Musk Family ‘in Awe’ of Putin, Billionaire’s Father Says
The family of tech billionaire Elon Musk admires Russian President Vladimir Putin on a personal level, despite his reputation as a warmonger in the West, Musk’s father said in an interview published Thursday.
“As a family… we are a little bit in awe of Mr. Putin,” Errol Musk told the BBC’s Russian service in a video call from his home in Cape Town, South Africa.
Russian Gymnasts Granted 'Neutral Status' Refuse to Compete
The Russian gymnastics federation said Saturday that its gymnasts who have been granted "neutral status" have decided not to compete in international events in protest at the exclusion of others.
The Swiss-based world ruling body for gymnastics, FIG, in late March permitted 12 Russian gymnasts to enter international competitions as "neutral" athletes.
Russian Markets Reel from Trump Tariffs, Oil Price Collapse
Russia’s stock market has suffered its worst week in more than two years in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs and a drop in global oil prices.
The market capitalization of companies listed on the Moscow Exchange (MOEX) fell by 2 trillion rubles ($23.7 billion) over just two days, sliding from 55.04 trillion rubles ($651.8 billion) at Wednesday’s close to 53.02 trillion ($627.9 billion) by the end of trading Friday, according to exchange data.
Russia Sentences Journalists to 5.5 Years in Navalny 'Extremism' Case
Four Russian journalists were sentenced to 5.5 years each on “extremism” charges Tuesday over their alleged work with the late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s organizations, the independent news outlet SOTAvision reported.
Antonina Favorskaya, Artyom Kriger, Konstantin Gabov and Sergei Karelin were detained last year on accusations of gathering material and preparing and editing videos for Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) and the NavalnyLIVE YouTube channel.
Russian Strike Kills 16 in Ukrainian Leader’s Hometown, Children Among Dead
A Russian ballistic missile strike on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's hometown of Kryvyi Rih killed 16 people on Friday, six of them children, authorities said.
The missile struck a residential area near a children's playground and wounded more than two dozen others, according to the head of the city's military administration.
Mining Company Alrosa Unveils Russia’s Largest-Ever Diamond
Russia’s state-run diamond company Alrosa announced Friday that it finished the two-year cutting process of the country’s largest-ever diamond — a 100-carat vivid yellow stone named New Sun.
New Sun was cut from a billion-year-old 200-carat rough diamond, which was unearthed from an ancient riverbed at the Ebelyakh mine in the Far East republic of Sakha (Yakutia).
FSB Arrests Russian Soldier Over Alleged Suicide Bomb Plot on Military Academy
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said Friday that its agents arrested a soldier who was allegedly working with the Ukrainian military to plan a suicide bomb attack on a military academy.
The 49-year-old soldier was arrested in the Moscow region on Wednesday while purportedly going to pick up an explosive device, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes.
Trump Doesn’t Want ‘Endless’ Talks With Russia, Rubio Says
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that President Donald Trump does not want to be “drawn into the trap of endless negotiations” with Russia over ending the war in Ukraine, adding that it would soon become clear whether Moscow is serious about peace.
Rubio spoke in Brussels after meeting with NATO allies, many of whom have expressed concern over Trump’s outreach to the Kremlin to broker a deal to end the war in Ukraine.
Russia Expels Moldovan Diplomats in Tit-for-Tat Move
Russia on Friday expelled three Moldovan diplomats in a tit-for-tat move after Chisinau kicked out Russian embassy officials accused of helping a pro-Moscow lawmaker flee the country.
Earlier this week, Moldovan authorities ordered the expulsion of three Russian diplomats after they accused the Russian embassy of helping lawmaker Alexandr Nesterovschi — who was facing prison time — flee to the pro-Moscow breakaway region of Transnistria.
Russia's Envoys Clashed at February Summit With U.S. in Saudi Arabia – Agentsvo
The group of Russian negotiators who met with American officials in Saudi Arabia in February clashed over who would have a seat at the negotiating table, the independent news outlet Agentstvo reported, citing an anonymous source familiar with the matter.
The dispute involved the official Russian delegation — which included Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and presidential aide Yury Ushakov — and President Vladimir Putin’s unofficial envoy, Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) head Kirill Dmitriev.
