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The warning was related to the attack on Friday, according to people briefed on the matter. Pro-Kremlin voices immediately seized on the U.S. Embassy’s warning to paint America as trying to scare Russians. And he has been quick to accuse Ukraine of acts of terrorism to justify his invasion of the country. But I would disabuse you at this early hour of any connection to Ukraine.”“Our thoughts obviously are going to be with the victims of this terrible, terrible shooting attack,” he also said. Mykhailo Podolyak, a top adviser to Ukraine’s presidential office, said in a video statement that “Ukraine has absolutely nothing to do” with the attack.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Mr, ”, John Kirby, Maria Zakharova, Washington, Mykhailo Podolyak, Aishvarya Kavi Organizations: U.S, Embassy, State Department, Kyiv, Biden’s National Security Council, White, Reuters, “ Locations: Moscow, America, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, U.S, Washington

☆ Why ‘Uncle Vanya’ Is the Play for Our Anxious Era
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-21 | by ( Jon Robin Baitz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

IN WATCHING MIXED-BREED dogs play, I’ve often thought that mutts are more dog than the purest purebred. This brings me to Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” (1897), a singularly psychologically destabilizing piece of theater that’s now being seen anew as a study of post-Covid paralysis, not to mention the existential dread of watching your life slip away by the spoonful. The pandemic and the boorish political and public discourse that followed drove us inward, unable to fight back, going nuts like poor Vanya. For Uncle Vanya, this situation becomes intolerable, especially after Serebryakov insists that the property be sold and the profits set aside for his comfort. Equally unbearable: the professor’s new wife, Yelena, a detached beauty years his junior who’s driving Vanya and the alcoholic Dr. Astrov, another visitor, batty with lust.

Persons: I’ve, William Shakespeare’s “, Edward Albee’s “, Virginia Woolf ”, —, Anton Chekhov’s “, Vanya ”, that’s, you’re, Vanya, Plotwise, Serebryakov, “, ”, he’s, he’s sponged, Uncle Vanya, Yelena, Astrov, batty, you’d Locations: Moscow

☆ War, reforms and a possible successor? Here's what we could see from 6 more years of Putin
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Analysts share their views on what we can expect now that Putin has strengthened his grip on power, with the Ukraine war, domestic economic reforms and a possible government reshuffle key factors to watch. Having cleared more of a procedural hurdle than a real test of his policies and popularity in the election, Putin will have more freedom to advance contentious reforms at home, analysts note. Russian President Vladimir Putin delivering an annual address to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, at Moscow's Gostiny Dvor, in Moscow on Feb. 29, 2024. MOSCOW, RUSSIA - JANUARY 8: (RUSSIA OUT) A woman eats hot corn while walking along the Red Square near the Kremlin, as air temperatures dropped to -18 degrees Celcius, January,8 2024, in Moscow, Russia. However, with the dynamics of the war now shifting in Russia's favor, Putin might feel more confident with the reshuffle.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Natalia Kolesnikova, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, embolden Putin, Liam Peach, Jose Colon, Anton Siluanov, Tursa, Adeline Van Houtte, Donald Trump, Dmitry Peskov, Peach, he's, Sergei Shoigu, Sergei Lavrov, Mikhail Mishustin, Dmitry Medvedev, Gavriil Organizations: Afp, Getty, Kremlin, Commission, Analysts, U.S, Capital Economics, Anadolu, Anadolu Agency, Economist Intelligence Unit, Federal Assembly, Russian Federation, New, Putin, Security Council, Sputnik Locations: Crimea, Red, Moscow, Russia, Russian, Central, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, Eastern Europe, Europe, U.S, Russia's, MOSCOW, RUSSIA

His most beloved crooner sang a nationalistic ballad with an appeal to Russians: “The Motherland is calling. Don’t let her down.”His favorite band belted out a moody song about wartime sacrifice. And then he took the stage, under a banner celebrating the 10th anniversary of Crimea’s seizure from Ukraine, to remind thousands of Russians gathered on Red Square that his fight to add territory to Russia wasn’t over. President Vladimir V. Putin, a day after declaring victory in a performative election, signaled on Monday that the war against Ukraine would continue to dominate his rule and called for unity in bringing the people of eastern Ukraine “back to their home family.”“We will move on together, hand in hand,” Mr. Putin told the crowd, boasting of a restored railroad line that he said would soon connect to Crimea through territory taken from Ukraine. “And this is precisely what really makes us stronger — not words, but deeds.”

