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☆ Germany's Scholz discusses Ukraine with Russia's Putin in first such call in 2 years
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

BERLIN — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin leader’s first publicly announced conversation with the sitting head of a major Western power in nearly two years. Scholz urged Putin to be open to negotiations with Ukraine, his office said. Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said Scholz urged Putin in the hour-long call to withdraw his troops and end the full-scale invasion launched in February 2022. The new communication between Scholz and Putin — their first since December 2022 — comes at a time of widespread speculation about what the new administration of President-elect Donald Trump will mean for Ukraine. The U.S., South Korea and Ukraine say North Korea has sent thousands of troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Vladimir Putin, Scholz, Putin, Steffen Hebestreit, Alexei Navalny’s, Yulia, “, ” Hebestreit, —, Donald Trump, Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, ” Zelenskyy, ” Scholz, ” Putin, Dmitry Peskov Organizations: Kremlin leader’s, Kyiv, NATO, Ukraine, Kremlin, Russian Federation Locations: BERLIN, Ukraine, Russian, Berlin, Russia, Washington, Moscow, U.S, South Korea, North Korea, Germany, ”, East

Former Marine Paul Whelan said he was devastated when a Biden administration official told him WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner was being released from Russian detention after nine months and he was not. The official told him that to free Griner, the U.S. had traded convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s price for releasing the celebrity athlete. “It was a sham.”When he refused, Whelan said he was placed in a cell where the lights were left on around the clock. After he was sentenced to 16 years of forced labor, the Russian trial judge said he would probably be released in two weeks. “The prison food is even worse.”They subsisted, Whelan said, on tea, bread, watery soup, “the kind of fish only Russians eat.

Persons: Marine Paul Whelan, Brittney Griner, Whelan, Viktor Bout, Vladimir Putin’s, What’s, ”, “, ” Whelan, Trevor Reed, Konstantin Yaroshenko, Reed, Evan Gershkovich, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Alsu, Antony Blinken, David Whelan, ’ ” Whelan, Putin, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Alexei Navalny, Flora, Andrews, Biden, Andrea Mitchell, he’ll, he’s Organizations: Marine, Biden, WNBA, NBC News, Homeland Security, U.S ., British, Kremlin, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, Marines, State Department, CIA Locations: U.S, Russia, Russian, Michigan, Russian American, Radio Free Europe, Moscow, Canada, British, Iraq, Turkey, Manchester , Michigan

☆ Putin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza thought he was being executed before his release in historic prisoner swap
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-13 | by ( Helen Regan | Mariya Knight | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian opposition politician and one of President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest critics, has described the psychological torture he endured during 11 months in solitary confinement, saying he thought he would die in a Siberian cell. “Just a little over two weeks ago, I was still sitting in my solitary confinement cell in a harsh regime prison colony in Siberia. And I was certain that I was going to end my life in the prison,” Kara-Murza said. But Kara-Murza was taken to a passenger airport in Omsk and loaded onto a plane headed for Moscow. Now enjoying his freedom and time with his family, Kara-Murza has promised to return to Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Kara, Murza, Vladimir Putin’s, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, ” Kara, Alexei Navalny, Kara, Erin Burnett, Evgenia Kara, Murza –, –, Vladimir, “ Vladimir Putin’s, ”, “, Vadim Krasikov, Muza, Joe Biden, Biden, Evgenia Organizations: CNN, Base Andrews, Kremlin Locations: Russian, Russia, Maryland, Siberia, New York, Ukraine, “, Belarus, Omsk, Moscow, Germany, Berlin, Ankara, Turkey, Washington ,, Kara

☆ Exchanged prisoner Yashin condemns his 'illegal expulsion' from Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The prisoner swap, the largest since the Cold War, saw eight Russians, including a convicted murderer, exchanged for 16 prisoners in Russian and Belarusian jails, many of them dissidents. "What happened on Aug. 1 I don't view as a prisoner swap ... but as my illegal expulsion from Russia against my will, and I say sincerely, more than anything I want now to go back home," he added. He was speaking alongside activists Vladimir Kara-Murza and Andrei Pivovarov at the freed prisoners' first public appearance since arriving in Germany. On their second day out of prison, where they had had limited contact with the outside world, Kara-Murza and Yashin especially seemed fired with resolve, and to have kept abreast of world events. Pivovarov agreed: "We will do everything to make our country free and democratic, and get all political prisoners released."

