Author: Didem Ayik

Former Russian Deputy Defense Minister Tatyana Shevtsova, who officially was dismissed mid-June, fled to France ‘with hundreds of millions of dollars saved in cryptocurrency.’. Tsargrad and other Telegram channels report this with reference to several sources, although confirmation or refutation of this data has not yet been received. If she fled to France, it must be a deal with the French security service, as she is sanctioned in Europe. There is a version that Shevtsova allegedly cooperated with the investigation against the detained generals, trying to avoid her own charges. According to another version, the generals, to reduce their sentences,…

Moscow (28/2). Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that non-governmental organizations in Central Asia have stepped up their anti-Russian activities amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army. Shoigu said this at the board of the Russian Ministry of Defense on February 27. According to him, there are more than 100 “large pro-Western non-governmental organisations” operating in Central Asia, which have more than 16,000 representative offices and branches. “Against the backdrop of the special military operation, these NGOs have significantly increased their anti-Russian activities in order to reduce military-technical, economic and cultural cooperation between the Central Asian states and Russia.…

All men in Russia are required to do a year-long military service, or equivalent training during higher education, from the age of 18. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree setting out the routine spring conscription campaign, calling up 150,000 citizens for statutory military service, a document posted on the Kremlin’s website showed on Sunday (31 March). All men in Russia are required to do a year-long military service, or equivalent training during higher education, from the age of 18. In July Russia’s lower house of parliament voted to raise the maximum age at which men can be conscripted to 30…

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor on the Senate moving forward on the NDAA with bipartisan support. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here: The Senate will move forward on the annual defense authorization act, moving us closer to passing this bill for the 62nd year in a row. Both sides have done terrific work these past few months getting the NDAA over the finish line. The Senate passed our version of the NDAA with a strong 86-11 vote back in July. That’s a good bipartisan vote, majorities of both parties supporting.…

Israel will open the Keren Shalom crossing in southern Israel from Tuesday for security checks on aid shipments to the Gaza Strip, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement late on Monday. By now, all trucks carrying humanitarian aid must be inspected at Israel’s Nitzana crossing before entering Gaza, causing delays in the entry of water, food, medical supplies and shelter equipment into the besieged Palestinian enclave. The Nitzana crossing is more than 40 km away from the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza, the only point of aid entry into Gaza. The opening of Keren Shalom, closer…

Israeli forces continued to push into Khan Younis, the largest city in the southern Gaza Strip, on Sunday, where thousands of people were taking refuge after fleeing the deadly bombardments in other parts of the enclave. Ground, aerial and naval forces struck more than 250 locations in Gaza over the past day, according to a statement released by the army. Israel continued to intensify its firepower in Gaza, including the deployment of artillery into the densely populated 365 square km enclave, in which vast areas have been leveled by the Israeli bombardments. “For the first time since the beginning of…

A report on China’s energy transition outlook has been released on the sideline of the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The report, named “China Energy Transformation Outlook 2023,” was launched Saturday at a side event themed “Jointly Shaping a Resolute Future for Global Energy Transformation” of COP28 ongoing in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. The report focuses on energy security and cost-effectiveness during the process of energy transition. Addressing the event, China’s special envoy for climate change Xie Zhenhua said it is of great significance for countries to…

An initiative has been launched during the ongoing COP28 climate conference to shore up the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Huang Runqiu, COP15 president and China’s minister of ecology and environment, took the lead in launching the initiative when attending via video link an event held Saturday here in Dubai during COP28. COP15 is formally known as the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, while COP28 refers to the 28th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Stressing that climate…

Ahmed Shabat, a three-year-old boy who lost his family and two legs in three Israeli bombardments in the Gaza Strip, was one of the wounded Palestinians who managed to reach Egypt via the Rafah crossing on Nov. 26. “Shabat was subject to frequent raids in Gaza: the first bombardment in Beit Hanoun killed his father, mother, and brother, and the second one in Sheikh Radwan injured him slightly, and the third one in a shelter in the al-Nuseirat refugee camp took his legs,” said Ibrahim abu-Amsha, the boy’s uncle who accompanied him to Egypt for treatment. Shabat’s life was at…

Prosecutors in Kazakhstan have launched a criminal investigation into Samat Abish, the nephew of Kazakhstan’s former president and a one-time deputy head of the powerful security services, over his suspected involvement in triggering a wave of deadly political unrest in January 2022. The announcement on September 19 marks the most serious shot across the bow of the former ruling family since a tidal wave of turmoil threatened the near-collapse of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s administration. Few details on the case have been divulged by the General Prosecutor’s Office – and few will be forthcoming going by early statements. Officials have made a note…