themoscowtimes--2020-12-22--Navalny Ally Sobol Detained After Poisoning Call

Anti-Corruption Foundation ( FBK ) lawyer Sobol said she wanted to speak with alleged Federal Security Service ( FSB ) agent Konstantin Kudryavtsev , whom Navalny said he had tricked into admitting the poisoning attempt on a phone call .
Video of the call gained 11 million views in the 18 hours after it was published Monday .
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny ’ s associate Lyubov Sobol has been detained outside the home of an alleged chemical weapons expert implicated in his poisoning , media reported late Monday .
Riot police were shown pushing away journalists attempting to film @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also seen in separate videos blocking journalists from attempting to access Kudryavtsev ’ s alleged apartment .
Journalists who had earlier arrived at the scene rang the doorbell to Kudryavtsev 's reported apartment , but no one came to the door .
Live news footage showed a brief scuffle breaking out and officers bundling Sobol into a police van after she stepped out of a car in Kudryavtsev ’ s alleged courtyard on the outskirts of Moscow .
According to video she livestreamed on her Twitter account , police surrounded her car and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was held at the station for more than five hours and was only released late at night .
Three Sobol campaign staff were kept overnight , ” Navalny ’ s team said in a tweet early Tuesday .
Following initial suggestions that she faced questioning under criminal charges of home invasion , Navalny ’ s team said Sobol was charged with an administrative offense of refusing to follow police orders .
Sobol herself said she was released without charges .
Kudryavtsev , in a Dec. 14 phone call where Navalny said he disguised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security official in charge of the debriefing , told Navalny that other agents had placed the poison in Navalny ’ s underwear .
He detailed how he and another FSB agent had flown to Omsk after the poisoning and removed any trace of the poison , which European scientists determined to be the Novichok nerve agent .
The FSB late Monday described the phone call as a `` provocation aimed at discrediting '' the agency .
It said that the phone conversation `` about the alleged actions against '' Navalny would not have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreign intelligence services , '' adding that the video the Kremlin critic published of the call was `` fake . ''

Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) lawyer Sobol said she wanted to speak with alleged Federal Security Service (FSB) agent Konstantin Kudryavtsev, whom Navalny said he had tricked into admitting the poisoning attempt on a phone call. Video of the call gained 11 million views in the 18 hours after it was published Monday.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s associate Lyubov Sobol has been detained outside the home of an alleged chemical weapons expert implicated in his poisoning, media reported late Monday.
Riot police were shown pushing away journalists attempting to film Sobol’s arrest; officers were also seen in separate videos blocking journalists from attempting to access Kudryavtsev’s alleged apartment. Journalists who had earlier arrived at the scene rang the doorbell to Kudryavtsev's reported apartment, but no one came to the door.
Live news footage showed a brief scuffle breaking out and officers bundling Sobol into a police van after she stepped out of a car in Kudryavtsev’s alleged courtyard on the outskirts of Moscow. According to video she livestreamed on her Twitter account, police surrounded her car and later detained her.
“Lyubov Sobol was held at the station for more than five hours and was only released late at night. Three Sobol campaign staff were kept overnight,” Navalny’s team said in a tweet early Tuesday.
Following initial suggestions that she faced questioning under criminal charges of home invasion, Navalny’s team said Sobol was charged with an administrative offense of refusing to follow police orders.
Sobol herself said she was released without charges.
Kudryavtsev, in a Dec. 14 phone call where Navalny said he disguised his number and posed as a senior security official in charge of the debriefing, told Navalny that other agents had placed the poison in Navalny’s underwear.
He detailed how he and another FSB agent had flown to Omsk after the poisoning and removed any trace of the poison, which European scientists determined to be the Novichok nerve agent.
The FSB late Monday described the phone call as a "provocation aimed at discrediting" the agency.
It said that the phone conversation "about the alleged actions against" Navalny would not have been possible without "the support of foreign intelligence services," adding that the video the Kremlin critic published of the call was "fake."
AFP contributed reporting.


themoscowtimes--2020-12-23--Russia Moves to Formally Allow Putin to Stay in Power

Current law limits the Russian presidency to two consecutive terms , requiring Putin , 68 , to step down in 2024 .
But a clause within a set of constitutional reforms approved in a nationwide vote this summer allows Putin to ignore current limits and run for two more six-year terms .
Russian lawmakers took first steps Wednesday to formally allow President Vladimir Putin to stay in power until 2036 .
A bill submitted to Russian parliament last month officially resets the number of terms served by current and former presidents .
Members of the lower-house State Duma voted Wednesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first of three readings .
The draft law will then need backing from senators and a signature from Putin in order to become law , a step considered a formality for the Kremlin-backed legislature .
The presidential term limits bill is part of scores of legal acts pushed through parliament at breakneck pace to bring Russian law in line with the constitutional reforms , which came into force in July .
With lingering questions over his future , Putin signed laws this week that grant lifetime immunity to ex-presidents and allow them to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that also grants immunity from criminal prosecution .
Putin himself said he has not yet decided whether he would run again in 2024 .

