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☆ Kate, Princess of Wales conspiracies peddled by Russian disinformation group, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The motive of such campaigns, Innes said, is to “destabilize” Russia’s Western antagonists and “undermine trust” in their institutions. The pattern of behavior was one his team recognized from a group of Russian actors his team had studied before. It is a commercial firm contracted to run disinformation campaigns, Innes said. Aaron Chown/Press Association/APMeta said it disrupted the group, but its disinformation campaigns have since grown more sophisticated. The timing of the Kate conspiracies was also propitious for the Kremlin – coming just as Putin secured a fifth term in power in a stage-managed election devoid of credible opposition.

Persons: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Kate, “, ” Martin Innes, ” Innes, Emmanuel Macron, Innes, Princess, Wales, ”, Instagram –, Doppelganger, Aaron Chown, King Charles III, Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, ” Anna George, Timothy Snyder, Vladimir Putin’s, Henry Nicholls, Prince William, ’ ”, Putin Organizations: CNN, Cardiff University, –, Soviet, Meta, Facebook, Press Association, AP Meta, US Treasury, British Embassy, Reuters Institute for, Journalism, Oxford University, Oxford Internet Institute, Yale, Russian Foreign, ” Police, London Clinic, Getty, CNN’s Royal, Kremlin Locations: Wales, Ukraine, ”, Russia, Soviet Union, London, Moscow, Cardiff, Russian, United States, Europe, British, Kensington, Britain, AFP, Windsor

CNN —Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has warned that Europe is in a “pre-war era” but still has a “long way to go” before its ready to confront the threat posed by Russia. We haven’t seen a situation like this since 1945,” Tusk said in an interview with German newspaper Die Welt published Friday. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denied that Russia intends to attack NATO countries. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and French President Emmanuel Macron in Berlin, Germany, March 15, 2024. Obviously, he feels the need to justify the increasingly violent attacks on civilian sites in Ukraine,” Tusk said.

Persons: Donald Tusk, ” Tusk, “, Vladimir Putin, Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron, Odd Andersen, Tusk, –, ”, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, doesn’t, Putin, “ Putin Organizations: CNN, Polish, Welt, NATO, European Union, Getty, Law, Justice Party, Poland, Crocus City Hall, Dubrovka, Chechen Locations: Europe, Russia, “, ”, Ukraine, Russian, Sweden, Finland, Baltics, Estonia, Lithuania, Moldova, France, Germany, Poland, Polish, Berlin, Moscow, Crocus, Beslan

☆ The world wastes more than 1 billion meals every day as hundreds of millions go hungry, UN report finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —More than 1 billion meals are wasted across the world each day while nearly 800 million people go hungry, a new United Nations report has found. This is on top of the 13% of the world’s food lost as it makes its journey from farm to fork. The vast majority of food waste goes to landfill, generating methane as it breaks down. The report also said food waste is not just a “rich world” phenomenon. The amount of food wasted in high- and middle-income countries differed by just 7 kilograms (15 pounds) per person each year.

Persons: Inger Andersen, ” Andersen, “, unrefrigerated, Richard Baker Organizations: CNN, United Nations, UN, Programme Locations: London

CNN —The final death toll from the Moscow concert hall attack last week could be higher than the 143 confirmed dead, as Russian investigators said they have received more than 100 reports of missing people. Investigators had said earlier that they had also received 143 reports of missing people since Friday. Russian social media channels have since been filled with appeals from friends and relatives to help find the victims still missing. Mourners lay flowers in Moscow on Saturday for the victims of the Crocus City Hall attack. Olga Maltseva/AFP/Getty ImagesDespite ISIS sharing video evidence, Russian President Vladimir Putin has baselessly claimed that Ukraine was in some way responsible for the attack.

