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☆ Top Russian court bans LGBT movement as 'extremist'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MOSCOW, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Russia's Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that LGBT activists should be designated as extremists, in a move that representatives of gay and transgender people fear will lead to arrests and prosecutions. A Reuters reporter in court heard it announce that it had approved a request from the justice ministry to recognise what it called "the international LGBT social movement" as extremist and to ban its activities. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters before the court decision was announced that the Kremlin was "not following" the case and had no comment on it. The Supreme Court took around five hours to issue its ruling, after opening its session at 10 a.m. (0700 GMT). More than 100 groups are already banned in Russia as "extremist".

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Alexei Sergeyev, Alexei Navalny, Sergeyev, Mark Trevelyan, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Reuters, LGBT, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, St Petersburg

☆ Russia accuses Bulgaria of malice over diplomatic overflight ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Russia accused Bulgaria of malice and stupidity on Thursday for refusing to allow Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's plane to fly through its airspace. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who is under European Union sanctions, said her presence on board the plane was the reason given by Bulgaria's foreign ministry for denying access to its airspace. Zakharova suggested that Russia could apply similar overflight bans to "thousands of NATO functionaries", and accused Bulgaria of creating "a dangerous precedent". Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania declared a boycott of the meeting in Skopje in protest of the Russian delegation's presence. Athens took all the steps required before allowing the overflight, the official added.

Persons: Sergei Lavrov's, Lavrov, Dmitry Peskov, Maria Zakharova, Zakharova, Felix Light, Mark Trevelyan, Kevin Liffey, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Organisation for Security, Cooperation, Kremlin, Russian Foreign Ministry, European Union, Bulgarian, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Bulgaria, Greece, Europe, Skopje, North Macedonia, Russian, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Athens

☆ Top Russian Court Bans LGBT Movement as 'Extremist'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the "LGBT movement" should be designated as extremist, in a move that representatives of gay and transgender people fear will lead to arrests and prosecutions. A Reuters reporter heard the court announce it had approved a request from the justice ministry to recognise what it called "the international LGBT social movement" as extremist and to ban its activities in Russia. (Reporting by Reuters; writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

Persons: Mark Trevelyan, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Reuters, LGBT Locations: MOSCOW, Russia

☆ Gay activists in Russia fear arrest as top court weighs "extremist" listing
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's justice ministry asked the Supreme Court this month to recognise what it called "the international LGBT social movement" as extremist and to ban its activities. The ministry said that "various signs and manifestations of extremist orientation, including the incitement of social and religious discord" had been identified in the activities of Russia's LGBT movement, without giving examples. 'EXTREMIST' LISTING CAN FORESHADOW ARRESTSThe justice ministry publishes a list of more than 100 "extremist" groups banned in Russia. "This will all be so underground that, unfortunately, I'm sure there are many people who won't be able to get help," he said. Reporting by Reuters, writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Kevin LiffeyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Putin, Alexei Sergeyev, Vladimir Putin, Alexei Navalny, Sergei Troshin, Sergeev, Mark Trevelyan, Kevin Liffey Organizations: PETERSBURG, LGBT, Reuters, Orthodox Church, Thomson Locations: Russia, St Petersburg

☆ Russian central bank to resume domestic FX market interventions from January
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The central bank in August stopped buying foreign currency until the end of the year to avoid aggravating pressure on the rouble, which tumbled past 100 to the dollar in August and September. "From January 2024, the Bank of Russia is resuming operations on the domestic foreign currency market connected to replenishing and using National Wealth Fund (NWF) funds, including taking into account all operations carried out with NWF funds in 2023," the central bank said in a statement. "Therefore, from the start of 2024, the central bank will not buy foreign currency (what it did not buy in August-December), but will increase its sales," Suvorov said. The rouble did not react on Monday, continuing to hover near the more than five-month high it hit last week. The central bank conducts those operations on behalf of the finance ministry, which resumed its interventions in January after a hiatus of several months, shunning what it terms "unfriendly" Western currencies in favour of China's yuan.

