Events in Russia

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I often collect news stories and reports from the Al-Masdar News site and compare their reporting to Tass, Fars news, SyrianTimes, etc. and they tend to be reliable in coverage in the Middle East, especially Syria. Like any report - you need to check out it's sources, if possible, for accurate reporting. Every once in awhile, even the most dedicated news organization will publish "a blunder". This is one of them. So far, I haven't notice a retraction on the site and will check it again, tomorrow.

2019-01-24 - Stop. Just Stop. Putin Didn’t Secretly Fly To Venezuela, That’s False!
Stop. Just Stop. Putin Didn’t Secretly Fly To Venezuela, That’s False! - Eurasia Future

The Beirut-based “Al-Masdar News” information outlet spread a completely false suggestion that President Putin secretly flew to Venezuela in the midst of its current crisis, not even bothering for the sake of “proof” to quote a commentator who might have said that or embed a tweet from any random person who could have speculated upon the same but instead just seemingly invented that idea out of thin air.

False narratives are one of the scourges of Alt-Media, and it’s regrettable to see popular sites such as “Al-Masdar News” (AMN) spreading them for inexplicable reasons. The Beirut-based information outlet usually focuses on Mideast issues, but earlier today it decided to report on the Venezuelan Crisis. In a very brief article titled “Russian aircraft reportedly arrives in Venezuela amid ongoing turmoil”, the “News Desk” included a few tweets from people who claim to have tracked a Russian plane that traveled from Turkey to Venezuela, which is very interesting to take note of it and might imply the emergency shipment of arms or the shuttle diplomacy of a high-ranking official. It does not, however, mean what AMN suggested when it wrote the following:

“The aircraft allegedly made a trip to Turkey as well before going to Venezuela, prompting some observers to question if it was Russian President Vladimir Putin.”

It’s one thing for a named analyst to say something like this or for the “News Desk” to embed a tweet from someone who actually posed that question, but AMN did neither and instead just seemingly invented that idea out of thin air. That’s journalistically irresponsible because it implies that the “News Desk” might have received a “scoop” about this, which probably isn’t the case. Rather, it looks like the site’s editors might have thought that it would be exciting to spread this totally false narrative for whatever their reasons might be, but this short-sighted thinking is nothing more than a self-inflicted wound to their credibility
because President Putin didn’t travel to the Bolivarian Republic. He’s still in Russia, no matter what AMN suggested.

 

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Russian Foreign Ministry warns its citizens who are going abroad about fabricated charges by American intelligence services.

Foreign Ministry warns Russians going abroad of security threats posed by US agencies
January 25, 2019

 

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Russian strategic bomber explodes, while attempting to land in heavy blizzard.

WATCH VIDEO of Russian Tu-22M3 Bomber Splitting in Two During Crash Landing
27.01.2019

 

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Russian senator Rauf Arashukov suspected for being involved in two murders have been detained in a session hall of the Federation Council in Karachay-Circassian Region. His father Raul Arashukov suspected of embezzling natural gas worth $450 million has been detained too.

Russian senator detained during Federation Council hearing — source
January 30, 2019

Investigative Committee suspects Russian senator of being involved in two murders
January 30, 2019

Father of Russian senator detained in $450 mln gas theft criminal probe
January 30, 2019

https://twitter.com/x/status/1090559179528511495

https://twitter.com/x/status/1090557848407425024

 

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Nothing new: A US spy plane has been spotted flying near the Crimea.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1092704273190842368

 

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Russia's State Duma, the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, adopted in the first reading on Tuesday a bill aimed to ensure security and availability of Russian Internet (Runet) in the event of potential isolation from the global network. This means that data from its own organizations and users would stay within Russia, rather than be distributed globally.

12/02/2019 - Russia's Duma passes bill in first reading to separate its internet system from global network
Russia's Duma passes bill in first reading to separate its internet system from global network

The bill's text warns of the "violent nature of the U.S. National Cybersecurity Strategy adopted in September 2018," which accuses Russia of alleged hacking attacks "without evidence," said the law's sponsors.

Russia has regularly been accused of cyber attacks on other nations and organizations.

The draft law, called the Digital Economy National Program, makes sure its internet provision can continue to function in the event of external powers attempting to disable the country's service.

The law's authors say that Russia will unplug itself in case of a major cyber threat.

