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☆ Factbox: Who is Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 17 (Reuters) - Russian opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza was convicted of treason by a Moscow court on Monday and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Kara-Murza, 41, is a historian, journalist and opposition politician who holds Russian and British passports and studied in England at Cambridge University. He was a close associate of Boris Nemtsov, a leading opposition figure who was assassinated near the Kremlin in 2015, and continued to speak out against President Vladimir Putin despite the mounting risks. Twice, in 2015 and 2017, Kara-Murza suddenly fell ill in what he said were poisonings by the Russian security services, on both occasions falling into a coma before eventually recovering. Kara-Murza was arrested in April 2022, hours after CNN broadcast an interview in which he said Russia was being run by a "regime of murderers".

☆ U.S. Readies ‘Wrongfully Detained’ Label for Reporter Held in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Vivian Salama | Andrew Restuccia | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The State Department is preparing to designate as “wrongfully detained” a Wall Street Journal reporter who was arrested by Russian security services last week during a reporting trip and accused of espionage, a designation that would rev up the U.S. government’s efforts to win his release. With the official designation, supervision of Evan Gershkovich ’s case would shift to a State Department section known as the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, which is focused on negotiating for the release of hostages and other Americans classified as wrongfully detained in foreign countries. The designation is expected as soon as this week, according to people familiar with the matter.

☆ Russia's ultranationalists appear increasingly vulnerable after pro-war blogger's killing
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The blast killed Tatarsky and injured at least 30 others, the authorities said, before detaining a woman on suspicion of involvement in what they described as a "high-profile murder." The death also sent shockwaves through Russia's pro-war commentariat which has burgeoned since Russia invaded Ukraine over a year ago. Tatarsky was one of Russia's more prominent and outspoken pro-war bloggers, with 572,000 followers on the popular messaging app Telegram. Unsettling ultranationalistsTatarsky's death is the second apparent assassination of a prominent Russian pro-war commentator on home soil. A leading Russian military blogger was killed on April 2, 2023 in an explosion in Russia's second-largest city of St. Petersburg, the interior ministry said.

☆ Arrested WSJ reporter could become 'bargaining chip' following West's success in smashing Russia's suspected global spy rings, ex-CIA officer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Numerous countries have detained or expelled suspected Russian spies in recent months. The arrest comes after several countries detained or expelled hundreds of suspected Russian spies in the preceding weeks and months. Hundreds of suspected Russian spies have been expelledSergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov, pictured in Russian military uniform Department of JusticeLast week, documents released by the Department of Justice revealed the dramatic story of an accused Russian spy. In a similar case in Australia in February, a local newspaper reported that authorities expelled a large Russian spy ring — whose members were posing as diplomats — from the country. Countries across Scandinavia have also made a significant clampdown on those accused of Russian espionage, Politico reports.

☆ Siemens investigating report employee worked for Russian hacking firm
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ZURICH, March 31 (Reuters) - Siemens (SIEGn.DE) has launched an investigation after Der Spiegel reported a former programmer from Russian IT company NTC Vulkan - which has reported links to Russian security services - worked for the German engineering and tech company. Der Spiegel reported on Friday that more than 90 former staff from NTC Vulkan worked for a several other European companies. The magazine said NTC Vulkan maintains close ties to all three major Russian intelligence services: FSB, GRU and SWR. Its so-called "Vulkan Files" said the company builds cyber programmes for the security services aimed at attacking critical infrastructure facilities. NTC Vulkan did not respond to requests for comment.

☆ Russian Security Service Detains Wall Street Journal Reporter Evan Gershkovich
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Daniel Michaels | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Wall Street Journal reporter, Evan Gershkovich, who was detained by Russia’s Federal Security Service. Russia’s main security agency said it had detained a Wall Street Journal reporter for what it described as espionage. The Federal Security Service said Thursday it had detained Evan Gershkovich, a U.S. citizen, in the eastern city of Yekaterinburg.

