This was Russia today, Friday, October 11, 2024 Putin goes to Turkmenistan, a new event for foreigners fleeing ‘neoliberal ideology,’ and an assassination attempt in Moscow
Howdy, readers! Putin traveled to Turkmenistan today to meet with the five Central Asian leaders and the president of Iran, among other heads of state, at a forum called “Interconnection of Times and Civilizations – the Basis of Peace and Development.” In his opening remarks, the Russian president called for Moscow and its allies to create a “new world order” to counter the West.
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Today’s main story: Russia’s counterattack in the Kursk region
Gaining back ground: Russia launched a large-scale offensive in the Kursk region on Thursday and broke through Ukrainian defenses, according to both Ukrainian and Russian sources. The Ukrainian OSINT project DeepState reported that Ukrainian forces may have lost up to 14.7 square miles of territory in just one day and warned of a potential encirclement of Ukrainian troops in certain areas.
What territory was affected? The unofficial, Russian Defense Ministry-affiliated Telegram channel Rybar reported that Russian forces had launched attacks in multiple areas of the region’s Korenevsky and Sudzhansky districts. In particular, it said Russian troops were moving toward the village of Zelenyi Shlyakh from the direction of Olgovka and “liberating a significant portion of occupied territory.” The channel also said Russian forces had taken control of Novaya Sorochina and were “advancing” towards Malaya Loknya, while military blogger Boris Rozhin stated that Olgovka is now under Russian control.
How big a deal is this? The outlet Agenstvo reported that this marks the largest single-day loss of territory in the Kursk region for Ukrainian forces since September 14, while the Sever Telegram channel said Russian forces have advanced up to 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) in the past 24 hours. (In mid-August, Ukrainian troops had reportedly penetrated up to 30 kilometers, or about 19 miles, into Russian territory.)
2) Taking stock of Russia’s ‘ideological migrants’
Escaping the woke West: Remember Vladimir Putin’s decree two months ago simplifying the immigration process for foreigners seeking to move to Russia to get away from the “neoliberal ideology” in their home countries? Well, the Russian propaganda outlet Ukraina.ru held an event called the “I Want To Live In Russia” Forum on Thursday dedicated to the relocation program.
How’s the initiative going? It’s going. According to Kommersant, there’s “demand” for the program, which officially began on September 1, but it’s unclear how many foreigners have taken advantage of it so far. Most of the prospective migrants are reportedly planning to come with their entire families, and their ranks could soon reach “several thousand,” officials said at the event.
Who was there? Speakers included State Duma Deputy Maria Butina, who framed Russia’s current wave of “ideological immigration” as part of a long tradition dating back to the German settlers who moved to the Russian Empire to escape religious wars. The audience also heard from Béla Kovács, a former European Parliament member from Hungary who moved to Russia after being charged with spying for Moscow in his home country. He asked Russians not to take offense at his compatriots’ views of their country, saying they’re largely deluded by the Western media.
