themoscowtimes--2020-11-30--Russia, Syria Under Pressure at Chemical Weapons Watchdog

Damascus meanwhile faced calls for sanctions at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons ( OPCW ) after investigators accused the Syrian regime of sarin attacks in 2017 .
Moscow was urged by Western nations to `` transparently '' reveal the circumstances of the Novichok nerve agent poisoning of opposition figure Alexei Navalny .
Syria and Russia faced renewed pressure over allegations of chemical weapons use as member countries of the global toxic arms watchdog met on Monday .
Russia and Syria have repeatedly denied the accusations , alleging that Western powers have politicized the Hague-based OPCW .
Syria @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in July to declare the weapons used in the attacks on the village of Lataminah and to reveal its remaining stocks , OPCW chief Fernando Arias said .
`` The Syrian Arab Republic has not completed any of the measures , '' Arias told the meeting .
He said `` gaps , inconsistencies and discrepancies '' remained in Syria 's account of its progress on its 2013 agreement to give up all chemical weapons following a suspected sarin attack that killed 1,400 people in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta .
France proposed that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and privileges '' of Syria for failing to meet the deadline , French ambassador Luis Vassy said , adding that the proposal was backed by 43 states .
These would include Syria 's voting rights in the OPCW , depriving it of a voice at a body where it has been deflecting allegations of toxic arms use for years .
Russia meanwhile came under pressure over the poisoning of Navalny , which the politician and western governments have blamed on the Kremlin .
The OPCW has confirmed traces of the Soviet-era nerve agent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospital in Germany , where he is recovering .
Arias said the OPCW was still in talks with Russia to send a fact-finding team there to investigate the incident , he said .
In a joint statement , 55 countries including the United States , Japan , Canada , Australia and many in Europe said they `` condemn in the strongest possible terms '' the attack on Navalny .
They urged Russia `` to assist ... by disclosing in a swift and transparent manner the circumstances of this chemical weapons attack '' on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ member states and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013 for its work in destroying the world 's stocks of chemical weapons .

Damascus meanwhile faced calls for sanctions at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) after investigators accused the Syrian regime of sarin attacks in 2017.
Moscow was urged by Western nations to "transparently" reveal the circumstances of the Novichok nerve agent poisoning of opposition figure Alexei Navalny.
Syria and Russia faced renewed pressure over allegations of chemical weapons use as member countries of the global toxic arms watchdog met on Monday.
Russia and Syria have repeatedly denied the accusations, alleging that Western powers have politicized the Hague-based OPCW.
Syria had failed to meet 90-day deadline set in July to declare the weapons used in the attacks on the village of Lataminah and to reveal its remaining stocks, OPCW chief Fernando Arias said.
"The Syrian Arab Republic has not completed any of the measures," Arias told the meeting.
He said "gaps, inconsistencies and discrepancies" remained in Syria's account of its progress on its 2013 agreement to give up all chemical weapons following a suspected sarin attack that killed 1,400 people in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta.
France proposed that the OPCW should "suspend the rights and privileges" of Syria for failing to meet the deadline, French ambassador Luis Vassy said, adding that the proposal was backed by 43 states.
These would include Syria's voting rights in the OPCW, depriving it of a voice at a body where it has been deflecting allegations of toxic arms use for years.
Russia meanwhile came under pressure over the poisoning of Navalny, which the politician and western governments have blamed on the Kremlin.
The OPCW has confirmed traces of the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok in samples taken from Navalny in hospital in Germany, where he is recovering.
Arias said the OPCW was still in talks with Russia to send a fact-finding team there to investigate the incident, he said.
In a joint statement, 55 countries including the United States, Japan, Canada, Australia and many in Europe said they "condemn in the strongest possible terms" the attack on Navalny.
They urged Russia "to assist... by disclosing in a swift and transparent manner the circumstances of this chemical weapons attack" on Russian territory.
The OPCW has 193 member states and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013 for its work in destroying the world's stocks of chemical weapons.


themoscowtimes--2020-11-30--Presidential Guard Dies by Suicide Inside Kremlin – Reports

The Baza Telegram channel , which is thought to have links to Russia ’ s security services , said Mikhail Zakharov shot himself during his service .
The state-run TASS news agency , which did not name the officer , cited an unnamed law enforcement source as confirming the suicide .
A Russian Federal Protection Service ( FSO ) officer responsible for guarding President Vladimir Putin has allegedly died by suicide inside the Kremlin walls , media reported Monday .
Zakharov ’ s colleagues linked his suicide to his increased overtime hours and his employers ’ indifference to work conditions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s colleagues note that the practice of overworking has become more frequent due to a critical staff shortage at the FSO , ” the Telegram channel said .
“ Employees often have to work not only their own shifts but also that of their colleagues who had left .
These overtime hours are unpaid , ” it added .
Baza also reported that the FSO had recently discontinued the policy of allowing early retirement for members who had accumulated enough overtime hours , nullifying all of their extra hours .
The FSO is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high-ranking officials including the president .
A TASS source maintained that the unnamed victim did not serve in the unit responsible for Putin ’ s personal protection , contradicting Baza ’ s assertion that he did .

The Baza Telegram channel, which is thought to have links to Russia’s security services, said Mikhail Zakharov shot himself during his service. The state-run TASS news agency, which did not name the officer, cited an unnamed law enforcement source as confirming the suicide.
A Russian Federal Protection Service (FSO) officer responsible for guarding President Vladimir Putin has allegedly died by suicide inside the Kremlin walls, media reported Monday.
Zakharov’s colleagues linked his suicide to his increased overtime hours and his employers’ indifference to work conditions, Baza reported.
“Zakharov’s colleagues note that the practice of overworking has become more frequent due to a critical staff shortage at the FSO,” the Telegram channel said.
“Employees often have to work not only their own shifts but also that of their colleagues who had left. These overtime hours are unpaid,” it added.
Baza also reported that the FSO had recently discontinued the policy of allowing early retirement for members who had accumulated enough overtime hours, nullifying all of their extra hours.
The FSO is a Russian government agency tasked with protecting high-ranking officials including the president.
A TASS source maintained that the unnamed victim did not serve in the unit responsible for Putin’s personal protection, contradicting Baza’s assertion that he did.


themoscowtimes--2020-11-30--Moscow, St. Petersburg Universities Go Remote as Virus Surges

“ I signed an order yesterday switching the universities under the ministry ’ s jurisdiction in Moscow and St. Petersburg @ @ @ @ @ , ” Falkov said , according to the RBC news website .
Universities in Moscow @ @ @ @ @ students to remote learning for two months to prevent the spread of coronavirus during the @ @ @ @ @ , Science and Higher Education Minister Valery Falkov said Monday .
The order is effective @ @ @ @ @ .
Falkov had said in October that Russian universities would switch to remote learning based @ @ @ @ @ their specific regions .
Russia ’ s two largest cities are at the center of @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Covid-19 outbreak with nearly one-third of the country ’ s 2.3 million infections @ @ @ @ @ caseload has nearly quadrupled from fewer than 1,000 new cases per day in early November @ @ @ @ @ day over the past week .
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin , meanwhile , has twice @ @ @ @ @ in grades 6-11 as part of Covid-19 measures during the second wave .

