Tens of thousands of people in the Russian Far East city of Khabarovsk took to the streets on Saturday, protesting the arrest of the region’s governor on charges of involvement in multiple murders. Local media estimated the rally in the city 6100 kilometres (3800 miles) east of Moscow attracted from …
Read More »Thousands march in Russian city after governor arrested for allegedly ordering murders
Tens of thousands of protesters marched through the eastern Russian city of Khabarovsk on Saturday in support of a popular local governor arrested this week for allegedly ordering several murders. A court in Moscow on Friday ruled to hold 50-year-old Sergei Furgal for two months pending trial for the murders …
Read More »Russians voters agree on Putin’s constitutional changes
A majority of Russians approved amendments to Russia’s constitution in a weeklong vote ending Wednesday, allowing president Vladimir Putin to hold power until 2036. With most of the nation’s polls closed and 15% of precincts counted, 71% voted for the changes, according to election officials. For the first time in …
Read More »Russia is lifting a ban on the Telegram private messenger app
The app has been officially blocked in Russia since April 2018 when the tech company refused to provide security services with backdoor encryption keys. In reality, Russian authorities struggled to enforce the ban, with Telegram moving to hide traffic behind mobile IP addresses. In often clumsy attempts to block access, …
Read More »Russia’s coronavirus infections near 450,000
Russia reported 8,726 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Friday, pushing the total number of infections to 449,834. Officials said 144 people had died in the last 24 hours, bringing the official nationwide death toll to 5,528.
Read More »Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has reportedly been taken ill with Covid-19
Rumors of the strongman’s evacuation to Moscow on private jet have been circling in anonymous social media channels since Wednesday. But tentative confirmation only came on Thursday, with Russian news agency Interfax citing an unnamed hospital source saying he was hospitalized with suspected Covid-19. Mr. Kadyrov’s press secretary was unavailable …
Read More »Putin says fourth minister had coronavirus after cases pass 250,000
President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday Russia’s education minister had caught the new coronavirus, making him at least the sixth senior official to be swept up in the pandemic that has officially infected more than 250,000 people nationwide. But Anna Popova, a senior health official, said Russia had managed to …
Read More »Russia now has second-highest virus case total
Russia has confirmed more than 232,000 cases of coronavirus – the second-highest toll in the world. In the last 24 hours the country has reported 10,899 infections, the tenth consecutive day that number has been above 10,000. Among the infected is President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov, local media report. …
Read More »‘Russia ready to provide Iraq with S-400 missiles if requested’
Russian Ambassador to Iraq Maksim Maksimov says Moscow is prepared to provide Baghdad with advanced S-400 air defense missile systems once the country makes an official request for the military hardware. “The Russian side has, thus far, not received an official request in this regard. There is no doubt that …
Read More »Coronavirus crisis under full control in Russia: Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin says the coronavirus pandemic is under full control in his country, adding that Moscow has all the necessary resources to protect people’s health and support the economy under these circumstances. “All levels of power are working in an organized, responsible and timely way,” Putin said in …
Read More »Russian Lawmakers Adopt Putin’s Sweeping Constitutional Amendments
Russian MPs have given a final nod to a package of constitutional amendments proposed by President Vladimir Putin which include giving broader powers to the parliament and tightening background checks on top officials. During the third and final reading on Wednesday, the State Duma passed the bill amending Russia’s basic …
Read More »Boeing plane makes hard landing in northwest Russia, no injuries
A Boeing 737 airliner with 96 people on board made a hard landing in northwestern Russia on Sunday due to a problem with the chassis, emergency officials and aviation authorities said. Nobody was injured when a UTair aircraft, en route from Moscow, landed at the airport of Usinsk, a town …
Read More »Russia’s PM and government resign as Putin proposes changes to the constitution
Russia’s government has resigned to allow President Vladimir Putin to make sweeping constitutional changes which could allow him to remain in power after his current term. The 67-year-old has been in the top job for 20 years, longer than any other Russian or Soviet leader since Josef Stalin. Prime Minister …
Read More »Russia ‘successfully tests’ its unplugged internet
Russia has successfully tested Runet, a country-wide alternative to the global internet, its government has announced. Details of what the test involved were vague but, according to the Ministry of Communications, ordinary users did not notice any changes. The results will now be presented to President Putin. Experts remain concerned …
Read More »Putin opens Russian rail route to annexed Crimea
President Vladimir Putin on Monday opened a rail route linking Russia’s two biggest cities to Crimea, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014, and said it proved that the country could deliver on giant infrastructure projects. Putin inaugurated the passenger service by personally taking a train across the road and …
Read More »Deadly shooting at Moscow’s spy agency HQ.
At least one person has been killed after a gunman opened fire near the headquarters of Russia’s main intelligence agency in Moscow, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported. At least five people were injured in the shooting near the Federal Security Service (FSB) building on Thursday, according to the …
Read More »19 killed, 21 injured in Russia after commuter bus plummets from a bridge into frozen river.
A packed bus ruptured a tire and skidded off a bridge, landing upside down in a frozen river in Russia, killing at least 19 passengers. Rescuers are fighting to free survivors as the vehicle remains at risk of becoming submerged. The bus fell six meters (about 20 feet) from a …
Read More »128,000 troops participate in massive Russia, China & India drill.
Moscow has launched a large-scale military exercise alongside China and India, with maneuvers spanning from the Caspian Sea to Central Asia. The Tsentr-2019 (Center-2019) drill, which kicked off on Monday, amasses around 128,000 troops, with more than 20,000 pieces of hardware, conducting maneuvers in southern Russia and Central Asia. Russian …
Read More »Watch Russian SU-35 put on a dazzling display in Turkish sky.
Russia’s SU-35 fighter jet flies in Turkish airspace during Teknofest Istanbul Aerospace and Technology Festival as Ankara looks for alternatives after being removed from the US F-35 fighter jet program in response to its purchase of S-400 missile systems delivered by Moscow. (Source: AFP)
Read More »Russia, Ukraine exchange prisoners in a bid to ease tension.
Planes with former detainees landed in Moscow and Kiev, concluding the long-awaited prisoner swap. The action was hailed as the first step in mending the ‘dead-end’ relations between the neighbors and was praised internationally. Despite many delays and setbacks, the swap finally happened on Saturday. The government plane carrying the …
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