VISUAL REPORTS
Aboard Russia's Propaganda Train Of 'Syrian War Trophies'
When a trainload of tanks, guns, and other military hardware supposedly seized from the Syrian battlefields pulled up at Kursk railway station this week, a jubilant crowd was there to greet it. "The next generation must understand that the enemy is not far away," said Acting Regional Governor Roman Starovoit. "It must be liquidated on the threshold of our motherland's borders."
Romania's Ex-Head Of Anti-Graft Agency Summoned To Bucharest Court
Prosecutor Laura Codruta Koevesi, the former head of Romania's anti-corruption agency, DNA, is due to appear in court in Bucharest next week over allegations of corruption. Koevesi is a front-runner to become the European Union's first-ever top prosecutor in large part because of her record in fighting graft in one of the bloc's most corrupt countries.
The Blind Leading The Blindfolded Through Yekaterinburg
A blind Russian man is offering blindfolded tours of Yekaterinburg to people who can see. Vladimir Vaskevic says the tour gives people a chance to enter his world and to experience the Russian city through touch, sound, smell, and taste.
Documentary ‘My Friend Boris Nemtsov’
"I want my children not to want to leave Russia," said Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, who was slain steps from the Kremlin four years ago. This is a trailer of a personal portrait of Nemtsov, aired by Current Time for Russian audiences on February 27, the anniversary of his death. (Current Time TV)
OTHER NEWS
Kazakh BTA Bank Confirms It Hired Trump Lawyer In Fight Over Assets
BTA Bank, the financial institution that was once Kazakhstan’s largest and is now at the center of a multinational legal fight, confirmed it hired U.S. President Donald Trump’s longtime lawyer to help recover assets that were allegedly laundered in the United States. It is the latest development in the ongoing Kazakh fight that has touched on Trump business circles.
Venezuela Relocates Office Of State Oil Company To Moscow
Venezuelan Vice President Delsi Rodriguez has announced that the office of state-owned oil company PDVSA in Lisbon will be closed and transferred to Moscow. Rodriguez is in Moscow and has met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who announced that Russia has shipped grain and 7.5 tons of medication to Venezuela. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
Lukashenka Says Russia Won't 'Swallow' Belarus, But Further Integration A 'Must'
Belarus President Alyaksandr Lukashenka says Russia has no intention of "swallowing" Belarus, but added that further integration between the two countries is a "must." He said at a televised press conference in Minsk on March 1 that "98 percent of Belarusians would vote against becoming part of Russia."
Separatists In Ukraine To Close Ukrainian Orthodox Church And Remove Clergy
The Russia-backed so-called Donetsk People's Republic has announced plans to close the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, confiscate its properties, and deport its priests to territories controlled by Ukrainian government. The so-called Luhansk People's Republic has not yet announced similar intentions. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
Salisbury Set To Be Declared 'Novichok-Free' On March 1
Britain’s Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs is expected on March 1 to declare officially the English city of Salisbury free of the nerve agent Novichok, almost a year after the poison attack there that Britain and the West blamed on Russia.
Ruble Downgraded In Sberbank Forecast
Sberbank has issued a report forecasting a continued decline in the ruble exchange rate for the next two years. According to the new forecast, a dollar will exchange for 68.5 rubles in 2019, and for 69 rubles in 2020. Over the last year, the U.S. dollar has increased its value against the ruble by 20%, in part because of sanctions. (Russian Service)
Criminal Charges Filed In Russian 'Whale Prison' Case
Russian news agencies say authorities have filed criminal charges against the owners of four companies in the Pacific region of Primorye for holding dozens of captive whales in shoddy conditions that Russian media have described as a "whale prison."
Poroshenko Proposes New Anti-Graft Bill After Court Annuls 2015 Law
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has proposed fresh legislation to fight corruption, a day after the country's Constitutional Court threw out a previous anti-graft law in a move that raised concerns the country is backsliding on reforms.
Tymoshenko Accuses Parliament's Leadership Of Blocking Poroshenko Impeachment
Ukrainian lawmaker, former Prime Minister and presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko has accused the leadership of Ukraine’s parliament of intentionally impeding an impeachment process against President Petro Poroshenko just a month before the country’s presidential election.
Crowdsourcer In Chief: Ukrainian Funnyman Takes Unorthodox Path To Top Of Presidential Pack
In a life-imitating-art moment, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the 41-year-old comedian whose schoolteacher character on a hit TV sitcom becomes Ukraine's president after a video rant goes viral, is the front-runner in the country’s actual presidential race. He’s asked his 2.7 million Instagram followers to help him create a “dream team” to run the country together.
Ukraine Suffers World's Biggest Rise In Measles Cases in 2018
A UNICEF report released on March 1 says Ukraine led an "alarmingly high” worldwide surge in measles cases, blaming much of it on growing "vaccine hesitancy" that threatens to undo decades of work to get the disease under control.
Armenia Marks 11th Anniversary Of Bloodly Post-Election Protest Crackdown
Armenia is marking the 11th anniversary of a bloody crackdown on protesters who challenged the official result of the country’s 2008 presidential election. Eight protesters and two police officers were killed in the unrest after Serzh Sarkisian was announced the winner.
Former Kyrgyz President Atambaev Found Guilty Of Libel
A court in Bishkek has ordered former Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev to pay financial compensation to three former officials who accused him of insulting their dignity and honor.