Persons: Olga Maltseva, Vladimir Putin, – Putin, ”, Volodymyr Zelensky, “, Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, –, Tajikistan – Organizations: CNN, Russia’s, Crocus City, ISIS, Saturday, Kremlin Locations: Moscow, Russia, Crocus, AFP, Russian, Ukraine, Belarus, Soviet, Tajikistan

London CNN —WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has fended off the threat of immediate extradition to the United States after the High Court in London asked the US to provide more assurances. US authorities say Assange, 52, put lives at risk by publishing secret military documents and have for years been seeking his extradition on espionage charges. If the US fails to give these assurances, Assange would be allowed to appeal his extradition at a further hearing in May. Assange has fought extradition for the last five years from London’s Belmarsh prison, and for seven years before that was holed up as a political refugee at the Ecuadorian embassy in the UK capital. But the court refused to grant him leave to appeal on the ground that the prosecution is politically motivated.

Persons: Julian Assange, Assange, ”, London’s, Mr Assange, “, ” Stella Assange, Assange’s, Biden, Assange's, Toby Melville, Chelsea Manning, Manning, Edward Fitzgerald Organizations: London CNN, Court, CNN, US, Ecuadorian, CIA, Ecuadorian Embassy, Army Locations: United States, London, Australian, Assange’s, Iraqi, Ecuadorian, Virginia, Iraq, Guantanamo, …

☆ Lukashenko undermines Putin’s Ukraine claim on Moscow concert hall attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko appears to have cast doubt on Russia’s claims that Ukraine was involved in the brutal attack at a Moscow concert hall last week. Putin on Saturday claimed that a “window” had been prepared for the attackers to escape to Ukraine, which Kyiv has denied. But Lukashenko, one of Putin’s most loyal allies, on Tuesday appeared to contradict the Kremlin’s claims, saying that the attackers initially intended to enter Belarus rather than Ukraine. Putin lights a candle on Sunday in memory of victims of the Crocus City Hall attack. Shamil Zhumatov/ReutersA total of 11 people have been arrested in connection with the attack on the concert hall, Russian officials said.

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Putin, ”, Lukashenko, …, ” Lukashenko, Belta, “, Alexander Bortnikov, Putin “, Dalerdzhon, Shamil Zhumatov, It’s Organizations: CNN, Belarusian, ISIS, Saturday, Kyiv, Crocus City, Central, Monday, Putin, Russia’s Federal Security Services, Reuters Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Belarus, “, Belarusian, Russia, Crocus, Tajikistan, Russia’s Bryansk, Kremlin, Bryansk, Basmanny

CNN —The four men suspected of carrying out a brutal attack at a Moscow concert hall that killed at least 137 people have appeared in court on terror charges, as the Kremlin defended its security services criticized for failing to prevent the massacre. Shamil Zhumatov/ReutersOn Monday, three days after the attack, rescuers were still searching among the ruins of the collapsed concert hall and trying to clear rubble. CNN has geolocated the 90-second video to the concert hall, where bodies and blood can be seen on the floor as fire rages above. Despite ISIS appearing to provide evidence that its fighters had carried out the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been keen to point the finger elsewhere. Firefighters respond to the burning Crocus City Hall on March 22.

Persons: Dalerdzhon, Saidakrami, Shamsidin, Faizov, Shamil Zhumatov, Reuters Rachabalizoda, Fariduni, ”, Dmitry Peskov, Mukhammadsobir, Vladimir Putin, – Putin, Maria Zakharova, Maxim Shemetov, Adrienna Watson, –, Peskov, Alexander Matveev, ” Matveev Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Court, ISIS, Novosti, Crocus City Hall, Reuters, Ministry, Emergency, Saturday, Russian Foreign Ministry, ”, Firefighters, US National Security, US, Moscow Locations: Moscow, Soviet, Tajikistan, Russia, Crocus, Ukraine, Kyiv, Siberian, Novosibirsk, Basmanny, Podolsk, Krasnogorsk, Russian, ” Ukraine, Washington, United States, ”