Persons: Yevgeny Suvorov, Suvorov, Elena Fabrichnaya, Alexander Marrow, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: Bank of Russia, Wealth Fund, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine MOSCOW, Russian

☆ Putin says BRICS could help reach political settlement in Gaza conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in a press conference during the 15th BRICS Summit, via video link in Moscow, Russia, August 24, 2023. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin called on Tuesday for a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and said regional states and members of the BRICS group of countries could be involved in efforts to reach such a settlement. In televised comments to a virtual BRICS summit, Putin once again blamed the Middle East crisis on the failure of U.S. diplomacy in the region. "We call for the joint efforts of the international community aimed at de-escalating the situation, a ceasefire and finding a political solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. And the BRICS states and countries of the region could play a key role in this work," Putin said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Klimentyev, Putin, Israel, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS, Rights, United, United Arab Emirates, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Kremlin, Brazil, India, China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina, United Arab, Gaza, Israel, Nazi Germany, Leningrad, Palestine

☆ Russian Nobel Winner Muratov Loses Challenge Against 'Foreign Agent' Status
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Russian editor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Dmitry Muratov failed on Tuesday in a legal bid to overturn his designation by the authorities as a "foreign agent". The Novaya Gazeta newspaper said on its Telegram channel that a judge took only five minutes to throw out Muratov's case. Muratov told reporters the reason for his designation was that he had spoken to YouTube channels considered to be foreign agents, although he said he had done nothing illegal. "In my view they have banned the profession of journalist in the Russian Federation," he said. The Baza news outlet reported on Tuesday that a federal anti-corruption official had written to parliament asking deputies to change the law so that foreign agents could be denied entrance to Russia on security grounds.

Persons: Dmitry Muratov, Muratov, Vladimir Putin, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Reuters, Novaya Gazeta, YouTube, Russian Federation Locations: Russia, Russian, Ukraine

☆ Russia may seek compensation over Nord Stream blasts - RIA
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Gas bubbles from the Nord Stream 2 leak reaching surface of the Baltic Sea in the area shows disturbance of well over one kilometre diameter near Bornholm, Denmark, September 27, 2022. Danish Defence Command/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 21 (Reuters) - Russia is waiting for the outcome of an investigation into the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines before making any request for compensation, the RIA state news agency cited a foreign ministry official as saying on Tuesday. The pipelines under the Baltic Sea were damaged in explosions last year, and investigations have yet to establish who was responsible. Russia has blamed the United States, Britain, and Ukraine for the blasts which largely cut it off from the lucrative European market. The United Nations Security Council has refused to carry out its own investigation into the incident, leaving it to the governments of Sweden, Denmark and Germany.

Persons: Dmitry Birichevsky, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: Danish Defence Command, REUTERS, United Nations, Security, United Nations Security Council, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Baltic, Bornholm, Denmark, Russia, Nord, United States, Britain, Ukraine, Sweden, Germany

☆ Kremlin's Peskov Hopes Putin Runs for Another Term as President - TASS
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview published on Friday that he hoped President Vladimir Putin would run in the March election for another term as Russian president, a move that would keep the Kremlin chief in power until at least 2030. Asked by the student television channel of Moscow State Institute for International Relations (MGIMO) what the next president after Putin should be like, Peskov said: "The same." "Or different but the same," Peskov added with a smile. I have no doubt that he will continue to be president." Reuters reported earlier this month that Putin has decided to run in the March election, as the Kremlin chief feels he must steer Russia through the most perilous period in decades.

Persons: Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Boris Yeltsin, Josef Stalin, Leonid Brezhnev's, Peskov, Guy Faulconbridge, Dmitry Antonov, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: Kremlin, Moscow State Institute for International Relations, Reuters Locations: MOSCOW, Russia

☆ Azerbaijan snubs Armenia meeting in Washington, accusing US of bias
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh region ride in a truck upon their arrival at the border village of Kornidzor, Armenia, September 27, 2023. REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 16 (Reuters) - Azerbaijan's foreign ministry said on Thursday it could not take part in a meeting with Armenia's foreign minister planned for Nov. 20 in Washington because of the "one-sided approach of the United States". Azerbaijan objected in particular to "one-sided and biased" comments on Wednesday by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James O’Brien to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. It complained that O'Brien did not mention that "for more than two months Armenia has not been responding" to Azerbaijani peace proposals. The Azerbaijani statement also said Washington was continuing to offer support to Armenia even though Armenia was "an aggressor and a destabilizing source in the region".

