themoscowtimes--2020-07-17--Jailed Russian Governor Asks Supporters to Stop Protests – Lawyer

Sergei Furgal , who was detained last week and flown to Moscow before being accused of involvement in several 15-year-old murders , unsuccessfully appealed his arrest in court Thursday .
A popular governor arrested in an old murder case says he wants supporters to end mass protests that have rocked Russia 's Far East , his lawyer said Thursday .
Demonstrations have erupted nearly every day in the Khabarovsk region — which Furgal still formally heads — as residents demand Moscow return him to face any charges locally .
His lawyer Boris Kozhemyakin told journalists outside the courthouse that while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he does not endorse unauthorized gatherings .
`` Sergei Furgal has nothing to do with the demonstrations of residents of Khabarovsk , his voters , '' Kozhemyakin said .
`` He thanks them , but today in court he said he does not approve of these mass actions , as he is the region 's governor , and he believes his voters should act in accordance with existing legislation , '' the lawyer added .
Crowds estimated in the tens of thousands marched through Khabarovsk at the weekend and hundreds have continued to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were held in other towns in the region .
A huge rally has been called for Saturday .
Elected with a large majority in 2018 , Furgal , who is a member of the nationalist Liberal-Democratic Party , delivered a major upset to a candidate of the majority United Russia party .
Many of the protesters believe the charges are politically motivated and question why investigators waited so long to accuse a public official who should have undergone background checks .
Investigators say Furgal organized the murders of several businessmen in the Far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a fresh statement on Thursday , Russia 's Investigative Committee , which probes major crimes , said it had `` irrefutable evidence '' of Furgal 's involvement .
It named for the first time the businessmen who were killed as Yevgeny Zorya and Oleg Bulatov , while another man Alexander Smolsky had an attempt made on his life .
`` It is clear to the investigation that the decisions regarding the murders were taken as Furgal and his co-conspirators sought to further their commercial interests , '' the committee said .
Moscow prison @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she visited Furgal and another detainee in the case named Nikolai Mistryukov , who has given testimony against the governor .
In a post on Facebook , Merkachova said that Mistryukov is in very poor health after losing vision in one eye and being refused crucial cancer medication .
`` He is psychologically beaten and has a most serious diagnosis , '' she said , calling his treatment a `` crime . ''

Sergei Furgal, who was detained last week and flown to Moscow before being accused of involvement in several 15-year-old murders, unsuccessfully appealed his arrest in court Thursday.
A popular governor arrested in an old murder case says he wants supporters to end mass protests that have rocked Russia's Far East, his lawyer said Thursday.
Demonstrations have erupted nearly every day in the Khabarovsk region — which Furgal still formally heads — as residents demand Moscow return him to face any charges locally.
His lawyer Boris Kozhemyakin told journalists outside the courthouse that while the 50-year-old governor appreciates the support, he does not endorse unauthorized gatherings.
"Sergei Furgal has nothing to do with the demonstrations of residents of Khabarovsk, his voters," Kozhemyakin said.
"He thanks them, but today in court he said he does not approve of these mass actions, as he is the region's governor, and he believes his voters should act in accordance with existing legislation," the lawyer added.
Crowds estimated in the tens of thousands marched through Khabarovsk at the weekend and hundreds have continued to rally this week, while smaller protests were held in other towns in the region.
A huge rally has been called for Saturday.
Elected with a large majority in 2018, Furgal, who is a member of the nationalist Liberal-Democratic Party, delivered a major upset to a candidate of the majority United Russia party.
Many of the protesters believe the charges are politically motivated and question why investigators waited so long to accuse a public official who should have undergone background checks.
Investigators say Furgal organized the murders of several businessmen in the Far East in 2004 and 2005.
In a fresh statement on Thursday, Russia's Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said it had "irrefutable evidence" of Furgal's involvement.
It named for the first time the businessmen who were killed as Yevgeny Zorya and Oleg Bulatov, while another man Alexander Smolsky had an attempt made on his life.
"It is clear to the investigation that the decisions regarding the murders were taken as Furgal and his co-conspirators sought to further their commercial interests," the committee said.
Moscow prison monitor Yeva Merkachova said on Thursday that she visited Furgal and another detainee in the case named Nikolai Mistryukov, who has given testimony against the governor.
In a post on Facebook, Merkachova said that Mistryukov is in very poor health after losing vision in one eye and being refused crucial cancer medication.
"He is psychologically beaten and has a most serious diagnosis," she said, calling his treatment a "crime."


themoscowtimes--2020-07-17--Russia's Coronavirus Cases Near 760K as Deaths Pass 12K