Persons: Don’t, ”, Vladimir V, Putin, Mr Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Crimea

☆ With New Six-Year Term, Putin Cements Hold on Russian Leadership
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Anton Troianovski | Nanna Heitmann | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Vladimir V. Putin on Sunday extended his rule over Russia until 2030, using a heavily stage-managed presidential election with no real competition to portray overwhelming public support for his domestic dominance and his invasion of Ukraine. Some Russians tried to turn the undemocratic vote into a protest, forming long lines at polling stations at a predetermined time — noon — to register their discontent. At the same time, Ukraine sought to cast its own vote of sorts by firing a volley of exploding drones at Moscow and other targets. But the Kremlin brushed those challenges aside and released results after the polls closed claiming that Mr. Putin had won 87 percent of the vote — an even higher number than in the four previous elections he participated in. Afterward, Mr. Putin took a lengthy, televised victory lap, including a swaggering, after-midnight news conference at which he commented on the death of the imprisoned opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny for the first time, referring to it as an “unfortunate incident.”

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Mr, Aleksei A, ” Organizations: Sunday Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Remote Island near Antarctica overrun with a million mice that eat rare seabirds
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Mouse-Free Marion project plans to eradicate the rodents with rodenticide. They've got to all sorts of places," Anton Wolfaardt, the Mouse-Free Marion project manager, told The AP. Conservationists on Marion Island photographed a mouse sitting on the bloodied head of a wandering albatross chick feeding. "Marion Island's seabirds are members of a regional seabird community innately connected to the functioning and health of the sub-Antarctic region," he said. There are estimated to be over a million mice on Marion Island, The AP report said.

Persons: —, Prince Edward Islands, They've, Anton Wolfaardt, Marion, Wolfaardt, Keith Springer Organizations: Marion, Service, Associated Press, AP, BirdLife International, Guardian Locations: Marion Island, Antarctica, Cape Town , South Africa, Marion, South Africa

“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 Breaks Silence on Navalny’s Death, Calling It an ‘Unfortunate Incident’
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Anton Troianovski | More About Anton Troianovski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Vladimir V. Putin described the death of the imprisoned opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny as an “unfortunate incident” and claimed he had been ready to release him in exchange for Russian prisoners held in the West. Mr. Putin, in a news conference after Russia’s presidential election, said that “some people” had told him before Mr. Navalny’s death “that there was an idea to exchange Mr. Navalny for some people held in correctional facilities in Western countries.”“I said, ‘I agree,’” Mr. Putin said. “Just with one condition: ‘We’ll trade him but make sure that he doesn’t come back, let him stay over there.’”He added: “But this happens. That’s life.”The comments, in response to a question from NBC News, were Mr. Putin’s first about Mr. Navalny’s death at a penal colony in the Arctic— and a rare moment, if not the first, when the Russian president uttered Mr. Navalny’s name in public.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Aleksei A, ”, Navalny, “, ‘, ’, Mr, Putin’s, Navalny’s Organizations: NBC News Locations: West, Russian

☆ Fox News sued by family of Ukrainian journalist killed while covering war over ‘reckless and negligent conduct’
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Fox News is the subject of yet another explosive lawsuit. The mayor of Irpin had barred journalists from the city and Thomson, the security contractor, had vetoed the idea of reporting from the area, according to the lawsuit. “The absence of the security contractor was vital, as the crew made fatal mistakes,” the lawsuit said. The Fox News crew ultimately stopped at an abandoned checkpoint where they were attacked. In the aftermath of the tragedy, the lawsuit alleged that Fox News has tried to cover up its failures and hide them from the public.

