Page 6 - Moscow

Russian volunteers join Ukrainian ranks to fight against Putin's forces

When Russia's invasion of Ukraine ignited into war, back in Moscow, a young Russian who now goes by the name of Karabas was plunged into despair. Shocked by images of what was happening to Ukrainians in Russian-occupied areas, he decided to act against Russia, his home and country. Karabas said he knew that what he was doing was drastic. He packed his bags and decided to find a way to get to Ukraine to join the ranks of Kyiv's troops fighting Russian forces. It took him almost a year to make it happen. Today, he is part of the Siberian Battalion, a unit made up of Russians who have joined Ukrainian military ranks to fight against their homeland, hoping someday to help oust Russian President Vladimir Putin. Its members hail mostly from ethnic minorities from Russia's far east. I was disillusioned with my own people," recounted Karabas, who like other fighters in the battalion spoke to The Associated Press on condition that only his military call sign be used. "That is why I wanted

Vladimir Putin announces he'll run for 5th Russian presidential term

Vladimir Putin has moved to prolong his repressive and unyielding grip on Russia for another six years. State media say he has announced his candidacy in the 2024 presidential election -- which he is all but certain to win. Putin still commands wide support after nearly a quarter-century in power, despite starting an immensely costly war in Ukraine that has taken thousands of his countrymen's lives, provoked repeated attacks inside Russia - including one on the Kremlin itself - and corroded its aura of invincibility. A short-lived rebellion in June by mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin raised widespread speculation that Putin could be losing his grip, but he emerged from it with no permanent scars.

Russia brings new charges against jailed opposition leader Navalny

Imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been handed new charges by Russian prosecutors. The 47-year-old is already serving more than 30 years in prison after being found guilty of crimes including extremism charges that his supporters characterise as politically motivated. In comments passed to his associates, Navalny said he had been charged under article 214 of Russia's penal code, which covers crimes of vandalism. I don't even know whether to describe my latest news as sad, funny or absurd, he wrote in comments on social media Friday via his team. I have no idea what Article 214 is, and there's nowhere to look. You'll know before I do. He said that the charges were part of the Kremlin's desire to initiate a new criminal case against me every three months. Never before has a convict in solitary confinement for more than a year had such a rich social and political life, he joked. Navalny is one of President Vladimir Putin's most ardent opponents, best known for campaignin

Moscow gay bars raided after Russian SC labels LGBTQ+ movement 'extremist'

Russian security forces raided gay clubs and bars across Moscow on Friday night, less than 48 hours after the country's top court banned what it called the global LGBTQ+ movement as an extremist organisation. Police searched venues across the Russian capital, including a nightclub, a male sauna, and a bar that hosted LGBTQ+ parties, under the pretext of a drug raid, local media reported. Eyewitnesses told journalists that clubgoers' documents were checked and photographed by the security services. They also said that managers had been able to warn patrons before police arrived. The raids follow a decision by Russia's Supreme Court to label the country's LGBTQ+ movement as an extremist organisation. The ruling, which was made in response to a lawsuit filed by the Justice Ministry, is the latest step in a decadelong crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights under President Vladimir Putin, who has emphasised traditional family values during his 24 years in power. Activists have noted the lawsuit wa

Ukraine war: Russia rebuts West's human rights violations charge at UN meet

Western countries on Monday repeatedly called on Russia to end domestic repression of dissident voices and end its war in Ukraine and human rights violations related to it as Russia came under a regular review at the UN's top rights body. A delegation from Moscow, led by State Secretary and Deputy Justice Minister Andrei Loginov, defended Russia's right to ensure law and order by restricting some forms of protest or voices that might threaten domestic security. He also said Russia's special military operation in Ukraine had no relation to the subject matter" at issue in the review. Monday's three-and-half-hour hearing in Geneva was part of an exercise known as the universal periodic review, or UPR, which all UN member states face about every four or five years in connection with the UN-backed Human Rights Council. Russia came under widespread international condemnation after President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February last year. Two separate teams of ...

