Kremlin says it is winning arms race against US despite rocket accident

MOSCOW - The Kremlin boasted on Tuesday it was winning the race to develop new cutting edge nuclear weapons despite a mysterious rocket accident last week in northern Russia that caused a temporary spike in radiation levels.

Rosatom, Russia's state nuclear agency, has said that the Aug. 8 accident occurred during a rocket test on a sea platform in the White Sea, killing at least five and injuring three more.

It has pledged to keep developing new weapons regardless, portraying the men who died in the test as heroes.

US President Donald Trump said on Twitter on Monday the United States was "learning much" from the explosion which he suggested happened during the testing of a nuclear-powered cruise missile vaunted by President Vladimir Putin last year.

Russia, which has said the missile will have an "unlimited range" and be able to overcome any defenses, calls the missile the 9M730 Burevestnik (Storm Petrel). The NATO alliance has designated it the SSC-X-9 Skyfall.

Trump said on Twitter that the United States had "similar, though more advanced, technology" and said Russians were worried about the air quality around the facility and far beyond, a situation he described as "Not good!"

But when asked about his comments on Tuesday, the Kremlin said it, not the United States, was out in front when it came to developing new nuclear weapons.

"Our president has repeatedly said that Russian engineering in this sector significantly outstrips the level that other countries have managed to reach for the moment, and it is fairly unique," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Putin used his state-of-the-nation speech in 2018 to unveil what he described as a raft of invincible new nuclear weapons, including a nuclear-powered cruise missile, an underwater nuclear-powered drone, and a laser weapon.

Tensions between Moscow and Washington over arms control have been exacerbated by the demise this month of a landmark nuclear treaty. Russia says it is also concerned that another landmark arms control treaty will soon expire.

In a sign of how serious the situation in the accident area remains, Russian authorities have advised residents of the nearby village of Nyonoksa to leave while clear-up work is being carried out, the Interfax news agency reported on Tuesday, citing local officials.

Russia's state weather service also said on Tuesday that radiation levels in the nearby city of Severodvinsk had spiked by up to 16 times last Thursday, while medics who treated victims of the accident have been sent to Moscow for a medical examination, the TASS news agency reported.

It said the medics had signed non-disclosure agreements about the nature of the accident.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Police detain hundreds at Moscow opposition protest

Police detained hundreds of protesters at an unauthorized opposition gathering in Moscow on Saturday, as authorities upped the pressure on top Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny by launching a criminal probe into his anti-graft group.

Crowds of people marched in the capital's central boulevards for a protest "stroll" over the refusal by officials to let a number of opposition candidates run in September polls for city parliament seats.

Most of those candidates and opposition leaders, including Navalny, are being held by police following a protest rally last weekend, in which 1,400 demonstrators were detained -- one of the biggest crackdowns in years.

On Saturday, riot police were deployed in large numbers in central Moscow, some shops and cafes were shut, metal barriers were erected and the mobile internet was down for several hours.

At least 300 people were detained by police about two hours into the rally, according to OVD-Info, a non-governmental organisation that operates a hotline for detainees.

AFP correspondents also observed dozens of arrests along the route of the protest, as lines of police attempted to break up the flow of the crowd by blocking it with a human chain and grabbing people indiscriminately.

Lyubov Sobol, currently three weeks into a hunger strike after being barred from taking part in the local polls and an ally of key opposition leader Navalny, was dragged from a taxi and detained Saturday as she set off for the rally.

Many opposition leaders who attempted to run in the polls next month argue that the authorities have arbitrarily declared signatures they gathered to qualify invalid.

People in the crowd on Saturday said they just want the opposition to have a chance to run.

"I want there to be big changes... now there is an atmosphere of total control," Varvara, a 22-year-old artist, told AFP.

"I believe everyone should have a right to take part" in the polls," 39-year-old Robert said.

Riot police appeared to outnumber small groups of protesters who were walking along stretches of the leafy Boulevard Ring.