Persons: CNN —, Pierre Zakrzewski, Oleksandra, Sasha ” Kuvshynova, ”, Shane Thomson, Kuvshynova’s, Thomson, Rupert Murdoch, Suzanne Scott, Benjamin Hall, Scott, Anton Gerashchenko, “, Sasha, ” Zakrzewski, ” Hall, Fox News “, “ Shane, Fox, Shane, Pierre, “ Sasha Kuvshynova’s, Kyiv — Organizations: CNN, CNN — Fox, Fox News, New York State, Fox Corporation, Thomson, New York Times, The Fox News, HarperCollins, Fox, Russian, Kyiv Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, New York, Russian, Irpin, Ukrainian

21 Saint Mary's led nearly the entire way to beat No. 17 Gonzaga 69-60 on Tuesday night and interrupt the Bulldogs' stranglehold on the West Coast Conference Tournament title. Also for Saint Mary's, Saxen produced a double-double despite battling foul trouble, and WCC player of the year Augustas Marciulionis scored 13 points. The game was close throughout — Saint Mary's largest lead was 11 points — but the Gaels managed to stay in front almost throughout. Saint Mary's now has won 23 of 25 games, and the Gaels ended Gonzaga's nine-game winning streak.

Persons: — Aidan Mahaney, Mitchell Saxen, Saint Mary's, Gonzaga, Mahaney, Saxen, Marciulionis, Anton Watson, Ryan Nembhard, Graham Ike, ___ Organizations: LAS VEGAS, West Coast, Bulldogs, NCAA, Gaels, Saint, AP Locations: — Saint Mary's, Saint

☆ Ukraine said it sank a $65 million warship that Russia planned to use for an antiaircraft missile system
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine said it destroyed another Russian ship in the Black Sea using sea drones. The Sergei Kotov patrol vessel, part of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, cost $65 million, Ukraine said. AdvertisementUkrainian military intelligence said a $65 million Russian warship was the latest to be sunk in the Black Sea. It added that a Ukrainian special unit attacked the Black Sea Fleet vessel in cooperation with Ukraine's navy and the Ministry of Digital Transformation. In December, the UK's defense minister said that "over the past 4 months 20% of Russia's Black Sea Fleet has been destroyed."

Persons: Sergei Kotov, —, Andrii, Russian Sergey Kotov, 3KPMpgxXD8, 4LGiEYQaEY — Anton Gerashchenko Organizations: Service, Directorate of Intelligence, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Digital, Kyiv, Radio Free, Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, Ukraine, Kyiv Independent Locations: Ukraine, Russia's, Russia, Ukrainian, Kerch, Radio Free Europe, Russian, Sevastopol, Crimea

☆ New York Community Bank's issues are name-specific, not industry-wide, says Anton Schutz
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailNew York Community Bank's issues are name-specific, not industry-wide, says Anton SchutzAnton Schutz, President and CIO at Mendon Capital Advisors, discusses New York Community Bank and the rest of the regional banking sector.

Persons: Anton Schutz Anton Schutz Organizations: New York Community, Mendon Capital Advisors, New York Community Bank Locations: Mendon

☆ Most Ukrainians say Western support is critical to success in their fight, but confidence they'll get it has hit a new low
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Ella Sherman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A majority of Ukrainians believe Western sanctions and aid are crucial for success against Russia. Confidence in the West's support has hit a new low though, per new polling data. The Kyiv International Institute of Sociology reported February 29 that 57 percent of Ukrainians feel Western support is the most important factor in determining their country's success in the war. But while most Ukrainians believe that war aid from countries like the US could benefit their country, their confidence in Western support has reached a new low. Confidence in Western support has dropped around a dozen percentage points since October 2023 and around 30 percentage points since September 2022.

