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Tag: Russia

  • House of Cards Gets a Nyet from Russia

    House of Cards Gets a Nyet from Russia

    Last week, the showrunners behind Netflix’s hit political drama House of Cards made a request to the UN Security Council – let us shoot a few episodes in your chamber. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon reportedly thought it was a good idea – if nothing else to raise awareness for the organization – and suggested to the 15-country council that they let House of Cards film in the chambers.

    Apparently, Russia has a problem with this.

    A report from Foreign Policy says that Russia has nixed, or nyet-ed the idea of a House of Cards shoot. According to emails obtained by Foreign Policy, a Russian diplomat said that filming could interfere with important business, and they need to keep the chamber free for “unanticipated crises”.

    Apparently, Russia’s not alone in its hesitations. A Chinese official reportedly offered support for the Russian position, saying they simply don’t know enough about the content of the episodes to allow their filming inside the security council.

    We do know that House of Cards is popular among American politicians (who fail to see the irony) and strangely enough, the show is also a hit in China. You may recall that Chinese-American foreign relations were a big plot point in the last season.

    Don’t count Frank Underwood out, however. If I were Russia, it might behoove me to remember this, posted (coincidentally?) earlier this week to the official House of Cards Twitter page…

    Image via House of Cards, Twitter

  • Russian Bombers Spotted Near California Coast

    On Monday, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) reported visuals of Russian bomber planes off of the coasts of Alaska and California.

    The planes were first spotted at 4:30 pm PST. Four Russian Tu-95 Bear-H long-range bombers and a Il-76 refueling tanker entered the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) near the far-western Aleutian Islands in Alaska. The ADIZ is a 200-mile buffer zone which extends away from the coasts of Canada and the United States. While it is not illegal to enter the airspace of an ADIZ, any planes which do so will have their activity monitored by jets from NORAD.

    As soon as NORAD scrambled two, F-22 fighter jets to monitor the activity of the planes, the bombers changed course – two headed west toward eastern Russia, and the other two diverted south.

    Around 9:30 pm PST, the two planes which headed south were discovered to be within 50 miles of the California coastline. Sovereign airspace does not begin until 12 miles from the coast.

    “The [Russian] aircraft remained in international airspace at all times, behaved professionally, and undertook no dangerous military activities. At no time did any of the bombers ever enter sovereign [U.S.] airspace,” reported Canadian Army Captain Jennifer Stadnyk, a NORAD spokeswoman.

    Navy Captain Jeff Davis, a spokesman for NORAD, explained that this was most likely a simple training exercise: “They typically do long range aviation training in the summer and it is not unusual for them to be more active during this time. We assess this was part of training. And they did not enter territorial airspace.”

    Despite the facts that there have been 50 such encounters over the past five years and the planes did nothing illegal, some members of Congress, such as Republican Representative Mike Conaway from Texas, are still fear mongering about Putin and a nuclear threat from Russia:

    Putin is doing this specifically to try to taunt the U.S. and exercise, at least in the reported world, some sort of saber-rattling, muscle-flexing kind of nonsense. Truth of the matter is we would have squashed either one of those [bombers] like baby seals… It’s a provocation and it’s unnecessary. But it fits in with [Putin’s] macho kind of saber-rattling.

    Whether this incursion was saber-rattling by Putin or a routine training session is yet to be determined. What is for certain, however, is that latent Cold War tensions continue to rise, resulting in much fear and uncertainty.

    Image via

  • Anna Politkovskaya: Justice Not Served?

    Anna Politkovskaya: Justice Not Served?

    For the family of slain investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya, the sentencing of five men deemed responsible for her death did not leave them with any sense of closure.

    Instead, the trial and sentencing has left one very important question unanswered: Who led the conspiracy to kill her?

    The Ukrainian journalist was known for her outspoken opinion on topics ranging from the corrupt Russian government to human rights issues.

    She also pushed the envelope on the sensitive topic of Chechnya. Politkovskaya was determined to bring to light the things that others in Russia desperately wanted to remain secret.

    In such circumstances, it becomes increasingly dangerous for an investigative reporter in Politkovskaya’s position.

    The 48-year-old woman was gunned down on October 7th, 2006 in the lobby of her apartment in Moscow.

    The death of Politkovskaya created a national scandal. Many Russians were outraged by what they believed to be a government-orchestrated hit on the reporter.

    Nearly eight years later, five men were sent to jail for killing her.

    Pavel Melyokhin, the judge in the case, sentenced Rustam Makhmudov to life in prison for shooting Politkovskaya. His uncle Lom-Ali Gaitukayev was given the same sentence for providing logistics. Three other men were sent to jail with sentences ranging from 12 to 20 years.

    And yet, at no point were any of these men fingered as the one who masterminded Politkovskaya’s brutal death.

    Said her son Ilya, “I will be satisfied only when the person or people who ordered this will be sentenced.”

    The defendants exchanged smiles, which must have been severely unnerving to Politkovskaya’s family.

    Who smiles as they are sentenced to spend the rest of their life behind bars?

    It has been revealed that the victim in this case is one of 23 reporters that has been gunned down in Russia since 2000. Politkovskaya is one of five lost to the Novaya Gazeta, an independent Russian paper.

    The Novaya Gazeta is performing its own investigation into the circumstances of her death.

