Kasparov

Joe Biden tested positive for Covid-19

US President Joe Biden, 79, has tested positive for the coronavirus. This was reported in a press release from the White House.

Biden has been fully vaccinated and revaccinated twice, is experiencing mild symptoms of the disease and has begun taking medication, the report said.

Zelensky appointed Vasily Malyuk acting head of the SBU

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed Vasily Malyuk as acting head of the SBU. The corresponding decree was published on the website of the Ukrainian leader.

Prior to that, Malyuk was the deputy head of the SBU. Previously, he served as Deputy Minister of the Interior.

CNN: Russian Delegation Visits Iran Twice to Explore Drones

The Russian delegation visited Iran at least twice to study the Shahed-191 and Shahed-129 combat drones. This is reported by CNN, citing national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

“We have information that the Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with several hundred UAVs, including combat-ready UAVs. We are publishing these pictures taken in June, which show the Iranian UAVs that the Russian government delegation saw that day. This indicates about Russia’s continued interest in acquiring Iranian UAVs capable of attacking,” Sullivan said.

MIA puts Pussy Riot member Anna Kuzminyh on the wanted list

The Ministry of Internal Affairs put Pussy Riot member Anna Kuzminykh on the wanted list “under the article of the Criminal Code,” follows from the department’s database. This drew the attention of Mediazona.

On the eve of the Telegram channel “Caution, news” without reference to sources reported that a criminal case had been opened against the Kuzmins for desecration of the state flag of the Russian Federation (Article 329 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). According to the channel, the reason for initiating the case was the burning of a dummy of Vladimir Putin and the Russian flag, held in Tbilisi.

Yashin was arrested until September for a video from Bucha

The Basmanny District Court of Moscow arrested opposition leader Ilya Yashin until September 12 in the case of “fake news” about the army for a Youtube video from Bucha with comments. This is reported by the correspondent of ” Mediazona “.

The reason for the case was a YouTube stream in which Yashin commented on the murders in Bucha. Most likely we are talking about the broadcast of April 7th.

Canada imposed sanctions against gold, state channels and Russian officials

Canada banned the import of Russian gold, imposed sanctions against Russian state channels and personal sanctions against Russian officials, entrepreneurs and Patriarch Kirill. This was reported on the website of the government of the country.

Canada banned the import of four types of gold into the country, as well as Russian jewelry.

Died scientist Dmitry Kolker, arrested in the case of treason

A scientist from Novosibirsk, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Dmitry Kolker died at the age of 54. It is  reported  by TASS with reference to a source in medical circles. Information about the scientist’s death was also confirmed by the source of Taiga.info.

Until the end of June, Google transferred data of Russians and Ukrainians to a company associated with Sberbank

Google continued to transfer user data to Sberbank-linked advertising company RuTarget for several months after Western sanctions were imposed on the bank. This was reported by the non-profit investigative organization ProPublica.

As of June 23, Google continued to transfer the data of Russians and Ukrainians to RuTarget. In total, since the beginning of the war, about 700 cases of information transfer by an American company to Russia have been recorded.

A bill on overtime work for the war was submitted to the State Duma

The government submitted to the State Duma a draft law on forced and overtime work of enterprises and workers to meet the needs of the war. The document was published in the electronic database of the lower house of parliament.

The bill provides for a change in the Labor Code to allow overtime work on state orders.

Britain imposes sanctions on Putin’s niece and several billionaires

The UK authorities have expanded the anti-Russian sanctions list due to the war in Ukraine. This was reported  on the website of the British government.

Russian woman seriously injured by Russian missile strike on Kyiv

Russian citizen Yekaterina Volkova was seriously wounded as a result of a morning attack by the Russian army with a missile on a residential building in Kyiv. Her passport was shown by the adviser to the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Anton Gerashchenko on his Telegram channel.

Reuters: EU may impose sanctions against Russian gold

The authorities of the European Union propose to impose sanctions against Russian gold, writes Reuters with reference to the final document prepared for the upcoming meeting of EU representatives on June 23-24.

The European Commission is working on possible restrictions, but it is not yet clear whether the export of gold to Russia, the import of metal from it, or both, said a Reuters source familiar with the discussion.

