Russia appears to be planning to withdraw from the International Space Station (ISS) after 2024, possibly with a view to building its own.
Russia has been a partner in the ISS since its launch, with its rockets used to ferry personnel and supplies to the station. In the wake of sanctions against the country over its invasion of Ukraine, Russia says it is planning to end its participation, according to Gizmodo.
“You know that we are working within the framework of international cooperation at the International Space Station,” said Yury Borisov, the new head of space agency Roscosmos, during his meeting with Putin (machine translation via Google). “Of course, we will fulfill all our obligations to our partners, but the decision to leave this station after 2024 has been made.
“I think that by this time we will begin to assemble the Russian orbital station,” he added.
Only time will tell if the statement will come to pass or if it is an idle threat.
Elon Musk is at it again, taking to Twitter to challenge Russian President Vladimir Putin to a duel for Ukraine.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO has been an outspoken supporter of Ukraine amid the Russian invasion, even sending Starlink satellite equipment to help the country stay connected to the internet. Musk has ramped up his support even more, offering to fight Putin one-on-one over Ukraine’s future.
“I hereby challenge Владимир Путин (Vladimir Putin) to single combat
Apple has joined other companies in imposing its own sanctions against Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.
The international community is largely relying on sanctions and economic measures to force Russia to end its invasion. Many companies have suspended business with Russia and Russian-owned businesses, and Apple now joins those ranks.
In an email seen by MacRumors, CEO Tim Cooks explained the company’s stance:
We have taken a number of actions in response to the invasion. We have paused all product sales in Russia. Last week, we stopped all exports into our sales channel in the country. Apple Pay and other services have been limited. RT News and Sputnik News are no longer available for download from the App Store outside Russia. And we have disabled both traffic and live incidents in Apple Maps in Ukraine as a safety and precautionary measure for Ukrainian citizens. We will continue to evaluate the situation and are in communication with the relevant governments on the actions we are taking. We join all those around the world who are calling for peace.
Pausing traffic and live incidents in Maps is similar to action Google took. In both cases, the companies are likely concerned Russian forces could use the software to pinpoint Ukrainian troop movements or fleeing refugees.
Cook also highlighted how Apple employees can donate to humanitarian efforts:
Apple is donating to humanitarian relief efforts and providing aid for the unfolding refugee crisis. We are also working with partners to assess what more we can do. I know that many of you are eager to find ways to support as well, and we want to help amplify the impact of your donations. Starting today, Apple will match your donations at a rate of 2:1 for eligible organizations, and we will make this retroactive for donations to those organizations since February 25. Please visit the Employee Giving Portal to learn more.
Even without a military response to Russia’s invasion, the cost is continuing to add up and may soon reach an untenable level.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has come out in support of cryptocurrencies, at a time when Russia is the third-biggest crypto mining country.
Cryptocurrency is under increased scrutiny around the world, with many legislators looking to regulate the technology. China recentlyimplemented a major crackdown, and US officials are weighing what steps to take to regulate it.
Putin, on the other hand, seems ready to embrace it. In an interview with CNBC, via Bloomberg, the Russian president said crypto “has the right to exist and can be used as a means of payment.”
As Bloomberg highlights, Russia has been looking for alternatives to the US dollar for international trading for several years. The politics of the situation are no doubt playing a part in Putin’s embrace of crypto.
The REvil ransomware gang, behind the Kaseya attack, has gone dark and its websites have gone offline.
REvil successfully pulled off the biggest ransomware attack in history, targeting Kaseya’s software used in managed services around the world. The gang originally demanded a $70 million ransom, later lowering it to $50 million in private talks.
Despite the gang’s success, or perhaps because of it, the REvil gang appears to have gone dark. Its websites, including the one used as its “leak site,” have all shut down.
As BleepingComputer points out, it’s not uncommon for some REvil servers to go down, but it’s highly irregular for all of them to go down at once. BleepingComputer also cites evidence to suggest REvil may have shut down and erased their servers in response to a government subpoena.
It’s believed REvil has been operating out of Russia, and the code in its ransomware seems to specifically avoid computer systems where Russian languages are primary. Nonetheless, President Joe Biden has been putting additional pressure on Vladimir Putin to take action against cybercriminals operating within Russia’s borders.
“I made it very clear to him that the United States expects when a ransomware operation is coming from his — even though it’s not sponsored by the state — we expect him to act if we give him enough information to act on who that is,” Biden told reporters, regarding a call he had with Putin.
Vladimir Putin has signed a law that forces social media companies to have an office in the country.