Current law limits the Russian presidency to two consecutive terms, requiring Putin, 68, to step down in 2024. But a clause within a set of constitutional reforms approved in a nationwide vote this summer allows Putin to ignore current limits and run for two more six-year terms.
Russian lawmakers took first steps Wednesday to formally allow President Vladimir Putin to stay in power until 2036.
A bill submitted to Russian parliament last month officially resets the number of terms served by current and former presidents.
Members of the lower-house State Duma voted Wednesday in favor of the bill in its first of three readings. The draft law will then need backing from senators and a signature from Putin in order to become law, a step considered a formality for the Kremlin-backed legislature.
The presidential term limits bill is part of scores of legal acts pushed through parliament at breakneck pace to bring Russian law in line with the constitutional reforms, which came into force in July.
With lingering questions over his future, Putin signed laws this week that grant lifetime immunity to ex-presidents and allow them to become senators for life, a post that also grants immunity from criminal prosecution.
Putin himself said he has not yet decided whether he would run again in 2024.


themoscowtimes--2020-12-23--Russia Says Expects 'Nothing Good' From Biden

Putin 's spokesman Dmitry Peskov , speaking to reporters on Wednesday , said the Kremlin was expecting `` nothing positive '' in ties with Washington .
Russian President Vladimir Putin was one of the last leaders to congratulate Biden on his election victory , sending his congratulatory message six weeks after the Nov. 3 vote and saying he was ready for `` collaboration . ''
Biden is expected to take a tougher stance against Russia than Donald Trump , whose ascent to the U.S. presidency in 2016 was plagued by accusations of Russian interference to boost his campaign .
With @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moves into the White House , Moscow on Wednesday accused the incoming U.S. administration of `` Russophobia '' after the president-elect promised to punish Russia for a major cyber attack .
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov struck a similar note , speaking about Moscow 's expectations from the future U.S. administration .
`` We are definitely not expecting anything good , '' Ryabkov said in an interview with Interfax news agency .
`` And it would be strange to expect good things from people , many of whom made their careers on Russophobia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' he added .
Washington has recently accused Russia of a major cyber attack on government agencies — a claim Moscow has denied .
Biden on Tuesday said the attack can not go `` unanswered , '' promising to retaliate once he steps into office on Jan. 20 .
The U.S. president-elect also accused Trump of downplaying the gravity of the attack .
Russia and the United States have a litany of issues to settle following the transition of power in Washington .
Tensions have raged for months over the fate of New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nuclear warheads held by Washington and Moscow and expires in February , 2021 .
No agreement has been reached on the extension of the last major nuclear arms reduction accord between Russia and the United States .
The Iran nuclear deal has also been on the brink of collapse ever since Trump withdrew from it in 2018 and imposed crippling economic sanctions on Tehran .
Ryabkov said Moscow should move to a `` total containment '' approach in relations with the United States and retain `` selective dialogue '' on subjects that are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Ryabkov said that Russia would not initiate any contacts with Biden 's transition staff .
Referring to fresh U.S. sanctions imposed this week on 45 Russian organizations over their military connections , Ryabkov said the outgoing administration was trying to `` loudly slam the door . ''
`` We are going from bad to worse , '' Ryabkov said .
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov promised Wednesday a response to the new sanctions , saying that the United States has `` long been pursuing a hostile policy '' towards Russia .
Despite initial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump , Russia 's relations with the US have continued to sour over the course of his presidency , reaching their lowest point since the end of the Cold War .
Trump 's administration imposed sanctions on Russia and withdrew from a Cold War-era arms control pact — the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces ( INF ) treaty — leaving the two countries at risk of a new arms race .
Most recently , the U.S. administration announced that it would close its two remaining consulates in Russia , leaving the Moscow embassy as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country .
Despite tensions , Putin expressed hope that Biden 's stepping into office would be an opportunity to improve bilateral ties .
Speaking during his end-of-year news conference last week , Putin said he hoped that some existing problems `` will be resolved under the new administration . ''
But the Russian leader also slammed the `` aggressive '' West , saying that in comparison Russia was `` warm and cuddly . ''

Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov, speaking to reporters on Wednesday, said the Kremlin was expecting "nothing positive" in ties with Washington.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was one of the last leaders to congratulate Biden on his election victory, sending his congratulatory message six weeks after the Nov. 3 vote and saying he was ready for "collaboration."
Biden is expected to take a tougher stance against Russia than Donald Trump, whose ascent to the U.S. presidency in 2016 was plagued by accusations of Russian interference to boost his campaign.
With less than a month before Joe Biden moves into the White House, Moscow on Wednesday accused the incoming U.S. administration of "Russophobia" after the president-elect promised to punish Russia for a major cyber attack.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov struck a similar note, speaking about Moscow's expectations from the future U.S. administration.
"We are definitely not expecting anything good," Ryabkov said in an interview with Interfax news agency.
"And it would be strange to expect good things from people, many of whom made their careers on Russophobia and throwing mud at my country," he added.
Washington has recently accused Russia of a major cyber attack on government agencies — a claim Moscow has denied.
Biden on Tuesday said the attack cannot go "unanswered," promising to retaliate once he steps into office on Jan. 20.
The U.S. president-elect also accused Trump of downplaying the gravity of the attack.
New START, Iran deal
Russia and the United States have a litany of issues to settle following the transition of power in Washington.
Tensions have raged for months over the fate of New START, which caps the number of nuclear warheads held by Washington and Moscow and expires in February, 2021.
No agreement has been reached on the extension of the last major nuclear arms reduction accord between Russia and the United States.
The Iran nuclear deal has also been on the brink of collapse ever since Trump withdrew from it in 2018 and imposed crippling economic sanctions on Tehran.
Ryabkov said Moscow should move to a "total containment" approach in relations with the United States and retain "selective dialogue" on subjects that are of interest to Russia.
Both Peskov and Ryabkov said that Russia would not initiate any contacts with Biden's transition staff.
'From bad to worse'
Referring to fresh U.S. sanctions imposed this week on 45 Russian organizations over their military connections, Ryabkov said the outgoing administration was trying to "loudly slam the door."
"We are going from bad to worse," Ryabkov said.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov promised Wednesday a response to the new sanctions, saying that the United States has "long been pursuing a hostile policy" towards Russia.
Despite initial hopes that Moscow-Washington ties could improve under Trump, Russia's relations with the US have continued to sour over the course of his presidency, reaching their lowest point since the end of the Cold War.
Trump's administration imposed sanctions on Russia and withdrew from a Cold War-era arms control pact — the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty — leaving the two countries at risk of a new arms race.
Most recently, the U.S. administration announced that it would close its two remaining consulates in Russia, leaving the Moscow embassy as the United States' last diplomatic mission in the country.
Despite tensions, Putin expressed hope that Biden's stepping into office would be an opportunity to improve bilateral ties.
Speaking during his end-of-year news conference last week, Putin said he hoped that some existing problems "will be resolved under the new administration."
But the Russian leader also slammed the "aggressive" West, saying that in comparison Russia was "warm and cuddly."


themoscowtimes--2020-12-23--Navalny Associate Shaveddinov Returns From Forced Arctic Military Service

Ruslan Shaveddinov , an associate of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny , has returned to Moscow following a year of @ @ @ @ @ Arctic , the Mediazona news website reported .
Shaveddinov worked for Alexei Navalny ’ s @ @ @ @ @ which leads investigations into corrupt individuals among the Kremlin 's ruling elite .
In December @ @ @ @ @ broke into Shaveddinov ’ s apartment in the middle of the night and he was @ @ @ @ @ archipelago to complete a year of military service .

