(C) Meduza This story was originally published by Meduza and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The Real Russia. Today. Wednesday, May 8, 2024 — Meduza [1] [] Date: 2024-05-09 Before he became Shaman, Yaroslav Dronov competed in televised singing competitions and performed in a struggling cover band. In 2017, his whirlwind marriage to well-known PR agent Elena Martynova — a top manager at Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov’s holding company USM — took Moscow’s glitterati by surprise. According to the couple’s acquaintances, Martynova was determined to see her husband become famous. But Dronov’s career really didn’t take off until he reinvented himself as Shaman — and became a full-throated supporter of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Meduza special correspondents Svetlana Reiter and Kristina Safonova report on the rise of Russia’s most popular pro-war pop star. Ten years ago, in early May 2014, after several months of widespread political unrest in Odesa, Ukraine, street clashes between pro-Russia and pro-Ukraine factions resulted in a deadly fire in the city’s Trade Unions building. It’s still unclear who exactly is to blame for the deaths. Nonetheless, the Russian state-run media machine started churning out propaganda about the fire the very next day, characterizing the events as a merciless attack by “Ukrainian neo-Nazis” on Russian-speaking civilians. In the decade since, the Trade Unions building fire has entered Russian political mythology. It remains one of the main stories Russian propaganda uses to dehumanize Ukrainians and justify its war on the country. We got The Beet. Don’t miss Meduza’s weekly newsletter (separate from the one you’re reading here)! Kommersant cover-page ad Zinaida Pronchenko 🇫🇷 ‘France’ finally says thank you: On May 8, Kommersant newspaper ran a front-page advertisement (see above) depicting the Eiffel Tower and a message “from France” to the people of Russia expressing gratitude for the Soviet victory in World War II and regret for waiting so long to say thanks. Presented as an official message from the nation of France, the fine, vertical print reveals that the message is a “private initiative” sold to the newspaper by advertisers. Kommersant has not said who placed the ad. On May 8, Kommersant newspaper ran a front-page advertisement (see above) depicting the Eiffel Tower and a message “from France” to the people of Russia expressing gratitude for the Soviet victory in World War II and regret for waiting so long to say thanks. Presented as an official message from the nation of France, the fine, vertical print reveals that the message is a “private initiative” sold to the newspaper by advertisers. Kommersant has not said who placed the ad. 🇫🇷 Lʼavenue Alexeï Navalny: City officials in Paris, France, are naming a street after the late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, located near Russia’s embassy. An art installation dedicated to Navalny is also planned for the area. City officials in Paris, France, are naming a street after the late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, located near Russia’s embassy. An art installation dedicated to Navalny is also planned for the area. 💥 Seven regions hit during celebrations of Nazis’ surrender: Russia targets Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in massive missile attack Russia targets Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in massive missile attack 💪 This strong boi ain’t sick, no sir: One of Ramzan Kadyrov’s aides shared a video on Wednesday showing the Chechnya governor pushing and pulling a Toyota Land Cruiser. The aide captioned the Instagram post, “The dogs bark, but the caravan keeps on rolling” — a transparent message to journalists at Novaya Gazeta who reported last month that Kadyrov is terminally ill. A day earlier, Kadyrov attended Vladimir Putin’s inauguration, where Russia Today propagandist Margarita Simonyan posed with him for a photo and later wrote on Telegram that he’s in good health with “biceps made of stone.” After Novaya’s initial report in April, Kadyrov’s entourage published footage of him working out at the gym. One of Ramzan Kadyrov’s aides shared a video on Wednesday showing the Chechnya governor pushing and pulling a Toyota Land Cruiser. The aide captioned the Instagram post, “The dogs bark, but the caravan keeps on rolling” — a transparent message to journalists at Novaya Gazeta who reported last month that Kadyrov is terminally ill. A day earlier, Kadyrov attended Vladimir Putin’s inauguration, where Russia Today propagandist Margarita Simonyan posed with him for a photo and later wrote on Telegram that he’s in good health with “biceps made of stone.” After Novaya’s initial report in April, Kadyrov’s entourage published footage of him working out at the gym. 🇦🇲 Yerevan puts its CSTO funding on ice: Armenia is suspending its funding for Collective Security Treaty Organization activities and will “abstain from joining” the group’s 2024 budget, which was adopted last November. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has repeatedly criticized the CSTO for its inaction during Armenia’s conflict with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh territory, which was ethnically cleansed of Armenians late last year. Armenia formally remains a member of the CSTO. Armenia is suspending its funding for Collective Security Treaty Organization activities and will “abstain from joining” the group’s 2024 budget, which was adopted last November. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has repeatedly criticized the CSTO for its inaction during Armenia’s conflict with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh territory, which was ethnically cleansed of Armenians late last year. Armenia formally remains a member of the CSTO. ⚖️ New details in bribery case against (now former) top military official: Former Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov is charged with accepting a bribe in the form of construction services worth more than 1 billion rubles ($10.9 million), his lawyer revealed on Wednesday. Ivanov is one of the most senior military officials to face prosecution since Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. His attorney told reporters that the case apparently rests on “films about Ivanov,” possibly referring to Team Navalny’s 2022 investigation alleging that he owns lavish private estates in the Tver region and in and around Moscow that he supposedly built and maintained with contractors paid from the Defense Ministry’s budget. Former Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov is charged with accepting a bribe in the form of construction services worth more than 1 billion rubles ($10.9 million), his lawyer revealed on Wednesday. Ivanov is one of the most senior military officials to face prosecution since Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. His attorney told reporters that the case apparently rests on “films about Ivanov,” possibly referring to Team Navalny’s 2022 investigation alleging that he owns lavish private estates in the Tver region and in and around Moscow that he supposedly built and maintained with contractors paid from the Defense Ministry’s budget. 🇬🇧 UK slaps back for Russia’s ‘malign activity’: British officials will expel Russia's defense attache (“who is an undeclared military intelligence officer”), revoke diplomatic status from some Russian properties, and limit the length of Russian diplomatic visas in response to what Interior Minister James Cleverly called Moscow's “malign activity,” reports Reuters. British officials will expel Russia's defense attache (“who is an undeclared military intelligence officer”), revoke diplomatic status from some Russian properties, and limit the length of Russian diplomatic visas in response to what Interior Minister James Cleverly called Moscow's “malign activity,” reports Reuters. 👁️ Not your grandpappy’s CCTV: A Russian cybersecurity specialist has created software he calls “Close-Circuit Telegram Vision” that mines Telegram’s “People Nearby” geolocation data to map users in realtime who have activated the feature (which is disabled by default). Ivan Glinkin graduated from Russia’s Defense Ministry Military University after serving in the Federal Investigative Committee. On GitHub, he claims that his “CCTV” can track users to within 50 meters (164 feet), but spokespeople for Telegram say the geolocation data it collects is only accurate to within 800 meters (about half a mile). No country can be free without independent media. 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