VISUAL REPORTS
Russia Deploys S-400 Missile System In Crimea
Russia has sent an additional S-400 surface-to-air missile unit to Crimea. The deployment of the extra unit follows Moscow’s recent attack on Ukrainian ships and sailors, and reinforces three units already based there.
Thousands In Georgia Protest Alleged Election Fraud
Thousands of people have protested in the Georgian capital against the election of the ruling party-backed candidate Salome Zurabishvili to the presidency, claiming fraud in last week’s runoff vote. Six Ukrainian nationals were detained on weapons possession charges during the protests.
Russian Priest Blesses Soyuz MS-11 Spacecraft
A Russian Orthodox priest blessed the Soyuz MS-11 rocket at the Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan on December 2 ahead of its mission to the International Space Station on December 3.
Paradise And Hell In Siberian Switzerland
An area of Russia known as the Siberian Switzerland is being torn apart by coal mining. The works threaten the future of the indigenous Shors people who live a hard, simple life.
OTHER NEWS
Standoff Over INF Treaty Enters New Phase As U.S. Reveals Details Of Russian Missile
The United States' top intelligence official has quietly revealed key new details about Russia's alleged violations of a bedrock Cold War nuclear treaty, an unexpected move that comes as U.S. officials push to build new support from European allies.
U.S. Defense Chief Accuses Putin Of 'Duplicitous' Action On INF Treaty
Speaking at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California on December 1, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis strongly criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of deceit involving a key Cold War-era arms control treaty, acting recklessly in last week’s naval confrontation with Ukraine, and attempting to interfere in last month’s midterm congressional elections.
Russia Charges Ukrainian Sailors With ‘Illegal Border Crossing’
A lawyer for a Ukrainian sailor detained by Russia last month while trying to pass from the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov has confirmed that all 24 Ukrainian sailors involved in the incident have been charged by Russian authorities with "illegal border crossing."
Russian TV Crew Triggers Military Alert In Britain
British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson has called on the public to report suspicious activity near army sites after a Russian TV crew was seen filming close to the barbed-wire perimeter fence of the 77th Brigade in Hermitage, Berkshire.
Soyuz Blasts Off On First Manned Mission Since October Failure
A Russian Soyuz rocket has lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, carrying a Canadian and American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut to the International Space Station.
U.S. Cage Fighter Enters Russian Arena To Fight Fraud
Three months into the job, and six months after he was granted Russian citizenship by President Vladimir Putin, American-fighter-turned-Russian-politician Jeff Monson has surprised his sponsors by taking on one of his adopted country's thorniest political issues.
Every Fifth Worker In Russia Paid Less Than $225 Per Month
A study by RIA Rating, a division of the state-owned media group Russia Today, finds that the average monthly salary in Russia is $400, with every fifth worker making less than $225. Dagestan has the most low-paid workers, with 46% of the population making less than $225. Only 4.4% of workers in Russia earn more than $1,500 monthly. Current Time TV)
Belarus Requires Online Commenters To Provide ID And Phone
Effective December 1, Belarus’s new media law will require persons seeking to leave a comment on a news site ending with the domain “.by” to submit to an identification process and provide a telephone number. The procedure does not apply to persons who seek only to read the comments. (Belarus Service)
Ukrainian Lawmakers Skip Sessions And Votes
Looking ahead to parliamentary elections next October, the Committee Of Ukrainian Voters, an NGO, reports that leaders of the Opposition Block, Motherland and Radical Party factions have missed 50 percent of parliamentary sessions over the last four years. Other factions have better attendance, but an unwillingness to cast a vote remains a problem among MPs generally. (Ukrainian Service)
Kosovo’s Serb Lawmakers Demand EU Meeting Over 100 Percent Tariff
Lawmakers representing Kosovo's ethnic Serb minority are refusing to leave the parliament building in Pristina in protest over a 100 percent tax on products imported from Serbia, and are seeking a meeting with the European Union's Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn.
Nostalgia Keeps Yugoslavia Alive A Century After Its Ill-Fated Creation
One hundred years after its founding, and decades after it split apart, ethnic tensions still simmer in much of the former Yugoslavia, and nostalgia is growing for a country that no longer exists
COMMENTARY: TAPI And Other Turkmen Tales