Authorities have launched investigations into last weekend's "mass riots" and "violence against police", echoing similar probes into protests against President Vladimir Putin in 2012 which saw several people jailed.

- New 'laundering' probe -

In the polls in September, the opposition hopes to end the monopoly of Kremlin loyalists in Moscow's parliament.

The body decides the city's multi-billion-dollar budget but lacks political independence from mayor Sergei Sobyanin, an ally of Putin.

Sobyanin has warned the opposition against "new provocations".

Navalny and other protest leaders argue corruption is rife in the capital. His anti-corruption foundation FBK this week published a new investigation into Sobyanin's deputy, accusing her of selling prime Moscow property to family members at rock-bottom prices.

On Saturday, FBK, which previously made other high-profile investigations into the questionable wealth of top officials, became a target of a new probe into "laundering" a billion rubles ($15.3 million).

Employees of the Foundation for Fighting Corruption (FBK) "received a large sum of money from third parties which they knew was procured illegally," investigators said.

"Accomplices" of FBK "gave a legal appearance" to the funds by transferring them to bank accounts and ultimately to the accounts of the FBK, they said.

The popular FBK collects money through donations, and Navalny's ally Leonid Volkov dismissed allegations of money laundering as an attempt to stamp out Navalny's national network of volunteers.

Navalny, currently in jail, was rushed to hospital last weekend in an incident his personal doctor blamed on possible poisoning with an unknown chemical substance.

A state toxicology lab said no traces were found.

President Vladimir Putin has yet to comment on the situation in Moscow.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Putin calls for 'pragmatic cooperation' in New Year wishes to Trump

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin called for "pragmatic cooperation" in his New Year wishes to US President Donald Trump, the Kremlin said on Saturday.

In a statement on the Russian president's New Year wishes to world leaders, the Kremlin said Putin told Trump that "a constructive Russian-American dialogue is especially needed to strengthen strategic stability in the world".

According to the statement, Putin said that "mutual respect" should be "a base to develop relations" between the two countries.

"This would allow us to move towards building pragmatic cooperation, orientated on the long term," the statement quoted Putin as saying.

The Russian president also sent messages to other heads of state, including the leaders of former Soviet countries, France's Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Angela Merkel and Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad.

In his wishes to the Syrian leader, with whom he met during a surprise visit to Russia's Syrian air base Hmeimim earlier this month, Putin "expressed sincere hope that key changes for the better will continue in Syria in the new year".

The statement added that Putin told Assad "Russia will continue to show all kind of support to the Syrian Arab Republic in order to protect its state sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity".

                                                     
Russia became involved in the Syrian conflict in September 2015, when it began an aerial campaign in support of Assad's military. Putin ordered a partial withdrawal of the Russian army from Syria earlier this month.

On ordering the partial withdrawal, Putin praised his country's armed forces for having "brilliantly accomplished" their mission which saw Syrian government forces make major gains from jihadists and assorted anti-regime rebel groups.

Russia does retain a military presence in Syria, however, through its naval base at Tartus, whose expansion Moscow agreed earlier this month, as well as Hmeimim, where Russian singers performed a New Year variety show Saturday.

Moscow hopes to host government and rebel group representatives at the end of January in the Black Sea resort of Sochi to push both sides closer to a political settlement of a seven-year conflict which has cost more than 340,000 lives and displaced millions more.

source: news.abs-cbn.com                                    

Russian hackers feel the heat as Trump seeks warmer Moscow ties

* President Trump is seeking better ties with Moscow

* Russia denies meddling in election won by Trump

* Number of Russians arrested by U.S. has surged

* Arrests have shaken Russian hacker community

MOSCOW/SAN FRANCISCO - When Alexander Vinnik was arrested on money-laundering charges at a Greek hotel in late July, the status of his Jabber secure online messaging account was set to "away".

