Banking tycoon renounces citizenship of ‘fascist’ Russia over Ukraine war
Russian banking tycoon Oleg Tinkov renounced his Russian citizenship in a public rebuke of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, saying he “can’t and won’t be associated with a fascist country.”
He added Tuesday that he plans to revoke his name from Tinkoff Bank, the Russian commercial bank he founded in 2006, writing: “I hate when my brand/name is associated with the bank that collaborates with killers and blood.”
The businessman announced he had ended his citizenship in an Instagram post on Monday, sharing an image of the official document certifying his renunciation, which was dated Oct. 26. “I hope more prominent Russian businessmen will follow me, so it weakens Putin’s regime and his economy,” he said, adding: “I hate Putin’s Russia, but love all Russians, who are clearly against this crazy war!”
Read the full story here.
Russian banking tycoon Oleg Tinkov renounced his Russian citizenship in a public rebuke of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, saying he “can’t and won’t be associated with a fascist country.”
He added Tuesday that he plans to revoke his name from Tinkoff Bank, the Russian commercial bank he founded in 2006, writing: “I hate when my brand/name is associated with the bank that collaborates with killers and blood.”
The businessman announced he had ended his citizenship in an Instagram post on Monday, sharing an image of the official document certifying his renunciation, which was dated Oct. 26. “I hope more prominent Russian businessmen will follow me, so it weakens Putin’s regime and his economy,” he said, adding: “I hate Putin’s Russia, but love all Russians, who are clearly against this crazy war!”
Read the full story here.
Alleged Russian spy arrested by Norway attended seminar on hybrid attacks
The suspected Russian spy arrested in Norway last week attended a seminar on hybrid threats recently that included a scenario about responding to a pipeline explosion, according to Norwegian media, a coordinator for the group that hosted the event and a photograph from the event.
Norwegian security officials this week announced they had arrested a man claiming to be a Brazilian researcher working on Arctic issues in the city of Tromso who they believe is, in fact, a Russian “illegal.” He has been identified in news reports as José Assis Giammaria.
The arrest comes after at least seven Russians — including the son of a close associate of President Vladimir Putin — were detained in recent weeks for flying drones or taking pictures near sensitive areas.
Read the full story here.
The suspected Russian spy arrested in Norway last week attended a seminar on hybrid threats recently that included a scenario about responding to a pipeline explosion, according to Norwegian media, a coordinator for the group that hosted the event and a photograph from the event.
Norwegian security officials this week announced they had arrested a man claiming to be a Brazilian researcher working on Arctic issues in the city of Tromso who they believe is, in fact, a Russian “illegal.” He has been identified in news reports as José Assis Giammaria.
The arrest comes after at least seven Russians — including the son of a close associate of President Vladimir Putin — were detained in recent weeks for flying drones or taking pictures near sensitive areas.
Read the full story here.
Russian neighbor Norway raises military alert after drone sightings
Norway, a NATO member which shares a 120-mile border with Russia, raised its military alert level starting Tuesday, citing Russia’s war in Ukraine after suspicious drone sightings put the country on edge.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store maintained there was no immediate threat in Norway, but said Europe was facing its “most serious security policy situation in decades.”
“Today, we have no reason to believe that Russia will want to involve Norway or any other country directly in the war. But the war in Ukraine makes it necessary for all NATO countries to be more vigilant,” he told a news conference Monday.
The change in military alert level includes having some troops spend less time on training and a heightened focus on “maritime surveillance,” Norwegian Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram said.
Read the full story here.
Norway, a NATO member which shares a 120-mile border with Russia, raised its military alert level starting Tuesday, citing Russia’s war in Ukraine after suspicious drone sightings put the country on edge.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store maintained there was no immediate threat in Norway, but said Europe was facing its “most serious security policy situation in decades.”
“Today, we have no reason to believe that Russia will want to involve Norway or any other country directly in the war. But the war in Ukraine makes it necessary for all NATO countries to be more vigilant,” he told a news conference Monday.
The change in military alert level includes having some troops spend less time on training and a heightened focus on “maritime surveillance,” Norwegian Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram said.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Seventeen vessels in total have now transited the Black Sea corridor since Russia suspended its participation in the agreement, the U.N. says, including three ships carrying corn, wheat, and sunflower meal that departed Ukrainian ports Tuesday.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged to continue with the exports and accused Russia of exacerbating a global food crisis by threatening to block the vessels, during his Monday night address.
