Russia

An army of 'killer robots' that will assist infantry on the battlefield has been unveiled in propaganda footage released by Russia The video, released by the Kremlin, appears to showcase the state's latest drone technology. That includes and AI-controlled driverless tank that follow the aim of a soldier's rifle to obliterate targets with its own weaponry. Russia's Advanced Research Foundation (ARF) said the ultimate goal is to have an army of robots entirely controlled by Artificial Intelligence algorithms. Currently the drones are deployed alongside infantry who remotely control the vehicles, but in the future the tech will be fully autonomous. That means the military hardware will be able to  target and kill enemies without any human intervention. 'The evolution of combat robots is on the path of increasing the ability to perform tasks in autonomous mode with a gradual reduction in the role of the operator,' a spokesperson for the ARF told  C41SRNET. The video was … [Read more...] about Russia claims it has built an army of KILLER ROBOTS including self-driving tanks that follow the aim of a soldier’s rifle and swarms of deadly drones that drop bombs from the sky

Russia violated the rights of Alexei Navalny by holding him under house arrest for most of 2014, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled Tuesday. Navalny was put under house arrest for months while he and his brother Oleg were investigated for embezzlement. They were convicted in December 2014 — Navalny got a suspended sentence and his brother went to prison — but both claimed the charges were politically driven.  The Strasbourg-based ECHR said the restrictions placed on the dissident were disproportionate to the criminal charges he faced, adding that it was "apparent he had been treated in that way in order to curtail his public activities." Read more: Sex, power, politics, and the Kremlin: Nastya Rybka case Who is Alexei Navalny? Face of Russia's opposition The lawyer-turned-political campaigner has been among the most prominent figures of Russia's opposition to President Vladimir Putin. Navalny came to prominence in 2008, when his … [Read more...] about Russia’s house arrest violated Navalny’s rights: European court

"Criminal proceedings have been initiated against me in Russia – I'm facing a possible two-year prison sentence," Alexandra Korolyova told DW. Korolyova, from Kaliningrad, is the co-founder and director of the environmental organization Ecodefense, the oldest of its kind in Russia. In late May, five cases were opened against her in Russia in the space of just 10 minutes. She was accused of "malicious failure to comply with a court order" and decided, as a result, to request political asylum in Germany. Ecodefense was founded 30 years ago. The small group has already succeeded in preventing the construction of a new nuclear power station near Kaliningrad among other things. Recently it joined forces with other environmental organizations and managed to stop the opening of a new mine in the Siberian coal region of Kuzbass. Resisting the NGO law Korolyova is convinced that her organization is being persecuted for political reasons. "The criminal proceedings were initiated … [Read more...] about Russia cracks down on environmental activists

Dutch-led investigators have released new recordings of intercepted telephone calls that show separatist leaders in Ukraine requesting military support and political guidance from Russian political figures in the period before the shooting down of a Malaysian airliner that killed all 298 people on board. Those caught on tape allegedly include Vladislav Surkov, a political aide to Vladimir Putin, whom separatist leaders have called “our man in the Kremlin”. Security officials in the audiotapes also refer to “a mandate” from the Russian defence minister, Sergey Shoigu, to reform east Ukraine’s military hierarchy and coordination with the FSB director, Alexander Bortnikov, to deliver military aid, apparently including night-vision equipment and ammunition. “Recent analysis of witness statements and other information revealed that Russian influence on the DPR [the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic] went beyond military support and that the … [Read more...] about MH17 investigators say phone calls show Ukraine rebels’ ties to Russia

Kyiv and Moscow have exchanged dozens of prisoners in a dramatic operation that resulted in freedom for 24 Ukrainian sailors taken captive by Russia, as well as a potential suspect and key witness in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.sentenced to 20 years’ prison in Russia on controversial ‘“terror” charges in 2015, was among those returning home. Both countries freed 35 prisoners as part of the exchange, the first since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine and Kremlin-backed separatists carved out two so-called people’s republics in eastern Ukraine. A comedian with no previous political experience, he came to power earlier this year after promising to bring Ukrainian prisoners home from Russian jails. The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, said on Thursday that the prisoner exchange would be “a good step” toward the normalisation of relations between Moscow and Kyiv. The Kremlin denies sending Russian troops to east Ukraine … [Read more...] about Families reunite in Russia-Ukraine prisoner exchange