Russia will be required to create its own version of the internet's address system or Domain Name System (DNS), so it can continue to operate if connections to international servers are interrupted.

Twelve organizations are involved in overseeing the root servers for DNS with none of them based in Russia.

The eventual plan is for all Russian internet traffic to pass through these new routing arrangements.

The project has received support from Russia's president Vladimir Putin.

Many commentators believe it is an attempt to set up a mass censorship system similar to the current situation in China. There are no guarantees that Russians will not be switched off the Internet during the elections and that social media platforms will not be blocked.

Critics of the law also said the bill was going to be very costly to put in place. One of the authors of the law, Senator Andrey Klishas, said the project could cost more than 20 billion roubles (€270 million). Telecom organisations are also concerned they will have to pay even more.

Many in Russia are persuaded the government wants to control the internet as China does with the Golden Shield.

“We are categorically against the fact, that the state gains full control over all messages of citizens, as it is written in the draft law, said Sergey Ivanov, a Liberal Democratic Party of Russia deputy.

"That any moment it can check this information for the purposes of 'operational measures,' and the telecom operators will not have the right to tell that this information is being verified, and so on. It turns out that freedom of speech and other fundamental freedoms are at stake here.”

Russia said it was planning to disconnect its internet systems from the global network as a test of its cyber-defences. The test is expected to happen before April 1st, but no exact date has been confirmed.

The bill faces two more votes in the lower chamber before it is voted on in the upper house of parliament and then signed into law by President Vladimir Putin.

 

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Putin trained with several Olympic champions in Sochi.

Feb. 15, 2019 - Putin says judo helps him to 'get real'
Putin says judo helps him to 'get real'

© Mikhail Metzel/TASS

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who attended a judo training in the ‘Yug Sport’ center in Russia’s Black Sea resort city of Sochi late on Thursday, told reporters that wrestling helps him to maintain a positive, but realistic vision on the world around him.

"It’s a well known medical fact: the level of adrenaline increases in a person who practices physical exercises, so your mood improves, and you take a different look on the world around you. I can probably say that it helps you to get real," the Russian leader told reporters.

During the training, Putin sparred with several Olympic champions. A finger on his right hand was slightly injured in the process, but the problem was solved with a piece of adhesive bandage, and the training continued.

Later in the day, Putin visited the multifunctional "Ice Cube" arena in the Sochi Olympic park, which currently serves as the main training facility for Russia’s national men and women curling teams.

During the visit, Putin met with Russian Curling Federation head Dmitry Svishchev, who asked him to build similar training facilities in Moscow and Vladivostok.

 

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Putin trained with several Olympic champions in Sochi.

Feb. 15, 2019 - Putin says judo helps him to 'get real'
Putin says judo helps him to 'get real'

During the training, Putin sparred with several Olympic champions. A finger on his right hand was slightly injured in the process, but the problem was solved with a piece of adhesive bandage, and the training continued.

After the incident in which his finger on his right hand was slightly injured, Putin played hockey with the Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko. The match was not official, and there were no spectators.

Putin Plays Hockey With Belarus President Despite Injury
15.02.2019

 

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A university building partly collapsed on Saturday in the Russian city of St Petersburg, trapping people under debris, but emergency services reported no casualties, Russian news agencies reported.

February 16, 2019 - Russian University building partly collapses, no casualties: agencies
Russian university building partly collapses, no casualties: agencies

Around two dozen people were trapped in the building of the University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics in the center of Russia’s second biggest city, the agencies said.

The roof and several floors of the building collapsed during renovation work. TASS news agency said that acting St Petersburg governor Alexander Beglov had gone to the scene.

The European Union will blacklist eight more Russians over a stand-off with Ukraine in the Azov Sea, diplomatic sources said on Friday.

February 15, 2019 - EU to blacklist eight Russians over Azov Sea stand-off: sources
EU to blacklist eight Russians over Azov Sea stand-off: sources

FILE PHOTO: Russian jet fighters fly over a bridge connecting the Russian mainland with the Crimean Peninsula with a cargo ship beneath it after three Ukrainian navy vessels were stopped by Russia from entering the Sea of Azov via the Kerch Strait in the Black Sea, Crimea November 25, 2018. REUTERS/Pavel Rebrov/File Photo

EU foreign ministers will discuss on Monday further EU support for Ukraine, especially the south-eastern regions most affected by the conflict. Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea from Kiev in 2014 and backed separatist rebels in Donetsk and Luhansk industrial regions.

