Russia warns of nuclear weapons in Baltic if Sweden and Finland join Nato - by J.Henley and J.Borger

Moscow has said it will be forced to strengthen its defences in the Baltic if Finland and Sweden join Nato, including by deploying nuclear weapons, as the war in Ukraine entered its seventh week and the country braced for a major attack in the east.

However, the Lithuanian defence minister, Arvydas Anušauskas, claimed on Thursday that Russia already had nuclear weapons stored in its Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad, which borders Lithuania and Poland. That claim has not been independently verified, but the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) reported in 2018 that nuclear weapon storage bunkers in Kaliningrad had been upgraded.

Read more at: Russia warns of nuclear weapons in Baltic if Sweden and Finland join Nato | Russia | The Guardian

Russian Invasion of Ukriane: Russia says Moskva cruiser has sunk after reported Ukrainian missile strike - by P.Sauer, J.Borger and J. Elgot

Russia’s flagship missile cruiser Moskva has sunk in “stormy seas” while being towed to a port in the Black Sea following an explosion, the Russian defence ministry has announced. The Ukrainian southern military command claimed late on Wednesday to have struck the Moskva with Neptune anti-ship cruise missiles, while distracting its crew with an aerial drone, causing it to start sinking and forcing the crew to abandon ship.
Russia’s defence ministry initially denied reports that it had sunk and claimed the fires had been extinguished. Four Russian ships that had gone to the Moskva’s rescue were being hampered by stormy

But late on Thursday, the ministry said in a statement: “The cruiser ship Moskva lost its stability when it was towed to the port because of the damage to the ship’s hull that it received during the fire from the detonation of ammunition. In stormy sea conditions, the ship sank.”

Read more at: Russia says Moskva cruiser has sunk after reported Ukrainian missile strike | Russia | The Guardian

Russia and failed Ukraine invasion: Moscow protester says 'no future' for Russia under Putin as anger grows

Tens of thousands of people around the world have taken to the streets over the last week to protest against the Russian tyrant's unprovoked attack on Ukraine. In Russia, citizens in cities spanning from Moscow to Siberia have defied threats of arrest to send their leader a clear message - "No to War" - in a series of recent demonstrations. Despite the peaceful nature of the protests, many people ended up being arrested and detained by Russian police.

Read more at Russia news: Moscow protester says 'no future' for Russia under Putin as anger grows | World | News | Express.co.uk

Russia: Moscow locks down as Russian COVID-19 deaths surge to new highs -by Tom Balmforth and Andrew Osborn

The Russian capital brought in its strictest COVID-19 related lockdown measures in more than a year on Thursday as nationwide one-day pandemic deaths and infections hit new highs amid slow vaccination take-up across the world's biggest country.

Read more at: Moscow locks down as Russian COVID-19 deaths surge to new highs | Reuters

EU-Russia Relations: Can EU keep Navalny safe as he 'defies' Putin? - by Andrew Rettman

EU diplomacy might help keep Russian opposition hero Alexei Navalny safe when he "defies" Russian president Vladimir Putin by going home this weekend.

"I think it's unlikely he [Navalny] would be arrested at the airport, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was," Vladimir Ashurkov, a Russian émigré living in London who is a close associate of Navalny's, told EUobserver on Thursday (14 January).

Russia has already prepared two warrants for Navalny's arrest on bogus charges - parole violation and embezzlement, Ashurkov said.

"If they tried before, there's nothing to stop them from doing it in the future," Ashurkov also said on the risk to Navalny's life, after Putin's spy service, the FSB, poisoned Navalny last year.

Read more at: Can EU keep Navalny safe as he 'defies' Putin?

Russia: Fresh protest draws Russians out against Kremlin ′repression′

Thousands of Russians on Sunday chanted "Let them go" during a protest in central Moscow demanding the release of opposition activists jailed recently for dissent.

Demonstrators demanded a halt to "repression" against anti-government politicians and activists after some received sentences of up to four years. Many attendees held up photos of those being incarcerated.

Those detained were sentenced for taking part in illegal protests during the Northern Hemisphere summer, others are being prosecuted for crimes such as violence against police officers, which protesters say are trumped up.