The Institute of Finland in St. Petersburg, which has been operating for 30 years, ceases its activities

The Finland-Russia Society has decided to withdraw from the founding members of the Finnish Institute in St. Petersburg and terminate the Institute’s activities in Russia, the Institute’s website reported on June 20. 

Users from Russia were unable to download Windows from the Microsoft website

Microsoft has banned users from Russia from downloading utilities for installing the Windows operating system, as well as the Media Creation Tool program from its website. DTF reports .

When trying to download the Media Creation Tool or utilities for Windows, users of Russian Internet providers receive an error with the text “404 – File or Directory not found”. If you try to download a Windows 11 disk image (ISO) from Russia, another error appears – “There was a problem with your request.” When using VPN countries in Europe or the USA, files can be downloaded.

Ukraine will be ready to return to peace talks in August

Ukraine will be ready to return to peace talks with Russia at the end of August, after a counteroffensive in some areas. David Arakhamia, head of the Ukrainian delegation at the talks , stated this in an interview with Voice of America .

“We could consider some kind of political agreement, like the one we proposed in Istanbul. For example, we have not touched on the Crimean issue for several years. We are not doing this by military means, but we are doing it in a diplomatic and political way,” Arakhamia said. 

The court fined Google 15 million rubles for refusing to localize data in Russia

In Moscow, the Magistrate’s Court of the Tagansky District fined Google 15 million rubles for repeatedly refusing to localize the data of Russians in Russia,  Interfax reports .

“Recognize Google LLC guilty of committing an administrative offense and impose a fine of 15 million rubles,” the judge announced the decision.

Hundreds of Kharkiv residents killed by Russian cluster munition shelling

In Kharkiv, Ukraine, hundreds of civilians have died due to Russian indiscriminate shelling using multinationally banned cluster munitions, Amnesty International reported June 14 in a report “Anyone Can Die Any Moment: Russian Troops Indiscriminate Shelling of Kharkiv”.

The report describes how the constant shelling of residential areas of Kharkiv by Russian troops since the start of their invasion on February 24 has resulted in massive loss of life and extensive destruction.

In the 25-million Shanghai began testing almost all residents for the presence of Covid-19

In Shanghai, residents have again been tested for the presence of coronavirus infection. Almost all residents of the city, which has a population of 25 million, will be checked , Channel NewsAsia reported on June 11 (Interfax report ).

The city administration has obliged the population of 15 out of 16 city districts to take PCR tests for Covid-19. Residents of the five districts are prohibited from leaving their homes during testing.

Journalist Ilya Azar fined 60 thousand rubles for a post about the need for an anti-war march

The Khamovniki Court of Moscow fined Novaya Gazeta journalist Ilya Azar in the amount of 60,000 rubles on charges of “discrediting” the Russian army (Part 2 of Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses).

As lawyer Leonid Solovyov  told Novaya Gazeta. Europe, Azar’s anti-warpost  of February 28 became the reason for the administrative case. The publication spoke about the death of civilians in Kharkov and the need to hold an anti-war march in Russia.

Due to sanctions, Sberbank closes the gaming direction of SberGames

Sberbank decided to close the gaming division of SberGames. The hiring of new employees has been stopped, and specialists already employed in the project can go to work in other structures of the company. SberGames had problems after Russia launched a military operation on the territory of Ukraine, followed by tough sanctions, and the company lost the ability to sell games through mobile app stores , Kommersant reported on June 8.

Kyiv again subjected to missile attacks

The capital of Ukraine on the morning of 5 was again subjected to rocket attacks. Explosions were heard in the Darnitsky and Dneprovsky districts of the city.

“Several explosions. The services are already working on site,” Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on his telegram channel.

The EU approved the sixth package of sanctions against Russia and Belarus

The European Union approved the sixth package of sanctions against Russia and Belarus. This was reported on the website of the Council of the EU.

The EU introduces a ban on the import of crude oil and petroleum products. They will be phased out in stages: about six months for oil and up to eight months for oil products. Oil deliveries through pipelines will not fall under the restrictions. Also, exceptions will apply to Bulgaria and Croatia regarding the import of Russian offshore oil and vacuum gas oil, respectively.

Several hundred people fired from the Russian army for refusing to fight in Ukraine

Several hundred Russian troops stationed near the border with Ukraine were fired on March 4 for disobeying orders, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a copy of the dismissal document.