Persons: Ilya Yashin, Vladimir Putin, Alexei Navalny, Yashin, Putin's, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Andrei Pivovarov, Putin, Kara, Pivovarov, Dmitry Medvedev Organizations: Western, Kremlin Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Bonn, Russia, Germany, Moscow

☆ How the Russian prisoner swap that freed Evan Gershkovich unfolded over two years
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Carol-Lee-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Carol E. Lee | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The effort took on extra urgency in March 2023, when the Russians arrested Gershkovich, a senior administration official said. Days later, NBC News reported that a deal that could have sprung Navalny, Gershkovich and Whelan had been in the works. After Biden and Scholz met on Feb. 9, Scholz told Biden he was on board. Vice President Kamala Harris also discussed the prisoner swap with Scholz, telling him that Krasikov was a critical component of getting a prisoner swap with Russia, a White House official said. That was when he called the Slovenian prime minister to make sure his country was ready to release the Russian in their custody.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Brittney Griner, Biden, Viktor Bout, Paul Whelan ’, Whelan, Paul Whelan, Antony Blinken, “, ” Blinken, Sergei Lavrov, Gershkovich, Blinken, Lavrov, ” Lavrov, ”, ” Gershkovich, Alexei Navalny, Navalny, Vadim Krasikov, Zelimkhan, Olaf Scholz, Krasikov, Griner, Whalen, Joe Biden, Scholz, Kamala Harris, Jake Sullivan, Elizabeth Whelan, Sullivan, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Kurmasheva, ” Biden Organizations: Wall Street, Marine, AP, NBC News, Berlin, White, Biden Locations: Russia, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Berlin, Moscow, Germany, Chechen, Russian, U.S, Nevada, Slovenian

☆ Who was freed in major prisoner swap between Russia and the West?
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

The German court that convicted Krasikov in 2021 said he acted on behalf of the Russian state, shooting Khangoshvili “execution style” in broad daylight. Vadim Konoshchenok, 48An undated photo of Vadim Konoshchenok included in a 2022 court document. He was arrested in February 2022, according to the Polish state news agency PAP. Lilia Chanysheva, 42Lilia Chanysheva stands is seen during a hearing at the Kirovskiy District Court in Ufa, Russia, on June 14, 2023. He was sentenced to four years in a penal colony in July 2022, according to Amnesty International.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Vadim Krasikov, Vadim Krasikov Berlin Police Krasikov, Krasikov, Zelimkhan, Khangoshvili, Ramzan Kadyrov, Putin, Viktor Bout, Whelan, Brittney, Biden, Alexey Navalny, Vadim Konoshchenok, Konoshchenok, Vladislav Klyushin, Klyushin, Roman Seleznev, US Department of Justice Roman Seleznev, Seleznev, Artem Dultsev, Ludvig Gish, Anna Dultseva, Dultsev, Maria Rosa Mayer Munos, Mikhail Mikushin, Pavel Rubtsov, Pablo Gonzalez, Oihana Goiriena, Vincent West, Pablo Gonzales, Natalia Kolesnikova, Kirill Kudryavtsev, US Marine Whelan, Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, Liberty Alsu Kurmasheva, Alexey Nasyrov, Kurmasheva, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Kara, Vladimir Putin’s “, ”, Rico Krieger, Krieger, Alexander Lukashenko, Kevin Lik, Lick, Dieter, Voronin, Ivan Safronov, Roscosmos, Demuri Voronin, Safronov, Herman Moyzhes, Moyzhes, Patrick Schoebel, Schoebel, Ilya Yashin, Yuri Kochetkov, ” Alexandra Skochilenko, Alexandra Skochilenko, Anton Vaganov, Skochilenko, “, ” Oleg Orlov, Oleg Orlov, Lilia Chanysheva, Chanysheva, Ksenia Fadeeva, Maxim Shemetov, Fadeeva, Vadim Ostanin, Alexei Navalny’s, Ostanin, Andrei Pivovarov, Pivovarov Organizations: CNN, Vadim Krasikov Berlin Police, Chechen, Russian, Krasikov, US Department of Justice, US, Office, Eastern, of, Attorney's, University of Tromsø, Reuters, Court, Getty, Street, US Marine, US State Department, Radio Free, Liberty, AP, Belarusian TV, Belteleradio, Human Rights, German Red Cross, TASS, German Federal Intelligence Service, Pulkovo, Ukraine, Amnesty International Locations: American, Russia, Moscow, Berlin’s Kleiner, Russian, Georgia, Estonia, of New York, Boston, Sion , Switzerland, United States, Maldives, Slovenia, Ljubljana, Norway, Brazilian, Nabarniz, Spain, Poland, Spanish, Sverdlovsk, AFP, Irish, Radio Free Europe, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Belarusian, German, Belarus, Berlin, Germany, Europe, St . Petersburg, St, Petersburg, Meshansky, Bucha, Kyiv, Saint Petersburg, Kirovskiy, Ufa, Bashkortostan, Tomsk, Krasnodar