“I signed an order yesterday switching the universities under the ministry’s jurisdiction in Moscow and St. Petersburg to the remote learning format,” Falkov said, according to the RBC news website.
Universities in Moscow and St. Petersburg will switch students to remote learning for two months to prevent the spread of coronavirus during the pandemic's record-setting second wave, Science and Higher Education Minister Valery Falkov said Monday.
The order is effective until Feb. 6, 2021.
Falkov had said in October that Russian universities would switch to remote learning based on the epidemiological situations in their specific regions.
Russia’s two largest cities are at the center of the second wave of Russia’s Covid-19 outbreak with nearly one-third of the country’s 2.3 million infections.
St. Petersburg’s caseload has nearly quadrupled from fewer than 1,000 new cases per day in early November to some 3,700 infections per day over the past week.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, meanwhile, has twice extended remote-learning orders for schoolchildren in grades 6-11 as part of Covid-19 measures during the second wave.


themoscowtimes--2020-11-30--St. Petersburg Developer’s Stepson Run Over by Military Vehicle at Birthday Party

The armored personnel carrier allegedly started moving with Andrei Kozhevin , 38 , lying in its path after the driver “ thought ” he received a takeoff signal , according to the Life Shot tabloid .
The stepson of a St. Petersburg construction mogul was run over and killed by an armored vehicle at a military re-enactment celebrating his stepbrother 's birthday , media reported Sunday .
Kozhevin had been the co-founder of a St. Petersburg engineering firm with his stepbrother Mikhail Skorov , whose birthday celebration led to the tragic event .
Kozhevin ’ s stepfather and ruble billionaire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s incident to Life Shot : “ They were all on board the APCs and there was an order to dismount and assume a horizontal position.
” “ The APC then took off and ran him over , ” Skorov was quoted as saying .
Authorities have launched a criminal investigation into safety standards violations against the head of a military-patriotic youth organization who was allegedly behind the wheel .
Alexander Toropov , chairman of the Krasnaya Zvezda patriotic group , faces up to six years in prison if found guilty .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ district said its hardware was not involved in the deadly incident , the state-run TASS news agency reported .

The armored personnel carrier allegedly started moving with Andrei Kozhevin, 38, lying in its path after the driver “thought” he received a takeoff signal, according to the Life Shot tabloid.
The stepson of a St. Petersburg construction mogul was run over and killed by an armored vehicle at a military re-enactment celebrating his stepbrother's birthday, media reported Sunday.
Kozhevin had been the co-founder of a St. Petersburg engineering firm with his stepbrother Mikhail Skorov, whose birthday celebration led to the tragic event.
Kozhevin’s stepfather and ruble billionaire Arkady Skorov, 61, recounted Saturday’s incident to Life Shot: “They were all on board the APCs and there was an order to dismount and assume a horizontal position.”
“The APC then took off and ran him over,” Skorov was quoted as saying.
Authorities have launched a criminal investigation into safety standards violations against the head of a military-patriotic youth organization who was allegedly behind the wheel. Alexander Toropov, chairman of the Krasnaya Zvezda patriotic group, faces up to six years in prison if found guilty.
St. Petersburg business publications estimated Skorov’s net worth at 19.1 billion rubles ($251 million) in 2019.
The Russian Armed Forces’ western military district said its hardware was not involved in the deadly incident, the state-run TASS news agency reported.


themoscowtimes--2020-11-30--QAnon Gains Traction in Russia

QAnon Gains Traction in Russia

Ever since the U.S. presidential election was called for Joe Biden , Tatiana Abdullina has been watching the twists and turns of outgoing President Donald Trump ’ s efforts to overturn the results from her home in Volchansk , a town of 10,000 in Russia ’ s Ural Mountains .
The mother of four is convinced the legal manoeuvres will be successful , and that Trump will remain president after Jan. 20 .
“ I hope that Trump ’ s victory will help the whole world , ” she told The Moscow Times in an interview conducted over the social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this so-called pandemic , but with other issues too.
” Abdullina is one of a growing number of Russians who believe in QAnon - a sprawling patchwork of conspiracy theories based around the unfounded belief that Trump is battling a shadowy group of child-trafficking pedophiles in the highest ranks of the global elite .
Since emerging in the darkest corners of U.S.-based internet chatrooms like 4chan , QAnon ’ s baseless assertions of a worldwide anti-Trump conspiracy orchestrated by — among others — Hillary Clinton , Bill Gates and George Soros , have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of thousands of adherents .
At least one open QAnon supporter won election to Congress on Nov. 3 .
Outside the U.S. QAnon has made a particular splash in Europe , inspiring anti-lockdown protests and securing celebrity backers for its conspiracy theories in the UK , the Netherlands and Germany .
Until recently , Russia , where cultural and linguistic barriers mean U.S. politics has less clout and public protest is rarer , had been an exception .
Alexandra Arkhipova , an anthropologist at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conspiracy theories , has found that while there are fewer explicit references to QAnon on Russian-language social media than Covid-19 denialism and 5G fears , its prevalence is spreading .
Data gathered by Arkhipova since August reveals thousands of Russian-language social media posts about QAnon .
On VKontakte and Telegram — an encrypted messaging service popular in Russia – groups dedicated to spreading the conspiracy theory in Russia have grown to include tens of thousands of members .
“ More than half of QAnon-spreading accounts have over 500 followers , ” says Arkhipova @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meets with a degree of social acceptance , and that people are not afraid to cite it and even see themselves benefitting from sharing it.
” QAnon ’ s expansion into the Russian-speaking world is part of a worldwide surge in conspiracy thinking that has been linked by some experts to the Covid-19 pandemic .
In Russia , where the fallout has pushed unemployment to an eight-year high , the crisis has fuelled increasingly widespread conspiracy theories that vaccines , masks and the coronavirus itself are being deliberately pushed by sinister forces to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , QAnon is overwhelmingly associated with opposition to mask mandates and other public health measures , ” said Arkhipova .
Many Russian QAnon believers who spoke to The Moscow Times credit what they see as a fake pandemic with their adoption of the conspiracy theory .
“ I ’ ve always been into conspiracy theories , but if it hadn ’ t been for the whole coronavirus saga , I would never have joined , ” said 33 year-old Dmitry Afanasyev , who spurns conventional news outlets in favor of QAnon-focused social media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ became ever more sceptical of mask mandates and other anti-coronavirus restrictions , seeing in them a plot to control humanity by the dark forces posited by the conspiracy theory .
He now fully subscribes to the view that the outgoing U.S. president is secretly battling those same forces .
“ I consider Trump a hero .
He ’ s the only person in the world , in my view , who can put an end to all this bacchanalia with mask regimes and whatever , ” he said .
In May this year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ George Floyd gripped the country , Elena Podruzhkina , a Russian-American grandmother living in San Diego , California , who for years had run a YouTube channel dispensing helpful advice to would-be Russian immigrants to the U.S. , began making videos about the dark forces arrayed against President Trump .
“ The situation is very serious , I couldn ’ t remain on the sidelines , ” she told The Moscow Times .
Podruzhkina was one of several Russian emigrant influencers in countries including the U.S. , Germany and Israel who this year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As QAnon filtered back to Russia , it picked up influential local champions .
One , Vladislav Kopilkov , a Russian-Estonian former journalist and commentator on Russian TV now devotes himself to evangelizing QAnon to a Russian-speaking audience of over 40,000 subscribers .
Though Russian QAnon supporters still likely only number in the tens of thousands , many of the movement ’ s key tenets have been widely adopted by other such groups in Russia , a country with rich conspiracy theory traditions of its own .
One conspiracy group , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russian Federation is not a sovereign state , but a Delaware-registered offshore company controlled by global elites that illegally occupies the rightful territory of the Soviet Union — have adopted concepts and phrases derived from QAnon , whose fears of a sinister global elite find echoes in the Soviet Citizens ’ own ideology .
On social media , Soviet Citizen-linked accounts repeat QAnon-derived allegations that senior figures in the U.S. Democratic Party are members of a sinister cabal of pedophiles , alongside more familiar , pro-communist content .
According to Ilya Yablokov , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ theories at the University of Leeds in the UK , transmission of conspiratorial ideas across cultural boundaries is far from unusual .
“ Even though some aspects of QAnon are specifically American , conspiracies evolve in more or less every region around similar ideas about hatred of elites — especially financial oligarchies and liberal elites — which means they can spread with relative ease.
” One of the most vexing questions for Russia ’ s QAnon followers , however , is the role of their own homeland in the worldwide conspiracy .
Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over whether Russian President Vladimir Putin and his government are part of the sinister elite that they imagine to be manipulating world events .
“ The Russian government are marionettes for the will of the globalists , ” said Sergey Barsukov , a 35-year old resident of the Siberian city of Novosibirsk , who joined the QAnon movement during the pandemic , after having followed British conspiracy theorist David Icke for several years .
“ This is a colonial administration , ” he said .
Other Russian QAnon advocates are more cautious in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
On his YouTube channel , Vladislav Kopilkov cautions against implicating the Russian president in the global conspiracy , claiming to have “ contradictory information regarding this , which I have been unable to verify yet.
” However , for many Russian conspiracy theorists , one of the biggest barriers to belief in QAnon is the movement ’ s veneration of Trump .
While the idea of a sinister cabal manipulating world events is popular in Russia , framing an American president as a hero battling evil forces is a hard sell in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ widely distrusted .
For some QAnon believers , this has led them to play down the movement ’ s emphasis on Trump , in favour of a general reckoning with global elites .
“ The main thing is to overthrow this Covid project everywhere .
Then Russia can resolve its own problems for itself , ” said Yevgeny , a 41-year old St Petersburg-based follower of QAnon , who spoke to The Moscow Times under condition of anonymity .
“ But I ’ m not really sure how Trump beating these dark forces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country .
”

