Vladimir Kara-Murza, a prominent Kremlin critic and Russian human rights advocate, was sentenced to 25 years in prison on charges of treason and denigrating the Russian military by a Moscow court. His detention has been widely condemned as a politically motivated move to silence dissent, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the European Union expressing their deep concern over the ruling.
Posts tagged as “Moscow”
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu in Moscow on Sunday, praising the “very productive” visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping last month and noting that relations between Russia and China are developing well in all areas. Li Shangfu said that the relations between Moscow and Beijing “have very strong relations, that far surpass the military-political alliances of the Cold War.” The meeting is the latest sign of the deepening ties between Russia and China, which have increased their military cooperation in recent years.
Alexei Navalny, Russia's most prominent opposition politician, has been suffering from severe stomach pain since Monday and an ambulance was called to the prison where he is being held due to acute stomach pains. Navalny is not eating anything due to being prohibited from receiving parcels with food or buying food in the prison store, and his team suspects that he is being poisoned again. His health has been deteriorating since he was transferred to a prison in the Vladimir region, east of Moscow, and his supporters and human rights activists are calling for his immediate release.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has indicated that Moscow may be open to negotiating a prisoner exchange with the United States involving Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. The United States has offered to exchange him for two Russian nationals currently held in the U.S., but Russia has so far refused to consider such a swap. Gershkovich has been held in a Moscow prison since April 2019 and his trial has been delayed multiple times. It remains to be seen whether the Russian government will ultimately agree to a prisoner exchange.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has condemned a video circulating online that shows a Ukrainian being decapitated by "Russian occupiers." Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder and financier of the Wagner private military company, has called for the entire Russian society to be mobilized in support of Moscow's war effort in Ukraine. The video has sparked outrage and condemnation from around the world, and Ukraine's security services have vowed to investigate and bring those responsible to justice.
Brittney Griner, a WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist, is set to release a memoir in spring 2024 detailing her experience of being arrested and incarcerated in Russia. Griner was arrested last year at the airport in Moscow on drug-related charges and detained for nearly 10 months, and is now ready to share her story. The memoir will provide an in-depth look into Griner's experience in Russia, and is sure to be an interesting read.
American journalist Evan Gershkovich, who is currently jailed in Russia, has been charged with espionage by the Federal Security Service (FSB). Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, has entered a formal denial of the charges, which have been widely condemned as "baseless" and "fabricated." U.S. officials have called for Gershkovich's immediate release, and the Wall Street Journal has also called for his release, saying that the charges against him are "unfounded and politically motivated."
Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter and American citizen, has been charged with espionage by Russian investigators. Gershkovich has denied all accusations and has been ordered to remain in custody until at least May 28. The case has been seen as a sign of increasing tensions between the United States and Russia, and has been widely condemned by international organizations.