    Image via YouTube

  • Anna Politkovskaya Murderers Given Life In Prison

    Two of the five men found guilty for the 2006 killing of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya were handed life sentences on Monday by the Moscow city court.

    The other three men convicted have received prison sentences of 12, 14, and 20 years for their role in the murder.

    Politkovskaya, known for uncovering government corruption and human rights abuses as well as an outspoken Putin critic, was shot and killed on October 7, 2006 in the lobby of her apartment building.

    The slaying has received international attention not only due to the horrific nature of the crime, but for the eight years of investigation and trials between Politkovskaya’s death and a conviction.

    While the sentencing has provided some relief to the family of Anna Politkovskaya, it is still unknown who originally ordered the hit on the journalist. Last year, Russian police officer Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov received an 11 year sentence for supplying the murder weapon however revealed nothing about the person or persons giving orders.

    “For as long as the name of the mastermind is not known, there can be no talk of revealing the truth,” said Nadezhda Prusenkova, a spokeswoman for the independent paper Novaya Gazeta. “Today’s sentencing is important, but only a step. They are the lowest level in this criminal chain, which must still be revealed and punished.”

    The men sentenced Monday have only been found guilty of receiving money for and carrying out the hit on Politkovskaya. Their conviction does not indicate responsibility for the order itself, the origin of which remains unknown due to what many believe is the Russian government’s neglect. “At this point in time, it really does not seem that the government and investigation authorities are serious about getting to the bottom of it,” said Tanya Lokshina, head of the Moscow office of Human Rights Watch.

    “I am sure the name behind the murder will not be revealed under the current political regime,” said Politkovskaya’s former colleague Lev Ponomaryov. “If the order came from the ruling elite’s senior members, nobody will risk speaking because they know for sure that would cost their life.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Mummified Mammoth Goes On Display At London’s Natural History Museum

    Mummified Mammoth Goes On Display At London’s Natural History Museum

    Mummified mammoths are a big deal in the science community as they give us a better look at life thousands of years ago. We got our best look yet in 2007 when scientists discovered an almost perfectly preserved baby mammoth and now British citizens will finally get to see it in person.

    BBC News reports that the Natural History Museum in London will be putting 2007’s mummified baby mammoth on display. The specimen is said to have lived 42,000 years ago, is 51 inches tall and weighs 110 pounds. Everything on the mummified mammoth is intact except for the tail which was chewed off by dogs following its discovery.

    So, how was the mammoth so perfectly preserved? Like most mummified things, it’s all about preventing outside forces from decomposing the flesh. In the case of this particular mammoth, scientists believe the specimen was covered in ice for thousands of years. The ice only recently melted and allowed a local reindeer breeder in Russia to discover it. From there, the mammoth moved around a bit before it ended up in the hands of scientists at Russia’s Shemanovsky museum who named it Lyuba after the breeder’s wife.

    If you’re of morbidly curious type, it’s like that Lubya died from suffocation. Scientists found clay in its trunk which leads them to believe that it was drinking water, but got clay stuck in its trunk. Lubya died and was soon after buried in ice.

    Here’s what it looks like:

    Mummified Mammoth Goes On Display

    You may be wondering why Lubya doesn’t have any fur. While ice may preserve skin and the organs, it doesn’t preserve hair. Except for a few tufts here and there, all the hair was already gone when Lubya was found.

    If you want to see even more, GE scanned Lubya a few years ago and made a mini-documentary about it. Check it out:

    Those interested in seeing Lubya up close will have a chance when it goes on display starting May 23 at London’s Natural History Museum. It will remain at the museum until September 7.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • $4.5 Billion Divorce Settlement Breaks Record

    In what might be the largest divorce settlement in history, a Geneva, Switzerland court has ordered Russian tycoon Dmitry Rybolovlev to pay his ex-wife Elena Rybolovleva 4 Swiss billion francs, which is equal to roughly $4.5 billion – $4,509,375,184.80 to be exact.

    Rybolovleva, who had been battling Rybolovlev in a Swiss court since 2008, was also granted sole custody of the couple’s 13-year-old daughter Anna. Rybolovleva also won a freeze on assets which include a majority ownership in French soccer club AS Monaco, a $295 million stake in the Bank of Cyprus and a $95 million Palm Beach, Florida home that was purchased from Donald Trump. Rybolovlev can still appeal the Swiss ruling.

    Elena then took her estranged husband to court in the United States, and accused him of trying to shield her from an $88 million Manhattan penthouse bought from former Citigroup Inc Chief Executive Sanford “Sandy” Weill, along with the Palm beach estate. Elena’s lawyers accused Rybolovlev of using marital properties to move his assets through various trusts and limited liability companies.

    Rybolovlev, 47, is a Russian businessman, investor, philanthropist who made $6.5 billion in 2010 after selling his stake in the potash producer Uralkali. In 2014, he was ranked #147 among Forbes billionaires, with a net worth of $8.8 billion. Rybolovlev’s 24-year-old daughter Ekaterina made headlines when she bought the Greek resort island of Skorpios, where shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis married Jacqueline Kennedy in 1968. Ekaterina bought the island from Onassis’ 28-year-old granddaughter Athina Onassis Roussel for $153 million. Rybolovlev also purchased an estate in Hawaii from actor Will Smith for $20 million.

