Latest from Novaya Gazeta Europe
Novaya Gazeta Europe
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Novaya Gazeta Europe
Russian involvement suspected in German military truck arson — Novaya Gazeta Europe
Pro-Russian individuals were likely involved in the recent arson attacks that left several German military vehicles destroyed, independent Russian investigative outlet The Insider reported on Thursday, citing multiple pro-Kremlin military bloggers who posted videos and photos of the attack. Last Saturday, a fire broke out overnight in Erfurt, central Germany, that damaged six Rheinmetall MAN military vehicles parked at a commercial vehicle service company, some of which bore German military and NATO markings, according to local media reports. On Thursday, Russian pro-war Telegram channel Voenacher published a video of the incident that depicted several military vehicles engulfed in flames. It claimed that the vehicles had been under repair for the Ukrainian military, and alleged that '[its] people' conducted the attack. The video was then shared by several other pro-war Telegram channels, which, according to The Insider, similarly suggested that the arson had been committed in Russia's interests. 'The vehicles have Bundeswehr emblems, German numbers plates and other signs indicating their relationship to the German army. So either these vehicles were to be decommissioned and sent to Ukraine, or some German army vehicles were burned. In either case, it's a plus,' one channel wrote on Thursday. Police have not yet given any details about the cause of the fire or the number of vehicles affected by it, according to local media, while an official investigation into the incident has been opened. In mid-May, German authorities apprehended three Ukrainian nationals suspected of plotting sabotage operations on behalf of Russia. According to German law enforcement officials, the individuals were under orders from Russian state agencies to carry out arson attacks and intended to ship explosive-laden parcels from Germany to Ukraine that were designed to detonate in transit. In the last year, Moscow has been accused of carrying out numerous acts of sabotage and arson attacks on public buildings, transport networks and other infrastructure in several European countries, including Poland and Lithuania, as part of what experts believe is a hybrid warfare strategy designed to destabilise the West.
Novaya Gazeta Europe
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Novaya Gazeta Europe
St. Petersburg child agency requires foster parents to prove they haven't ‘changed their sex' — Novaya Gazeta Europe
Children of the Russian Youth Army salute the Eternal Flame monument during Russia Day celebrations in Moscow, Russia, 12 June 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE/SERGEY ILNITSKY Child protection services in St. Petersburg now require individuals seeking to adopt or arrange custody over children to certify that they have not ever 'changed their sex', investigative media outlet IStories reported on Friday, citing prospective foster parents and employees from the organisation. According to IStories, St. Petersburg guardianship offices began to require such certification in 2024, despite national legislation not listing it as an official requirement for adoption. In July 2023, the Russian State Duma passed a widely criticised 'sex change' law, which bans gender-affirming surgery, forbids transgender people from changing their gender in official documents and prevents them from adopting children. One woman who applied for guardianship of a child in summer 2024 told IStories that she was asked by the agency to obtain a birth certificate from the civil registry office to 'prove' her sex and gender. 'The guardianship officer told me, 'We're embarrassed ourselves to ask for a certificate that you haven't changed gender. We even ask elderly people who are applying for guardianship over incapacitated children'', she said. 'Their explanation was that they'd get in trouble if they accepted the documents without this certificate. I found it ridiculous … I have given birth to five children. What doubts could there possibly be in my case?' she added. Lawyers interviewed by IStories say that child protection services cannot legitimately require potential foster parents to provide such information, as it is not an official requirement for Russian citizens residing in the country, according to federal law. Though the 2023 anti-trans law does prohibit transgender people from adopting children, only foreign, stateless, or Russian individuals that permanently live abroad are legally obligated to sign a document testifying that they have never undergone a 'sex change' when seeking to become foster parents, the lawyers told IStories.
Novaya Gazeta Europe
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Novaya Gazeta Europe
Chechnya hosts official wedding celebration of youngest Kadyrov son — Novaya Gazeta Europe
Celebrations are underway in Chechnya to mark the official wedding of Adam Kadyrov, the 17-year-old and youngest son of Chechen head Ramzan Kadyrov, Novaya Gazeta Europe has learned. The celebration was timed to coincide with the first day of the month of Muharram, with Thursday marking the start of the Islamic New Year. Invitees included high-ranking dignitaries from the Middle East. A source in the Russian Foreign Ministry told Novaya Europe that the UAE's Ambassador to Russia, Dr. Mohamed Ahmad Al Jaber, had interrupted his vacation in Abu Dhabi to fly to the Chechen capital Grozny on Friday to congratulate Kadyrov's third son. Kadyrov's daughter, Aishat Kadyrova, confirmed that the family was celebrating Adam's wedding in a series of Instagram stories posted on Friday. According to Novaya Europe sources, preparations for the official wedding ceremony began months ago, with the Chechen authorities aiming to make the wedding a grand event on the political stage too. However, the wedding has had to be postponed at least once. According to a Novaya Europe source familiar with the situation, this was primarily due to attempts by Ramzan Kadyrov to arrange a private audience between Vladimir Putin and his youngest son. Adam Kadyrov reportedly entered into an Islamic marriage with the daughter of Chechen senator Suleyman Geremeyev on 8 June 2024, the same day his brother Zelimkhan married. Novaya Europe reported at the time that Putin had welcomed both of Kadyrov's eldest sons, Akhmat and Zelimkhan, to the Kremlin ahead of their marriages in 2023 and 2024. However, according to Novaya Europe sources, Kadyrov was unsuccessful in arranging a private audience for Adam, who was 16 at the time, in the Kremlin, likely due to his young age. It is thought the pressure to marry the Kadyrov sons off so early was down to their father's poor state of health, a source told Novaya Europe. The Chechen authorities have only confirmed that the wedding of the second Kadyrov son, Zelimkhan, who had received Putin's blessing, had gone ahead to the granddaughter of Adam Delimkhanov, the State Duma deputy for Chechnya.
