The Dispatch

Russia’s ruling party loses a third of seats in Moscow election

Russia’s ruling United Russia party, which supports President Vladimir Putin, has lost a slew of seats in the Moscow parliament, RIA news agency said on Monday, suggesting a tactical voting…

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Russians head to the polls in local and regional elections

Muscovites head to the polls to elect a new city council on Sunday. There is little hope that opposition parties will make substantive gains. But, after a violent crackdown, resentment…

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Kremlin critic Navalny’s offices raided

Russian security forces have raided three of opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s offices in Moscow on the eve of a local election where he is advocating voters to unseat Kremlin-backed candidates.…

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Putin’s anger at the arrest of Russian manager in Naples

A top manager at ODK, a state-run Russian firm that produces engines, has been detained in Naples at the request of the United States which accuses him of "economic spying",…

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Photo Story: 15th anniversary of Beslan hostage tragedy

People form the name 'Beslan' with candles lit during a commemoration ceremony on the Nevsky prospect in St. Petersburg, Russia, on the night of the 03 September 2019. Russians on…

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Photo Story: Cadets of the Russian Nakhimov Naval Academy in St. Petersburg

A cadet yawns, as Cadets of the Russian Nakhimov Naval Academy attend a ceremony at the start of the school year known as 'Day of Knowledge' in St. Petersburg, Russia,…

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Russia assumes presidency in UN Security Council

Russia will hold the monthly presidency of the UN Security Council in September, which this year coincides with the opening of the 74th session of the General Assembly on September…

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Russian warning on US strikes in Syria

The Russian military said on Sunday that the United States had carried out air strikes in Syria’s Idlib de-escalation zone in breach of previous agreements, inflicting numerous casualties and endangering…

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Georgia reports military buildup along border with South Ossetia

Georgia said it had observed a "mobilisation of military equipment and personnel" in the separatist region of South Ossetia after an ultimatum issued by the breakaway territory expired. Georgia warned…

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Russia unveils competitor to Boeing and Airbus

Russia unveiled on Wednesday its new passenger plane MC-21, billed as a competitor to Boeing and Airbus even as the project is overshadowed by sanctions and setbacks with its predecessor,…

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Photo Story: Ukraine celebrates National Flag Day

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (C) reviews the Guard of Honor during the National Flag Day celebration at the St. Sophia square in downtown Kiev, Ukraine, 23 August 2019. Ukrainians mark…

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Leading Russian opposition politician Navalny released from jail

Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny was released on Friday after 30 days in prison. Navalny, a prominent Kremlin critic, was jailed on charges of violating Russia’s protest laws after he…

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Russia medical workers fear ‘radioactive’ contamination

Russian medics who treated radiation victims after a military explosion in the Arctic had no protection and now fear they were irradiated themselves as they were not informed that the…

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EU against Russia’s return to G7

The European Union is against making any unconditional invitation to Russia to let it rejoin talks among the G7 world leaders, a senior official with the bloc said. This week…

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Vladimir Putin warns US over missile test

Russia's Vladimir Putin has said America's latest missile test has raised new threats and will warrant a response from Moscow. The Russian leader said the test signalled "the emergence of…

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Photo Story: Mural-Art fest in Russia

A view of a graffiti depicting Yuri Gagarin (R), the first man in space, created by Italian artist Jorit Agoch at Trehgorka district in Odintsovo, near Moscow, Russia during the…

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Turkey says its convoy attacked in Syria

Turkish military convoy was attacked en route to one of its observation posts in northwest Syria on Monday, Turkey’s Defence Ministry said, adding that three civilians were killed and 12…

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Ukraine high on agenda as Macron meets Putin

French President Emmanuel Macron will host his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a rare meeting on Monday before the start of the G7 summit in Biarritz. Macron is hoping to…

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Eight people killed in Ukraine hotel fire

Eight people were killed in a fire that broke out in a hotel Odessa in Ukraine, the state emergency services authority said. Firefighters were called to the blaze early on…

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Unexploded WWII bomb found in Kremlin