- BP, one of the world’s largest energy producers, reported massive profits on Tuesday, a day after President Biden lambasted oil companies whose profits have been buoyed by the war in Ukraine.
- Norway’s prime minister said his country’s military will “increase its preparedness” starting Tuesday.
More live updates here.
- Seventeen vessels in total have now transited the Black Sea corridor since Russia suspended its participation in the agreement, the U.N. says, including three ships carrying corn, wheat, and sunflower meal that departed Ukrainian ports Tuesday.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged to continue with the exports and accused Russia of exacerbating a global food crisis by threatening to block the vessels, during his Monday night address.
- BP, one of the world’s largest energy producers, reported massive profits on Tuesday, a day after President Biden lambasted oil companies whose profits have been buoyed by the war in Ukraine.
- Norway’s prime minister said his country’s military will “increase its preparedness” starting Tuesday.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- President Volodymyr Zelensky has pledged to do everything in his power to give Ukrainians electricity and heating this winter, following a barrage of attacks on his country’s energy infrastructure that Western officials and analysts say is a deliberate Russian tactic to sap Ukrainians’ will to fight as temperatures drop.
- Zelensky met with the European commissioner for energy, Kadri Simson, in Kyiv on Tuesday to discuss ways to step up European support
- Water and electricity supplies to Kyiv were restored Tuesday, the capital’s mayor announced,
- Zelensky said he raised the need for an “air shield for Ukraine” on a call with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday.
More live updates here.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky has pledged to do everything in his power to give Ukrainians electricity and heating this winter, following a barrage of attacks on his country’s energy infrastructure that Western officials and analysts say is a deliberate Russian tactic to sap Ukrainians’ will to fight as temperatures drop.
- Zelensky met with the European commissioner for energy, Kadri Simson, in Kyiv on Tuesday to discuss ways to step up European support
- Water and electricity supplies to Kyiv were restored Tuesday, the capital’s mayor announced,
- Zelensky said he raised the need for an “air shield for Ukraine” on a call with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday.
More live updates here.
Russia’s ‘dirty bomb’ threats challenge the nuclear calculus
As Russia punctuates its mounting losses in Ukraine with threats about nuclear weapons and “dirty bombs,” Western leaders are being forced to grapple with whether Moscow might be planning a dramatic escalation on the battlefield — a development that would leave the U.S. and NATO with a limited set of options to respond.
The president and his advisers have been closely tracking the Kremlin’s signaling, which Biden has opined is pitching the world closer to “Armageddon” than at any point since the Cuban missile crisis. Cabinet-level officials have been warning publicly that any move by Russia to make good on threats to go nuclear will be answered “decisively” with “catastrophic consequences.”
“The talk of the use of a weapon of that sort is dangerous and irresponsible,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters last week about Russia’s nuclear threats.
Read the full story here.
As Russia punctuates its mounting losses in Ukraine with threats about nuclear weapons and “dirty bombs,” Western leaders are being forced to grapple with whether Moscow might be planning a dramatic escalation on the battlefield — a development that would leave the U.S. and NATO with a limited set of options to respond.
The president and his advisers have been closely tracking the Kremlin’s signaling, which Biden has opined is pitching the world closer to “Armageddon” than at any point since the Cuban missile crisis. Cabinet-level officials have been warning publicly that any move by Russia to make good on threats to go nuclear will be answered “decisively” with “catastrophic consequences.”
“The talk of the use of a weapon of that sort is dangerous and irresponsible,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters last week about Russia’s nuclear threats.
Read the full story here.
Turkey says grain shipments in Black Sea will resume with Russia’s agreement
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that he had secured Moscow’s commitment to resurrect a deal safeguarding Ukrainian grain shipments, which has been crucial to sustaining food supplies to developing nations amid the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.
The deal, known as the Black Sea Grain Initiative, was brokered by Turkey and the United Nations in July to guarantee the safe passage of cargo ships to and from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports after Russia’s invasion disrupted export operations, setting off widespread worries about global food security.
“Here now is a new piece of good news,” Erdogan said Wednesday during a speech to lawmakers in Ankara. “The grain shipment will continue as it was previously planned.”
