(C) Meduza This story was originally published by Meduza and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The Real Russia. Today. Friday, May 24, 2024 — Meduza [1] [] Date: 2024-05-24 Russia and Ukraine On Wednesday, Russian YouTuber Yuri Dud released a lengthy interview with exiled former oligarch turned opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky. During the nearly three-hour conversation, Khodorkovsky discussed the 1990s and its political figures, the rumored negotiations for Alexey Navalny’s release in a prisoner swap, and Yevgeny Prigozhin’s ill-fated mutiny. Meduza shares some notable excerpts from the interview. 🪖 Russia buries its youngest known military casualty A funeral was held on Thursday for an 18-year-old Russian soldier killed in Ukraine, making him the youngest known Russian military casualty in the Kremlin’s ongoing war, reported Mediazona. Danil Ermolenko served in the 74th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade and reportedly went missing on April 6 during a mission in the village of Berdychi in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. He was buried in the village of Verkhnii Bugalysh in Russia’s Sverdlovsk region. According to Mediazona, Ermolenko was a dual citizen of Russia and Kazakhstan. Journalists from Mediazona and BBC News Russia work with a team of volunteers to maintain a list of Russian soldiers killed in the full-scale war. While Ermolenko isn’t the first 18-year-old on the list, his birth date makes him younger than the other 18-year-old Russian soldiers who died in Ukraine. 🪖 Putin reportedly hoping to freeze current front lines Citing Russian sources familiar with the discussions going on among Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, Reuters reported Friday that the Russian leader wants to end the war in Ukraine by reaching a ceasefire that recognizes the current battlefield lines, but that he’s prepared to keep fighting if necessary. According to three of the sources, Putin is frustrated with Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision not to engage in talks. Putin has regularly claimed that he wants to bring the war to an end since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, even as Russia has continued launching near-daily attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. Two of Reuters’s sources said that Putin believes he could successfully sell Moscow’s current gains in the war as a victory to the Russian public. We got The Beet. Don’t miss Meduza’s weekly newsletter (separate from the one you’re reading here)! 🇺🇦 Don’t miss this week’s issue: → Post-war problems Journalist Konstantin Skorkin on the key stumbling blocks for rebuilding Ukraine — and why money isn’t the biggest one As the world turns 🤝 A controversial step towards normalization for Yerevan and Baku Azerbaijan’s State Border Service took control of four villages near the Armenian border on Friday, according to the authorities of both countries. Yerevan agreed to cede the villages in April as part of the two countries’ ongoing efforts to normalize relations after decades of intermittent war. According to Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev, who took part in the negotiations, Azerbaijan effectively gained 6.5 square kilometers (2.5 square miles) of territory. The villages’ return sparked protests in Armenia, including large ones in the border village of Kirants, where residents blocked a major road for days in opposition to the handover. 🇬🇪 Georgian ‘foreign agents’ bill prompts new visa restrictions from U.S. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that the U.S. is imposing new visa restrictions on Georgia and will review the two countries’ bilateral cooperation in response to the “foreign agents” bill that Georgia’s parliament passed earlier this month. The legislation, which sparked massive protests by Georgians who say it resembles the “foreign agents” law the Russia authorities use to repress their political opponents, was approved by lawmakers on May 14. Georgia’s president, Salome Zurabishvili, vetoed the bill last Saturday, but parliament is expected to override her veto in the near future. In response to Blinken’s announcement, Georgia’s ruling party accused Washington of “blackmailing” Tbilisi, a message that was echoed by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. 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. Just supporting Meduza carries the risk of criminal prosecution for Russian nationals, which is why we’re turning to our international audience for help. Your assistance makes it possible for thousands of people in Russia to read Meduza and stay informed. Consider a small but recurring contribution to provide the most effective support. Donate here. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.meduza.io/en/brief/2024/05/24/the-real-russia-today-a67f3bd5 Published and (C) by Meduza Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/meduza/