☆ The classic psychological phenomenon behind Trump supporters' fake ear bandages
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-20 | by ( Julia Pugachevsky | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In the days that followed, some of his supporters started sporting bandages of their own. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. The bandages go a step beyond Trump shirts and lawn signs, Dr. Angie Corbo, chair of communications studies at Widener University, told Business Insider. For supporters of Navalny and now Trump, this performative act of imitation is a sign of solidarity. AdvertisementThe ear bandages portray a different, softer message — one that could make his audience feel more connected to him.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, MAGA, Dr, Catherine Nobile, we're, Angie Corbo, fkzGQECzme — Jamie Bartlett, It's, Alexei Navalny, Nobile, that's, Trump, Corbo, Corey Comperatore Organizations: Service, Republican National Convention, Business, Widener University, Trump, RNC Locations: New York, Trump, @JamieJBartlett, Navalny

☆ Russia wants to arrest Alexei Navalny's widow after resistance leader died in prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

A Russian court has ordered the arrest of Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of former political opposition leader Alexei Navalny. AdvertisementThe court accused Navalnaya of "participating in an extremist community," according to the New York Times. Navalny died in prison earlier this year in an Arctic penal colony, where he was imprisoned after the court convicted him of extremist activity. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.

Persons: Yulia Navalnaya, Alexei Navalny, Navalnaya, Navalny Organizations: New York Times, Business

☆ Opinion | Trump’s Whining About a Weaponized Justice System Is a Projection
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Michelle Goldberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

That is how we should understand Trump’s ranting in the wake of his 34 felony convictions last week. And as if to underline Biden’s refusal to interfere in Justice Department decisions, the federal prosecution of the president’s son Hunter Biden begins this week. In spinning this fantasy about Biden, Trump is telegraphing that, should he return to the White House, he will try to use the Justice Department in exactly the way he’s pretending it was used against him. In his telling, he never called for Hillary Clinton to be imprisoned, and magnanimously resisted the entreaties of others to punish her. “According to Sessions, the President asked him to reverse his recusal so that Sessions could direct the Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute Hillary Clinton,” the Mueller report said.

Persons: Trump, Donald Trump, Biden, ”, Alvin Bragg, Hunter Biden, Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Hillary Clinton, magnanimously, ‘ Lock, Mueller, Jeff Sessions, who’d, Clinton, “, Sessions, John Huber of Utah, Huber Organizations: Department, Biden, White, Justice Department, Fox News, Fox, Sessions, Department of Justice, Clinton Foundation Locations: Manhattan, Russian

☆ Putin likely did not directly order Navalny’s killing, U.S. intelligence agencies conclude
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Floral tributes, portraits of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and messages are seen left outside the former Russian Embassy in Tbilisi on March 1, 2024. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin probably didn't directly order the killing of Alexei Navalny at a remote penal colony in February, according to three sources familiar with the matter. As Russia's most high-profile and popular dissident, Navalny's death dealt a severe blow to the country's opposition movement, which has been brutally suppressed by the Kremlin. Before Navalny's death, there had been tentative discussions about a possible prisoner exchange with Russia involving Navalny and Americans detained in Russia, NBC News previously reported. Navalny's allies allege that Putin had the dissident killed to thwart the proposed prisoner swap that would have freed him.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Navalny, Joe Biden, Sergei Skripal, Navalny's Organizations: Russian Embassy, Kremlin, Washington, Russia's Federal, Service, CIA, National Intelligence, NBC Locations: Tbilisi, Russia's, Russia, Russian, United Kingdom, Western