Russia has a long history of trying to control information and stamp out dissent. For such a regime, few things are more dangerous than social media, where information can go viral, making it difficult for a government to easily control. As a result, social media platforms have been in the government’s crosshairs for some time.
The latest law is another attempt to exert control, and will require social media giants to have an office in-country, according to Reuters.
“A foreign entity, carrying out activities on the internet in Russia, is obliged to create a branch, open an office or establish a Russian legal entity,” the new law reads.
Not all social media companies will be impacted. The law specifically targets platforms with at least 500,000 daily users in Russia. Even so, roughly 20 companies will likely fall under the new legislation.
According to Bloomberg, it appears the Kremlin was at least interested in the possibility.
“It’s undoubtedly a very interesting offer, but we need to know what he means, what’s he’s proposing,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters at the time, adding, “we’ll check it out first and then we’ll respond.”
It appears that Elon Musk never responded to the Kremlin’s follow-up attempts, ensuring a Clubhouse sit down never happened.
“Apparently there was some kind of misunderstanding,” said Peskov. “Most likely, this matter is exhausted.”
Musk has been known for some brash actions in the past, but standing up Vladimir Putin certainly ranks up there. Hopefully, the slight won’t impact Tesla’s business in Russia.
One would expect a former KGB officer to use the latest and greatest when it comes to computer security. Evidently, Vladimir Putin disagrees, as he is still relying on Windows XP, according to The Guardian.
According to the story, “Putin, 67, appears to have the obsolete Microsoft Windows XP operating system installed on computers in his office at the Kremlin and at his official Novo-Ogaryovo residence near Moscow, according to images released by his press service.”
Evidently, the opposition-friendly, Russian news site Open Media reported “that Mikhail Klimaryov, the head of Russia’s independent Internet Protection Society, had confirmed that Putin’s computers were running Windows XP in the photographs.”
Microsoft stopped supporting Windows XP, as well as Office 2003, in April 2014. Despite the availability of newer versions of Windows, the Russian government has been trying to phase out Microsoft and Google software in favor of its own Linux distribution. As a result, government regulation is likely behind Putin’s archaic operating system choice.
On the bright side, at least he’s not subjected to ads in his Windows applications. In other news, the CIA is dusting off its archive of Windows XP exploits.
The International Business Times (IBT) is reporting that Apple may leave the Russian market next year in response to a new law requiring Russian software alternatives be installed on electronic devices.
The new law, which Putin signed on December 5, goes into effect on July 1, 2020. The law requires all computers, smartphones and smart TVs to have Russian applications pre-installed. As Reuters reports, electronic companies are pushing back on the law, although few as much as Apple.
Apple has said the Russian law would require the equivalent of jailbreaking its software, something it has refused to do in the past. While the law’s proposed purpose is to allow local companies to better compete with the software that comes loaded on devices, critics believe any software the Russian government would insist be installed could, and likely would, be used to spy on people.
According to IBT, “an unnamed Apple source allegedly informed Kommersant Business Daily that a mandate to include third-party applications to Apple’s ecosystem would be synonymous with jailbreaking. The Apple source also said that it might pose a security threat, and Apple would not tolerate such kind of risk. The Russian government will come up with a list of software and apps which tech firms are required to pre-install, as well as the list of devices covered by this new law, reports The Moscow Times.”
For Apple, the stakes are far greater that just the Russian market. The company has made a name for itself as a staunch protector of privacy, going head-to-head with the FBI to fight attempts to force it to create backdoors in its software. If it gives in to Russia, it will set a dangerous precedent that other governments will no doubt seize upon.
“He’s a really brilliant and talented person, without any doubt,” Putin said. Bill O’Reilly spent the first part of his show exposing some of the reasons Donald Trump’s campaign has been met with so much success–after which he mocked Putin.
“By the way,” Bill O’Reilly said, “Trump apparently has made Putin his friend. Because idiot Putin today is going, “I love Donald Trump,” he doesn’t speak English, but in a Russian accent, that’s what he was saying. He loves Trump.”
Meanwhile Geraldo Rivera was poking fun at Bill O’Reilly’s rather bad Russian accent–which, for some reason, is bleeped out in the video clip.
“That’s a pretty lame accent,” Geraldo said, as O’Reilly continued on with his comments.
“Donald Trump understands the anger sweeping America and is tapping into that,” Bill O’Reilly said in recent days. “He is not concerned that much with policy– he is running on emotion. His strategy has been brilliant, but if you take what he says literally, he can be a frightening guy.”
“I see many of his statements as over-the-top rhetoric, designed to get him votes, not necessarily written-in-stone policy pronouncements,” he added. “Talking Points does not endorse candidates, does not root, does not promote.”
