Assad Says He Left Hmeimim Base in Syria on 8 December for Moscow

THE GUARDIAN: Syria’s Bashar al-Assad said on Monday he was evacuated to Russia from the Hmeimim base in Syria on the evening of 8 December as it came under drone attacks, after leaving Damascus that morning with opposition fighters closing in. [Read more here.]

Obscurity Awaits Bashar al-Assad in Moscow after Putin Offered Personal Escape Route

THE GUARDIAN: Deposed Syrian president and his family are unlikely to live an extravagant lifestyle in Russia. Instead, they will probably be hidden away in a secluded estate, shielded from public view

He was whisked away without a last message to his people, the aircraft’s transponder deliberately switched off to avoid detection as it departed from an airbase in Syria.

The operation was carried out with such secrecy that even the dictator’s brother reportedly was not informed.

A decade earlier, it was Russian military power that saved Bashar al-Assad’s rule by intervening on his side during what appeared to be a losing civil war he violently attempted to suppress. Now, as rebel troops closed in on Damascus, Moscow provided Assad with a personal escape route.

According to Bloomberg, Assad required some persuading from Russia to leave the country, with Russian intelligence agents orchestrating his escape to Moscow.

Assad’s travel options were always going to be limited. As a pariah on the global stage, his two major allies, Russia and Iran, were the obvious places for refuge.

By choosing Moscow, observers suggest, Assad opted for a familiar place that aligned with his lavish habits, while also selecting a refuge with relative geopolitical stability.

“Bashar and his family are avowedly secular, even though they identify with the Alawite sect, so Russia always had more appeal than Iran in that sense,” said David Lesch, a Syria expert at Trinity University in Texas who has met with Assad on multiple occasions. » | Guardian international staff | Friday, December 13, 2024

Syria: Bashar al Assad Is in Moscow, Says Russian State Media

Dec 8, 2024 | Russian state media says fallen Syrian president Bashar al Assad is in Moscow with his family.

Quoting a source in the Kremlin, Russian state media outlet TASS said Mr Assad and his family members have been provided with asylum in the Russian capital.

There had been much speculation over Mr Assad’s whereabouts after reports he fled Damascus before the rebels arrived there this morning.

Russia, one of Assad's closest allies, confirmed earlier today that he had left Syria, but did not say where he was, or whether Moscow had given him refuge.

Moscow: Soviet Russia in the 1960s - British Pathé

Sep 24, 2020 | Enhanced in-car footage of Moscow, USSR in 1965.

Kyiv Post: Moscow's Hold Over Former US President Trump

Oct 23, 2024 | Genté, currently on the ground in Tbilisi, Georgia, reveals what he has seen of Russia's attempts to influence the forthcoming Georgian and Moldovan elections - polls that Jason Smart argues will be a decisive part of Russia's next steps in the region.

According to a publicly available profile, since 2002, Régis Genté has permanently lived and worked "in the post-Soviet area, reporting for mainstream media such as RFI (Radio France Internationale), France 24 TV, le Figaro." He is the author of 4 books and numerous reports written for top-level think tanks, among others.

Régis Genté's "Notre homme à Washington," written in French, is already available for purchase.


KYIV POST here »

Why I Moved from the USA to Moscow

Oct 2, 2024 | “Why I Moved From the USA to Russia”

Fareed to Tucker Carlson: You Need to Get Out More

Feb 19, 2024 | CNN's Fareed Zakaria weighs in on Tucker Carlson's visit to Russia, and how impressed he was with the city of Moscow.

Why Is Tucker Carlson in Moscow, and Is He a Real VP Candidate for Trump? | The Warning

Feb 5, 2024 | Steve Schmidt explains what to expect this week in American politics.

In Moscow, Mourners Cry at a Makeshift Wagner Memorial.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Hundreds of people have placed flowers and other tributes on a sidewalk near Red Square in Moscow.

Tearful mourners gathered in Moscow over the weekend to pay muted respect to the founder of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, and nine other people whom the Russian authorities said were killed in a plane crash last week.

Hundreds of people have placed flowers, photographs, candles and flags — including some bearing the private military group’s skull design — at a small sidewalk memorial near Red Square in Moscow.

