(C) Meduza This story was originally published by Meduza and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The Real Russia. Today. Wednesday, May 1, 2024 — Meduza [1] [] Date: 2024-05-02 The war in Ukraine ☦️ Priest’s home searched in Ukraine: The Security Service of Ukraine has raided the home of Ukrainian Orthodox Church clergyman Metropolitan Luka (born Andrii Kovalenko) reportedly on suspicion of “spreading pro-Russian propaganda and justifying Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine.” In December 2022, President Zelensky added Luka to Ukraine’s state sanctions list for “ties to the aggressor state.” In August 2023, state officials interrogated him on suspicion of “spreading religious hatred.” Last October, lawmakers in the Verkhovna Rada approved the first reading of legislation that would ban religious organizations under Russian influence, possibly jeopardizing the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (although it formally declared its independence from the Russian Orthodox Church in 2022). The Security Service of Ukraine has raided the home of Ukrainian Orthodox Church clergyman Metropolitan Luka (born Andrii Kovalenko) reportedly on suspicion of “spreading pro-Russian propaganda and justifying Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine.” In December 2022, President Zelensky added Luka to Ukraine’s state sanctions list for “ties to the aggressor state.” In August 2023, state officials interrogated him on suspicion of “spreading religious hatred.” Last October, lawmakers in the Verkhovna Rada approved the first reading of legislation that would ban religious organizations under Russian influence, possibly jeopardizing the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (although it formally declared its independence from the Russian Orthodox Church in 2022). 🪖 Another crime boss goes free from prison to Ukraine: Organized crime boss Dmitry Vedernikov has left prison to go fight in Ukraine, becoming the 11th mobster to escape his full prison sentence in exchange for military service in Russia’s invasion, according to journalists at Agentstvo Media. Vedernikov was first imprisoned in 2011 for extortion, robbery, robbery, and fraud. While incarcerated, in 2017 and 2022, he was convicted of several more violent crimes, including 11 murders, and dozens more cases of extortion, adding another 24 years to his sentence. Last fall, Vedernikov publicly appealed to regional officials, asking to be released from prison to fight in Ukraine, but he later said Russia’s Defense Ministry rejected his request. (Vedernikov’s criminal group was active in Russia’s Transbaikal region in the 1990s.) Organized crime boss Dmitry Vedernikov has left prison to go fight in Ukraine, becoming the 11th mobster to escape his full prison sentence in exchange for military service in Russia’s invasion, according to journalists at Agentstvo Media. Vedernikov was first imprisoned in 2011 for extortion, robbery, robbery, and fraud. While incarcerated, in 2017 and 2022, he was convicted of several more violent crimes, including 11 murders, and dozens more cases of extortion, adding another 24 years to his sentence. Last fall, Vedernikov publicly appealed to regional officials, asking to be released from prison to fight in Ukraine, but he later said Russia’s Defense Ministry rejected his request. (Vedernikov’s criminal group was active in Russia’s Transbaikal region in the 1990s.) 🇺🇸 Washington says Russia is relying on banned chemical weapons in Ukraine: The U.S. State Department has accused Russia of violating the Chemical Weapons Convention by deploying the choking agent chloropicrin against Ukrainian troops and using riot control agents "as a method of warfare" in Ukraine. (Chloropicrin is listed as a banned choking agent by the Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.) “The use of such chemicals is not an isolated incident, and is probably driven by Russian forces’ desire to dislodge Ukrainian forces from fortified positions and achieve tactical gains on the battlefield,” argued Washington. Since the summer of 2022, the Putin administration has been enticing career officials to work in Ukraine’s occupied territories by promising them unbeatable salaries and promotions afterward. Many bureaucrats have answered the call, happy to do the Kremlin’s bidding in a war zone if it means eventually getting a governorship back in Russia. But two years in, some are realizing that the professional advancement they were promised isn’t materializing — and they’re seeking to leave their posts at the first opportunity. Meduza special correspondent Andrey Pertsev explains. Russian politics 👷 No paved roads for ‘enemies of the people’: The mayor of a town in Russia’s Tver region vowed earlier this week not to pave the road leading to a local man’s home, claiming that the resident had “shed tears for Navalny, praised democracy, and expressed respect for Zelensky.” However, journalists at Agentstvo learned that Mayor Oleg Dubov’s outburst appears to be his retaliation against Victor Kuznetsov, the local man who helped lead a petition to the governor complaining about the poor condition of his town’s roads. Dubov and Kuznetsov apparently have a history of conflict, wherein Dubov has repeatedly denounced Kuznetsov (often in colorful terms) as a “dirty liberal” when facing public criticism for his town management. 