Notorious cyber crime gang Lockbit disrupted by NCA, FBI and international coalition - Sky News

An infamous cyber crime gang that holds victims' data to ransom has been disrupted by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and a coalition of international police agencies. 

A post on Lockbit's extortion website on Monday said: "This site is now under the control of the National Crime Agency of the UK, working in close cooperation with the FBI and the international law enforcement task force, 'Operation Cronos'."

Europol and other international police organisations from France, Japan, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland and Germany all aided in the rare law enforcement operation.

An NCA spokesperson confirmed that the agency had disrupted the gang and said the operation was "ongoing and developing".

A representative for Lockbit posted messages on an encrypted messaging app saying it had backup servers not affected by the law enforcement action.

Lockbit is one of the most prolific and dominant ransomware operators in what is a highly competitive underground market.

The group and its affiliates have hacked some of the world's largest organisations in recent months. The gang makes money by stealing sensitive data and threatening to leak it if victims fail to pay an extortionate ransom.

Its affiliates are like-minded criminal groups that are recruited to wage attacks using Lockbit's digital extortion tools.

Lockbit was discovered in 2020 when its malicious software was found on Russian-language cyber crime forums, leading some security analysts to believe the gang is based in Russia.

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It has not professed support for any government, however, and no government has formally attributed it to a nation-state.

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3:04

From December: Russian cyber attacks: What we know

On its now-defunct dark website, the group said it was "located in the Netherlands, completely apolitical and only interested in money".

US officials have described Lockbit as the world's top ransomware threat. The group has hit more than 1,700 organisations in the US in nearly every industry from financial services and food to schools, transportation and government departments.

Read more:
FBI disrupts hacking network 'linked to Russian intelligence'
Parents of US gun violence victims use AI to recreate their voices
Chinese hackers preparing to 'wreak havoc' on US, warns FBI chief

Royal Mail faced severe disruption after an attack by Lockbit in early 2023.

Before it was taken down, Lockbit's website displayed an ever-growing gallery of victim organisations that was updated almost daily.

Next to their names were digital clocks that showed the number of days left to the deadline given to each organisation to provide ransom payment.

On Monday, the site displayed a similar countdown, but from the law enforcement agencies who wrote: "Return here for more information at 11:30 GMT on Tuesday 20th Feb."

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2024-02-20 05:12:06Z
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Vladimir Putin promotes prison official accused of torturing Alexei Navalny – live - The Independent

Navalny’s widow claims he was poisoned with novichok nerve agent

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Alexei Navalny’s mother has been told she must wait 14 days to receive her son’s body as authorities conduct a “chemical examination”, his spokesperson and allies have said.

The move will raise suspicions that the leading Vladimir Putin critic was poisoned, with his wife Yulia Navalnaya alleging on Monday that the Kremlin is waiting for traces of the Novichok nerve agent to disappear from his body – as she vowed to reveal the names of his killers.

In a video message on Monday, as she met with EU foreign ministers in Brussel, Ms Navalnaya said: “Vladimir Putin killed my husband ... We know exactly why Putin killed Alexei three days ago. We will tell you about it soon.”

The bruised body of the Putin critic is believed to have been delivered to a morgue at the Salekhard District Clinical Hospital, an anonymous experienced paramedic told the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta Europe.

However, Mr Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, and his lawyers were blocked from accessing the morgue on Monday morning, his spokesperson Kira Yarmysh wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

1708417800

Alexei Navalny – the man who knew too much

For a decade and more, he and his team deployed a mix of tenacity and mockery to probe the Mafia-style financial links between those at the top of Russian politics, security and business, writes John Kampfner.

Frozen out of state-controlled mainstream media, Navalny used every digital platform and every social media channel available to shine a light on Putin’s corrupt regime, surviving multiple poisonings and incarceration until he was finally – and inevitably – silenced by his greatest foe.

Alexei Navalny – the man who knew too much

For a decade and more, he and his team deployed a mix of tenacity and mockery to probe the Mafia-style financial links between those at the top of Russian politics, security and business, writes John Kampfner. Frozen out of state-controlled mainstream media, Navalny used every digital platform and every social media channel available to shine a light on Putin’s corrupt regime, surviving multiple poisonings and incarceration until he was finally – and inevitably – silenced by his greatest foe...