Anna Duritskaya was standing right next to Russian opposition leader Boris Y. Nemtsov when he was gunned down just steps from the Kremlin.
In fact, Anna Duritskaya and Nemtsov were walking home after a dinner out.
Anna Duritskaya reportedly called her mother from the grisly scene.
Her mother said, “She was crying and saying that Boris had been killed. I was shocked. I think I told her to wait for the police and to answer their questions.”
State-run media have also been trying to lay the blame on everyone from terrorists to a rival love interest, and have even stated that Anna Duritskaya‘s “role” needs to be “clarified”.
It has been revealed that Anna Duritskaya had an abortion in Switzerland, paid for by Nemtsov, and has been suggested, without any proof, that the couple may have fought recently.
However, that abortion was a long time ago, in 2013 to be exact.
Many citizens and others around the world are speculating that Vladimir Putin or his supporters may have had a hand in Boris Nemtsov’s murder.
He was highly vocal in his opposition to Putin’s policies and his handling of the situation in Ukraine.
He once said, “People are tired of corruption, tired of criminals, tired of Putin’s brutality and stupid remarks.”
Nemtsov encouraged peaceful protests, saying that it would be what separates the people from Putin.
But, the Kremlin denies that Nemtsov was worth killing, as a threat.
“With all respect to Boris Nemtsov, he did not pose any threat in the political sphere… for the Russian authorities or for Vladimir Putin,” said a spokesman. “If we compare his popularity ratings with the government’s… Nemtsov was quite an average citizen.”
Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko sees it a little differently, though. Nemtsov was a big influence on the people, and since he and Anna Duritskaya split their time between Moscow and her home country of Ukraine, Poroshenko thinks Nemtsov was killed for being a “bridge” between Moscow and Ukraine.
There are some suspicious circumstances, like cameras being switched off just before the murder.
Anna Duritskaya, after days of relentless interrogation, immediately went to her mother’s house in Ukraine where the two of them escaped secretly from under the watchful eye of the media.
Anna Duritskaya remains in hiding as the smoke clears from her boyfriend’s murder.
What are your thoughts on this spy novel-type situation involving Anna Duritskaya?
Oil prices stand at a three year low of $81 per barrel. That’s significantly less than the $100 per barrel that was in place when Vladimir Putin first invaded Ukraine.
Half of Russia’s budget depends on oil and gas trading.
Despite having a large and comfortable international currency reserve of $450 billion, the Russian stock market has been down 6% in the last three months.
Also, the Ruble is 20% below the dollar in value this year.
Add to that a projected Russian economic growth of just 0.5% in 2014 and 0.3% in 2015 and a feared recession, and things just don’t look great for Vladimir Putin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5LEIsWcC7M
“We’re probably getting closer to the point of pain,” said Phil Flynn, an energy analyst at the Price Futures Group. “It’s definitely putting the squeeze on their balance sheet.”
Vladimir Putin is writing some ambitious checks that his budget may not be able to support. Russian news agency Itar-Tass reported that Putin wanted to expand military spending by 21% next year, but Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov says that Russia simply can’t afford it.
So, while Vladimir Putin and Russia’s government may feel the squeeze of dropping oil prices, will it affect Russian citizens?
Michael Fitzpatrick, a former energy analyst with the Kilduff Report, says it likely won’t. Unless things get substantially worse.
He says of falling oil prices,
“I don’t think you’re looking at any political or social unrest unless prices go considerably lower.”
However, Russia isn’t the only country to be somewhat deflated by dropping oil prices.
The countries of Saudi Arabia, Libya, and Iraq have also been wounded. Nigeria, Venezuela, and Iran are also feeling deeper budget deficits due to falling oil prices. So much so, that the government of Venezuela has called for an emergency meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC.
Falling oil prices remain a good thing for the general population, though.
“In the short term, oversupply and lower oil prices clearly have some positive impacts,” said a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “They are good for economies and consumers, helpful for sanctions efforts against rogue states, and serve as buffers against continued political unrest and supply disruptions.”
“But, they also carry the seeds for future troubles, including under-investment in efficiency and alternative energy forms as well as in future oil and gas projects, and can have mixed climatic impacts, and eventually lead to higher prices.”
What do you think of falling oil prices? Good thing or bad thing?
According to a former advisor of Vladimir Putin, the Russian president has been planning to spark a major conflict in the Baltic region for the past decade.
Andrey Illarionov, a former advisor to Putin, said the Russian leader has been planning for a major war since at least 2003. His accusation came during a conference in Lithuania.