Persons: Irakli, Nikol Pashinyan, State James O’Brien, O'Brien, Washington, Ali Asadov, Kevin Liffey, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: REUTERS, Russia's TASS, U.S, State, House Foreign Affairs Committee, U.S ., Reuters, Thomson Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Kornidzor, Armenia, Washington, United States, Baku, Azerbaijan, U.S, Tbilisi, Yerevan

[1/2] Evgenia Kara-Murza, wife of jailed Russian opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza, addresses the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy in Geneva, Switzerland May 17, 2023. Kara-Murza, 42, has a condition called polyneuropathy that takes away the sensation in his limbs unless controlled by medicines and exercise. His wife Evgenia Kara-Murza said exercise was now impossible for him in a cell measuring just 3 x 1.5 metres (9.8 x 4.9 feet), furnished with only a bed and a backless stool, where he has been held since September in a maximum-security penal colony in the city of Omsk. The fact that they've isolated him to the maximum of course makes me very concerned for his life," Evgenia Kara-Murza said. "The politically motivated conviction of Vladimir Kara-Murza is deplorable.

Persons: Evgenia Kara, Murza, Vladimir Kara, Denis Balibouse, Kara, Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Vladimir, Mr Kara, wryly, Mark Trevelyan, Mark Heinrich, Gareth Jones Organizations: Geneva, Human Rights, Democracy, REUTERS, Britain's, Reuters, Russian, Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth, Development, Liberal International, Thomson Locations: Geneva, Switzerland, Moscow, Omsk, Ukraine, Russia, Britain

☆ Wife of Jailed Dissident Kara-Murza Fears for His Life in Siberian Penal Colony
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Mark TrevelyanLONDON (Reuters) - The wife of jailed Russian opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza, who suffers from a nerve disorder after surviving two poison attacks, said on Wednesday she feared for his life after his transfer from Moscow to a Siberian penal colony. Kara-Murza, 42, has a condition called polyneuropathy that takes away the sensation in his limbs unless controlled by medicines and exercise. The fact that they've isolated him to the maximum of course makes me very concerned for his life," Evgenia Kara-Murza said. And the lady I met for the first time yesterday, she has no idea who Vladimir is," she said. He added: "I have no doubt that in the end, our vision of Russia will prevail.

Persons: Mark Trevelyan, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Evgenia Kara, Kara, Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Vladimir, wryly, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Mark Trevelyan LONDON, Britain's, Reuters, Russian, Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth, Development, Liberal International Locations: Moscow, Omsk, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Journalist's Husband Urges US State Dept to Recognise Her as Wrongfully Detained in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

"I believe Alsu was detained wrongfully. I hope the United States can use every avenue available to it to secure her speedy release, including her designation as a wrongfully detained person," Butorin told a news briefing. When Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested in Russia in March on spying charges that he, his paper and the Biden administration all deny, the State Department declared him wrongfully detained just 12 days later. Jeffrey Gedmin, acting president of RFE/RL, said the news outlet was working with the State Department in a bid to secure the designation. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, asked about Kurmasheva's case at a daily news briefing, said no one should read anything into the amount of time taken to reach a decision.