Novaya Gazeta Europe
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Novaya Gazeta Europe
US ambassador to Russia signs off posting with Pushkin quote — Novaya Gazeta Europe
US Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy attends a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier ahead of Victory Day celebrations in Moscow, Russia, 25 April 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE/MAXIM SHIPENKOV US Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy has completed her posting to Moscow and will soon depart the country after more than three years of service there, the US Embassy announced on Friday. 'We thank her for her constant diplomacy, deep respect for Russian culture, and dedicated service to her country. Ambassador Tracy's commitment to dialogue, even in difficult times, is an example of true diplomatic leadership,' the announcement read. A career member of the American Foreign Service, Tracy became the first female US ambassador to Russia when President Joe Biden appointed her in January 2023 to succeed John Sullivan. During her tenure, Tracy oversaw US-Russian relations following the invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent implementation of punitive sanctions by the West, and helped secure the release of several US citizens held in Russia, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. In February 2024, she and UK Ambassador to Russia Nigel Casey laid flowers at the Solovetsky Stone in Moscow, a monument to victims of political repression, after the death of opposition figure Alexey Navalny. Previously, Tracy served as the US Ambassador to Armenia (2019-2022), Deputy Chief of Mission to Moscow (2014-2017) — the Embassy's second most senior position — and completed other diplomatic postings in Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, and Kyrgyzstan. In farewell comments accompanying the US Embassy's post, Tracy said she had been inspired by meeting Russians 'who love their country and work every day for a better future', and expressed her desire that work should continue to 'improve [US-Russian] relations and support connections with the Russian people'. She concluded her remarks with a verse from Alexander Pushkin's poem To Chaadaev, considered one of his earliest civic-minded works: While freedom kindles us, my friend, While honour calls us and we hear it, Come: to our country let us tend The noble promptings of the spirit.
Novaya Gazeta Europe
10 hours ago
- Business
- Novaya Gazeta Europe
EU renews sanctions against Russia but fails to pass new package after Slovakia veto — Novaya Gazeta Europe
Flags of the European Union in front of a building at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, 2 April 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE/RONALD WITTEK EU leaders gathered in Brussels have agreed to renew existing sanctions against Russia for another six months, Reuters reported on Thursday, though they failed to pass a new raft of sanctions after Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico made clear he would veto such a proposal. The decision means that the proposed 18th package of sanctions, which would further target Russia's energy and finance sector and the so-called 'shadow fleet' of tankers used to bypass the G7 price cap on Russian oil exports, will have to be agreed upon at a later date. On Thursday, Fico said he would not agree to a new sanctions package until Slovak concerns over gas supplies are resolved. According to Reuters, Fico believes that further sanctions against Russia will lead to supply issues and legal issues for Slovakia concerning its existing long-term contract with Russian gas company Gazprom. In mid-June, the European Commission unveiled a legislative proposal, according to which EU countries would be required to phase out the import of Russian energy by 2027, part of Brussels' RePowerEU plan aimed at ending the EU's dependency on Russian fossil fuels. 'Russia has repeatedly attempted to blackmail us by weaponising its energy supplies. We have taken clear steps to turn off the tap and end the era of Russian fossil fuels in Europe for good,' Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said when introducing the initiative on 17 June. Commenting on Slovakia's opposition, Polish Minister for European Affairs Adam Szłapka said at the summit that he hoped Bratislava's support could be secured: 'As with the previous sanction packages, I am optimistic here; we are working on it,' he said. 'I hope that it will be possible to close it by the end of Poland's [EU] presidency, and as we know, there are four days left.' Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the EU has imposed punitive sanctions against over 2,400 Russian companies, politicians, military figures, and business people. The EU's sanctions must be renewed every six months and require unanimous agreement from all 27 member states. The EU's existing sanctions were set to expire on 31 July. With the latest deal, they will now remain in effect until 31 December. Also on Thursday, the European Council, which is holding a special summit in Brussels this week, failed to adopt a unanimous statement of support for Ukraine's accession to the EU after Hungary refused to endorse the measure. Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who organised a widely criticised opinion poll in his country in which 95% of respondents rejected the prospect of Ukraine's EU accession, says he will continue to oppose the process.
