Russians Are Fleeing to the Country Putin Invaded before Ukraine

Apr 16, 2022 • Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, thousands of Russians have left their country, they’re not fleeing the war but their own government. Many are now in neighboring Georgia, a country Russia invaded in 2008 —so as you can imagine— they aren’t the most welcome guests.

Ukraine War: Chanel Restricts Sales of Goods to Russians Abroad

Models at a Chanel fashion show in Paris | GETTY IMAGES
BBC: French luxury giant Chanel has stopped selling its products to people who intend to take them to Russia, after shutting its stores in the country.

Moscow and some customers have accused the firm of being anti-Russian, and threatened to boycott the brand.

Chanel says it is just complying with European Union (EU) sanctions, which ban the sale to Russia of luxury goods priced at more than €300 ($327; £250).

Many Western firms halted operations in Russia after the Ukraine war started.

Chanel told the BBC that sanctions, imposed by the EU, as well as Switzerland, also prohibit the sale of luxury items to individuals who intend to use them in Russia.

The company said it "complies with all laws applicable to our operations and employees worldwide, including trade sanction laws".

"This is why we have rolled out a process to ask clients for whom we do not know the main residency to confirm that the items they are purchasing will not be used in Russia," Chanel said in a statement. » | BBC | Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Prime Minister Speaks Directly to Russian People: 'You Deserve the Facts'

Apr 5, 2022 • Boris Johnson has addressed the Russian people in their own language, telling them they "deserve the truth" and "deserve the facts".

After Coming Out as Gay, This Russian Violinist Can't Return Home

Bill Browder: Russians Are 'Effectively Hostages to Vladimir Putin' as Sanctions Take Effect

Mar 27, 2022 • William Browder is the man behind the Magnitsky Act, which led to the first set of serious sanctions levied against Russian oligarchs for their human rights abuses. Sanctions have now been imposed against a wide swath of Russian elites and state-run businesses, destroying the Russian economy. And that economic pain has trickled down to average Russian citizens. “They are all effectively hostages to Vladimir Putin,” says Browder. But as Vladimir Putin continues his unprovoked war against Russia, Browder thinks more needs to be done. “It’s unfortunate that Russian people have to suffer but Ukrainian people are dying right now and we have to do everything that we possibly can to put pressure on Putin.”

Nobody should try and backtrack on Biden’s words. Putin is a wicked SOB who doesn’t deserve to be the president of any country, still less of a great country such as Russia. Kick him out of office – now! One thing Putin is assured of: He will have a hot place in Hell next to Hitler when the time comes. – © Mark

‘I Don’t Feel Safe Being Russian in London’

THE TIMES: The oligarchs have left the capital, their money frozen or moved abroad. So where does that leave the Russians who still call London home?

From left: Eaton Square in Belgravia, once colonised by wealthy Russians; Alina Blinova at a gala in London. ‘If you speak Russian, you look behind your back,’ says Blinova. ‘Is anyone listening to you?’ | GETTY IMAGES, PA
The streets of Belgravia never thrum at night, but for the past month the silence has been absolute. The chauffeured, armour-plated Bentleys that used to glide out of subterranean garages are nowhere to be seen and few of the Georgian mansions that line the leafy squares seem even to have a light on.

The Russians, who for the past decade colonised this corner of London, along with Kensington, Knightsbridge and Mayfair, are leaving. Ever since February 24, when Vladimir Putin’s army invaded Ukraine – and in many cases, before – they’ve been rapidly packing bags and boarding private jets. » | Julia Llewellyn Smith | Friday March 25 2022,

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Russians on Why They're Fleeing to Europe

Mar 17, 2022 • With more than 30 countries banning flights that originate in Russia from their airspace, the only options for reaching Europe are over land. A handful of buslines offer service to Finland or Estonia, but the Allegro train from Saint Petersburg to Helsinki, which currently runs twice a day and seats 350 passengers, is the only remaining option by rail. A few days after the war in Ukraine began, those trains began selling out.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Appeals to Russian People to Reject Kremlin Misinformation

THE GUARDIAN: Former California governor, 74, calls on Putin to stop attack on Ukraine and says ‘this is not the Russian people’s war’

Arnold Schwarzenegger in Cologne in September last year. He said: ‘Ukraine did not start this war, neither did nationalists or Nazis.’ Photograph: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images
Former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday told the Russian people that they are being fed misinformation about their country’s assault on Ukraine and appealed to Russian president Vladimir Putin to stop the attack.

The Hollywood star said in the nine-minute video on Twitter that the Kremlin was intentionally lying to Russians by saying the invasion was intended to “denazify” Ukraine. Russia describes its actions as a “special operation”.

“Ukraine did not start this war, neither did nationalists or Nazis,” he said, noting that the country’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy is Jewish. “This is not the Russian people’s war.”

Europe’s biggest invasion since the second world war has ravaged Ukrainian cities and sent more than 3 million refugees fleeing to neighboring countries.

It is unclear how much people in Russia know about the war after the Kremlin cut access to various media channels and websites.

