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☆ Russia backs banning of maps disputing official 'territorial integrity'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A woman walks past a building with Russian flags placed on its wall in Saint Petersburg, Russia April 24, 2022. REUTERS/Anton VaganovJan 8 (Reuters) - Russia's government extended support to a legislative amendment that would classify maps that dispute the country's official "territorial integrity" as punishable extremist materials, the state-owned TASS news agency reported on Sunday. The amendment to Russia's anti-extremism legislation stipulates that "cartographic and other documents and images that dispute the territorial integrity of Russia" will be classified as extremist materials, the agency reported. The new amendment, TASS reports without citing sources, emerged after its authors pointed out that some maps distributed in Russia dispute the "territorial affiliation" of the Crimean Peninsula and the Kuril Islands. Ukrainians and their government have since often objected to world maps showing Crimea as part of Russia's territory.

☆ Russia risks causing new-year IT worker flight with remote working law
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Alexander Marrow | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary This content was produced in Russia, where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in Ukraine. The government estimates that 100,000 IT specialists currently work for Russian companies overseas. Now, legislation is being mooted for early next year that could ban remote working for some professions. Product designer Yulia, 26, estimated that a quarter of her team would rather quit than return to Russia under duress. Professional online poker player Sasha, 37, also living in Argentina, said he had now stopped paying Russian taxes.

☆ Duma prepares higher taxation for Russians who left country - speaker
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 25 (Reuters) - Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the Duma, said the Russian lower house of parliament was preparing a law to introduce higher taxation for people who have left the country, as many have since the war in Ukraine began in February. "It is right to cancel preferences for those who have left the Russian Federation and to introduce an increased tax rate for them," Volodin wrote on the Telegram messaging app. The number of Russians who have left since the start of the war is unclear. Russians working abroad who are Russian tax residents must pay the tax independently, according to the Federal Tax Service of Russia. "It's completely understandable why they fled," Volodin said.

[1/2] South African President Cyril Ramaphosa attends the 55th National Conference of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg. REUTERS/Sumaya HishamJOHANNESBURG, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Party allies, and even some rivals, of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday condemned opponents who disrupted his opening speech with chants and shouting at a conference of the ruling ANC on Friday. Ramaphosa, who was speaking at a five-day gathering of the African National Congress (ANC) to elect candidates for 2024 national elections, is seeking a second term and is widely seen as the party's strongest candidate. We are all interested to emerge here with a very solid, strong leadership," ANC deputy presidential hopeful and Eastern Cape ANC Chairperson Oscar Mabuyane told reporters. What they did yesterday soiled (their) campaign," Zamani Saul, Northern Cape ANC chairperson told SABC news.

☆ Viktor Bout praises Putin, enjoys celebrity status after Griner exchange
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Mithil Aggarwal | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

He has since given high-profile interviews to state media and on Monday appeared on stage at a political event as he joined an ultranationalist party. Viktor Bout on a plane in Abu Dhabi before departing for Russia on Thursday. Russian media also showed him walking off a plane in Moscow, where relatives waiting with flowers embraced him. AFP - Getty ImagesSince his return home, Bout has given a pair of interviews to Maria Butina on the state-run TV channel RT. Like Butina, who was elected to the State Duma last year, Bout spared no time kicking off a potential political career.

But they fear a harsh new anti-gay law passed by Russian lawmakers will leave them little choice. As the Kremlin prepared to finalize the expansion of the 2013 discriminatory anti-gay law, members of the LGBTQ community in Russia told CNN they feared the uncertain future ahead. Activists say a new legislative package that beefs up an existing anti-gay law is a threat to LGBTQ people in Russia. And it’s just reducing the space within which a non-heterosexual existence can comfortably take place in Russia,” Healey told CNN. Yulia Alyoshina, Russia's first transgender politician, said the new law was discriminatory and would make life tougher for Russia's LGBTQ community.