Read the full story here.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that he had secured Moscow’s commitment to resurrect a deal safeguarding Ukrainian grain shipments, which has been crucial to sustaining food supplies to developing nations amid the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.
The deal, known as the Black Sea Grain Initiative, was brokered by Turkey and the United Nations in July to guarantee the safe passage of cargo ships to and from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports after Russia’s invasion disrupted export operations, setting off widespread worries about global food security.
“Here now is a new piece of good news,” Erdogan said Wednesday during a speech to lawmakers in Ankara. “The grain shipment will continue as it was previously planned.”
Read the full story here.
North Korea covertly supplying Russia with artillery, U.S. says
The North Korean government is covertly funneling artillery shells to aid Russia in its war in Ukraine using countries in the Middle East and North Africa to mask the weapons’ movement, the White House said Wednesday, although it was not yet clear whether those shipments were received.
The shipments include “thousands” of shells, John Kirby, the National Security Council’s coordinator for strategic communications, told reporters. He characterized the number as “significant” but not enough to alter the war’s trajectory “in any appreciable way.”
Kirby would not disclose how the North Koreans might be shipping the artillery shells or which countries are believed to be transfer points, saying only, “We do have a sense of where they’re going” and that the United States would “continue to look at what our options are.”
Read the full story here.
The North Korean government is covertly funneling artillery shells to aid Russia in its war in Ukraine using countries in the Middle East and North Africa to mask the weapons’ movement, the White House said Wednesday, although it was not yet clear whether those shipments were received.
The shipments include “thousands” of shells, John Kirby, the National Security Council’s coordinator for strategic communications, told reporters. He characterized the number as “significant” but not enough to alter the war’s trajectory “in any appreciable way.”
Kirby would not disclose how the North Koreans might be shipping the artillery shells or which countries are believed to be transfer points, saying only, “We do have a sense of where they’re going” and that the United States would “continue to look at what our options are.”
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russia and Turkey announced Wednesday that Moscow is rejoining the Black Sea grain initiative, the U.N.-brokered deal to ensure safe passage of cargo ships to and from Black Sea ports.
- Ukraine is imposing hourly power outages in several regions including Kyiv starting Wednesday in order to reduce the load on its networks after Russian attacks damaged power grids.
- Kyiv, the capital, will install more than 1,000 heating stations across the city this winter amid the threat of more Russian strikes, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
- “Confrontation between the West and the Russian Federation is intensifying,” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told military officials from Russia and Belarus in Moscow Wednesday.
- One in five Russian conscripts drafted to fight in Ukraine died before reaching the front lines, the independent Novaya Gazeta Europa reported.
More live updates here.
- Russia and Turkey announced Wednesday that Moscow is rejoining the Black Sea grain initiative, the U.N.-brokered deal to ensure safe passage of cargo ships to and from Black Sea ports.
- Ukraine is imposing hourly power outages in several regions including Kyiv starting Wednesday in order to reduce the load on its networks after Russian attacks damaged power grids.
- Kyiv, the capital, will install more than 1,000 heating stations across the city this winter amid the threat of more Russian strikes, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
- “Confrontation between the West and the Russian Federation is intensifying,” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told military officials from Russia and Belarus in Moscow Wednesday.
- One in five Russian conscripts drafted to fight in Ukraine died before reaching the front lines, the independent Novaya Gazeta Europa reported.
More live updates here.
Mass shooting in Belgorod exposes Russia’s forced mobilization of migrants
Ehson Aminzoda seemed to be following the path of many Central Asian immigrants in Russia — initially working as a bricklayer after arriving in Moscow earlier this year, then at a local restaurant, saving his modest earnings in hope of returning to his native Tajikistan to marry. On Oct. 10, he headed out to meet friends, and was seen leaving the Lyublino subway station in southeast Moscow. Then, he disappeared.
Five days later, according to Russian authorities, Aminzoda, 24, was in Belgorod, just 24 miles from the Ukrainian border, where he and another man, Mehrob Rakhmonov, 23, allegedly opened fire at a military training base, killing nine and injuring 15 others. The alleged shooters were also killed.
Read the full story here.
Ehson Aminzoda seemed to be following the path of many Central Asian immigrants in Russia — initially working as a bricklayer after arriving in Moscow earlier this year, then at a local restaurant, saving his modest earnings in hope of returning to his native Tajikistan to marry. On Oct. 10, he headed out to meet friends, and was seen leaving the Lyublino subway station in southeast Moscow. Then, he disappeared.
