Latest news with #Moscow-based
Morocco World
a day ago
- Health
- Morocco World
Israeli-Affiliated Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Reportedly Treating Iranian IRGC Fighters
A Moscow-based branch of Israel's Hadassah Medical Center is allegedly providing medical care to injured members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including personnel from Iranian nuclear facilities, according to a source familiar with the situation. These fighters were reportedly wounded in recent airstrikes conducted by Israel and the United States. The source claims that at least eight IRGC members, among them two senior commanders, are currently being treated at Hadassah Medical Moscow. Additional patients from Iran are expected to arrive following the resumption of direct flights between Tehran and Moscow. Scrutiny and harsh criticism The revelations have intensified scrutiny of Hadassah Medical Moscow, which was established in 2018 with a $15 million investment and operates in partnership with Russian authorities and the state-owned nuclear agency, Rosatom. While Hadassah is one of Israel's most respected healthcare institutions—serving over a million patients annually—the Moscow branch's patient roster has drawn criticism within Israel. In 2023, reports emerged that the clinic had treated injured members of Hamas and Hezbollah, including a close associate of Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, prompting backlash from Israeli lawmakers. Some called for the closure of the Moscow facility, condemning its activities as a betrayal of Israeli and Western values. Despite the controversy, the clinic's operations have expanded. Since October 2024, over 40 Israeli doctors have reportedly been sent to support the Moscow branch. Unconfirmed reports suggest Rosatom has taken a financial stake in the clinic, possibly explaining why Iranian nuclear personnel have also received treatment there. Hadassah Medical Moscow has also allegedly provided medical services to exiled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma. A separate team of Israeli oncologists is said to have performed examinations at their hotel in Moscow, although these doctors were not directly affiliated with the clinic. More covert dealings There are also unverified claims that the same medical team consulted with senior Turkish embassy officials in Moscow. The clinic's readiness to treat figures aligned with groups hostile to Israel has drawn ridicule across parts of the Arab world. Some regional commentators suggest this practice reflects a consistent policy by both the clinic and its Russian backers. According to Iranian media, more than 600 people were killed and over 3,000 wounded during a 12-day Israeli campaign targeting Iranian sites earlier this month.
Business Insider
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Russia has seized around $50 billion of assets as its wartime economy comes under pressure
Russia has confiscated nearly 3.9 trillion rubles, or around $50 billion, worth of assets since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, according to a report by Moscow-based law firm Nektorov, Saveliev and Partners. The analysis found that Russian authorities have seized 102 private assets over the past three years. They spanned a variety of industries, and some were resold to owners including the state. Targets included foreign and domestic companies, such as Danish brewer Carlsberg and French food giant Danone. The Kremlin has cited reasons ranging from corruption to extremism to justify the asset seizures. In 2024, Russia's federal budget received 132 billion rubles from property sales, per Russian news outlet Interfax. Roughly a quarter of that total came from the sale of Rolf, the country's largest car dealership. The company was previously owned by the family of a Kremlin critic now living in exile. Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said in March that the government aims to raise at least 100 billion rubles from sales of seized assets this year. The aggressive asset seizures come as signs emerge that Russia's post-invasion economic resilience may be faltering as sweeping Western sanctions take hold. A recent S&P Global survey showed a sharp contraction in manufacturing activity in June. Just last month, Russia's economy minister, Maxim Reshetnikov, warned that the country was "on the brink" of a recession. Russia's GDP grew 1.4% in the first quarter of the year from a year ago, according to Rosstat, the country's official statistics service. This is a steep slowdown from the 4.5% growth it posted in the fourth quarter of last year. In 2024, Russia's economy grew 4.3% for the full year. In January, a prominent Swedish economist said Russia could run out of liquid reserves as soon as this fall.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Russian FM Lavrov to visit Ukraine war ally North Korea