☆ WSJ editor tells staff she is ‘very concerned’ for safety of reporter arrested in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Wall Street Journal Editor-in-Chief Emma Tucker told staff in a memo Thursday that she was “very concerned” for the safety of Russia-based reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested Wednesday by security forces in the city of Yekaterinburg. “We are very concerned for the safety of Evan and will keep you informed of the situation,” Tucker continued. “Evan Gershkovich is a journalist. He should be released immediately and unharmed and allowed to return to his important work,” said Eileen O’Reilly, president of the National Press Club, and Gil Klein, journalism president of the National Press Club, in a statement. The US government was informed of the arrest of Gershkovich by the Wall Street Journal, according to a US official.

☆ US sanctions three people for abuse of Russian opposition politician
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Katharine Jackson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, March 3 (Reuters) - The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on three Russians it accused of serious human rights abuses against Russian opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza, who was arrested last year after speaking out against the war in Ukraine. The U.S. Treasury Department said the sanctions target Elena Anatolievna Lenskaya, Andrei Andreevich Zadachin and Danila Yurievich Mikheev for abuses under the Global Magnitsky Act. Kara-Murza, who holds both British and Russian citizenship and was a pallbearer at the 2018 funeral of U.S. Senator John McCain, was a close aide to opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, who was shot dead in central Moscow in 2015. Kara-Murza has pushed for the U.S., Canada, European Union and Britain to use Magnitsky-style sanctions to target human rights abusers and corrupt actors in Russia, the Treasury Department said.

☆ United States tells citizens: Leave Russia immediately
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, Feb 13 (Reuters) - The United States has told its citizens to leave Russia immediately due to the war in Ukraine and the risk of arbitrary arrest or harassment by Russian law enforcement agencies. "U.S. citizens residing or travelling in Russia should depart immediately," the U.S. embassy in Moscow said. [1/6] Vehicles drive past the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia February 13, 2023. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina 1 2 3 4 5The Kremlin said it was not the first time U.S. citizens had been asked to leave Russia. The Federal Security Service(FSB) said in January that prosecutors had opened a criminal case against a United States citizen on suspicion of espionage.

☆ United States tells citizens: depart Russia immediately
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, Feb 13 (Reuters) - The United States has told its citizens to leave Russia immediately due to the war in Ukraine and the risk of arbitrary arrest or harassment by Russian law enforcement agencies. "U.S. citizens residing or travelling in Russia should depart immediately," the U.S. embassy in Moscow said. The United States has repeatedly warned its citizens to leave Russia. "Russian authorities arbitrarily enforce local laws against U.S. citizen religious workers and have opened questionable criminal investigations against U.S. citizens engaged in religious activity." Russia has opened a criminal case against a United States citizen on suspicion of espionage, the Federal Security Service(FSB) said in January.

☆ A Russian sergeant accidentally detonated a hand grenade in his dorm on Ukraine's border, killing 3 and injuring 16
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Russian soldier accidentally set off a hand grenade in Belgorod on Sunday evening. Three soldiers died, 16 were injured, and another eight are missing, Russian state media reported. The grenade was detonated by a senior sergeant serving as a platoon commander, 112 reported. The grenade exploded in Tonenkoye village's community center, which was used to store ammunition and house Russian soldiers, per Russian state news outlet TASS. The channel also reported that the blast was caused by an RGD-5 grenade, an anti-personnel hand grenade designed in the early 1950s.

☆ Biden chose humanity over geopolitics with Griner release
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

But President Joe Biden’s decision to exchange WNBA star Brittney Griner for Viktor Bout goes beyond the exchange’s bottom line. And it prompted top Republicans to charge that he had prioritized a basketball superstar over an ex-marine who benefited from a vocal political pressure campaign on Biden. This adds another layer of complication for Biden as he seeks to get Whelan free, since it involves another government and would require German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to potentially agree to supersede his country’s own legal system. While Biden is being castigated by some political opponents in Washington for doing a bad deal, administration officials insisted that he got the best one on offer. It was a choice between bringing home one particular American, Brittney Griner, or bringing home none,” a senior administration official told reporters on Thursday.