    Beginning in 1996, Rybolovlev spent 11 months in a Russian prison, after being accused of masterminding a contract killing. In 1997 he was completely acquitted by courts of law at three levels, including the Presidium of the Supreme Court which is the highest judicial authority in Russia. Regarding his track record as a spouse, in April 2012, Rybolovlev’s spokesman admitted that “He was not a model husband. Mr. Rybolovlev never denied the infidelities, but the wife knew about it for many years and passively accepted it.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Eurovision Song Contest Winner Controversy

    Conchita Wurst of Austria won the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday with her song “Rise Like a Phoenix” — while sporting a dress and full beard.

    The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition between European countries, always held in the previous year’s winner’s home country. This year’s contest, held in Copenhagen, marked the 59th contest since its inception in 1956.

    While Wurst was overwhelmingly popular with voters and audience alike, petitions have been circulating in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine to have the drag queen competitor suspended. “It never ceases to amaze me just how much fuss is made over a little facial hair” said Wurst of her naysayers

    Wurst was welcomed back to Austria by President Heinz Fischer who said her win was “not just a victory for Austria, but above all for diversity and tolerance in Europe.” Wurst, the drag queen character created by 25-year-old Thomas Neuwirth, is not the first victor to disregard the objections of conservative viewers. In 1998, the winner was transgendered Israeli Dana International.

    Since Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ban on “gay” propaganda was signed into law last year, tensions have run high between LGBTQ supporters and the Russian government, which was very evident throughout this year’s competition. When Russian contestants Anastasia and Maria Tolmachevy received votes, they were booed, as were the contestants from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Belarus (former Soviet republics). When asked what she would say to Putin in regards to his bigotry, Wurst said “I don’t know if he is watching this now, but if so, I’ll say it: We’re unstoppable.”

    Surely one could find a better pastime than circulating petitions to suspend performers from a (cooler) version of American Idol because they’re uncomfortable with the facial hair/clothing/genital combo a stranger has chosen for themselves. Let’s all take a cue from Wurst, who dedicated her win to “everyone who believes in a future of peace and freedom. We are unity.” Word.

    Image via Instagram

  • Pussy Riot Urges Congress to Crack Down on Russia

    Russian punk band Pussy Riot members Maria Alekhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova were on Capitol Hill Tuesday lobbying for further sanctions against Russia, citing human rights violations they had witnessed first-hand under President Vladimir Putin’s administration.

    In a private meeting, the two activists requested that senators on the Foreign Relations Committee crack down even harder against Russia, and that Congress add 16 additional names to the list of Russian human rights violators who currently face sanctions, including the Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev.

    Speaking through a translator, Tolokonnikova commented, “These sanctions allow a huge number of people to talk about the human rights violations as a result.” Tolokonnikova added, “Putin is not leading Russia to stability, but to complete instability and chaos. Silence is the most dangerous thing for a political prisoner.”

    Alekhina and Tolokonnikova were found guilty of hooliganism with religious undertones of hatred after a live set at Moscow’s main cathedral in March, 2012, and were sentenced to two years in prison. A third member, Yekaterina Samutsevich, was released on a suspended sentence just months after the hooliganism conviction.

    Here is a clip of the antics that garnered Pussy Riot their charges of hooliganism, after engaging in their “punk prayer”:

    Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut was in attendance at the Tuesday meeting, and commented that further U.S. sanctions against Russia would foster an economic blow that would create a “domino effect,” which would in turn encourage Russians to stand up to human rights offenders. “People will start to care much more about the fact the they, like these two brave women standing next to us, have lost their ability to grieve their government,” Murphy said.

    Tolokonnikova and Alekhina were freed from prison due to an amnesty legislation which some watchdog groups viewed as a Kremlin public relations stunt in time for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. During an appearance on NBC’s Today Show, Matt Lauer asked the activists if they thought Vladimir Putin had ordered their release to display his “softer side” to the world.

    Tolokonnikova replied, “When we got released, we didn’t have any illusions at all that Putin’s regime became more liberal.”

    A wearisome looking Pussy Riot also attended a few parties associated with the White House Correspondents’ Dinner over the weekend:

    Image via YouTube

  • Russian Bombers Seen Flying Over Crimea Ahead Of Putin’s Visit

    Russian bombers used to cause little concern when seen flying. After all, it was probably just the Russian military performing some training exercises. With the conflict in the Ukraine, however, Russian bombers have now taken on an entirely new meaning for the citizens of Crimea.

    AFP reports that Russian bombers have been spotted flying over Crimea over the past few days. The planes were reportedly flying low and some were even caught refueling in mid-air. While nothing has been formally announced, some take this to mean that Russia is getting serious about protecting its interests in Crimea.

    Beyond protecting its interests, the planes are also a harbinger of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s visit to Crimea. The outspoken Russian president is said to be overseeing Russia’s own V-Day celebration this week and then will travel to Crimea on Friday.

    Interestingly enough, it appears that Russia is bringing out the “big guns” for his visit. According to aviation experts, the Sukhoi Su-34 could be seen among the planes flying over Crimea. This particular war plane has been designed for high-precision strikes and nuclear weapon launches. While it’s rather absurd to think Russia would ever load their plane with nuclear weapons, the use of these particular fighters does leave a lot of people on edge.