Authorities said some 20,000 people took part in Sunday's rally, which was authorized by the mayor's office. There were no arrests.

"No one can get a fair hearing in Russian courts — injustice and lawlessness can happen to anyone now," opposition politician Lyubov Sobol told protesters over a sound system from a raised stage.

Read more: Fresh protest draws Russians out against Kremlin ′repression′ | News | DW | 29.09.2019

British Russian Relations: Expelled Russian Diplomats Head Home As U.K. Mulls Furthur Poisoning Response

Twenty-three Russian diplomats who were ordered out of Britain in response to the poisoning of a former spy with a deadly nerve agent arrived home on March 20, as London decided not to impose further sanctions on Moscow for now.

The diplomats, who Prime Minister Theresa May said were spies, had been given a week to leave Britain as tension mounted over what officials say was the first known offensive use of a nerve toxin in Europe since World War II.

Three buses with diplomatic license plates left the Russian Embassy in London in the morning as embassy workers waved, Reuters reported. The diplomats boarded a plane to Moscow's Vnukovo airport, where it landed later in the day.

A patriotic imperial-era Russian march played as the buses carrying diplomats and their families left for the airport, state-run Russian news agency TASS reported
Read more: Expelled Russian Diplomats Head Home As U.K. Mulls Furthur Poisoning Response

Russia: 40,000 attend Moscow pro-Putin rally

Tens of thousands of strongman Vladimir Putin's supporters rallied Saturday near the Kremlin walls, a year after protests in neighbouring Ukraine led to the fall of its pro-Russian president.

Police said up to 40,000 people turned out with around 1,000 attending a similar rally in the second city of Saint Petersburg. Critics claimed many were paid to attend or bussed in.

"Yankee go home and take the Maidan with you," read one massive banner referring to Ukraine's pro-Western uprising that came to be known as the Maidan protests.

Read more: 40,000 attend Moscow pro-Putin rally - Yahoo News

Ukraine crisis: EU and US impose "very soft" sanctions over Crimea

The EU and US have announced travel bans and asset freezes against a number of officials from Russia and Ukraine.

The moves follow Sunday's referendum in Crimea, in which officials say 97% of voters backed breaking away from Ukraine and joining Russia.

The individuals targeted by the sanctions are seen as having played a key role in the referendum, which Kiev, the US and EU deem illegal.

Pro-Russian forces have been in control of Crimea since late February.

Moscow says the troops are pro-Russian self-defence forces and not under its direct control.

Note EU-Digest: Not one country so far in the world has applauded this move by Russia and in the long run this issue could come and bite Mr. Putin in the tail economically.

Read more: BBC News - Ukraine crisis: EU and US impose sanctions over Crimea

Ukraine crisis: Moscow rally opposes Crimea intervention

Tens of thousands have joined a rally in the Russian capital Moscow to oppose its intervention in Ukraine, a day before Crimeans vote on whether to secede and join Russia.

Holding Russian and Ukrainian flags, they shouted: "The occupation of Crimea is Russia's disgrace." A smaller pro-Moscow rally was being held elsewhere.

Moscow supports the vote, which Ukraine and the West have dismissed as illegal. Kiev says Russian "provocateurs" are behind clashes in eastern Ukraine.

Three people have died in pro- and anti-Moscow rallies in the cities of Donetsk and Kharkiv with sides blaming each other. 

Russia's military intervention in the Crimean peninsula - part of Russia until 1954 and host to its Black Sea fleet - followed the fall of Ukraine's pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych on 22 February.

Read more: BBC News - Ukraine crisis: Moscow rally opposes Crimea intervention

Russia: 90,000 Rally to Support Putin on May Day

Vladimir Putin honored at Moscow May Day rally

Tens of thousands of people marched in central Moscow on Wednesday at a May Day rally billed as a show of support for President Vladimir Putin.

About 90,000 people participated in the march down Tverskaya Ulitsa organized by two pro-Putin organizations, the United Russia party and the All-Russia People's Front, the police said in a statement. Police initially put the figure at 70,000 but later revised it upward.

