Tag Archives: Russia

The Daily Beast reports: The tragicomic tale of a down-on-his-luck Texan who reinvented himself as a renegade war hero in a fake Russian republic took an unexpected turn this week when he was allegedly abducted by Russian troops—after apparently being accused of being a CIA spy. Russell Bentley, also known as “Texas,” is perhaps the last person one would expect …

Reuters reports: The FBI is concerned about the possibility of an organized attack in the United States similar to the one that killed scores at a Russian concert hall last month, the bureau’s director plans to tell a House of Representatives panel on Thursday. “Looking back over my career in law enforcement, I’d be hard pressed to think of a …

Politico Europe reports: Chechnya, we have bad blood. The culture ministry of the Russian republic recently announced it is banning any songs that are too up-tempo — or down-tempo — in a bid to conform with the country’s musical traditions and root out any hint of Westernization. “From now on all musical, vocal and choreographic works should correspond to a …

The Washington Post reports: Former president Donald Trump has privately said he could end Russia’s war in Ukraine by pressuring Ukraine to give up some territory, according to people familiar with the plan. Some foreign policy experts said Trump’s idea would reward Russian President Vladimir Putin and condone the violation of internationally recognized borders by force. Trump’s proposal consists of …

The Daily Beast reports: Appearing on CNN’s State of the Union, Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) affirmed a fellow Republican colleague’s statement that pro-Russia and anti-Ukraine messaging had penetrated the party base in Congress. That colleague, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Mike McCaul (R-TX), criticized conservative news outlets when he said, “Russian propaganda has made its way into the United States, …

The Christian Post reports: The World Russian People’s Council, led by Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill, has labeled President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine as a “holy” endeavor, seemingly aiming to bring the region under Russian dominion. The declaration frames the war as a key moment in Russia’s battle against the “criminal Kiev regime” and Western “Satanism,” calling it a …

The Guardian reports: Donald Trump’s social media company Trump Media managed to go public last week only after it had been kept afloat in 2022 by emergency loans provided in part by a Russian-American businessman under scrutiny in a federal insider-trading and money-laundering investigation. Through leaked documents, the Guardian has learned that ES Family Trust operated like a shell company …

CNN reports: Within hours of opposition leader Alexey Navalny’s death in February in a Russian prison, a group of anti-Kremlin hackers went looking for revenge. Using their access to a computer network tied to Russia’s prison system, the hackers plastered a photo of Navalny on the hacked prison contractor’s website, according to interviews with the hackers, screenshots and data reviewed by CNN. …

Reuters reports: Iran tipped off Russia about the possibility of a major “terrorist operation” on its soil ahead of the concert hall massacre near Moscow last month, three sources familiar with the matter said. In the deadliest attack inside Russia in 20 years, gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons at concertgoers on March 22 at the Crocus City Hall, killing …

Politico Europe reports: The draft legislation, set out by the governing Georgian Dream party on Monday, aims to prohibit people from changing their gender, as well as outlaw same-sex couples from adopting children. According to Georgian Dream’s executive chair Mamuka Mdinaradze, Georgia’s constitution should be amended to allow marriage only of “a union of a single genetic male and a …

The Associated Press reports: Russian authorities arrested the four men suspected of carrying out the attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed at least 133 people, President Vladimir Putin said Saturday during an address to the nation. He claimed they were captured while fleeing to Ukraine. Kyiv strongly denied any involvement in Friday’s attack on the Crocus City …

CNN reports: ISIS has claimed responsibility for an attack at a popular concert venue complex near Moscow Friday that left at least 40 dead and more than 100 wounded after assailants stormed the venue with guns and incendiary devices. The terror group took responsibility for the attack in a short statement published by ISIS-affiliated news agency Amaq on Telegram on …

The Guardian reports: At least a dozen people have been killed and many more wounded according to unofficial reports in the worst terror attack in Russia in years, as gunmen in combat fatigues opened fire and detonated explosives in a big concert hall in Moscow. Photos showed the Crocus City Music Hall engulfed in flames as videos emerged from the …

The Moscow Times reports: Russian authorities have arrested employees of a gay club as part of the country’s first criminal “extremism” case against members of the LGBTQ+ community, a court in the city of Orenburg said Wednesday. Kremlin-aligned conservative activist Yekaterina Mizulina earlier this week announced criminal charges in connection with the LGBTQ+ club Pose’s activities. Nationalist, pro-war activists said …

The Insider reports: On Tuesday, the House overwhelmingly passed a resolution to condemn Russia’s abduction of Ukrainian children in the two years since the war began. Nine Republicans voted against the resolution. Sponsored by Democratic Rep. Susan Wild of Pennsylvania, the resolution holds the Russian government “responsible for the wrongful and illegal kidnapping of children from Ukraine” and states that …

Politico Europe reports: France wants Russia to observe a cease-fire in Ukraine during this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview with Ukrainian television on Saturday. “This is a message of peace,” Macron said, before a voiceover interpreter quoted the French president as saying that France is doing so in line with the spirit …

The Daily Beast reports: The Russian ambassador to the United States says he plans to complain to American officials about security failings at the embassy in Washington, D.C. on Sunday as voters cast their ballots in the Russian presidential election. Anatoly Antanov told reporters that “traitors” were allowed “to block the entrance to the Russian embassy and interfere with Russian …

Politico Europe reports: Vladimir Putin tightened his grip on power, claiming another six-year term as Russian president after a brutally distorted election in which all serious challengers were wiped out before voting began. With 30 percent of ballots counted, Putin’s tally stood at 87.68% of the vote, election officials announced on Sunday. Putin’s victory was never in doubt. But this …

CBS News reports: Federal prosecutors were put on notice as far back as 2016 that Alexander Smirnov, the confidential FBI informant whose alleged lies about President Biden’s business dealings fueled — and then damaged — a Republican impeachment effort, was a known “liar and a fraudster.” Smirnov, 43, was indicted last month for allegedly fabricating a story about President Biden …

Reuters reports: Russians cast their ballots across the country’s 11 time zones on Friday, the start of a three-day election that is almost certain to hand Vladimir Putin six more years at the helm of the world’s biggest nuclear power. Amid the Ukraine war, the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War Two, the 71-year-old Kremlin chief dominates Russia’s political …