Ever since the U.S. presidential election was called for Joe Biden, Tatiana Abdullina has been watching the twists and turns of outgoing President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results from her home in Volchansk, a town of 10,000 in Russia’s Ural Mountains. The mother of four is convinced the legal manoeuvres will be successful, and that Trump will remain president after Jan. 20. “I hope that Trump’s victory will help the whole world,” she told The Moscow Times in an interview conducted over the social network VKontakte. “Not just with this so-called pandemic, but with other issues too.” Abdullina is one of a growing number of Russians who believe in QAnon - a sprawling patchwork of conspiracy theories based around the unfounded belief that Trump is battling a shadowy group of child-trafficking pedophiles in the highest ranks of the global elite.
Since emerging in the darkest corners of U.S.-based internet chatrooms like 4chan, QAnon’s baseless assertions of a worldwide anti-Trump conspiracy orchestrated by — among others — Hillary Clinton, Bill Gates and George Soros, have infiltrated the American mainstream, attracting hundreds of thousands of adherents. At least one open QAnon supporter won election to Congress on Nov. 3. Outside the U.S. QAnon has made a particular splash in Europe, inspiring anti-lockdown protests and securing celebrity backers for its conspiracy theories in the UK, the Netherlands and Germany. Until recently, Russia, where cultural and linguistic barriers mean U.S. politics has less clout and public protest is rarer, had been an exception. Alexandra Arkhipova, an anthropologist at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration who tracks the spread of online conspiracy theories, has found that while there are fewer explicit references to QAnon on Russian-language social media than Covid-19 denialism and 5G fears, its prevalence is spreading. Data gathered by Arkhipova since August reveals thousands of Russian-language social media posts about QAnon. On VKontakte and Telegram — an encrypted messaging service popular in Russia – groups dedicated to spreading the conspiracy theory in Russia have grown to include tens of thousands of members. “More than half of QAnon-spreading accounts have over 500 followers,” says Arkhipova. “That would suggest the theory meets with a degree of social acceptance, and that people are not afraid to cite it and even see themselves benefitting from sharing it.” QAnon’s expansion into the Russian-speaking world is part of a worldwide surge in conspiracy thinking that has been linked by some experts to the Covid-19 pandemic. In Russia, where the fallout has pushed unemployment to an eight-year high, the crisis has fuelled increasingly widespread conspiracy theories that vaccines, masks and the coronavirus itself are being deliberately pushed by sinister forces to control the population. “In Russia, QAnon is overwhelmingly associated with opposition to mask mandates and other public health measures,” said Arkhipova. Many Russian QAnon believers who spoke to The Moscow Times credit what they see as a fake pandemic with their adoption of the conspiracy theory. “I’ve always been into conspiracy theories, but if it hadn’t been for the whole coronavirus saga, I would never have joined,” said 33 year-old Dmitry Afanasyev, who spurns conventional news outlets in favor of QAnon-focused social media communities. During the pandemic, Dmitry became ever more sceptical of mask mandates and other anti-coronavirus restrictions, seeing in them a plot to control humanity by the dark forces posited by the conspiracy theory. He now fully subscribes to the view that the outgoing U.S. president is secretly battling those same forces. “I consider Trump a hero. He’s the only person in the world, in my view, who can put an end to all this bacchanalia with mask regimes and whatever,” he said.
Evangelizing QAnon Russia’s QAnon movement began in America. In May this year, as protests surrounding the death of George Floyd gripped the country, Elena Podruzhkina, a Russian-American grandmother living in San Diego, California, who for years had run a YouTube channel dispensing helpful advice to would-be Russian immigrants to the U.S., began making videos about the dark forces arrayed against President Trump. “The situation is very serious, I couldn’t remain on the sidelines,” she told The Moscow Times. Podruzhkina was one of several Russian emigrant influencers in countries including the U.S., Germany and Israel who this year began spreading QAnon in their native language. As QAnon filtered back to Russia, it picked up influential local champions. One, Vladislav Kopilkov, a Russian-Estonian former journalist and commentator on Russian TV now devotes himself to evangelizing QAnon to a Russian-speaking audience of over 40,000 subscribers. Though Russian QAnon supporters still likely only number in the tens of thousands, many of the movement’s key tenets have been widely adopted by other such groups in Russia, a country with rich conspiracy theory traditions of its own. One conspiracy group, the Soviet Citizens — who believe that the Russian Federation is not a sovereign state, but a Delaware-registered offshore company controlled by global elites that illegally occupies the rightful territory of the Soviet Union — have adopted concepts and phrases derived from QAnon, whose fears of a sinister global elite find echoes in the Soviet Citizens’ own ideology. On social media, Soviet Citizen-linked accounts repeat QAnon-derived allegations that senior figures in the U.S. Democratic Party are members of a sinister cabal of pedophiles, alongside more familiar, pro-communist content.


themoscowtimes--2020-11-30--Obama Blackface Skit on Kremlin-Funded TV Sparks Outrage

After lampooning Obama ’ s recently published memoir during his Saturday evening political satire show Mezhdunarodnaya Pilorama ( “ International Saw-Panorama ” ) , host Tigran Keosayan segues to an interview with the fake former president .
A Russian late-night television sketch featuring a racist impersonation of former U.S. President Barack Obama by an actress in blackface has sparked controversy after airing on a Kremlin-funded network over the weekend .
“ We now go live to the dark side of America ’ s history , Barack Obama , ” Keosayan jokes as the actress in blackface wearing a red bandana @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appears on the other side of the split screen .
With the exaggerated gesticulations of a rapper , the fake Obama chants “ Black Lives Matter ” — a slogan used to protest police brutality against African-Americans — before Keosayan shuts him down with assertions that “ there ’ s no racism in Russia.
” The split-screen interview on the NTV broadcasting network then descends into straw-man insinuations that Obama ’ s family was illiterate , that the ex-president is driven by greed and that he should pursue a rap career .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
” asks Keosayan , the husband and writing partner of the Kremlin-funded RT broadcaster ’ s editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan .
The actress wearing blackface agrees enthusiastically , saying “ none of my relatives that came before me could write.
” Asked to name the most important part of his memoirs , the Obama impersonator shouts “ royalties.
” “ You should have been a rap musician , ” Keosayan tells the fake Obama after the actress performs a Donald Trump-themed rhyme when asked to cite a passage from his memoirs .
Kremlin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out at the skit , writing on Twitter that the husband-and-wife pair earn an estimated $ 65,600 per episode and that they sent their daughter to study in New York .
Russian Twitter users have also criticized the clip , calling it “ garbage , ” criticizing the use of blackface on a state-run channel and pointing to the real-life Obama 's eloquence .
Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin were often at odds during the U.S. president 's eight years in office despite his attempts at a “ reset ” in relations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ head in 2014 , when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine , as well as in 2016 , when the U.S. accused Moscow of interfering in its presidential election .
The Kremlin in recent weeks has pointed to the Obama administration as the “ harbinger ” of deteriorating U.S.-Russian ties .
Obama ’ s vice president , Joe Biden , has been declared the winner of the 2020 presidential race while the incumbent President Donald Trump has yet to concede .
Putin is among the shrinking number of world leaders who have yet to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has waved off as a diplomatic courtesy ahead of official results .

