the country's participation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation (OSCE), Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said on Tuesday. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the organisation has been largely paralysed by Moscow's ongoing use of the effective veto each country has. "It's time for us to say goodbye to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly," Volodin said at a meeting of the Duma, the lower house of Russia's parliament, according to a statement on the Duma's website. The Latest Photos From Ukraine View All 91 ImagesBoth chambers of the Russian parliament, the Duma and the Federation Council, will vote simultaneously on suspending participation and on stopping Moscow's payments to the OSCE, Volodin said. Ukraine and its Baltic allies, which are Russia's neighbours, refused to attend the OSCE annual foreign ministers meeting late last year over the presence of Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov there.

Persons: Vyacheslav Volodin, Volodin, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Lavrov, Lidia Kelly, Oleksandr Kozhukhar, Sonali Paul Organizations: Reuters, Organization for Security, OSCE, Soviet, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Duma, Federation Council, United, Russia's Locations: Parliamentary, Ukraine, U.S, Russia, Washington, United Russia, Baltic

☆ Russia Closes Presidential Race Candidate Registration With Putin, 3 Others -TASS
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Russia's registration of candidates for the March presidential election has closed, TASS reported on Sunday, with a list including President Vladimir Putin, who is expected to win, and three politicians who all support Moscow's war in Ukraine. The Kremlin has said it does not see him as a serious rival to Putin. Photos You Should See View All 21 ImagesNadezhdin said on Thursday he would challenge the CEC's decision in Russia's Supreme Court. The war, which the Kremlin calls a "special military operation", is nearing the end of its second year. It has killed thousands on both sides, displaced millions of Ukrainians, and turned scores of cities and villages into rubble.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Boris Nadezhdin, Vladislav Davankov, Leonid Slutsky, Nikolai Kharitonov, Putin, Nadezhdin, Elaine Monaghan, Lidia Kelly, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Reuters, Commission, CEC, Russian Duma, New People, Kremlin, Liberal Democratic Party, Communist Party, United Russia, Putin Locations: Ukraine, Russian

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Tucker Carlson reportedly leaves Russia; Kyiv silent on ex-Fox News host's interview request after criticism
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"As soon as it [the interview] is prepared, it will be released," he told reporters, according to TASS news agency. He also claimed that no one had "bothered" to interview the Russian president. Announcing his interview with Putin, Carlson said "we are not here because we love Vladimir Putin. Russia's media landscape is tightly-controlled by the Kremlin and is consistently careful to orchestrate favorable coverage (and to omit any criticism) of Russia's leadership. It's also rare for Western media outlets to be granted an audience with Putin and many foreign journalists have been expelled from Russia.

Persons: Peskov, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin, Brice Mahamat Idriss Deby, Carlson, Putin, Alexander NEMENOV, ALEXANDER NEMENOV, Mister Carlson, couldn't, It's, Holly Ellyatt Organizations: Kremlin's, Sputnik, Kremlin, Commission, Kyiv, Getty Locations: Moscow, Russian, United States, St, Basil's, Russia's, Kremlin United Russia, Ukraine, AFP, Russia

☆ Russian Anti-War Candidate Nadezhdin Says He Has Enough Signatures to Run for President
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian anti-war candidate Boris Nadezhdin said on Wednesday he had submitted 105,000 signatures in his support to the Central Election Commission (CEC) to underpin his bid to challenge Vladimir Putin in an upcoming presidential election. The CEC will check the authenticity and quality of the signatures submitted by Nadezhdin and other would-be candidates and announce next month who will join Putin on the ballot paper. Putin's victory is widely seen as a foregone conclusion, but Nadezhdin has surprised some observers with trenchant criticism of what the Kremlin calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine. As a candidate nominated by a political party, he needed to gather 100,000 signatures across at least 40 regions in order to stand in the March 15-17 election. Putin, who has chosen to run as an independent rather than as the candidate of the ruling United Russia party, needs 300,000 signatures but has already collected over 3.5 million, according to his supporters.

Persons: Boris Nadezhdin, Vladimir Putin, Nadezhdin, Putin, Mark Trevelyan, Andrew Osborn Organizations: Commission, CEC, Kremlin, United, Reuters Locations: MOSCOW, Russian, Ukraine, Russia, United Russia

The Red Square mausoleum where his embalmed corpse lies in an open sarcophagus is no longer a near-mandatory pilgrimage but a site of macabre kitsch, open only 15 hours a week. The ideology that Lenin championed and spread over a vast territory is something of a sideshow in modern Russia. “As a result of Bolshevik policy, Soviet Ukraine arose, which even today can with good reason be called ‘Vladimir Ilyich Lenin’s Ukraine.' The Mayakovsky poem that proclaimed Lenin's immortality was “a parting word, or a spell, or a curse,” Rudakov said. At the annual military parade through Red Square, the structure is blocked from view by a tribune where dignitaries watch the festivities.