The bloc’s top diplomat, Federica Mogherini, and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed in Brussels on Friday “the issue of restrictive measures as a consequence of the incidents in the Azov Sea,” a senior EU official said, indicating the EU was coordinating with Washington.

The formal decision should come through in the coming weeks, they said, shortly before Ukraine is due to hold presidential elections on March 31.

A day after British Defence Minister Gavin Williamson accused Moscow of "trying to goad the West" in a bellicose speech, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called him Britain's minister of war.

February 16, 2019 - Russia's Lavrov dubs UK's Williamson 'minister of war'
Russia's Lavrov dubs UK's Williamson 'minister of war'

© Alexander Shcherbak/TASS

Williamson, addressing the Munich Security Conference on Friday, accused Russia of “illegal activity” on land and at sea, and called on Moscow to reset its relationship with Western countries through dialogue.

Lavrov addressed the meeting on Saturday and seized the opportunity to jibe back at Williamson when asked about the security situation of the Arctic.

“We want to understand what kind of mandate NATO is going to have in the Arctic,” he said.

“If you listen to some people like the minister of war - oh, sorry the minister of defense - of the United Kingdom then you might get an impression that nobody except NATO have the right to be anywhere,” he added to laughter.

It was not the first time Lavrov and Williamson have clashed verbally. Last year, after Williamson told Russia to “go away and shut up”, Lavrov retorted: “Maybe he lacks education.”

Britain's defense minister accused Russia on Friday of "trying to goad the West into a new arms race" that it does not want and called on Moscow to reset its relationship with Western countries through dialogue.

February 15, 2019 - Stop goading the West and let's talk, UK minister urges Russia
Stop goading the West and let's talk, UK minister urges Russia

British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson speaks during the annual Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany February 15, 2019. REUTERS/Andreas Gebert

Addressing the annual Munich Security Conference for the first time, British Defence Minister Gavin Williamson struck a bellicose tone in comments on Russia’s security posture before extending the offer of “a different kind of relationship”.

“NATO matters more today, because an old adversary is very much back in the game,” he said, adding Moscow was “trying to goad the West into a new arms race it simply is not interested in and does not want, making the world a less safe place.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will have a chance to respond on Saturday when he is expected to address the conference.


Russia's RDIF chief offers to vouch for detained U.S. Baring Vostok founder
The head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund offered on Friday to personally vouch for Michael Calvey, the founder of Baring Vostok private equity group who has been detained with several others and accused of embezzlement.

Russian court orders Baring Vostok executive Delpal be held in custody
A Russian court on Friday ordered Baring Vostok executive Phillipe Delpal, a French national, to be held in custody for one month and 30 days after he was detained on suspicion of embezzlement.

U.S. founder of Baring Vostok denies wrongdoing in Russian court
Michael Calvey, the U.S. founder of the Baring Vostok private equity group, denied allegations of fraud on Friday and told a Moscow court that accusations against him were the result of a commercial dispute between his fund and Vostochny Bank.

Russia's Sberbank CEO defends U.S. Baring Vostok founder
German Gref, the chief executive of Russia's biggest state lender Sberbank, said on Friday he hoped the criminal case against Baring Vostok's founder Michael Calvey would turn out to be a misunderstanding.

Russian court orders Baring Vostok founder to be held for 72 hours
A Russian court on Friday ordered Baring Vostok's founder Michael Calvey to be kept in custody for 72 hours following his detention on suspicion of fraud, allegations that he denies.

Russian court extends custody of Baring Vostok's Calvey until April
A Russian court on Saturday ordered Michael Calvey, the U.S. founder of one of Russia's biggest private equity firms accused of fraud, to be kept in custody until April 13.

 

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Nothing new: A US spy plane has been spotted flying near the Crimea.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1092704273190842368

A US spy plane conducted flight near the Crimea.

Show Me Your Peninsula: US Spy Plane Surveys Crimean Coast - Reports
19.02.2019

 

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Russian security forces killed an armed militant suspected of planning a terrorist attack in Dagestan.

IN VIDEO: MILITANT PLOTTING TERRORIST ATTACK IS ELIMINATED IN RUSSIA’S DAGESTAN
19.02.2019

 

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Russia's largest oil company could take over and renovate a ruined palace once used by the tsars, under draft legislation provisionally backed on Tuesday by lawmakers.