    Here’s the Su-34 in action:

    The other model spotted above Crimea is the Mikoyan MiG-29. This particular plane has been in production since the 80s, and continued to be built even after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Most of the planes flying over Crimea seem to be made up of this particular model.

    Here’s the MiG-29 in action:

    While these planes could simply be performing routine sweeps over Crimea, some people are really spooked. The situation in Crimea has led some to think a war is almost upon us and the presence of these planes will not calm those fears. Until the situation in Crimea and the Ukraine is resolved, the world will remain suspicious of Russia.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Russian Bombers Spotted Around Dutch, UK Airspace

    Russian bombers are apparently not all that an uncommon sight in Europe. Under normal conditions, nobody would really care if the Russian military came a little too close to a European nation’s airspace. Unfortunately, the world’s relationship with Russia is anything but normal at the moment.

    CNN is reporting that two Russian TU-95 bombers were spotted half a mile inside Dutch airspace on Wednesday. In response, the Dutch military launched a number of its own aircraft to escort the two Russian planes out of its territory. While the existence of Russian bombers inside Dutch airspace may seem like hostilities between Russia and Europe has heightened, the Dutch military doesn’t seem to think that way. A spokesperson for country’s military says its actions were standard protocol and that planes from Russia or other countries are found to have entered its airspace at least four times a year.

    What makes this particular story more interesting is that the British also got involved as it deployed aircraft of its own to check on the unidentified aircraft flying north of its airspace. It was found to be the same two Russian aircraft and the British military took over escort duties from the Dutch at that point. The British military says that the Russian bombers never entered its airspace, but rather remained in international airspace.

    In a separate, seemingly unrelated event, the British also intercepted a Russian naval ship as it moved past Britain. The British military said it was a standard event and that it has “always routinely intercepted, identified and escorted Russian air and naval assets that transit international airspace and waters within the UK’s ‘area of interest.’” Now it’s keeping an eye on the ship as it moves South.

    So, why all the tension if all this is standard protocol? If you’ve been following the news in and around Russia for the past few months, you’d know that the situation in the Ukraine has gotten out of hand. Pro-Russian and other forces are battling within the country to determine whether or not the people of the country want to become a part of Russia again. Russia has already sent troops to the country’s border and some think it’s going to invade sooner or later. The Western world is having none of it and has promised consequences for an invasion. Russia has responded that it will take appropriate action in the event that its interests in the Ukraine were threatened.

    For now, we can just accept the existence of Russian bombers in and around European airspace as just a standard occurrence. There’s no need to get worried just yet.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Ukraine and Russia Make Plans to Ease Tensions

    Thursday morning, a four-party meeting was held in Geneva between the United States, the European Union, Russia, and Ukraine, with the intention being to create a plan which would lead to decreased overall hostilities between Ukraine and Russia and the end of the current violence in Eastern Ukraine. After six hours of talks, the four parties have come to an agreement as to how to alleviate the Ukrainian crisis, for now.

    The agreement the parties came to had three key criteria toward ending the current hostilities:

    1) All “illegally armed groups” in eastern Ukraine must lay down their weapons and cease violent activities.

    2) All government buildings and belongings which have been seized by insurgents must be returned to their proper owners.

    3) All pro-Russian insurgents will be given amnesty by the Ukrainian government as long as no capital crimes have been committed.

    The meeting came after Ukraine launched an anti-terror campaign on Tuesday to nullify the pro-Russian hostilities taking place in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine. The move was made in response to pro-Russian sympathizers seizing governmental buildings in ten eastern Ukrainian cities.

    In spite of the peace-talk meeting on Thursday, violence from the insurgents did not cease, with 300 pro-Russians attacking a military base in Mariupol, Ukraine. This attack was coupled with a message from the chairman of the people’s council in Donetsk asking for an early referendum to occur in May to decide if the Donetsk region of Ukraine wants to be annexed to Russia as Crimea did previously.

    Perhaps of more import, however, were the statements made by Russian president Vladimir Putin Thursday morning on national television.

    Until Thursday, Putin had denied any Russian troop involvement in Crimea prior to the vote for annexation. On Thursday, Putin’s tone changed completely.

    “Of course we had our servicemen behind the self-defense units of Crimea. We had to make sure what is happening now in eastern Ukraine didn’t happen there,” Putin defended.

    Putin would go on to add, “In Crimea, the threats to the Russian-speaking population were quite real, palpable. They turned to Russia for help. Russia never planned any annexation or military actions in Crimea… But when this situation came up, when people said they wanted self-determination, that’s when we knew what we had to do. Everyone in the National Security Council agreed. Everything was done quickly and decisively. There have been no analogues in global history.”

    Despite stating that the reason for Russian troops being deployed to Crimea was to ensure a fair and proper vote, Putin condemned Ukraine’s military presence in the east and warned that Russia would not deem Ukraine’s elections for a new president valid unless their current hostilities against the Russian-sympathizers in Ukraine changes.

