Russia

Snowden has legal grounds to become Russian citizen – lawyer
Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden is legally eligible to obtain Russian citizenship, his lawyer said, after it was announced that his asylum status had been extended for 3 more years. “Essentially, he now has every reason to apply for [Russian] citizenship in the future, in a while, as the law [states] that one needs to spend no less than 5 years on the territory of Russia [to be granted c [...]
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Crimeans invite Marine Le Pen to visit peninsula
A senior Crimean official has told reporters that residents of the region would welcome a visit by French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, as well as other politicians who support Crimeans’ choice of reunification with Russia. [...]
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Russian, Turkish Air Forces conduct first joint anti-ISIS op in Syria
Moscow and Ankara are carrying out their first joint military operation against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in the Syrian province of Aleppo, the Russian Defense Ministry has announced. [...]
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UK, Germany, & France ‘grossly interfered’ in US election – Russian FM
Leaders and top officials from the UK, Germany, and France have “grossly interfered” in US internal affairs, “campaigned” for Hillary Clinton, and openly “demonized” Donald Trump, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. [...]
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Lost legacy: How Barack Obama deliberately destroyed the US-Russia relationship
Since becoming the US Commander-in-Chief in 2008, Barack Obama charted a thinly veiled anti-Russia course that many failed to anticipate or appreciate due to the media-generated hype of “hope and change” that accompanied his rise to power. [...]
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US anti-Russia sanctions failed, united Russians around President Putin – Trump’s advisor
Trump advisor Anthony Scaramucci says US sanctions against Russia have, in fact, united the nation around President Putin and his government, having the opposite effect to that desired by Washington, largely due to the toughness of “Russian culture.” [...]
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Russia seeks invitation for US to Syria peace talks in Astana, Iran ‘against’
Iran says it rejects any participation by US representatives at the scheduled Syria peace talks in Astana, Kazakhstan. Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he believes US and UN representatives should be invited to the meeting. [...]
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‘Worse than prostitutes’: Putin slams those behind Trump ‘leak’
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he has no grounds to attack or protect US President-elect Donald Trump, since he does not know him personally. He added though that those behind the recent allegations against Trump have "no moral scruples." [...]
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Big surge in cyberattacks on Russia amid US hacking hysteria – Russian security chief
While the US continues to publicly accuse Russia of numerous hacking attacks without providing any proof, it actually actively uses its own advantages in cyberspace for surveillance and intelligence purposes, Russia’s security chief has said. [...]
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‘Certain Forces in EU Afraid’ of Possible Thaw in Russia-US Ties
German intelligence has accused Russia of systematically undermining relations between Europe and the US, German Spiegel Online magazine wrote, citing a new report prepared jointly by the Federal Intelligence Service and the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. [...]
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Trump Will Have to ‘Face Hawks in Congress’ if Aims to Ease Sanctions on Russia
In the last week of his presidency, Barack Obama extended sanctions against Russia. Next US President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized the policy of sanctions. However, experts warn that Trump is unlikely to lift the sanctions in the first months of his term. [...]
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Russian Post Sends Melania Trump Unusual Parcel
Russian singer Victoria Tsyganova has sent a parcel to the wife of newly elected US president Donald Trump containing a jacket made of fur and cashmere. It will be delivered to the US by the Russian Post. According to the Russian Post, the parcel was sent to the US on Friday from Sheremetyevo airport on a regular flight to New York. [...]
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Putin ‘Outmaneuvers’ Obama by Refusing to Expel US Diplomats, Slap Sanctions
Russian President Vladimir Putin has once again "outmaneuvered" US President Barack Obama by refraining from slapping reciprocal sanctions on American government agencies and expelling US diplomats, Earl Rasmussen, Executive Vice President of the Eurasia Center, told RIA Novosti. [...]
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Putin’s Bear to Obama’s Turkey
True to national emblem, Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown bear-like stoicism. As for the presumed American eagle, US President Barack Obama appears more like a trussed-up turkey. Not for the first time, the contrast in character between Putin and Obama was illustrated in the latest diplomatic spat over alleged Russian hacking. [...]
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Zakharova: ‘Obama team are foreign policy losers, humiliate Americans with anti-Russia sanctions’
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has posted a scathing Facebook comment on US President Barack Obama’s approval of new anti-Russian measures, arguing Obama’s “bitter” and “helpless” team did a disfavor to the White House’s reputation. Zakharova wrote that the outgoing president did not manage to leave “any” major foreign policy achievements as part of his [...]
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Austria to use OSCE chairmanship to ease anti-Russia sanctions – FM Kurz
The new chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has said he seeks to improve relations with Russia, as there can be no "positive developments" on the continent with the current punitive approach. Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said his country, Austria, will work to "gradually" ease sanctions imposed by the West against Russia in connection with Ukra [...]
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‘Zero Evidence’ of Alleged Russia’s Influence on US Election – Trump Spokesman
Washington does not possess any evidence of Russia allegedly influencing the US presidential election despite claims by mainstream media, incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Monday. In an interview to another US broadcaster, Spicer said that Trump and his team would wait for the final report from intelligence services before making any decisions regarding alleged Russia's hackin [...]
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Kissinger’s Possible Role in US-Russia Normalization is ‘Great News for Moscow’
In late-December, the German newspaper Bild reported that former United States Secretary of State Henry Kissinger would be involved in normalizing ties between Moscow and Washington. The analysis of information, obtained by European intelligence from President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team and cited by Bild, revealed that the White House would go for a "constructive cooperation" with the [...]
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‘Most Damaging and Embarrassing Answer We Could Receive,’ – Putin Shocks Experts
Russian President Vladimir Putin has responded to the outgoing US administration’s efforts to provoke conflict through new sanctions in what some are calling the “most embarrassing” way possible for US President Barack Obama. [...]
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‘As if she was Mother Teresa herself’: Russia’s Churkin snubs US Power’s speech at UNSC
Russia’s UN envoy Vitaly Churkin hit back at his US counterpart, Samantha Power, at a UN Security Council meeting, saying that she was not Mother Teresa and represents a country with a long record of violations. Power and Churkin both spoke at a UN Security Council meeting on Aleppo in New York City on Monday. [...]
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Obama blames Russia for hacking, says response won’t be public
US President Barack Obama said Russia "in fact" had "hacked into the DNC," but that the actual voting process was not compromised. The White House was just trying to "let people know" what was going on, and the media interpreted the reasons, he said. [...]
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Putin, Abe agree on joint Russia-Japan activities on Kuril Islands
Vladimir Putin and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe have worked out a statement on the prospects of joint Russian-Japanese economic activities in the South Kuril Islands as the Russian leader arrived in Japan for what’s seen as a breakthrough visit. [...]
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