☆ Who is Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer swapped for Griner?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/2] Suspected Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout is escorted by members of a special police unit after a hearing at a criminal court in Bangkok October 5, 2010. Russia got the jailed arms dealer back from the United States on Thursday after exchanging imprisoned U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner for him at Abu Dhabi airport. His notoriety was such that his life helped inspire a Hollywood film, 2005’s Lord of War, starring Nicolas Cage as Yuri Orlov, an arms dealer loosely based on Bout. For some experts, the Russian state's continued interest in Bout, plus his skills and connections in the international arms trade, hint strongly at Russian intelligence ties. “His case has become totemic for the Russian intelligence services, who are keen to show that they don’t abandon their own people,” Galeotti added.

REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool//File PhotoWASHINGTON, Dec 8 (Reuters) - U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner has been released in a prisoner swap with Russia and is on her way back to the United States, President Joe Biden said on Thursday, ending what he called months of "hell." The Russian foreign ministry said it traded Griner for Russian citizen Viktor Bout, a former arms dealer. The swap took place at the Abu Dhabi airport in the United Arab Emirates, Russian news agencies said. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke by phone with Griner from the Oval Office, along with Griner's wife, Cherelle. For experts on the Russian security services, Moscow's lasting interest in Bout hint strongly at Russian intelligence ties.

☆ Who is Viktor Bout, the arms dealer who could be swapped for Griner?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Russia wants the jailed arms dealer back in Moscow and is discussing a prisoner swap with the United States that could see him exchanged for Americans imprisoned in Russia including basketball star Brittney Griner. Reed was ultimately freed in return for Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot jailed in the United States on drug trafficking charges. For some experts, the Russian state's continued interest in Bout, plus his skills and connections in the international arms trade, hint strongly at Russian intelligence ties. In interviews, Bout has said he attended Moscow's Military Institute of Foreign Languages, which serves as a training ground for military intelligence officers. “His case has become totemic for the Russian intelligence services, who are keen to show that they don’t abandon their own people,” Galeotti added.

☆ The U.S. family who lay low during Russian occupation
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Jonathan Landay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Hunsuckers are Christian missionaries who moved to Kherson in 2013 to work with a Ukrainian church-based organization helping local orphanages. They had lived in Russia for seven years and speak fluent Russian. But in 2008 they were forced to move back to the United States after the Russian government ordered Phyllis to leave after accusing her of being a foreign agent, the family said. The Hunsuckers considered joining evacuations of residents from Kherson after the occupation. William said the family intend to remain in Kherson.

☆ Amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, iconic arms-maker Kalashnikov is churning out a record number of guns
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Kalashnikov, maker of the legendary AK-47, is reporting a huge increase in small arms sales. Many of the new rifles these reluctant conscripts will inevitably need will come from Kalashnikov, which manufactures most Russian small arms. SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images"The Kalashnikov Concern increased the production of small arms by 40 percent," the company said. Already in September, actual exports of civilian weapons were equal to the total figure for 2021." Kalashnikov, which comprises a group of manufacturing firms, provides 95% of Russian small arms.

☆ German government relieves cyber security chief of duty - Spiegel
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BERLIN, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Germany's Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has relieved the country's cybersecurity chief of duty after several media reported possible contacts with people involved with Russian security services, Spiegel said on Tuesday. Arne Schoenbohm, president of the BSI federal information security agency, could have had such contacts through the Cyber Security Council of Germany, various media outlets reported last week. The interior ministry did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Kirsti Knolle, Alexander Ratz; editing by Matthias WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Germany's cybersecurity chief faces dismissal, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Oct 10 (Reuters) - German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser wants to dismiss the country's cybersecurity chief due to possible contacts with people involved with Russian security services, German media reported late on Sunday, citing government sources. Schoenbohm was a founder of the association, which counts as a member a German company that is a subsidiary of a Russian cybersecurity firm founded by a former KGB employee, they wrote. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterSchoenbohm did not immediately reply to a message sent to him via social media. "These accusations must be decisively investigated," said Konstantin von Notz, the head of the parliamentary oversight committee for Germany’s intelligence agencies. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Birgit Mitwollen; Writing by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Cynthia OstermanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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