Persons: —, Anton Hrushetskyi, Hrushetskyi Organizations: Russia, Service, Kyiv International Institute of Sociology Locations: Ukraine, Russia, USA

☆ For Navalny’s Followers, a ‘Surge of Inspiration’ at a Sad Event
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Anton Troianovski | Valerie Hopkins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Elena Milashina, a daring Russian reporter beaten unconscious and doused in liquid iodine last year, said she has bid farewell to far too many journalists, activists and opposition figures who died an untimely death. But never, she said in a phone interview from Moscow, had she seen anything like the scene on Friday on the streets of the sleepy Maryino neighborhood on the outskirts of the Russian capital. “This was the most optimistic funeral I can remember,” said Ms. Milashina, 47, citing the large crowds and a palpable sense of unity. There was this surge of inspiration that we are all together, and that there are many of us.”The funeral of the opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny on Friday may come to be remembered as a seminal moment in Vladimir V. Putin’s Russia. It was a day when the president’s decades-long nemesis was laid to rest, underlining Mr. Putin’s dominance; but it was also a day when an ocean of pent-up dissent re-emerged, if only for a few hours, on Moscow’s streets.

Persons: Elena Milashina, ”, Milashina, Aleksei A, Vladimir V Locations: Moscow, “, Russia, Moscow’s

☆ Putin Says Direct Western Intervention in Ukraine Risks a Nuclear Conflict
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Anton Troianovski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia said the West faced the prospect of nuclear conflict if it intervened more directly in the war in Ukraine, using an annual speech to the nation on Thursday to escalate his threats against Europe and the United States. Mr. Putin said Western countries that are helping Ukraine strike Russian territory, and have discussed the possibility of sending troops from NATO countries to Ukraine, “must, in the end, understand” that “all this truly threatens a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons, and therefore the destruction of civilization.”“We also have weapons that can strike targets on their territory,” Mr. Putin said. “Do they not understand this?”The United States and other Western governments have largely tried to distance themselves from Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory, and comments by President Emmanuel Macron of France this week about the possibility of Western troops being sent to Ukraine drew quick rebukes from other Western officials who have ruled out such deployments.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, “, Mr, Emmanuel Macron Organizations: West, NATO Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Europe, United States, France

☆ Wind turbines are annoyingly loud. The secrets of owl flight could provide a solution.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Emily Swaim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

To help solve this issue, Biome Renewables has crafted a quieter wind turbine modeled after owl wings. How owls can help make quieter wind turbinesOwls are master hunters in part because of how quietly they spring up on prey. The researchers found that the fringed wing was up to 6.5 dB quieter than the bare wing, depending on the angle of flight. At these frequencies, Church said the FeatherEdge is 3.9 dB quieter than a standard serrated edge blade, and over 5 dB quieter than a completely bare blade. Due to regulations around wind farm noise in the US, wind turbines often run in a noise-reduction mode, which costs a lot of energy.

Persons: —, Ryan Church, Spikes, Anton Frunze, Church, Jonathan Alcorn, It's Organizations: Service, Business, Reinhardt, Getty, Reuters Locations: North America, Europe

It swerves and is hit by a grenade, dropped from a Ukrainian drone. Russian soldiers appear to stagger away from it, one rolling. Yet since the fall of Avdiivka on February 17, Ukrainian military officials have reported regular Russian assaults on Robotyne. Two Russian soldiers can be seen clambering inside the ruins of a dugout, one manhandling a shovel. Ukrainian drone pilots now face Russian counterparts who have replaced their units but at a much larger scale, they said.

Persons: Ukraine CNN —, Maja Rappard, “, ” Bohdan, ”, Anton, shellfire Organizations: Ukraine CNN, CNN, 15th National Guard, Robotyne, 65th Mechanised Brigade, NATO Locations: Orikhiv, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Belgian, Russian, Avdiivka, Lviv

☆ Navalny’s Funeral to Be Held on Friday, Spokeswoman Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Anton Troianovski | More About Anton Troianovski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Aleksei A. Navalny, the Russian opposition leader, will be buried on Friday after a funeral service in Moscow that will be open to the public, his spokeswoman said on Wednesday, although it was unclear whether the authorities would try to prevent people from attending. The planned service, at a church on Moscow’s outskirts, sets up the possibility of a rare display of opposition sentiment in the Russian capital, and Mr. Navalny’s spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, advised anyone planning to attend to “come early.”Two hours after Ms. Yarmysh’s announcement, another top aide to Mr. Navalny, Ivan Zhdanov, posted on the Telegram social messaging app that “Putin is releasing all his dogs to prevent the funeral from taking place normally.”Mr. Zhdanov did not immediately elaborate. But regardless, mourners will be taking a risk by attending. Hundreds of people who turned out across Russia at spontaneous memorials for Mr. Navalny after his death were detained, according to OVD-Info, a Russian-based rights group that tracks arrests.

