Tag: Kremlin

  • Details: The CIA has been training elite forces in Ukraine – for more than ten years

    Details: The CIA has been training elite forces in Ukraine – for more than ten years

    For over ten years, the CIA has trained elite forces and spies in Ukraine and built secret underground military bunkers for intelligence operations along the border with Russia, according to an exposé in the New York Times. The cooperation has become stronger over the years and now Ukraine is one of Washington's most important intelligence…

  • The exhibition in Helsinki honors Kremlin critic Navalny

    The exhibition in Helsinki honors Kremlin critic Navalny

    In Helsinki, as in many capitals of the world, the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in a distant penal colony, has been monitored.

  • The Kremlin is silent on Putin's missing top general

    The Kremlin is silent on Putin's missing top general

    Two rumors have recently grown stronger: that the Ukrainian commander-in-chief is about to be fired and that the Russian commander-in-chief is dead. In Russia, Russian General Valery Gerasimov was last seen in public at the end of December last year. Since a series of Ukrainian attacks on occupied Crimea in early January, it is rumored…

  • Presidential candidate Urpilainen supports the moderation of the dual citizenship debate for security reasons

    Presidential candidate Urpilainen supports the moderation of the dual citizenship debate for security reasons

    Urpilainen emphasized that although security threats should not be underestimated, it is impractical and unfair to punish Finnish Russians collectively. He pointed out that these people have chosen to live in Finland because of its democratic values ​​and freedoms. The candidate also stated that the spread of Kremlin propaganda is not only for Russians, as…

  • The spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry blames Finland and the West for the border issues

    The spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry blames Finland and the West for the border issues

    A Kremlin official claimed that it is possible that the “collective West” is urging migrants to leave Russia for Finland.

  • Putin may have renounced Russian losses

    Putin may have renounced Russian losses

    Hear about how the death toll affects power in the Kremlin and about the concerns that spread after information from the American think tank ISW (Institute for the Study of War) that Russia may be preparing for a war against NATO. Also, how Ukraine can now start negotiating with the EU for membership. Magnus Christianson,…

  • Why Should You Pay Attention To Putin’s Q&A? Here Are Six Reasons.

    Why Should You Pay Attention To Putin’s Q&A? Here Are Six Reasons.

    Vladimir Putin is running for a fifth term as Russia’s president. This we now know for sure, though it’s been widely assumed for months or even years. We also know, with near certainty, that he’ll win the March election. What we don’t know is exactly how Putin will run and what he will emphasize in…

  • Defense Minister: Russia's attack strengthens the international community

    Defense Minister: Russia's attack strengthens the international community

    Finland must always be on guard, says Minister Antti Häkkänen (NCP), but the Kremlin's attack on Ukraine has brought Western and Nordic countries closer together.

  • Finland's presidential election, the decrease in traffic deaths and outdoor schools: Finland in the world press

    Finland's presidential election, the decrease in traffic deaths and outdoor schools: Finland in the world press

    This article on the growing importance of the Finnish presidential election due to Russia's actions in Ukraine and the “hybrid war” on the eastern border has been discussed Euronews 21 November. The article tells about the ongoing presidential elections in November, which are often called the “dead month” in Finnish. Jutta Urpilainen, Finland's EU commissioner…

  • Anna-Lena Lauren

    Anna-Lena Lauren

    Forced to leave Russia in April 2023 after being denied a new visa. She had then lived and worked as a correspondent there for 16 years. As a Finnish-Swedish journalist, she reports for Dagens Nyheter and Hufvudstadsbladet with a new station in Kiev, Ukraine. Her sixth book “The Velvet Dictatorship” from 2021 is about the…

  • What does Russia intend to achieve with hybrid tactics on the Finnish border?

    What does Russia intend to achieve with hybrid tactics on the Finnish border?

    The Kremlin’s suspected hybrid operation on the Finnish border may aim to sow social discord and paint Finland as part of the “hostile” West, two foreign policy experts estimate.

  • The Kremlin spokesman denies Russia’s accusations behind the increase in asylum seekers

    The Kremlin spokesman denies Russia’s accusations behind the increase in asylum seekers

    The Finnish government closed four border crossings last week in response to Russian authorities allowing more and more illegal asylum seekers to cross.