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit North Korea this weekend, the latest in a series of high-profile visits by top Moscow officials as the two countries deepen military ties. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency reported earlier that Lavrov would visit "at the invitation of the DPRK Foreign Ministry".(REUTERS) Pyongyang has emerged as one of the Kremlin's main allies during its Ukraine invasion, sending thousands of troops to Russia's Kursk region to oust Kyiv's forces and providing the Russian army with artillery shells and missiles. Lavrov "will visit the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on July 11-13" for the "second round of strategic dialogue at the level of foreign ministers", Russian ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters in Moscow on Wednesday. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency reported earlier that Lavrov would visit "at the invitation of the DPRK Foreign Ministry". Ahead of the visit, Russia announced that it would begin twice-a-week flights between Moscow and Pyongyang. Also Read | 'It shocked us too': Russia reacts to minister's suicide hours after President Putin sacked him Its aviation agency Rosaviatsia issued an order allowing Moscow-based airline Nordwind to run flights between the two capitals from later this month. With North Korea supporting Moscow's Ukraine invasion, Russian officials have touted the secretive state as a reliable holiday destination. Around 600 North Korean soldiers have been killed and thousands more wounded fighting for Russia, Seoul has said. North Korea only confirmed it had deployed troops to support Russia's war in April, and admitted its soldiers had been killed in combat. Leader Kim Jong Un has subsequently been shown in state media images honouring the flag-draped coffins of North Korean soldiers killed helping Russia fight Ukraine. Also Read | Europe's human rights court delivers two rulings against Russia: MH17, Ukraine war Russia's security chief Sergei Shoigu has visited Pyongyang multiple times this year, including last month. The two heavily-sanctioned nations signed a military deal last year, including a mutual defence clause, during a rare visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to the nuclear-armed North Korea. Shoigu announced that North Korea would send builders and deminers to the Kursk region. Also Read | 3 dead in Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's Kursk region The frequency of senior Russian officials' visits to Pyongyang "is highly unusual", Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University in southeastern South Korea, told AFP. "At the centre of these discussions may well be plans for Kim's anticipated visit to Russia," he added.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Moscow to abolish teaching of Ukrainian language in occupied regions
The teaching of Ukrainian is to be abolished in the regions of the country occupied by Russian forces, the Moscow-based Kommersant daily reported on Monday. This is due to the "changing geopolitical situation in the world," the daily said, citing an Education Ministry draft curriculum. Among the reasons given by Russian President Vladimir Putin for launching the full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, was the alleged suppression of the Russian language in Ukraine. He pledged that Russia would behave differently and would protect the use of Ukrainian. Until now, Ukrainian has been an obligatory subject in schools in those parts of the southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions occupied by Russian forces. It has been an optional subject in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, and in Crimea. The same goes for Bashkortostan in southern Russia. The new curriculum does not provide for the teaching of Ukrainian at all. Attempts by US President Donald Trump to launch talks to end the war have stalled, with Moscow rejecting a ceasefire along the current front line. At the recent St Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin described Russians and Ukrainians as a single people, saying that Ukraine as a whole belonged to Russia.
The Sun
19-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Argentina says Russian spy ring promoted disinformation
BUENOS AIRES: Argentina said it has detected Russian spies operating in the country to promote Moscow's interests through disinformation campaigns and fake news. Presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni said intelligence officers identified an organisation called 'The Company,' allegedly linked to Russia's government and Project Lakhta, which the United States says is a Moscow-based operation conducting political interference. Russian citizen Lev Konstantinovich Andriashvili, based in Argentina, allegedly headed the organisation with his wife Irina Yakovenko, also a Russian. Both were responsible for 'receiving financing and promoting links with local collaborators,' Adorni said in a statement Wednesday. The group's goal was 'to form a group of people loyal to Russia's interests' to carry out disinformation campaigns against the Argentine state, the spokesman added. The Russian spy network created and disseminated content on social media, influencing local civil organizations and NGOs, developing focus groups with Argentine citizens and obtaining political information for Russia, he added. 'Argentina will not be subjected to the influence of any other nation,' Adorni said, adding that 'the safety of Argentines is not a secondary matter.' According to the US Treasury Department, Project Lakhta is a Russian disinformation campaign targeting audiences in the United States, Europe, Ukraine and even Russia itself.