Ruslan Shaveddinov, an associate of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, has returned to Moscow following a year of forced military service in the Arctic, the Mediazona news website reported.
Shaveddinov worked for Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) which leads investigations into corrupt individuals among the Kremlin's ruling elite. In December 2019, men in uniform broke into Shaveddinov’s apartment in the middle of the night and he was sent to the Novaya Zemlya archipelago to complete a year of military service.


themoscowtimes--2020-12-23--Lancet Publishes German Doctors' Navalny Treatment Report

Doctors at Berlin ’ s Charité clinic , where Navalny was flown two days after falling suddenly ill on a flight in Siberia in August , diagnosed him with severe poisoning .
Germany announced two weeks later that its military lab identified a nerve agent from the Novichok group as the poison , a finding confirmed by the global chemical weapons watchdog .
The medical journal The Lancet has published Tuesday a case report detailing Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny ’ s treatment in Germany following his poisoning with the Novichok nerve agent .
Navalny arrived at the clinic ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after the onset of symptoms , deeply comatose with an abnormally slow heart rate , hyperactive muscle stretch reflexes and decreased brainstem reflexes , his treating doctors wrote in the report titled `` Novichok nerve agent poisoning . ''
After 10 days of treatment with the atropine antidote , Navalny began breathing spontaneously on day 12 and was weaned from mechanical ventilation by day 24 , they wrote .
“ He gradually recovered from a delirium and was mobilized and transferred to a regular hospital ward on day 26 , ” the authors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 23 and is currently in rehabilitation in Germany .
“ At the last follow-up visit on day 55 we found near-complete recovery of neurological , neuropsychological and neurophysiological findings without evidence of polyneuropathy , ” the case report said .
The report confirmed that the first two to three hours of intubation and mechanical ventilation after Navalny fell ill in Siberia on Aug. 20 were “ decisive ” in contributing to a “ very favorable outcome.
” However , the report said it is “ unclear ” whether atropine therapy administered by Russian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ treatment saved Navalny ’ s life .
Charité said it agreed to The Lancet ’ s request to publish a case report with the Kremlin critic 's consent .
The clinical course report follows the release this week of Navalny ’ s viral YouTube video of a phone call with one of his alleged poisoners .
In it , an alleged Federal Security Service ( FSB ) chemical warfare expert admits to being dispatched on a clean-up operation to remove traces of the poison from his clothes .
The purported FSB agent also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ due to his Moscow-bound flight ’ s emergency landing in Siberia that allowed his immediate treatment .
The Kremlin denies that Navalny was poisoned and accuses its European counterparts of withholding evidence and thus keeping Russian authorities from opening a criminal investigation .
Navalny called the publication in The Lancet “ proof of the poisoning that Putin keeps demanding .
”

Doctors at Berlin’s Charité clinic, where Navalny was flown two days after falling suddenly ill on a flight in Siberia in August, diagnosed him with severe poisoning. Germany announced two weeks later that its military lab identified a nerve agent from the Novichok group as the poison, a finding confirmed by the global chemical weapons watchdog.
The medical journal The Lancet has published Tuesday a case report detailing Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s treatment in Germany following his poisoning with the Novichok nerve agent.
Navalny arrived at the clinic’s intensive care unit around 55 hours after the onset of symptoms, deeply comatose with an abnormally slow heart rate, hyperactive muscle stretch reflexes and decreased brainstem reflexes, his treating doctors wrote in the report titled "Novichok nerve agent poisoning."
After 10 days of treatment with the atropine antidote, Navalny began breathing spontaneously on day 12 and was weaned from mechanical ventilation by day 24, they wrote.
“He gradually recovered from a delirium and was mobilized and transferred to a regular hospital ward on day 26,” the authors wrote. Navalny was discharged on Sept. 23 and is currently in rehabilitation in Germany.
“At the last follow-up visit on day 55 we found near-complete recovery of neurological, neuropsychological and neurophysiological findings without evidence of polyneuropathy,” the case report said.
The report confirmed that the first two to three hours of intubation and mechanical ventilation after Navalny fell ill in Siberia on Aug. 20 were “decisive” in contributing to a “very favorable outcome.” However, the report said it is “unclear” whether atropine therapy administered by Russian doctors during the first two days of treatment saved Navalny’s life.
Charité said it agreed to The Lancet’s request to publish a case report with the Kremlin critic's consent.
The clinical course report follows the release this week of Navalny’s viral YouTube video of a phone call with one of his alleged poisoners. In it, an alleged Federal Security Service (FSB) chemical warfare expert admits to being dispatched on a clean-up operation to remove traces of the poison from his clothes. The purported FSB agent also said he believes Navalny survived the poisoning due to his Moscow-bound flight’s emergency landing in Siberia that allowed his immediate treatment.
The Kremlin denies that Navalny was poisoned and accuses its European counterparts of withholding evidence and thus keeping Russian authorities from opening a criminal investigation.
Navalny called the publication in The Lancet “proof of the poisoning that Putin keeps demanding.”