After lampooning Obama’s recently published memoir during his Saturday evening political satire show Mezhdunarodnaya Pilorama (“International Saw-Panorama”), host Tigran Keosayan segues to an interview with the fake former president.
A Russian late-night television sketch featuring a racist impersonation of former U.S. President Barack Obama by an actress in blackface has sparked controversy after airing on a Kremlin-funded network over the weekend.
“We now go live to the dark side of America’s history, Barack Obama,” Keosayan jokes as the actress in blackface wearing a red bandana, gold chains and an oversized T-shirt appears on the other side of the split screen.
With the exaggerated gesticulations of a rapper, the fake Obama chants “Black Lives Matter” — a slogan used to protest police brutality against African-Americans — before Keosayan shuts him down with assertions that “there’s no racism in Russia.”
The split-screen interview on the NTV broadcasting network then descends into straw-man insinuations that Obama’s family was illiterate, that the ex-president is driven by greed and that he should pursue a rap career.
“Do you consider this book your achievement?” asks Keosayan, the husband and writing partner of the Kremlin-funded RT broadcaster’s editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan.
The actress wearing blackface agrees enthusiastically, saying “none of my relatives that came before me could write.” Asked to name the most important part of his memoirs, the Obama impersonator shouts “royalties.”
“You should have been a rap musician,” Keosayan tells the fake Obama after the actress performs a Donald Trump-themed rhyme when asked to cite a passage from his memoirs.
Kremlin critic and anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny lashed out at the skit, writing on Twitter that the husband-and-wife pair earn an estimated $65,600 per episode and that they sent their daughter to study in New York.
Russian Twitter users have also criticized the clip, calling it “garbage,” criticizing the use of blackface on a state-run channel and pointing to the real-life Obama's eloquence.
Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin were often at odds during the U.S. president's eight years in office despite his attempts at a “reset” in relations with Russia. Tensions came to a head in 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine, as well as in 2016, when the U.S. accused Moscow of interfering in its presidential election.
The Kremlin in recent weeks has pointed to the Obama administration as the “harbinger” of deteriorating U.S.-Russian ties.
Obama’s vice president, Joe Biden, has been declared the winner of the 2020 presidential race while the incumbent President Donald Trump has yet to concede. Putin is among the shrinking number of world leaders who have yet to congratulate the president-elect in what the Kremlin has waved off as a diplomatic courtesy ahead of official results.


themoscowtimes--2020-11-30--News From Russia: What You Missed Over the Weekend

Opposition protesters in Belarus took to the streets of the capital Minsk on Sunday in the latest of three months of demonstrations against the re-election of strongman president Alexander Lukashenko .
Protestors in # Minsk have adopted a different protesting technique and instead of one large gathering they are now grouping in local boroughs .
This way there is not enough riot police to go around all boroughs .
# Belarus pic.twitter.com/9WB8udqXn6 Minsk police said on Sunday that around 250 people were taken into custody .
Riot police were deployed in large numbers , with the reported use of stun @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2 will resume construction in early December one year after work came to a halt under U.S. pressure , the company behind the German-Russian natural gas pipeline announced .
U.S. lawmakers are meanwhile racing , with reported help from Ukrainian lobbyists , to enact sanctions by the end of the year that would target pipe-laying vessels and other businesses that would insure , test , inspect and certify the pipeline .
At least two Russian officials have been accidentally shot and killed on hunting trips over the weekend .
A republic of Bashkortostan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the shoulder while the deputy mayor of Novouralsk in the Sverdlovsk region died after being wounded in the leg .
An armored personnel carrier ran over and killed the 38-year-old stepson of construction mogul Arkady Skorov at a military re-enactment celebrating his stepbrother 's birthday in St. Petersburg .
Authorities launched a criminal investigation into safety standards violations against the head of a patriotic organization who was said to have been behind the wheel .
Authorities announced a probe into popular rapper Basta ’ s two-night concert at the Ice Palace arena @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media showed fans not adhering to social distancing rules .

Opposition protesters in Belarus took to the streets of the capital Minsk on Sunday in the latest of three months of demonstrations against the re-election of strongman president Alexander Lukashenko.
Protestors in #Minsk have adopted a different protesting technique and instead of one large gathering they are now grouping in local boroughs. This way there is not enough riot police to go around all boroughs. #Belarus pic.twitter.com/9WB8udqXn6
Minsk police said on Sunday that around 250 people were taken into custody. Riot police were deployed in large numbers, with the reported use of stun grenades and tear gas.
Back from hiatus
Nord Stream 2 will resume construction in early December one year after work came to a halt under U.S. pressure, the company behind the German-Russian natural gas pipeline announced.
U.S. lawmakers are meanwhile racing, with reported help from Ukrainian lobbyists, to enact sanctions by the end of the year that would target pipe-laying vessels and other businesses that would insure, test, inspect and certify the pipeline.
Hunting accidents
At least two Russian officials have been accidentally shot and killed on hunting trips over the weekend.
A republic of Bashkortostan senior emergency situations official was fatally wounded in the shoulder while the deputy mayor of Novouralsk in the Sverdlovsk region died after being wounded in the leg.
Fatal re-enactment
An armored personnel carrier ran over and killed the 38-year-old stepson of construction mogul Arkady Skorov at a military re-enactment celebrating his stepbrother's birthday in St. Petersburg.
Authorities launched a criminal investigation into safety standards violations against the head of a patriotic organization who was said to have been behind the wheel.
Crowded house
Authorities announced a probe into popular rapper Basta’s two-night concert at the Ice Palace arena in St. Petersburg after footage on social media showed fans not adhering to social distancing rules.


themoscowtimes--2020-11-30--Jailed Russian Ex-Journalist Safronov Kept in Jail Pending Treason Trial

Former Russian journalist Ivan Safronov has been ordered to stay in jail through March pending trial on charges of high @ @ @ @ @ the Kommersant business daily reported Monday .
Safronov , who was arrested in July weeks @ @ @ @ @ at state space agency Roscosmos , faces up to 20 years in prison on suspicion @ @ @ @ @ the Czech Republic as a journalist in 2017 .
Safronov denies the charges and his @ @ @ @ @ not understand the nature of the accusations .

Former Russian journalist Ivan Safronov has been ordered to stay in jail through March pending trial on charges of high treason, his previous employer the Kommersant business daily reported Monday.
Safronov, who was arrested in July weeks after starting a new career at state space agency Roscosmos, faces up to 20 years in prison on suspicion of passing state secrets to the Czech Republic as a journalist in 2017. Safronov denies the charges and his defense team says it does not understand the nature of the accusations.


themoscowtimes--2020-11-30--Russia’s Sputnik V Coronavirus Vaccine ‘Reasonably Effective’ – British Experts

Sputnik V ’ s developers announced the vaccine ’ s 95 % efficacy last week , citing data obtained 21 days after volunteers received the second of its two doses .
Much like previous Sputnik V results , the news was met with initial skepticism by Western scientists , who question the integrity of the data released under the Kremlin ’ s careful watch .
Russia ’ s highly touted Sputnik V vaccine is “ reasonably effective ” at preventing the coronavirus based on preliminary results from its mass trials but questions over its data still remain , British vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ broadcaster Saturday .
`` I see no reason to doubt '' the results published by Russia ’ s state-run Gamaleya research center , Ian Jones , professor of virology at the University of Reading , told the CBC .
`` I agree that their initial results caused consternation , but I do n't think it 's because they were n't valid .
They were released a bit soon , ” Jones said .
Sputnik V 's results are `` consistent with what we see with other [ adenovirus-based ] vaccines , '' Stephen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine , told the CBC .
This allows one to assess that the Russian vaccine is “ reasonably effective , '' Evans said , but does not necessarily mean that the data released by Russia can be trusted .
`` We do not know how carefully their trials are monitored and how carefully they are reported .
We do not know that , '' he said .
Italian biologist Enrico Bucci , one of the scientists who openly questioned Sputnik V 's Phase 1 trial data , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not convince him of the vaccine ’ s efficacy as they contained several notable discrepancies .
“ The sample is too low to claim any percentage of efficacy , ” Bucci said .
Despite the skepticism , more than 50 countries have already requested to purchase or localize production of Sputnik V. However , Evans said he believes that these countries ’ decisions were mainly based on confidence in the science behind the vaccine .
`` The countries that are buying it are buying it on trust that the Russians have produced @ @ @ @ @ @