Many wept openly, expressing shock over the death of a man they said they respected, and sadness at the loss of life. Almost all expressed their support for the invasion of Ukraine. » | Valerie Hopkins reporting from Moscow | Sunday, August 27, 2023

Wagner boss Prigozhin confirmed dead in plane crash – Moscow: Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has been confirmed dead after genetic analysis of bodies found in Wednesday's plane crash, Russian officials say. »

Putin and Wagner boss Prigozhin: How a long friendship turned ugly: Theirs was a relationship borne out of the murky world where Russia's state security services mingled with the criminal underworld. »

Repeated Drone Attacks on Moscow: Is Ukraine Changing Its Strategy? | DW News

Aug 1, 2023 | Advisors to Ukraine's president are warning of a potential escalation in conflict with Russia. This comes after a series of drone strikes on Moscow and retaliatory attacks on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. The most recent attack on Moscow targeted a building housing various government ministries, which was hit by a drone for the second time in three days. Although the building's facade sustained damage, no casualties were reported. Russia claims that the attack was an attempted terrorist act by Ukraine, but Ukraine has not taken responsibility for the incident.

War Is Coming to Russia, Says Zelensky after Moscow Drone Attack

THE TELEGRAPH: Sergei Sobyanin, mayor of the Russian capital, accuses Ukraine of strike on Moscow-City financial district

Volodymyr Zelensky said war was coming to Russia after suspected Ukrainian drones smashed into skyscrapers in a wealthy Moscow neighbourhood that is home to government offices.

Hours after two drones hit the Russian capital, the Ukrainian president said: “Gradually, the war is returning to the territory of Russia, to its symbolic centres and military bases, and this is an inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process.”

“After the blast, there were vibrations and I felt the bed move,” Ksenia, who was woken up by the pre-dawn, told the Bereg website. “I thought my building was collapsing.”

Roman said that he was now worried that the drone attack would happen again. “I have repeatedly said that it is not very safe here,” he said. “I want to leave Russia. We planned to do this in November but most likely this will now happen earlier.” (With video) » | James Kilner | Sunday, July 30, 2023

Wagner Forces Halt Advance on Moscow after Calls for Rebellion – BBC News

Jun 24, 2023 | Wagner mercenaries have halted their advance on Moscow, after claiming to get within 200km of the Russian capital. Leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has put out a voice note on his Telegram channel saying he has agreed to stop “to avoid bloodshed”, and it comes after talks between Prigozhin and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, who is understood to have been involved in “de-escalating” the situation. But, after President Putin’s televised statement, in which he described the day’s events as “a knife in the back of our people”, it is unclear what the future holds for Prigozhin and Wagner, who have been a key part of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

What’s happening in Russia? Here’s what we know.: A powerful mercenary chief sent his forces on the move against the Russian military establishment, raising tensions in the country to a level not seen in decades. »

Putin embraced turmoil, and now it is rattling his leadership.: For more than two decades, the system helped President Vladimir V. Putin secure his unrivaled authority, ensuring that he personally held the keys to wealth and influence in modern Russia. »

The Moscow Strike Is a Psychological Blow to a Nation Trying to Ignore the War, Russian Nationalists Say.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The Kremlin says the Defense Ministry responded well to the attack, but critics argue that the assault shows a lack of leadership from a government that promised only a “special military operation” in Ukraine.

Russian nationalist commentators said Tuesday that the first mass drone attack to strike Moscow highlights the government’s inability to prepare the population for a prolonged conflict that is steadily crossing the nation’s borders.

The flurry of drones that targeted the Russian capital on Tuesday morning caused minimal damage, shattering some windows in three residential buildings and lightly injuring two residents, according to local officials. The attack’s biggest impact, however, is likely to be psychological, forcing Muscovites to confront the reality of Russia’s war in Ukraine, which many have worked hard to block from their daily lives. » | Anatoly Kurmanaev | Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Why Is Russia's Victory Parade Scaled Down? | DW News

May 9, 2023 | Special coverage of Russia's commemorations marking the 78th anniversary of its victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two. But this year's Victory Day comes at a time that sees Russia deeply entrenched in its invasion of Ukraine - one that's proving costly in both monetary and human terms.

This year the traditional parade of military hardware through Moscow's Red Square will be closed off to the public, although the proceedings will be given wall-to-wall coverage on state television channels.

