Russia

Russia has added Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to its list of wanted criminals, a move Kyiv dismissed as a sign of Moscow’s “desperation”.
Zelensky’s name appeared on Saturday on the Russian interior ministry’s “wanted” list, an online database of alleged criminals sought by the Russian authorities.
It said the Ukrainian leader was wanted “under an article of the criminal code” without providing further details.

There was no immediate comment from Russian officials as to why Zelensky had been added to the list.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry said the decision demonstrated “the desperation of the Russian state machine and propaganda, which are at a loss for what else to invent to garner attention”.
Moscow has targeted Zelensky since the start of Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine in February 2022.
The Ukrainian president said last year he was aware of at least “five or six” assassination attempts against him that had been foiled.

The day after sending troops into Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave an address to the nation in which he urged the Ukrainian army to overthrow Zelensky.
Russia has placed several foreign politicians and public figures on its wanted list, which has tens of thousands of entries.

The commander of Ukraine’s Land Forces, Oleksandr Pavliuk, and former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko also appeared in the online database on Saturday.

In February, Moscow said it was seeking Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas for what the Kremlin said was the “desecration of historical memory” over the Baltic country’s move to destroy Soviet-era monuments.
Last year the International Criminal Court ordered the arrest of Putin on war crimes charges related to the abduction of Ukrainian children — accusations rejected by Moscow.

SOURCE: AFP

Russia’s ex-president, Dmitry Medvedev said on Sunday the country was ramping up production of new-generation weapons to protect itself from enemies in Europe, the United States, and Australia.

“We are increasing production of the most powerful means of destruction. Including those based on new principles,” Medvedev said on messaging app Telegram.

“Our enemy dug in not only in the Kyiv province of our native Malorossiya,” Medvedev said, using the term to describe territories of modern-day Ukraine that were part of the Russian Empire under the tsars.

“It is in Europe, North America, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and a whole number of other places that pledged allegiance to the Nazi.”

Medvedev, who serves as deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, did not provide details of the weapons.

President Vladimir Putin repeatedly said that Russia has been developing new types of weapons, including hypersonic ones that he boasts can circumvent all existing missile defence systems.

Since Putin sent troops to Ukraine on February 24, 57-year-old Medvedev has regularly taken to social media to write increasingly bombastic posts.

With Moscow on the back foot in its offensive in pro-Western Ukraine, the military stalemate has raised fears that Russia could resort to its nuclear arsenal to achieve a military breakthrough.

On Friday, Putin said Russia could amend its military doctrine by introducing the possibility of a preemptive strike to disarm an enemy, in an apparent reference to a nuclear attack.

The Kremlin chief claimed Russia’s cruise missiles and hypersonic systems were “more modern and even more efficient” than the United States.