Sputnik V’s developers announced the vaccine’s 95% efficacy last week, citing data obtained 21 days after volunteers received the second of its two doses. Much like previous Sputnik V results, the news was met with initial skepticism by Western scientists, who question the integrity of the data released under the Kremlin’s careful watch.
Russia’s highly touted Sputnik V vaccine is “reasonably effective” at preventing the coronavirus based on preliminary results from its mass trials but questions over its data still remain, British vaccine experts told Canada’s CBC News broadcaster Saturday.
"I see no reason to doubt" the results published by Russia’s state-run Gamaleya research center, Ian Jones, professor of virology at the University of Reading, told the CBC.
"I agree that their initial results caused consternation, but I don't think it's because they weren't valid. They were released a bit soon,” Jones said.
Sputnik V's results are "consistent with what we see with other [adenovirus-based] vaccines," Stephen Evans, professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told the CBC.
This allows one to assess that the Russian vaccine is “reasonably effective," Evans said, but does not necessarily mean that the data released by Russia can be trusted.
"We do not know how carefully their trials are monitored and how carefully they are reported. We do not know that," he said.
Italian biologist Enrico Bucci, one of the scientists who openly questioned Sputnik V's Phase 1 trial data, told the CBC that the latest results did not convince him of the vaccine’s efficacy as they contained several notable discrepancies.
“The sample is too low to claim any percentage of efficacy,” Bucci said.
Despite the skepticism, more than 50 countries have already requested to purchase or localize production of Sputnik V. However, Evans said he believes that these countries’ decisions were mainly based on confidence in the science behind the vaccine.
"The countries that are buying it are buying it on trust that the Russians have produced something," Evans said.


themoscowtimes--2020-12-01--Russian Billionaires See $500Mln Windfall in 2020

Altogether , the 22 Russian billionaires added $ 486 million to their net worth between the start of the year and Dec. 1 .
Russia ’ s ultra-wealthy have increased their net worth by nearly $ 500 million in 2020 thanks to a historic stock market rally in November , according to the Bloomberg list of billionaires .
Sixteen of them added just over $ 14 billion to their fortunes while the six others lost a combined $ 13.6 billion .
U.S.-sanctioned lawmaker Suleiman Kerimov posted the biggest gains of $ 4.29 billion , while oil tycoon Vagit Alekperov suffered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ billion .
Vladimir Potanin , whose mining company Nornickel is still dealing with the fallout of this May 's historic fuel spill in the Arctic , is still the wealthiest Russian businessman with a $ 27.6 billion net worth .
Potanin , the 44th-wealthiest billionaire in the world , lost $ 409 million so far in 2020 .
The poorest Russian billionaire is fertilizer magnate and Jewish leader Vyachelsav Moshe Kantor , who posted a net worth of $ 4.99 billion after earning $ 452 million this year .
The state-run RIA Novosti @ @ @ @ @ @ @ billionaires had a November stock market rally to thank for their gains .
The world ’ s ultra-rich have amassed a record amount of wealth this year as the coronavirus pandemic battered the economic prospects of others .
Russia ’ s 102 billionaires are the fourth-wealthiest cohort in the world behind Germany , China and the United States , with a combined $ 468 billion , the consultancy PwC and Swiss bank UBS said in a report last month .
With the smallest increase in wealth among the world ’ s top 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ however , Russia is forecast to fall behind France and India in the global billionaire rankings in the coming years .
PwC and UBS link Russia ’ s underperformance to the industries where its billionaires are concentrated as well as lackluster economic growth , which has averaged less than 1 % per year since 2013 .

Altogether, the 22 Russian billionaires added $486 million to their net worth between the start of the year and Dec. 1.
Russia’s ultra-wealthy have increased their net worth by nearly $500 million in 2020 thanks to a historic stock market rally in November, according to the Bloomberg list of billionaires.
Sixteen of them added just over $14 billion to their fortunes while the six others lost a combined $13.6 billion.
U.S.-sanctioned lawmaker Suleiman Kerimov posted the biggest gains of $4.29 billion, while oil tycoon Vagit Alekperov suffered the largest year-on-year loss of $5.67 billion.
Vladimir Potanin, whose mining company Nornickel is still dealing with the fallout of this May's historic fuel spill in the Arctic, is still the wealthiest Russian businessman with a $27.6 billion net worth. Potanin, the 44th-wealthiest billionaire in the world, lost $409 million so far in 2020.
The poorest Russian billionaire is fertilizer magnate and Jewish leader Vyachelsav Moshe Kantor, who posted a net worth of $4.99 billion after earning $452 million this year.
The state-run RIA Novosti news agency said Russia’s wealthiest billionaires had a November stock market rally to thank for their gains. The world’s ultra-rich have amassed a record amount of wealth this year as the coronavirus pandemic battered the economic prospects of others.
Russia’s 102 billionaires are the fourth-wealthiest cohort in the world behind Germany, China and the United States, with a combined $468 billion, the consultancy PwC and Swiss bank UBS said in a report last month.
With the smallest increase in wealth among the world’s top 10 billionaire locations over the past decade, however, Russia is forecast to fall behind France and India in the global billionaire rankings in the coming years.
PwC and UBS link Russia’s underperformance to the industries where its billionaires are concentrated as well as lackluster economic growth, which has averaged less than 1% per year since 2013.


themoscowtimes--2020-12-01--Russia Detains Suspect in Killings of 26 Elderly Women

Unofficially known as the “ Volga maniac , ” the murderer has been linked to the killings of anywhere from 19 to 32 female pensioners , most of whom were strangled to death between March 2011 and September 2012 .
Investigators said that the suspect may have posed as a social services worker to enter the apartments of the women , who were between 75 and 90 years old and lived alone .
Russian authorities have detained a man suspected of murdering dozens of elderly women in the republic of Tatarstan and nearby regions nearly a decade ago .
Radik @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law enforcement officers in Kazan on Tuesday as part of a criminal investigation into 26 of the murders , the Investigative Committee that probes major crimes said .
Tagirov confessed following his detention , investigators said .
He had previously been convicted in 2009 for theft .
The Realnoye Vremya ( Real Time ) news website reported , citing law enforcement sources , that the suspect was identified using DNA evidence obtained from the crime scenes .
Nine of the murders took place in Kazan and the rest took place in Samara , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Izhevsk , Ufa and other cities .
In 2017 , federal investigators announced a 3 million ruble ( $ 40,000 ) reward for information that would help identify the killer .

Unofficially known as the “Volga maniac,” the murderer has been linked to the killings of anywhere from 19 to 32 female pensioners, most of whom were strangled to death between March 2011 and September 2012. Investigators said that the suspect may have posed as a social services worker to enter the apartments of the women, who were between 75 and 90 years old and lived alone.
Russian authorities have detained a man suspected of murdering dozens of elderly women in the republic of Tatarstan and nearby regions nearly a decade ago.
Radik Tagirov, 38, was detained by law enforcement officers in Kazan on Tuesday as part of a criminal investigation into 26 of the murders, the Investigative Committee that probes major crimes said. The committee's statement said investigators carried out thousands of tests to identify the suspect.
Tagirov confessed following his detention, investigators said.
He had previously been convicted in 2009 for theft.
The Realnoye Vremya (Real Time) news website reported, citing law enforcement sources, that the suspect was identified using DNA evidence obtained from the crime scenes.
Nine of the murders took place in Kazan and the rest took place in Samara, Saratov, Chelyabinsk, Ekaterinburg, Perm, Izhevsk, Ufa and other cities.
In 2017, federal investigators announced a 3 million ruble ($40,000) reward for information that would help identify the killer.


themoscowtimes--2020-12-01--Irina Antonova, Head of Pushkin Museum for 52 Years, Dead at Age 98