themoscowtimes--2020-12-23--Telegram Messaging App to Launch Pay-For Services in 2021

`` Telegram will begin to generate revenue , starting next year , '' Durov said in a statement .
Encrypted messaging app Telegram will launch pay-for services in 2021 , its Russian-born founder Pavel Durov said Wednesday , as the growing company needed `` at least a few hundred million dollars per year . ''
`` We will be able to launch countless new features and welcome billions of new users . ''
Durov , 36 , said he did not plan to sell the company and therefore needed to look for other ways to come up with funding .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a number of countries , particularly in the former Soviet Union and Iran , and is used both for private communications and sharing information and news .
It has attracted nearly 500 million active users since its launch by Durov and his brother Nikolai in 2013 .
`` For most of Telegram 's history , I paid for the expenses of the company from my personal savings , '' Durov said .
`` However , with its current growth Telegram is on track to reach billions of users and to require appropriate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ features would remain free .

"Telegram will begin to generate revenue, starting next year," Durov said in a statement.
Encrypted messaging app Telegram will launch pay-for services in 2021, its Russian-born founder Pavel Durov said Wednesday, as the growing company needed "at least a few hundred million dollars per year."
"We will be able to launch countless new features and welcome billions of new users."
Durov, 36, said he did not plan to sell the company and therefore needed to look for other ways to come up with funding.
Telegram is a popular social media platform in a number of countries, particularly in the former Soviet Union and Iran, and is used both for private communications and sharing information and news.
It has attracted nearly 500 million active users since its launch by Durov and his brother Nikolai in 2013.
"For most of Telegram's history, I paid for the expenses of the company from my personal savings," Durov said.
"However, with its current growth Telegram is on track to reach billions of users and to require appropriate funding."
He said that free features would remain free.


themoscowtimes--2020-12-23--Russia’s Biggest Stories of 2020: Pandemic, Putin and Poisoning