☆ Vladimir Putin set to win 2024 Russian presidential election
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Minutes after polls closed on Sunday, the head of the Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) said Putin was in the lead with 87.9% of the vote, with 24.4% of the count in. More constitutional changes in 2020 removed presidential term limits, potentially allowing Putin to stay in power until 2036. Russia also held the presidential election in four Ukrainian regions it annexed during its full-scaled invasion. APThe election comes after more than two years of war which have exacted huge costs on the Russian population. After the election, Russia is set to continue to press home its growing advantage in Ukraine.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Russia’s, Joseph Stalin, – Putin, ”, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexey Navalny, Navalny, Novichok, “, Navalny’s, Yulia Navalnaya, Molotov, Ella Pamfilova, Dmitri Lovetsky, Levada Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Russian, Election Commission, Russian Security Service, Sunday, CEC, West Locations: Soviet, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, St . Petersburg, Germany, China, North Korea, Iran, Avdiivka, United States, Europe

CNN —A wave of Ukrainian drones has targeted Russia on the third and final day of voting in Russia’s presidential election. Ukraine launched a total of 36 drones overnight over Russia, aimed at various parts of the country, including the capital Moscow, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said on Sunday. In Belgorod, which borders Ukraine, a 16-year-old girl was killed due to shelling, the governor of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, posted on Telegram. A polling station in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region was also attacked by two Ukrainian drones on Sunday, according to Vladimir Rogov, member of the Russian-installed Zaporizhzhia administration. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces shot down 14 drones over the Odesa region on Sunday after they were launched by Russia overnight, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.

Persons: “, Vyacheslav Gladkov, Vladimir Rogov, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Joseph Stalin, CNN’s Christian Edwards Organizations: CNN, Russia’s Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Defense, district’s Dispatch Service, Ukrainian Air Force Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Yaroslavl, Belgorod, Kursk, Kaluga, Rostov, Oryol, Bryansk, Krasnodar Krai, Slavyansk, Russian, Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Alaska, Kaliningrad, Soviet

CNN —Several Russians poured dye into ballot boxes in protest as the three-day presidential vote got underway, near certain to extend Vladimir Putin’s long grip on power. But videos released Friday from several polling stations across Russia showed protesters pouring what authorities described as dye into ballot boxes to spoil the votes cast. CCTV video from a polling station in Moscow showed a young woman pouring what appeared to be green dye into a ballot box. She was immediately detained and faces criminal charges for obstructing the election, according to Russian state media RIA Novosti. In St. Petersburg, Putin’s hometown, a woman threw a Molotov cocktail at the signboard of a polling station in the Moskovsky district, RIA reported.

Persons: Vladimir, Putin, Alena Bulgakova, Bulgakova, Putin’s, Molotov, Ella Pamfilova, ”, Alexey Navalny, Evgeny Feldman, Navalny, “, Navalny’s, Yulia Navalnaya Organizations: CNN, Novosti, Kremlin, Russian Civic Chamber Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Voronezh, Rostov, Karachay, St . Petersburg, Moskovsky

CNN —A Russian missile strike hit civilian infrastructure in the Ukrainian city of Odesa, killing at least 14 people and injuring dozens of others, Ukrainian officials said Friday. “The Russian missile attack killed a paramedic and a rescue worker who had arrived at the scene after the first explosion to provide assistance. ET), striking a civilian building and causing a fire to break out, Ukraine’s emergency services said. As well as the 14 killed, at least 46 people were injured, including seven emergency services personnel, Kiper said. Emergency services try to extinguish a fire caused by the Russian missile strike.

Persons: “, ” Oleh Kiper, Vladimir Putin, Rescuers, Kiper, Volodymyr Zelensky, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Zelensky, Mitsotakis, ” Organizations: CNN, Emergency, Russian, Emergency Service of, Reuters, NATO Locations: Russian, Ukrainian, Odesa, Russia, Ukraine, Emergency Service of Ukraine, Kyiv