Irina Antonova , longtime head of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts and renowned expert in Renaissance art , has died at the age of 98 , the museum ’ s press service said in a statement on Tuesday .
She died from complications caused by the coronavirus .
Antonova was born in Moscow in 1922 .
As a child , she spent several years in pre-war Berlin , where her father worked at the Soviet Embassy .
The Antonov family returned to Moscow after the Nazis came to power in Germany .
In 1940 , she entered the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Institute of Philosophy , Literature and History ( IFLI ) .
In 1941 , after IFLI merged with Moscow State University ( MGU ) , she joined the art history department and graduated with honors in 1945 .
During the Second World War , she worked as a nurse in a Moscow hospital .
In April 1945 , she got a job at the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts .
In her interviews , Antonova has repeatedly said that she did not fall in love with the museum immediately , since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
After the war , when the museum returned evacuated collections and received trophy exhibitions from Hungary and Germany , Antonova changed her attitude toward the museum : `` I began to immerse myself in the world of art , which I had previously only known from reproductions .
All this made a huge impression on me .
Every day I looked forward to the opening !
Art captured me , and gradually the museum became my home , '' the RBC news website quoted Antonova as saying .
Irina Antonova headed the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1961 to 2013 .
She actively developed cooperation with foreign museums and exhibitors .
Under her leadership , in 1974 for the first time people in the Soviet Union saw Leonardo da Vinci ’ s works and his masterpiece “ Mona Lisa.
” Da Vinci 's masterpiece caused real furor in Moscow .
Art lovers lined up nearly all day and night just to get a chance to gaze for 15 seconds at one of the most famous portraits in history .
Antonova and the museum administration also had to organize a special @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mona Lisa ” and to secure multimillion-dollar insurance for da Vinci 's work .
Later , the Pushkin Museum hosted a number of landmark exhibitions of foreign art : `` Moscow-Paris .
1900-1930 '' ( in 1981 ) ; `` Moscow-Berlin .
1900-1950 '' ( in 1996 ) ; `` Treasures of Troy from the excavations of Heinrich Schliemann '' ( in 1996 ) ; and `` Picasso '' ( in 2010 ) .
Antonova also advocated strongly for the museum ’ s expansion .
The museum complex now includes the Museum of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Private Collections , and a children 's art center .
In addition to managing of the museum , Antonova lectured and taught in Russia and abroad .
She lectured at MGU and at the Institute of Cinematography , and at the Institute of Oriental languages in Paris .
In 2013 , she was appointed as chief curator of state museums across Russia and became the president of the Pushkin Museum .
Antonova was an honorary member of UNESCO ’ s International Council of Museums .
Her contribution to the popularization and promotion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia , but also across the globe .
Antonova will be buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow next to her husband and mother .
Due to the pandemic , the funeral ceremony will be private .

Irina Antonova, longtime head of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts and renowned expert in Renaissance art, has died at the age of 98, the museum’s press service said in a statement on Tuesday. She died from complications caused by the coronavirus.
Antonova was born in Moscow in 1922. As a child, she spent several years in pre-war Berlin, where her father worked at the Soviet Embassy. The Antonov family returned to Moscow after the Nazis came to power in Germany.
In 1940, she entered the art history department of the Philological Faculty of the Institute of Philosophy, Literature and History (IFLI). In 1941, after IFLI merged with Moscow State University (MGU), she joined the art history department and graduated with honors in 1945. During the Second World War, she worked as a nurse in a Moscow hospital.
In April 1945, she got a job at the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts. In her interviews, Antonova has repeatedly said that she did not fall in love with the museum immediately, since the post-war museum made a depressing impression.
After the war, when the museum returned evacuated collections and received trophy exhibitions from Hungary and Germany, Antonova changed her attitude toward the museum: "I began to immerse myself in the world of art, which I had previously only known from reproductions. All this made a huge impression on me. Every day I looked forward to the opening! Art captured me, and gradually the museum became my home," the RBC news website quoted Antonova as saying.
Irina Antonova headed the Pushkin Museum for 52 years, from 1961 to 2013. She actively developed cooperation with foreign museums and exhibitors. Under her leadership, in 1974 for the first time people in the Soviet Union saw Leonardo da Vinci’s works and his masterpiece “Mona Lisa.”
Da Vinci's masterpiece caused real furor in Moscow. Art lovers lined up nearly all day and night just to get a chance to gaze for 15 seconds at one of the most famous portraits in history. Antonova and the museum administration also had to organize a special bulletproof box for the transportation of “Mona Lisa” and to secure multimillion-dollar insurance for da Vinci's work.
Later, the Pushkin Museum hosted a number of landmark exhibitions of foreign art: "Moscow-Paris. 1900-1930" (in 1981); "Moscow-Berlin. 1900-1950" (in 1996); "Treasures of Troy from the excavations of Heinrich Schliemann" (in 1996); and "Picasso" (in 2010).
Antonova also advocated strongly for the museum’s expansion. The museum complex now includes the Museum of American and European Art, the Museum of Private Collections, and a children's art center.
In addition to managing of the museum, Antonova lectured and taught in Russia and abroad. She lectured at MGU and at the Institute of Cinematography, and at the Institute of Oriental languages in Paris.
In 2013, she was appointed as chief curator of state museums across Russia and became the president of the Pushkin Museum.
Antonova was an honorary member of UNESCO’s International Council of Museums. Her contribution to the popularization and promotion of art was lauded not only in Russia, but also across the globe.
Antonova will be buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow next to her husband and mother. Due to the pandemic, the funeral ceremony will be private.


themoscowtimes--2020-12-01--What's Next for Nagorno-Karabakh?

What's Next for Nagorno-Karabakh?

Azerbaijan won back four other districts during the fighting and is now in control of all seven around Karabakh that Armenian forces seized in the 1990s as a buffer zone .
Lachin was ceded on Tuesday , Kalbajar on Nov. 25 and Aghdam on Nov. 20 .
Armenia agreed to hand over three districts — Aghdam , Lachin and Kalbajar — as part of the November deal that stopped an Azerbaijani offensive that saw Baku reclaim swathes of territory lost to Armenian separatists in the war .
But the decades-old dispute over Karabakh , an ethnic Armenian region that broke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 1990s , is far from resolved .
The Azerbaijani takeover of Lachin , the last of three districts handed back by Armenia under a deal to stop fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh , ends the first stage of a Russian-brokered peace process .
Tens of thousands of Azerbaijanis who fled these districts are expected to return , though Baku says the desolate areas first need to be made habitable by clearing landmines and rebuilding infrastructure .
The separatists are retaining control over most of Karabakh 's Soviet-era territory and there too residents are returning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the fighting — some 60 % of the population .
Russia , which deployed peacekeepers under the deal , is helping them to go home and said Tuesday more than 26,000 had returned .
Nearly 2,000 Russian soldiers have been deployed for a renewable five-year mandate to keep the peace between the two sides .
Oil-rich Azerbaijan has vowed to invest huge sums in rebuilding the reclaimed districts , but the economic future of the Karabakh Armenians is far less certain .
The region has long relied on financial help from Armenia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
How Azerbaijan , Armenia and the separatist authorities will work together is also an open question , and tensions are sure to arise .
`` The Moscow-brokered agreement ... is ambiguous on a number of aspects such as the mandate of Russian peacekeepers and how the life of the local population , both Armenian and Azerbaijani , will be organized , '' says Olesya Vartanyan of the International Crisis Group .
`` In case the ambiguity persists , that will be potentially a source of tensions and destabilization . ''
The agreement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most difficult question will be dealt with : Karabakh 's long-term future .
Decades of talks chaired by France , Russia and the United States — the so-called Minsk Group — failed to find a political settlement over the region 's status .
Russia 's crucial role in ending the latest fighting has moved it to the forefront and Azerbaijan is very keen for key ally Turkey to be involved in mediation efforts .
The credibility of the Minsk Group is also being called into question , in particular by Azerbaijan which last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate passed a resolution calling for the recognition of Karabakh as independent .