Russian Supreme Court Removes Taliban From List of Terrorist Organizations
Russia’s Supreme Court on Thursday formally removed the Taliban from the country’s list of banned terrorist organizations, a symbolic move underscoring Moscow’s warming ties with Afghanistan’s de facto rulers.
“The previously established ban on the Taliban’s activities... has been suspended,” Supreme Court Judge Oleg Nefedov was quoted as saying by the state-run news agency TASS. “The decision enters into legal force immediately.”
Arts and Life | Slightly Sinful Nut-Filled Pancakes By Russian Culinary Historians
Our ideas about fasting during Lent in the past, like so many of our ideas about pre-revolutionary life in general, are often very far from reality. The common belief is that centuries ago all Russians were God-fearing and spent much time and effort trying to observe the Lenten fast.
American in Russia Forcibly Sent to Psychiatric Hospital Ahead of Criminal Trial
A U.S. man awaiting trial in Russia on charges of assaulting a police officer was forcibly sent to a psychiatric hospital, the state-run TASS news agency reported Sunday, citing court documents.
Joseph Tater, 46, was arrested in Moscow in August and charged with assaulting a police officer after allegedly harassing employees of the hotel where he was staying. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.
Russia's Treason Convictions Hit Post-Soviet Record in 2024 – IStories
Russian courts convicted a record number of citizens for treason in 2024, as the Kremlin intensified its crackdown on perceived internal threats amid the ongoing war in Ukraine and heightened tensions with the West.
According to the independent investigative outlet IStories, 145 Russian citizens were convicted of treason last year. That figure is nearly four times higher than the number of convictions in 2023 and the highest recorded in modern Russian history, the outlet said.
Putin Praises Musk, Compares Him To Soviet Space Hero
Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Elon Musk on Wednesday, telling university students he was a pioneer comparable to legendary Soviet rocket engineer Sergei Korolev.
The comments came as Russia and the United States forged closer ties under President Donald Trump's administration, of which billionaire SpaceX founder Musk is a key figure.
Why Were the Ukraine Peace Talks in London Downgraded?
Planned talks in London aimed at ending the war in Ukraine were downgraded at the last minute Wednesday amid reported disagreements between the U.S. and its European and Ukrainian counterparts over Washington’s proposed peace deal.
The rollback signals the latest roadblock in efforts to negotiate an end to Russia's over-three-year assault on its neighbor, which U.S. President Donald Trump has been pushing for since his inauguration in January.
U.S. Proposed Russian Sanctions Relief as Part of Ukraine Peace Deal – Bloomberg
The United States shared a draft Ukraine ceasefire plan with European allies that includes potential sanctions relief for Russia, Bloomberg reported Friday, citing anonymous European officials familiar with the matter.
The proposal was presented during talks in Paris on Thursday, with officials from Britain, Germany, France and Ukraine present.
Russia and Ukraine Exchange Nearly 1K Bodies of Killed Soldiers
Russia and Ukraine exchanged the bodies of 950 fallen soldiers, officials from both countries announced Friday, marking the second such swap in less than a month.
Russia received the remains of 41 soldiers, State Duma lawmaker Shamsail Saraliyev told the RBC news website. Ukraine, meanwhile, repatriated the bodies of 909 servicemen, according to the government’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
Far East’s Zabaikalsky Region Restricts Travel Amid Widespread Wildfires
Authorities in Far East Russia’s Zabaikalsky region on Thursday introduced movement restrictions in an effort to contain fast-spreading wildfires.
Residents must now obtain advance authorization from local officials to travel outside their communities, except when using regional or federal highways. Checkpoints will be installed at the entrances to all populated areas, according to a government order.
St. Petersburg Prosecutors Request 6-Year Prison Sentence for Anti-War Teenager
Prosecutors in St. Petersburg are seeking a six-year prison sentence for 19-year-old anti-war activist Daria Kozyreva on charges of repeatedly “discrediting” the Russian military, the independent news outlet Mediazona reported Friday.
Kozyreva was arrested in February 2024 after she attached a poem by Ukrainian writer Taras Shevchenko to his monument in St. Petersburg.