☆ 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

AFP/Getty ImagesMeanwhile, skirmishes continued in villages in Belgorod and Kursk regions after pro-Ukrainian groups of Russian fighters on Tuesday mounted a cross-border attack. Russia’s Defense Ministry said the “terrorist formations” had targeted the Belgorod villages of Nekhoteevka and Spodariushino. “The liberation of the Russian regions from the Kremlin terrorist regime continues in these minutes. Massive strikes are now being launched against Putin’s forces in the Belgorod and Kursk regions,” the statement said. While the extent of the skirmishes in border villages is not clear, drone strikes and shelling on Belgorod have increased markedly in the past week.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, ”, Russia Legion –, Russia –, –, “, Ukraine’s, Valerii Zaluzhnyi Organizations: CNN, Russia’s Defense Ministry, Wednesday, Getty, Russia Legion, Siberian Battalion, Russian Volunteer Corps, Kremlin, Putin’s, Russian Locations: Russia’s Belgorod, Ukrainian Russian, Belgorod, Kursk, Ukraine, Russia, Ryazan, Kstovo, Ukraine’s, AFP, Nekhoteevka, Tyotkino, ” Russia

☆ Geert Wilders abandons Dutch PM bid despite election victory
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Populist firebrand Geert Wilders has conceded that he will not become the next prime minister of the Netherlands because his potential coalition backers have refused to back him. “I can only become Prime Minister if ALL parties in the coalition support it. Similarly, Swedish Prime Minister Ulif Kristersson relies on the votes of the increasingly Euroskeptic, anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats. Despite admitting defeat this time, Wilders pledged to continue his push to become prime minister in the future. “Don’t forget: I will still become Prime Minister of the Netherlands.

Persons: Geert Wilders, Wilders ’, “, Wilders, ” Wilders, ”, Mark Rutte, Pieter Omtzigt, sanitaire, Jean, Marie Le Pen, Marine, Lionel Jospin, Jacques Chirac, Petteri Orpo, Sanna Marin, Ulif Kristersson, Robert Fico, “ Don’t Organizations: CNN, Democracy Party, Social Contract Party, European Union, National, Socialist, Socialists, Finns Party, Swedish, Sweden Democrats, Georgia Meloni Locations: Netherlands, Europe, Ukraine, Finland, Sweden, Georgia, Italy, Slovakia

☆ Only Henry can sign off on Haiti’s transitional council, embattled PM’s office tells CNN
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Anneclaire Stapleton | Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Haiti’s embattled Prime Minister Ariel Henry says his country’s constitution states that only he and his cabinet can appoint a council for the transition of power, Henry’s office told CNN exclusively on Wednesday. But Henry’s office told CNN that only he and his cabinet can appoint the transitional council and will not simply “deliver the country” to new leaders without following constitutional procedures. “According to the Haitian constitution, only the prime minister with the cabinet can appoint the presenting council. Simon Maina/AFP/Getty ImagesThe United Nations secretary-general’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Wednesday that the transitional council under the CARICOM agreement for Haiti is the path forward. While Henry was out of the country, gangs laid siege to Haiti’s main airport to prevent his safe return.

Persons: CNN —, Ariel Henry, Henry, Jean Junior Joseph, “, Simon Maina, Stephane Dujarric, Dujarric, “ It’s, we’ve, that’s, ” Henry, Haiti’s, Jovenel Moïse, Jimmy “, Viv Ansanm, Jean, Martin Bauer, Bauer Organizations: CNN, Haitian, United States International University Africa, Getty, United Nations, UN, Caribbean, International Organization for Migration, Dominican, Food Program, Bauer . Food Locations: Caribbean, Haiti, Kenya, Nairobi, AFP, Puerto Rico, Haiti’s, Dominican Republic, Hispaniola, Dominican, Port

CNN —Pro-Ukrainian groups of Russian fighters claimed to have launched cross-border attacks in two regions of Russia on Tuesday, hours after Kyiv fired a wave of drones at targets across the country. The group, comprising a few hundred battle-hardened, anti-Kremlin Russian volunteers fighting as part of Ukraine’s armed forces, also said it had destroyed an armored personnel carrier inside Russia. A separate pro-Ukrainian group of Russian fighters, the Siberian Battalion, wrote Tuesday on Telegram: “Well, we’re home at last. CNN has asked the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense for comment. The ministry also said its forces had killed 60 Ukrainian soldiers near Odnorobovka as they attempted to cross into Russia.