    If Russia does not help bring about the end of the hostilities in eastern Ukraine, the United States is prepared to enact more sanctions against the Russian government. When asked if this Geneva agreement was the last of talks between the four-parties, Secretary of State John Kerry remained pragmatic: “All of this we are convinced represents a good day’s work, but on the other hand, this day’s work has produced principles, and it has produced commitments and it has produced words on paper. And we are the first to understand and agree that words on paper will only mean what the actions taken as a result of those words produce.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Ukraine Anti-Terror Campaign Begins in East Region

    On Tuesday, acting president of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov surprised many by following-up on his ultimatum laid down against Russian sympathizers in Eastern Ukraine on Sunday. The deadline for Russian supporters to lay down their arms and submit peacefully expired at 0600 GMT Monday. When Ukrainian forces did not immediately respond with force, many in the international community believed Turchynov to be full of empty promises. Turchynov proved those naysayers wrong today.

    “The Security Council has made a decision to begin a large-scale anti-terrorist operation with participation of army forces. We’re not going to allow Russia to repeat the Crimean scenario in Ukraine’s east,” stated Turchynov.

    The decision came as a result of pro-Russian forces gaining more and more traction in eastern Ukraine, most specifically in the Donetsk region. On Saturday, gunmen were able to take control of multiple government buildings in Slovyansk, Ukraine, a city 100 miles east of the Russian border. In all, nine cities have been taken control of by pro-Russian forces in the Donetsk region.

    “An anti-terrorist operation began in the north of Donetsk Oblast. It will be conducted step-by-step, responsibly, deliberately. The goal of these actions, I want to underline, is to defend the citizens of Ukraine,” Turchynov proclaimed to the Ukrainian parliament.

    Map of Eastern Ukrainian Activity

    Turchynov would go on to add, “The plans of the Russian Federation were and remain brutal. They want not only for Donbass (Donetsk region), but for the whole south and east of Ukraine to be engulfed by fire.” Turchynov stated that the goal of the anti-terror campaign is to “defend the citizens of Ukraine, to stop terror, stop crime and stop attempts to tear our country into pieces.”

    As it currently stands, soldiers have been transported to the Donetsk region by helicopter to attempt to recapture and hold the towns threatened by pro-Russian Ukrainians and Russian soldiers stationed along the border.

    Russia, as its position was with the incidents in Crimea, denies any coercion or assistance to the insurgents in eastern Ukraine. In fact, Russian leaders went as far as to say that if Ukraine decided to use military force against those Russian sympathizers in the Donetsk region, Russia would most likely back out of talks in Geneva to discuss the Ukrainian crisis. “You can’t send in tanks and at the same time hold talks. The use of force would sabotage the opportunity offered by the four-party negotiations in Geneva,” stated Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister.

    Russian officials insisted that these uprisings “are the result of the Kiev authorities’ unwillingness and inability to take into account the interests of the Russian and Russian-speaking population.”

    President Obama and NATO secretary-general Anders Fogh Rasmussen believe otherwise, however.

    Anders Fogh Rasmussen reported that “We never comment on intelligence, but I think from what is visible, it is very clear that Russia’s hand is deeply engaged in this.”

    The White House and President Obama believe along the same lines, as evidenced by Obama’s call to Putin to address the situation before it gets out of hand:

    “The president emphasised that all irregular forces in the country need to lay down their arms, and he urged president Putin to use his influence with these armed, pro-Russian groups to convince them to depart the buildings they have seized… The president noted Russia’s growing political and economic isolation as a result of its actions in Ukraine and made clear that the costs Russia already has incurred will increase if those actions persist… [He] said that while he continues to believe that a diplomatic solution is still possible, it cannot succeed in an environment of Russian military intimidation on Ukraine’s borders, armed provocation within Ukraine, and escalatory rhetoric by Kremlin officials.”

    One can only hope that some solution will come as a result of the four-party talks between the US, EU, Russia and Ukraine in Geneva, Switzerland this Thursday.

    Images via Twitter (1) (2)

  • Ukraine Crisis Deepens: Occupation, Sanctions and Troops on the Border

    Even though Russian President Vladimir Putin attempted last week to resolve the issue once and for all, the Ukraine crisis continues to see developments for the worse.

    Russian separatists have held control over several government buildings in the Ukraine for four days. According to AFP Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov has offered a deal “if people lay down their arms and free the administration buildings… we guarantee that we will not launch any criminal proceedings against them.” Despite his promise, the occupations continue as a blight in the midst of diplomatic talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the rest of the world.

    Of chief concern for western leaders is the crisis expanding, not just militarily but economically. Putin issued a letter Thursday giving Russia the credit of subsidizing the Ukrainian economy. According to Putin, Russia has sold gas to Ukraine at a low price, even though the Ukraine owes Russia a substantial debt. Putin now wants advance payment for the natural gas or he “will completely or partially cease gas deliveries”, a move which would devastate Ukraine’s economy.

    Since Russia supplies a lot of natural gas to Europe, leaders there are hesitant to impose any more sanctions. The United States is much less reluctant. Today, AFP reported that Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said “the United States is prepared to impose additional significant sanctions on Russia if it continues to escalate the situation in Ukraine”.

