Putin’s Witnesses
Putin's Witnesses documents the events that followed the unexpected resignation of Russian President Boris Yeltsin in December 1999 and brought Vladimir Putin to power. Russian documentary filmmaker Vitaly Mansky was both witness and participant. Mansky will present the film at the National Press Club on Wednesday, January 16 at 6:00pm.
VISUAL REPORTS
Students Call For EU To Drop Visa Requirement For Kosovo
Students from the University of Pristina called on the European Union to provide visa-free travel for citizens of Kosovo. Kosovo is the only non-EU country in the Western Balkans that has not yet been granted visa-free status by the EU.
Mammoth Hunters Probe Permafrost For 'Ethical Ivory'
In Russia's remote Sakha-Yakutia region, the frozen ground is studded with the remains of prehistoric mammoths. Their tusks are worth a fortune to traders in China, where the sale of elephant ivory was banned in late 2017.
Turkmen President Appears Every 30 Seconds On Evening News
Current Time TV has calculated the number of times Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov was mentioned during a single 30-minute episode of the evening news on December 26. Spoiler alert: 52 head shots and 52 mentions. (Current Time TV on Facebook)
OTHER NEWS
Evidence Links Wagner Group To Russian Journalists' Killings
Private investigators working for former oligarch and Russian opposition activist Mikhail Khodorkovsky announced in a press briefing in London on January 10 that preliminary findings suggested the involvement of mercenaries tied to Kremlin-connected tycoon Yevgeny Prigozhin in the killings of three Russian journalists in the Central African Republic last year, allegedly together with local law enforcement officials.
U.S. Lawmakers Slam Treasury Secretary Over Sanctions Relief For Deripaska
The U.S. Treasury secretary has said he told U.S. lawmakers that President Donald Trump will keep strict sanctions on Kremlin-connected oligarch Oleg Deripaska. The Trump administration announced in December a decision to lift sanctions against three companies that Deripaska controls: Rusal, EN+, and JSC EuroSibEnergo.
Germany Asserts European Primacy On Russian Pipeline Policy
U.S. sanctions against the Moscow-backed Nord Stream 2 natural-gas pipeline project would be the wrong way to solve a dispute over energy supply, according to German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas. "Questions of European energy policy must be decided in Europe, not in the U.S.," Maas said in a speech in Berlin on January 10.
EU Urges Russia To Release 'Illegally Detained' Ukrainians
The European Union has reiterated its call on Moscow to release all Ukrainian citizens “illegally detained” both in Russia and in the annexed Crimea Peninsula.
Russia Accuses BBC Of Airing Extremist Ideology
Russia's media regulator says it is investigating whether British broadcaster BBC has broken Russian law by allegedly promoting Islamist extremism. Roskomnadzor said in a statement on January 10, “To date, material has been uncovered which transmits the ideological principles of a terrorist group,” and referred to “quotes of the terrorist Al-Baghdadi."
Russian Defense Ministry Seeks Authority To Down Passenger Planes Violating Airspace
Russia's Defense Ministry has outlined draft legislation that would allow Russian forces to shoot down civilian passenger planes within the country's airspace. A member of the Russian Federation Council’s Committee on Defense and Security told Russian media that “unfortunately people on the plane will die,” but this will help avoid a worse catastrophe and save more lives.
Russia Launches Embezzlement Probe Into Telescope Project
Russian media reports that the interior ministry has opened an investigation of a company called INCOS on suspicion that it stole $448,000, the sum of a contract it was awarded by the Russian Academy of Sciences to develop the T-170M telescope, a potential rival to the American Hubble telescope. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
Russian Police Accused Of Carrying Coffin At Funeral Of Crime Boss
Authorities in Russia’s Khabarovsk region say they are investigating reports that several police officers carried the coffin of Yury Zarubin, known by the nickname Zaruba, a local gang leader, and that employees of the prosecutors’ office also attended the funeral.
French Court Sentences Protest Artist Pavlensky, But Lets Him Walk Free
A French court has handed Russian performance artist Pyotr Pavlensky a prison sentence for setting fire to the facade of a French central-bank building in 2017 but allowed him to walk free for time served. Prosecutors had sought a 10-year sentence.
'Only Estonians Here': Outrage After Election Campaign Singles Out Russian Minority
A set of posters in Estonia appearing to advocate ethnic segregation has stoked anger among members of the country's Russian minority and caused dormant ethnic tensions to resurface ahead of parliamentary elections in March.
In Diplomatic Reversal, Belarus Lifts Limits On U.S. Presence In Minsk
The U.S. journal Foreign Policy reports that Belarus has lifted a long-standing limit on the number of U.S. diplomats allowed in the country.
Belarus Leader Warns Russia Over Energy Dispute
Amid an energy dispute that has marred close ties between the two neighbors, Belarus President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has warned Russia that it could lose its ally if Moscow fails to offer Minsk compensation for higher oil prices.
Fresh Corruption Charges Filed Against Kyrgyz Ex-PM
Former Kyrgyz Prime Minister Sapar Isakov, who was arrested in 2018 on corruption charges linked to the modernization of a Bishkek power plant, is facing additional charges in connection with the reconstruction of the Kyrgyz State Museum of History in Bishkek.
PHOTOGALLERY: The Horror Of Russia’s Civil War
PRESSROOM: SCREENING OF PUTIN’S WITNESSES, January 16, National Press Club
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