The Dispatch

Russia’s Putin wants stronger WHO, proposes conference on coronavirus vaccine

Russian President Vladimir Putin told the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday that the World Health Organization should be strengthened to coordinate the global response to the coronavirus pandemic and proposed…

Read More Here

‘We’re confident’ – Russia to share legal risks of COVID-19 vaccine

Russia is so confident in its COVID-19 vaccine that it will shoulder some of the legal liability should anything go wrong, rather than requiring buyers to take on the full risk, the head of the state…

Read More Here

EU foreign policy chief ‘will do whatever he can’ for Belarus sanctions

EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said he will do whatever he can for sanctions against Belarus to be adopted. "It is becoming a personal commitment because I understand clearly…

Read More Here

Belarus opposition appeal to EU fails to unblock sanctions

European Union foreign ministers failed to agree sanctions against Belarusian officials on Monday, despite an appeal by the country's main opposition leader. After a sixth straight weekend of huge protests…

Read More Here

Russia’s new coronavirus cases at highest since July 18

Russia on Monday reported 6,196 new coronavirus cases, the most recorded over 24 hours since July 18, pushing its national tally to 1,109,595, the fourth largest in the world. Authorities…

Read More Here

Lithuania, Poland and Romania to ask EU leaders to offer trade, visa-free travel to Belarus

The presidents of Lithuania, Poland and Romania will ask European Union leaders at a summit later this week to offer a support package for Belarus if the country holds a…

Read More Here

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in Brussels for an informal meeting with EU Foreign Ministers

On Monday Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya arrived in Brussels, Belgium, for an informal breakfast with EU Foreign Ministers. More than 100,000 people marched through Minsk on Sunday on the…

Read More Here

Hackers leak personal data of 1,000 Belarusian police on weekend of protests

Anonymous hackers leaked the personal data of 1,000 Belarusian police officers in retaliation for a crackdown on street demonstrations against veteran President Alexander Lukashenko, as protesters geared up for another…

Read More Here

Russia’s new COVID cases above 6,000 for second day in a row

Russia reported 6,148 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, the second straight day when the daily number of cases exceeded 6,000, taking the national tally of infections to 1,103,399. The country's…

Read More Here

Belarus warns EU against inviting Lukashenko’s rival to meeting

The foreign ministry in Belarus warned that it saw the possible participation of opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in an EU ministerial meeting as an interference in domestic affairs, the Belta…

Read More Here

Navalny posts ‘recovery’ update

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny was seen walking down the stairs in a photo posted on his Instagram feed on Saturday, five days after a Berlin hospital…

Read More Here

Russia reports 6,065 new cases

Russia reported 6,065 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, the first time the daily tally has been higher than 6,000 in two months. The national tally of infections rose to 1,097,251.…

Read More Here

EU set to miss Monday’s deadline for sanctions on Belarus

The European Union is likely to miss its own Monday deadline for imposing sanctions on Belarus, three diplomatic sources told Reuters, stalled by a lack of unanimity among member states…

Read More Here

Russia approves first prescription COVID-19 drug for sale in pharmacies

Russia has approved R-Pharm's Coronavir treatment for outpatients with mild to moderate COVID-19 infections and the antiviral drug could be rolled out to pharmacies in the country as soon as…

Read More Here

U.N. investigator on Belarus warns of ‘another Iron curtain’

A U.N. investigator warned of the possibility of "another Iron curtain" descending in Europe during an urgent debate on the human rights situation in Belarus in Geneva on Friday. The…

Read More Here

Seventeen OSCE members appoint experts to investigate Belarus election

Seventeen members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have appointed an independent team of experts to investigate alleged rights violations in Belarus' August presidential election, Denmark…

Read More Here

Ukraine agricultural sector facing worst weather in a decade

Weather conditions for winter grain sowing in Ukraine are the worst in the last 10 years due to severe drought across most of the country, the APK-Inform consultancy on Wednesday…

Read More Here

Photo Story: The annual festival Colours of Autumn in Moscow

An elderly woman wearing a protective mask looks at the flowers during the annual festival Colours of Autumn in the Botanical Garden of Moscow State University in Moscow. More than…

Read More Here

Russia seals another deal to supply and test its coronavirus vaccine abroad

Russia's sovereign wealth fund will supply 100 million doses of its potential coronavirus vaccine to Indian drug company Dr Reddy's Laboratories , the fund announced, as Moscow speeds up plans…

