The appearance of Carter Page in the Nunes memo is the latest odd connection to the Russia investigation for a man disavowed by the Trump administration yet whose name seems to never quite fade away. From his trademark grin to his appearances on news shows, Page has remained an enigma that hints at some deeper, yet unknown, involvement. But there is something else that has always intrigued me about Page: some of the similarities we seem to share. We both served in the US Navy and were both approached by Russian intelligence officers and FBI counterintelligence special agents. But is that where the similarities end? As somebody who spent over three years working undercover for the FBI as a double-agent against the Russians, I have often asked myself if the Page saga represents a US intelligence failure or perhaps something else. Is it possible that Page may have been helping the US government? Could he have, in fact, been a US operational asset? Carter Page first came to the … [Read more...] about Was Carter Page a spy? For the Russians? Or the US?
Russian embassy in new delhi
Finland and Estonia call for EU ban on tourist visas for Russians
The leaders of Estonia and Finland want other EU countries to stop issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens, saying they should not be able to travel to Europe on holiday while the Kremlin carries out a devastating war in Ukraine. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas wrote on Tuesday that “visiting Europe is a privilege, not a human right” and that it is “time to end tourism from Russia now”. In response, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev compared Kallas to a “Nazi”. A day earlier, her Finnish counterpart Sanna Marin said in a TV interview that "it is not right that while Russia is waging an aggressive, brutal war of aggression in Europe, Russians can live a normal life, travel in Europe, be tourists." Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told Euronews recently that the government would move to limit the number of tourist visas issued to Russians, but hoped the EU would take a common stand on the issue and stop granting new visas completely. … [Read more...] about Finland and Estonia call for EU ban on tourist visas for Russians
Russians to give American astronaut ride to Earth in spite of tensions
Published 15 March Share close Share page Copy link About sharing A US astronaut will now be returning to Earth, after fears his Russian lift home might not materialise. It was originally thought Mark Vande Hei - who has been in space for 355 days - might be left behind on the ISS due to heightened tensions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But it has been confirmed he will travel aboard a Russian capsule to Kazakhstan. The American and two Russian cosmonauts will be brought back to Earth. "I can tell you for sure Mark is coming home... We are in communication with our Russian colleagues. There's no fuzz on that," Joel Montalbano, Nasa's International Space Station (ISS) programme manager said. He admitted the astronauts were "aware of what's going on" in the world, but they still work as a team. Under international space law , astronauts from all nations must "provide … [Read more...] about Russians to give American astronaut ride to Earth in spite of tensions
Ukraine war: Huge explosions rock Russian military base in Crimea
Powerful explosions rocked an air base in Russian-occupied Crimea on Tuesday, and while the Defence Ministry in Moscow said that nobody was injured in the explosion, local authorities said at least five people, including a child, were wounded. Russia's defence ministry said that munitions blew up at the Saki base but insisted the installation had not been shelled. "Several munitions intended for aviation exploded in a depot located on the territory of the Saki military airfield, near the locality of Novofiodorovka," the statement said, quoted by Russian news agencies. Ukrainian social networks were abuzz with speculation that it was hit by Ukrainian-fired long-range missiles, and the New York Times cites Ukrainian sources who confirm it was their military that carried out the attack. There has been no official confirmation as yet. Videos posted on social networks showed sunbathers fleeing a nearby beach as huge clouds of smoke from the explosions rose over the … [Read more...] about Ukraine war: Huge explosions rock Russian military base in Crimea
Russian TV warns of ‘Armageddon’ at nuclear power plant and threatens to bomb London
Russia has warned 'Armageddon' could be on the horizon in a terrifying warning aired on state TV. The ominous message was released after tensions around the Zaporizhzia atomic power plant grew this week. Ukrainian leaders accused Russia of “deliberately shelling” the plant, which is the biggest in Europe. Russia denies the charges and claims it is Ukraine risking nuclear catastrophe by shelling the plant. READ MORE: Putin 'has given order for Russia to deploy nukes in Ukraine' claims Kremlin insider But there are fears Putin’s forces will blame a disaster at the plant on Ukraine and use it as a pretext to deepen the conflict. Now Russian President Vladimir Putin’s largest state-controlled TV channel has given airtime to the leader of pro-Kremlin Ukrainian movement Parus, Yury Kot, who claimed it was Kyiv and the West jeopardising nuclear safety. He urged Putin to be ready to fire nuclear missiles at London and Washington. “We all understand very well that … [Read more...] about Russian TV warns of ‘Armageddon’ at nuclear power plant and threatens to bomb London