Kremlin rejects speculation that Putin is ill and uses body doubles

The spokesman laughed in response to a further question about body doubles, and denied that Putin had any

Russia's diesel exports ban risky for Moscow, world alike as winter nears

On the face of it, the ban won't have a big impact on the Western nations that lined up to support Ukraine after Russian troops crossed the border in February 2022

China's foreign minister Wang Yi heads to Moscow after meeting US NSA

China's top foreign policy official is heading to Russia for security talks after two days of meetings with US President Joe Biden's national security adviser over the weekend in Malta. Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who simultaneously holds the ruling Communist Party's top foreign policy post, will be in Russia from Monday to Thursday for a round of China-Russia strategic security consultations, the Foreign Ministry said in a brief statement. The US and China are at odds over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. China has refrained from taking sides in the war, saying that while a country's territory must be respected, the West needs to consider Russia's security concerns about NATO expansion. It has accused the US of prolonging the fighting by providing arms to Ukraine, weaponry that the US says is needed to defend against Russian aggression. China and Russia have grown closer in recent years as relations with the West have deteriorated for both. China is looking for support as it seeks to .

Moscow ready to welcome Indian travellers with improved infrastructure

Russia is making an active bid to attract Indian travellers to visit Moscow -- a huge megalopolis and the historical, political and spiritual heart of the Russian Federation. The Moscow City Tourism Committee is promoting the city not only as a cultural capital but also as a business hub as it plans to onboard trade partners, tourists and vacationers. Moscow has also strengthened cooperation with the tourism sectors of allied nations, hosting familiarization tours for delegates and arranging business trips to showcase the city's tourism potential. To accommodate visitors, Moscow is improving its infrastructure: signs are now available in English and Chinese, all announcements on public transport are repeated in English, and hotels are also adapting to cater to the needs of guests from various countries and ensure a comfortable stay. "We are still on our way to restore the flow of Indian tourists in Moscow like it used to be before the pandemic," said Bulat Nurmukhanov, Head of ...

Moscow makes bid to woo tourists, Foreign Tourist Card in the works

To woo tourists from across the world, the Moscow City Tourism Committee is taking several measures and to address payment-related issues the Russian government is planning to come out with a virtual 'Foreign Tourist Card', that will enable cashless payments for various services. During the Covid pandemic the tourist flow to Moscow had dropped significantly. However, the number of Indian tourists visiting Moscow is slowly witnessing an uptrend and with tourist-friendly measures like e-visa this number is likely to grow in the coming months. "We are still on our way to restore the flow of Indian tourists in Moscow like it used to be before the pandemic. Before the pandemic, there was very steady growth like 12-15 per cent on a y-o-y basis," said Bulat Nurmukhanov, Head of International Cooperation Division of Moscow City Tourism Committee. Travelling to Moscow has now become easier as tourists from India and 54 other countries can apply for an electronic visa to enter Russia from ...

Moscow airports suspend flights following latest reported drone strike

A new drone attack on Moscow early Saturday forced a temporary shutdown of all three major airports serving the city, Russian state media reported. Officials blamed Ukraine for what appeared to be the latest of near-daily strikes on the Russian capital and the surrounding region. Kyiv has since early this year sought to take the 18-month-war into the heart of Russia, also saying recently that it was behind strikes on Russian military assets far behind the front lines. Russia's defense ministry and Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said that a drone was shot down over the Istra district of the Moscow region, some 50 kilometres west of Red Square. Sobyanin said in a Telegram post that there were no immediate reports of any casualties or damage. According to Russia's state Tass agency, the Sheremetevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo airports all suspended flights for over an hour early on Saturday. Russian Telegram channels on Saturday posted videos, some of them apparently from home security ...

Moscow demands bigger discounts from foreign companies exiting Russia

Companies still in the process of negotiating exits include telecoms group Veon, Nasdaq-listed tech group Yandex and Italian lender Intesa.

Moscow court extends arrest of jailed WSJ reporter Gershkovich: Report

The arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on espionage charges has been extended to November 30, Russian state news agency Tass said. Gershkovich arrived at the Moscow court Thursday in a white prison van and was led out handcuffed, wearing jeans, sneakers and a shirt. Journalists outside the court were not allowed to witness the proceedings. Tass said they were held behind closed doors because details of the criminal case are classified. The prosecution had asked to extend his arrest from August 30. He has appealed against the extensions to his detention. A 31-year-old US citizen, Gershkovich was arrested Yekaterinburg while on a reporting trip in late March. Russia's Federal Security Service said Gershkovich, acting on the instructions of the American side, collected information constituting a state secret about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex. Gershkovich and his employer deny the allegations, and the US ...