A Russian lawmaker announced Saturday that he invited freed arms dealer Viktor Bout to be in "broad cooperation" with a government committee that he leads. The legislator, Leonid Slutsky, is head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs. Slutsky said Bout could help the committee on "issues of assistance to Russian citizens who find themselves in a difficult life situation abroad." "And the experience of interaction during the release of Victor will certainly be useful,” Slutsky said in a post on his Telegram account. The Russian official said Bout is holding up well for "all the trials he had gone through."

☆ Putin's supporters call for the liquidation of Ukraine as 'genocidal rhetoric' swells
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Alexander Nemenov | Afp | Getty ImagesProminent supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin are using increasingly "genocidal rhetoric" when discussing and demonizing Ukrainians, analysts note, with some pro-war commentators cheering the concept of the "liquidation" of the modern state of Ukraine. "To be a 'Ukrainian' one does not even have to speak the Ukrainian language (which is also still being formed). "All this can be stopped only through the liquidation of Ukrainian statehood in its current form," Medvedev said. Another popular motif being used by pro-war, pro-Putin bloggers is characterizing Ukraine and Ukrainians as "evil" or "sadists" or "Satanists." "As ISW has previously reported, Russian President Vladimir Putin has similarly employed such genocidal language in a way that is fundamentally incompatible with calls for negotiations."

☆ Russian Parliament Agrees to Expand Ban on Promoting LGBT Issues
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Ann M. Simmons | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

MOSCOW—Russia’s parliament passed a bill that expands restrictions on anything perceived as promoting gay issues or same-sex relationships among Russians of all ages, a move that activists say will encourage further hostility toward the country’s already beleaguered LGBT community. Previous legislation outlawed what authorities called “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations” to minors, introduced in 2013. On Thursday, the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, extended the prohibition to all age groups and introduced new bans on what the legislation calls “propaganda on pedophilia and gender reassignment,” according to information about the bill published by the parliament.

☆ Russia is on the verge of passing an expanded version of its notorious anti-LGBTQ bill that bans promotion of 'non-traditional sexual relations'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The revised bill bans spreading "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations" to people of any age. The bill prohibiting the promotion of "non-traditional sexual relations" builds upon a notorious law passed in 2013, which took aim at "propaganda" spread to minors. Under the new law passed by the State Duma, films, and advertisements depicting same-sex relationships could be banned. Russian citizens found to have spread propaganda about "non-traditional sexual relations" could face a fine of up to 400,000 rubles, or $6,600 at current exchange rates. Human-rights organizations have condemned Russia for the so-called "gay propaganda" law since its introduction.

☆ Russian and Cuban leaders meet in Moscow, hail 'traditional friendship'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday met with his Cuban counterpart in Moscow, where the two unveiled a monument to Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro and hailed the “traditional friendship” between their sanctions-hit nations. We have always supported Cuba on the international stage and we see that Cuba takes the same position towards Russia,” Putin said. Other top Russian officials struck similar tones in their meetings with Díaz-Canel, who arrived in Moscow on Saturday. Cuban state media reported that Díaz-Canel’s agenda will focus on the energy sector, very sensitive for the island as it battles shortages of food, medicines and fuel. Havana’s main regional political ally, Venezuela, has sold the island the oil Cuba needed for the past two decades.

☆ Russian court orders Google to restore parliament YouTube channel - Duma
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Don't like Musk? Work for us! Tech firms woo ex-Twitter staff, article with imageWorld at Work category · November 22, 2022Put off by Elon Musk's muscular management style? Move to us! That's the pitch being used by talent-starved technology firms trying to lure thousands of former Twitter Inc employees laid off by the social media company under its new owner.