Five days later, according to Russian authorities, Aminzoda, 24, was in Belgorod, just 24 miles from the Ukrainian border, where he and another man, Mehrob Rakhmonov, 23, allegedly opened fire at a military training base, killing nine and injuring 15 others. The alleged shooters were also killed.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that he had secured Moscow’s commitment to revive the grain deal. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the resurrection of the deal.
- “If there was no Russian attack on Ukraine, there wouldn’t even be a phantom threat of the global food crisis,” Zelensky said Wednesday.
- Ukraine began imposing blackouts across several regions, including Kyiv, on Wednesday, amid energy restrictions meant to reduce the load on the grid after a barrage of Russian attacks on energy infrastructure.
- Russian-backed authorities began integrating the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant into a new Russian operating company Wednesday, according to Russian news reports, and some specialist employees have reportedly signed new contracts.
More live updates here.
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that he had secured Moscow’s commitment to revive the grain deal. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the resurrection of the deal.
- “If there was no Russian attack on Ukraine, there wouldn’t even be a phantom threat of the global food crisis,” Zelensky said Wednesday.
- Ukraine began imposing blackouts across several regions, including Kyiv, on Wednesday, amid energy restrictions meant to reduce the load on the grid after a barrage of Russian attacks on energy infrastructure.
- Russian-backed authorities began integrating the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant into a new Russian operating company Wednesday, according to Russian news reports, and some specialist employees have reportedly signed new contracts.
More live updates here.
Why Putin will fight for Kherson: Fresh water and land bridge to Crimea
In the muddy coastal region of Kherson, which sits like a crumpled hat atop the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula, soldiers are readying for what may become the biggest battle of President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, and perhaps the single best test of whether Moscow ends up winning any significant territory from its invasion or is forced to retreat empty-handed.
Ukrainian officials have signaled that an assault on Kherson city — the only regional capital that Russia has managed to capture since its invasion began Feb. 24 — could be imminent. President Volodymyr Zelensky told Ukrainians to “expect good news” from the region, and another top official recently said he expects to retake the city by the end of the year.
Russia, however, has shown no indication that it is willing to give up the city, or the broader Kherson region, which carries enormous strategic and political importance for the Kremlin.
Read the full story here.
In the muddy coastal region of Kherson, which sits like a crumpled hat atop the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula, soldiers are readying for what may become the biggest battle of President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, and perhaps the single best test of whether Moscow ends up winning any significant territory from its invasion or is forced to retreat empty-handed.
Ukrainian officials have signaled that an assault on Kherson city — the only regional capital that Russia has managed to capture since its invasion began Feb. 24 — could be imminent. President Volodymyr Zelensky told Ukrainians to “expect good news” from the region, and another top official recently said he expects to retake the city by the end of the year.
Russia, however, has shown no indication that it is willing to give up the city, or the broader Kherson region, which carries enormous strategic and political importance for the Kremlin.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Ministers from the Group of Seven nations are meeting for two days starting Thursday to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The talks come about a year after the G-7 promised to impose “massive consequences” on Russia if it invaded its neighbor.
- Russian troops appear poised for a complete withdrawal from the Ukrainian city of Kherson, Western officials said Thursday, in what would mark another significant setback for the Russian force in Ukraine.
- U.S. Embassy officials in Russia have visited imprisoned basketball star Brittney Griner, the White House said Thursday.
- Ukraine began scheduled power outages across several regions, including Kyiv, this week, after a barrage of Russian strikes damaged the country’s energy infrastructure.
- More than 100 Russian servicemen were released following negotiations with the Ukrainian government, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Thursday.
More live updates here.
- Ministers from the Group of Seven nations are meeting for two days starting Thursday to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The talks come about a year after the G-7 promised to impose “massive consequences” on Russia if it invaded its neighbor.
- Russian troops appear poised for a complete withdrawal from the Ukrainian city of Kherson, Western officials said Thursday, in what would mark another significant setback for the Russian force in Ukraine.
- U.S. Embassy officials in Russia have visited imprisoned basketball star Brittney Griner, the White House said Thursday.
- Ukraine began scheduled power outages across several regions, including Kyiv, this week, after a barrage of Russian strikes damaged the country’s energy infrastructure.