Persons: Mark Trevelyan, ”, Alsu, Pavel Butorin, Butorin, Evan Gershkovich, Biden, Gershkovich, Kurmasheva, Jeffrey Gedmin, Matthew Miller, Simon Lewis, David Gregorio Organizations: Mark Trevelyan LONDON, U.S, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, RFE, U.S . Congress, State Department, Kremlin Locations: American, Radio Free Europe, Russia, United States, U.S, Moscow, Washington

The highly unusual incident suggested disarray in Russia's military establishment and state media over how to report the battlefield situation in southern Ukraine. It said that, after the regrouping, the Dnepr force would release some troops to be deployed in offensives on other fronts. RIA said the Russian military command had agreed with the Dnepr leadership's conclusions and ordered the relocation of troops to start. Another state agency, TASS, published just one alert on troops regrouping to more favourable positions, and then withdrew it, saying it had been released in error. Russian state media have privileged access to official briefings and typically report major military announcements shortly before they appear in the Telegram channel of the defence ministry.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Mark Trevelyan, Alexander Marrow, Kevin Liffey Organizations: RIA, LONDON, RBC, Russian Ministry of Defence, Dnipro, Telegram, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Dnipro, Ukraine, Dnepr, Russia, Kherson, Russia's, Russian, The U.S, Ukrainian

Authorities have detained nearly 20,000 people for anti-war activity and opened over 800 criminal cases against anti-war dissidents, according to the OVD-Info rights group. Skochilenko replaced price tags in a supermarket in her native St Petersburg on March 31 2022 with five small pieces of paper urging an end to the war. "Even you, your honour (the judge), even you, the state prosecutor, you also don’t want people to die prematurely, for young soldiers to lie in the fields, for civilians to die." Copies of the imitation price tags produced by Skochilenko are on display on a website maintained by her supporters. Another alleges Russia was sending conscripts to fight in Ukraine, which Russia has also denied.

Persons: Alexandra, Sasha, Skochilenko, Alexandra Skochilenko, Moscow's, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Gladyshev, Putin, Andrew Osborn, Mark Trevelyan, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Authorities, Moscow, Wednesday, Amnesty, NATO, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Saint Petersburg, Russia, Russian, St Petersburg, Mariupol, Moscow

☆ Russia Moves Some Troops to 'More Favourable Positions' East of Dnipro River - RIA
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia is moving its Dnepr group of forces to "more favourable positions" east of the Dnipro River in Ukraine, state news agency RIA cited the Russian defence ministry as saying on Monday. Russia's military said on Friday that its forces had thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to forge a bridgehead on the eastern bank of the Dnipro and on nearby islands. Reuters could not independently verify the military reports. (Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

Persons: Alexander Marrow, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: Dnipro, Reuters Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Dnipro, Ukraine

☆ Lawyers Seek Release of Russian Artist Who Staged Anti-War Price Tag Protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

Critics say it is part of a crackdown on anyone who speaks out against Moscow's "special military operation". Authorities have detained nearly 20,000 people for anti-war activity and opened over 800 criminal cases against anti-war dissidents, according to the OVD-Info rights group. The justice ministry has designated the rights group a "foreign agent" and its website is blocked in Russia. Copies of the imitation price tags produced by Skochilenko are on display on a website maintained by her supporters. Another alleges Russia was sending conscripts to fight in Ukraine, which Russia has also denied.

Persons: Andrew Osborn, Alexandra Skochilenko, Sasha, Moscow's, Vladimir Putin, Skochilenko, Alexander Gladyshev, Putin, Mark Trevelyan, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Authorities, Moscow, Wednesday, Amnesty, NATO, Reuters Locations: Russian, Ukraine, St Petersburg, Russia, Mariupol, Moscow

☆ Russia says it thwarted Ukrainian attempt to forge bridgehead on River Dnipro's east bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Russia's military said on Friday that its forces had thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to forge a bridgehead on the eastern bank of the River Dnipro and on nearby islands, killing around 500 Ukrainian soldiers in the past week. The latest Russian statement said Russian forces had killed most of the Ukrainian soldiers in the Nov. 9 incident and taken 11 of them prisoner. The Russians had been presented with state awards for "courage and heroism" by Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu as a result, it said. The statement spoke of what it said were multiple Ukrainian unsuccessful attempts to land to seize a bridgehead on the islands and on the eastern bank of the Dnipro. Reporting by Reuters Writing by Andrew Osborn Editing by Mark TrevelyanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Zolto Arsalanov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Sergei Shoigu, Andrew Osborn, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: Reuters, 36th Marine Infantry, Defence, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Dnipro, Kherson, Ukraine, The U.S, Ukrainian