☆ Russia to postpone $1.4 bln of Belarus debt payments for 10 years
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Summary This content was produced in Russia where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in UkraineMOSCOW, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Russia will allow Belarus to postpone debt payments totalling $1.4 billion for 10 years, while also setting a fixed interest rate, according to draft laws approved by Russian lower house of parliament, or Duma, on Tuesday. At the start of the year, Belarus has asked Russia to restructure and refinance Minsk's 2022 debt obligations and Moscow would move all payments, redemptions and debt servicing due between March 2022 and April 2023 to 2028-2033, Timur Maksimov, Russian deputy finance minister, told Duma. Russia would also fix the interest rate at 12% per year instead of a floating rate tied to Russian OFZ rouble bond yields used before, he added. Belarus is Russia's ally in what the Kremlin calls "special military operation" in Ukraine which the Moscow launched in February. Reporting by Elena Fabrichnaya Editing by Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russia has a plan to put children to work since so many men are fighting Putin's war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia is planning to change its child labor laws to allow kids as young as 14 into the workforce more easily. They will no longer need approval from a guardian or a social services agency to be hired. Putin's unprovoked war in Ukraine pulled 300,000 people into battle, causing labor shortages. Russia is facing labor shortages caused by the absence of nearly 300,000 people from their jobs and onto the battlefield to fight Russian President Vladimir Putin's unprovoked war in Ukraine, Bloomberg News reported. "They have to go through countless checks, bureaucracy, and getting approvals, it is simply not profitable for employers."

☆ Russia to give central bank more time to complete Otkritie sale
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Andreas Rinke | Christina Amann | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Russia's government has submitted a draft law to parliament that would extend the central bank's right to sell bailed-out lender Otkritie to Russia's no. 2 bank VTB (VTBR.MM) without a tender for another year. The central bank and Otkritie did not immediately respond to a request to comment. The central bank bailed out Otkritie, once Russia's largest private lender, in 2017 as part of a years-long campaign to clean up Russia's banking sector. Following the bail-out and an asset review, the central bank had been looking to offload Otkritie, with Italy's UniCredit rumoured as a suitor for the bank.

☆ Russia has likely deployed units meant to shoot its own retreating soldiers, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia is likely using "blocking units" to threaten to shoot retreating soldiers, UK intel said. A UK intelligence briefing ascribed the move to "low morale and reluctance to fight." "These units threaten to shoot their own retreating soldiers in order to compel offensives and have been use in previous conflicts by Russian forces," it added. The defense ministry said that the tactic of shooting deserters "likely attests to the low quality, low morale, and indiscipline of Russian forces". Russian President Vladimir Putin has actively intervened to stop his troops retreating.

☆ Russian lawmaker who called for an end to Ukraine war injured in mysterious circumstances, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian lawmaker Anatoly Karpov received serious head injuries outside the State Duma, per multiple reports. A string of Russian officials have died in mysterious ways since the invasion of Ukraine began. Karpov's spokesperson Albert Stepanyan denied he had been injured at all, saying: "There was no attack ... there are no injuries," state media outlet TASS reported. He was taken to the neurocritical care unit at the Sklifosovsky Institute in Moscow with a fractured femur and severe head injuries, per RIA Novosti. "In the end ordinary people are the victims," he continued.

☆ Russia moves to ban 'LGBT propaganda' among all ages
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Caleb Davis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] People take part in the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community rally "VIII St.Petersburg Pride" in St. Petersburg, Russia August 12, 2017. Under the legislation, citizens could be fined up to 400,000 roubles ($6,500) for promoting "LGBT propaganda". LGBT Network, which offers legal aid, has called the bill an "absurd" attempt to humiliate and discriminate against the LGBT community. "In fact, what is happening is the total state abolition of LGBT+," a representative from LGBT Network told Reuters. TikTok, a video-sharing app, was fined 3 million roubles this month for promoting "videos with LGBT themes", while Russia's media regulator asked publishing houses to look at withdrawing all books containing "LGBT propaganda" from sale.

The U.S. Air Force dispatched two F-16 fighter jets to intercept a pair of Russian bombers that flew close to Alaska on Monday, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said in a statement. Air Defense Identification Zones are areas of airspace that require all aircraft to be identified, located and have their flight plan controlled "in the interest of national security," according to the Federal Aviation Administration. NORAD, a combined air defense organization of the United States and Canada, said the Russian activity was "not seen as a threat nor is the activity seen as provocative." The appearance of Russian bombers and their interception by U.S. fighter jets does come at a fraught time in the relationship between the two countries, however. He noted that his deputy, Pyotr Tolstoy, had previously proposed holding a referendum in Alaska, RBC reported.