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Relief in Kyiv as Biden set to sign U.S. aid package; Russian official detained on bribe allegations
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russian law enforcement have detained Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov on suspicion of taking bribes, Russia's Investigative Committee said on April 23, 2024. A Russian deputy defense minister in charge of military construction has been detained on Tuesday on suspicion of "large-scale" bribe-taking, in one of the highest-profile corruption cases since Moscow launched its war in Ukraine. A brief statement by the Investigative Committee, Russia's top investigative body, said late on Tuesday that Timur Ivanov had been taken into custody and an investigation into his case was proceeding. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had been informed in advance of his detention, he said. Russian news reports also said Ivanov was likely the most senior Russian official to face such charges since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Timur Ivanov, Ivanov, Alexei Navalny, Dmitry Peskov, — Organizations: Sputnik, Russian, Defense, Investigative, Russia's, Corruption Foundation, Kremlin Locations: Russian, Kubinka, Moscow, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Mariupol, Russia

☆ Time’s 100 Most Influential People: Five icons you should know from the 2024 list
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Leah Asmelash | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

TIME released its list of the 100 Most Influential People for 2024 on Wednesday. The annual list, which asks cultural and political icons to highlight the changemakers of the past year, features dozens of athletes, entertainers, artists and politicians. Beninese music legend Angélique Kidjo wrote about Nigerian artist Burna Boy, who in turn wrote about rapper 21 Savage. Shawn Fain, UAW PresidentPresident Joe Biden wrote about Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers, for TIME. Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty ImagesAt just 25 years of age, Motaz Azaiza is the youngest person on this year’s TIME list.

Persons: Alex Rodriguez, Patrick Mahomes, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Raquel Willis, Elliot Page, Angélique Kidjo, Burna Boy, Taraji P, Henson, Coleman Domingo, Shawn Fain, Joe Biden, Tom Williams, ” Fain, Biden, “, —, Fain, ” Biden, Motaz Azaiza, Yasmeen Serhan, Mohammed Abed, Azaiza, Instagram, ” Serhan, CNN —, ” Azaiza, ” Jenni Hermoso, Jenni Hermoso, Mana Shim, Fran Santiago, Luis Rubiales, Hermoso’s, Rubiales, Hermoso, “ Hermoso, ” Shim, Sakshi Malik, Nisha Pahuja, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Manish Rajput, Malik, Singh, ” Malik, Bhushan Sharan Singh’s, ”, Yulia Navalnaya, Russia’s, Alexei Navalny, Kamala Harris, Monika Skolimowska, Alexey Navalny, Putin, “ Putin, Navalnaya, “ Navalnaya, ” Harris Organizations: CNN, TIME, United Auto Workers, UAW, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Getty, “, UEFA Women's Nations League, UEFA, Spanish Women’s National Team, FIFA, Wrestling Federation of India, India Today, Delhi Locations: Dua Lipa, Gaza, AFP, Palestinian, Spanish, American, Indian, Rio ., Europe, Berlin, Paris, Hague, ”, Russian, Russia