Namita Singh20 February 2024 08:30

1708416900

‘There will be consequences,’ says Cameron

Foreign secretary Lord Cameron said he expected the UK and G7 allies to impose fresh sanctions on Russians involved in Alexei Navalny’s death.

Speaking to reporters during his visit to the Falkland Islands, Lord Cameron said: “I think the first thing is just to remember what a great man Alexei Navalny was, and what an appalling regime Putin runs in Russia.

“And yes, there will be consequences. What we do in these situations is we look at how someone’s human rights have been damaged and the individual people that caused that, and we’re able to go after those people with particular measures.

“Now we never pre-announce sanctions in advance, I can’t do that.

“But what I can tell you is at the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Munich, I pressed that the United Kingdom will be doing that and I urged other countries to do the same. And I believe very much that both those things will happen.”

Namita Singh20 February 2024 08:15

1708416000

In video: Foreign affairs minister stresses Navalny’s death was a ‘murder’

Foreign Affairs minister stresses Navalny’s death was a ‘murder’

Alicia Kearns urged MPs to label Alexei Navalny’s death as a murder, while in Commons on Monday, 19 February. “Alexei Navalny was murdered and it is important that we in this House call it out for what it was, because that is what he deserves.” the Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman said. “Following his murder, I was also in Munich, where I heard his wife Yulia (Navalnaya) ask us to stand by her. That is what we must now do.” Leo Docherty, the UK Minister for Europe, agreed with the description, saying: “She is right to use the word murder. We do seek to hold the state and the Russian leadership to account.”

Namita Singh20 February 2024 08:00

1708415100

In pictures: Hundreds mourn Alexei Navalny with vigil, flowers and protests

Torchlight procession in memory of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in Rome

People pay their respects as they attend a torchlight procession in memory of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny

People attend a vigil following the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, in Paris

People attend a protest and vigil following the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, in Kappara

A protester holding a photo of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny attends a rally to commemorate his death, outside the Russian Embassy in Athens, Greece, 19 February 2024

Namita Singh20 February 2024 07:45

1708414200

France to summon Russian ambassador in Paris after Navalny's death, Le Monde reports

France will summon the Russian ambassador to Paris following the death of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, reported Le Monde newspaper, citing comments made by French foreign minister Stephane Sejourne during a trip in Argentina.

“I have asked to summon the Russian ambassador today at 1830,” Mr Sejourne said, according to Le Monde.

On Monday, Germany had also summoned Russia’s ambassador in Berlin over the death of Navalny.

Namita Singh20 February 2024 07:30

1708413600

‘Covering up traces of their crime’

Alexei Navalny’s ally Ivan Zhdanov denounced the Russian authorities as “lackeys and liars” as he lashed out at them for the delay in handing over the Putin critic’s body.

“It’s clear what they are doing now – covering up the traces of their crime,” he wrote on Monday.

Since Navalny’s death, nearly 400 people have been detained by police in Russia as they streamed to ad-hoc memorials and monuments to victims of political repression with flowers and candles to pay tribute to Navalny, according to OVD-Info, a group that monitors political arrests.

The US and British ambassadors also mourned Navalny’s death at a memorial in Moscow.

Namita Singh20 February 2024 07:20

1708412460

Foreign Office minister stresses Navalny’s death was a ‘murder’

Foreign Affairs minister stresses Navalny's death was a 'murder'

Andy Gregory20 February 2024 07:01

1708412382

EU foreign policy chief calls for independent investigation into Navalny’s death

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the bloc was mulling sanctions against Russia and he also called for an independent international investigation into the causes of Alexei Navalny’s death.

He said responsibility for Navalny’s death lies with “(Russian president Vladimir) Putin himself, but we can go down to the institutional structure of the penitentiary system in Russia,” to impose asset freezes and travel bans

Namita Singh20 February 2024 06:59

1708409040

Long Read | Alexei Navalny – the man who knew too much

“The reason why it all happened is one man’s hatred and fear – one man hiding in a bunker. I mortally offended him by surviving an attempt at my life he ordered. And then I committed an even more serious offence: I didn’t go into hiding. And that’s driving this thieving little man in his bunker out of his mind.”

So declared the accused from behind his courtroom cage as he prepared to be sentenced to jail. His crime was to have challenged the man in the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin, with the one tool remaining, the power of speech.