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🇬🇪 Catch the latest issue → Loans for scares: In Georgia, a news network’s propagandistic turn and an alleged loansharking scheme lead back to the same London-based firm (15-min read)
3) Meanwhile, in Russia
🏗️ A new Stalin statue: The Russian city of Vologda is getting a new monument to Joseph Stalin, Governor Georgy Filimonov reported on Friday. The statue will go on the premises of the building where the Soviet dictator lived in internal exile in late 1911 and early 1912, which is now a museum. Filimonov cited popular demand as the reason for the new structure. (The Insider)
⛓️ Russia’s prison-to-army-to-prison pipeline: A convicted murderer from Russia’s Yakutia who was pardoned in exchange for military service has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for two new murders. According to court documents, 36-year-old Viktor Savvinov fractured the skull of a man he was drinking with before breaking into the home of his brother’s widow, killing her with an ax, and setting the building on fire. The day before the double murder, which took place on February 24, 2024, Savvinov was reportedly seen “walking through the village and complaining that he didn’t receive enough respect” as a “defender of the Fatherland.” (Radio Svoboda)
🚑 An assassination attempt in Moscow: Sherip Alikhadzhiev, a former regional official in Russia’s Ingushetia, was reportedly targeted by an assassination attempt on Thursday night. According to Russian state investigators, an unknown assailant fired four shots at the 58-year-old at his home in the Moscow region. Alikhadzhiev reportedly suffered two bullet wounds and is currently in intensive care. Before his post in Ingushetia, Alikhadzhiev served as a district head in Chechnya in the early 2000s. In recent years, he’s served as an aide to State Duma Deputy Vladimir Shamanov. Whether Thursday’s attack had any connection to the escalating conflict between current Chechen and Ingush officials that led Ramzan Kadyrov to declare a blood feud against three lawmakers this week is unclear. (Meduza)
(4) The war in Ukraine
💬 CPJ voices support for Ukrainska Pravda: The Committee to Protect Journalists released a statement on Friday calling on the Ukrainian government to “stop obstructing” the work of the newspaper Ukrainska Pravda. The appeal comes two days after the outlet accused the Ukrainian President’s Office of exerting “ongoing and systemic pressure” on its staff in an effort to influence its reporting. The Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the paper’s allegations. (Ukrainska Pravda)
🕯️ Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna, who was reported on Thursday to have died in Russian captivity last month, was held in at least two detention centers where torture is known to be used against prisoners, the Media Initiative for Human Rights said on Friday. One of the facilities, Penal Colony No. 77, is in the occupied Ukrainian city of Berdiansk, while the other is in the Russian city of Taganrog. (The Kyiv Independent)
🎬 Steven Seagal has a new “documentary” out on the Russian streaming platform Smotrim. The film reportedly shows the U.S. actor traveling around Ukraine’s occupied territories and repeating various pro-Kremlin talking points with the help of a translator. At one point in the film, Seagal, who became a Russian citizen in 2016, says that he would “die” for Vladimir Putin if he had to — though there’s no sign that he plans to join the war against Ukraine. (The Kyiv Independent)
🛩️ Russia fired two missiles and 66 drones at Ukraine on Thursday night, according to the Ukrainian Air Force, targeting the Kyiv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, and Sumy regions, among others. Ukrainian air defense reportedly shot down 29 of the drones. (Ukrainska Pravda)
⛓️ Moscow seeks CNN reporter’s arrest: A court in Russia’s Kursk region has issued an arrest warrant for CNN correspondent Nick Paton Walsh for crossing the Russian border and filming from the town of Sudzha without Moscow’s permission. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) opened a criminal case against Walsh as well as Ukrainian journalists Olesya Borovik and Diana Butsko in August after they reported from the Ukrainian-controlled town. (Meduza)
(5) As the world turns
🇲🇩 Responding to allegations from Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova that Romania wanted to “annex” Moldova, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said Thursday that Russia is “desperately trying to divert Moldova from its European path.” The spat comes less than two weeks before Moldovans go to the polls to vote on whether to join the E.U. (Euractiv)
🇮🇹 Rome will host the next Ukraine Recovery Conference on July 10–11, 2025, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced on Friday. “Ukraine is not alone, and we will be there for as long as it takes,” she said, speaking at a press conference alongside Volodymyr Zelensky. The event will be the fourth of its kind; previous Ukraine Recovery Conferences were held in London in 2022; Lugano, Switzerland in 2023; and Berlin in 2024. (The Kyiv Independent)
🇵🇱 Volkov’s alleged attackers released on bail: Two suspects in the attack on Navalny ally Leonid Volkov in Vilnius six months ago have been released on bail, according to Polish prosecutors. A Polish court set the men’s bail at 50,000 złoty, or about $12,700, on October 9; it’s unclear who paid the fee. (Agentstvo Media)
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