Azerbaijan won back four other districts during the fighting and is now in control of all seven around Karabakh that Armenian forces seized in the 1990s as a buffer zone.
Lachin was ceded on Tuesday, Kalbajar on Nov. 25 and Aghdam on Nov. 20.
Armenia agreed to hand over three districts — Aghdam, Lachin and Kalbajar — as part of the November deal that stopped an Azerbaijani offensive that saw Baku reclaim swathes of territory lost to Armenian separatists in the war.
But the decades-old dispute over Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian region that broke away from Azerbaijan during a war in the 1990s, is far from resolved.
The Azerbaijani takeover of Lachin, the last of three districts handed back by Armenia under a deal to stop fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh, ends the first stage of a Russian-brokered peace process.
Tens of thousands of Azerbaijanis who fled these districts are expected to return, though Baku says the desolate areas first need to be made habitable by clearing landmines and rebuilding infrastructure.
The separatists are retaining control over most of Karabakh's Soviet-era territory and there too residents are returning.
Up to 90,000 people fled Karabakh during the fighting — some 60% of the population.
Russia, which deployed peacekeepers under the deal, is helping them to go home and said Tuesday more than 26,000 had returned.
Living side-by-side
Nearly 2,000 Russian soldiers have been deployed for a renewable five-year mandate to keep the peace between the two sides.
Oil-rich Azerbaijan has vowed to invest huge sums in rebuilding the reclaimed districts, but the economic future of the Karabakh Armenians is far less certain.
The region has long relied on financial help from Armenia, itself struggling with a weak economy.
How Azerbaijan, Armenia and the separatist authorities will work together is also an open question, and tensions are sure to arise.
"The Moscow-brokered agreement... is ambiguous on a number of aspects such as the mandate of Russian peacekeepers and how the life of the local population, both Armenian and Azerbaijani, will be organized," says Olesya Vartanyan of the International Crisis Group.
"In case the ambiguity persists, that will be potentially a source of tensions and destabilization."
What future for Karabakh?
The agreement also does not spell out how the most difficult question will be dealt with: Karabakh's long-term future.
Decades of talks chaired by France, Russia and the United States — the so-called Minsk Group — failed to find a political settlement over the region's status.
Russia's crucial role in ending the latest fighting has moved it to the forefront and Azerbaijan is very keen for key ally Turkey to be involved in mediation efforts.
The credibility of the Minsk Group is also being called into question, in particular by Azerbaijan which last week lashed out at France after its Senate passed a resolution calling for the recognition of Karabakh as independent.


themoscowtimes--2020-12-01--Rights Court Faults Russia Over Physicist's Spying Conviction

Accused of spying for China as well as embezzlement , Valentin Danilov was arrested in 2001 , shortly after former KGB agent Vladimir Putin ascended to the presidency for the first time .
The European Court of Human Rights said Tuesday that Russian authorities denied a top physicist a fair trial ahead of his 2004 conviction on claims of passing state secrets to China , which saw him imprisoned in Siberia for eight years .
The case revived fears of the Soviet-era terror and the authorities ' paranoid hunts for traitors among academics and others with potential links to foreigners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ director of the thermo-physics center at Krasnoyarsk State University , and claimed his shared work with a Chinese engineering firm did not involve any classified information .
Despite being initially cleared of the charges by a jury , Russia 's Supreme Court rejected the verdict and another court later sentenced Danilov to 13 years in prison .
Danilov , now 72 , vowed to clear his name when he was released early in 2012 .
In his appeal to the European court based in Strasbourg , he said he was not allowed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conviction , nor to present his own experts for his defense .
He also claimed potential bias on the jury , since four of the 12 members had state security clearance .
The ECHR sided with Danilov on both claims , saying the Russian court `` had infringed his fair-trial rights . ''
Russia was ordered to pay Danilov 21,100 euros ( $ 25,200 ) in damages .

Accused of spying for China as well as embezzlement, Valentin Danilov was arrested in 2001, shortly after former KGB agent Vladimir Putin ascended to the presidency for the first time.
The European Court of Human Rights said Tuesday that Russian authorities denied a top physicist a fair trial ahead of his 2004 conviction on claims of passing state secrets to China, which saw him imprisoned in Siberia for eight years.
The case revived fears of the Soviet-era terror and the authorities' paranoid hunts for traitors among academics and others with potential links to foreigners.
At the time, Danilov was director of the thermo-physics center at Krasnoyarsk State University, and claimed his shared work with a Chinese engineering firm did not involve any classified information.
Despite being initially cleared of the charges by a jury, Russia's Supreme Court rejected the verdict and another court later sentenced Danilov to 13 years in prison.
Danilov, now 72, vowed to clear his name when he was released early in 2012.
In his appeal to the European court based in Strasbourg, he said he was not allowed to cross-examine experts whose testimony helped secure his conviction, nor to present his own experts for his defense.
He also claimed potential bias on the jury, since four of the 12 members had state security clearance.
The ECHR sided with Danilov on both claims, saying the Russian court "had infringed his fair-trial rights."
Russia was ordered to pay Danilov 21,100 euros ($25,200) in damages.


themoscowtimes--2020-12-01--Authorities Probe Navalny’s Coronavirus Interview for ‘Extremism’

Moscow investigators are reportedly examining whether Navalny ’ s April 27 interview with the liberal Ekho Moskvy radio station contained calls for a violent overthrow of the Russian government .
Charges of “ public calls for terrorism ” carry a prison sentence of five years .
Russian authorities are probing opposition figure Alexei Navalny ’ s comments during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic for inciting extremism , news agencies quoted law enforcement sources as saying Tuesday .
In the interview where Navalny proposed coronavirus support measures , a host quipped that the Kremlin would decide against these measures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our regime would rather leave 60 million people hungry in order to not please me , then this regime should be overthrown right now , quite possibly even by force , ” Navalny retorted .
An Interfax source said they were “ unsure ” whether the authorities would open a criminal case after completing their probe into Navalny ’ s comments .
“ The statements were probabilistic and experts will find it difficult to label them as incitement , ” the source was quoted as saying .
The Kremlin said later Tuesday that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take into account positions ” adopted by opposition figures in its decision-making process .
Navalny , 44 , is recovering in Germany after being poisoned by the Novichok nerve agent in August .
Germany and its allies at a global chemical weapons watchdog have asked Russia to investigate the poisoning , which officials in Moscow either deny or blame Berlin for .
Navalny attributed the extremism probe to the authorities ’ attempts to keep him out of the country .
“ Putin , sitting in his bunker , wishes so desperately for me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he tweeted , “ that he decided to add a criminal case for extremism to the threats to jail me for treason .
”

Moscow investigators are reportedly examining whether Navalny’s April 27 interview with the liberal Ekho Moskvy radio station contained calls for a violent overthrow of the Russian government. Charges of “public calls for terrorism” carry a prison sentence of five years.
Russian authorities are probing opposition figure Alexei Navalny’s comments during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic for inciting extremism, news agencies quoted law enforcement sources as saying Tuesday.
In the interview where Navalny proposed coronavirus support measures, a host quipped that the Kremlin would decide against these measures “out of spite.”
“If our regime would rather leave 60 million people hungry in order to not please me, then this regime should be overthrown right now, quite possibly even by force,” Navalny retorted.
An Interfax source said they were “unsure” whether the authorities would open a criminal case after completing their probe into Navalny’s comments.
“The statements were probabilistic and experts will find it difficult to label them as incitement,” the source was quoted as saying.
The Kremlin said later Tuesday that President Vladimir Putin “doesn’t take into account positions” adopted by opposition figures in its decision-making process.
Navalny, 44, is recovering in Germany after being poisoned by the Novichok nerve agent in August. Germany and its allies at a global chemical weapons watchdog have asked Russia to investigate the poisoning, which officials in Moscow either deny or blame Berlin for.
Navalny attributed the extremism probe to the authorities’ attempts to keep him out of the country.
“Putin, sitting in his bunker, wishes so desperately for me not to return to Russia after recovering,” he tweeted, “that he decided to add a criminal case for extremism to the threats to jail me for treason.”


themoscowtimes--2020-12-01--Turkey, Russia Seal Deal for Karabakh 'Peacekeeping Center'

The deal comes after days of talks between Turkish and Russian officials about how the two regional powers would jointly implement a Moscow-brokered ceasefire signed this month between Armenia and Azerbaijan .
Turkey and Russia have agreed to monitor a truce over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region from a joint peacekeeping center , Ankara 's defense ministry said on Tuesday .
Technical details for setting up the joint center were concluded and an agreement was signed , the defense ministry said in a statement , adding that it would begin work `` as soon as possible . ''
Turkey is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defended its right to take back the Nagorno-Karabakh lands Baku lost to ethnic Armenian separatists in a 1988-94 war .
The truce deal ended more than six weeks of fighting that claimed more than 1,400 lives and saw ethnic Armenians agree to withdraw from large parts of the contested region of Azerbaijan .
The Turkish parliament voted this month to deploy a mission to `` establish a joint center with Russia and to carry out the center 's activities . ''
The deployment is set to last a year and its size will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Russia has said repeatedly that Turkey will have no troops on the ground under the truce deal 's terms .