The order was signed by the commander of the military unit, the newspaper reports.

Scholz promised to create in Germany the most powerful NATO army in Europe

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in an interview with German publications that Germany will soon have the largest army among the European countries that are members of NATO. His words are quoted by Spiegel.

Scholz also spoke about criticism of the German authorities (including from the Ukrainian side) because of the slow supply of weapons to Kyiv. The head of government said that Berlin would not only continue to supply equipment and weapons, but also increase supplies.

Putin signed a law on the abolition of the age threshold for a military contract

Vladimir Putin signed a bill to abolish the age limit for concluding the first military contract. The document is published on the official portal of legal information.

From now on, a military contract can be concluded by a foreigner or a citizen of the Russian Federation from the age of 18. Previously, the contract was limited to 40 years for citizens of the Russian Federation and 30 years for foreigners.

AP: Russian oligarchs offered the West to lift their sanctions in exchange for a contribution to the restoration of Ukraine

Western countries are considering the idea of ​​giving Russian businessmen the opportunity to “buy off” sanctions in exchange for their funds being used to rebuild Ukraine, the Associated Press reported ,  citing sources.

The businessmen approached Canadian Finance Minister Christa Freeland, who worked as a journalist in Moscow in the 1990s and has connections in Russia, with this proposal. Freeland spoke about this at a meeting with colleagues from the G7 countries last week.

Huge TVs drive around the bombed Mariupol

In Mariupol occupied and destroyed by Russian troops, the Ministry of Emergency Situations launched “mobile information systems”, which are cars with huge screens broadcasting Russian state television. This is reported by TASS with reference to the press service of the department. Also about the installation of 12 TVs with a diagonal of 75 inches in crowded places writes the adviser to the mayor of Mariupol Petr Andryushchenko.

Russia has a problem with payments on its securities in the United States

The US Treasury Department’s general license, which allows holders of Russian sovereign bonds to receive payments for the servicing and redemption of these securities, expired on May 25 at 7:00 Moscow time. The US Treasury announced that the license would not be renewed ( RBC statement ).

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned on May 18 that the license was unlikely to be renewed. She noted: “If Russia does not find a way to continue these payments and allow a technical default, I do not think that this will somehow significantly change its position, because it is already cut off from the global capital market.”

A court in Kyiv sentenced a Russian soldier who killed a civilian

In Kyiv, the Solomensky District Court sentenced 21-year-old Russian military Vadim Shishimarin to life imprisonment. He was found guilty of the murder of a civilian Alexander Shelipov. The meeting was broadcast on the YouTube channel of the courts of Ukraine. 

Ministry of Transport: “sanctions practically broke all logistics” in Russia

Sanctions against Russia “virtually broke all the logistics” in the country, Minister of Transport Vitaly Savelyev said during a visit to the Astrakhan region,   Interfax reports .

“Those sanctions that were imposed today on the Russian Federation practically broke all the logistics in our country. And we are forced to look for new logistics corridors,” he said.

Biden signed a law on the allocation of $ 40 billion in additional assistance to Ukraine

US President Joe Biden signed a bill to allocate $40 billion in additional assistance to Ukraine, according to the White House website.

Earlier, Biden asked the country’s Congress to approve assistance to Ukraine in the amount of $33 billion. The US House of Representatives passed a bill on additional assistance to Ukraine and increased the amount to $40 billion.

Canadian Foreign Ministry imposed personal sanctions against 14 Russians

The Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has included 14 more Russian citizens in its sanctions lists in response to “the ongoing flagrant and unjustified invasion of Ukraine by Russian President Vladimir Putin,” according to  a statement by the country’s foreign ministry.

The names of those sanctioned by Ottawa are not named, but the government website says that they are Russian oligarchs, members of their families and people involved in the “Putin regime”.

Schroeder stripped of part of privileges due to ties with Russia

The Bundestag has stripped former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder of some of the privileges enjoyed by heads of government after his resignation, writes Bild.

In particular, Schroeder will no longer have an office in parliament and employees paid from the budget.

Finland and Sweden officially apply to join NATO

Finland and Sweden have officially applied to NATO. The ambassadors of Sweden and Finland submitted applications for membership to the NATO Secretary General at the headquarters of the alliance.

