Will unrest in Belarus, along with Russia’s economic problems, complicate Putin’s political calculations?
Russia’s seemingly invincible leader Vladimir Putin is facing multiple challenges as growing economic hardship and protests hit the country ahead of the September regional elections. The country’s most powerful opposition leader has been flown to Germany and the government there says he was mostLike the Donald Trump administration, Moscow has also been criticised for its bad handling of the pandemic, which has continued to hammer the country.
The incident triggered widespread international media coverage as some Western leaders, including Germany’s Angela Merkel, have called Putin to investigate Navalny’s case. He was evacuated to Berlin after his wife sent a direct plea to Putin to allow his transfer abroad. After several delays, Navalny, who has been in coma since the incident, was allowed to go to Germany.
Navalny was in Siberia to persuade the province’s opposition forces to unite under a single candidate in the upcoming regional elections in September. The aim would have been to try and defeat Putin in a region well-known for state atrocities against dissent. Siberia is also notorious as playing host to political prisoners from the Tsarist period up until the times of the communist Soviet Union.
People attend an opposition demonstration to protest against presidential election results, in Minsk, Belarus August 23, 2020. In Khabarovsk in the Far East of Russia, 9,000 km away from Belarus - which has been often referred to as the White Russia - there are some rare protests taking place against Moscow. These are down to the fact that the Kremlin removed its governor over criminal charges dating back to the 2000s.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
U.S. allies watch borders closely as Belarus sends military, Russia presses WestThe foreign ministries of Poland and Lithuania tell Newsweek they are closely monitoring Belarusian border exercises, as President Alexander Lukashenko accuses them of hatching a U.S.-led plot against him.
Read more »
How a Senate panel went beyond Mueller in documenting Trump campaign contacts with RussiaThe Senate Intelligence Committee was one of several congressional panels that scrutinized the Trump campaign and Russia, but it was the only one that managed to complete its investigation with Democrats and Republicans still on the same page.
Read more »
Democratic senator says he fears Americans are 'unwittingly' spreading Russia disinformation campaignSenate Intelligence Committee vice chair Mark Warner urged U.S. intelligence officials to release more details about Russian election interference during an interview with NBC's 'Meet the Press' on Sunday.
Read more »
No. 2 U.S. diplomat Biegun will visit Russia, Lithuania amid Belarus crisisU.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun will travel to Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine on Aug. 24-27 to meet senior government leaders to discuss regional issues, the State Department said in a statement on Sunday.
Read more »
Russia plans COVID-19 vaccine output at 6 million doses a month: RIARussia expects to produce between 1.5 million and 2 million doses per month of its potential COVID-19 vaccine by the year end, gradually ramping up production to 6 million doses a month, the RIA news agency cited industry minister Denis Manturov as saying on Sunday.
Read more »