Persons: soothed, “ Lenin, Lenin, Vladimir Lenin, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Vladimir Putin's, Konstantin Morozov, Gennady Zyuganov, ”, Putin, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin’s, ” Putin, “, VTsIOM, Nadezhda Krupskaya, Lenin's, Yuri Annenkov, Josef Stalin, Leon Trotsky, Russian Orthodox Church —, Bolsheviks —, Stalin, Trotsky, Lenin ”, ’, Vladimir Rudakov, ” Rudakov, Jim Heintz Organizations: Moscow Zoo, Communist Party, Russian Academy of Sciences, AP, Union of Russian Architects, Russian Orthodox Church, Bolsheviks, Tass, The Associated Press Locations: Soviet Union, Russia, Moscow, St, Petersburg's Finland, United Russia, Ukraine, Soviet Ukraine, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin’s Ukraine, Soviet, Russian, Red, USSR, Estonia

☆ Opinion: The real story behind Russia’s new ‘Stalin Centers’
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Opinion Jade Mcglynn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Last month, a new ‘Stalin Center’ was opened in Barnaul, Siberia. According to the independent Levada Center, Stalin has taken first place in their ‘who is the greatest figure of all times and all people’ survey since 2012. Students of a military-sponsored school attend the opening of a series of busts of Russian leaders, including Josef Stalin (center), in Moscow, on September 22, 2017. What the West gets wrong about Stalin and PutinMoreover, these comparisons divert attention from important differences between the Stalin and Putin regimes. That is abundantly not the case in Putin’s Russia, where the government instead encourages a ritualistic patriotism and political apathy.

Persons: Jade McGlynn, “, Read, ’, Jade McGlynn Jade McGlynn, Stalin, Vladimir Putin’s, Josef Stalin, Alexander Zemlianichenko, Memorial, Gorbachev, Yury, Putin, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Nemenov, demonize ’ Stalin, —, weren’t, Mikhail Bulgakov Organizations: Center for Strategic, International Studies, CNN, Communists, Kremlin Russian Communist Party, Levada Center, YouTube, Communist, Reuters, Kremlin, Putin Locations: Putin’s Russia, Barnaul, Siberia, Russian, Penza, Bor, Communist, Russia, Vladimir Putin’s United Russia, Moscow, Perm, Baltic, Laski, Ukraine, today’s Russia, Kyiv, Putin Russia

☆ Ukraine says it killed Kremlin-backed politician in car bombing in occupied Luhansk
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Christian Edwards | Gul Tuysuz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Kyiv CNN —Ukraine said it was responsible for the assassination of a Russia-backed official with a car bomb in the occupied eastern city of Luhansk on Wednesday. Both Ukrainian and Russian authorities reported Filiponenko had been killed in a car bombing early Wednesday morning. Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence posted Filiponenko’s address and warned others: “All addresses of traitors and places of their service to terrorist Russia in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine are known! Defense Intelligence of Ukraine states that all war criminals and collaborators will receive a fair retribution!”There have been several assassination attempts against Russian-backed officials in occupied Ukraine. Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, in the south of Ukraine, have been occupied by Russian forces since shortly after the full-scale invasion began in 2022.

Persons: Mikhail Filiponenko, Filiponenko, Russia ”, ”, Russian Liberal Democratic Party Filiponenko Mikhail Yuryevich, ” Filiponenko, “ Filiponenko, Stanislav Krasilnikov, LPR, Igor Kornet, Zaporizhzhia, Vladimir Putin’s Organizations: CNN —, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, Russia’s, Russian Liberal Democratic Party, Defense Intelligence, Russian, CNN Locations: CNN — Ukraine, Russia, Luhansk, Luhansk People’s Republic, Russian, Kherson, Ukraine, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Moscow, Vladimir Putin’s United Russia

☆ Russia formally withdraws from key post-Cold War European armed forces treaty
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Deputy head of Russia's Security Council and chairman of the United Russia party Dmitry Medvedev visits the Raduga State Machine Building Construction Bureau named after A. Bereznyak in Dubna, Moscow region, Russia February 2, 2023. Sputnik/Yekaterina Shtukina/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 7 (Reuters) - Russia formally withdrew on Tuesday from a key post-Cold War security treaty designed to de-escalate potential East-West conflicts, in a latest sign of rising tensions between Russia and NATO. "At 00:00 on November 7, 2023, the procedure of Russia's withdrawal from the CFE (Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe), was completed," Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement on its website. Russia suspended its participation in the treaty in 2007 and halted active participation in 2015. "Thus, the CFE Treaty in its original form lost touch with reality."

Persons: Dmitry Medvedev, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Lidia Kelly, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Russia's Security, United, Sputnik, NATO, CFE, Conventional Armed Forces, Thomson Locations: United Russia, Dubna, Moscow region, Russia, Europe, Warsaw, Ukraine, United States, CFE, Melbourne

☆ The Kremlin plans to raffle off houses and holidays to shore up support for Putin ahead of an election: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Kremlin is reportedly launching a nationwide raffle ahead of next year's presidential election. The project aims to support Putin amid Russia's challenges with Western sanctions, the report said. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Kremlin plans to shore up support for Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of next year's election by launching a nationwide raffle, according to the independent Russian outlet Meduza. The prizes up for grabs include 300 trips across Russia and 30 housing certificates, which are vouchers that can exchanged for real estate, Meduza reported. Meduza reported that more than 400,000 people have already entered the raffle and that Russian news outlets and regional media have been instructed to promote the event.