That act of defiance exactly three years ago, was the beginning of the end of the life of Alexei Navalny. The blogger, vlogger, humourist and deeply earnest arch-critic of this most evil of regimes was to see his prison sentence repeatedly extended, his place of captivity made increasingly barren and remote.

The only way Navalny might have escaped death would have been if his nemesis had been toppled from his throne. The reverse has happened.

John Kampfner has more in this longer read:

Andy Gregory20 February 2024 06:04

1708407900

More than 300 detained in Russia for paying respects to Alexei Navalny

More than 300 people werre detained in Russia after paying respects to prominent Vladimir Putin critic Alexei Navalny, whose death was announced by prison authorities, a rights group reported.

Alexei Navalny supporters detained in Russia after paying respects to Kremlin critic

More than 300 people were detained in Russia after paying respects to prominent Vladimir Putin critic Alexei Navalny, whose death was announced by prison authorities on Friday (16 February), a rights group reported. The 47-year-old had been serving a prison sentence in an Arctic penal colony. On Friday and Saturday, hundreds of people in Russian cities went to memorials and monuments to victims of political repression, bringing flowers and candles to pay tribute to the opposition leader. By Sunday police had detained 366 people in 39 cities, the OVD-Info rights group said.

Namita Singh20 February 2024 05:45

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2024-02-20 09:23:00Z
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Israel-Gaza war: US calls for temporary ceasefire in UN text - BBC

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By Nada Tawfik and James FitzGerald

BBC News, New York and London

The US has proposed a draft resolution at the UN Security Council which calls for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza.

It has also warned Israel against invading the overcrowded city of Rafah.

The US has previously avoided the word "ceasefire" during UN votes on the war, but President Joe Biden has made similar comments.

However, the US plans to veto another draft resolution - from Algeria - which calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.

More than a million displaced Palestinians, who represent about half of Gaza's population, are crammed into Rafah after being forced to seek shelter there.

The southern city, which borders Egypt, was home to only 250,000 people before the war.

Many of the displaced are living in makeshift shelters or tents in squalid conditions, with scarce access to safe drinking water or food.

The UN has issued its own warning that a planned Israeli offensive in the city could lead to a "slaughter".

Israel launched its operations in Gaza following an attack by Hamas gunmen on southern Israel on 7 October, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 240 others taken hostage.

The Israeli military campaign has killed 29,000 people in the Palestinian territory, according to the Hamas-run health ministry there.

• Why are Israel and Hamas fighting in Gaza?
• Israel indicates March deadline for Rafah offensive

Washington has come under immense international pressure to use its leverage to rein in Israel's devastating operations, having spent much of the war emphasising its ally's right to self-defence.

While it has vowed to block the Algerian draft, its rival text does register opposition to Israel's plans.

Talks will begin on the US draft this week, but it is not clear when or if the proposal might be put to a vote. Any resolutions that are passed at the UN are not legally binding.

It is the first time the US has called for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza at the UN, having vetoed previous resolutions using the word.

The US draft also states that a major ground offensive in Rafah would result in more harm to civilians and their further displacement, including potentially into neighbouring countries - a reference to Egypt.

It also says such a move would have serious implications for regional peace and security.

The draft resolution calls for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza as soon as practicable, echoing remarks by President Joe Biden in his conversations with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week.

Mr Netanyahu has so far resisted international pressure to reconsider the plan - vowing to rescue remaining hostages and defeat Hamas throughout Gaza.

Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz has warned the manoeuvre will be launched unless Hamas frees all its hostages by 10 March. The date marks the start of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.

The Arab group of nations says the Security Council cannot turn a deaf ear to the pleas of the international community demanding a ceasefire.

Related Topics

• Middle East
• Israel-Gaza war
• Israel
• Hamas
• Benjamin Netanyahu

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Navalny's death has shown one Republican up as a coward - The Independent

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Upon the news of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s death, House Speaker Mike Johnson denounced Vladimir Putin.

“As Congress debates the best path forward to support Ukraine, the United States and our partners must be using every means available to cut off Putin’s ability to fund his unprovoked war in Ukraine and aggression against the Baltic states,” he said in a statement.