Schwarzenegger asked Russians to spread the word about the “human catastrophe” and told Russian protesters the world is watching. » | Reuters | Thursday, March 17, 2022

Russian News Anchor Says Millions of Russians Feel Invasion Is a Catastrophe

Mar 6, 2022 • Russian news director and anchor, Ekaterina Kotrikadze, speaks to CNN's Fareed Zakaria about the state of the country's news media after her station, TV Rain, shut down due to the Russian government's crackdown on local media over unfavorable coverage of the war in Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelensky’s Home Town’s Blunt Message: ‘Welcome to Hell, Russians’

THE TIMES: Ukrainians are ready to die for their country and their president

The blunt message was scrawled across a banner on a bridge over the entry road to Kryvyi Rih, the mining city whose most famous son, once a stand-up comedian, now leads his country in war. “Welcome to Hell, Russian Occupant”, it said.

As they toil in preparation for street battles with the Russian troops pushing northward, erecting barricades and digging trenches and tank traps, every man and woman here expresses their respect for President Zelensky and their readiness to fight for him. » | Anthony Loyd in Kryvyi Rih | Friday March 4, 2022

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What Do Russians Think of Ukraine's Invasion? I ARTE.tv Documentary

Mar 1, 2022 • Russia almost lost its geopolitical importance after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Nowadays, state-controlled media cultivate the image of a president who helps shape the world order. But do ordinary Russians share that opinion? In the run up to Ukraine's invasion, we asked ordinary people what they thought of the threat of war.

What Do Russians Think of Ukraine's Invasion? I ARTE.tv Documentary
Available until the 13/01/2023

Breathtakingly Irresponsible: Former Bush Iraq Adviser on Trump Sharing Secret Intel with Russians

President Trump has appeared to confirm parts of a bombshell Washington Post story that he had disclosed highly classified intelligence last week to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak last week during a meeting at the White House. Earlier this morning Trump wrote on Twitter, "As President I wanted to share with Russia (at an openly scheduled W.H. meeting) which I have the absolute right to do, facts pertaining to terrorism and airline flight safety. Humanitarian reasons, plus I want Russia to greatly step up their fight against ISIS & terrorism." According to The Washington Post, Trump disclosed highly classified intelligence—what’s known as code-name information—about the possible threat of ISIS launching an attack on an airplane using a computer bomb. We speak to Stanford professor Larry Diamond of the Hoover Institute. He served as senior adviser to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad.

Do the Russians Have Dirt on Trump?

A former MI6 official says that the Russians are holding onto compromising information about Donald Trump. Cenk Uygur and John Iadarola, hosts of The Young Turks, break it down.

Time to Grab Guns and Kill Damn Russians: Tymoshenko Tape Leak

Russians Prepare to Withdraw from Cyprus

Israel Names Russians Helping Iran Build Nuclear Bomb
THE SUNDAY TIMES: Israel's prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has handed the Kremlin a list of Russian scientists believed by the Israelis to be helping Iran to develop a nuclear warhead. He is said to have delivered the list during a mysterious visit to Moscow.

Netanyahu flew to the Russian capital with Uzi Arad, his national security adviser, last month in a private jet.

His office claimed he was in Israel, visiting a secret military establishment at the time. It later emerged that he was holding talks with Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister, and President Dmitry Medvedev.

“We have heard that Netanyahu came with a list and concrete evidence showing that Russians are helping the Iranians to develop a bomb,” said a source close to the Russian defence minister last week.

“That is why it was kept secret. The point is not to embarrass Moscow, rather to spur it into action.”

Israeli sources said it was a short, tense meeting at which Netanyahu named the Russian experts said to be assisting Iran in its nuclear programme. >>> Uzi Mahanimi Tel Aviv Mark Franchetti and Jon Swain | Sunday, October 04, 2009

Electricity Grid in U.S. Penetrated By Spies
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: WASHINGTON -- Cyberspies have penetrated the U.S. electrical grid and left behind software programs that could be used to disrupt the system, according to current and former national-security officials.

The spies came from China, Russia and other countries, these officials said, and were believed to be on a mission to navigate the U.S. electrical system and its controls. The intruders haven't sought to damage the power grid or other key infrastructure, but officials warned they could try during a crisis or war.

"The Chinese have attempted to map our infrastructure, such as the electrical grid," said a senior intelligence official. "So have the Russians."

The espionage appeared pervasive across the U.S. and doesn't target a particular company or region, said a former Department of Homeland Security official. "There are intrusions, and they are growing," the former official said, referring to electrical systems. "There were a lot last year."

Many of the intrusions were detected not by the companies in charge of the infrastructure but by U.S. intelligence agencies, officials said. Intelligence officials worry about cyber attackers taking control of electrical facilities, a nuclear power plant or financial networks via the Internet.

Authorities investigating the intrusions have found software tools left behind that could be used to destroy infrastructure components, the senior intelligence official said. He added, "If we go to war with them, they will try to turn them on." >>> By Siobhan Gorman —Rebecca Smith contributed to this article | Wednesday, April 8, 2009