According to the Inquisitr, Illarionov referenced a 2008 article from Russian Journal that apparently laid out a plan for Russia to attack Crimea before moving on to capture the city of Kiev.
“As we see, not only were they preparing, they were publishing it,” Illarionov said.
Illarionov said Putin does not believe Ukraine is a real nation, but rather a state that belongs to Russia, and believes the same for Hungary, Poland, and Romania. He remarked that the latest conflict in the region began when Putin began referring to a “Russian world” during a ceremony honoring Slavic groups.
The Lithuanian Tribune reported that Putin may have plans to invade nations beyond Ukraine, creating a major conflict that could equate to World War 3.
“According to the former presidential adviser, Russian laws essentially define four categories of ‘Russians’: ethnic Russians, irrespective of whether they reside in or outside Russia; Russian-speakers, irrespective of their nationality; all former citizens of the Soviet Union and their offspring living in the territories formerly covered by the USSR; and former citizens of the Russian Empire (pre-1917) and their offspring living in the territories once covered by the Russian Empire,” reported the newspaper.
“‘Such a legal base allows the Russian army to protect all the Russians listed in the law. Therefore, for the Russian side, such actions of the Russian army beyond Russian borders might seem completely legitimate,’ Illarionov says.”
There have been other reports that Putin plans to instigate a wide conflict, including threats to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine if the fight continues. Sources allegedly say Putin claimed that Russia could reach Kiev in two weeks if they so desired.
Mickey Rourke is a fan of Vladimir Putin. In fact, on Monday, the actor was so much a fan that he decided to buy a t-shirt depicting Russian President. The scene took place right in Moscow’s Red Square, according to The Independent, right at the launch of the t-shirt brand.
“If I didn’t like him, I wouldn’t buy the T-shirt believe me. I met him a couple of times and he was a real gentleman, a very cool regular guy, looked me right in the eye. I think he is a good guy. If I didn’t, believe I wouldn’t wear the T-shirt,” Rourke said, all the while professing his love for Putin, “I have a Russian girlfriend, that’s all I care about. Her father is a good person, her mother’s great, her babushka’s wonderful. To me it’s all about family. I don’t give a f**k about the politics. That’s not my department.”
Speaking of wearing the shirt, Rourke put it on right away.
Asia One News reported that the brand uses the slogan “the most polite of men”, which is derived from the Russian slang “polite men” describing the invasion of Russian troops in Crimea. The brand was specifically geared to glorify Russia’s actions in Crimea.
Despite the connection to Russian politics, Rourke said he bought the t-shirt for completely apolitical purposes, wishing “for peace all over.”
“Me and politics are like night and day. I never understand it, that’s why I’m an artist/actor,” he said according to Page Six. He added, “I like Russia, but I love USA.”
Actor David Duchovny recently defended a controversial Russian beer commercial he stars in, telling TMZ that he does not support Russian policy of late, especially the invasion of Ukraine.
In the Sibirskaia Korona ad, which runs over two minutes long, Duchovny muses about how his life might have turned out if he was born in Russia instead of the United States. “This is the country where I was born and raised,” Duchovny says at the start of the rather epic video, adding, “But there is another country, where I got my family name from. And sometimes I wonder: What if things turned out differently? What if I were Russian?”
Various little vignettes depict the actor as a ballet coach, a cosmonaut, a mullet-wearing bassist in a pop rock band and a hockey player missing a tooth.
Yet, fans became a bit riled over the ad, especially after the recent downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 by pro-Russia separatists. Duchovny commented, “I am proud of my Russian, Ukrainian, Scottish and Polish heritage as I am proud of my American heritage.”
The Sibirskaia Korona commercial spot:
Duchovny adds, “But being proud of one’s ancestry is not a political statement on any current government or public policies.”
The reaction to the commercial has been mixed on Twitter:
David Duchovny does ridiculously elegant ad for the evil beer that saws your head in two at Gogol. http://t.co/AE1cSkpKd2
Duchovny insists the beer commercial is not a political statement – “In retrospect, and in light of recent tragic events, I can now see the potential for misunderstanding and hope people will understand.”
The former X-Files star recently completed a seven-season run on the Showtime hit dramedy Californication, and will appear in the new NBC police drama Aquarius. Duchovny will play a 1960s police sergeant investigating budding cult leader Charles Manson.
Concert organizers for the Tallinn, Estonia “Augustibluus” summer blues festival axed action star Steven Seagal’s time slot due to his pro-Russia/Vladimir Putin leanings.
Back in March while filming a movie in Romania, actor, film producer, screenwriter, director, martial artist, musician and reserve deputy sheriff 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.”
