Russia

The New York Daily News reports: The Russian athlete who wore an inflammatory letter “Z” on his leotard while receiving a medal alongside an athlete from Ukraine — which is being invaded by Russian forces — said he’d do it again. Speaking to state sponsored Russian outlet RT in an interview out Tuesday, gymnast Ivan Kuliak, 20, painted himself as …

The Associated Press reports: McDonald’s said Tuesday it is temporarily closing all of its 850 restaurants in Russia in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine. The burger giant said it will continue paying its 62,000 employees in Russia “who have poured their heart and soul into our McDonald’s brand.” But in an open letter to employees, McDonald’s President and …

The New York Times reports: President Biden is expected on Tuesday morning to ban the importation of Russian oil into the United States, a senior administration official said, making the move after pressure from lawmakers in both parties to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Mr. Biden is scheduled to make the announcement at 10:45 a.m. Tuesday from the …

The Associated Press reports: President Joe Biden has decided to ban Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia’s economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine, according to a person familiar with the matter. Biden was set to announce the move as soon as Tuesday, the person said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter before …

CNBC News reports: Oil major Shell on Tuesday apologized for a buying a heavily discounted consignment of Russian oil and announced it was withdrawing from its involvement in all Russian hydrocarbons. “As an immediate first step, the company will stop all spot purchases of Russian crude oil. It will also shut its service stations, aviation fuels and lubricants operations in …

The Moscow Times reports: The head of Russia’s Orthodox Church appeared to blame liberal Western values — drawing particular attention to gay pride parades — for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in his Sunday sermon. Kirill said the war is about “which side of God humanity will be on” in the divide between supporters of gay pride events — or the …

The Insider reports: A former campaign staffer for US Sen. Rand Paul has been charged with channeling money from Russia into the 2016 presidential election, the US Department of Justice said Monday. In an unsealed indictment, dated September 9, prosecutors allege Jesse Benton “conspired to illegally funnel thousands of dollars of foreign money from a Russian foreign national” into the …

The New York Times reports: Global stocks slid on Monday as attacks on Ukraine escalated and governments considered ever-stricter economic penalties on Russia, including cutting off imports of Russian oil. It was Wall Street’s worst day in nearly two years. The S&P 500 fell 3 percent, its sharpest daily decline since May 2020. The Nasdaq composite dropped 3.6 percent and …

Politico Europe reports: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday pushed back hard against calls from the U.S. and Ukraine for a ban on imports of Russian gas and oil as part of international sanctions on Moscow. One of the darkest ironies of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine is that Europe is helping fund the Kremlin’s war machine through …

From Quinnipiac Polling: At nearly the end of week two of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as the U.S. and its allies consider ratcheting up sanctions against Russia, Americans say 71 – 22 percent that they would support a ban on Russian oil even if it meant higher gasoline prices in the United States. There is broad support (79 – 14 …

Religion News Service reports: As Pope Francis continued attempts to mediate the conflict in Ukraine, former Vatican envoy and outspoken papal critic Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò released a letter Monday, blaming “deep state” forces in the United States, the European Union and NATO for triggering the current war and demonizing Russia. “The United States of America and the European States …

Reuters reports: More than 1.7 million Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion have so far crossed into Central Europe, the United Nation’s refugee agency said on Monday, as thousands more streamed across the borders. Poland – which has the largest Ukrainian community in Central Europe – has received more than 1 million Ukrainian refugees since the conflict began on Feb. 24, with …

Politico Europe reports: Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced he had approved a new law today offering financial help for those housing refugees and a loosening of visa requirements, allowing Ukrainians to stay and work in the country for 18 months. “Poles have opened their doors and hearts to refugees from Ukraine … [but] help for our neighbors cannot be only …

The Guardian reports: Gymnastics’ governing body has condemned the “shocking behaviour” of the Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak, who now faces a lengthy ban for wearing a symbol in support of the invasion of Ukraine on the medal podium of a World Cup event. After winning bronze in the parallel bars final at the Apparatus World Cup in Doha, Kuliak taped …

The Washington Post reports: Moscow’s proposed evacuation routes to Russia and Belarus are “unacceptable,” Ukraine said, insisting that civilians fleeing battle zones should be allowed to reach western Ukraine or European Union countries. Russia announced six evacuation routes from several Ukrainian cities, including the capital, Kyiv, and hard-hit Kharkiv and Mariupol — four leading to either Russia or its ally, …

The Hill reports: An outside group headed by former Vice President Mike Pence will spend $10 million on new advertisements tying potentially vulnerable House Democrats to the Biden administration. The advertisements, airing in eleven states, urge incumbent Democrats to support American energy production rather than relying on Russian oil. “Before Russian bombs began to rain on Ukraine, before hundreds of …

CNN Business reports: American Express is the latest credit card company to announce it is ending its operations in Russia as its invasion into Ukraine escalates. Late on Sunday, the company said in a statement that globally issued American Express cards will no longer work in Russia, and cards issued in Russia won’t work outside the country. American Express also …

Reuters reports: Russia boycotted hearings at the U.N.’s highest court on Monday during which Ukraine is seeking an emergency order to halt hostilities, arguing that Moscow has falsely applied genocide law to justify its invasion. Hearings began at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) without legal representation for Russia. “The fact that Russia’s seats are empty speaks loudly. They are …

Via email from Gab CEO Andrew Torba: The entire nation state of Russia is getting the “Gab treatment” by Big Tech and the globalist regime. By that I mean they are being systematically purged from the internet all within the span of about a week. Google is blocking their apps. Apple is blocking their apps. Other nation states should be …

The Verge reports: Elon Musk — the man whose Tesla and Tesla Solar have basically devoted their existence to competing with gas-guzzling cars, oil, and coal, and which briefly reached a market cap of $1 trillion and delivered nearly 1 million EVs last year — is now publicly in favor of increasing oil and gas production. It is always hard …