Starting July 13 , Moscow will no longer require people to wear masks outdoors as the number of new coronavirus cases has dwindled in the Russian capital in recent weeks .
Moscow lifted restrictions including compulsory travel passes on June 8 , a move welcomed by residents who rushed out to enjoy the streets and parks .
Many other regions lifted lockdown restrictions ahead of a July 1 national vote despite the pandemic .
Critics have cast doubt on Russia 's low official mortality rate and accused authorities of under-reporting to play down the scale of the crisis .
Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mass testing which has identified many cases with mild or no coronavirus symptoms .
The Health Ministry is now adjusting how it reports numbers to include all deaths believed to be related to the virus even if the direct cause of death was another condition or the patient tested negative .
Former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin , a liberal politician known for his outspoken comments , said Russia 's health system requires more funds and modernization in many regions .
`` Medicine is significantly underfunded even according to the current norms and also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kudrin , who heads the Audit Chamber that examines government spending , said in an interview with the state-run TASS state news agency .
`` We will carry out a check and show these figures , '' he added .
Nevertheless the economist said Russia `` is not doing a bad job with the pandemic , '' crediting the role of the military , which has built emergency facilities .

The highest number of new cases were in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Russia's fatality rate has remained low compared to other badly-hit countries, raising speculation that Moscow could be underreporting figures.
Russian authorities began easing anti-virus measures in June ahead of a massive World War II military parade in Moscow and a nationwide vote on constitutional reforms that now allow President Vladimir Putin to stay in power until 2036.
Both events were initially postponed due the epidemic.
Moscow opened cinemas and theaters on Aug. 1. In the capital, masks are mandatory in stores and on public transport but not in the streets.
Several institutes in Russia are working on a coronavirus vaccine.
The Russian Defense Ministry has said it developed a "safe" vaccine following clinical trials on a group of volunteers.
The trials are ongoing, and the Defense Ministry expects clinical trials to be fully completed in the coming weeks.
AFP contributed reporting to this article.


themoscowtimes--2020-07-16--UK, U.S. and Canada Accuse Russia of Vaccine Research Hacking

The three governments pointed the finger at the Kremlin , saying that a hacking group called APT29 was `` almost certainly '' linked to Russian intelligence .
Britain , the United States and Canada on Thursday risked worsening fraught diplomatic ties with Russia by accusing Moscow-linked hackers of targeting labs in their countries conducting coronavirus vaccine research .
In a separate claim , London said `` Russian actors '' sought to disrupt last year 's UK general election by circulating leaked trade documents between Britain and the United States .
Both accusations came even before the publication in the coming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 Brexit vote .
The United Kingdom ’ s National Cyber Security Centre ( NCSC ) and Canada ’ s Communications Security Establishment ( CSE ) said Thursday that APT29 was `` a cyber espionage group , almost certainly part of the Russian intelligence services , '' adding their the assessment was endorsed by their U.S. counterpart .
`` Throughout 2020 , APT29 has targeted various organizations involved in COVID-19 vaccine development in Canada , the United States and the United Kingdom , highly likely with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relating to the development and testing of COVID-19 vaccines , '' it said .
The group was `` likely to continue to target organizations involved in COVID-19 vaccine research and development , as they seek to answer additional intelligence questions relating to the pandemic . ''
In a separate statement , the U.S. National Security Agency repeated the accusations and said that APT29 `` uses a variety of tools and techniques to predominantly target governmental , diplomatic , think-tank , healthcare and energy targets for intelligence gain . ''
Russia and Britain have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of trying to kill double agent Sergei Skripal with a powerful military-grade nerve agent in 2018 .
The attack in Salisbury , southwest England , came 12 years after the radiation poisoning of former spy Alexander Litvinenko in London .
Again , Russia denied involvement .
Britain is one of a number of countries conducting human vaccine trials for COVID-19 .
One , at the University of Oxford , showed potential positive results , media reports said on Thursday .
But the National Cyber Security Centre , part of Britain 's GCHQ electronic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those targeted `` to steal valuable intellectual property . ''
NCSC director of operations Paul Chichester said known targets included UK , US and Canadian vaccine research and development organisations using techniques including malware .
APT29 — also known as `` The Dukes '' or `` Cozy Bear '' — had also tried to hack government , diplomatic , think-tank and energy groups , it added .
Nearly 600,000 people have died and more than 13.5 million infected in the coronavirus outbreak this year .
Britain 's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was `` completely unacceptable . ''
`` While others pursue their selfish interests with reckless behavior , the UK and its allies are getting on with the hard work of finding a vaccine and protecting global health , '' he added .
Earlier , the government said there were strong suspicions of a Russian link to the leak of classified documents about a possible post-Brexit trade deal with the United States .
An investigation was launched after files were published on the social media site Reddit and were later picked up by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used them in its campaign for the December 12 election , claiming they proved Prime Minister Boris Johnson would `` sell-out '' the state-run health sector to US President Donald Trump .
Health funding was a key campaign issue , and Johnson was repeatedly forced to deny the claim .
Labour 's then leader Jeremy Corbyn dismissed claims the leak was put online by Russia as a `` conspiracy theory . ''
But he said it was `` almost certain ... that Russian actors '' were involved by putting the leaked documents online @ @ @ @ @ @ @ won a huge majority in the election , allowing him to push through his Brexit deal to take Britain out of the European Union .
Parliament 's Intelligence and Security Committee launched a probe into suspicions of Russian interference in the 2016 Brexit vote after concerns sparked by claims of meddling in the US presidential election won by Trump .
It completed the report last year but publication was delayed first by the election , and then Johnson 's failure to nominate new members to the committee .
This finally happened last week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thursday , where they agreed to publish the Russia report before next Wednesday .