  • HS: Russian border authorities bring people to the Finnish border

    HS: Russian border authorities bring people to the Finnish border

    The Kainuu border guard district has revealed that yesterday a total of 16 people applied for asylum at the Vartius border crossing, located approximately 250 kilometers east of Oulu. According to preliminary information, the asylum seekers are from Morocco, Somalia and Syria. The border crossing was closed for the day as planned at 18:00 and…

  • The Russian journalist is Putin’s target

    The Russian journalist is Putin’s target

    Fredrik Wadström gives the story of Yelena Kostiuchenko – the journalist who angered the Kremlin with her revelations about Russian war crimes. After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she is forced to flee to Germany, where she relaxes. But that soon turns out to be a mistake. Host: Karl Kadhammar Guest: Fredrik Wadström Producer: Ulrika…

  • Russia celebrates despite missing victories

    Russia celebrates despite missing victories

    Moscow’s Red Square recently celebrated the alleged annexation of four Ukrainian territories, although they are still not under Russian control. Scores of waving flags framed the scene but the main character was missing, President Vladimir Putin did not appear. Hear about what signals it sends and what Russia is doing in the occupied territories to…

  • Live Briefing: Russia invades Ukraine

    Live Briefing: Russia invades Ukraine

    RFE/RL’s Live Briefing brings you all the latest developments on Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Western military aid to Kiev, worldwide reactions and the civilian and refugee situation. For all of RFE/RL’s coverage of the war, click here. Latest developments at a glance North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in Russia ahead of…

  • The Kremlin explains why it is not worried about Sweden and Finland in NATO

    The Kremlin explains why it is not worried about Sweden and Finland in NATO

    Russia has “no problems” with the two Scandinavian countries, Dmitry Peskov has said Sweden and Finland’s membership in NATO is not a problem for Russia as Ukraine’s would be, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview on Monday. Russia “have no problems with either Sweden or Finland,” Peskov told the RBK channel. “We have…

  • Ukraine in NATO differs from Finland and Sweden Kremlin

    Ukraine in NATO differs from Finland and Sweden Kremlin

    Russia has ?no problem? with the two Scandinavian countries, Dmitry Peskov has said Sweden and Finland’s membership in NATO is not a problem for Russia as Ukraine’s would be, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview on Monday. Russia “has no problems with either Sweden or Finland,” Peskov told the RBK channel. “We have…

  • Ukraine in NATO differs from Finland and Sweden – Kremlin

    Ukraine in NATO differs from Finland and Sweden – Kremlin

    Russia has “no problems” with the two Scandinavian countries, Dmitry Peskov has said Sweden and Finland’s membership in NATO is not a problem for Russia as Ukraine’s would be, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview on Monday. Russia “have no problems with either Sweden or Finland,” Peskov told the RBK channel. “We have…

  • The Nobel Foundation welcomes the Russian ambassador

    The Nobel Foundation welcomes the Russian ambassador

    The organization behind the awards has announced that it will invite all envoys to Sweden and Norway to its ceremonies to combat “polarisation” Ambassadors from all nations “diplomatically represented in Sweden and Norway” will henceforth be invited to Nobel Prize events, the foundation behind the prestigious awards announced on Thursday. The move is a step…

  • Vladimir Putin’s Secret Family

    Vladimir Putin’s Secret Family

    Moscow Correspondent Maria Persson Löfgren tells the story of Alina Kabajeva, who has long been identified as Putin’s girlfriend. After the attack on Ukraine, Kabajeva has been put on the EU, US and UK sanctions lists because of her closeness to the president – but she is not officially recognized. According to Russian media, the…

  • Finland closes the Russian Consulate General in Turku

    Finland closes the Russian Consulate General in Turku

    Mikko KivikoskiDeputy Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday told Helsingin Sanomat announced that the duties of the Consulate General will either be terminated or transferred to the Russian Embassy in Helsinki. “In any case, a consulate general has a more limited range of functions than an embassy,” he said. Four Russian…