Asked for proof of his claim that Mr. Biden was personally directing the local cases against him, Mr. Trump pointed to purported ties between prosecutors and “Washington,” but provided no evidence that Mr. Biden had been involved in any of the hiring decisions, conversations or meetings that Mr. Trump cited. The writer E. Jean Carroll filed her first lawsuit against Mr. Trump in November 2019, accusing him of defamation. Faulty and irrelevant comparisonsWhat Mr. Trump Said“I got indicted more than Al Capone.”— in a rally in Ohio in MarchFalse. Mr. Hur described Mr. Biden as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory” who had “diminished faculties and faulty memory.” He did not declare Mr. Biden mentally incompetent to stand trial. Inaccurate attacks on judgesWhat Mr. Trump Said“Judge Juan Merchan is totally compromised, and should be removed from this TRUMP Non-Case immediately.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, President Biden, Trump’s, ”, Trump Said “ Biden, General Merrick B, Garland, Trump “, Biden, Mr, Doug Mills, Trump Said, Jack Smith, Merrick Garland’s, Fani Willis, Letitia James, Alvin L, Bragg, Matthew Colangelo, Colangelo, —, James’s, Colangelo’s, Bragg ramped, Willis, Willis — Nathan J, Wade, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Kamala Harris, Harris, Crooked Joe Biden, James, Jean Carroll, Smith, Brittainy Newman, Alexei Navalny, Navalny, Letitia James ’, Hunt, PolitiFact, Trump Said “, Al Capone, Capone, Brad Schwartz, Hillary, Bill, Bush, Reagan, Hillary Clinton, Clinton, Bill Clinton’s, Taylor Branch, Branch, “, Barack Obama, George W, Bill Clinton, George H.W, Ronald Reagan, Robert K, Hur, Biden’s, Juan Merchan, Loren, Loren Merchan, Merchan, Merchan’s, Justice Merchan, Ahmed Gaber, Arthur F, Justice Engoron, Engoron Organizations: New York, Democratic Party, Trump, Justice Department, The New York Times, The, White House, Trump . Credit, New York Times, American People, Biden Administration, Prosecutors, Mr, Manhattan, Washington, Fox News, New, Times, White, Counsel’s Office, Supreme, Black, Trump Organization, Democrat, Companies, Exxon Mobil, Trump Foundation, Trump University, Associated, National Archives, Records Administration, TRUMP, Twitter, Credit Locations: Manhattan, Georgia, Trump ., Washington, New York, “ Washington, Fulton County ,, Russian, New, Ohio, Fla, South Carolina, Trump’s Florida, Beach

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

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

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

☆ Basking in his Russian election win, Putin talks about political nemesis Alexei Navalny's 'sad' death for the first time
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin was upbeat after winning a fifth term in power in Russia's presidential election over the weekend. He chose the moment to make his first public remarks on the death of his political nemesis, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, mentioning his name for the first time in years. Navalny's family and supporters accused Putin of ordering Navalny's death. He also used the moment to make his first public comments on Navalny's death, and mentioning his most vocal critic's name for the first time in public in years. Putin won Russian presidential election with 87.97% of the vote, first official results showed Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexei Navalny, Putin, Natalia Kolesnikova, —, Laudator Ursula von der Leyen, Bambi, NBC's Keir Simmons, Navalny, Mr Navalny, Navalny's, Maria Pevchikh, airbrushing Organizations: Afp, Getty, Navalny, European Commission, Bavaria Film Studios, NBC, Russian, Moscow Times, Putin's, Ukraine, Reuters, Commission, Anadolu Locations: Russia, Moscow, U.S

☆ Russia election is set to tighten Putin's grip on power despite noon protest
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen on a screen during a meeting with his confidants for the 2024 election at Gostiny Dvor in Moscow, Russia January 31, 2024. President Vladimir Putin is poised to tighten his grip on power on Sunday in a Russian election that is certain to deliver him a landslide victory, though some opponents staged a symbolic noon protest at polling stations against his rule. The election comes just over two years since Putin triggered the deadliest European conflict since World War Two by ordering the invasion of Ukraine. War has hung over the three-day election: Ukraine has repeatedly attacked oil refineries in Russia, shelled Russian regions and sought to pierce Russian borders with proxy forces — a move Putin said would not be left unpunished. Russia is not Putin."

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Josef Stalin, —, Putin's, Alexei Navalny, Alexei, Yulia Organizations: Gostiny Dvor, KGB Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Budapest