Of course, Johnson’s words would hold much more weight if he had actually put through the aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan that the Senate passed on the floor of the House of Representatives. Indeed, as the Senate labored late into the night on Monday and into the wee hours of Tuesday to pass that aid bill, Johnson summarily killed the bill because it did not address immigration at the US-Mexico border.

This came after Johnson and the rest of House Republican leadership blew up a bipartisan agreement that would have included aggressive restrictions to immigration in exchange for aid to Israel and Ukraine. Johnson, like most of the Republican Party, did so in the service of Donald Trump after he came out in opposition to the deal — despite the fact it would give him sweeping authority to deport migrants if he became president again.

Despite his tough words, Johnson — a political neophyte only elected to the House in 2016, who became Speaker after three other candidates for the job faltered before him — has elected to appeal only to the most extreme elements of the GOP conference.

After the Senate passed its aid package, Johnson didn’t spend Tuesday dispatching Republicans to come up with a counter offer to Democrats. Nor did he spend the day trying to come up with a way to keep the government open, since it runs out of money next month.

Rather, he spent it holding a second vote to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, something that will do next to nothing to address immigration and has no chance of passing in a Senate controlled by the Democrats.

Johnson did this in the service of appeasing Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, the right-wing conspiracy theorist and Trump ally from Georgia, who is also an ardent opponent of funding for Ukraine. But he seems to know that holding an impeachment with little merit will be seen with distaste by most of America. Instead of walking back to his office on Tuesday after the vote, he avoided reporters by exiting the floor from the area where Democrats usually exit. That allowed him to avoid journalists keen to ask him questions. He has proven far less chatty with reporters than his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy.

Johnson had plenty of words when I eventually caught him, saying Mayorkas “deserved” to be impeached. But when I asked him about Trump recalling a story where he told a Nato head of state he would “encourage” Russia to do whatever it wanted, he said, “Not going to comment about that,” before leaving.

The fact he refused to cross the person largely responsible for him being Speaker shows how unserious he is. In contrast, everyone in the Senate from Rand Paul to Mitt Romney criticized Trump’s Nato remarks.

Marjorie Taylor Greene has pledged that if aid to Ukraine goes to the floor of the House, she will file a motion to vacate the chair of Johnson. This comes despite the fact that many in Johnson’s conference want to support Ukraine and most Democrats would vote to help pass a bill doing so.

The only way for Johnson to survive if he were to put support for Ukraine on the floor would be for Democrats to bail him out and vote “present” or “no” on any motion to vacate. That’s unlikely for an archconservative like him.

Republican leaders have cowered in fear of the far-right flank of their conference before. In 2013, John Boehner refused to put an immigration reform bill on the floor of the House because he feared the Tea Party wing of the House GOP. Kevin McCarthy cynically lied on national television that “President Trump won this election” and voted to overturn the 2020 election results, even after the January 6 riot.

But now, the shrinking courage of Republican elites don’t just risk the ability of Congress to function or even the health of American democracy. Johnson’s abdication of his duties risks the entire international order and American leadership’s place in it. Should Ukraine fall and Putin begin to march through Nato countries — which would require American troops to mobilize — the blood will be on Johnson’s hands as much as Ukrainians’ blood are on Putin’s.

Navalny was willing to take on Vladimir Putin and risk his life. Johnson is so afraid of losing his speakership that he caves to Marjorie Taylor Greene.

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2024-02-19 06:09:13Z
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Israel's war cabinet indicates date for Rafah ground invasion - Sky News

A member of Israel's war cabinet has indicated a ground invasion of Rafah may begin around Ramadan, which is expected to start on 10 March.

Retired general Benny Gantz, part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's three-member war cabinet, told a conference of Jewish American leaders: "If by Ramadan our hostages are not home, the fighting will continue to the Rafah area."

It marks the first time Israel's leaders have publicly discussed a timeline for a ground offensive on Rafah, where more than half the enclave's 2.3 million people have sought refuge.

Ramadan - the Islamic holy month of fasting - has historically been a tense time in the region.

Mr Gantz's comments come as Mr Netanyahu brushed off calls to stop the military offensive in Gaza and vowed to "finish the job".

He also said demands by Gaza's ruling Hamas militant group were "delusional", as ceasefire negotiations struggle to progress.

The US, Israel's top ally, says it still hopes to broker a ceasefire and hostage-release agreement, and envisions a wider resolution of the war.