    Russia continues to maintain its sizable military presence at the Ukrainian border. NATO published satellite photos of the Russian troop build up, estimating there could be as many as forty thousand troops stationed there. Director of the Comprehensive Crisis Operations and Management Centre at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe Brigadier Gary Deakin said “The Russians have an array of capabilities including aircraft, helicopters, special forces, tanks, artillery, infantry fighting vehicles… and these could move in a matter of hours. These forces have a destabilizing effect and present serious implications for the security and stability of the region,”

    Image via WSJDigitalNetwork, YouTube

  • Pussy Riot Talks Political Freedom With Matt Lauer

    Political freedom through music, lyrics and videos. That is the drive that keeps Pussy Riot going, even if it costs them their livelihood, even if they have to suffer through beatings.

    Two members of the Russian punk rock band stopped by Today this morning for an interview with Matt Lauer. The Moscow-based feminist protest group is continuing to draw attention to their belief that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a dictator and that Russian people are not free.

    Three band members were arrested back in March 2012 and charged with “hooliganism” for staging a protest performance in a cathedral during Vladimir Putin’s presidential campaign. The girls were denied bail and kept in custody for four months. Maria Alyokhina, Yekaterina Samutsevich, and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, were ultimately convicted and sentenced.

    Both Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova spent 22 months in jail. They were eventually released under general amnesty. Samutsevich received a suspended sentence.

    The band’s plight for freedom in Russia has drawn a lot of attention from the rest of the world. Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Masha Alekhina spoke with Lauer about their struggles for freedom. Tolokonnikova said through a translator, “I really sincerely wanted Russia that would be free, this idea we heard about free Russia it only became stronger in ourselves during [these] two years that we were in jail. If our government thought that they would just break us down by jailing us, I mean, it didn’t work out at all.”

    Despite the band’s run of success in the music world and their growing fame, they lead difficult lives. Lauer asked about how life has been since their release from prison. Tolokonnika responded, “If we go to the people getting jailed and we want to get in, the people of the government, they attack us and they spray us so we have head concussions and burning of the eyes. That’s what we suffer.”

    Tolokonnikova and Alekhina are both set to appear at Tina Brown’s fifth annual Women in the World Summit. The group will take part in a panel discussion which will be moderated by Charlie Rose. Brown chose the band members because, “They paid a heavy price for their resistance to Putin and I think that what they’ve shown is exactly what is happening now: Putin is a thug, Putin is a bully. They were brave enough to stand up, they paid a price and they went in as students and they came out as world famous activists.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • ICANN Chief Says Russia, China Will Not Hijack Internet Oversight

    On March 14 the United States Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced plans to transition oversight of the nonprofit Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to the global “multi-stakeholder” community.

    Headquartered in the Los Angeles suburb of Marina del Rey, ICANN controls what is essentially the address book of the Internet: the massive database of top level domain names such as .com, .gov., .net, and .org.

    Additionally, the NTIA currently contracts with ICANN to carry out the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions. The IANA is a responsible for managing the numbering system for Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.

    The NTIA’s contract with ICANN, which has been in existence since 1998, is set to expire in September 2015 and the Department of Commerce says it won’t renew the contract.

    “The timing is right to start the transition process,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Lawrence E. Strickling. “We look forward to ICANN convening stakeholders across the global Internet community to craft an appropriate transition plan.”

    Although the announcement was a relatively quiet, low-key one, it didn’t take long for conservatives to start questioning it.

    Republican lawmakers John Shimkus (Illinois), Todd Rokita (Indiana), and Marsha Blackburn (Tennessee) rushed to introduce the Domain Openness Through Continued Oversight Matters (DOTCOM) Act in the House of Representatives.

    The trio said they created the DOTCOM Act “in response the recent Department of Commerce announcement that the U.S. would relinquish its remaining oversight of the Internet’s domain name system to an ill-defined ‘global Internet community.’”

    “In the month of March alone we’ve seen Russia block opposition websites, Turkey ban Twitter, China place new restrictions on online video, and a top Malaysian politician pledge to censor the Internet if he’s given the chance,” Shimkus said. “This isn’t a theoretical debate. There are real authoritarian governments in the world today who have no tolerance for the free flow of information and ideas. What possible benefit could come from giving the Vladimir Putins of the world a new venue to push their anti-freedom agendas?”

    Even former President Bill Clinton has weighed in with doubts about the multi-stakeholder model: “I understand in theory why we would like to have a multi-stakeholder process. I favor that … I just know that a lot of these so-called multi-stakeholders are really governments that want to gag people and restrict access to the internet.”

    On Wednesday ICANN president and CEO Fadi Chehadé, who has long pushed for globalization of the Internet oversight process, defended the NTIA’s plans.

    “Everyone is focused on these three, four countries … but in between we have 150 other countries that value the same values we do.”

    Chehadé conceded that individuals or governments might indeed attempt to seize control of the Internet, but insisted that the “multi-stakeholder model, it stops them. I agree that people will talk about capturing (control of ICANN), but they haven’t. For 15 years ICANN has operated without one government or any government capturing the decision making.”

    Politico calls the announcement a “smart, strategic move by Commerce to formalize, on its own terms, a process of increased globalization that has been going on for some time. It’s actually the opposite of what the critics claim: The Obama administration is trying to head off rising global pressure to give other countries, including China and Russia, more of a say in how the Internet is governed, not bow to it.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Putin Divorce Complete, According to Kremlin

    The Kremlin has reported that the divorce between Russian president Vladimir Putin and wife Lyudmila Putina has been finalized. The couple had announced in June that they planned to end their 30-year marriage. Putin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov commented to a Russian news agency that the divorce had been “completed.”