Read More Here

Russia’s coronavirus death toll passes 19,000

Russia's death toll from the novel coronavirus passed 19,000 on Thursday, as the country reported 144 new deaths in the previous 24 hours. The country's coronavirus crisis response centre registered…

Read More Here

Navalny team says Novichok was found on water bottle in hotel room

The nerve agent used to poison Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was detected on an empty water bottle from his hotel room in the Siberian city of Tomsk, suggesting he was…

Read More Here

Navalny shares photo from hospital, says he can breath on his own

Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny shared a photograph from a Berlin hospital on Tuesday, sitting up in bed and surrounded by his family, and said he could now breathe independently following his…

Read More Here

Putin throws $1.5 billion lifeline to embattled Belarus leader

Russian President Vladimir Putin bestowed a $1.5 billion loan on Belarus on Monday in a gesture of support for its leader Alexander Lukashenko, who flew to entreat his patron for help after five…

Read More Here

U.N. human rights chief says reports of Belarus violence are alarming

The United Nations human rights chief said on Monday her office was receiving "alarming reports" of the ongoing violent repression of peaceful demonstrations in Belarus. "Reports continue to indicate unnecessary…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Kite festival in St. Petersburg

People enjoy the kite festival that was held over the weekend in the 300th anniversary Park in St. Petersburg, Russia. Via EPA-EFE/ANATOLY MALTSEV

Read More Here

Police in Belarus detained 774 people at protests on eve of Putin summit

Police detained 774 people on Sunday at huge anti-government protests across Belarus, including 500 people detained in the capital Minsk, the Belarusian Interior Ministry said on Monday. At least 100,000…

Read More Here

Kremlin set for election wins, but Navalny supporters make rare gains in Siberia

The ruling United Russia party looked set for an array of local election wins after Sunday’s elections, but was also on course for some setbacks as stricken Kremlin critic Alexei…

Read More Here

Lukashenko heads to Russia for talks with Putin

President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus will seek the backing of Russia’s Vladimir Putin at a crucial meeting on Monday after a fifth consecutive weekend of huge protests demanding that he…

Read More Here

Over 100,000 Belarus protesters flood streets to demand end of Lukashenko

At least 100,000 Belarusian protesters took to the streets of Minsk on Sunday in one of the biggest demonstrations yet against President Alexander Lukashenko after he claimed a landslide victory…

Read More Here

Russians vote in local elections

Russians vote on Sunday in dozens of local elections that will be scrutinised for signs of discontent with the ruling United Russia party following the suspected poisoning of Kremlin critic…

Read More Here

Der Spiegel reports Novichok used on Navalny ‘harder’ than previous forms

The novichok nerve agent used to poison Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was ‘harder’ than previous forms, Der Spiegel magazine reported the head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service as saying. Bruno…

Read More Here

More than 1 billion people to get Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine in 2020-2021

Russia's sovereign wealth fund said that more than one billion people would receive its COVID-19 vaccine "Sputnik-V" in 2020-21, the Interfax news agency reported. The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF)…

Read More Here

Russia’s RDIF agrees to manufacture Covid-19 vaccine in Brazil

Russia's sovereign wealth fund RDIF announced that it had agreed to manufacture Russia's first registered COVID-19 vaccine "Sputnik-V" in Brazil. RDIF, which is backing the vaccine's development, also said it…

Read More Here

Georgia bans weddings and birthday parties as virus cases rise

Georgia has banned weddings and other types of public ceremony from Sept. 10 and postponed theatre and cinema openings to contain the spread of the new coronavirus as the number…

Read More Here

Some scientists question Russia Sputnik-V vaccine data

Twenty-six scientists, most of them working at universities in Italy, have signed an open letter questioning the reliability of the data presented in the early-stage trial results of the Russian…

Read More Here

Belarus opposition leader says authorities threatened to kill her

Belarus opposition politician Maria Kolesnikova said security officers put a bag over her head and threatened to kill her when they tried to forcibly deport her to Ukraine earlier this…

Read More Here

Kremlin denies setting up commission to investigate Navalny’s case

The Kremlin said on Thursday it was possible there had been a misunderstanding after Italy's prime minister said that President Vladimir Putin had promised to set up a commission to…

Read More Here

G7 foreign ministers condemn Navalny’s ‘confirmed poisoning’

The Group of Seven foreign ministers condemned the “confirmed poisoning” of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny in the strongest terms, according to a statement released by the U.S. State Department. “We,…

Read More Here

Russia reported to have completed early trials of second potential COVID-19 vaccine