More on Gaza

Related Topics:

Washington also said it will veto another draft UN resolution calling for a ceasefire, with its UN ambassador warning against measures that could jeopardise "the opportunity for an enduring resolution of hostilities".

But Mr Netanyahu's cabinet adopted a declaration on Sunday saying Israel "categorically rejects international edicts on a permanent arrangement with the Palestinians" and opposes any unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state.

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Image: Palestinians in Rafah shelter at the border with Egypt. Pic: Reuters

The international community overwhelmingly supports an independent Palestinian state as part of a future peace agreement, but Mr Netanyahu's government is filled with hardliners who oppose Palestinian independence.

Meanwhile, the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) said southern Gaza's main medical centre, Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, "is not functional any more" after Israeli forces raided it last week.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said a team was not allowed to enter the hospital on Friday or Saturday. He said about 200 patients remain, including 20 who need urgent referrals elsewhere.

Image: Palestinians in Rafah shelter at the border with Egypt. Pic: Reuters

But Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant claimed at least 200 militants surrendered at the hospital. He also claimed that Hamas is defeated in Khan Younis and is largely leaderless in Gaza.

The Gaza Health Ministry said 70 medical personnel were among those arrested, along with patients, leaving 150 patients without medical care.

It said Israel refused to allow patients, including newborn babies, to be taken to other hospitals.

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Israeli strikes across Gaza have also continued, killing at least 18 people overnight into Sunday, according to medics and witnesses.

The United Nations' top court is also set to open a week of hearings on the legal consequences of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories on Monday, with more than 50 states due to address the judges.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al Maliki will speak first in the legal proceedings at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

In 2022, the UN General Assembly asked the court for an advisory, or non-binding, opinion on the occupation.

While Israel has ignored such opinions in the past, it could pile on political pressure over its ongoing war in Gaza.

Read more from Sky News:
'No preparation whatsoever' for influx at Gaza's Rafah border
'Gaza is worst humanitarian crisis I have seen in 50 years'
The scale of Rafah's vast tent city

The war has killed at least 28,985 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

On Sunday it said 127 bodies were taken to hospitals in the past 24 hours. A further 68,883 people have been injured, the health ministry said.

Around 80% of Gaza's population has been displaced, and a quarter face starvation.

Israel's military offensive in Gaza started after the 7 October attack by Hamas, which killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and around 250 were taken hostage.

Militants still hold around 130 hostages, and a quarter of them are believed to be dead.

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Ukraine-Russia war live: Russian troops fly flag over Avdiivka coke plant - The Telegraph

Russia has claimed control of a Soviet-era coke plant in Avdiivka, cementing its control of the city.

Russia’s defence ministry said its troops had advanced about 9 km (5 miles) in the Donetsk-region of the front line after a deadly urban battle for the Avdiivka.

“The ‘Centre’ grouping of troops, taking the offensive, took full control of the coke plant in Avdiivka,” Russia’s defence ministry said in a statement alongside video showing a series of blasts in what appeared to be the plant. “Russian flags were hoisted on the administrative buildings of the plant,” it added

Russian state television showed blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flags being taken down in Avdiivka and Russia’s white, blue and red tricolour flag raised, including over the coke plant.

Vladimir Putin hailed the fall of Avdiivka as an important victory and congratulated Russian troops, while Ukraine said it had withdrawn its soldiers to save its units from being fully surrounded after months of fierce fighting.

The fall of Avdiivka after is Russia’s biggest gain since it captured the city of Bakhmut in May 2023, and comes just ahead of the two-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Follow the latest updates below and join the conversation in the comments section

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2024-02-19 08:02:00Z
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Putin 'thinks he's untouchable' as Navalny's body still missing - live - The Independent

Moscow police detain people at Navalny memorial event

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Vladimir Putin believes that he is “untouchable” after years of an iron grip on Russia, the wife of jailed opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza has said, as she accused the autocrat of murdering Alexei Navalny.

Speaking to the BBC, Evgenia Kara-Murza said: “All that impunity that lasted for decades has led [Putin] to believe he’s somehow untouchable.”

She added that Putin remaining in power will mean “more warmongering” in Ukraine.

Earlier, shadow foreign secretary David Lammy called for Putin to be tried in front of a special tribunal for the death of Mr Navalny.

