VIDEO REPORTS
Moscow's Graffiti Guerrillas Fight Putin's Push To Change Constitution
Under cover of darkness, activists are spray-painting their opposition to proposed constitutional changes that would enable Russian President Vladimir Putin to stay in office until 2036. They say it's the only form of protest left, after people staging single-person open protests were detained by police.
Azeri Citizens Waiting To Return Home Clash With Police In Daghestan
Clashes broke out between policemen in Daghestan and Azeri citizens who are stuck in Russia because of the coronavirus pandemic and are trying to return home. Dozens of people from both sides were injured. Nearly 600 people are in a camp at the border and seeking permission to return home. (Current Time TV)
PHOTOGALLERY: Lenin Lives On In A Siberian Forest
A Russian drone photographer has revealed one of the former Soviet Union’s mythical geoglyphs.
TOP NEWS
Moscow Says U.S. Planes Intercepted Russian Bombers Near Alaska
Moscow says U.S. Air Force planes have escorted four Russian nuclear-capable bombers as they patrolled an area close to the Bering Strait that divides Russia's Chukotka Peninsula and the state of Alaska.
U.S. Deports Russian Hacker Convicted Of Stealing Almost $1 Million
The United States has deported Stanislav Lisov, a Russian hacker who was sentenced to 48 months in prison for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from online banking accounts using malicious software known as NeverQuest. He was arrested in Barcelona in early 2017 and extradited to the United States the same year.
In Moscow, Referendum Campaign Reportedly Offers Purchase Of Online Votes And Registration
The independent TV channel Rain has reported that Moscow citizens are being offered fake SIM cards and 75 rubles ($1) to register to vote on the City Hall website, and 50 rubles ($0.72) to cast an online ballot in support of constitutional amendments in the country’s July 1 referendum. A campaign to recruit voters is being conducted via the WhatsApp messenger. To register, citizens must submit extensive personal information -- including passport and insurance data -- that is then checked by Russia’s Federal Security Service. (in Russian, Current Time)
Russian Journalist Prokopyeva Rejects Charges Of 'Justifying Terrorism'
At a June 16 hearing in the northwestern city of Pskov, Russian journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva again rejected charges that she had "justified terrorism” in an online commentary that linked a suicide bombing with the country’s political climate. RFE/RL President Jamie Fly called the case an “attempt to silence a professional, independent journalist,” and said the charges against Prokopyeva are “bogus and should be dropped.”
Vedomosti Newspaper Editors Quit, Accusing New Boss Of Censorship
All five deputy chief editors at one of Russia's most prominent business newspapers, Vedomosti, have quit in protest at the appointment of Andrei Shmarov as the publication's editor in chief. Shmarov, who has served as acting editor in chief since negotiations on the newspaper's sale started in March, has had several conflicts with the staff, who accuse him of attempts to censor some material to depict state-owned oil giant Rosneft in a favorable light.
Russian Court Extends Pretrial Detention Of Prominent Gulag Historian
A court in Russia has extended until July 25 the pretrial detention for Yury Dmitriyev, a Russian historian and prominent gulag researcher, who is being tried on charges of sexually assaulting his adopted daughter. Dmitriyev and his supporters deny the charges, and say they were brought against him because of his research, which complicates the Kremlin's glorification of the Soviet past.
In Belarus, Pre-Vote Clampdown Spreads From Streets And Blogs To A Bank
In past elections in Belarus, political battles have played out on the streets, with the government cracking down on protesters who were calling for free and fair votes or crying foul when the official results handed President Alyaksandr Lukashenka yet another term. The fight over an August 9 election is shaping up in a similar way: more than 100 activists, bloggers, and other foes of Lukashenka have been detained.
Ukraine's Top Court Rules In Favor Of Government In PrivatBank Case
Ukraine's Supreme Court has reversed a lower-court decision in favor of the government in a landmark case related to state-owned PrivatBank. The top court's ruling on June 15 means the government does not have to pay back more than a billion hryvnyas ($37 million) to two brothers who lost their savings in the 2016 nationalization of Ukraine's largest lender.
Ukraine Blocks More Than 10,000 Russian Bots
Ukraine’s security service (SBU) reports that its cyber security specialists have blocked a network of bots in Kyiv and four other regions in Ukraine that distributed Russia-ordered fake messages aimed at escalating the conflict in Donbas. The organizers of the network used Ukrainian, Russian, and European SIM cards, which are nearly impossible to acquire without the assistance of security services, the SBU has said. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
Former Ukrainian Paramilitary Leader Put Under House Arrest Amid Violent Protests
A court in Kyiv has placed Serhiy Sternenko under house arrest on suspicion of premeditated murder and possession of an illegal bladed weapon in the killing of a man he claims was self-defense. Sternenko once led the Right Sector group in the city of Odesa.
Red Flag: Ahead Of Serbian Vote, Vucic And Allies Lean On China Ties
Serbia's ruling right-wing populists are expected to dominate this weekend's national elections following a campaign that has featured a lot of flag-waving. It's just not the flag that most would expect to see in the Balkans. Instead, it's the yellow-starred, red banner of communist China.
U.S. Envoy Says Serbia, Kosovo Agree To White House Meeting
Richard Grenell, the U.S. special envoy for Serbia and Kosovo negotiations, says he has received commitments from both countries to meet in Washington on June 27 for talks aimed at leading to a normalization of relations.
Armenia Allows Prosecution, Arrest Of Opposition Leader
Armenian lawmakers have voted to revoke the parliamentary immunity of Gagik Tsarukian, the leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party, and allow his arrest over suspected vote buying in the 2017 general elections.
Kyrgyz Prime Minister Resigns Over Corruption Probe
Kyrgyz Prime Minister Mukhammedkalyi Abylgaziev has resigned, citing an ongoing criminal investigation into the assignment of national radio frequencies. Abylgaziev said in a June 15 statement, "I have nothing to do with this case, and the accusations made against me have no basis."
Russia To Spend Over $21 Million To Support School Meals In Tajikistan
The Russian embassy in Dushanbe says funds will be used to purchase food products for Tajik schoolchildren, repair and re-equip cafeterias, train staff at educational institutions, and develop informational campaigns to promote healthy eating. The funding is part of the U.N. World Food Programme. (Russian Service)
Tajik Islamic State Recruiter Reportedly 'Goes Missing' From Syrian Prison
Parviz Saidrahmonov, a notorious Islamic State recruiter who has been linked to terrorist attacks in Sweden, Russia, and Tajikistan, has gone missing from a prison in northern Syria, according to people with knowledge of his detention.
Summer Camp From Hell: Turkmen Children Sent To Pick Potatoes
Instead of having fun at camp, many children in Turkmenistan are spending their summer break in scorching heat gathering potatoes at state-owned farms. And the parents who paid for their kids to go to school-organized, recreational summer camps say they had no idea their children would be ordered to work in the fields.
Turkmen Citizens In Northern Cyprus Demand Berdymukhammedov's Resignation
Turkmen citizens residing in Northern Cyprus have staged at least three protests in recent days to demand the resignation of Turkmenistan’s authoritarian leader, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov. Demonstrators gathering in North Nicosia on June 14 accused Berdymukhammedov of being a dictator "incapable of providing the Turkmen nation with bare necessities such as food and a decent life."
COMMENTARY: Lack Of Justice Hampers Reconciliation In Southern Kyrgyzstan 10 Years After Deadly Ethnic Clashes
COVID-19 ROUNDUP:
'Virus-Free' Turkmenistan Reportedly Locks Down Two Major Hospitals
PRESSROOM: Current Time And Coda Story Partner To Document Gulag History