In a year when the coronavirus pandemic dominated news headlines worldwide , Russia also embraced the prospect of Vladimir Putin as president until 2036 and faced fallout from the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny .
Political unrest at home and abroad gathered steam as the first wave of Covid-19 infections abated , while a huge Arctic fuel spill , mass marine deaths and raging wildfires sounded the climate crisis alarm .
As the year ended and a second wave pushed virus cases and deaths to record highs , positive stories appeared as Russia brokered a peace deal to end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and began mass immunizations with its Sputnik V vaccine .
The year began with a double shock when Putin in his annual state-of-the-nation speech proposed sweeping constitutional reforms .
A few hours later , Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and his entire cabinet resigned .
Putin selected Russia ’ s tax chief Mikhail Mishustin , who had virtually no political profile , as the new prime minister .
Observers dubbed the new head of the Russian government a “ technocratic placeholder.
” Speculation had been swirling over whether Putin would attempt to extend his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his current term in 2024 , and in March lawmaker and the first woman in space Valentina Tereshkova put forward the constitutional amendment that would allow him to stay in power until 2036 In late March , Russia introduced a nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic and closed its borders , allowing only evacuation flights to bring Russians back from abroad .
Putin announced in a televised address the first in a series of `` public holidays ” that would later be extended until May .
Non-essential businesses closed and small enterprises @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic support was available to them .
Authorities in Moscow , the outbreak ’ s epicenter in Russia , imposed a digital pass system and heavy fines for unauthorized movement around the city to force Muscovites to stay home .
Observers slammed the pass system when footage showing large crowds of people queuing outside metro stations to have their passes checked went viral .
A fuel reservoir at a power plant owned by Russian mining giant Nornickel collapsed near the Arctic city of Norilsk in late May , spilling 21,000 tons of diesel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Putin declared a state of emergency and lambasted the head of the Nornickel subsidiary that owns the power plant , NTEK , after officials said the company had failed to report the incident .
Satellite images published on social media showed the Siberian river running red , and Russian investigators said the spill — the region ’ s worst-ever ecological catastrophe — was likely caused by permafrost under the fuel tank thawing , itself a result of climate change .
Russians overwhelmingly backed reforms allowing Putin to extend his rule and enshrining conservative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of summer voting .
Kremlin critics denounced the vote as a farce and accused the government of risking lives by going ahead with it as Russia continued to register new records in daily coronavirus cases and deaths .
Independent election monitor Golos said it had received a huge number of complaints of violations , including people voting more than once and claims that employers had put pressure on staffers to cast ballots .
Siberia experienced its hottest summer ever , with the temperature in the town of Verkhoyansk inside the Arctic Circle hitting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wildfires blazed , breaking the record set in 2019 for CO2 emissions and adding to the carbon pollution humanity needs to curtail , the European Union 's Earth observation program said .
The heatwave caused a huge crater in Siberia to open up , while later in the year , an unexplained event wiped out 95 % of sea-dwelling life off the coast of Russia ’ s Far Eastern Kamchatka peninsula the Arctic Laptev Sea failed to freeze .
In July , the popular governor of the Far Eastern Khabarovsk region was arrested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early 2000s .
In 2018 , Sergei Furgal had defeated the ruling United Russia party incumbent , securing 70 % of the vote .
The arrest sparked mass protests in the region .
Thousands of people took to the streets of Khabarovsk in support of Furgal every day , saying that the murder charges were politically motivated .
While the massive weekend rallies , fueled by broader anti-Kremlin sentiments , have dwindled since the summer , they continue on a sporadic basis .
Furgal remains in custody in Moscow .
Russian opposition figure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ August flight to Moscow from the Siberian city of Tomsk .
The plane made an emergency landing in the city of Omsk , where he was taken to a regional hospital and entered a coma as his aides said he was poisoned by a cup of tea he drank at the airport .
After a tense standoff between the hospital ’ s doctors and Navalny ’ s family and staff , he was airlifted to Berlin ’ s Charité hospital .
German authorities later said that tests had shown `` unequivocal evidence ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Novichok family , the Soviet-designed toxic nerve agent used to poison former spy Sergei Skripal on British soil in 2018 .
The European Union slapped sanctions on several Russian officials in October , saying the attack could not have been carried out without the complicity of Moscow 's security services .
In December , a joint investigation by the Bellingcat investigative outlet , CNN , Russia ’ s The Insider news website and Germany ’ s Der Spiegel said a special FSB unit that had shadowed Navalny for three years was likely behind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was followed by Russia 's security services .
Days later , Navalny publishes video of his phone call with a man identified as one of the FSB agents linked to his poisoning in which he tricks the agent into sharing details about the operation .
Tens of thousands of Belarusians have staged waves of peaceful protests since August against longtime leader President Alexander Lukashenko 's disputed re-election and an ensuing brutal police crackdown .
On Aug. 9 , Lukashenko , who has ruled the former Soviet country since 1994 , won his sixth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s opponents have accused him of rigging the vote to defeat his main rival , popular opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya , who was forced to flee Belarus for neighboring Lithuania after the election .
Prominent Belarusians including Nobel Prize-winning writer Svetlana Alexievich have condemned the violence and urged Lukashenko to step down .
Russia in August became the first country to approve a coronavirus .
Named Sputnik V in a nod to the Soviet Union ’ s 1957 launch of the world ’ s first space satellite that triggered the Space Race , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccine .
Scientists in the West have raised concerns about the speed of the vaccine ’ s development , suggesting that researchers might have cut corners after coming under pressure from the authorities to deliver .
At home , a group of scientists from leading Russian universities blasted the development process of Sputnik V as “ completely unacceptable ” and “ ridiculous ” in an open letter raising new concerns over a lack of sufficient data on its safety and effectiveness .
Despite the safety concerns , Russia launched a mass vaccination program @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s developer , the state-run Gamaleya research institute , will partner with AstraZeneca in a clinical trial to determine whether combining their jabs would boost immunity to Covid-19 , the British drugmaker has said .