☆ Discussing "sensitive" war topics, Russian Duma halts live broadcasts
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 18 (Reuters) - Russia's Duma has indefinitely stopped broadcasting live plenary sessions to protect information from "our enemy", a leading lawmaker said on Tuesday as parliament's lower house debated topics related to the war in Ukraine. Russia uses the term "special military operation" to describe what Ukraine and its Western allies say is a war of imperial conquest. Another deputy, Andrei Svintsov, said the broadcast restriction was imposed because most issues under discussion at the moment related to the "special military operation". We understand that there may be some sensitive information from government representatives, from deputies," Svintsov said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReported by Filipp Lebedev; Editing by Mark TrevelyanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A Russian mayor is giving a bag of fresh vegetables to the families of men conscripted to fight in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A mayor in Russia is offering the families of conscripts a bag of vegetables each. On Russian TV, Evgeny Grigoriev said the package was a "one-off" distribution. BBC journalist Francis Scarr posted a translated clip from Russian TV to Twitter on Monday. Grigoriev said the package would contain fresh vegetables, including "cabbage, potato, carrot, beetroot, and onion." The Washington Post reported this week that Russian police and military officers were seizing men from restaurants, Metro stations, and their workplaces.

☆ Russian roulette: Is Putin serious about nuclear war, or bluffing?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Jason Corcoran | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

On Oct. 26, President Vladimir Putin appeared on Russian state television overseeing a practice run of Russia's strategic nuclear deterrence forces. The conflict has revived Cold War-era fears of nuclear war across the region. In August, a Ukrainian official said that 9,000 Ukrainian military personnel had been killed, though another source said the number could be far higher. (President Zelensky previously estimated that 30% of Ukraine's power stations have been damaged or destroyed, although the figure is now likely to be greater.) In a wide-ranging answer, Putin had offered, almost as an aside, that Russian victims of nuclear war "will go to heaven as martyrs" while Western citizens would perish without having "time to repent."

☆ Russian Leaders Welcome Referendum Result as Ukraine Conflict Deepens
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Ann M. Simmons | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

MOSCOW—Russian leaders have been quick to welcome the outcome of the the referendums that pave the way for occupied regions of Ukraine to be incorporated in the Russian Federation, escalating the conflict with Kyiv and Western governments, which have dismissed the votes as a sham. Vyacheslav Volodin , speaker of the State Duma, wrote on Telegram Wednesday that the outcome would “save millions of people from genocide,” after results released Tuesday evening claimed to show that Russian-controlled Luhansk and areas of Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia overwhelmingly supported becoming part of Russia.

☆ Ukraine annexation votes to end amid Russian mobilisation exodus
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

A man walks with his bicycle past banners informing about a referendum on the joining of Russian-controlled regions of Ukraine to Russia, in the Russian-controlled city of Melitopol in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine September 26, 2022. The mobilisation has also seen the first sustained criticism of the authorities within state-controlled media since the war began. Over the weekend, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia would defend any territory it annexes using any weapons in its arsenal. Even traditional Russian allies such as Serbia and Kazakhstan have said they will not recognise the annexation votes. When it held a referendum in Crimea after seizing that peninsula in 2014, it declared 97% of people had voted for annexation.

☆ Senior Russian lawmakers express concern over Putin's mobilization drive 'excesses'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( Hyder Abbasi | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Amid increasing public anger about Russia's mobilization drive, two of the country's most senior lawmakers ordered regional officials to solve the “excesses” that have stoked protests and seen flocks of military-age men attempt to flee. “Appeals are coming in,” Volodin, speaker of the Duma, Russia’s lower chamber of Parliament, said in a post Sunday. Russian State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin in St. Petersburg in April. It said hundreds of people had been detained by police across Russia for protesting against the mobilization and the war. The territory controlled by Russian or Russian-backed forces in the four regions represents about 15% of Ukrainian territory.

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