"He often takes some time to reply, so at first I didn't think anything of it," said one person who knew the Russian as an administrator of a digital currency exchange which U.S. prosecutors say was used to launder criminal funds.

"Then when I saw his picture on the news, I knew he would be 'away' for a long time," said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The U.S. Justice Department says Vinnik facilitated crimes including computer hacking, fraud and drug trafficking by laundering at least $4 billion through BTC-e -- an exchange used to trade bitcoin and other digital currencies -- since 2011.

The 37-year-old faces up to 55 years in prison if extradited to the United States. He denies the allegations against him, according to Greek media reports, and BTC-e has said he never worked for the exchange. Reuters was unable to reach BTC-e or a lawyer representing Vinnik for comment.

Vinnik is now one of seven Russians arrested or indicted on U.S. cyber crime charges this year. On average, just two Russian cyber criminals were extradited to the United States each year between 2010 and the start of this year, according to a Reuters review of U.S. Justice Department filings, Russian government statements and sources briefed on the matter.


The increase to a record level shows that although President Donald Trump is trying to improve relations with Moscow, the United States has not shied away from pursuing Russians suspected of cyber crime.

The prosecutions coincide with intensified scrutiny of Russian hackers since U.S. intelligence officials determined that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election using cyber warfare methods to help Trump.

Russia tried to hack US voting systems for months: report
http://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/06/06/17/russia-tried-to-hack-us-voting-systems-for-months-report

The Kremlin has denied accusations it interfered in elections in the United States or elsewhere.

But U.S. opposition lawmakers have questioned whether Trump is willing to respond forcefully to Moscow over its actions in cyberspace, and the White House has avoided publicly accusing Russia over recent politically-motivated hacking attacks. .

Alarmed by Trump's proposal to create a joint U.S.-Russia cyber security unit, U.S. lawmakers have also drawn up a draft bill that would require him to notify lawmakers before he does so.

Four U.S. federal law enforcement officials, who discussed the recent arrests with Reuters on condition of anonymity, said there had been no centralized effort to step up action against Russian cyber criminals under Trump.

The increase in the number of arrests stemmed from breakthroughs made in investigations before last year's election, two of them said.

The FBI referred all questions to the U.S. Justice Department. The Justice Department said it did not track arrests or indictments by nationality and declined further comment.

RUSSIAN HACKERS RATTLED

Some U.S. officials, however, acknowledged that individual agents may now be more motivated to move against Russian cyber criminals following the election hacking scandal.

Russian hackers are active at all levels of cyber crime, from small-time thefts of online banking details, to taking down the computer networks of multi-national companies and government departments.

John Carlin, who until last October ran the national security division of the U.S. Justice Department as assistant attorney general, said resources had already been moving towards pursuing Russian nationals before the 2016 election.

But he added: "Their outrageous activity to undermine the integrity of our election, like they did in western Europe before and have done since, can only have added fuel to the fire."

According to interviews with five people who knew the men arrested this year -- all of whom declined to be named for fear of prosecution -- the arrests have shaken the Russian cyber crime community.

"Now they are arresting even those who had a super indirect, not even direct connection to what they call influencing their election," said one who knew Vinnik by his online moniker WME.

Used to operating across borders with relative impunity, Russian cyber criminals are now worried the prosecutions will lead to further arrests or harm their operations.

They are cutting back on trips abroad that were once seen as a calculated risk because of the risk of arrest and extradition, but are now viewed as increasingly foolhardy.

"We have monitored criminals discussing the aftermath (of the arrests) ... and it is clear they are concerned about two things," said Ilya Sachkov, head of cyber security firm Group-IB, whose Threat Intelligence unit specialises in monitoring and tracking the Russian-speaking cyber crime community.

"First, what the arrested members potentially know about them, but second and more importantly, a disruption in their ability to make money."

One of those arrested this year was Peter Levashov, charged by U.S. prosecutors with operating one of the world's largest botnets, or networks, of infected computers used by cyber criminals. He denies the charges.