- More than 100 Russian servicemen were released following negotiations with the Ukrainian government, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Thursday.
More live updates here.
G-7 agrees to fix, defend Ukraine’s infrastructure amid Russian attacks
Top diplomats from the world’s major industrialized democracies agreed on Friday to combine efforts to help Ukraine repair and defend its energy and water infrastructure, which has come under relentless attack by Russian cruise missiles and “kamikaze” drones.
The plan to fortify Ukraine ahead of the punishing winter months was cemented on the second day of G7 meetings in the German city of Münster. The symbolic importance of the meeting place — the same venue in which the Treaty of Westphalia was signed ending the Thirty Years’ War — was underscored by some of the attending diplomats who said Russia’s invasion challenged the world order those centuries-old accords helped establish.
“If we let that be challenged with impunity, then the foundations of the international order will start to erode and eventually crumble, and none of us can afford to let that happen,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
Read the full story here.
Top diplomats from the world’s major industrialized democracies agreed on Friday to combine efforts to help Ukraine repair and defend its energy and water infrastructure, which has come under relentless attack by Russian cruise missiles and “kamikaze” drones.
The plan to fortify Ukraine ahead of the punishing winter months was cemented on the second day of G7 meetings in the German city of Münster. The symbolic importance of the meeting place — the same venue in which the Treaty of Westphalia was signed ending the Thirty Years’ War — was underscored by some of the attending diplomats who said Russia’s invasion challenged the world order those centuries-old accords helped establish.
“If we let that be challenged with impunity, then the foundations of the international order will start to erode and eventually crumble, and none of us can afford to let that happen,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russia’s military command has withdrawn to the eastern bank of the Dnieper River, “leaving demoralized and leaderless men to face the Ukrainian assaults,” Western officials told reporters on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.
- White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan made an unannounced visit to Kyiv on Friday to reaffirm the United States’ “unwavering” support for Ukraine.
- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Ukrainian troops “certainly” had the capability to retake Kherson.
- China’s Xi Jinping urged nations to “oppose the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons,” as he met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Beijing on Friday.
- Africa is “suffering” as a result of the Ukraine war, top European Union diplomat Josep Borrell said at the G-7 meeting on Friday.
More live updates here.
- Russia’s military command has withdrawn to the eastern bank of the Dnieper River, “leaving demoralized and leaderless men to face the Ukrainian assaults,” Western officials told reporters on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.
- White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan made an unannounced visit to Kyiv on Friday to reaffirm the United States’ “unwavering” support for Ukraine.
- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Ukrainian troops “certainly” had the capability to retake Kherson.
- China’s Xi Jinping urged nations to “oppose the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons,” as he met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Beijing on Friday.
- Africa is “suffering” as a result of the Ukraine war, top European Union diplomat Josep Borrell said at the G-7 meeting on Friday.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
World leaders fortified their support for Ukraine ahead of the punishing winter months, with the United States announcing a $400 million aid package that includes funding for additional air defenses against Russian attacks on critical infrastructure.
A U.S. defense official said the next few weeks are expected to be dynamic as Ukrainian forces continue to make battlefield gains, including around the southern city of Kherson. Russian officials have told residents to evacuate the city, while Ukraine warned those signals could be a trap.
More live updates.
World leaders fortified their support for Ukraine ahead of the punishing winter months, with the United States announcing a $400 million aid package that includes funding for additional air defenses against Russian attacks on critical infrastructure.
A U.S. defense official said the next few weeks are expected to be dynamic as Ukrainian forces continue to make battlefield gains, including around the southern city of Kherson. Russian officials have told residents to evacuate the city, while Ukraine warned those signals could be a trap.
More live updates.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
The United States is pushing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to reconsider his stance against negotiating with Russian President Vladimir Putin, The Washington Post reports. The effort is intended as a means to maintain international support, not necessarily to induce bargaining between the warring nations.
Meanwhile Saturday, Iran acknowledged publicly for the first time that it had given Russia deadly drones — albeit before the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion began in February. Zelensky called Tehran’s statement a “confession” after weeks of attacks from Iranian Shahed drones.
Read more updates.
The United States is pushing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to reconsider his stance against negotiating with Russian President Vladimir Putin, The Washington Post reports. The effort is intended as a means to maintain international support, not necessarily to induce bargaining between the warring nations.