    Putina née Shkrebneva met Vladimir Putin in Leningrad, Soviet Union when she was an undergraduate student of the Spanish branch of the philology department of the Leningrad State University. Putina was also an Aeroflot stewardess at the time. On July 28, 1983 Putin married Kaliningrad-born Lyudmila.

    Putina kept a low profile on the Russian political stage, generally avoiding the public eye except for when compelled to by protocol, and limited her public role to encouraging statements about her husband. While married to Putin, Putina taught German at the Department of Philology of Leningrad State University, and served as the Moscow representative of the JSC Telecominvest.

    Putin and Putina on their wedding day:

    putin

    Putin and Putina initially lived in Germany from 1985 to 1990. During this time, a German spy allegedly befriended Putina, who said that Putin was physically abusive and had love affairs. As the couple left Germany in 1990, it was rumored that Putin left behind an illegitimate child.

    The couple has two daughters, Putina (born in 1985 in Leningrad) and Yekaterina Putina (born in 1986 in Dresden, East Germany). Both attended the German School in Moscow called Deutsche Schule Moskau, until Putin’s appointment as Prime Minister in 1999. Photographs of Mariya and Yekaterina have never been published by the Russian media, and no family portrait has ever been issued to the press.

    Tabloids had in the past linked Putin romantically to gymnast Alina Kabayeva and ex-spy Anna Chapman. The Kremlin denied the accusations.

    In a televised statement last year, Putin commented that the split was a “joint decision” adding that the two “practically never saw each other.” Lyudmila added, “We will eternally be very close people.”

    Images via YouTube and Wikimedia Commons

  • Soyuz Docking Successful After Technical Hitch

    The Russian Soyuz spacecraft successfully docked at the International Space Station on Thursday, two days after it suffered technical lags that prevented a fast track linkup after launching on Tuesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

    The spacecraft was carrying two cosmonauts and one NASA astronaut.

    Commander Alexander Skvortsov controlled the automated approach as the docking mechanism engaged its counterpart at the upper Poisk module. Together, the two spacecraft flew over Southern Brazil at height of 252 miles.

    Oleg Ostapenko, director of the Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos, congratulated the crew for successfully completing the first part of its mission.

    After locking the Soyuz spacecraft in place, Skvortsov, along with NASA astronaut Steven Swanson and flight engineer Oleg Artemyev were greeted by Expedition 39 commander Koichi Wakata, Mikhail Tyurin and Rick Mastracchio.

    The three-man crew joined the Expedition 39 team for a post-docking radio chat with the space agency, family, and friends who were at a Russian flight control center in Moscow. Their families sent their congratulations, with Swanson’s father joking that they “took the scenic route there.”

    The technical hitch happened after the crew ran into problems firing a required rendezvous rocket. The first two rendezvous firings went on schedule, but the third one failed because it was not in the “expected altitude or orientation.”

    In May, Wakata and his team are scheduled to return to Earth, leaving Skvortsov to be the commander of Expedition 40. They are scheduled to return to Earth on September 11.

    This back and forth sequence between expeditions is used to keep the space station healthy, and to keep it sufficiently supplied and staffed with rotating crews from different countries. NASA generates electricity and provides communication satellites, while Russian Soyuz spacecraft send US and partner astronauts to space. However, NASA hopes to have its own spacecraft capable of sending its astronauts to space by 2017.

    Understanding Soyuz Undocking And Reentry

    Soyuz Launches Into Space

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Steven Seagal Supports Vladimir Putin

    While filming a movie in Romania, actor, film producer, screenwriter, director, martial artist, musician and reserve deputy sheriff Steven Seagal did an interview with the state-run Russian newspaper Rossiskaya Gazeta, in which he’d expressed that Vladimir Putin’s actions against Crimea are “highly reasonable.”

    The 7th-dan black belt in Aikido commented that Putin’s “desire to protect the Russian-speaking people of Crimea, his assets, and the Russian Black Sea military base in Sevastopol … is very reasonable,” and added that the U.S. policy on Ukraine was “idiotic.”

    Republican Seagal, a close friend of Putin’s, reportedly because they both share a keen interest in the martial arts, called the Russian president “one of the great living world leaders,” and that he “would like to consider him as a brother.” Early this month the straight-to-video action star had helped Putin relaunch a national physical fitness program that had been axed after the fall of the Soviet Union.

    As a sort of Renaissance Man, Seagal has also developed an energy drink called “Lightening Bolt,” as well as a fragrance called “Scent of Action.”

    seagal

    Seagal was recently part of an American delegation to Russia following Boston Marathon bombing, and conveys his stance against the U.S. policy regarding Russia and the crisis in Ukraine:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAb39HMVAGE

    Excited about Seagal’s perceived superstar status, Rossiskaya Gazeta went on to compare the former silver screen star’s popularity to that of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ronald Reagan’s, deeming him “no less popular or authoritative in the world today.” Seagal had previously threatened to run for governor in Arizona, and when asked to comment on the matter, the former husband of Pantene peddler Kelly LeBrock stated that it was more important to be a peacemaker than the leader of a state.