📽️ Team Navalny turns to Putin’s Kremlin rise in Part III of ‘Traitors’ miniseries Maria Pevchikh and Team Navalny released the third and currently final installment of their “Traitors” miniseries about Russian politics in the 1990s. The three documentary films shared on YouTube have taken aim at the liberals of the era, many of whom continue to play prominent roles in today’s anti-Kremlin opposition. In part three, Pevchikh argues that Boris Yeltsin’s health declined so severely in his final presidential term that a cohort of oligarchs and advisers effectively ran the Kremlin. Pevchikh says the main sponsor of this “Family” was billionaire Roman Abramovich (though Boris Berezovsky was a more public figure), and Yeltsin’s daughter Tatiana Dyachenko and her husband Valentin Yumashev served as the “heart” of the collective. According to Pevchikh, Vladimir Putin won over members of Yeltsin’s inner circle by facilitating the medical evacuation of his former St. Petersburg Mayor Anatoly Sobchak. Pevchikh points out that Putin was only trying to save his own skin by putting his old boss beyond the reach of Russian law enforcement (Team Navalny says Putin was implicated in all Sobchak’s various bribery scandals), but the move led Yeltsin administration insiders to believe that Putin would protect them too. Pevchikh says this was the logic behind choosing Putin as successor: “They handed power over to a crook in exchange for personal safety.” We got The Beet. Don’t miss Meduza’s weekly newsletter (separate from the one you’re reading here)! The law, order, and political freedom 🚨 Punished for speaking to Meduza: On Tuesday, we published a report about how a Yekaterinburg native Alexander Paranuk sued Moscow, told off Yevgeny Prigozhin, and popularized Meduza in his prison. A day later, Paranuk revealed that he was being sent to a “punishment cell.” The authorities’ official reason for placing him there, he said, is that he allegedly left his compulsory labor facility to pick up a doctor’s appointment ticket from his wife. On April 30, he said that the prison authorities had reacted “harshly” to the publication of Meduza’s interview with him. On Tuesday, we published a report about how a Yekaterinburg native Alexander Paranuk sued Moscow, told off Yevgeny Prigozhin, and popularized Meduza in his prison. A day later, Paranuk revealed that he was being sent to a “punishment cell.” The authorities’ official reason for placing him there, he said, is that he allegedly left his compulsory labor facility to pick up a doctor’s appointment ticket from his wife. On April 30, he said that the prison authorities had reacted “harshly” to the publication of Meduza’s interview with him. 👮 Seda Suleymanova’s friend flies to Grozny to take a polygraph: Police have reportedly questioned the friend of a Chechen woman who was abducted in St. Petersburg last year and forcibly returned to her family. Lena Patyaeva says she flew to Grozny and submitted to a lie-detector test. Patyaeva recently turned to police with concerns that Seda Suleymanova has been murdered by her relatives in Chechnya, whom she fled last year to escape a forced marriage. Patyaeva named Suleymanova’s mother as the victim in her police report, but Suleymanova’s family has not spoken to the police. In February, relatives made conflicting statements about Suleymanova having run away from home again. Human rights activists fear she was murdered in a so-called “honor killing” for her supposed impiety. As the world turns 🇬🇪 Riot control in Georgia: Police in Tbilisi arrested more than 60 people outside Georgia’s parliament building on Tuesday night after demonstrators protesting a new “foreign agent” law tried to block the entrance. The authorities resorted to tear gas, water cannons, and other emergency measures, reportedly resulting in dozens of injuries. During the crowd’s dispersal, United National Movement opposition party chairman Levan Khabeishvili suffered a broken nose that required surgery. The next day, he returned to the parliament building in a wheelchair. Police officials say they will investigate the matter for excessive force. Read more about Georgia’s controversial “foreign agent” legislation here. On Wednesday, Georgian lawmakers narrowly adopted the second reading of the bill, and protests continued. Police in Tbilisi arrested more than 60 people outside Georgia’s parliament building on Tuesday night after demonstrators protesting a new “foreign agent” law tried to block the entrance. The authorities resorted to tear gas, water cannons, and other emergency measures, reportedly resulting