☆ Sberbank CEO expects 'serious cooling' in Russian mortgage market
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Elena Fabrichnaya | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Russia's biggest bank Sberbank (SBER.MM) expects a sharp cooling of the mortgage market following an expected 80% rise in mortgage lending this year, CEO German Gref said on Wednesday. Gref said the bank's mortgage issuance for the whole of 2023 was expected to reach 4.6 trillion roubles ($50.1 billion). VTB, Russia's number two bank, expects mortgage loans across the entire sector to total 7.2 trillion roubles this year, falling to between 5 and 5.5 trillion roubles in 2024. Vyacheslav Dusaleyev, head of retail business at Rosbank, gave corresponding forecasts of 7.3 trillion roubles this year and 5 trillion next year. Mortgage demand has remained buoyant in part because of the wide range of preferential offers available, according to the central bank.

Persons: Maxim, Gref, Sberbank, Vyacheslav Dusaleyev, Olga Polyakova, Elena Fabrichnaya, Mark Trevelyan, Christina Fincher Organizations: St ., Economic, REUTERS, Rights, Mortgage, Thomson Locations: St, St . Petersburg, Saint Petersburg, Russia, Moscow, Rosbank

☆ Putin Signs Decree Allowing Foreigners to Swap Frozen Funds for Blocked Russian Assets Abroad
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Wednesday allowing foreign investors with funds frozen in Russia to use them to buy blocked assets of Russians abroad. As a result of sanctions imposed by the West over Russia's actions in Ukraine, more than 3.5 million Russians have frozen assets abroad worth around 1.5 trillion roubles ($16.3 billion). Under the decree, Russia will allow citizens of what it deems "unfriendly" countries to buy frozen securities held abroad by Russians by using funds from special "type-C" accounts in Russia, which are otherwise effectively blocked. Russia plans to unblock accounts worth about 100 billion roubles in the first phase. ($1 = 91.8080 roubles)(Reporting by Elena Fabrichnaya and Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin's, Elena Fabrichnaya, Mark Trevelyan, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: West Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Ukraine, United States

☆ Putin signs decree allowing foreigners to swap frozen funds for blocked Russian assets abroad
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission General Zhang Youxia at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia November 8, 2023. Sputnik/Sergei Bobylev/Pool via REUTERS/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Russia's President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Wednesday allowing foreign investors with funds frozen in Russia to use them to buy blocked assets of Russians abroad. As a result of sanctions imposed by the West over Russia's actions in Ukraine, more than 3.5 million Russians have frozen assets abroad worth around 1.5 trillion roubles ($16.3 billion). Under the decree, Russia will allow citizens of what it deems "unfriendly" countries to buy frozen securities held abroad by Russians by using funds from special "type-C" accounts in Russia, which are otherwise effectively blocked. ($1 = 91.8080 roubles)Reporting by Elena Fabrichnaya and Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Andrew CawthorneOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Zhang Youxia, Sergei Bobylev, Putin's, Elena Fabrichnaya, Mark Trevelyan, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Defence, China's, Military, Sputnik, Rights, West, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, United States

Two other Baltic telecoms cables were damaged on the same night of Oct. 7 along the route that the ship was travelling, according to shipping data reviewed by Reuters. NewNew Shipping, the owner and operator of the NewNew Polar Bear, has previously declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. TRAIL OF DAMAGEIn total, three Baltic telecoms cables and one pipeline were damaged in the space of less than nine hours. Data from shipping intelligence firm MarineTraffic, reviewed by Reuters, showed that the NewNew Polar Bear passed over a Swedish-Estonian telecoms cable at 1513 GMT, then over the Russian cable at around 2020 GMT, the Balticconnector at 2220 GMT and a Finland-Estonia telecoms line at 2349 GMT. Finnish police announced on Oct. 24 that they had found a ship's anchor near the broken gas pipeline.

