rt.com: Putin reacts to Trump victory as he speaks at ceremony to welcome new ambassadors

NOTE: Comment on US elections starts at 14:32

sueddeutsche: Putins beste Freunde

Der russische Musiker Sergej Roldugin ist ein Rätsel. Er hat eine ordentliche Künstlerbiografie, ist ausgebildeter Cellist, offenbar ein recht guter sogar: Geschult am Konservatorium von Leningrad, spielte er später im Sankt Petersburger Mariinski-Theater das erste Cello und gab Konzerte in vielen Ländern, auch in Deutschland. Dann leitete er das Sankt Petersburger Konservatorium. [mehr…]

the guardian: Revealed: the $2bn offshore trail that leads to Vladimir Putin

https://embed.theguardian.com/embed/video/news/video/2016/apr/03/the-panama-papers-how-to-hide-a-billion-dollars-video-explainer

A network of secret offshore deals and vast loans worth $2bn has laid a trail to Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin. [more…]

rt.com: UK Litvinenko death probe: Putin ‘probably involved’

A British public inquiry into the death of Aleksandr Litvinenko, who died from radioactive poisoning in 2006, has accused senior Russian officials of “probably” having motives to approve the murder. [more…]

the guardian: Alexander Litvinenko murder: UK freezes assets of chief suspects – as it happened

https://embed.theguardian.com/embed/video/politics/video/2016/jan/21/may-litvinenkos-death-an-unacceptable-breach-of-international-law-video

The Russian embassy has posted this account of what ambassador Alexander Yakovenko told the foreign office during the meeting he was summoned to today: [more…]

sueddeutsche.de: Putin-Doku im ZDF: Wer hat hier was gefälscht?

Das russische Staatsfernsehen beschuldigt das ZDF, eine Dokumentation manipuliert zu haben. Der Mainzer Sender ringt um Aufklärung. [mehr…]

rt.com: Putin: ISIS financed from 40 countries, including G20 members

 President Vladimir Putin says he’s shared Russian intelligence data on Islamic State financing with his G20 colleagues: the terrorists appear to be financed from 40 countries, including some G20 member states. [more…]

sueddeutsche.de: Putin wirft Westen Rückkehr zum Kalten Krieg vor

Bei der großen Jahrespressekonferenz in Moskau vergleicht Russlands Präsident Putin die Erweiterung der Nato nach Osteuropa mit dem Beginn eines neuen Kalten Krieges. [mehr…]

rt.com: Lavrov: Russia, US, EU, Ukraine agree on de-escalation roadmap

Russia, the US, the EU and Ukraine have adopted a joint document on the de-escalation of the Ukraine crisis, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, after talks in Geneva. It calls for all illegal armed groups to lay down arms and a wide amnesty. [mehr…]

new york times: Video of Snowden Asking Putin About Surveillance

As my colleague David Herszenhorn reports, the former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden made a surprise appearance on Russian television Thursday, asking President Vladimir Putin a question about surveillance during an annual call-in program in which Russia’s leader fields questions from the public for up to four hours. [more…]