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

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

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

☆ Russians vote in an election that Putin will win, but the Kremlin is looking for a landslide victory
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Mikhail Svetlov/Getty ImagesThere are no surprises over who will win Russia's presidential election this coming weekend with incumbent, Vladimir Putin, set to win a fifth term in office, keeping him in power until at least 2030. The heavily stage-managed vote taking place from Friday to Sunday is not expected to throw up any nasty surprises for the Kremlin which told CNBC months ago that it was confident Putin would win the vote comfortably. That's particularly the case in a country where Russian opposition figures are not represented on the ballot paper or in mainstream politics, with most activists having fled the country. "According to official data, Putin received 77.5% of valid votes in the 2018 presidential election that saw a turnout of 67.5%. Russian opposition activists, most in self-imposed exile in order to evade arrest, imprisonment or attack, have also condemned the election.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Svetlov, Putin, That's, Alexei Navalny, there's, Vladislav Davankov, Leonid Slutsky, Nikolay Kharitonov, Russia's, Yekaterina Duntsova, Boris Nadezhdin, Andrei Kolesnikov, —, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Andreas Tursa, Russian Federation's, Yulia Navalnaya, Dmitrii, we're Organizations: Kremlin, CNBC, New People, Liberal Democratic Party, Communist Party, Russia's, Commission, Levada, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Putin, Teneo, Russian Democratic Society, Festival Locations: Kremlin, Ukraine, Russia, Klishchiivka, Donetsk Oblast, Europe, Kyiv, Crimea, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk, Russian, London, Sirius, Sochi, Stavropolsky Krai, Krasnodar Krai

☆ Russia Responsible for Navalny's Death, UN Rights Expert Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( March | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

GENEVA (Reuters) - The U.N. human rights expert on Russia said on Monday that Alexei Navalny's death was Moscow's responsibility as he was either killed in prison or died from detention conditions that amounted to torture. "So the Russian government is responsible, one way or another, for his death," Mariana Katzarova told Reuters on the sidelines of an event on Russian political prisoners at the United Nations in Geneva. Russia's spy chief previously said that Navalny, who died on Feb. 16 in an Arctic prison, died a natural death. "Ever since the death of Alexei Navalny, there is no day passing without asking myself, who is the next Navalny?" It has denied his wife Yulia Navalnaya's accusations that President Vladimir Putin had him killed.

Persons: Alexei Navalny's, Mariana Katzarova, Russia's, Navalny, Katzarova, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Alexei Navalny, Yulia Navalnaya's, Vladimir Putin, Navalnaya, Putin, Emma Farge, Cecile Mantovani, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Reuters, United Nations Locations: GENEVA, Russia, Russian, Geneva

A leading state television channel opened with its host railing against the West and NATO. THE KREMLIN MEDIA DIETThe Kremlin regularly meets with the heads of TV stations to give “special instructions on what can be said on air,” said Ovsyannikova. State television broadcasts dull debates between representatives of Putin's opponents. GRANULES OF TRUTHRussian propaganda is “sophisticated and multifaceted,” said Francis Scarr, a journalist who analyzes Russian television for BBC Monitoring. Even those soothed by the Kremlin’s propaganda also could long for a real choice at the polls.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Putin, whittle, ”, PUTIN’S, Anna Politkovskaya, Evan Gershkovich, “, Marina Ovsyannikova, Sam Greene, Half, Jade McGlynn, —, Francis Scarr, McGlynn, Greene Organizations: West, NATO, NTV, Russia, Center for, Levada, King's College, Putin, State, BBC Monitoring, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Russia, State, Victoria, Russian, Crimea, Soviet, Washington, West, Ukrainian, Avdiivka, King's College London, RUSSIAN

☆ Russia says its democracy is the best in the world, days after Putin's only real political rival died in prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declared Russia's democracy "the best" in the world. Navalny died in prison, and Russian elections are widely regarded as anything but free and fair. AdvertisementRussia's democracy is the best in the world and it won't tolerate criticism of it, the Kremlin's top spokesperson said on Wednesday. "Our democracy is the best, and we will continue to build it," he said, per Ukrainska Pravda's translation. Russian presidential elections, set to begin in 10 days, are also widely regarded as a foregone conclusion.

Persons: Dmitry Peskov, Putin's, Alexey Navalny, Navalny, —, Vladimir Putin, Boris Nadezhdin, Alexei Navalny, Associated Press Navalny, Roman Ivanov Organizations: Service, Moscow Times, Associated Press, Kremlin, Telegraph, Economist Intelligence Unit Locations: Moscow, Russia, —, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Ukraine

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Ukraine tries to quash speculation over why first lady declined Biden State of the Union invite
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

First lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska arrives at the White House with President Volodymyr Zelensky on September 21, 2023 in Washington, DC. Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska will not be attending U.S. President Joe Biden's State of the Union address Thursday because of a scheduling conflict, her spokesperson said. "The Embassy of Ukraine in the USA received an invitation for the First Lady of Ukraine to be present on March 7 during the Union address to Congress by the President of the United States," Tetyana Gaiduchenko said. There has been speculation that Zelenska declined the invitation on learning that Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, had also been invited to the prestigious event. The Washington Post reported that Navalnaya's potential presence was uncomfortable for the Ukrainians because of Navalny's past statements that Crimea, which Putin annexed in 2014, belonged to Russia.

