Kremlin

He rubbed elbows with Russian elites, spoke of an exclusive invite aboard an oligarch’s mega-yacht and cozied up to foreign intelligence agencies. As a valued FBI informant for the last 13 years, Alexander Smirnov hopscotched the globe to sweep up information on powerful figures and illicit activities. Federal agents even authorized him to break the law while doing so.For much of this time, Smirnov, 43, also lived a quiet, seemingly unremarkable life in the suburbs of Los Angeles with a long-term girlfriend 15 years his…

The White House publicly confirmed on Thursday that Russia has obtained a "troubling" emerging anti-satellite weapon but said it cannot directly cause "physical destruction" on Earth.White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said U.S. intelligence officials have information that Russia has obtained the capability, but that such a weapon is not currently operational.U.S. officials are analyzing the information they have on the emerging technology and have consulted with allies and partners on the…

Before Moscow's invasion of Ukraine two years ago, Russia's Nasdaq-listed search engine giant Yandex was briefly worth $30 billion. This week, a consortium of domestic investors agreed a deal to buy it for $5.2 billion.In normal times, that would represent a disaster for Dutch parent company Yandex NV and its Western shareholders. Elevate Your Tech Prowess with High-Value Skill CoursesOffering CollegeCourseWebsiteIndian School of BusinessISB Professional Certificate in Product ManagementVisitIndian School of BusinessISB…

The Kremlin’s first public response to Tucker Carlson’s announcement that he’s landed an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin was to fact-check the former Fox News host.  On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Carlson had indeed interviewed Putin, but took issue with Carlson’s claim that “not a single Western journalist has bothered” to interview Russia’s president throughout the nation’s war with Ukraine, which has raged for more than two years.  “Mr. Carlson is not…

Just who is Vladimir Putin? In the 20-odd years he’s been in power, even the Russian leader’s physical appearance has undergone a series of ominous transformations. The alert but colourless apparatchik of his early years first became a smooth-faced enigma, then a tsar of such feline menace that you half expect to see bloody feathers at the corner of his mouth. And that’s nothing compared to the changes that have happened in Russia: at the dawn of the millennium it seemed to be stumbling towards democracy. It had, albeit…

Russia claimed Apple’s iPhones are spying on its citizens on Thursday and accused the U.S. of being behind it. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) claims the U.S. National Security Agency used malware and backdoors created on the devices to carry out a plot to spy on the citizens and government.How To Prep Your iPhone or iPad Before SellingThe FSB said in a statement to Sputnik International, a Russian state-owned news outlet, that the U.S. hacked thousands of Apple phones, including those of domestic Russian…

Screenshot: Carl Bidlt/TwitterRussia claims Ukraine staged an overnight drone attack to assassinate President Vladimir Putin but has provided no evidence to back up the accusation. This is the latest claim made by the Kremlin amidst what it says has been a series of attacks beyond enemy lines.How to Enable 4K Streaming on Your DeviceRussia said in a post on its government website that its military and special services disabled two drone attacks “aimed at the Kremlin” on Tuesday night. “We regard these actions as a planned…

In early 2022, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, TikTok started labeling accounts operated by Russian state propaganda agencies as a way to tell users they were being exposed to Kremlin disinformation. However, it seems that TikTok was not doing the 'right job' here. According to an analysis from researchers at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, the policy has been applied inconsistently. It reportedly ignores dozens of accounts with millions of followers. Researchers at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, a…

It’s been close to half a year since the Nord Stream pipeline—a controversial Russian energy project designed to bring cheap natural gas to European markets—mysteriously exploded. In the immediate aftermath of the pipeline’s destruction, sabotage seemed like the most likely explanation. But despite six months having passed since the pipeline burst, nobody seems to know who is responsible—and some don’t seem all tooeager to find out, either.Deadly Mississippi Tornado Kills More Than 2 Dozen | Extreme EarthThis week, the…

The Kremlin told officials involved in preparations for Russia's 2024 presidential election to stop using Apple iPhones because of concerns that the devices are vulnerable to Western intelligence agencies, the Kommersant newspaper reported.At a Kremlin-organised seminar for officials involved in domestic politics, Sergei Kiriyenko, first deputy head of the presidential administration, told officials to change their phones by April 1, Kommersant said, citing unidentified sources. "It's all over for the iPhone: either…