The three governments pointed the finger at the Kremlin, saying that a hacking group called APT29 was "almost certainly" linked to Russian intelligence.
Britain, the United States and Canada on Thursday risked worsening fraught diplomatic ties with Russia by accusing Moscow-linked hackers of targeting labs in their countries conducting coronavirus vaccine research.
In a separate claim, London said "Russian actors" sought to disrupt last year's UK general election by circulating leaked trade documents between Britain and the United States.
Both accusations came even before the publication in the coming days of a long-awaited British parliamentary report into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 Brexit vote.
Russia quickly rejected the accusations as "groundless."
The United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and Canada’s Communications Security Establishment (CSE) said Thursday that APT29 was "a cyber espionage group, almost certainly part of the Russian intelligence services," adding their the assessment was endorsed by their U.S. counterpart.
"Throughout 2020, APT29 has targeted various organizations involved in COVID-19 vaccine development in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, highly likely with the intention of stealing information and intellectual property relating to the development and testing of COVID-19 vaccines," it said.
The group was "likely to continue to target organizations involved in COVID-19 vaccine research and development, as they seek to answer additional intelligence questions relating to the pandemic."
In a separate statement, the U.S. National Security Agency repeated the accusations and said that APT29 "uses a variety of tools and techniques to predominantly target governmental, diplomatic, think-tank, healthcare and energy targets for intelligence gain."
Russia and Britain have been at loggerheads since Moscow was accused of trying to kill double agent Sergei Skripal with a powerful military-grade nerve agent in 2018.
The attack in Salisbury, southwest England, came 12 years after the radiation poisoning of former spy Alexander Litvinenko in London. Again, Russia denied involvement.
'Completely unacceptable'
Britain is one of a number of countries conducting human vaccine trials for COVID-19. One, at the University of Oxford, showed potential positive results, media reports said on Thursday.
But the National Cyber Security Centre, part of Britain's GCHQ electronic eavesdropping agency, said labs were among those targeted "to steal valuable intellectual property."
NCSC director of operations Paul Chichester said known targets included UK, US and Canadian vaccine research and development organisations using techniques including malware.
APT29 — also known as "The Dukes" or "Cozy Bear" — had also tried to hack government, diplomatic, think-tank and energy groups, it added.
Nearly 600,000 people have died and more than 13.5 million infected in the coronavirus outbreak this year.
Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said that targeting those working to find a vaccine was "completely unacceptable."
"While others pursue their selfish interests with reckless behavior, the UK and its allies are getting on with the hard work of finding a vaccine and protecting global health," he added.
Election meddling
Earlier, the government said there were strong suspicions of a Russian link to the leak of classified documents about a possible post-Brexit trade deal with the United States.
An investigation was launched after files were published on the social media site Reddit and were later picked up by the main opposition Labour party.
The party used them in its campaign for the December 12 election, claiming they proved Prime Minister Boris Johnson would "sell-out" the state-run health sector to US President Donald Trump.
Health funding was a key campaign issue, and Johnson was repeatedly forced to deny the claim.
Labour's then leader Jeremy Corbyn dismissed claims the leak was put online by Russia as a "conspiracy theory."
Raab stopped short of accusing Moscow of direct involvement.
But he said it was "almost certain... that Russian actors" were involved by putting the leaked documents online.
Johnson and his ruling Conservative party won a huge majority in the election, allowing him to push through his Brexit deal to take Britain out of the European Union.
Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee launched a probe into suspicions of Russian interference in the 2016 Brexit vote after concerns sparked by claims of meddling in the US presidential election won by Trump.
It completed the report last year but publication was delayed first by the election, and then Johnson's failure to nominate new members to the committee.
This finally happened last week and members had their first meeting on Thursday, where they agreed to publish the Russia report before next Wednesday.