Persons: Ukraine Olena Zelenska, Volodymyr Zelensky, Olena Zelenska, Joe Biden's, Tetyana Gaiduchenko, Zelenska, Yulia Navalnaya, Alexei Navalny, Putin, Biden, Donald Trump, — Holly Ellyatt Organizations: White, USA, NBC, Washington Post, U.S, Republican Locations: Ukraine, Washington ,, Joe Biden's State, United States, Kyiv, Crimea, Russia

☆ The 'accidental' politicians: Meet three women risking everything to fight for democracy
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

That's what one Ukrainian lawmaker said of the wife of the late Alexei Navalny, who vowed to continue her husband's political work fighting for democracy in Russia after he died in a Siberian prison last month. As the first reports of Navalny's death started to emerge, Navalnaya was in Munich at a security conference. Yulia Navalnaya (L) is applauded by European Parliament President Roberta Metsola after addressing the European Parliament on Feb. 28, 2024. "I will continue the work of Alexei Navalny. Belarusian political opposition in exile leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya clutches a folder with a portrait of her husband, jailed opposition figure Sergei Tikhanovsky, in November, 2023 Sean Gallup | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Persons: Yulia Navalnaya, Alexei Navalny, Kai Pfaffenbach, Navalnaya, Alexei, Roberta Metsola, Frederick Florin, Lisa Yasko, Cristina Quicler, Yasko, Viktor Yanukovych, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Monique Jaques, Aleksandr Lukashenko —, Vladimir Putin, Tsikhanouskaya, Lukashenko, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, Sergei Tikhanovsky, Sean Gallup Organizations: Munich Security, Afp, Getty, European Union, CNBC, Zoom, Corbis, Munich, Conference Locations: Munich, Germany, Russia, Ukrainian, Georgia, Kyiv, Kiev, Ukraine, Belarus, Belarusian

☆ Mourners arrive for Navalny funeral in Moscow; heavy police presence expected
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Mourners gather in front of the Mother of God Quench My Sorrows church ahead of a funeral service for late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, in Moscow's district of Maryino on March 1, 2024. Alexander Nemenov | Afp | Getty ImagesThe funeral of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is scheduled to take place in Moscow on Friday, with large numbers expected to attend despite heightened political tensions and fears of arrests. Workers unload metal fencing in front of a church in Moscow on Feb. 29, 2024, where a funeral ceremony for late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is set to take place on March 1. This photograph taken on Feb. 29, 2024, shows a view of the Borisovo cemetery in Moscow, where the burial of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is set to take place on March 1. According to Yarmysh, several funeral agencies, commercial venues and funeral halls refused to host the service.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Alexander Nemenov, Olga Maltseva, Vladimir Putin, Navalny's, Yulia Navalnaya, Joe Biden, Putin, Kira Yarmysh, Yarmysh Organizations: Afp, Getty, U.S, YouTube Locations: Moscow's district, Maryino, Moscow

☆ Navalny's funeral in pictures: Mourners gather in Moscow as riot police contain crowds
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Crowds gathered in Moscow on Friday to observe Alexei Navalny's funeral, with allies of the deceased Russian opposition politician saying over 1,000 people had congregated. Remains of snow clutched to the streets in a grey Moscow, as people lined up outside the church where the memorial service is set to take place. Heavy police presence is expected, as political tensions run high ahead of presidential elections due to take place over March 15-17. Navalny's family, supporters and Western leaders have said Russian President Vladimir Putin is responsible for his rival's death, but the Kremlin has denied any involvement. Here's a look at the memorial as it unfolds.

Persons: Alexei Navalny's, Dmitry Peskov, Navalny, Vladimir Putin Organizations: CNBC, Kremlin, NBC Locations: Moscow, Russian

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