Persons: Aleksei A, Navalny’s, Kira Yarmysh, Navalny, Ivan Zhdanov, Putin, Mr, Zhdanov Locations: Russian, Moscow, Moscow’s, Russia

☆ 2024 is already straining the seams of China and Russia's 'no limits' partnership
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

AdvertisementRussia's finance ministry has been discussing yuan loans with its China counterparts — but a delayed decision suggests the two countries' "no limits" partnership may be under strain. Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov told RIA state news agency in an interview published on Monday that Russia is discussing the issue with Chinese authorities. Russia's finance ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. However, two years after Russia started its ongoing war in Ukraine, Russia and China appear to be continuing to conduct business as usual. Three of China's Big Four state banks have halted payments from sanctioned Russian financial institutions, Russia's Izvestia news outlet reported on February 21.

Persons: Anton Siluanov, Siluanov, Vladimir Putin, Dong Jinyue, SCMP Organizations: China, Russian, Business, Beijing, Street, China Morning Post, BBVA Research, Russia Locations: Russia, China, Moscow, Ukraine, Madrid, Russian

☆ A breakaway region in Europe is asking Russia for protection. Here’s what to know
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Christian Edwards | Anna Chernova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

No country officially recognizes Transnistria, where Russia has kept a steadily dwindling military presence for decades, now standing at around 1,500 troops. Before Wednesday, the congress’ most recent meeting was in 2006, when it passed a referendum calling to join Russia. When Transnistrian politicians unexpectedly announced a new meeting, analysts suggested this could lead to fresh calls for unification with Russia. Russia’s war in Ukraine has had a profound effect on Transnistria’s economy. Minzarari said the dispute had created opportunities for Russian authorities to “fish in troubled waters.”Why is Russia interested in Moldova?

Persons: Vladimir Putin, ”, Daniel Voda, “, Maia Sandu, Dumitru Minzarari, ” Minzarari, Minzarari, Gen, Rustam Minnekaev, Lenin, Anton Polyakov, Putin, Vadim Kranoselsky, ” Ben Dubow Organizations: CNN —, European Union, Kremlin, Novosti, Moldova’s, Transnistria’s, Deputies, Russia, Moldovan, Russia’s, Ministry, CNN, EU, Carnegie Endowment, International, Baltic Defense College, Military Region, Institute for, RIA Novosti, Center for Locations: Moldova, Transnistria, Soviet Union, Ukraine, Moscow, Soviet, Moldovan, Russia, Tiraspol, Odesa, Maj, Kherson, Russian, US, Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kyiv, Transnistrian

☆ Navalny Allies Say He Was About to Be Freed in a Prisoner Exchange
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Anton Troianovski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Aides to Aleksei A. Navalny asserted on Monday that the Russian opposition leader had been on the verge of being freed in a prisoner exchange with the West before he died earlier this month. Western officials were in advanced talks with the Kremlin on a deal that would have released Mr. Navalny along with two Americans in Russian prison, a top aide to the dead opposition leader, Maria Pevchikh, said in a video released on the Navalny team’s YouTube channel. As part of that deal, Ms. Pevchikh said, Germany would have released Vadim Krasikov, the man convicted of killing a former Chechen separatist fighter in a Berlin park in 2019. There was no immediate comment from any of the parties reportedly involved in the trade described by Ms. Pevchikh. A Kremlin spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

Persons: Aleksei A, Navalny, Maria Pevchikh, Pevchikh, Vadim Krasikov, Mr, Putin, Krasikov, Tucker Carlson, Ms Organizations: West, Kremlin, YouTube, Fox News Locations: Russian, Germany, Chechen, Berlin

☆ Watch the new US Navy supercarrier USS John F. Kennedy catapult heavy cars into a river to make sure the warship can handle planes
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A new video shows the testing of the aircraft launch system for the Navy's new supercarrier. The USS John F. Kennedy is the Navy's second Ford-class aircraft carrier. Our #NewportNewsShipbuilding division has started topside #EMALS testing on the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (#CVN79). A T-45C Goshawk training aircraft attached to Training Air Wing (TAW) 1, lands aboard the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) during flight operations, Sept. 12, 2020. AdvertisementIn addition to the Kennedy, two other Ford-class aircraft carriers, the Enterprise and the Doris Miller, are currently under construction at Newport News.