Plane crashes near Moscow, mercenary chief Prigozhin on passenger list

Earlier TASS had reported that ten people had died after a private jet crashed in Russia's Tver region north of Moscow. The jet, en route from Moscow to St Petersburg, was carrying seven passengers an

Drones downed in Moscow, surrounding region with no casualties: Officials

Russian defences downed Ukrainian drones in Moscow and the region around the capital early Wednesday, the defence ministry and the mayor said. No casualties were reported. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said one drone fell into a building under construction in Moscow City, a prestigious business complex hit by drones twice before. Several windows were broken in two buildings nearby and emergency services responded to the scene. Russia's Ministry of Defence said the drone had been electronically jammed. It blamed the attack on Ukraine and said two other drones were shot down by air defense systems in the Mozhaisk and Khimki areas of the Moscow region. Moscow airports briefly closed but have now reopened, according to Russian state media. Ukraine has since early this year sought to take the war into the heart of Russia. It has increasingly targeted Moscow's military assets behind the front lines in eastern and southern Ukraine and at the same time has launched drones against ...

Russia downs 20 drones over Crimea following a spate of attacks on Moscow

Russia thwarted an attack by 20 Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow-annexed Crimea overnight, the Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday. Fourteen drones were shot down by Russian air defenses and a further six were jammed electronically, the ministry said in a Telegram post. No casualties or damage were reported. The overnight attacks followed three consecutive days of drone attacks on the Russian capital, Moscow. Firing drones at Russia, after more than 17 months of war has little apparent military value for Ukraine, but the strategy has served to unsettle Russians and bring home to them the conflict's consequences. Drone attacks have increased in recent weeks both on Moscow and on Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014 a move that most of the world considered illegal. Kyiv officials neither confirmed nor denied Ukraine's possible involvement in the attempted attacks. Elsewhere, Russia claimed Saturday it had regained control of the village of Urozhaine in Ukraine's ..

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Russia shot down two combat drones headed for capital: Moscow mayor

Later on, Russia's Defence Ministry reported a failed attempt by Ukraine to attack facilities in the Moscow Region by UAV, adding that two drones have been shot down by air defence systems

Russia promises retaliation after Ukrainian drones hit Russian tanker

Moscow promised retaliation on Saturday after Ukrainian drones hit a Russian tanker in the Black Sea near Crimea late on Friday, the second sea attack involving drones in one day. Ukraine struck a major Russian port earlier on Friday. Moscow strongly condemned what it sees as a Ukrainian "terrorist attack" on a civilian vessel in the Kerch Strait, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. "There can be no justification for such barbaric actions, they will not go unanswered and their authors and perpetrators will inevitably be punished," she wrote on the Telegram messaging app. As Kyiv's naval capabilities grow, the Black Sea is becoming an increasingly important battleground in the war. Three weeks ago, Moscow withdrew from a key export agreement that allowed Ukraine to ship millions of tons of grain across the Black Sea for sale on world markets. In the wake of that withdrawal, Russia carried out repeated strikes on Ukrainian ports, including Odesa. An official

Top Russian official pitched N Korea on increasing sale of munitions: WH

The White House on Thursday said US intelligence officials have determined that Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke last week to North Korean officials during a visit to Pyongyang about increasing the sale of munitions to Moscow for its war in Ukraine. Shoigu made the pitch during his visit to North Korea for events marking the 70th anniversary of the armistice that halted fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War, according to White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. Russian President Vladimir Putin dispatched Shoigu to lead the Russian delegation for the commemoration. The Biden administration says Shoigu's pitch to tighten cooperation with North Korea underscored that the Kremlin has become reliant on the country, as well as Iran, for the arms it needs to fight its war against Ukraine. North Korea and Iran are largely isolated on the international stage for their nuclear programs and human rights records. This is yet another example of how desperate Mr. Putin