In a year when the coronavirus pandemic dominated news headlines worldwide, Russia also embraced the prospect of Vladimir Putin as president until 2036 and faced fallout from the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. Political unrest at home and abroad gathered steam as the first wave of Covid-19 infections abated, while a huge Arctic fuel spill, mass marine deaths and raging wildfires sounded the climate crisis alarm. As the year ended and a second wave pushed virus cases and deaths to record highs, positive stories appeared as Russia brokered a peace deal to end weeks of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan and began mass immunizations with its Sputnik V vaccine. Here’s a round-up in chronological order:
Sweeping reforms and a new prime minister The year began with a double shock when Putin in his annual state-of-the-nation speech proposed sweeping constitutional reforms. A few hours later, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and his entire cabinet resigned. Putin selected Russia’s tax chief Mikhail Mishustin, who had virtually no political profile, as the new prime minister. Observers dubbed the new head of the Russian government a “technocratic placeholder.” Speculation had been swirling over whether Putin would attempt to extend his stay in power beyond the end of his current term in 2024, and in March lawmaker and the first woman in space Valentina Tereshkova put forward the constitutional amendment that would allow him to stay in power until 2036
State Duma Press Service
Coronavirus lockdown In late March, Russia introduced a nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic and closed its borders, allowing only evacuation flights to bring Russians back from abroad. Putin announced in a televised address the first in a series of "public holidays” that would later be extended until May. Non-essential businesses closed and small enterprises suffered amid confusion over what kind of economic support was available to them. Authorities in Moscow, the outbreak’s epicenter in Russia, imposed a digital pass system and heavy fines for unauthorized movement around the city to force Muscovites to stay home. Observers slammed the pass system when footage showing large crowds of people queuing outside metro stations to have their passes checked went viral.
Sophia Sandurskaya / Moskva News Agency
Norilsk fuel spill A fuel reservoir at a power plant owned by Russian mining giant Nornickel collapsed near the Arctic city of Norilsk in late May, spilling 21,000 tons of diesel fuel into the nearby Ambarnaya River. Putin declared a state of emergency and lambasted the head of the Nornickel subsidiary that owns the power plant, NTEK, after officials said the company had failed to report the incident. Satellite images published on social media showed the Siberian river running red, and Russian investigators said the spill — the region’s worst-ever ecological catastrophe — was likely caused by permafrost under the fuel tank thawing, itself a result of climate change.
Kirill Kukhmar / TASS
Vote on constitutional amendments Russians overwhelmingly backed reforms allowing Putin to extend his rule and enshrining conservative values in the Constitution during a week of summer voting. Election monitors and observers reported massive vote rigging. Kremlin critics denounced the vote as a farce and accused the government of risking lives by going ahead with it as Russia continued to register new records in daily coronavirus cases and deaths. Independent election monitor Golos said it had received a huge number of complaints of violations, including people voting more than once and claims that employers had put pressure on staffers to cast ballots.
Vladimir Smirnov / TASS
Record heatwave Siberia experienced its hottest summer ever, with the temperature in the town of Verkhoyansk inside the Arctic Circle hitting 38 degrees Celsius in June. Arctic wildfires blazed, breaking the record set in 2019 for CO2 emissions and adding to the carbon pollution humanity needs to curtail, the European Union's Earth observation program said. The heatwave caused a huge crater in Siberia to open up, while later in the year, an unexplained event wiped out 95% of sea-dwelling life off the coast of Russia’s Far Eastern Kamchatka peninsula the Arctic Laptev Sea failed to freeze.
Russian Aerial Forest Protection Service / TASS
Khabarovsk protests In July, the popular governor of the Far Eastern Khabarovsk region was arrested on suspicion of organizing murders in the early 2000s. In 2018, Sergei Furgal had defeated the ruling United Russia party incumbent, securing 70% of the vote. The arrest sparked mass protests in the region. Thousands of people took to the streets of Khabarovsk in support of Furgal every day, saying that the murder charges were politically motivated. While the massive weekend rallies, fueled by broader anti-Kremlin sentiments, have dwindled since the summer, they continue on a sporadic basis. Furgal remains in custody in Moscow.
Dmitry Morgulis / TASS
Navalny poisoning Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny fell violently ill on an August flight to Moscow from the Siberian city of Tomsk. The plane made an emergency landing in the city of Omsk, where he was taken to a regional hospital and entered a coma as his aides said he was poisoned by a cup of tea he drank at the airport. After a tense standoff between the hospital’s doctors and Navalny’s family and staff, he was airlifted to Berlin’s Charité hospital. German authorities later said that tests had shown "unequivocal evidence” of a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok family, the Soviet-designed toxic nerve agent used to poison former spy Sergei Skripal on British soil in 2018. The European Union slapped sanctions on several Russian officials in October, saying the attack could not have been carried out without the complicity of Moscow's security services. In December, a joint investigation by the Bellingcat investigative outlet, CNN, Russia’s The Insider news website and Germany’s Der Spiegel said a special FSB unit that had shadowed Navalny for three years was likely behind the poisoning. Putin confirms that Navalny was followed by Russia's security services. Days later, Navalny publishes video of his phone call with a man identified as one of the FSB agents linked to his poisoning in which he tricks the agent into sharing details about the operation.
Belarus unrest Tens of thousands of Belarusians have staged waves of peaceful protests since August against longtime leader President Alexander Lukashenko's disputed re-election and an ensuing brutal police crackdown. On Aug. 9, Lukashenko, who has ruled the former Soviet country since 1994, won his sixth presidential term. Observers and Lukashenko’s opponents have accused him of rigging the vote to defeat his main rival, popular opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who was forced to flee Belarus for neighboring Lithuania after the election. Prominent Belarusians including Nobel Prize-winning writer Svetlana Alexievich have condemned the violence and urged Lukashenko to step down.
AP / TASS
Nagorno-Karabakh A six-week war that erupted in September between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh ended in a rout for Armenia and a change in the regional status quo in Azerbaijan’s favor. After several failed truce attempts, Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to a Russian-brokered peace deal to end weeks of heavy fighting and search for a long-term solution. Russia deployed a peacekeeping mission to the region under the deal, while Armenia and Azerbaijan will maintain positions in the territories they currently hold. The peace deal that was signed by Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan makes, however, no mention of the future status of Nagorno-Karabakh or of the format of future negotiations to settle the dispute. Turkey, Azerbaijan’s staunch ally, has agreed to monitor the truce over from a joint peacekeeping center with Russia. During his recent visit to Baku, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hailed what he dubbed his close ally's "glorious victory" in the conflict.
Gavriil Grigorov / TASS
Vaccine race Russia in August became the first country to approve a coronavirus. Named Sputnik V in a nod to the Soviet Union’s 1957 launch of the world’s first space satellite that triggered the Space Race, the jab is a two-part adenovirus-based vector vaccine. Scientists in the West have raised concerns about the speed of the vaccine’s development, suggesting that researchers might have cut corners after coming under pressure from the authorities to deliver. At home, a group of scientists from leading Russian universities blasted the development process of Sputnik V as “completely unacceptable” and “ridiculous” in an open letter raising new concerns over a lack of sufficient data on its safety and effectiveness. Despite the safety concerns, Russia launched a mass vaccination program this month, and the vaccine’s developer, the state-run Gamaleya research institute, will partner with AstraZeneca in a clinical trial to determine whether combining their jabs would boost immunity to Covid-19, the British drugmaker has said.