Russian environmentalist Yevgenia Chirikova told The Independent that she planned to increase her support for the Ukrainian military in honour of her friend Mr Navalny.

It comes as the Russian opposition figure’s team accused authorities of deliberately hiding his body to “cover traces” of what they claim is a clear act of murder.

“They are trying to cover traces, this is why they are not giving the body to his family and this is why they are just hiding him from them,” Kira Yarmysh, Mr Navalny’s spokesperson, told the BBC.

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Over 400 detained in Russia as country mourns the death of Alexei Navalny, Putin's fiercest foe

Over 400 people were detained in Russia while paying tribute to opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died at a remote Arctic penal colony, a prominent rights group reported.

The sudden death of Navalny, 47, was a crushing blow to many Russians, who had pinned their hopes for the future on President Vladimir Putin‘s fiercest foe. Navalny remained vocal in his unrelenting criticism of the Kremlin even after surviving a nerve agent poisoning and receiving multiple prison terms.

Tom Watling18 February 2024 12:30

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Russian activist had to ‘brief children’ on what nerve agent poisoning looks like

A former Russian supermodel-turned-activist has revealed that she’s had to ‘brief’ her children on what nerve agent poisoning looks like in the wake of Alexei Navalny‘s death - and fears something could happen to her.

Ksenia Maximova has been helping Russians to flee Putin‘s regime, and is now based in the UK, scared to return to her home country as she would likely be arrested.

“I have been told I shouldn’t worry about my safety here [the UK], she told Sky‘s Trevor Phillips.

“I definitely can’t travel to some places”, she added, noting that she would be extradited.

Russian activist had to ‘brief children’ on what nerve agent poisoning looks like

A former Russian supermodel-turned-activist has revealed that she's had to 'brief' her children on what nerve agent poisoning looks like in the wake of Alexei Navalny's death - and fears something could happen to her. Ksenia Maximova has been helping Russians to flee Putin's regime, and is now based in the UK, scared to return to her home country as she would likely be arrested. "I have been told I shouldn't worry about my safety here [the UK], she told Sky's Trevor Phillips. "I definitely can't travel to some places", she added, noting that she would be extradited.

Tom Watling18 February 2024 12:00

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Letter: Putin’s name has become a byword for cowardice

Alexei Navalny’s name will become a byword for courage. Vladimir Putin’s just became one for cowardice.

Russia has a tradition of admiring strong men. They had one in Navalny. They have just discovered that they have a weakling and a coward in Putin. Every household and every soldier in Russia knows that tonight.

Putin has indeed struck a killing blow: to himself.

Amoosh Griffiths

Flowers and tributes are left opposite the Russian embassy, to commemorate the death of Alexei Navalny in London

(Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Tom Watling18 February 2024 11:32

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Wife of jailed Russian activist believes ‘many more’ prisoners’ lives in danger

The wife of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Vladamir Kara-Murza has admitted she believes ‘many more’ prisoners are in danger following the death of Alexei Navalny.

Evgenia Kara-Murza appeared on BBC News this morning (18 February), where she explained her suspicions were raised by her seemingly healthy husband collapsing in 2015.

“I’ve been sleeping with my phone since dreading yet another call of that sort”, she said. “I believe that my husband’s life is in danger as are lives of many other political prisoners... These people are kept behind bars, very often with serious medical conditions, with no proper medical treatment.”

Wife of jailed Russian activist believes ‘many more’ prisoners’ lives in danger

The wife of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Vladamir Kara-Murza has admitted she believes ‘many more’ prisoners are in danger following the death of Alexei Navalny. Evgenia Kara-Murza appeared on BBC News this morning (18 February), where she explained her suspicions were raised by her seemingly healthy husband collapsing in 2015. “I’ve been sleeping with my phone since dreading yet another call of that sort”, she said. “I believe that my husband’s life is in danger as are lives of many other political prisoners... These people are kept behind bars, very often with serious medical conditions, with no proper medical treatment.”

Tom Watling18 February 2024 10:56

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Putin should face international tribunal, says shadow foreign secretary

Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy has called for Russian President Vladimir Putin to face an international tribunal on crimes against humanity following the death of Alexei Navalny.

He told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “We’ve been calling for a special tribunal for crimes of aggression and against humanity.

