Russia

The Daily Beast reports: As the United States increasingly goes after some of the Kremlin’s business tentacles, the latest person arrested for violating U.S. sanctions against Russia is a former Fox News director who left to launch a Russian propaganda network. The Department of Justice on Thursday revealed that Jack Hanick was quietly arrested in London on Feb. 3 for …

Reuters reports: A huge blaze at the site of Europe’s biggest nuclear power station was extinguished on Friday, and officials said the plant in southeastern Ukraine was operating normally after it was seized by Russian forces in fighting that caused global alarm. Officials said the fire at the Zaporizhzhia compound was in a training centre, not at the plant itself. …

The Insider reports: A Russian investor has put a $1 million bounty on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s head, asking for Russian military officers to arrest Putin as a war criminal. “I promise to pay $1,000,000 to the officer(s) who, complying with their constitutional duty, arrest(s) Putin as a war criminal under Russian and international laws,” said crypto investor and California-based …

Reuters reports: As Russian troops slowly advanced on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv on Thursday, some people back in Moscow were attempting to flee to destinations abroad that have not banned flights from Russia, stomaching soaring prices in the rush to escape. The Kremlin dismissed speculation that Russian authorities plan to introduce martial law following the invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls …

CNN reports: RT America will cease productions and lay off most of its staff, according to a memo from T&R Productions, the production company behind the Russian state-funded network, which CNN obtained. Misha Solodovnikov, the general manager of T&R Productions, told staff in the memo that it will be “ceasing production” at all of its locations “as a result of …

The Associated Press reports: A member of Ukraine’s delegation in talks with Russia says the parties have reached a tentative agreement to organize safe corridors for civilians to evacuate and for humanitarian supplies to be delivered. Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who took part in Thursday’s talks in Belarus near the Polish border, said that Russia …

The Daily Beast reports: The Russian state-owned news channel RT has found a new host after being dropped by TV distributors to stop the spread of Ukraine invasion propaganda: Rumble, the MAGA ripoff of YouTube. Rumble is a YouTube clone that has been favored by right-wing users of Parler, and it’s previously received investment from pro-Trump venture capitalists Peter Thiel …

Via press release from the Sabre Corporation: Sabre Corporation, a leading software and technology company in the travel industry, today announced that it has terminated its distribution agreement with Aeroflot, the largest government-majority owned carrier in Russia . Sabre is taking immediate steps to remove Aeroflot flight content from its global distribution system (GDS), a marketplace used by travel agencies, …

Reuters reports: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday he believed some foreign leaders were preparing for war against Russia and that Moscow would press on with its military operation in Ukraine until “the end”. Offering no evidence to back up his remarks in an interview with state television, a week after Russian invaded Ukraine, he also accused Ukrainian …

Reuters reports: The Moscow branch of a Chinese state bank has seen a surge in enquiries from Russian firms wanting to open new accounts, a person familiar with the matter said, as the country’s businesses struggle with international sanctions after its invasion of Ukraine. “Over the past few days, 200-300 companies have approached us, wanting to open new accounts,” the …

The Louisville Courier-Journal reports: When the House passed a resolution Wednesday night to declare support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, only three votes were in opposition. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky was one of them. The resolution passed near-unanimously with a 426-3 vote. Three Republicans voted in opposition: Massie, Raul Gosar (Arizona) and Matt Rosendale (Montana). The resolution calls for an immediate …

CNBC reports: French authorities have seized a yacht they say is linked to Russian oligarch Igor Sechin. “Thanks to the French customs officers who are enforcing the European Union’s sanctions against those close to the Russian government,” France’s Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said in a tweet Thursday, according to a Reuters translation. Sechin was included in a list, published …

“What we really need in this crisis, more than anything else, is a worldwide condemnation. “And it’s a simple new rule that if you invade an innocent sovereign country, and you kill innocent men, women and children, you don’t deserve to live. That’s the bottom line. “‘Well, Hannity, we have an executive order that prohibits assassination of foreign leaders, and …

The Wall Street Journal reports: The International Criminal Court opened an investigation into possible war crimes in Ukraine, an early step in a process that potentially could lead to Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Kremlin leaders being charged at The Hague. ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said this week he would start an investigation “as rapidly as possible,” encompassing violations …

The Daily Mail reports: Donald Trump condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a ‘holocaust’ but shied away from criticizing Vladimir Putin directly during a Wednesday morning interview. The former president instead blamed his successor Joe Biden for giving Moscow the confidence to launch its attack, telling Fox Business that ‘Putin never would have done it with me.’ Meanwhile, Russian Ambassador …

The BBC reports: Never was there a better illustration of the alternative reality presented by Russian state media than at 17:00 GMT on Tuesday. As BBC World TV opened its bulletin with reports of a Russian attack on a TV tower in the capital Kyiv, Russian TV was announcing that Ukraine was responsible for strikes on its own cities. “Judging …

The Hill reports: Imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny called upon Russians to protest Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine on a daily basis. Navalny, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most prominent critics, called the president an “obviously insane tsar” in a statement published to his Twitter. “Let’s at least not become a nation of frightened silent people. Of cowards who pretend …

Reuters reports: Boeing suspended maintenance and technical support for Russian airlines and U.S. energy firm Exxon Mobil said it would exit Russia, joining a growing list of Western companies spurning Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. Airbus also stopped sending spare parts to Russia and supporting Russian airlines, but said it was analysing whether its Moscow engineering centre could keep …

From the United Nations’ refugee agency: The military offensive in Ukraine has caused destruction of civilian infrastructure and civilian casualties and has driven many thousands of people from their homes seeking safety, protection and assistance. In the first few days, more than half a million refugees from Ukraine have crossed into neighbouring countries, and there is a clear indication that …

The New York Daily News reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) has rejected a push for Florida to sell investments in Russian-owned companies in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine. The Republican governor pushed back after state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, the Sunshine State’s top elected Democrat, called on the state move to divest itself of assets tied to Russia. DeSantis …