The deal comes after days of talks between Turkish and Russian officials about how the two regional powers would jointly implement a Moscow-brokered ceasefire signed this month between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Turkey and Russia have agreed to monitor a truce over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region from a joint peacekeeping center, Ankara's defense ministry said on Tuesday.
Technical details for setting up the joint center were concluded and an agreement was signed, the defense ministry said in a statement, adding that it would begin work "as soon as possible."
Turkey is a staunch ally of Azerbaijan and has fervently defended its right to take back the Nagorno-Karabakh lands Baku lost to ethnic Armenian separatists in a 1988-94 war.
The truce deal ended more than six weeks of fighting that claimed more than 1,400 lives and saw ethnic Armenians agree to withdraw from large parts of the contested region of Azerbaijan.
The Turkish parliament voted this month to deploy a mission to "establish a joint center with Russia and to carry out the center's activities."
The deployment is set to last a year and its size will be determined by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Russia has said repeatedly that Turkey will have no troops on the ground under the truce deal's terms.


themoscowtimes--2020-12-01--Russians Doubt Biden Presidency Will Improve U.S.-Russia Relations – Poll

Biden , who helped lead the failed push for a “ reset ” in U.S.-Russia ties as former President Barack Obama ’ s vice president , is expected to take a tougher stand against Russia than his predecessor Donald Trump .
Despite Trump ’ s overtures to Russian President Vladimir Putin , relations with Moscow deteriorated even further during his term over alleged Russian election interference .
A majority of Russians doubt that relations between their country and the United States will improve under President-elect Joe Biden , a new poll by the independent Levada Center has said .
Only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relations will improve during Biden ’ s presidency compared with the 46 % in 2016 who said ties would improve after Trump ’ s election , the poll published Tuesday said .
Forty-five percent of the respondents polled in November said relations would not change under Biden and 30 % said they would get worse .
Russians ’ general views toward the U.S. worsened over the course of its presidential campaign , with 51 % saying they see the country in a “ bad ” or “ very bad ” light compared with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same time , however , Russians are more likely to view the country positively than they were four years ago , with 35 % having a “ good ” or “ very good ” view of the U.S. compared with 28 % in 2016 .
Levada conducted the survey among 1,607 respondents in 50 Russian regions on Nov. 19-26 .

Biden, who helped lead the failed push for a “reset” in U.S.-Russia ties as former President Barack Obama’s vice president, is expected to take a tougher stand against Russia than his predecessor Donald Trump. Despite Trump’s overtures to Russian President Vladimir Putin, relations with Moscow deteriorated even further during his term over alleged Russian election interference.
A majority of Russians doubt that relations between their country and the United States will improve under President-elect Joe Biden, a new poll by the independent Levada Center has said .
Only 12% of Russian respondents believe that relations will improve during Biden’s presidency compared with the 46% in 2016 who said ties would improve after Trump’s election, the poll published Tuesday said.
Forty-five percent of the respondents polled in November said relations would not change under Biden and 30% said they would get worse.
Russians’ general views toward the U.S. worsened over the course of its presidential campaign, with 51% saying they see the country in a “bad” or “very bad” light compared with 46% in August.
At the same time, however, Russians are more likely to view the country positively than they were four years ago, with 35% having a “good” or “very good” view of the U.S. compared with 28% in 2016.
Levada conducted the survey among 1,607 respondents in 50 Russian regions on Nov. 19-26.


themoscowtimes--2020-12-01--Siberian Jehovah’s Witnesses Jailed for ‘Extremism’

A court in the city of Omsk found husband and wife Sergei and Anastasia Polyakov guilty of recruiting others to join an “ extremist ” group .
Two other Jehovah ’ s Witnesses , Dinara Dyusekeyeva and Gaukhar Bektemirova , were found guilty of participating in the activities of an extremist group .
Four Jehovah ’ s Witnesses have been convicted and sentenced on extremism charges in southwestern Siberia , the religious organization banned in Russia said Monday .
The court sentenced Polyakov to three years in prison and handed a two-year suspended sentence to each of the three other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Their lawyer Dmitry Kolobov told the U.S.-funded RFE/RL news organization that the defense will appeal the ruling .
Polyakov is expected to be the 11th Jehovah ’ s Witness to serve a prison sentence after Russia ’ s Supreme Court banned the Jehovah ’ s Witnesses in April 2017 .
The Christian denomination estimated that more than 400 of its followers have been charged or convicted in Russia between 2017 and late October 2020 .
The Polyakovs , St. Petersburg natives , were arrested in 2018 on suspicion of moving to Omsk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recruit believers , Russian investigators who also reported on the court ruling said .
Dyusekeyeva and Bektemirova were detained the following year .
“ Anastasia was the first woman Jehovah 's Witness in the history of modern Russia to be imprisoned for her faith , ” the organization said in a statement on its website .
In her last word , Dyusekeyeva said : “ Neither I nor my friends have committed any crime .
”

A court in the city of Omsk found husband and wife Sergei and Anastasia Polyakov guilty of recruiting others to join an “extremist” group. Two other Jehovah’s Witnesses, Dinara Dyusekeyeva and Gaukhar Bektemirova, were found guilty of participating in the activities of an extremist group.
Four Jehovah’s Witnesses have been convicted and sentenced on extremism charges in southwestern Siberia, the religious organization banned in Russia said Monday.
The court sentenced Polyakov to three years in prison and handed a two-year suspended sentence to each of the three other believers.
All four pleaded not guilty.
Their lawyer Dmitry Kolobov told the U.S.-funded RFE/RL news organization that the defense will appeal the ruling.
Polyakov is expected to be the 11th Jehovah’s Witness to serve a prison sentence after Russia’s Supreme Court banned the Jehovah’s Witnesses in April 2017. The Christian denomination estimated that more than 400 of its followers have been charged or convicted in Russia between 2017 and late October 2020.
The Polyakovs, St. Petersburg natives, were arrested in 2018 on suspicion of moving to Omsk some 2,200 kilometers east of Moscow to recruit believers, Russian investigators who also reported on the court ruling said. Dyusekeyeva and Bektemirova were detained the following year.
“Anastasia was the first woman Jehovah's Witness in the history of modern Russia to be imprisoned for her faith,” the organization said in a statement on its website.
In her last word, Dyusekeyeva said: “Neither I nor my friends have committed any crime.”


themoscowtimes--2020-12-01--Putin Moves to Ban Dual-National Officials

Putin on Monday submitted a bill to Russia ’ s lower house of parliament that would amend the Labor Code to ban military and civil servants with access to state secrets from holding a foreign citizenship or residence permit .
President Vladimir Putin has taken steps toward banning Russian government officials with access to state secrets from holding foreign passports as part of his recent changes to the Constitution .
Dual nationals will have six months to voluntarily renounce their second citizenship to keep their government positions , according to the draft law ’ s text .
The lower-house State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supermajorities will need to vote on the bill before Putin signs it into law .
The lawmakers have previously vowed to fast-track all legislation that would align Russian laws with the newly adopted Constitution .
Putin put forward the dual-national bill days after the State Duma passed legislation prioritizing the Russian Constitution over international law and criminalizing calls for secession .
Voters overwhelmingly approved a set of constitutional amendments , which pave the way for Putin to extend his 20-year rule and include a provision defining marriage as a union between a man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Putin on Monday submitted a bill to Russia’s lower house of parliament that would amend the Labor Code to ban military and civil servants with access to state secrets from holding a foreign citizenship or residence permit.
President Vladimir Putin has taken steps toward banning Russian government officials with access to state secrets from holding foreign passports as part of his recent changes to the Constitution.
Dual nationals will have six months to voluntarily renounce their second citizenship to keep their government positions, according to the draft law’s text.
The lower-house State Duma and upper-house Federation Council with pro-Kremlin supermajorities will need to vote on the bill before Putin signs it into law. The lawmakers have previously vowed to fast-track all legislation that would align Russian laws with the newly adopted Constitution.
Putin put forward the dual-national bill days after the State Duma passed legislation prioritizing the Russian Constitution over international law and criminalizing calls for secession.
Voters overwhelmingly approved a set of constitutional amendments, which pave the way for Putin to extend his 20-year rule and include a provision defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman, over the summer.