themoscowtimes--2020-07-17--Russia Ready to Mediate Talks Between Armenia, Azerbaijan

President Vladimir Putin and members of Russia 's Security Council expressed `` extreme concern '' over the flare-up in fighting between the South Caucasus countries that erupted last week , Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said .
Russia said Friday it is prepared to mediate peace talks between ex-Soviet rivals Armenia and Azerbaijan after fighting escalated along their shared border .
Putin alongside senior Russian government officials `` emphasized an urgent need for the parties to adhere to a ceasefire , and voiced a readiness to mediate efforts , '' Peskov said , quoted by Interfax .
The two rivals have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over Azerbaijan 's southwestern separatist region of Nagorny Karabakh , which was seized by ethnic Armenian separatists in a 1990s war that claimed 30,000 lives .
Negotiations mediated by Russia , the United States , and France since 1994 have failed to bring about a lasting resolution to the stalemate .
The most recent flare-up in fighting began on Sunday , with both sides accusing the other of starting the shelling that has continued sporadically for several days and so far claimed a total of 17 lives .
Armenian government spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisyan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that `` the situation remains calm , there is no shooting . ''

President Vladimir Putin and members of Russia's Security Council expressed "extreme concern" over the flare-up in fighting between the South Caucasus countries that erupted last week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Russia said Friday it is prepared to mediate peace talks between ex-Soviet rivals Armenia and Azerbaijan after fighting escalated along their shared border.
Putin alongside senior Russian government officials "emphasized an urgent need for the parties to adhere to a ceasefire, and voiced a readiness to mediate efforts," Peskov said, quoted by Interfax.
The two rivals have been locked for decades in a conflict over Azerbaijan's southwestern separatist region of Nagorny Karabakh, which was seized by ethnic Armenian separatists in a 1990s war that claimed 30,000 lives.
Negotiations mediated by Russia, the United States, and France since 1994 have failed to bring about a lasting resolution to the stalemate.
The most recent flare-up in fighting began on Sunday, with both sides accusing the other of starting the shelling that has continued sporadically for several days and so far claimed a total of 17 lives.
Armenian government spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisyan said Friday that fighting subsided overnight and that "the situation remains calm, there is no shooting."
Azerbaijan's defense ministry said "overall, situation remains tense."


themoscowtimes--2020-07-17--Russia Issues Travel Ban to Kremlin Critic Navalny in Slander Probe

Russia 's opposition has accused the authorities of cracking down on opponents to President Vladimir Putin after he oversaw a vote this month allowing him to potentially remain in power until 2036 .
Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was barred Friday from leaving Moscow as police carried out a new raid on his offices .
Navalny said he had been questioned by investigators and banned from leaving the capital as part of a new criminal case against him .
Law enforcement officers searched the offices of his Anti-Corruption Fund ( FBK ) in southern Moscow while he was being interrogated .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ attempt to prevent him from travelling the country to promote a tactical voting strategy to oppose pro-Putin candidates in more than 30 regional elections in September .
`` This wretched regime , we have to fight it , '' Navalny said in a video address on Instagram .
`` Take part in the smart voting campaign to crush the swindlers and thieves that have seized power in our beautiful country . ''
Pro-Kremlin politicians suffered losses in Moscow city polls last year after the opposition leader called on supporters to vote tactically .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same strategy to oust members of the increasingly unpopular ruling party United Russia in the regional ballots .
Navalny said he was questioned by investigators as part of a new probe into suspected slander over comments he made on social media .
He said 15 investigators would be involved in the probe .
In June , the Investigative Committee , which probes major cases , said Navalny was suspected of defaming a World War II veteran .
The trained lawyer said in the video that law enforcement also planned to search two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Police have repeatedly raided Navalny 's offices , and the Kremlin critic has personally been the target of multiple criminal probes .
He was barred from challenging Putin in a presidential election in 2018 over a prior conviction his supporters said was poltically motivated .
Navalny 's ally and up-and-coming opposition politician Lyubov Sobol accused the Kremlin of tightening the screws on critics .
`` Putin 's approval ratings have crashed , the economy is in doldrums , thousands-strong protests in the regions , '' said Sobol , referring to anti-Kremlin rallies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` What to do ?
Come search the FBK for the umpteenth time ! ''
she wrote on Twitter .
Navalny says the seven-day vote on the changes to the constitution was not properly monitored and set a record for falsified ballots .
This week Moscow police detained nearly 150 people who marched in the city center against the constitutional reforms .