    Seagal also stated that he might “sometime” become a Russian citizen, though he stills loves the United States.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons (1), (2)

  • Hill Republicans: Tougher Action Needed For Putin

    A letter authored by 8 Republican congressmen on the House Armed Services Committee urged President Obama on Wednesday to take a tougher stance against Russia’s actions.

    The letter comes after tensions on Capitol Hill rose due to a report that U.S. and European security agencies estimated that Russia has deployed more than 30,000 soldiers along its border with eastern Ukraine.

    Ukrainian soldiers only just began their defeated departure from Crimea on Tuesday when the news came of more possible invasions.

    “It is time to stop speculating about possibility, and start dealing with reality,” committee chairman Rep. Buck McKeon, R-Calif. said, “Continued inaction by the President in the face of Mr. Putin’s invasion will make further Russian aggression more – not less – likely. Any show of resolve from the White House will have my full support.”

    According to Fox News, the authors are “gravely concerned” about this newest development and want to see a greater sharing of information between the US and its allies and the Ukraine in order to aid in preparation for more possible incursions.

    This is an especially scary situation that has even jaded veterans worried. “It’s remarkable concern,” said an anonymous source. “There are senior people here are more concerned than I have ever seen them.”

    Another source said that information that flooded Capitol Hill Wednesday “reflects a deteriorating situation which prompted very serious concern.”

    “There is deep apprehension that Moscow may invade eastern and southern Ukraine, pressing west to Transdniestria, and also seek land grabs in the Baltics,” the letter says.

    NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander General Philip Breedlove will be on Capitol Hill Thursday to speak to lawmakers from both the House and Senate in closed meetings about this terrifying possibility that Moscow would move to expand its territory by annexing other lands in the near future.

    Will this latest development spur the administration to get tougher on Russia? Or will they continue to threaten impotent sanctions? I suppose only time will tell.

    Image Via Wikimedia Commons

  • Group of 8 Now Group of 7: Russia’s Out

    Group of 8 Now Group of 7: Russia’s Out

    7 members of the Group of 8 who were supposed to meet in Sochi, Russia in for the G-8 Summit in June met for two hours behind closed doors today. They decided that it would be relocated to Brussels and that Russia is no longer invited until their government changes course, according to the New York Times.

    A statement from the Group of 7 read, “This group came together because of shared beliefs and shared responsibilities. Russia’s actions in recent weeks are not consistent with them. Under these circumstances, we will not participate in the planned Sochi Summit. We will suspend our participation in the G-8 until Russia changes course.”

    The course they wish to be changed is, of course, President Vladimir Putin’s hasty annexation of Crimea in the past few weeks. This is the latest in a series of steps that the group has taken and will continue to take to further isolate and punish Russia for its actions.

    “We remain ready to intensify actions including coordinated sectoral sanctions that will have an increasingly significant impact on the Russian economy, if Russia continues to escalate this situation,” the leaders’ statement said.

    Russia’s economy may not be the only one affected. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is ready to take steps, along with several other nations, that may hurt their own economies somewhat. But if it puts the brakes on Russia, she says it would be worth it.

    Last week she stated that “we are ready at any time to introduce phase-3 measures if there is a worsening of the situation,” referring to the so-called third stage of sanctions which could very likely be harmful to her own country.

    President Obama made clear the stance of the United States and our allies on Monday. He expressed solidarity with Ukraine, saying “Europe and America are united in our support of the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian people,”

    “We’re united in imposing a cost on Russia for its actions so far,” Obama said, adding “the growing sanctions would bring significant consequences to the Russian economy.”

    So far the threat of sanctions against Russia have done little to nothing in halting the actions of Vladimir Putin. Time will tell how far these sanctions must go in order to get a satisfactory reaction.

    Image Via YouTube

  • Jimmy Carter Thwarts NSA, Uses Post Office

    Jimmy Carter Thwarts NSA, Uses Post Office

    Jimmy Carter, in an interview for NBC’s Meet the Press, says he uses snail mail when communicating with foreign leaders. He is pretty sure that the NSA is spying on him, a fear that is not unfounded, according to Fox News.

    “I have felt that my own communications are probably monitored,” the former Democratic president said. “And when I want to communicate with a foreign leader privately, I type or write the letter myself, put it in the post office and mail it, because I believe if I send an email, it will be monitored.”

    Why the 89-year-old former president and founder of The Carter Center would need to be monitored, I don’t know, but the actions taken by the Obama administration and the NSA just don’t sit well with him. He said the practice of spying on American citizens’ emails, internet use, and cell phone calls has been “extremely liberalized and I think abused by our own intelligence agencies.”

    He also admitted that Mr. Obama didn’t bother to consult him when dealing with Russian President Vladmir Putin, even though he has direct experience which could have been helpful and has been consulted by former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan on dealing with “unsavory characters”.

    In fact, in 1980 Carter boycotted the Summer Olympics in Moscow because Russia had just invaded Afghanistan. But he feels that he knows the reason, and because of its sensitive nature, he understands Obama’s reluctance to consult him, according to NBC.

    He said,“I think the problem was that — in dealing with the issue of peace in between Israel and Egypt — the Carter Center has taken a very strong and public position of equal treatment between the Palestinians and the Israelis. And I think this was a sensitive area in which the president didn’t want to be involved.”

    Image Via Wikimedia Commons