themoscowtimes--2020-12-23--Colombia Expels Russian Diplomats on Spying Accusations – Reports

Colombian authorities said the Russian diplomats violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations but would not detail why they left , according to Reuters .
The news agency reported that President Ivan Duque declined to reveal additional information , telling local television it would violate the “ principle of continuing bilateral relations.
” Colombia ’ s head of migration Juan Francisco Espinosa said the two Russian diplomats had left on Dec. 8 and also declined to explain why .
“ Given the circumstances in which these two officials , these two people , left , they can not return to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Reuters quoted Espionsa as saying .
Citing unnamed sources , Colombia ’ s El Tiempo newspaper and other outlets reported that the two Russian diplomats were spies tasked with collecting military and economic intelligence .
They were said to have an interest in Colombia ’ s energy industry and mineral commodities , and had been attempting to recruit sources in the city of Cali .
The publication identified the men as Alexander Paristov and Alexander Belousov , both of whom had allegedly been in Colombia for more than two years .
Colombia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also citing unnamed government sources , that Paristov is an alleged member of Russia ’ s Foreign Intelligence Service ( SVR ) and the second diplomat a member of the GRU military intelligence agency .
The Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday it declared two Colombian diplomats `` persona non grata '' in response to the expulsion .

Colombian authorities said the Russian diplomats violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations but would not detail why they left, according to Reuters . The news agency reported that President Ivan Duque declined to reveal additional information, telling local television it would violate the “principle of continuing bilateral relations.”
Colombia’s head of migration Juan Francisco Espinosa said the two Russian diplomats had left on Dec. 8 and also declined to explain why.
“Given the circumstances in which these two officials, these two people, left, they cannot return to the country in the short term,” Reuters quoted Espionsa as saying.
Citing unnamed sources, Colombia’s El Tiempo newspaper and other outlets reported that the two Russian diplomats were spies tasked with collecting military and economic intelligence. They were said to have an interest in Colombia’s energy industry and mineral commodities, and had been attempting to recruit sources in the city of Cali.
The publication identified the men as Alexander Paristov and Alexander Belousov, both of whom had allegedly been in Colombia for more than two years. Colombia’s W Radio station reported, also citing unnamed government sources, that Paristov is an alleged member of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) and the second diplomat a member of the GRU military intelligence agency.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday it declared two Colombian diplomats "persona non grata" in response to the expulsion.