Contents tagged with Russia

  • Hamas deputy leader to hold discussions in Moscow as Russia seeks release of hostages

    Hamas' Deputy Head of the Political Bureau, Musa Abu Marzouk, is scheduled to arrive in Moscow tomorrow, June 24, for talks, according to the Russian news agency RIA Novosti.

    "Abu Marzouk will arrive in Moscow on Monday," an informed source told the agency.

    According to the source, Marzouk has meetings lined up at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    During his previous visit to the Russian capital on March 1, Abu Marzouk met with the Russian President's Special Representative for the …

  • Vietnam affirms strategic partnership with U.S., casting doubt on Putin's recent diplomatic gains

    Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son has described the United States as a strategic partner for his country. The key diplomat made this declaration during the visit of U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink to Hanoi. This visit came shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin's trip to Vietnam.

    According to the newspaper VietnamPlus, Bui Thanh Son emphasized that Vietnam continues to regard the United States as a strategically important …

  • Quiet dismissal: FSB's 5th Service Head ousted over Ukraine offensive failures

    General Sergey Beseda has been dismissed from his post as the head of the FSB's 5th Service, widely considered to be chiefly responsible for the failure of Russia's blitzkrieg in Ukraine. The dismissal took place quietly, with General Beseda being replaced by Alexey Komkov, who previously held a senior position in counterintelligence, reports the news outlet Important Stories, citing two sources close to Russian intelligence services.

    Rumors about Beseda facing significant problems began …

  • US shuts down Russian visa centres in major cities and revokes diplomatic tax exemptions

    The United States is closing two Russian visa centres in Washington and New York, in addition to stripping Russian diplomats of their tax exemption privileges, reported the head of the Russian diplomatic mission, Anatoly Antonov, as cited by TASS news agency.

    "The Americans have sent us notification of the closure of the visa centre. Now, additional responsibilities will fall on the shoulders of Russian diplomats and consuls," he said. Despite this, the Russian ambassador pledged to "put all …

  • Ukrainian Forces target Russian military bases near Mariupol: significant damage and casualties reported

    On the afternoon of June 22, explosions rocked the temporarily occupied city of Mariupol in the Donetsk region. Notably, a base of the Russian Armed Forces was damaged, repotted Petro Andryushchenko, advisor to the Mayor of Mariupol, on Telegram.

    Preliminary information suggests that today's strikes in the occupied city hit a Russian military base.

    The attack resulted in damage to five pieces of Russian equipment and an air defense system. 

    Andryushchenko also reported that additional …

  • Jailed Russian actor Mikhail Yefremov offered parole in exchange for volunteering in Ukraine war

    Popular Russian actor Mikhail Yefremov, who is serving a prison sentence for a fatal car accident, has been offered parole in exchange for participating in the war against Ukraine. The veterans' organisation "Veterans of Russia" has said it will support the actor "if he repays his debt to the motherland", according to the Telegram channel Shot.

    "The decision for parole is made by the court, but Mikhail Yefremov should know that he can count on our petition for his release if he wishes to …

  • Poland scrambles fighter jets amid Russian missile strikes on Ukraine

    Poland has once again scrambled its fighters into the air in response to a Russian attack targeting infrastructure in Ukraine, according to the Operational Command of Poland’s Armed Forces.

    "Tonight saw intense activity by the Russian Federation's long-range aviation, involving strikes using cruise missiles, Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicles, and ballistic missiles. These were directed at, among other targets, infrastructure in western Ukraine," reads the statement.

    The Polish military …

  • Russian reconnaissance ship monitors NATO exercises off German coast

    Russian reconnaissance ship Vasily Tatischev has been spotted observing NATO's annual BALTOPS exercises. The Russian vessel is currently situated in neutral waters of the Baltic Sea, between Kiel and the island of Fehmarn, the German tabloid Bild reported.

    Originating from Kaliningrad, the Vasily Tatischev navigated along Germany's northern coast and is now in neutral Baltic Sea waters between Kiel and Fehmarn.

    The Russian ship was escorted by a Danish Navy patrol boat and a German police …

  • Berlin factory fire allegedly caused by Russian sabotage

    In one of the largest fires in Berlin in recent history, a blaze that broke out in early May this year may have been an act of Russian sabotage, reported the Russian-language edition of the German tabloid BILD on its Telegram channel.

    The media outlet reminded its audience of last month's fire at the Diehl Metall Applications metallurgical plant, which produced a cloud of toxic smoke over part of the city.

    The Diehl conglomerate manufactures Iris-T air defense systems for Ukraine. However, …

  • US Senators push for designation of Russia as state sponsor of terrorism in new bipartisan bill

    On Thursday, June 20, Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced a bipartisan bill that seeks to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. Currently, the US lists Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Syria as state sponsors of terrorism, holding them accountable under American law for their repeated support of international terrorism acts.

    "I look forward to voting on our bill to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism under US law for several reasons. …