Latest news with #Russian-Georgian
Eyewitness News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Ukraine evacuates 43 deportees held on Russian-Georgian border
Ukraine said Saturday it had evacuated 43 of its citizens recently deported from Russia who were being held in Georgia in dire conditions, accusing Moscow of "weaponizing" deportations. At least 56 Ukrainians, mostly prisoners who completed their sentences and were subsequently ordered to leave Russia, were being held in a basement facility near the Russian-Georgian border, according to aid group Volunteers Tbilisi. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said 43 Ukrainians, many lacking documents, had been evacuated from Georgia via Moldova, "including former political prisoner Andrii Kolomiyets". More people still remain in "difficult" conditions at the Russian-Georgian border, Sybiga said on X. The treatment of those held at the border facility near the Dariali crossing is "inhumane", said Maria Belkina, the head of Volunteers Tbilisi. "They are without basic necessities -- food, water, sanitation," she told AFP, adding that some of the deportees had medical conditions, including suspected tuberculosis and HIV. Russia may be accelerating deportations ahead of expected changes to Georgian migration laws in September, which are aimed at tightening entries, she added. While Georgia has not officially closed the border to Ukrainian nationals, Belkina said a recent policy shift has delayed entry. "Russia is weaponizing the deportation of Ukrainian citizens through Georgia," Sybiga said, calling on Russia to transport the deportees directly to its border with Ukraine instead. It was not clear how many people remained in the border facility, which only has 17 beds and no basic amenities and where some have been kept for weeks, according to Volunteers Tbilisi. Rights groups estimate up to 800 more Ukrainians could be transferred to the border in the coming weeks.
Novaya Gazeta Europe
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Novaya Gazeta Europe
Russian court sentences writer Boris Akunin in absentia to 14 years in prison — Novaya Gazeta Europe
A Moscow court sentenced exiled writer Boris Akunin in absentia to 14 years in prison on Monday, after he was found guilty of 'aiding and justifying terrorism' and violating the law on 'foreign agents', independent news outlet Mediazona has reported. Akunin, whose real name is Grigory Chkhartishvili, is a Russian-Georgian writer famous for his Erast Fandorin novels that have been published in dozens of languages around the world. The charge of aiding terrorism relates to a conversation between Akunin and well-known Russian pranksters Vovan and Lexus, in which the writer encouraged Russian servicemen to switch sides and fight for Ukraine, and called a Ukrainian attack on the Crimean Bridge a 'clear and direct way' to bring the realities of war home to 'stupid people'. The charge of justifying terrorism related to an online post where Akunin said he was for 'revolution, as there is no other way to get rid of a dictatorship', while the third and final charge concerned 'at least 33' Telegram posts to which he had failed to add a notification that the material was by a 'foreign agent', as required by Russian law. Prior to the sentence being handed down on Monday, Akunin wrote that he had taken no part in the trial. 'I don't recognise their court. I have not authorised any lawyer to represent me … and have not been part of this circus in any way.' After the announcement of his sentence, he joked with readers that he would next post in 2043, factoring in the four years subsequent to his release where he would be banned from administering internet websites. Rosfinmonitoring, the Russian financial watchdog, added Akunin, who now lives in London, having left Russia in protest at the annexation of Crimea, to its list of 'terrorists and extremists' in December 2023. The Russian Justice Ministry declared him a 'foreign agent' the following month.
