Section: The Guardian (The United Kingdom)
Kremlin calling? Meet the Russian pranksters who say ‘Elton owes us’
Duo who prank-called many influential critics of Russia deny links to its security services … but would they spoof Putin?Lexus and Vovan are fast gaining a reputation as the most mischievous men in Russia. The pair of professional prank callers, real names Alexei Stolyarov and Vladimir Kuznetsov, have claimed scalps as diverse as Elton John and...
Russia looking to buy 5 dolphins with perfect teeth and killer instinct
Government website reveals defence ministry plan to revive Soviet-era use of marine mammals for combat operationsRussia’s defence ministry is looking to buy five dolphins, the government has revealed, as the country strives to revive its Soviet-era use of sea mammals for military tasks.The military has opened the bidding on a 1.75m ruble...
Why Ukraine needs Russia more than ever
With country at risk of becoming a failed state, Kiev must recognise that economic survival depends on Moscow not the westIn January Ukraine’s president, Petro Poroshenko, congratulated the country on surviving its first winter without buying Russian gas. It had instead bought European gas which, as Poroshenko pointed out proudly, was 30%...
Ukrainian pilot on hunger strike attacks ‘farce’ of Russian trial
Nadezhda Savchenko gives closing statement to court before judge retires to consider verdict on claim she directed deadly artillery strikeA Ukrainian pilot on trial in Russia has given her closing statement in the case, five days after she began a hunger strike that she has pledged to continue unless she is returned to Ukraine. Russia has...
‘I will return home, dead or alive,’ says Ukrainian pilot on trial in Russia
As Nadiya Savchenko’s court case resumes, here is a translation of the statement she was prevented from delivering last week The trial of Nadiya Savchenko, a Ukrainian pilot jailed in Russia, is expected to resume today with a verdict possible later in the week. Savchenko, 34, has been charged with complicity in the killing of two Russian...
Chernobyl 30 years on: former residents remember life in the ghost city of Pripyat
Evacuees from the Chernobyl nuclear accident remember relatives, friends and colleagues who died – and the abandoned city declared unsafe for 24,000 yearsIn a biting winter wind, Alexander Petrovich Zabirchenko walks slowly along a memorial to firefighters and workers who died in the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, touching each of the portraits...
‘Kleptocracy tours’ expose state failure to stop dirty money buying up London
Why we started running trips to homes of the mega-rich that shed light on the offshore deals pushing up house prices Curious sightseers have been flocking for tickets on a “kleptocracy tour” of London after a recent spate of publicity, hoping for a glimpse into the murky world of Russian oligarchs in the capital. But providing an insight into the...
Crimea hands out military draft papers to newborn boys
Russian authorities in annexed territory celebrate Soviet holiday by telling male infants to report for duty in 2032. Meduza reports Russian authorities in Crimea have formally presented newborn boys with military draft notices alongside the more usual birth certificates, calling on them to report for duty in 2032. The Crimean government handed...
Life after Ukraine: the ‘invisible’ Russian fighters struggling to return to normal
Volunteers say they’ve been left to cope with the physical and psychological scars without any state support. Meduza reportsRussian volunteers returning home after fighting alongside separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine say they have not received any support from the state, despite many suffering from ongoing physical and psychological...
MH17 report identifies Russian soldiers suspected of downing plane in Ukraine
Investigative team says it can link Russian soldiers to missile thought to have downed Malaysia Airlines flight in 2014A British-led online investigative team says it has identified Russian soldiers linked to a surface-to-air missile suspected of downing Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in Ukraine in 2014.The Bellingcat report paints a picture of up...