“I’d like to see Putin in front of that special tribunal, held to account for all of his crimes, not just in Ukraine, but as we are seeing just in the last 48 hours in Russia as well.

“And of course as Russia holds elections this year, it’s important that the international community is able to verify that they are free and fair elections.”

Pavel Shumilkin lights candles for a vigil held for Alexei Navalny outside City Hall in San Francisco

(Online_Yes)

Tom Watling18 February 2024 10:15

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Cameron was right to blame Putin for Navalny’s death, says minister

Illegal migration minister Michael Tomlinson has said the foreign secretary was correct to “lay the blame” for Alexei Navalny's death "at the door of Putin".

He told Sky's Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips that Lord Cameron has been “very firm and robust in his condemnation and blame frankly of Putin for what happened.

“Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine we have sanctioned 1,700 individuals and entities as well, and it's right that the Foreign Secretary considers the appropriate next steps.”

He went on: “It's very clear as the Foreign Secretary said to lay the blame at the door of Putin.

“Alexei Navalny was a courageous politician, all of us who stand for politics in the West know how hard and how challenging that is, but imagine how challenging that is to try and stand up to Putin.

“The Foreign Secretary in my view is absolutely correct to lay the blame firmly at Putin's door.”

Tom Watling18 February 2024 09:45

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Navalny’s family demands return of his body as hundreds detained at memorials across Russia

Navalny, 47, who was Vladimir Putin’s most prominent critic, died on Friday at the brutal “Polar Wolf” Arctic penal colony in Kharp, about 1,200 miles northeast of Moscow, where he was serving a three-decade sentence. Prison authorities who announced his death claim he fell unconscious after a walk.

Tom Watling18 February 2024 09:15

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More than 400 detained in Russia at events in memory of Navalny, rights group says

More than 400 people have been detained at events across 32 Russian cities since the death of Alexei Navalny, President Vladimir Putin's most formidable opponent, according to rights group OVD-Info, as Russians continued to gather and lay flowers.

It has been the largest wave of arrests at political events in Russia since September 2022, when more than 1,300 were arrested at demonstrations against a “partial mobilisation” of reservists for Putin's military campaign in Ukraine.

Navalny, a 47-year-old former lawyer, fell unconscious and died on Friday after a walk at the “Polar Wolf” Arctic penal colony where he was serving a three-decade sentence, the prison service said.

OVD-Info, which reports on freedom of assembly in Russia, said the largest numbers of arrests occurred in St Petersburg and Moscow, where Navalny's support had traditionally been strong. As of 2000 GMT on Saturday, more than 200 people were detained in St. Petersburg.

But there was no mention of the events on Russian state news agencies, which are under full Kremlin control. There was also no stories about the hundreds of people across Russia who have continued to defy authorities to lay flowers at impromptu Navalny memorials.

Police officers stand guard next to flowers left for late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny at the Wall of Grief in Moscow on February 17, 2024

(AFP via Getty Images)

Tom Watling18 February 2024 08:41

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In Russia’s Arctic, Alexei Navalny’s mother searches for her son’s body

For the mother of Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader who died at age 47 in an Arctic penal colony, the journey to recover her son’s body Saturday was an odyssey with no clear destination.

In the end, she didn’t get what she came for.

Full report:

Stuti Mishra18 February 2024 07:30

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ICYMI: Prison claims Navalny died of ‘sudden death syndrome’

A note handed to Navalny’s mother stated that he died at 2:17pm Friday, according to Navalny spokesperson Kira Yarmysh. Prison officials told his mother when she arrived at the penal colony Saturday that her son had perished from “sudden death syndrome,” Ivan Zhdanov, the director of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

A prison colony employee said the body was taken to the nearby city of Salekhard as part of a post-mortem investigation, Yarmysh said. When Navalny’s mother and one of the late politician’s lawyers visited the morgue in Salekhard, it was closed, Navalny’s team wrote on its Telegram channel. But the lawyer called the morgue and was told the body was not there, his team said.

Another of Navalny’s lawyers went to Salekhard’s Investigative Committee and was told that the cause of Navalny’s death had not yet been established and that new investigations were being done with the results to be released next week, Yarmysh said. Russia’s Investigative Committee informed Navalny’s team that the body would not be handed over to his relatives until those investigations were complete, she said.

Matt Mathers18 February 2024 07:00

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