The Moscow Times (EN)

Russia Adds Navalnaya to ‘Terrorists and Extremists’ List Russian authorities have added exiled opposition figure Yulia Navalnaya to its list of “terrorists and extremists” soon after issuing a search warrant for ties to her late husband’s banned network, media reported Thursday. A Moscow court said this week that it placed Navalaya, who currently lives outside Russia, in pre-trial detention in absentia for “participating in an extremist organization.” Read more | Subscribe to our channel

Nobel Winner Muratov Calls on Foreign Leaders to Exchange Russian Political Prisoners Russian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov has called on foreign leaders to facilitate the exchange of political prisoners from Russia in a rare video appeal published Wednesday.  “Let's start exchanging civilians imprisoned on politically motivated charges. Many of them simply won’t survive [in prison],” Muratov said in a 20-minute long YouTube clip. Read more | Subscribe to our channel

Latvia Jails Activist 3 Years for Pro-Russian Memorabilia – Reports A court in Latvia has sentenced a pro-Kremlin activist to three years in prison for publicly displaying Russian and Soviet flags, media reported Wednesday. Jelena Kreile has previously been seen wearing pro-war symbols and holding pro-Russian signs at anti-war rallies in the Latvian capital of Riga. The Latvian-born housewife, who only speaks Russian, faces 15 administrative cases for using banned symbols in public, according to the Riga-based investigative project Re:Baltica. Read more | Subscribe to our channel

Moscow Court Upholds Prison Sentence of Dissident Oleg Orlov  A Moscow court on Thursday rejected an appeal by jailed human rights defender Oleg Orlov against his imprisonment for criticizing the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine. Orlov, 71, was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison this year on charges of “discrediting” the Russian military with his anti-war pickets and the 2022 article titled: “They Wanted Fascism. They Got It,” in which he called the war against Kyiv “a severe blow to Russia’s future.” Read more | Subscribe to our channel

Russia Says Won’t Attend Second Ukraine Peace Summit Russia will not attend a second planned international summit on peace in Ukraine because it will ignore Moscow’s proposals, a senior diplomat said Thursday. Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told the state-run news agency RIA Novosti that the first summit attended by more than 90 countries in Switzerland last month had “failed.” Moscow and its ally China snubbed the event, while some of the major participants did not sign a communique calling for peace talks and supporting Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Read more | Subscribe to our channel

Ukraine Says Seized Cargo Ship Used for Crimea Grain Exports Kyiv said Thursday that it had seized a foreign cargo ship and detained its captain, alleging that the vessel had illegally exported Ukrainian grain from the annexed Crimean peninsula. Since Russia's capture of swathes of agricultural land in Ukraine in early 2022, Kyiv has accused Moscow of illegally harvesting and shipping grain produced on occupied territory to third countries. Read more | Subscribe to our channel

Hungary’s Orban Tells EU that Putin, Xi Expect Ukraine Talks by End of 2024 – El Pais Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told the European Union that Russian and Chinese leaders expect Ukrainian peace talks by the end of 2024, the Spanish daily El Pais reported Wednesday, citing his confidential reports filed after visiting the countries. One of President Vladimir Putin’s closest Western partners, Orban has sparked the ire of the EU and the United States with his self-described peace mission to Ukraine, Russia and China soon after taking over the rotating six-month EU presidency on July 1. Read more | Subscribe to our channel

Russia Outlaws The Moscow Times as 'Undesirable' Organization Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office has labeled The Moscow Times as “undesirable.” The designation bans anyone from working with or having links to the organization, with criminal prosecution for violations. Read more | Subscribe to our channel

⚡️⚡️ Russia has named The Moscow Times an "undesirable" organization, Russian news agencies report. The label bans MT from operating in Russia and puts anyone affiliated with it at risk of criminal prosecution.

Gallery | In Photos: The Ancient Slavic Midsummer Holiday of Kupala Night Over the weekend, people across Russia and Belarus gathered to celebrate Ivan Kupala Night – an ancient Slavic festival to mark midsummer. This folk holiday has both pagan and Christian roots, coinciding with the birth of John the Baptist. As such, water is a key motif during the festivities. Revelers often douse each other, and make flower chains which are cast onto rivers and lakes. Bonfires are another prominent symbol of purification: it’s traditional for young couples to jump over the flames, proving their devotion. As night falls, participants in traditional dress dance and sing around the fire. Here’s how one Russian village marked the occasion: View gallery | Subscribe to our channel