From ‘Terrorists’ to Forum Guests: Why Did Russia Lift Its Ban on the Taliban?
Russia officially removed the Taliban from its list of designated terrorist organizations, a legal formality that follows years of pragmatic engagement with the Afghan militant group.
While the Taliban has been banned in Russia since 2003, Thursday’s Supreme Court decision does not amount to a formal recognition of its government, experts say. Still, it reflects Moscow’s ongoing shift toward new regional alliances after its invasion of Ukraine strained ties with its traditional partners.
Pause in Air Strikes on Ukraine’s Energy Grid Has Expired, Kremlin Says
A 30-day moratorium on Russian strikes against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has expired, the Kremlin said Friday, ending a short-lived pause that was announced after a call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump.
“A month has indeed passed,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “As of this time, there have been no other instructions from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, President Putin.”
Black Sea Oil Spill Renders Russian Resorts Unfit for Summer Vacation, Top Health Official Warns
More than 150 beaches along Russia’s southern Black Sea coast remain unsuitable for summer vacations due to ongoing contamination from a recent oil spill, the head of Russia’s consumer safety watchdog said Friday.
Oil slicks continue to be detected off the coast of Anapa, a popular resort town in the Krasnodar region, nearly four months after two aging Russian tankers were damaged in a powerful storm. The vessels released thousands of tons of heavy fuel oil into the sea, sparking an environmental crisis that has since cast serious doubt over the upcoming tourist season.
Kursk Governor Has Office Blessed After Predecessor’s Arrest on Fraud Charges
Acting Kursk region Governor Alexander Khinshtein invited a Russian Orthodox priest to bless his office with holy water following the arrest of his predecessor on fraud charges earlier this week.
“I have a clear understanding of how much sinfulness has accumulated within these walls in light of recent events,” Khinshtein wrote in a message posted on Telegram Thursday.
U.S. Will Abandon Ukraine Peace Talks ‘Within Days’ if No Progress Made, Rubio Says
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that Washington would need to determine within days whether a ceasefire in Ukraine was realistically achievable, following meetings with European officials in Paris.
“We need to figure out here now, within a matter of days, whether this is doable in the short term, because if it's not, then I think we’re just going to move on,” Rubio told reporters at Le Bourget airport before departing the French capital.
Russia Systematically Seizing Thousands of Homes in Occupied Mariupol, Investigation Says
Russian authorities are carrying out a sweeping campaign to seize homes in occupied Mariupol that belong to Ukrainians who fled from Russia’s invasion or were killed in the fighting, according to a BBC Verify investigation published three years after Moscow’s forces captured the city after a brutal siege.
At least 5,700 homes have been earmarked for seizure, the outlet reported, citing documents published by Mariupol’s Russian-installed administration since July 2024.
Raiffeisen Pauses Russian Bank Sale Amid U.S.-Russia Talks – FT
Austria’s Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) paused the sale of its Russian subsidiary in February amid signs of a potential thaw in U.S.-Russia relations, the Financial Times reported Friday, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
“[The pause] is in order to assess the situation and if the position of the U.S. might change,” one source told FT, suggesting the bank is waiting to see whether improving diplomatic ties could ease pressure from Western regulators.
Russian Air Attacks in Northeastern Ukraine Kill 2, Injure Dozens
Russian strikes killed at least two people and wounded 27 others overnight in the Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv and Sumy, authorities said early Friday.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said one person was killed in his city during the attacks, which "according to preliminary information... were carried out using ballistic missiles with cluster munitions."
Trump Softens on Zelensky, Says Mineral Deal Coming 'Soon'
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he doesn't hold Volodymyr Zelensky "responsible" for Russia's invasion of his country but continued to criticize the pro-Western Ukrainian leader.
Trump has repeatedly made the false claim that Ukraine started the war and this week accused Zelensky of responsibility for "millions" of deaths.
Russia Warns Germany Against Supplying Taurus Missiles to Ukraine
Russia said on Thursday it would treat Ukrainian strikes on transport infrastructure using German Taurus long-range missiles as "direct participation" in the conflict by Berlin.
The warning came after Germany's chancellor-in-waiting, Friedrich Merz, said he was open to supplying them to Kyiv.
