-
SOVA Center: Speaking out over the internet is becoming increasingly criminalized in Russia
The SOVA Center for Information and Analysis reported the tightening up of measures for those speaking out on the internet.
A report by the center’s expert, Natalia Yudina, released on Tuesday by Mediazona, states that in Russia, there have been 194 convictions for statements on the internet that were recognized as extremist, (84 per cent of the total number of similar sentences), whereas in 2014 there were only 138.
The Russian human rights organization, Agora, also noted the increasing …
-
Russia initiates first case regarding law on foreign agents
In Novocherkassk, investigators initiated criminal proceedings against the Chairperson of the Zhenshchiny Dona Foundation, Valentina Cherevatenko, under the Article on willful evasion of implementation of law on foreign agents. It is the first criminal case initiated under this Article in Russia, Radio Svoboda reported. In addition to the Zhenshchiny Dona (Women of the Don) Foundation, Cherevatenko is also the head of the eponymous fund that was added to the Ministry of Justice’s list of NGO …
-
The US stated that Brexit will not affect sanctions on Russia
White House Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz stated that the UK's decision to leave the European Union is unlikely to affect the sanctions policy of the West against Russia. According to him, Washington will start work on the extension of restrictive measures soon.
“Since the Ukrainian crisis, the USA, EU and the remaining G7 have cooperated closely on the issue of sanctions that have already affected the Russian economy … Obviously, US representatives will start working on this issue in …
-
The Kremlin: Relations with Turkey cannot be mended in only a few days
Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan’s letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin is a very important step towards improving relations between the two countries, though their problems cannot be resolved in a few days, according to Putin’s Press Secretary, Dmitry Peskov.
“We have received the message intended by President Erdoğan and we know that it is an important step towards the normalization of relations. We all know that Russia and President Putin held a very firm and consistent position. …
-
Russian tourism in Turkey fell by 90% since last year
Only 41,000 Russian tourists visited Turkey in May 2016. This is 91.82% less than in the last month of spring 2015, as indicated by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Usually, the flow of Russian tourists to Turkey increases dramatically in May. For example, in 2015 the country was visited by over 501,000 Russians, in 2014 – by almost 695,000. However, the bans on selling trips and the cancellation of charter flights has led to an almost complete block of tourist flow. In May 2016, …