Russia Today
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Russia Today
Legendary Russian sculptor dies
Prominent Russian-Georgian artist Zurab Tsereteli, who was the epitome of Russian sculpture, has died at the age of 91, his assistant has announced. According to Sergey Shagulashvili, Tsereteli suffered heart failure at 1:30am on Tuesday in Moscow. Later, his staff said that a farewell service would take place in the iconic Cathedral of Christ the Savior, but he would be buried in his native Georgia. Tsereteli, the president of the Russian Academy of Arts since 1997, was widely regarded as a defining figure in Soviet and Russian monumental art. Among his most recognized works is the towering Peter the Great statue in Moscow. Standing 98 meters (322 feet) tall, the monument was unveiled in 1997 to commemorate 300 years of the Russian Navy. It remains one of the tallest statues in the world. Internationally, Tsereteli is known for 'Good Defeats Evil', a bronze sculpture installed at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The artwork depicts St. George slaying a dragon crafted from fragments of dismantled Soviet and American nuclear-capable missiles, symbolizing the end of the Cold War and victory over the specter of the nuclear Armageddon. Another notable work is the 'Tear of Grief', (also known as 'To the Struggle Against World Terrorism') a 10-story monument in Bayonne, New Jersey, dedicated to the victims of the September 11 attacks. The sculpture features a large stainless-steel teardrop suspended within a cracked tower. It was presented as a gift from Russia and unveiled in 2006. Throughout his career, Tsereteli created more than 5,000 art works that spanned beyond architecture to include paintings and frescoes. He received numerous honors, including the title of People's Artist of the USSR and the French Legion of Honor. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has offered her condolences, describing Tsereteli as 'an artist of international renown and a true public figure who knew no borders or barriers in the cause of peace and creativity.' '[He was] a true people's diplomat. He will live not only in our hearts but also in his works: in the stained glass and enamels decorating embassies, in monuments and sculptures placed around the world, in the lush flowers and bouquets that he painted with such passion. He knew how to love and how to give love,' she added.
AsiaOne
22-04-2025
- Politics
- AsiaOne
Russian-Georgian sculptor Tsereteli, known for monumental projects, dies at 91, World News
Zurab Tsereteli, a Russian-Georgian sculptor, painter and architect known for his large-scale and sometimes divisive works, has died aged 91, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Tuesday (April 22). Rising to prominence in the Soviet Union in the 1960s and 1970s, Tsereteli became known for his monumental projects, and later for his closeness to parts of the Russian political elite. In 2004, he told Reuters that Vladimir Putin's "healthy soul" had inspired him to do a bronze study of the Russian president. A friendship with former Moscow mayor Yury Luzhkov saw him commissioned to produce an enormous monument to Tsar Peter the Great that stands in central Moscow. He also took a key role in the reconstruction of the city's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, which had been destroyed under Stalin in 1931. In a post on the Telegram messenger app, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called Tsereteli "an artist of world renown, a public figure who knew no boundaries or obstacles in strengthening peace and supporting creativity". Other Tsereteli works include monuments to the discovery of the Americas in Seville, Spain, and in Puerto Rico, and the enormous Chronicle of Georgia monument in his hometown of Tbilisi. One of his sculptures, the ten-storey Tear of Grief, was presented to the US by the Russian government as a memorial to the victims of the Sept 11, 2001 attacks. It stands in New Jersey. [[nid:717101]]
Reuters
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Russian-Georgian sculptor Tsereteli, known for monumental projects, dies at 91
April 22 (Reuters) - Zurab Tsereteli, a Russian-Georgian sculptor, painter and architect known for his large-scale and sometimes divisive works, has died aged 91, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Tuesday. Rising to prominence in the Soviet Union in the 1960s and 1970s, Tsereteli became known for his monumental projects, and later for his closeness to parts of the Russian political elite. In 2004, he told Reuters that Vladimir Putin's "healthy soul" had inspired him to do a bronze study of the Russian president. A friendship with former Moscow mayor Yury Luzhkov saw him commissioned to produce an enormous monument to Tsar Peter the Great that stands in central Moscow. He also took a key role in the reconstruction of the city's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, which had been destroyed under Stalin in 1931. In a post on the Telegram messenger app, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called Tsereteli "an artist of world renown, a public figure who knew no boundaries or obstacles in strengthening peace and supporting creativity". Other Tsereteli works include monuments to the discovery of the Americas in Seville, Spain, and in Puerto Rico, and the enormous Chronicle of Georgia monument in his hometown of Tbilisi. One of his sculptures, the ten-storey Tear of Grief, was presented to the U.S. by the Russian government as a memorial to the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks. It stands in New Jersey.