Alexei Navalny: Jailed Kremlin critic moved to maximum-security prison
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been moved to a maximum-security prison, authorities have said. Allies of the jailed Kremlin critic had raised the alarm when he was transferred from his prison colony to an unknown location without warning on Tuesday. But according to media reports, the chairman of a prison monitoring commission later said that Navalny had been moved to the IK-6 prison in the village of Melekhovo. Navalny later confirmed his new location on Telegram on Wednesday, saying he was confined to a “strict regime” and in quarantine. "Alexei Navalny was taken away from the penal colony No. 2 [in Pokrov near Moscow]," Navalny's chief of staff, Leonid Volkov had said on Telegram . "His lawyer, who came to see him, was held at the gate until 14:00, and then was told that there is no such convict," he added. "We do not know where Alexei is now and to which colony he is being taken." The same statement was shared on Tuesday by … [Read more...] about Alexei Navalny: Jailed Kremlin critic moved to maximum-security prison
Ukraine war: Ukrainian forces ‘holding on’ in Sievierodonetsk, says Zelenskyy
06.06.2022 06:32 Key points to know for Monday: Ukrainian forces are "holding on" in Sievierodonetsk, President Zelenskyy said on Monday. Earlier the regional governor said the local situation had 'worsened' for Ukrainian forces under intense Russian bombardment. Russian forces continue to push towards Sloviansk in the Donbas, says UK military intelligence. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov cancelled a Monday visit to Serbia after neighbouring countries closed their airspace to his plane. Moscow has criticised the move . Lavrov followed Putin in warning the West on Monday against providing Ukraine with long-range rockets. Earlier the UK said it would supply new rocket launcher systems to Ukraine, with a range of 80km. Russian car sales fell by 52% in April, a year-on-year drop of 83%, industry figures show, largely due to Western sanctions. The head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff has said Ukrainians are facing the "same horrors" as the French did in World … [Read more...] about Ukraine war: Ukrainian forces ‘holding on’ in Sievierodonetsk, says Zelenskyy
Ukraine war: Future global order will be decided on Ukraine battlefields, says Zelenskyy
As "intense street to street fighting" is reported in Sievierodonetsk, Ukraine says Russian forces are planning an assault on Sloviansk as the battle for the Donbas continues. See a summary of the latest developments in our blog below. 06.11.2022 11:41 Saturday's key points: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told an Asian summit the future international order will be determined on Ukraine's battlefields, predicting that his country "will prevail" in the war Russia started. The Ukrainian army says Russian forces are planning an assault on Sloviansk in Donetsk province, while UK intelligence reports "intense street to street fighting" in Sievierodonetsk. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, visiting Kyiv, told President Zelenskyy that Brussels would finalise its assessment on Ukraine's eligibility for EU membership "by the end of next week" . Ukrainian and British officials warned that Russian forces are relying on Soviet-era missiles … [Read more...] about Ukraine war: Future global order will be decided on Ukraine battlefields, says Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy calls for more support from Europe, Ukraine’s EU candidacy
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the EU heads to give Ukraine candidate status for the bloc's membership at the upcoming summit in late June. Speaking to the Copenhagen Democracy Summit in a video address, Zelenskyy asked the leaders of the 27 member states to show “that its words about the Ukrainian people being part of the European family aren’t a hollow sound.” Review the day's most important developments in the Ukraine war below. 06.10.2022 06:54 Friday's key points: Mariupol’s mayor has warned that cholera and other deadly diseases could kill thousands of people in the Russian-occupied city as corpses lie uncollected. President Zelenskyy has pleaded for Ukraine's entry into the European Union, and called for EU leaders not to leave his country in a "grey zone". Ukraine is losing up to 200 troops a day, according to a Zelenskyy aide. This is more than double the previous estimates. Two Britons and a Moroccan national … [Read more...] about Zelenskyy calls for more support from Europe, Ukraine’s EU candidacy
Russia to pull out of International Space Station
By Ben Tobias Published 26 July Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Russia says it will withdraw from the International Space Station (ISS) after 2024 and build its own station instead. The US and Russia, along with other partners, have successfully worked together on the ISS since 1998. But relations have soured since Russia invaded Ukraine, and Russia previously threatened to quit the project because of Western sanctions against it. Nasa said it had not yet received any official notice of Russia's intention to withdraw from the programme. The ISS - a joint project involving five space agencies - has been in orbit around Earth since 1998 and has been used to conduct thousands of scientific experiments. It is approved to operate until 2024, but the US wants to extend that for six more years with the agreement of all partners. At a meeting with Russia's … [Read more...] about Russia to pull out of International Space Station