February 19, 2019 - Russian oil giant could take over ruined Tsarist Palace under new law
Russian oil giant could take over ruined tsarist palace under new law

A general view shows the Ropsha Palace, a ruined palace once used by tsars, outside Saint Petersburg, Russia February 19, 2019. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov

The bill, approved by lawmakers in its first of three readings, seeks to save thousands of dilapidated listed buildings by creating a mechanism for investors to take them over in concession deals in return for undertaking costly renovations.

Rosneft, which is headed by Igor Sechin, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, has long sought to rent the Ropsha Palace southwest of St Petersburg as part of a long-term deal.

The once lavish palace, set in parkland, served as a residence for Russia’s imperial Romanov dynasty before the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution and was later nationalized. It has suffered several fires since the 1980s and has slowly fallen into ruin.

Deputy Culture Minister Alla Manilova, who championed the bill in parliament on Tuesday, said she would discuss the possibility of a concession deal with Rosneft for the palace.

Concession deals allow a company to operate a business or facility, but the state retains ultimate control. In this case, specific terms between the government and company in question would be drawn up on an individual basis.

“We haven’t discussed it yet, we will discuss it because it has to be their decision,” she said. She added that renovations could cost over 5 billion roubles ($75.54 million).

It was not clear how Rosneft might be able to use the site under a concession deal.

Asked if Rosneft would be able to use the site as its own residence, Manilova said: “Why not! It’s a wonderful palace.”

She added that it could also serve as a venue for receptions but probably not as a head office, adding: “Not an office of course, in such cases something more is done.”

Lawmaker Alexander Sholokhov said a concession deal determines what function the site concerned must serve after its renovation. “If it says in the agreement that it has to be a museum, then it has to be a museum,” he said.

ROMANOV FAMILY: ROPSHA PALACE (photos - videos)

ROMANOV FAMILY: ROPSHA PALACE – Home

IN THE STEPS OF THE ROMANOVS TOUR 2020: St. Petersburg and Moscow (6 pages videos - photos)

Romanov Places and Palaces – Home

 

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Russian state prosecutors on Thursday formally charged top U.S. investor Michael Calvey, the founder of the Baring Vostok private equity group, with fraud, hours before Washington accused Moscow of denying its diplomats access to him.

February 21, 2019 - Russia charges top US investor Michael Calvey with fraud
Russia charges top U.S. investor Michael Calvey with fraud

Michael Calvey © AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko

Calvey was first detained last week along with three other executives from his fund after investigators accused him and others of embezzling 2.5 billion roubles ($38.17 million). Calvey is due to appeal his arrest next week.

February 21, 2019 - US Embassy in Russia insists on immediate consular access to Michael Calvey
US Embassy in Russia insists on immediate consular access to Michael Calvey

The Kremlin stated that those investigative actions against Michael Calvey would not in any way affect Russia’s investment climate.

Feb. 21, 2019 - Kremlin spokesman believes truth will prevail in Calvey case
Kremlin spokesman believes truth will prevail in Calvey case

The Kremlin hopes that truth will be established in the case of the founder and managing partner of Baring Vostok investment fund Michael Calvey, and that this matter will not affect the investment climate in Russia.

"We cannot comment and never comment on the investigative actions. We have no doubt that the investigation will establish the truth," Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, noting that "except for the court, no one can name Michael Calvey guilty."

"We also believe that these investigative actions against Michael Calvey will not in any way affect Russia’s investment climate, because Russia has been and remains interested in creating the most comfortable climate for foreign investors," Peskov said.

Baring Vostok’s case
Russia’s Investigative Committee launched a criminal case into the embezzlement of 2.5 bln rubles ($38.11 mln) from the Vostochny Bank on February 13. Michael Calvey is the key defendant in the case. On February 15, the law enforcement agencies arrested Calvey and five others: Vagan Abgaryan, partner at Baring Vostok, Philippe Delpale, an investment partner for the financial industry sector at Baring Vostok, Ivan Zyuzin, Investment Director at Baring Vostok and also General Director of the First Collection Bureau Maxim Vladimirov and Advisor to the Management Board of Norvik Bank, Alexey Kordichev. They are all facing charges under part 4 article 159 of Russia’s Criminal Code (Swindling committed on a large scale by an organized group).

