Russia

MOSCOW, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Russia's Supreme Court has upheld a decision to bar a former TV journalist who opposes the war in Ukraine from taking part in a presidential election in March, Yekaterina Duntsova, the would-be candidate, said on Wednesday.

Members of the central electoral commission voted unanimously to reject the candidacy of Duntsova, citing "numerous violations" in the papers she had submitted in support of her bid.

Duntsova, in a post on her Telegram channel, confirmed that her appeal against the decision had been rejected by the Supreme Court.

MOSCOW, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Russia told South Korea on Wednesday not to be surprised if Moscow retaliates against Seoul for expanding the list of goods which cannot be exported from the East Asian nation to Russia without special permission.

Seoul said this week it would add over 600 types of goods which could potentially be used for military purposes to its export control list for Russia.

The list includes heavy construction equipment, rechargeable batteries, aeronautical components, and some cars.

MOSCOW, Dec 27 (Reuters) - A move by Japan to provide Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine will have "grave consequences" for Russia-Japan ties, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.

Relations between Moscow and Tokyo, already difficult, have deteriorated sharply since Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in Feb. 2022. Japan has joined its Western allies in imposing sweeping economic sanctions on Russia.

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian politician calling for peace in Ukraine on Wednesday lost her appeal against election officials’ refusal to accept her nomination for the country’s presidential race that President Vladimir Putin is all but certain to win.

Former regional legislator Yekaterina Duntsova has promoted her vision of a “humane” Russia “that’s peaceful, friendly and ready to cooperate with everyone on the principle of respect.”

MOSCOW, December 26. /TASS/: The probability of Russia inviting poll watchers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly to observe the 2024 presidential election is "next to zero," because the OSCE is "occupied by Western states" that have already made clear their intention to shun recognizing the vote as legitimate, Russian Federation Council (upper house of parliament, or "senate") Deputy Speaker Konstantin Kosachev said.

MOSCOW, December 26. /TASS/: Moscow expects a wide range of solutions to be developed ahead of the group’s next summit, set to take place in the Russian city of Kazan in October 2024, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

MOSCOW, December 26. /TASS/: Ukrainian troops have retreated from the town of Maryinka in the Donetsk People's Republic, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny said at a televised news conference.

"Ukrainian troops have withdrawn. In some places they have entrenched themselves in the vicinity of Maryinka, and in other places - a little further away," he said.

Zaluzhy also said that "the city of Maryinka no longer exists".

MOSCOW, December 26. /TASS/: The West has given Belgrade an ultimatum, effectively forcing it to choose "anything but Russia," Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

MOSCOW, Dec 26 (NNN-TASS) – Russian President, Vladimir Putin, attended a flag-raising ceremony, for three new warships that are set to join the country’s navy, the Kremlin reported, yesterday.

The Admiral Golovko frigate will join Russia’s Northern Fleet, while the Naro-Fominsk small-rocket ship and the Lev Chernavin minesweeper will serve in the country’s Baltic Fleet, the Russian leader said, during the ceremony he attended at the Severnaya Verf shipyard, in St. Petersburg.

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Tuesday released a sardonic statement about his transfer to a Arctic prison colony nicknamed the “Polar Wolf,” his first appearance since associates lost contact with him three weeks ago.

Navalny, the most prominent and persistent domestic foe of President Vladimir Putin, is serving a 19-year sentence on an extremism conviction. He had been incarcerated in central Russia’s Vladimir region, about 230 kilometers (140 miles) east of Moscow, but supporters said he couldn’t be found beginning on Dec. 6.