Support The Moscow Times!

News From Russia: What You Missed Over the Weekend

Over 12,000 Russian troops marched through Red Square for the annual World War II victory parade. Kremlin.ru

Pointed message

President Vladimir Putin oversaw Russia’s annual military parade marking the 76th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany in World War II on Sunday.

In his speech on Red Square, delivered amid collapsing relations with the West, Putin vowed that Russia will “firmly” defend national interests and denounced the return of “Russophobia.”

Missing doctor

One of the Siberian doctors who first treated Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and denied that he had been poisoned after he fell gravely ill last summer has gone missing on a hunting trip, police said Sunday.

Searches are underway for Alexander Murakhovsky, who was later promoted to the post of the Omsk region’s health minister and has not been seen since leaving a hunting base on an all-terrain vehicle.

Holy city

Russia on Saturday condemned attacks on civilians after violent clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians at Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound injured more than 200 people and urged both sides to refrain from escalating violence. 

In its statement, Russia's Foreign Ministry said it reaffirmed Moscow's position that "the expropriation of land and property located on it, as well as the creation of settlements by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, have no legal force."

Central Asian tensions

Putin vowed support for the former Soviet republic of Tajikistan and said Russia is bolstering its military base there amid increasing tensions in Afghanistan. 

Speaking with the visiting Tajik president, Putin spoke on the subject of migrant workers in Russia and noted that Moscow is doing all it can “to make people feel comfortable.”

Czech damages

Czech authorities plan to demand at least $47 million in compensation from Moscow for the deadly 2014 arms depot explosions it blames on Russian spy agencies, Finance Minister Alena Schillerová said Saturday.

Czech Prime Minister Andrei Babiš has previously called on other European Union members to expel at least one Russian diplomat each in solidarity with Prague.

AFP contributed reporting to this article.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more