According to the investigation, Calvey and his accomplices put together a scheme, where the "First Collection Bureau", under their control, waived its right to a 59.9% stake in a Luxembourg-based company called the International Financial Technology Group (IFTG), to the Vostochny bank to pay it back for a 2.5 bln-ruble debt. Before the deal, IFTG’s shares were valued at 3 bln rubles. However, the investigation is examining another estimate of 600,000 rubles (according to a Cyprus-based company’s valuation). That said, the Central Bank claimed that the price of these shares was close to zero, the investigator noted.

On February 7, Serzod Yusupov, a minority shareholder in Vostochny Bank filed a complaint with Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). In addition, Artyom Avetisyan, another Vostochny shareholder, along with the deputy chairman of the bank’s board Konstantin Rogov testified against Michael Calvey.

Calvey rejected all charges and accused Yusupov and Avetisyan of a conjuring up bogus charges caused by a "corporate conflict" in the bank.

Head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund Kirill Dmitriev said he was ready to vouch for Calvey. Business Ombudsman Boris Titov called Calvey’s detention illegal, noting that the situation was a "purely corporate dispute."

About Baring Vostok
Baring Vostok is one of the largest private equity firms focusing on Russia and the CIS with $3.7 bln in capital. Since 1994, the fund has poured more than $2.4 bln of investments into 70 projects in the areas of financial services, oil and gas, telecommunications and media, and into the consumer sector. Baring Vostok’s projects include CTC Media, Yandex, Avito, Ozon, ER-Telecom, 1C, and Novomet.

Russia's FSB security service has asked a Moscow court to extend the detention of former U.S. marine Paul Whelan who is being held on suspicion of spying, the Interfax news agency cited a court spokeswoman as saying on Wednesday.

February 20, 2019 - Russia looks to extend detention of ex US Marine held for spying: Ifax
Russia looks to extend detention of ex U.S. marine held for spying:...

FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. marine Paul Whelan, who was detained by Russia's FSB security service on suspicion of spying, attends a court hearing in Moscow, Russia January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo

Whelan, who holds U.S., British, Canadian and Irish passports, was detained in a Moscow hotel room on Dec. 28. He denies the charges against him. [nL8N1ZM2ZU]

The court ruled in late December that Whelan should be held in custody until Feb. 28, the agency reported. The FBS wants to extend this to May 28.

 

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Russia Goes Green! Putin Wants New Russian Brand of Eco-Friendly and Organic Foods!

Russia will create its own brand of Eco-friendly and safe foods. Vladimir Putin gave this assignment to the government during his Address to the Federal Assembly.

Published on Feb 21, 2019 (4:35 min.)

 

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Zhores Alferov, the 2000 Nobel prize winner in physics and a member of Russia's parliament, has died aged 88 in St Petersburg, the Russian Communist party said on Saturday.

"“Knowledge is power, but power must be based on knowledge,” he said."

March 2, 2019 - Russian Nobel Prize winner for Physics Alferov dies aged 88
Russian Nobel Prize winner for physics Alferov dies aged 88

FILE PHOTO: Russian physicist and Nobel prize winner Zhores Alferov attends a session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Russia, June 2, 2017. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin/File Photo

Alferov shared the nearly $1 million award, which recognized his research work in the 1970s in information technology which paved the way for computers, CD players and mobile telephones, with two U.S. scientists Herbert Kroemer and Jack Kilby.

A staunch believer in communism, Alferov was born in 1930 in Belarus, then part of the Soviet Union. He was a member of the party faction in the Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament.

His work won him many scientific awards and he was an honorary member of research institutions including the American National Academy of Sciences.

He was the first Russian to win a Nobel Prize since Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev won the peace prize in 1990.

Alferov was named after a French socialist, Jean Jaurès, while his older brother was named Marx after Karl Marx, a German philosopher and socialist revolutionary. Marx Alferov was killed during World War Two.

In his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, Alferov noted that physics had brought both benefits and disasters to mankind in the 20th century and warned that the mass media could be abused in the wrong hands.

“Knowledge is power, but power must be based on knowledge,” he said.

Alferov recalled his years of research into lasers in St Petersburg on a light-hearted note in verse:

“Our purpose was both great and bright

no more the dark! Let there be light!

So to release eternal light

we did the work all day and night.

And when we could neither work nor think

we had the Russian vodka drink...”