Persons: Anton Vaganov, Rostelecom, Vladimir Putin, Gasgrid, Mark Trevelyan, Nerijus Adomaitis, Anne Kauranen, Terje Solsvik, Bill Berkrot, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Rostelecom, St ., Economic, REUTERS, Reuters, NewNew Shipping, Kremlin, Communications Ministry, St, Thomson Locations: St, St . Petersburg, Saint Petersburg, Russia, Finland, Estonia, Baltic, Beijing, Ukraine, China, Swedish, Estonian, St Petersburg, Kaliningrad, London

☆ Chechen leader Kadyrov says ex-Wagner fighters are training with his forces
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 6 (Reuters) - A large group of Russia's former Wagner mercenaries has started training with special forces from the southern Russian region of Chechnya, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on Monday. Kadyrov said in a message on Telegram that a big group of ex-Wagner fighters was undergoing intensive training with his own Akhmat special forces. He published a video, accompanied by stirring music, showing soldiers in combat training, including some wearing Wagner insignia on their uniforms and masks over their faces. Kadyrov said the drills included shooting, field medicine and training for snipers, machine gunners, sappers and artillerymen. It was not clear how many Wagner men were taking part or whether any of them would stay on with the Chechen forces after the training was over.

Persons: Wagner, Ramzan Kadyrov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Kadyrov, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Russian, Chechnya, Ukraine, Chechen, Russia

☆ Russia's weaker hand undermines case for Power of Siberia 2 gas link to China
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Vladimir Soldatkin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Russia currently exports gas to China through the Power of Siberia 1 pipeline, which began operating in 2019 and runs through eastern Siberia into China's northeastern Heilongjiang province. Moscow has not said how much the 2,600 km (1,616 miles) Power of Siberia-2 would cost or how it would be financed. Russia aims to increase supplies via Power of Siberia 1 to 38 bcm annually by 2025. If the plans for Power of Siberia 2 and another link from Russia's far eastern island of Sakhalin come to fruition, Russia's pipeline gas exports to China would rise to almost 100 bcm per year by 2030. "This fact will require CNPC to build on its own all the necessary gas transportation infrastructure in China," Kondratov wrote.

Persons: Maxim, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Kondratov, Kondratov, Sergey Vakulenko, Vakulenko, Viktoria Abramchenko, Andrew Hayley, Chen Aizhu, Oksana Kobzeva, Mark Trevelyan, Susan Fenton Organizations: REUTERS, Russia, East, Power, Gazprom, Economics, Russian Academy of Science, Carnegie Endowment, International, Soyuz, Thomson Locations: Siberia, Svobodny, Amur, Russia, East Power, Turkmenistan, MOSCOW, China, Europe, Yamal, Mongolia, Baltic, Moscow, Ukraine, Beijing, China's, Heilongjiang, Russian, Power, Russia's, Sakhalin, That's, Nord, Turkey, Japan, United States, Qatar, Australia, Singapore

Nabiullina also said the budget was a significant factor in Friday's decision. "It looks like today's interest rate hike front-loaded the tightening cycle in response to the fiscal announcements earlier this month," said Liam Peach, senior emerging markets economist at Capital Economics. The central bank's tightening cycle began this summer when inflationary pressure from a tight labour market, strong consumer demand and the budget deficit was compounded by the falling rouble. But the bank set its 2023 key rate range at 15-15.2%, suggesting rates could climb further and Nabiullina said that may be required. Sinara Investment Bank analyst Sergei Konygin said the lack of forward hawkish guidance meant it was highly likely the key rate had already reached its upper boundary.

Persons: Elvira Nabiullina, Nabiullina, Liam Peach, Dmitry Polevoy, Sergei Konygin, Vladimir Soldatkin, Elena Fabrichnaya, Alexander Marrow, Gareth Jones, Mark Trevelyan, John Stonestreet, Mike Harrison Organizations: Bank, Russia, Bank of Russia, Capital Economics, Reuters, Sinara Investment Bank, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine MOSCOW, Ukraine, Moscow, Locko, London

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