Russia’s Victory Day Parade: President Putin Calls for 'Victory' - BBC News

May 9, 2023 | Russia's President Vladimir Putin told Moscow's Victory Day parade that the world is at a "turning point", with a "real war" being waged against Russia. Putin once again sought to link Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with the struggle against Nazism during World War Two. Hours before the Victory Day celebrations began, Russia launched a fresh wave of air strikes on Ukraine, with Kyiv saying 23 of the 25 cruise missiles fired were destroyed. Most were aimed at the capital, which came under attack for the fifth time this month.

ZUM LESEN:

„Die Ukraine gehört zu unserer europäischen Familie“: Während in Moskau eine Militärparade aufmarschiert, bekennt sich Kiew mit der Feier des Europatags zur EU. Mit dabei ist die Kommissionspräsidentin, die zu politischen Gesprächen anreist. »

Putin Annexes Four Regions of Ukraine in Major Escalation of Russia’s War

THE GUARDIAN: Russian president signs ‘accession treaties’ at Kremlin in defiance of international law

Vladimir Putin celebrates with the Moscow-appointed heads of four partially-occupied Ukrainian regions after signing ‘accession treaties’ in the Kremlin. Photograph: Contributor/8523328/Getty Images
Vladimir Putin has signed “accession treaties” formalising Russia’s illegal annexation of four occupied regions in Ukraine, marking the largest forcible takeover of territory in Europe since the second world war.

The signing ceremony, held in defiance of international law, took place in the Grand Kremlin Palace in the presence of the country’s political elites, and comes on the heels of Kremlin-orchestrated. fake referendums in the four Ukrainian regions – Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk.

Putin kicked off the ceremony with a lengthy, combative and angry speech in which the Russian leader issued new nuclear threats, promising to “protect” the newly annexed lands “with all the forces and means at our disposal”.

“The people have made their choice. An unequivocal choice … This is the will of millions of people,” Putin said, adding that the citizens of the four occupied regions will be part of Russia “for ever”.

Shortly after, Putin signed the “accession treaties” on a podium alongside the Russian-installed heads of Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk. » | Pjotr Sauer | Friday, September 30, 2022

Live: Vladimir Putin Officially Annexing Four Ukrainian Regions at Moscow Ceremony

Russian President Vladimir Putin and top officials of Russia-held territories in Ukraine sign agreements in a ceremony to start the process of absorbing parts of Ukraine into Russia, defying international law.

Hundreds Arrested and Flights Out of Moscow Sell Out amid Russia Military Call-up - BBC News

Russian police are reported to have arrested hundreds of protesters rallying against the Kremlin's decision to call up thousands of extra troops to fight in Ukraine.

Russian human rights group OVD-Info put the total at more than 1,300, with the largest numbers arrested in St Petersburg and Moscow.

Flights out of Russia sold out fast after Vladimir Putin's announcement.

Mikhail Gorbachev Funeral: Hundreds Pay Respects to Last Soviet Leader | BBC News

Sep 3, 2022 Hundreds of people have paid their respects at the funeral of the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev in Moscow.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin cited a busy "work schedule" as a reason for him missing the event at the House of Unions on Saturday.

Liberal politician Grigory Yavlinsky said: "These people have come to Gorbachev to thank him, to say 'Thank you Mr Gorbachev, you gave us a chance.'"

Daughter of Putin Ally Alexander Dugin Killed in Car Bomb in Moscow

THE GUARDIAN: Russian hawks without evidence blame Kyiv for death of Darya Dugina and demand Kremlin response

The daughter of an ultranationalist Russian ideologue and ally of Vladimir Putin has been killed in a car bomb on the outskirts of Moscow.

Darya Dugina, whose father is the Russian political commentator Alexander Dugin, died when the Toyota Land Cruiser she was driving was ripped apart by a powerful explosion about 12 miles (20km) west of the capital near the village of Bolshiye Vyazemy at about 9.30pm local time (1930 BST), according to investigators.

Prominent Russian hawks without evidence quickly blamed Kyiv for the attack, calling it an assassination attempt and demanding the Kremlin respond by targeting government officials in Kyiv. “Decision-making centres!! Decision-making centres!!!” wrote Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of the state-funded RT television station, reposting a call to bomb the headquarters of the Ukrainian SBU intelligence agency.

If the car bombing is tied to the war it would mark the first time since February that the violence unleashed on Ukraine has reached the Russian capital, touching the family of a Kremlin ally near one of Moscow’s most exclusive districts. (+ video) » | Andrew Roth in Moscow and Martin Farrer | Sunday, August 21, 2022