An official response is expected in a few weeks.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced an agreement to evacuate the wounded soldiers from Azovstal

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it had agreed to start evacuating wounded Ukrainian soldiers from the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, where they remained blocked for several months.

Finland decides to join NATO

The Finnish government has officially decided to join the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO). This was announced by President Sauli Niiniste and Prime Minister Sanna Marin at a joint press conference.

“This is a historic day. A new era is beginning,” the president said.

Zelensky: Ukraine will never recognize Crimea for Russia

Ukraine will never recognize Crimea as Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with RAI 1 television.

“We will never recognize Crimea as a part of the Russian Federation. We are ready to speak with the Russian Federation that there is no time for a decision on Crimea. There is a war, and human lives will be on time. Let’s put aside this issue if it is painful, complicates the negotiation process, the process of meeting the presidents of Ukraine and Russia,” Zelensky said.

CNN publishes new video evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine

The CNN television channel published footage testifying to the commission of crimes by the Russian military. Surveillance video at a car dealership near Kyiv showed the killing of two unarmed Ukrainians by Russian soldiers.

The car dealership was robbed by the Russian military on March 16 during the first attempt by the Russian army to capture the capital of Ukraine.

44 bodies found under the rubble of a residential building in Izyum

In the city of Izyum, Kharkiv region, the bodies of 44 dead civilians were found under the rubble of a five-story building, says Oleg Sinegubov, head of the regional administration.

“This is another terrible war crime of the Russian invaders against the civilian population. We fix each one, and they will pay for each one,” he wrote.

UK imposes new sanctions against Russia and Belarus

The UK has imposed new economic restrictions on Russia and Belarus totaling £1.7bn ($2.09bn). This was reported in a statement published on the UK government website.

The British authorities have decided to impose increased duties on the import of a number of goods, including platinum and palladium. The volume of trade in these goods before the war amounted to 1.4 billion pounds per year. The UK will impose an additional 35% import tariff.

UK to provide Ukraine with 1.3 billion pounds of aid

The UK will provide Ukraine with an additional £1.3bn ($1.6bn) in aid. This was stated by the head of the British Ministry of Finance Rishi Sunak, reports  LBC.

“The UK is at the forefront of providing economic, humanitarian and military support to Ukraine, and we are working tirelessly to end this conflict,” Sunak said.

Intelligence of Britain: the Russian army is losing advanced units

According to British intelligence, the most advanced units of the Russian army are suffering intractable damage in the war with Ukraine. The review was posted on Twitter.

“The conflict in Ukraine is causing serious damage to some of Russia’s most capable units and advanced capabilities. After this conflict, Russia will need significant time and expense to rebuild its armed forces,” British intelligence notes.

A single mother from Ufa was fined by a neighbor for a poster in the window “No to war”

On May 5, the Ordzhonikidzevsky District Court of Ufa found 29-year-old Regina Ibragimova guilty of discrediting the Russian Armed Forces (AF) and fined her 15,000 rubles, a Kasparov.Ru correspondent reported on May 6, citing the press service of the court.

Armed Forces of Ukraine launched a counteroffensive in the Izyum and Kharkiv directions

The Armed Forces of Ukraine launched a counteroffensive in the Kharkov and Izyum directions. This was announced by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny on Facebook following a conversation with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States, General Mark Milley.

Due to the war in Ukraine, 22% of congresses and exhibitions planned in the Russian Federation for the year have already been canceled

Due to the military operation of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine, 22% of congresses and exhibitions planned for 2022 have already been canceled in the first quarter. Major international events will not return in 2023, and the market as a whole will be shaped by state projects, Kommersant wrote on May 4, citing experts.

AP: Russia is going to annex eastern Ukraine and declare Kherson independent

The Russian Federation is going to annex most of eastern Ukraine and declare Kherson independent by the end of May. This was stated by US Permanent Representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Michael Carpenter, Associated Press reports .

According to Carpenter, mayors and local legislators have been kidnapped in Kherson, the Internet and mobile communications have been cut off, and a Russian school curriculum will soon be introduced.

Russian Ambassador summoned to Israeli Foreign Ministry after Lavrov’s words about Jews

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian ambassador for an explanatory conversation after the words of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that “the most ardent anti-Semites, as a rule, are Jews.” It is  reported by  Kan 11.