Persons: Russia Legion –, Russia –, ”, “ Organizations: CNN — Pro, Kyiv, Russia Legion, CNN, Kremlin Russian, Siberian Battalion, Russian Volunteer Corps, Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, for Russia Legion, Novosti, IL, RIA Locations: Russian, Russia, Ukraine, Tyotkino, Russia’s Kursk, Ukrainian, Odnorobovka, Ukraine’s Kharkiv, Nekhoteevka, Spodariushino, Belgorod, Kursk, Russia’s Belgorod, Moscow, Oryol, Leningrad, Bryansk, Tula, Oryol region, Glushkovsky, Ivanovo

☆ Zelensky: Russian missile strike hits near Ukraine and Greek leaders in Odesa
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A Russian missile struck Odesa on Wednesday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was in the Black Sea port city with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Zelensky was not wounded but said he was close enough to have seen and heard the strike and confirmed a number of people had been killed and injured. “We saw this strike today. You can see who we are dealing with, they don’t care where they strike. I know that there were victims today, I don’t know all the details yet, but I know that there are dead and wounded,” Zelensky said from Odesa on Wednesday.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Zelensky, “, ” Zelensky Organizations: CNN, Greek Locations: Russian, Black, Odesa, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow

CNN cannot independently verify the casualty tolls in Gaza or the Israeli estimates of Hamas fighters killed. Of the thousands of bodies that have poured into his cemetery, he claimed he has buried no more than three Hamas fighters. As Baraka and his men work, they are surrounded by the buzz of Israeli drones and the stench of death. The warning came just days after scores of Palestinians were killed trying to access food in Gaza City on Thursday. “If you want to finish Hamas – I tell you in Hebrew so you can hear me – you are wasting your time.”

Persons: CNN — Saadi Baraka, Gaza’s, Baraka, “, ” Baraka, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu “, Mohammad Al Sawalhi, Abu, Abu Hattab, Graves, Netanyahu Organizations: CNN, CNN CNN, World Health Organization, WHO, Israel Defense Forces, US Air Force, Royal Jordanian Air Force Locations: Deir, Gaza, Israel, Gaza City

Moscow CNN —Crowds of mourners have gathered at a Moscow church for the funeral of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny despite a heavy police presence and the threat of detention, a CNN team on the ground reports. Navalny’s team encountered difficulty in retrieving his body from Russian authorities and hiring a venue for his funeral, which began at 2 p.m. local time (6 a.m. Around 20 minutes before Navalny’s funeral was set to begin, the live signal of the CNN team on the ground appeared to be blocked. The feed organized by Navalny’s team was also not showing live coverage of the scene. APBut Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny’s widow, had said ahead of the funeral that she is concerned police will crack down mourners.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s, Navalny’s, Dmitry Peskov, ”, clapped, “, ” Maria Pevchikh, ” Marina, …, ’ ”, Tatiana, ” Tatiana, Yulia Navalnaya, “ I’m Organizations: Moscow CNN, CNN, Kremlin, of, Police Locations: Moscow, Russian, Moscow’s Maryino, St . Petersburg, Russia, Germany

Moscow CNN —Thousands of mourners gathered in Moscow for the funeral of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny despite a heavy police presence and the threat of detention. APAround 20 minutes before Navalny’s funeral began, the live signal of the CNN team on the ground appeared to be blocked. The live feed organized by Navalny’s team also dropped. Mourners gather around the casket of Alexey Navalny during his funeral in Moscow on March 1, 2024. as the Kremlin critic's coffin is carried to the Moscow church hosting his funeral.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, clapped, “ Putin, ” Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s, Navalny’s, Frank Sinatra’s, ”, Dmitry Peskov, ” Maria Pevchikh, Navalny, CNN’s Matthew Chance, Putin, Lyudmila Navalnaya –, –, ” Marina, “, …, ’ ”, Tatiana, ” Tatiana, Yulia Navalnaya, “ I’m Organizations: Moscow CNN —, Kremlin, of, Police, AP, CNN, Navalny’s, Reuters Locations: Moscow, Russian, Moscow’s Maryino, Borisov, Russia, Ukraine, Siberia, St . Petersburg, Siberian, Novosibirsk –, Yekaterinburg, Germany

