Edward Snowden is a man who gave up the life he had in order to “blow the whistle” on the work of the National Security Agency (NSA). The NSA programs that have been exposed in the process have raised serious concerns about secret surveillance programs and internet spying. Many rights groups, free speech advocates, and […]
Archives
Snowden Enters Russia: Live Updates
The United States is waking up to hear the news that Edward Snowden, the fugitive NSA leaker, has reportedly left Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport and has entered Russia, according to Snowden’s lawyer. The latest updates: 12:38 EST: Wikileaks has confirmed that the pictures we’ve posted below do in fact show Snowden leaving the airport. They have already […]
U.S. Is Overpaying for Russian Helicopters, Group Says
The Pentagon is paying inflated prices to buy controversial Russian helicopters for Afghanistan, an advocacy group critical of the deal said Monday ahead of a Senate vote.
What is the “Russian-American Initiative” for Syria?
On July 25, Russian Prime Minister Sergey Lavrov met with a Syrian government delegation headed by Qadri Jamil, Assad’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs. The meeting came at the same time that representatives of the Syrian opposition met with the UN Security Council for the first time. Lavrov opened with an introductory speech. The statement contains […]
Co-opting the Russian Opposition
Last Wednesday, we went to bed with the knowledge that opposition figure Alexei Navalny could be headed to prison while we slept. This thought did not escape Navalny, either. The investigative-blogger-turned-Moscow-mayoral candidate did what he did best in the final days before his sentence. His last blog post, translated by The Interpreter, was a heartfelt call to action, […]
Snowden Liveblog: Temporary Asylum in Russia?
10:48 EST: Snowden’s lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, continues to speak to RT. Snowden is in good spirits, and has thanked, through Kucherena, the journalists who are covering his story “in an objective way.” Kucherena stressed again the real concerns that he and Snowden share about security, even after Snowden receives asylum. Kucherena then went on to […]
The UK is Granting Russia ‘License to Kill’
In what resembles a real-world James Bond plot gone wrong, a former Russian agent-turned-dissident was killed in 2006 while in England. Alexander Litvinenko, a former FSB secret service member, died of Polonium-210 poisoning after moved to the UK following his disclosure that the FSB was engaged in assassinations, had ties to the mob, conducted terrorist […]
Economic amnesty may exclude Navalny and Khodorkovsky
Economic amnesty is a measure which applies to the whole system, it would be very difficult to apply its rules to any person in particular, business rights ombudsman Boris Titov told a news conference on Tuesday.
Russia pushes ahead with arms shipments to Syria
“All agreements between Russia and Syria in the area of arms deliveries are in place,” said Qadri Jamil after a meeting with Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, in Moscow on Monday. “The contracts continue and are in force.”
Navalny Is Free | Russian Opposition Leader Released From Prison
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is free only one day after having been sentenced to five years in prison. Yesterday, the prosecution in Kirov, that had asked for a 6 year sentence, appealed the actual arrest of Navalny on what seemed like a legal technicality. At a hearing today, the prosecution argued that keeping Navalny […]