An unexploded WWII bomb was found in the grounds of the Kremlin in Moscow on Thursday, Sergei Khlebnikov, the commandant of the Kremlin, told Russian news agency TASS. The bomb…

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Russian passenger jet performs emergency landing near Moscow

A Russian passenger plane from Ural Airlines’ performed an emergency landing near Moscow shortly after take-off on Thursday after birds were sucked into its engines. There were no casualties reported…

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Russian nuclear-capable TU-160 bombers deployed near US border

Russia announced it had flown two nuclear-capable TU-160 bombers to a far eastern Russian region opposite Alaska as part of a training exercise that state media said showed Moscow's ability…

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Msgr. Joseph Grech assigned to the Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the International Organisations in Vienna

His Holiness Pope Francis has promoted Councillor of Apostolic Nunciature the Rev. Msgr. Joseph Grech and has assigned him to the Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the International…

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Radiation levels 16 times above normal after Russian rocket explosion

Radiation levels near the site of a deadly rocket explosion in Russia's far north spiked 16 times above normal, Rosgidromet , Russia's weather service has said. Rosgidromet measured radiation levels…

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Photo story: Putin joins the Night Wolves

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) rides an Ural motorbike as he and nationalist motorcycle group Night Wolves with their leader Aleksander Zaldostanov (L) arrive before the Babylon's Shadow bike show…

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Russia tells Google to stop promoting Moscow protests on YouTube

Russia’s state communications watchdog has called on Google to stop promoting “illegal mass events” on YouTube following renewed protests in Moscow. Several YouTube channels broadcast live as tens of thousands…

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Thousands demand fair elections in Moscow

Tens of thousands have attended Moscow's largest opposition rally since 2011, independent monitors say. Up to 60,000 people reportedly gathered in the rain to demand fair elections. The protest was officially…

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Photo Story: New home for Konik horses

One of the first 50 konik horses are transported from the nature reserve of Oostvaardersplassen in Lelystad, the Netherlands to a nature reserve in Belarus,. A total of 150 konik…

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Radiation spike after rocket engine explosion in Russia

A radiation spike was registered after a rocket engine explosion on a naval test range in northern Russia on Thursday. In the explosion two people were killed and six injured,…

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Explosion at Russian military base kills two

Two people have been killed in an explosion at a Russian naval test facility. Both were civilian specialists, the Russian defence ministry said in a statement. Six other people -…

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US wanted to spy on Maltese PM and Keith Schembri over Russian refueling

Darren Debono, the suspected Maltese fuel smuggler currently facing charges in an Italian court in Catania, has alleged in court that officials from the United States embassy asked him for…

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First test flight of ‘Okhotnik’ Russian combat drone

Handout photos made available from a Russian Defense Ministry video showing the first test flight of the new Russian combat drone 'Okhotnik' (Hunter), 07 August 2019. The first flight, which…

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Moldova Continues to Issue New Citizenships During Application Pause

While the Moldovan citizenship by investment program (CIP) has taken a four-month break to undergo a government review, a growing number of the 34 applicants who submitted their files prior…

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Salisbury Novichok poisoning : US imposes new sanctions on Russia

The Trump administration has imposed economic sanctions on Russia in response to an alleged assassination attempt on a former Russian double agent in Salisbury in the UK, as Congress pressures…

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The woman driving Russia’s opposition protests

Sarah Rainsford BBC News Moscow correspondent writes about Lyubov Sobol, the main force behind Russia’s recent opposition protests. The young lawyer and popular video blogger is one of a group…

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Transfer of Russian oil to Venezuela off Maltese coast

Various transfers of Russian oil products bound for Venezuela, had taken place off Malta’s coast during the first half of last year, media reports and data reveal. Media outlets Bloomberg…

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Landmark INF nuclear arms treaty is history: What now?