CNN —Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West of the risk of nuclear war if they send their own troops to fight for Ukraine, saying Moscow had the weapons to strike Western targets. In his annual state of the nation address to Russia’s elite on Thursday, Putin said claims that Russia intends to attack Europe are “nonsense” but warned that his country might strike Western countries with nuclear weapons. Putin referenced an idea floated by French President Emmanuel Macron, who on Monday said the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine “cannot be ruled out.” Several European leaders swiftly rejected the suggestion. Putin has raised the nuclear specter on several occasions since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago. Russia transferred tactical nuclear weapons to neighboring Belarus last year, and CNN reported this month that Russia is attempting to develop a nuclear space weapon that could destroy satellites.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Emmanuel Macron, ” Putin, “ Organizations: CNN, TASS, NATO Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Europe, Belarus, Avdiivka, Finland, Sweden

☆ 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’s widow worried about arrests as funeral set for Putin critic
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

“I thought that in the 12 days since Alexey’s murder, I would have time to prepare for this speech. But first we spent a week getting Alexey’s body and organizing his funeral. More than 400 people were detained at makeshift memorials for Navalny across 32 Russian cities, according to human rights monitoring group OVD-Info. Kira Yarmysh, Navalny’s spokesperson, confirmed his funeral will be held at Borisov Cemetery in Moscow’s Maryino district, where Navalny lived. Somewhere they directly referred to the ban,” Ivan Zdhanov, the director of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, wrote Wednesday on X.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Yulia Navalnaya, ” Navalnaya, “ I’m, ”, Kira Yarmysh, Navalny, God, Nalavny’s, Ivan Zdhanov, Navalny’s, Alexey, Lyudmila Navalnaya Organizations: CNN, Borisov, of, Corruption, Kremlin Locations: Moscow, Strasbourg, France, Russia, Moscow’s Maryino, Siberia

CNN —Negotiations to release Russia’s opposition leader Alexey Navalny in a prisoner swap had reached their “final stage” just before his sudden death, a top aide to Navalny has said. “Navalny was supposed to be free in the coming days because we had achieved a decision on his exchange,” Pevchik said. Putin had recently signaled his interest in a prisoner exchange with the West involving Krasikov and Gershkovich. Pevchik claimed that Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich had served as “an informal negotiator” and delivered the prisoner swap proposal to Putin. Navalny’s body was returned to his mother on Saturday, more than a week after his death.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, ”, Navalny, Vadim Krasikov, Maria Pevchik, ” Pevchik, “, ” Navalny, CNN’s Matthew Chance, Dmitri Peskov, Ebrahim Noroozi, Matthew Miller, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Putin, Tucker Carlson “, Navalny “, Lyudmila Navalnaya, Pevchik, nodded understandingly, Henry Kissinger, Kissinger, Abramovich, Navalnaya, Alexey, ” Peskov, ” Kira Yarmysh, Alexey ” Organizations: CNN, YouTube, CNN’s, State Department, Wall Street, Fox News, Kremlin, “ Locations: Russian, Germany, Chechen, Berlin, Russia, Krasikov, Siberia, Ukraine, “

☆ Navalny’s mother told to agree to secret funeral or have her son buried at penal colony, spokesperson says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Christian Edwards | Anna Chernova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

CNN —The mother of the late Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny was given an ultimatum to either agree to a secret funeral for her son without a public farewell, or have him buried at the penal colony where he was imprisoned, his spokeswoman said Friday. The claim came a week after Navalny’s death was announced on February 16, sparking criticism of the Kremlin from Western leaders, including US President Joe Biden. This is a developing story and will be updated.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Joe Biden Organizations: CNN, Kremlin Locations: Western

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