Russia's opposition has accused the authorities of cracking down on opponents to President Vladimir Putin after he oversaw a vote this month allowing him to potentially remain in power until 2036.
Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was barred Friday from leaving Moscow as police carried out a new raid on his offices.
Navalny said he had been questioned by investigators and banned from leaving the capital as part of a new criminal case against him.
Law enforcement officers searched the offices of his Anti-Corruption Fund (FBK) in southern Moscow while he was being interrogated.
The 44-year-old claimed the ban was an attempt to prevent him from travelling the country to promote a tactical voting strategy to oppose pro-Putin candidates in more than 30 regional elections in September.
"This wretched regime, we have to fight it," Navalny said in a video address on Instagram.
"Take part in the smart voting campaign to crush the swindlers and thieves that have seized power in our beautiful country."
'Putin's ratings have crashed'
Pro-Kremlin politicians suffered losses in Moscow city polls last year after the opposition leader called on supporters to vote tactically.
He has called on Russians to use the same strategy to oust members of the increasingly unpopular ruling party United Russia in the regional ballots.
Navalny said he was questioned by investigators as part of a new probe into suspected slander over comments he made on social media.
He said 15 investigators would be involved in the probe.
In June, the Investigative Committee, which probes major cases, said Navalny was suspected of defaming a World War II veteran.
The trained lawyer said in the video that law enforcement also planned to search two apartments, including one where he lives.
Police have repeatedly raided Navalny's offices, and the Kremlin critic has personally been the target of multiple criminal probes.
He was barred from challenging Putin in a presidential election in 2018 over a prior conviction his supporters said was poltically motivated.
Navalny's ally and up-and-coming opposition politician Lyubov Sobol accused the Kremlin of tightening the screws on critics.
"Putin's approval ratings have crashed, the economy is in doldrums, thousands-strong protests in the regions," said Sobol, referring to anti-Kremlin rallies in the Far-Eastern region of Khabarovsk.
"What to do? Come search the FBK for the umpteenth time!" she wrote on Twitter.
Navalny says the seven-day vote on the changes to the constitution was not properly monitored and set a record for falsified ballots.
This week Moscow police detained nearly 150 people who marched in the city center against the constitutional reforms.


themoscowtimes--2020-07-18--Tens of Thousands Stage Anti-Kremlin Protests in Russia's Far East

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Russia 's Far East Saturday in a rare show of defiance against the Kremlin as they protested the arrest of a popular governor .
The huge rallies in the city of Khabarovsk on the border with China present a growing headache for the Kremlin , observers say , and come after President Vladimir Putin this month oversaw a controversial vote that allows him to extend his hold on power until 2036 .
The protests in Khabarovsk , a city of some 600,000 people , began a week ago following the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a murder probe .
While many expressed support for the arrested politician , some of the protest signs and chants were distinctly anti-Putin .
Protesters , including young people , the elderly and women with children in pushchairs marched through Khabarovsk 's hilly streets in temperatures of over 30 degrees Celsius , an AFP correspondent said .
Smaller rallies also took place in nearby cities and towns including Komsomolsk-on-Amur and Amursk and the Pacific port of Vladivostok in next-door Primorsky Krai region .
In rallies that lasted several hours , the crowds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regional administration , chanting `` Freedom ! ''
Protesters carried placards reading `` Freedom for Furgal ! ''
and cried out `` As long as we are united we are invincible '' , as passing cars honked horns in support .

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Russia's Far East Saturday in a rare show of defiance against the Kremlin as they protested the arrest of a popular governor.
The huge rallies in the city of Khabarovsk on the border with China present a growing headache for the Kremlin, observers say, and come after President Vladimir Putin this month oversaw a controversial vote that allows him to extend his hold on power until 2036.
The protests in Khabarovsk, a city of some 600,000 people, began a week ago following the sudden arrest of popular governor Sergei Furgal in a murder probe.
While many expressed support for the arrested politician, some of the protest signs and chants were distinctly anti-Putin.
Protesters, including young people, the elderly and women with children in pushchairs marched through Khabarovsk's hilly streets in temperatures of over 30 degrees Celsius, an AFP correspondent said.
Smaller rallies also took place in nearby cities and towns including Komsomolsk-on-Amur and Amursk and the Pacific port of Vladivostok in next-door Primorsky Krai region.
In rallies that lasted several hours, the crowds also massed outside the building housing the regional administration, chanting "Freedom!"
Protesters carried placards reading "Freedom for Furgal!" and cried out "As long as we are united we are invincible", as passing cars honked horns in support.