• 100 tons of Polish apples and pears destroyed in Smolensk region

    Smolensk customs officials have destroyed 97.7 tons of Polish apples and pears that were smuggled into the region. This was reported to Interfax by the department’s Chief State Inspector, Vladimir Safonov. According to him, the fruit was buried at the RudnyaKomUslugi waste disposal site.

    Safonov also reported that the department had destroyed a total of 189 tons of sanctioned goods in April. These consisted of apples, pears and cabbages.

    "All of these Polish items were officially imported as …

  • Moscow court extends detainment of Director of Library of Ukrainian Literature for another three months

    The Presnensky District Court of Moscow has extended the detainment of the Director of the Library of Ukrainian Literature, Natalya Sharina, until July 29th, 2016. Sharina is accused of distributing extremist literature and embezzlement.

    This update was posted on Facebook by Sharina’s lawyer, Ivan Pavlov.

    The court has also denied the request that Sharina be allowed to take short outside walks during her detainment.

    Investigators had searched the Library of Ukrainian Literature on the 28th …

  • Russian blogger Anton Nosik charged with extremism

    Well-known Russian media manager, journalist and public figure, Anton Nosik, was indicted for "inciting hatred or hostility, resulting in the humiliation of human dignity" on Tuesday, April 26, in Moscow. He was released on his own recognizance and ordered not to leave the country, reports Interfax.

    According to investigators, on October 1, 2015, Nosik, "using his personal computer posted on a blogging platforms, with the aim of arousing hatred and hostility towards a group of people on a …

  • St. Petersburg authorities refuse opposition's request to hold May Day demonstration in city center

    Boris Vyshnevsky, the Deputy in St. Petersburg’s legislative assembly and Russian political analyst reported that, for the first time in many years, the opposition wasn’t allowed to hold a rally dedicated to the Spring and Labor Festival. “Petersburg democratic opposition received a refusal to hold the procession dedicated to the 1st of May and rally in the center of Petersburg for the first time in recent years,” the public figure wrote on his Facebook page on the 25th of April.

    According to …

  • Savchenko files paperwork to begin transfer procedure

    Nadiya Savchenko has filed the documents necessary to be transferred to Ukraine, according to her sister Vera, Interfax-Ukraine reported.

    "She now filled out the documents: application, biographical data, etc. In the words of the prison warden Kalgan, they are necessary for the extradition. She was told that the documents should be completed for the extradition procedure. Let us hope that this is the case,” Vera Savchenko told the TSN television network.

    Last month, a Russian court found …