in dozens of injuries. During the crowd’s dispersal, United National Movement opposition party chairman Levan Khabeishvili suffered a broken nose that required surgery. The next day, he returned to the parliament building in a wheelchair. Police officials say they will investigate the matter for excessive force. Read more about Georgia’s controversial “foreign agent” legislation here. On Wednesday, Georgian lawmakers narrowly adopted the second reading of the bill, and protests continued. ☢️ Washington moves to cut dependence on Russian uranium: The U.S. Senate unanimously approved legislation on Tuesday to ban the import of enriched uranium from Russia. Once President Biden signs the bill, the law will bar U.S. imports 90 days after enactment while allowing temporary waivers until January 2028, reports Bloomberg. Last year, Russia provided almost a quarter of the enriched uranium used to fuel the U.S. fleet of more than 90 commercial reactors, making it America’s top foreign supplier. The new ban is expected to raise the costs of enriched uranium by roughly 20 percent, says Bloomberg. The U.S. Senate unanimously approved legislation on Tuesday to ban the import of enriched uranium from Russia. Once President Biden signs the bill, the law will bar U.S. imports 90 days after enactment while allowing temporary waivers until January 2028, reports Bloomberg. Last year, Russia provided almost a quarter of the enriched uranium used to fuel the U.S. fleet of more than 90 commercial reactors, making it America’s top foreign supplier. The new ban is expected to raise the costs of enriched uranium by roughly 20 percent, says Bloomberg. 🇩🇪 Always burning, since the world's been turning: The Telegraph and Bild report that “left-wing extremists” have claimed responsibility for burning down the summer home of Armin Papperger, the CEO of the German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall. The activists said anonymously on social media that they targeted Papperger’s house because he profiteers off the “so-called Zeitenwende,” referring to Germany’s new European security strategy towards Russia. The activists indicated that they object specifically to Rheinmetall’s refurbishment of German Leopard tanks that can now “be sold to Ukraine with ammunition and at a hefty profit.” The Telegraph and Bild report that “left-wing extremists” have claimed responsibility for burning down the summer home of Armin Papperger, the CEO of the German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall. The activists said anonymously on social media that they targeted Papperger’s house because he profiteers off the “so-called Zeitenwende,” referring to Germany’s new European security strategy towards Russia. The activists indicated that they object specifically to Rheinmetall’s refurbishment of German Leopard tanks that can now “be sold to Ukraine with ammunition and at a hefty profit.” 🇩🇪 Pro-Kremlin social media tries to enlist Himmler’s great-niece against Ukraine’s new mobilization: Pro-Kremlin Telegram channels and Twitter bots have started spreading a fake video with invented comments from German author and anti-fascist activist Katrin Himmler (the great-niece of Nazi figure Heinrich Himmler). In the video, Katrin Himmler appears to criticize Ukraine’s new initiative to repatriate young men now abroad to boost troop levels in an expanded mobilization campaign. In the invented comments, “Katrin Himmler” calls on Germany not to hand over Ukrainians to “the bloodthirsty dictator Zelensky.” She told journalists at Agentstvo that the video is fake. Pro-Kremlin Telegram channels and Twitter bots have started spreading a fake video with invented comments from German author and anti-fascist activist Katrin Himmler (the great-niece of Nazi figure Heinrich Himmler). In the video, Katrin Himmler appears to criticize Ukraine’s new initiative to repatriate young men now abroad to boost troop levels in an expanded mobilization campaign. In the invented comments, “Katrin Himmler” calls on Germany not to hand over Ukrainians to “the bloodthirsty dictator Zelensky.” She told journalists at Agentstvo that the video is fake. 🇺🇸 New sanctions from U.S. Treasury and State target Chinese firms and Pobeda airlines: Washington sanctioned more than 280 individuals and entities connected to Moscow’s “foreign aggression and internal repression,” including 20 companies based in China and Hong Kong. To “degrade Russian aviation procurement networks,” the new sanctions include the designation of the Aeroflot subsidiary Pobeda. Washington accuses the airline of “continued export control violations and support to sanctions evasion networks have aided and abetted Russia’s continued illegal efforts to expropriate Western-origin aircraft and aviation components.” No country can be free without independent media. In January 2023, the Russian authorities outlawed Meduza, banning our work in the country our colleagues call home. 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