Estonian rock star Tonis Magi, the Augustibluus headliner, called for a boycott of the Tallinn event if Seagal was allowed to perform.
Rock stars in Estonia do things a tad differently, as seen in a Tonis Magi video for a song called Mägi Ruja Rockooperis:
While confirming Seagal’s set was cancelled, Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet commented, “this situation has been solved. The festival organizers have made changes in the program.”
Paet added, “Steven Seagal has tried to actively participate in politics during the past few months and has done it in a way which is unacceptable to the majority of the world that respects democracy and the rule of law – Just like we can’t accept the partial occupation of our neighboring country, we also can’t accept mindless praise of it.”
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 remarked that he “would like to consider him as a brother.” In early March, the straight-to-video action star helped Putin relaunch a national physical fitness program that had been axed after the fall of the Soviet Union.
North Korea’s Great Successor Kim Jong-un is said to be very displeased over a parody video, which features the Supreme Leader dancing his way through absurd situations to a Chinese pop song.
According to South Korean newspaper The Chosunilbo, North Korea asked China to stop the spread of the YouTube clip, as it “seriously compromises Kim’s dignity and authority.” China was somehow unable to stifle the virulence of the video.
The clip was edited by a Chinese man surnamed Zhang, from Suzhou, who reportedly studied at Kyonggi University in South Korea. The video features despot Kim dancing with Russian President Vladimir Putin, skipping hand in hand with Osama bin Laden, being kicked to the ground by President Obama after pirouetting through a ballet studio, being kicked into a pool with a garbage can over his head, dancing on a baseball field and finally riding off on the back of a pig.
The video, which has so far garnered over two million views, is set to a song named Little Apple by a Chinese pop group called Chopstick Brothers.
Here is a loose translation of some of the lyrics from Little Apple:
Never think you hate
Everything you love
There you are fresh every day
There you, more brilliant sunshine
While Kim has yet to explicitly threaten to rain hellfire upon China, his North Korean regime is unhappy. After all, Jong-un has been picked on quite a bit lately. Video game developer Moneyhorse is set to release Glorious Leader!, an old-school shoot-’em-up which features scenarios that describe Kim’s life-facts generated by the propaganda machine of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Here is the trailer for Glorious Leader!:
Kim Jong-un has held the titles of the First Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the Chairman of the Central Military Commission, First Chairman of the National Defense Commission of North Korea, the Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army and presidium member of the Politburo of the Workers’ Party of Korea. He was officially declared the Supreme Leader following the state funeral for his father Kim Jong-il on December 28, 2011.
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.
Journalist Anna Politkovskaya's killer's get life but @BBCDanielS says it's still unknown who gave the orders http://t.co/j8MAxYWaPZ
— BBC World Service (@bbcworldservice) June 9, 2014
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.”
Moscow court sentences five men to prison – two for life – for the murder of Anna Politkovskaya. http://t.co/eSsle7CwK6
— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) June 9, 2014
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.”
Miss Beazley, a Scottish terrier who was the pet of former President George W. Bush, passed away Saturday after a battle with lymphoma. The former White House dog was nine.
Miss Beazley (October 28, 2004 – May 17, 2014), was adopted as a birthday present for First Lady Laura Bush, and moved into the White House as a ten-week-old puppy in 2005. Laura Bush and daughters Barbara and Jenna named the new dog after a character from Oliver Butterworth’s 1956 children’s book, The Enormous Egg.
President Bush took to Facebook and Instagram to eulogize the beloved family dog – “This weekend our beloved dog, Miss Beazley, was put to rest after a battle with lymphoma. She was a source of joy during our time in Washington and in Dallas. She was a close companion to her blood relative, Barney. And even though he received all the attention, Beazley never held a grudge against him. She was a guardian to our cats, Bob and Bernadette, who – like @laurawbush and I – will miss her.”
Barney died in 2013 at the age of 12, also from lymphoma. Barney once made headlines after infamously biting Reuters news reporter Jon Decker’s finger in 2008. Barney was also once criticized by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who feels a world leader should own large dogs, not smaller breeds such as the Scottish Terrier.
Barney and Miss Beazley are both honored with a bronze sculpture featured in the George W. Bush Library.
White House pets have always been around. George Washington’s menagerie included American Staghounds named Sweetlips, Scentwell and Vulcan, Black and Tan Coonhounds called Drunkard, Taster, Tipler and Tipsy, a donkey named Royal Gift, a horse named Nelson and an unnamed parrot said to have been owned by First Lady Martha Washington.
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.
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,”