  • The grain deal and the bromance that binds

    The grain deal and the bromance that binds

    The grain agreement between Russia and Ukraine is not being renewed, the Kremlin announced this week. The agreement has made it possible for Ukraine to safely transport grain through the Black Sea and reach, among other things, countries in Africa with vital grain. And Turkey, which was instrumental in pushing the deal through, appears unable…

  • The Week in Russia: Rebellion, Alliance and War

    The Week in Russia: Rebellion, Alliance and War

    I’m Steve Gutterman, editor of RFE/RL’s Russia/Ukraine/Belarus Desk. Welcome to The Week In Russia, where I dissect the key developments in Russian politics and society over the past week and look at what lies ahead. To receive The Week In Russia newsletter in your inbox, click here. A “traitor” was welcomed into the Kremlin and…

  • Zelenskyy defends US sending cluster munitions

    Zelenskyy defends US sending cluster munitions

    Vilnius – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday defended the Biden administration’s decision to supply Kiev with cluster munitions, weapons banned by more than 120 countries because of their indiscriminate ability to kill, saying it will help Ukraine defend itself from Russian aggression. “It is very easy to criticize cluster weapons,” Zelenskyy told reporters during…

  • Kremlin tells Turkey to wise up on EU

    Kremlin tells Turkey to wise up on EU

    Nations in the 27-state bloc ?don’t want to see? Ankara as a member, Russia has warned Russia has no illusions about Turkey’s commitments to NATO but urges Ankara to look realistically at its chances of joining the EU, Moscow has said. The Turkish president had previously linked Sweden’s accession to the US-led military bloc with…

  • Ukraine’s NATO accession will dominate leaders’ summit in Vilnius

    Ukraine’s NATO accession will dominate leaders’ summit in Vilnius

    As NATO members, in a rare sign of discord, disagree over the US decision to supply cluster bombs to Ukraine, the military alliance is expected to drop a major hurdle to Kiev’s bid for membership at a meeting in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed hope that the two-day summit would send…

  • Latest in Ukraine: Putin met the Wagner leader after the mutiny

    Latest in Ukraine: Putin met the Wagner leader after the mutiny

    Recent developments: Ukrainian officials say the country’s forces have recaptured 193 square kilometers of territory since launching a counteroffensive last month. Poland, which acts as a hub for military aid to Ukraine, says it has arrested a 15th member of a Russian spy network. Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said the person “kept surveillance of military…

  • Ukraine, China, migration – the EU summit tackles a series of sticky issues

    Ukraine, China, migration – the EU summit tackles a series of sticky issues

    Paris – The war in Ukraine remains high on the agenda as EU leaders meet on Thursday and Friday in Brussels, just days after the Wagner group’s short-lived revolt in Russia. Other hot-button issues to be discussed include European defence, relations with China and immigration. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s rebellion last weekend has added a…

  • It is at stake in Ukraine’s counter-offensive

    It is at stake in Ukraine’s counter-offensive

    Sveriges Radio’s correspondent Lubna El-Shanti takes us to a Ukraine where hopes for the counter-offensive are sky high. Many see this as the best opportunity to drive a wedge into Russian defenses and some even believe that this is the beginning of the end of the occupation. At the same time, conditions at the front…

  • Finland expels nine employees of the Russian Embassy in Helsinki

    Finland expels nine employees of the Russian Embassy in Helsinki

    Marja Liivaladirector general of the Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Helsingin Sanomat announced that the deportations will take place in the near future, but a more detailed schedule is not given. He also refused to comment on the duties of the employees in question on the…

  • Zelensky discusses peace summit with Scholz

    Zelensky discusses peace summit with Scholz

    Ukrainian president thanked German chancellor for supporting Kiev’s ‘peace formula’ Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has said that his recent meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz included talks on preparing a “Global Peace Summit.“ Earlier this week, media reported that Kiev and its Western backers planned to convene a global meeting focusing on Kiev’s “peace formula,”…

  • Zelensky and Macron plan peace summit without Russia WSJ

    Zelensky and Macron plan peace summit without Russia WSJ

    The gathering aims to bring non-Western nations on board with Kiev’s peace plan, which Russia has rejected Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and his European patrons are organizing a summit to build support for Kiev’s peace plan, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. The plan’s demands have been deemed unacceptable by Russia, and the document has…