Russia Archives - Page 5 of 8

27Sep

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Europe, News, Russia, Technology

EU Accuses Russia of Cyber Attacks

The European Union says it may be taking action against Russia over hacking activities. This includes the so-called 'Ghostwriter' campaign that was supposed to manipulate the German elections. It has been known for some time that Russia uses all kinds of cyber agents, but the EU is now explicitly pointing the finger at the country because of the Ghostwriter campaign. The organization reports this in a press release. During that campaign, several MPs, government officials, politicians and journalists were attacked, including hacking into their computers and personal accounts. Data would also have been stolen, according to the European Council. In the communication, the Council also states that 'further steps' will be taken, but the organization does not elaborate on those steps. ...

Russian President Vladimir Putin in Quarantine After Corona Infections in His Entourage

14Sep

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Russia, News

Russian President Vladimir Putin in Quarantine After Corona Infections in His Entourage

Russian President Vladimir Putin is quarantined after several corona infections were found in his entourage. The Kremlin announced this on Tuesday. "Due to confirmed corona infections in his entourage, Vladimir Putin must respect a regime of self-isolation for a certain period of time," the Kremlin said in a statement. The Russian president will therefore not attend a regional summit in Tajikistan in person. President Putin is said to be in "perfect health," the Kremlin said. On Monday evening, President Putin met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the first time since 2015.

Russia Threatens Apple and Google with Fines for Navalny App

3Sep

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Technology, News, Russia

Russia Threatens Apple and Google with Fines for Navalny App

Russian media and internet regulator Roskomnadzor threatens fines for Apple and Google if they do not remove the app of the detained opposition leader Aleksei Navalny from their app stores. A Russian court previously banned Navalny's anti-corruption foundation because the foundation is extremist. Navalny's websites were already blocked by Roskomnadzor, after which supporters of the Kremlin critic posted messages on the app. The government of President Vladimir Putin is doing everything it can to hinder the opposition in the run-up to parliamentary elections later this month. Navalny, 45, was sent to a penal camp earlier this year after returning from Germany. He was treated there for poisoning. By this treatment, he violated the provisions of his suspended sentence. As a result,...

Putin: British Naval Ship Wanted to Test Russian Response

30Jun

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Russia, News, UK

Putin: British Naval Ship Wanted to Test Russian Response

The British naval vessel that Moscow said illegally entered Russian waters in the Black Sea near Crimea earlier this month did so to observe in detail the response of Russian forces. President Vladimir Putin said so on Wednesday. "This was, of course, a provocation," Putin said in his annual televised question-and-answer session after the British ambassador in Moscow had previously been questioned. "Even if we had sunk the British destroyer near Crimea, it is unlikely that the world would have been on the brink of World War III," he added. The warship HMS Defender sailed in a maritime zone that most countries consider belonging to Ukraine, but the Russians have claimed that sea area since the annexation of Crimea in 2014. According to the recent discovery of confidential military...

Antony Blinken: Moscow Must Stop Aggressive Actions Against Ukraine

6May

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

US, News, Russia, Ukraine

Antony Blinken: Moscow Must Stop Aggressive Actions Against Ukraine

US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken calls on Russia to stop its "reckless and aggressive actions" against Ukraine. He did this during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski in Kyiv. Blinken's visit comes just after Russia gathered more than 100,000 soldiers at the border with Ukraine last month. That was the largest mobilization of Russian forces since Moscow annexed Ukrainian Crimea in 2014 and war broke out in Eastern Ukraine. Kyiv said the military was threatened with "the destruction of the Ukrainian state," while Moscow said the military exercises at the border were not a cause for concern. Now that those exercises are over, the soldiers are leaving. Zelenski does not think that is going fast enough. "There may still be a threat," he said. "Nobody wants these s...

EU is Not Yet Working on New Sanctions Against Russia

19Apr

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Europe, News, Russia

EU is Not Yet Working on New Sanctions Against Russia

The countries of the European Union have no plans for the time being to expel Russian officials. They are "unanimous" behind the Czech Republic, which on Saturday expelled 18 Russians because Russia allegedly had a hand in the sabotage of an ammunition depot. The Czech Republic has not asked other member states to take similar measures, says EU foreign chief Josep Borrell. For the time being, there will also be no new sanctions against Russia for the way Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny is being treated or for the contraction of 150,000 soldiers on the Ukrainian border. "Things can change, but the situation is now like this," said Borrell after discussions with EU foreign ministers. The situation in Ukraine is "clearly very worrisome". Never before have there been so many Russian...

Russian Prison Service: the State of Navalny is Stable

25Mar

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Russia, News

Russian Prison Service: the State of Navalny is Stable

Russian authorities say the situation of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny is stable. The politician's allies had warned that Navalny's health has deteriorated and that his lawyers should not visit him. Navalny is serving a 2.5-year sentence in a Russian penal colony. His chief of staff, Leonid Volkov, said on Wednesday that the opposition leader has been suffering from severe back pain since late last week. He would also no longer be able to walk due to complaints about his leg. Prison authorities only gave Navalny two pills, according to the chief of staff. The Russian prison service later announced that Navalny had undergone a medical examination. His condition has been described as "stable and satisfactory". Supporters of the politician are not reassured. "Now we ...

Navalny is Expected in Court on Wednesday for the Libel Case

19Jan

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Russia, News

Navalny is Expected in Court on Wednesday for the Libel Case

The Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is expected in court on Wednesday, according to his lawyer, because of an ongoing case in which the Kremlin critic is accused of libel. He is said to have discredited a World War II veteran. A commission of inquiry that usually investigates war crimes has looked into the case, saying Navalny has "questioned the honour and dignity of the veteran." The man said in a commercial that he favours the constitutional change that will allow President Vladimir Putin to remain in power until 2036. Navalny posted that video to Twitter, calling all the people in the video "a disgrace to our country" and "traitors without a conscience". The Kremlin critic was arrested last weekend when he returned to Russia for not complying with his suspended pri...

AstraZeneca Will Look With Russians At Combining Vaccines

11Dec

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Russia, News

AstraZeneca Will Look With Russians At Combining Vaccines

The British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca will investigate whether the corona vaccine, developed together with the University of Oxford, can be combined with the Russian Sputnik V vaccine. AstraZeneca is entering into a collaboration with the Gamaleja Institute, which developed the Russian vaccine. The Sputnik V corona vaccine is more than 90 percent effective, according to the developers, while that of AstraZeneca has an effectiveness of more than 70 percent. This may also be increased to 90 percent through a combination of doses, but this is still being investigated. The developers of the Russian vaccine had already proposed on Twitter last month to combine the two vaccines. Both the Oxford vaccine and the Russian vaccine are based on a harmless virus to instruct...

Billion Dollar Payout Russia to Yukos Owners Must Continue

4Dec

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Russia, News

Billion Dollar Payout Russia to Yukos Owners Must Continue

Former shareholders of the Russian oil company Yukos may continue to claim 57 billion dollars in damages from Russia. The Russian state asked the Supreme Court to suspend the payment of that compensation as long as an appeal case is still pending with the highest judicial body in the Netherlands. That request was denied. Yukos was one of Russia's largest oil and gas companies. The company was nationalized at the beginning of this century after the arrest and conviction of its owner Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who went behind bars for fraud and large-scale tax evasion. After the nationalization of the company, it was sold in parts to competitors. The former shareholders were left empty-handed. In an arbitration case, which took place in The Hague, the Russian government was ordered in...