Daughter of pro-Putin senator, 25, flees into exile telling how her father branded her a 'traitor' and 'enemy of the people' and 'criminal' for opposing war in Ukraine Diana Isakova, 25, posted flyers against the conflict which led to her arrest Her father, who is a pro-Putin senator, reacted with anger to her posts She fled to Georgia to seek sanctuary after fearing persecution and jail Said that Putin embodies 'cruelty, arrogance and impunity' as war rages on https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11175991/Daughter-pro-Putin-senator-flees-exile.html
Russian journalist facing 24-year jail term for treason refuses to sign ‘confession’ Ivan Safronov could be handed record sentence after being tried on secret evidence behind closed doors https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...ivan-safronov-refuses-sign-treason-confession Moments before the journalist Ivan Safronov was told he would be facing 24 years in prison, a Russian prosecutor offered him a deal. Sign a confession, she said during a final courtroom break, and she would recommend a 12-year sentence instead. Safronov answered immediately. “He told her to get lost,”said Evgeny Smirnov, his lawyer, in an interview. “He told her that fairly harshly.” A Russian judge is expected to deliver a verdict on Monday in one of the most significant prosecutions against a Russian journalist in decades. Safronov, a former military correspondent for Kommersant and Vedomosti, is facing a “record” sentence on treason charges that have been prosecuted with secret evidence behind closed doors. That secret evidence, revealed by the Proekt media outlet in an extraordinary leak during the trial, showed that the government barely had a case against Safronov, colleagues said. “I think it’s incredibly important that this showed that Vanya was imprisoned for his journalism,” said Taisia Bekbulatova, a friend and colleague of Safronov’s who is the head editor of Holod, an independent media site. She called the 24-year sentence requested by prosecutors “nearly a life sentence”. Overshadowed by the war in Ukraine and the introduction of new laws against discrediting the Russian armed forces, the court case represents a fundamental threat to the journalists who continue to work in Russia. “Vanya’s case isn’t just about him and his family,” said Smirnov by telephone from Georgia, where he fled due to legal risks tied to the case. “The government has shown that for good, legal journalism work, you can go to prison for a long time. And it will have an enormous chilling effect.” Supporters of Safronov suspect that he is being targeted by the defence ministry for his work revealing the intricacies of Russia’s international trade in weapons. In particular, said Smirnov, the defence believes that he may have been targeted for revealing plans for a sale of 20 Su-35 fighter jets to Egypt for a reported sum of $2bn. The deal was soon aborted and, according to the secret evidence, Safronov’s article resulted in complaints from the Egyptian military leadership to Russia. “The ministry of defence hated Safronov as the most prominent journalist who wrote about their failures,” said Bekbulatova. “And it’s clear that Shoigu and others have enough resources in order to provoke a criminal case against him.” Safronov’s case began years before the Russian invasion that would introduce tough new laws on journalism and force hundreds of journalists to flee the country. “I’ve spoken with a large number of military correspondents since this case,” said Smirnov. “They’ve all changed the way they live and work since Ivan’s case. Many have refused investigations because of it.” Safronov comes from a family of investigative journalists. His father, also Ivan, was a military correspondent for Kommersant who mysteriously died in a fall from the window of the family’s apartment in 2007. Russian media have reported he was working on a similar story about the shipment of Su-30 fighters and S-300 anti-aircraft missiles to Iran. The article was eventually scrapped. Safronov, a dedicated journalist, followed in his father’s footsteps at the same newspaper. Bekbulatova called him the “brightest, best-informed, and bravest” reporter in terms of the Russian defence industry. His lawyers described him as defiant in prison even after the prosecutor announced it would seek 24 years in prison for Safronov, a “record” in these types of treason cases, according to Smirnov, that was a “last attempt to force him to confess”. “His mood hasn’t changed at all,” said Smirnov. “He still believes completely in his innocence and this [potential] prison term has not broken him at all.” Prosecutors have put incredible pressure on Safronov and his legal team during the case. “Ivan had a very difficult first six months [in prison],” Smirnov said. “Then he made a decision that he wouldn’t play any games with the FSB, that he wouldn’t agree to anything, and after he made that decision it became easier for him.” One lawyer from Safronov’s team has been jailed during the case. Smirnov was also forced to flee the country, he said, after it was revealed that he was under investigation by the FSB security service. Before he left, Smirnov said, he visited Safronov one last time in prison. “We hugged, we said goodbye, and we said we’ll see each other again as free people,” he said.
Russia Revokes Novaya Gazeta Newspaper Print License https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022...-novaya-gazeta-newspaper-print-license-a78718 A Moscow court on Monday revoked the print license of independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, whose chief editor last year was co-awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. "The Basmanny court of Moscow invalidated the registration certificate of the print version of Novaya Gazeta," the outlet said on social media. Novaya Gazeta's chief editor, Dmitry Muratov, told reporters the court decision was “political.” “The newspaper was killed today,” Novaya Gazeta said Monday in an official statement following the court ruling. “Today [they] killed our colleagues again, who had been already killed by this state for the fulfillment of their professional duty,” the editorial said.“[But] it [the newspaper] was, is and will be.” Russia's media watchdog Roskomnadzor had previously said Novaya Gazeta failed to provide its editorial statute within a required timeframe. Novaya Gazeta suspended publication in March following a crackdown on independent media amid the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine. Some of its staff left Russia and launched a new edition from Europe. The license decision comes less than a week after the death of the Soviet Union’s last leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, a key supporter of Novaya Gazeta who donated a part of his 1990 Nobel Peace Prize money to set up the newspaper. Six of Novaya Gazeta’s reporters have been killed in assassinations that the newspaper and human rights groups say were connected to their reporting. Muratov was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 for efforts to” safeguard freedom of expression.”
When Gorby kicked the bucket I thought "fucking Putin gets another one". He was 91 so quickly dismissed the possibility. I remember a news report of him talking about this paper and being immensely proud of helping found an independent free press in ex-Soviet Russia. Now I'm not so sure I was being conspiratorial about his death.
The Putin mouthpieces are calling for the heads of some generals. How reminiscent of time under Stalin.
So Putin has once again replaced his generals. This appears to be happen every few weeks now. Russian western army group commanders fired following major defeat, Ukrainian intelligence says https://english.nv.ua/nation/russia...e-for-kharkiv-front-ukraine-war-50269418.html
Yep... every 3 weeks like clockwork it is time for some new generals. Putin vents fury on army commanders as he sacks General just 17 days after appointing him VLADIMIR PUTIN is reported to have fired the commander of his Western Army Group in Ukraine. https://www.express.co.uk/news/worl...ikov-sacked-kharkiv-russia-ukraine-war-latest
He calls for the execution of the Russian "commanders" who allowed the retreat. Just gonna point out that Vladimir Putin is the Supreme Commander in Chief. I will bet you two nipples and a dime that Putin whipped the generals night and day to send any and all troops to Kherson. Thus, falling right into the trap.