Levashov allegedly used the botnet to pump out spam emails for a multitude of criminal schemes, such as stock fraud, online credential phishing attempts and the distribution of malware, including ransomware.

A person who knew Levashov by his online identity Severa said his arrest in particular had rattled underground cyber criminal circles because he was so well known.

"People read the news of course and see guys they know getting busted," the person said. "Once is bad, this many times is scary."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Putin cultivates strongman persona with holiday adventures

MOSCOW - Russia's President Vladimir Putin, who loves to cultivate a virile man-of-action image, was shown on Russian TV Saturday spear-fishing in a camouflage wetsuit, piloting a powerboat and catching some rays while on a Siberian holiday.

Putin's affinity for the tough guy pose has been documented with shots of him bare-chested on horseback, diving in a submarine in Lake Baikal -- the world's deepest -- and flipping a Judo opponent.

These latest images, provided by the Kremlin, captured his two-day stay in the remote Tuva area of southern Siberia.

Putin "fished in a waterfall near a mountain lake, indulged in underwater fishing, sunbathed, went rafting in mountain rivers, piloted... motor boats, went hiking and four-wheeler riding in the mountains," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

The images broadcast on public television, which insisted on "the physical fitness of the president", show Putin catching a pike in a camouflage wetsuit or sunning his bare torso with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who is originally from the region.

His trip comes days after Putin said the US would have to cut 755 diplomatic staff in Russia and warned of a prolonged gridlock in its ties after the US Congress backed new sanctions against the Kremlin.

Putin's previous made-for-TV exploits, however, have not been without controversy. During a 2011 dive in the Black Sea he allegedly discovered two 15th century amphoras, but the find was mocked in independent media because the vessels were suspiciously without algae or other sea life.

Peskov admitted several months later that the scene had been staged.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Kremlin says it wants apology from Fox News over Putin comments

MOSCOW - The Kremlin said on Monday it wanted an apology from Fox News over what it said were "unacceptable" comments one of the channel's presenters made about Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview with U.S. counterpart Donald Trump.

Fox News host Bill O'Reilly described Putin as "a killer" in the interview with Trump as he tried to press the U.S. president to explain more fully why he respected his Russian counterpart. O'Reilly did not say who he thought Putin had killed.

"We consider such words from the Fox TV company to be unacceptable and insulting, and honestly speaking, we would prefer to get an apology from such a respected TV company," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call.

O'Reilly dismissed the Kremlin's call for an apology.

"I'm working on that apology but it may take a little time," he said on Fox News late on Monday. "You might want to check in with me around ... 2023."

Fox News is a top-rated U.S. cable news network owned by Rupert Murdoch's Twenty-First Century Fox Inc.

Trump's views on Putin are closely scrutinized in the United States, where U.S. intelligence agencies have accused Moscow of having sponsored computer hacking to help Trump win office, and critics say he is too complimentary about the Russian leader.

Trump, when commenting on the allegations against Putin in the same interview, questioned how "innocent" the United States itself was, saying it had made a lot of its own mistakes. That irritated some congressional Republicans who said there was no comparison between how Russian and U.S. politicians behaved.

Asked in an interview on Sunday to clarify those comments, Trump told Westwood One Sports Radio: "Well, I don't have to clarify it. The question was do you respect him -- he's a head of a major country."

Putin, in his 17th year of dominating the Russian political landscape, is accused by some Kremlin critics of ordering the killing of opponents. Putin and the Kremlin have repeatedly rejected those allegations as politically motivated and false.

Trump, who has said he wants to try to mend battered U.S.-Russia ties and hopes he can get along with Putin, was asked a question about some of those allegations by Fox Business before he won the White House.

In January last year, after a British judge ruled that Putin had "probably" authorized the murder of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko in London, Trump said he saw no evidence the Russian president was guilty.

source: news.abs-cbn.com