As the US withdrew from the landmark nuclear treaty known as the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, Seda Serdar Deutsche Welle correspondent ask what’s next and gives a German perspective…

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UPDATED: US withdraws from Cold War-era nuclear pact with Russia

The US is set to formally withdraw from a nuclear treaty with Russia, raising fears of a new arms race. The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) was signed by US…

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Photo Story: The Wildfires in Siberia

A handout picture made available by the press service of the Federation Service Aviation Forest Protection shows servicemen fighting wildfires in the taiga, or boreal forest, Krasnoyarsk region, Russia In…

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Russian hospital says Kremlin critic Navalny tested negative for poison

The Russian hospital which has treated opposition leader Alexei Navalny for an apparent allergic reaction says doctors did not find any traces of poison in his system. But his personal…

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HIV-Related Deaths on the Rise in Russia

More people have died from HIV-related causes in Russia last year than in 2017 as the country grapples with a rise in infections, according to Health Ministry data cited by…

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Fiat 500 for Carsharing in Russia

Users of the Russian carsharing service Delimobil will be able to drive the extraordinary Fiat 500. It is not often that we see this car on Moscow streets and it…

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Russian troops to help fight Siberia wildfires

Russia's military will join the combat against wildfires raging in Siberia as they rip through several remote regions in Siberia. As residents of several Russian cities struggle with the effects…

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Russia declares emergency over huge wildfires in Siberia

An area of 3.2 million hectares was engulfed by forest fires in remote regions of Russia on Monday and have continued to spread. In comparison, the total surface of the…

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Possibility Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been poisoned

A doctor who visited Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny says she cannot rule out he has been poisoned. Navalny was taken to hospital from prison on Sunday after suffering "severe…

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Photo Story: Navy Day celebration in St. Petersburg

Despite the long history of the Russian Navy, its own holiday appeared in the Russian fleet only in the USSR, on June 22, 1939. The tradition to celebrate the Navy Day on the last…

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North Korea releases detained Russian fishing boat

North Korea has released a Russian fishing boat, the Xiang Hai Lin 8, held after being accused of violating entry regulations, the Russian embassy in North Korea said on Sunday,…

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Over a thousand arrests at Moscow protest

Police in Moscow have detained more than 1,000 people at a rally, in one of the biggest crackdowns in years. Demonstrators were dragged away from the city hall as security…

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Ukraine seizes Russian tanker involved in Kerch Strait incident

Kyiv said it has detained a Russian tanker it alleges was involved in an incident in the Kerch Strait that saw three Ukrainian vessels seized. Ukraine's secret service (SBU) said…

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Huge international police operation against Balkan cartel trafficking cocaine around the globe

Law enforcement agencies from across the globe teamed up against a Balkan organised criminal network suspected of large-scale cocaine trafficking from South America to Europe using private planes. The…

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Turkey’s first S-400 shipment complete, second shipment being planned

The first shipment of Russia's S-400 defence missile system to Turkey has now been completed,Turkish officials said. Russia has completed delivery of the first shipment of its S-400 anti-aircraft missile…

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Escalation of tension between the Moscow and Kiev, Russian tanker involved in Kerch Strait confrontation captured

The Ukrainian government says it has detained a Russian tanker it alleges was involved in an incident in the Kerch Strait that saw three Ukrainian vessels seized. Their crews were…

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North Korea detains crew of Russian fishing vessel

North Korea is holding 15 Russian and two South Korean crew of a fishing vessel for violating entry regulations, the Russian Embassy in North Korea said on Wednesday. The crew…

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Photo story: The Lego Bugatti Chiron is presented in Moscow

People examine the world's first real Lego car with engine - a replica of a Bugatti Chiron - at Lego House in Moscow's Gorky Park, Russia. The car is…

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UPDATED: Joint Russian and Chinese air patrol heightens tension in Korean peninsula

Russia has said it carried out its first long-range joint air patrol with China in the Asia-Pacific region, a mission that triggered hundreds of warning shots from South Korean jets…

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Ukraine president’s party declares victory

Servant of the People, the party of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, could win a majority in the new parliament, a senior party official said on Monday. Under Ukraine’s mixed election…

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Photo Story: Russia Navy Day rehearsal in St. Petersburg

People look as Russian Navy small missile corvettes Serpukhov (R), Passat (2-R), Mytishchi (2-L) and the sailboat 'Poltava' attend a rehearsal for the 'Russia Navy Day' parade in St.…

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