In contrast, the march staged last May 1 attracted 150,000 people, according to police, and gave Putin a tangible boost in support as he faced growing protests ahead of his inauguration to a third term as president six days later.

Wednesday's march also was supposed to have served as a demonstration of Putin's power, RIA-Novosti reported.

Read more: 90,000 Rally to Support Putin on May Day | News | The Moscow Times

European Traffic: Brussels 10th in European Congestion Index

Traffic Congestion Brussels

Brussels is Belgium's "congestion capital" as the Belgian city with the most traffic jams. That's according to data collected by the GPS manufacturer TomTom.

Brussels takes 10th place on a European list. The worst place to visit by car is Moscow, both on a European level and worldwide.

TomTom calculated that motorists living 30 kilometres from their work in Brussels, lose 101 hours each year in their car, only due to traffic congestion. This does not calculate the normal time to commute. TomTom claims that its Congestion Index is the most accurate in the world "because it's the only one which is fully based on motorists' actual travel times."  

 Read more: Brussels 10th in European Congestion Index < Belgian news | Expatica Belgium

Russia: Heaviest Snowfall in a Century Hits Moscow

The heaviest snowfall in a century brought Moscow and the surrounding region to a near standstill and left hundreds of people without power, officials said Tuesday.

And with snowfall set to continue at least until the end of the week, the authorities are bracing for more chaos on the roads. "There hasn't been such a winter in 100 years," Pyotr Biryukov, deputy mayor for residential issues, said Tuesday in comments carried by Interfax. "The snow this year has already reached one and a half times the climatic norm," he said.

The capital has seen 216 centimeters of snow fall since the beginning of winter, Biryukov said.

Average snowfall in Moscow is 152 centimeters a year. Biryukov said the city saw 26 centimeters in the 24 hours preceding his Tuesday afternoon news conference and has seen 36 centimeters since the beginning of February. 

Read more: Heaviest Snowfall in a Century Hits Moscow | News | The Moscow Times

Tourism: Capsule Hotel Opens in Moscow

Moscow's first "Sleepbox" hotel has opened on 1st Tverskaya-Yamskaya Ulitsa, conveniently located next to the Belorussky train station, the city's committee on tourism and hospitality announced Thursday.

The hotel, founded by Arch Group Architectural Bureau, is made up of 2-meter by 1.5-meter soundproof capsules — or sleepboxes — made from wood and plastic. One night in a sleepbox with a bunk bed for two costs 2,600 rubles each? ($86), while a single bed will run you 2,900 rubles, Interfax reported.

The sleepboxes differ from ordinary hotel rooms in their minimalism the only things in the "box" apart from a bed is a shelf and a few electrical outlets — the bare necessities for a traveler.

The first hotel of sleepboxes opened in Russia in 2009 at Sheremetyevo Airport, although that hotel offers showers and bathrooms in the capsules. Sleepboxes shot to popularity in Japan, where ordinary hotels are generally very expensive. It remains to be seen whether the innovation will become popular in Moscow as well.

Read more: Capsule Hotel Opens in Moscow | News | The Moscow Times

Russia: Biggest snowfall in 50 years hits Moscow

A snowstorm has dumped a record 12cm of snow on the Russian capital in 24 hours causing disruption across the city. The roads in the capital were clogged up and bulldozers were brought in to clear Red Square.

Forecasters say that the storm will continue until Friday morning. Moscow's city hall said the Russian capital had not seen such a big snowfall in November for 50 years snowfall in Moscow.

Read more: Biggest snowfall in 50  years hits Moscow

Russia: Blaze engulfs Europe's tallest building site

Huge flames danced for hours as a massive fire engulfed the top floors of an under-construction Moscow skyscraper that is set to be Europe’s tallest.

The fire at the eastern part of the Federation Tower complex was visible from much of the the city’s western half, but no injuries were reported in the blaze.

Two firefighting helicopters noisily circled the blaze, dumping huge buckets of water on the flames. The Emergencies Ministry said the fire was stopped from spreading by about 11.30pm (5.30am Tuesday AEST), some three hours after it began.