Persons: Putin, —, Vladimir Putin, Meduza Organizations: Service, Russian, Kremlin, United, Levada Center, CNN, Freedom Locations: Russia, United Russia, US, Ukraine

☆ Russian party official killed in Ukrainian car bomb attack in occupied Kherson
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Russian party official was killed Saturday in a Ukrainian car bomb attack in occupied Kherson. Vladimir Malov, executive secretary of the ruling United Russia party, died in the attack. The acting governor of occupied Kherson, Vladimir Saldo, called the incident a "terrorist attack." AdvertisementAdvertisementAn official with Putin's ruling United Russia party was killed Saturday in a car bombing orchestrated by Ukrainians, according to Russian politicians. Vladimir Malov, executive secretary of the pro-Putin political party, died in the bombing, Reuters reported Vladimir Saldo, the acting governor of the Russia-occupied Kherson Oblast, said in a Telegram post declaring the incident a "terrorist attack."

Persons: Vladimir Malov, Vladimir Saldo, —, Malov Organizations: United, Service, Putin, Reuters, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, Government of, Russian Federation, Ukrainian Locations: Ukrainian, Kherson, United Russia, Russia, Kherson Oblast, Russian, Ukraine, Eastern Ukraine

☆ Car bomb kills official in Russian-held Ukrainian town, governor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 7 (Reuters) - A party official in the Russian-held town of Nova Kakhovka in Ukraine's Kherson province was killed by a car bomb on Saturday, the provincial governor said. Vladimir Malov, executive secretary of the town branch of Russia's governing United Russia party, died in hospital, Vladimir Saldo said in a post on his Telegram channel. He said it had been a "terrorist attack", meaning one orchestrated by Ukraine. In July, Russia said it had thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to kill Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-backed head of unilaterally annexed Crimea, arresting an agent before he could blow up Aksyonov's car. Reporting by Reuters; writing by Kevin Liffey; editing by Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vladimir Malov, Vladimir Saldo, Sergei Aksyonov, Kevin Liffey, Nick Macfie Organizations: United Russia, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Nova, Ukraine's Kherson, Ukraine, Kyiv, Moscow, Russia, Crimea

☆ Russia plans to try to block VPN services in 2024 - senator
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Demand for VPN services soared after Russia restricted access to some Western social media after President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Senator Artem Sheikin said an order from the Roskomnadzor watchdog would come into force on March 1 that would block VPNs. "From March 1, 2024, an order will come into force to block VPN services providing access to sites banned in Russia," Sheikin was quoted as saying by state news agency RIA. Sheikin said that it was particularly important to block access to Meta Platforms (META.O), which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. He stressed that this order also applies to those VPN services that give access, in particular, to Instagram, which is banned in Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Artem Sheikin, Sheikin, Bobby McFerrin, Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: Private Networks, United, Roskomnadzor, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russian, United Russia, Russia, Ukraine, Instagram

In short, Russia’s children are being prepared for war. Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov said recently that there are now about 10,000 so-called “military-patriotic” clubs in Russian schools and colleges, and a quarter-of-a-million people take part in their work. There are mandatory classes on military-patriotic values; updated history books accentuate Russian military triumphs. President Putin has personally led the campaign to inject patriotism into Russia’s schools. That message - hammered home by the president and state media - is now being taken into Russia’s schools.

Persons: Sergei Kravtsov, Vladimir Putin, ’, ”, ” Putin, Ukraine “, Putin, “, Vyacheslav Gladkov, Uliana Shumelova, schooler, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Daria, Vladimir, Ukraine –, Buryatia, She’d, It’s Organizations: CNN, Education, Security, Defense, Education Ministry, Novosti, RIA Novosti, Russia, Kremlin, Educational, Ministry of Defense, Air Defense, United, ”, Northern Military District, Military Sports Games, Defense Ministry, Armed Forces Russian Federation Locations: Pacific, Ukraine, Moscow, Russian, Russia, Crimea, Ukrainian, stoke, Belgorod, Krasnodar, Vologda, Sakhalin, Russia’s Far, Yeysk, Azov, Astrakhan, United Russia, Vladivostok, Voronezh, Ussuriysk, Buryatia, Chita trumpeted, Orenburg, Polish, Perm, State

☆ The tumultuous life of Alexei Navalny, Russia's outspoken dissident who has been sentenced to 19 years in prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( James Pasley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Alexei Navalny, Russia's most famous living dissident, made a name for himself as an anti-corruption blogger. In 2013, Navalny ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Moscow and — despite a conviction that barred him from running — also attempted to run for president in the 2018 election. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. He dubbed Putin's political party United Russia "the party of Crooks and Thieves," and called Putin "a thieving little man in a bunker." He's now locked in a remote penal colony that's typically reserved for those accused of violent crimes and incarcerated people serving life terms.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Navalny, —, Alexei Navalny —, Vladimir Putin —, Crooks, Putin, Russian agents.He, He's Organizations: Service, Putin Locations: Moscow, Wall, Silicon, United Russia, Russian, Germany, Russia

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