Tag Archives: Russia

NYT: Putin Is Signaling Openness To Ukraine Ceasefire

The New York Times reports: Mr. Putin has been signaling through intermediaries since at least September that he is open to a cease-fire that freezes the fighting along the current lines, far short of his ambitions to dominate Ukraine, two former senior Russian officials close to the Kremlin and American and international officials who have received the message from Mr. …

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Three-Time Putin Challenger Won’t Run In 2024 Race

Bloomberg News reports: Veteran Russian pro-democracy politician Grigory Yavlinsky decided against running in the upcoming presidential race in which Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to secure a crushing victory. Yavlinsky, 71, the three-time candidate, won’t take part in the election, his press service said Saturday. He would only consider running if he got 10 million signatures to support his …

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Binder Of Russian Intel “Disappeared” Under Trump

CNN reports: A binder containing highly classified information related to Russian election interference went missing at the end of Donald Trump’s presidency, raising alarms among intelligence officials that some of the most closely guarded national security secrets from the US and its allies could be exposed, sources familiar with the matter told CNN. Its disappearance, which has not been previously …

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Finland To Sign Defense Agreement With United States

Reuters reports: Finland will on Monday Dec. 18 sign a defence cooperation agreement with the United States, the Finnish government said on Thursday, to grant the U.S. military broad access across the Nordic country to the vicinity of its long border with Russia. Russia’s Nordic neighbour Finland became the NATO military alliance’s newest member earlier this year in response to …

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Pro-Putin Polish MP Destroys Hanukkah Display [Video]

The Associated Press reports: A far-right lawmaker in the Polish parliament used a fire extinguisher on Tuesday and put out candles on a menorah that was lit for the Jewish holiday Hanukkah. All major political forces quickly denounced the incident carried out by Grzegorz Braun, and said there would be no tolerance for antisemitic and xenophobic behavior in the Polish …

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TODAY: Zelensky Pleads For More Aid In DC Meetings

Reuters reports: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Tuesday plans a last-ditch plea to U.S. lawmakers to keep military support flowing as he battles Russia, in visits to the White House and Capitol Hill. Heading into winter, with tens of thousands of Ukrainians dead, a yawning budget deficit and Russian advances in the east, Zelenskiy is scheduled to press U.S. lawmakers …

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Zelensky To Meet With Senators And Mike Johnson

Axios reports: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet in person with senators in both parties and House Speaker Mike Johnson during a visit to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. The Ukrainian president’s visit to Congress comes as lawmakers remain at an impasse over an emergency national security spending package that includes roughly $60 billion for Ukraine. Congress has just one week …

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Vladimir Putin Confirms He’ll Seek Reelection In 2024

CNBC reports: Incumbent Russian leader Vladimir Putin has confirmed he will run in the national presidential elections of 2024, state news agency Tass reported, according to a Google translation. Putin has run Russia for roughly 24 years, alternatively serving as prime minister and president since 1999. Securing another presidential mandate in 2024 would see him remain at the helm of …

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US Charges Four Russians With Torturing American

The Messenger reports: The Department of Justice on Wednesday filed its first official war-crimes charges against four Russian men accused of torturing an American in Ukraine amid the ongoing Russian invasion of the country. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the charges at a press conference that was described as an event to announce “significant humans rights actions.” It also featured …

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Moscow Police Raid Multiple LGBTQ Bars And Clubs

ABC News reports: Russian security forces raided gay clubs and bars across Moscow Friday night, less than 48 hours after the country’s top court banned what it called the “global LGBTQ+ movement” as an extremist organization. Police searched venues across the Russian capital, including a nightclub, a male sauna, and a bar that hosted LGBTQ+ parties, under the pretext of …

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Russian High Court Bans LGBTQ Activism As “Extremist”

Reuters reports: Russia’s Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that LGBT activists should be designated as extremists, in a move that representatives of gay and transgender people fear will lead to arrests and prosecutions. A Reuters reporter in court heard it announce that it had approved a request from the justice ministry to recognise what it called “the international LGBT social …

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Putin: Russian Women Should Have Eight Children

The Insider reports: Russian President Vladimir Putin is urging women to have as many as eight children as the number of dead Russian soldiers continues to rise in his war with Ukraine, worsening the country’s population crisis. Addressing the World Russian People’s Council in Moscow on Tuesday, Putin said the country must return to a time when large families were …

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Russian General, Wife Found Dead In Bed: “Mysterious”

The New York Post reports: A decorated Russian general who previously blasted President Vladimir Putin for running a “third-rate” air force has died under mysterious circumstances alongside his wife. Lt. Gen. Vladimir Sviridov, 68 — who commanded Russia’s 6th Army of the Air Force and Air Defense from 2005 to 2009 — was found dead in bed Wednesday at his …

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Russia Seeks To Ban “LGBT Movement” As Extremists

The BBC reports: Russia’s justice ministry has filed a motion with the country’s Supreme Court to ban the activities of what it calls the “international LGBT public movement” as extremist. It is unclear whether the ministry’s statement refers to the LGBT community as a whole or specific organisations. It said the movement had shown signs of “extremist activity”, including inciting …

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Ukraine Charges Top Giuliani Crony With Treason

Politico Europe reports: A Ukrainian MP who in 2019 helped former U.S. President Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani in his search for dirt on Joe and Hunter Biden has been charged with treason. Oleksandr Dubinsky, together with ex-Ukrainian lawmaker Andriy Derkach and ex-prosecutor Kostyantyn Kulyk, had joined an organization formed by chiefs of Russia’s Military Intelligence (GRU), Ukraine’s Security Service …

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Russian Hackers Breached State Records In Maine

The Hill reports: About 1.3 million people were affected by a data breach in Maine earlier this year, the state revealed Thursday. The breach was part of a massive cyberattack in May that exploited a vulnerability in the widely used MOVEit file-transfer system. Maine said the affected data included names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, driver’s license or state …

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Zelensky Challenges Trump To Visit Ukraine And Learn How His Claim He’ll End The War In 24 Hours Is Idiotic

“Former President Trump said that [in] about 24 hours, that he can manage it and finish the war. For me, what can I say? So he’s very welcome as well. President Biden was here, and he — I think he understood some details which you can understand only being here. If he can come here, I will need 24 minutes …

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Politico: “Trump Still Can’t Find Hungary On A Map”

Politico Europe reports: Someone get Donald Trump a map! Less than a week after the former U.S. president confused Hungary and Turkey — calling Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán the leader of Turkey — Trump got Hungary’s borders all wrong. “Did anybody ever hear of Viktor Orbán? He’s the head of Hungary. Hungary fronts on both Ukraine and Russia,” Trump …

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Russians Donated To Johnson Through Texas Company

Newsweek reports: A group of Russian nationals were able to donate to newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson’s campaign in 2018 by funneling the money through a U.S. company. The Texas-based American Ethane company previously donated tens of thousands of dollars to the campaigns of Louisiana Republicans including Johnson, who was voted by the House to replace Rep. Kevin McCarthy …

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Mob Storms Russian Airport In Search Of Israeli Jews

CBS News reports: Hundreds of people stormed into the main airport in Russia’s Dagestan region and onto the landing field Sunday, chanting antisemitic slogans and seeking passengers arriving on a flight from Tel Aviv, Israel, Russian news agencies and social media reported. Russian news reports said the crowd surrounded the airliner, which belonged to Russian carrier Red Wings. Authorities closed …

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