For more: Blaze engulfs Europe's tallest building si

Russia warns against Israeli air strike on Iran - by Alex Spillius

Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavov has warned that a military strike on Iran would be a “very serious mistake” with “unpredictable consequences”, after Israel’s president Shimon Peres said that an attack was increasingly likely. Moscow, the closest thing Iran has to a big power ally, is deeply opposed to any military action against the Islamic republic, though Moscow has supported UN Security Council sanctions against Tehran.

"This would be a very serious mistake fraught with unpredictable consequences," said Mr Lavrov, addressing reporters in Moscow. "Military intervention only leads to a multiple rise in casualties and human suffering."A raid on Iran's nuclear facilities would be likely to provoke Tehran into disruptive retaliatory measures in the Gulf that would sever shipping routes and disrupt the flow of oil and gas to export markets.

For more: Russia warns against Israeli air strike on Iran - Telegraph

Moscow Airport Bombing: Medvedev says security at bombed airport poor

Following the suicide bombing at Russia's largest airport, which killed 35 people, President Dmitry Medvedev called Tuesday for full security checks to be conducted at all transport hubs and for government officials to be held accountable for security lapses.

Medvedev said management of Domodedovo Airport must share responsibility for security failures that contributed to the blast Monday, which also injured 180 people. He described security at the airport as "simply a state of anarchy."

Airport management objected, saying the inspection of people coming into the arrivals area, where the bombing took place, is the responsibility of transport police.

For more: Medvedev says security at bombed airport poor - Yahoo! News

Spiegel OnLine: Eurovision Song Contest - Camp and Controversy in Moscow: The Eurovision Extravaganza Heats Up

For the complete report from the SPIEGEL ONLINE click on this link

Eurovision Song Contest - Camp and Controversy in Moscow: The Eurovision Extravaganza Heats Up

Moscow promised to host the most lavish Eurovision Song Contest ever. But as the weekend approaches, controversy may be brewing. What, one wonders, could be a greater honor than playing host to a collection of outrageously campy music acts from across Europe, all gathered for a frenzy of televised flamboyance that seems to get more frivolous by the year? Moscow, for its part, has taken the responsibility seriously and has pledged the most lavish show ever when the grand finale of the Eurovision Song Contest hits the stage there this weekend. They have spent €30 million and have booked Olimpiyski Indoor Arena in downtown Moscow for the show. Still, controversy threatens to torpedo the hosts' best efforts. The narrowing of the field is already well underway.

A number of acts were sent home on Tuesday, with Belarus, Bulgaria and Belgium all getting the boot, along with a handful of others. Fifteen of the 25 finalists have now been chosen, with pop perennials Sweden making the cut along with Iceland, Israel, Romania, Armenia and Malta, among others. Turkey emerged as the favorite among 10 countries moving on to Saturday's final. Turkish pop singer Hadise, who grew up in Belgium, sang "Düm Tek Tek" in English and performed with belly dancers. Five countries -- defending champion Russia, France, Britain, Spain and Germany, whose act includes stripper sine qua non Dita von Teese -- qualify automatically. It is their money that makes the event happen. The annual competition is one of the most-watched television events in Europe, with nearly 300 million viewers around the world. In its 53-year history, the colorful contest has even helped launch careers -- like those of international pop acts Abba and Celine Dion.

One can expect an exiting and colorful evening with great songs, lots of spectacular choreography and drama as usual.

Esctoday: Eurovision Song Contest Moscow 2009 : Czech Republic - The return of the Super gipsy

For the complete report from the esctoday.com click on this link

Eurovision Song Contest Moscow 2009 : Czech Republic - The return of the Super gipsy

Eurovision Song Contest Moscow 2009 : Czech Republic - The return of the Super gipsy

With only a few days to go before the start of the rehearsal process for the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest, this years Czech Republic entry Gipsy.cz take time out to talk to esctoday.com. In this exclusive interview the band talk about how they plan to bring some Czech humor and irony to the Eurovision stage. They also talk about the band's past musical achievements and how we will see "the return of the Super gipsy".