Meanwhile Saturday, Iran acknowledged publicly for the first time that it had given Russia deadly drones — albeit before the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion began in February. Zelensky called Tehran’s statement a “confession” after weeks of attacks from Iranian Shahed drones.
Read more updates.
U.S. privately asks Ukraine to show it’s open to negotiate with Russia
The Biden administration is privately encouraging Ukraine’s leaders to signal an openness to negotiate with Russia and drop their public refusal to engage in peace talks unless President Vladimir Putin is removed from power, according to people familiar with the discussions.
The request by American officials is not aimed at pushing Ukraine to the negotiating table, these people said. Rather, they called it a calculated attempt to ensure the government in Kyiv maintains the support of other nations facing constituencies wary of fueling a war for many years to come.
The discussions illustrate how complex the Biden administration’s position on Ukraine has become.
Read the full story here.
The Biden administration is privately encouraging Ukraine’s leaders to signal an openness to negotiate with Russia and drop their public refusal to engage in peace talks unless President Vladimir Putin is removed from power, according to people familiar with the discussions.
The request by American officials is not aimed at pushing Ukraine to the negotiating table, these people said. Rather, they called it a calculated attempt to ensure the government in Kyiv maintains the support of other nations facing constituencies wary of fueling a war for many years to come.
The discussions illustrate how complex the Biden administration’s position on Ukraine has become.
Read the full story here.
Russia strips climate advocate of citizenship
Climate activist Arshak Makichyan built a reputation as the Russian answer to Greta Thunberg, staging lonely weekly protests in central Moscow and often getting arrested.
Makichyan, 28, who fled Russia to Berlin in March following the invasion of Ukraine, is still pushing for climate action, but as of last week, the government says he is no longer Russian. In an unusual case, a Moscow court has decided to strip Makichyan along with his father and brother, who both remain in Russia, of their citizenship, in what appears to be payback for his public antiwar statements.
Makichyan, who is Armenian by birth, emigrated to Russia as a baby in 1995 and holds only a Russian passport, meaning the decision has rendered him effectively stateless. “I am at a loss as what to do going forward,” Makichyan told The Washington Post in a phone interview.
Read the full story here.
Climate activist Arshak Makichyan built a reputation as the Russian answer to Greta Thunberg, staging lonely weekly protests in central Moscow and often getting arrested.
Makichyan, 28, who fled Russia to Berlin in March following the invasion of Ukraine, is still pushing for climate action, but as of last week, the government says he is no longer Russian. In an unusual case, a Moscow court has decided to strip Makichyan along with his father and brother, who both remain in Russia, of their citizenship, in what appears to be payback for his public antiwar statements.
Makichyan, who is Armenian by birth, emigrated to Russia as a baby in 1995 and holds only a Russian passport, meaning the decision has rendered him effectively stateless. “I am at a loss as what to do going forward,” Makichyan told The Washington Post in a phone interview.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Millions of people in Ukraine’s capital region were without power Sunday because of blackouts aimed at relieving the strain on a damaged power grid, as President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of more Russian strikes on energy infrastructure.
- Ukraine said it struck a Russian base in the Kherson region where 200 soldiers were located.Ukraine’s Operational Command South said early Monday local time that the strike in Kakhovka, northeast of the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine, had caused significant losses.
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to propose that the bloc give Ukraine 1.5 billion euros per month, “which would contribute significantly to cover Ukraine’s financing needs for 2023.”
- Iran’s foreign minister said his country supplied Russia with a “limited number of drones” months before the invasion. But Hossein Amirabdollahian said Iran had not received any confirmation that they had been used in Ukraine.
More live updates here.
- Millions of people in Ukraine’s capital region were without power Sunday because of blackouts aimed at relieving the strain on a damaged power grid, as President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of more Russian strikes on energy infrastructure.
- Ukraine said it struck a Russian base in the Kherson region where 200 soldiers were located.Ukraine’s Operational Command South said early Monday local time that the strike in Kakhovka, northeast of the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine, had caused significant losses.
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to propose that the bloc give Ukraine 1.5 billion euros per month, “which would contribute significantly to cover Ukraine’s financing needs for 2023.”
- Iran’s foreign minister said his country supplied Russia with a “limited number of drones” months before the invasion. But Hossein Amirabdollahian said Iran had not received any confirmation that they had been used in Ukraine.
More live updates here.