Persons: USS John F, Kennedy, —, James, John F, 9n3OhRDXAd, HII, Gerald R, Seaman Anton Wendler, Ford, Doris Miller Organizations: USS, Ford, aircraft, Service, Hornets, Huntington Ingalls Industries, Newport News Shipbuilding, US Navy, Training Air, U.S . Navy, Communication, Navy, Enterprise, Newport News Locations: Virginia

☆ Aleksei Navalny’s Body Was Returned to His Mother, Allies Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Anton Troianovski | More About Anton Troianovski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Russian authorities have transferred the body of the opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny to his mother, his spokeswoman said on Saturday, ending a grim battle for custody of his remains, but it is unclear whether he will get a funeral that the public can attend. “Aleksei’s body has been handed over to his mother,” Mr. Navalny’s spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, said in a statement posted on social media. “The funeral is yet to come. She added that the opposition leader’s team would release information about the funeral “as it becomes available.”Mr. Navalny’s family and aides have accused the Russian authorities of keeping his body hostage and “blackmailing” his mother into agreeing to bury him in secret. On Friday, Ms. Yarmysh said that officials in Salekhard had given Ms. Navalnaya an ultimatum demanding that she assent to such a secret funeral within three hours, or else that he would be buried on prison grounds.

Persons: Aleksei A, Navalny, ” Mr, Navalny’s, Kira Yarmysh, Aleksei, Lyudmila Navalnaya, Yarmysh, Mr, “, ”, Salekhard, Navalnaya Locations: Salekhard

☆ Unpredictable Strongman? Two Years Into War, Putin Embraces the Image.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Anton Troianovski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

After President Biden called President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia a “crazy S.O.B.” this week, the Kremlin was quick to issue a stern condemnation. But the image of an unpredictable strongman ready to escalate his conflict with the West is one that Mr. Putin has fully embraced after two years of full-scale war. At home, the Kremlin is maintaining the mystery over the circumstances of the death last week of Aleksei A. Navalny, preventing the opposition leader’s family from reclaiming his body. In Ukraine, Mr. Putin is pressing his army to maintain its brutal offensive, boasting on television that he stayed up all night as the city of Avdiivka fell to Russian forces.

Persons: Biden, Vladimir V, Putin, Aleksei A Organizations: Kremlin Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Avdiivka, Russian

☆ Navalny’s Mother Says Authorities Are ‘Blackmailing’ Her Over Son’s Remains
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Anton Troianovski | Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Russian authorities have declared that the opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny died of natural causes but are refusing to release his remains until his mother agrees to a “secret funeral,” Mr. Navalny’s mother and his spokeswoman said on Thursday. Lyudmila Navalnaya, Mr. Navalny’s mother, said she had been “secretly” taken to a morgue Wednesday night, “where they showed me Aleksei.” She was shown a medical report on Mr. Navalny’s death that said he died of natural causes, according to the Navalny team’s spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh. But Ms. Navalnaya said she now was locked in a grim battle with local authorities in the northern Russian city of Salekhard who, taking orders from Moscow, were not releasing custody of the remains. She said the authorities warned that if she did not “agree to a secret funeral,” then “they will do something with my son’s body.”“They’re blackmailing me,” Ms. Navalnaya said in a video posted on her son’s YouTube channel. “They are setting me conditions on where, when and how Aleksei should be buried.”

Persons: Aleksei A, Navalny, ” Mr, Navalny’s, Lyudmila Navalnaya, “, ”, Aleksei, Kira Yarmysh, Navalnaya, “ They’re, ” Ms Organizations: YouTube Locations: Russian, Salekhard, Moscow

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