Siberia's Vector virology institute on Tuesday completed early-stage human trials, known as Phase II, of a second potential Russian vaccine against COVID-19, the state consumer safety watchdog was cited by…

Read More Here

Belarusian opposition politician Tsikhanouskaya calls for new elections prior to new constitution

Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said on Tuesday new elections must be held before, not after, a new constitution is written in Belarus. Asked for her reaction about Belarus President…

Read More Here

Russia offers to mediate in any Cyprus-Turkey talks over Med energy exploration

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Cyprus on Tuesday that Moscow was ready to help mediate in any talks with Turkey as tensions simmer over energy exploration in the Mediterranean…

Read More Here

Russia reports 5,099 new coronavirus cases, 122 deaths

Russia reported 5,099 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, pushing its national tally to 1,035,789, the fourth largest in the world. Authorities confirmed 122 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the…

Read More Here

Belarusian opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova located in Ukraine

Three Belarusian opposition politicians, including protest leader Maria Kolesnikova, who disappeared on Monday, have passed border control at the Belarusian-Ukrainian border, an official of the Belarusian border guard service said. Kolesnikova was…

Read More Here

Merkel does not rule out sanctions on Russia-Germany gas pipeline

Chancellor Angela Merkel does not rule out imposing sanctions on a pipeline set to bring Russian gas to Germany in response to the suspected poisoning of a Kremlin critic with…

Read More Here

Ukraine to ship wheat to Saudi for the first time in 12 years

Ukraine will supply milling wheat to Saudi Arabia for the first time in 12 years, exporter Continental Farmers Group said on Monday, with 60,000 tonnes now being loaded at the…

Read More Here

Russia’s Navalny comes out of coma

Russia's Opposition figure Alexei Nalvany has come out of a coma that was induced after he was found poisoned, according to a German hospital. Doctors in Berlin say he is…

Read More Here

Russia reports 5,185 new coronavirus cases, 51 deaths

Russia reported 5,185 new coronavirus cases on Monday, pushing its national tally to 1,030,690, the fourth largest in the world. Authorities confirmed 51 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing…

Read More Here

Azerbaijan’s SOCAR Trading targets U.S. crude, LNG expansion

Azerbaijan's SOCAR Trading has returned to expansion mode and aims to increase its presence in liquefied natural gas (LNG) and U.S. crude, following a reorganisation two years ago and strong…

Read More Here

Reports Belarusian protest leader detained by masked men

Unidentified masked men detained prominent Belarusian protest leader Maria Kolesnikova in central Minsk on Monday morning and drove her off in a minivan, the Belarusian Tut.By media outlet cited a…

Read More Here

Russia to complete early-stage trials on second COVID-19 vaccine on September 30

Russia will complete early-stage trials on a second potential COVID-19 vaccine produced by the Vector Institute on Sept. 30, the RIA news agency cited Russia's consumer health safety watchdog as…

Read More Here

EU to blacklist 31 Belarus senior officials over election, diplomats say

The European Union aims to impose economic sanctions on 31 senior Belarus officials including the country’s interior minister by mid-September, three EU diplomats said, in response to an Aug. 9…

Read More Here

Moscow compares Serbian President to Sharon Stone in ‘Basic Instinct’

Serbia’s president accused Moscow of stooping to “primitivism and vulgarity” in an attack on him, after Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman compared him to the actor Sharon Stone in an explicit…

Read More Here

Security forces crack down on mass protest in Belarus

Security forces in Belarus detained scores of protesters and were filmed beating a man as he lay on the street, as the authorities launched a crackdown on mass demonstrations against…

Read More Here

How common cold viruses are being used in vaccines from Russia, China

The modified common cold viruses behind high-profile COVID-19 vaccine candidates from China’s CanSino Biologics and Russia’s Gamaleya Institute have been studied for decades, but are still not widely used. The…

Read More Here

Concern in Belarus as masked men arrest protesting students

Masked security agents dragged students off the streets and bundled them into vans as new protests broke out against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Saturday on the fourth weekend since…

Read More Here

Belarusian opposition activist Kovalkova seeks refuge in Poland

Belarusian opposition activist Olga Kovalkova arrived in the Polish capital Warsaw on Saturday, saying she had been forced by authorities in her homeland to leave the country. Kovalkova, a senior…

Read More Here

U.S. has no proof of Russia’s involvement in Navalny’s poisoning – Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump declined to join other world leaders in condemning Russia over the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States must look "very…

Read More Here