![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaWhat’s behind Russian frenzy to blame Ukraine for concert attack?Published59 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsWar in UkraineImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Russia had received warnings that an attack – like the one on the Moscow concert hall – was imminentBy Steve RosenbergRussia EditorIt began with hints. Intimation.Now, it’s no holds barred accusations.The Russian authorities are aggressively pushing the line that Ukraine and the West were behind last month’s Crocus City concert hall massacre outside Moscow which left 145 people dead.The Islamic State group quickly claimed responsibility for the attack. But soon after the suspected gunmen were detained President Vladimir Putin hinted at a Ukrainian connection.At the weekend Russian state TV broadcast interrogation videos of the four suspects, all citizens of Tajikistan. One of the men said on camera that the post-attack plan had been “to head towards Kyiv”. Their words must be taken with extreme caution. During a court appearance after their arrest the men showed signs of torture. The Russian TV correspondent presenting the report went on to make a series of strange claims:”Following the terrorist attack Western sources and many Russian ‘foreign agents’ began to shift the focus from the Ukrainian connection to, exclusively, Islamic State.”In Russia many Kremlin critics have been designated “foreign agents” for allegedly receiving funding from abroad or just being deemed “under foreign influence”.The “shift of focus” to the IS was hardly surprising. Not only had the group announced that it was behind the attack, it had released video of the shooting. By contrast, Ukraine had denied any involvement. What’s more, both America and, reportedly, Iran had warned Moscow of possible attacks on Russian soil.In its 13-minute report, Russian state TV made no mention of the IS claim of responsibility.Then, from the journalist, this baseless accusation – that Western media “had more sympathy for those who carried out the terrorist attack which killed more than 140 defenceless people, than for the victims…”It was a clear attempt to demonise the West in the eyes of the Russian public.Day of mourning after 137 killed at Crocus City Hall concertMoscow Crocus City Hall attack videos examinedWhat we know about attack on a Moscow concert hallIt’s not just Russian TV saying this. So is the Russian foreign ministry. In a statement on its Telegram channel, the ministry claimed that in the West “there is a strict order not to report in the media the true scale of the tragedy – not to mention the number of victims of the terrorist attack, the dead children…”Demonstrations of humanity and sympathy for the Russian people are not allowed.”This is pure parallel reality. The BBC has received no such order. International media organisations widely reported the devastating consequences of the mass shooting and fire at Crocus City.As for sympathy, many Western diplomats visited the Russian foreign ministry to sign a book of condolence and, later, laid flowers for the victims outside Crocus City.That hasn’t stopped Russian officials from lining up to blame Ukraine and the West.Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB security service, told Russian TV:”We believe that the action was prepared by both the Islamist radicals themselves and was facilitated by Western special services. The special services of Ukraine are directly related to this.”Last week President Putin claimed that “Russia cannot be the target of terrorist attacks by Islamic fundamentalists. We are a country that demonstrates a unique example of interfaith harmony and inter-religious and inter-ethnic unity”.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, President Vladimir Putin has sought to blame Ukraine for the attack on the Crocus City Concert HallYet only last month the FSB reported it had thwarted an IS plot to attack a Moscow synagogue.So why is the Russian leadership seemingly determined to frame Ukraine and the West for the huge loss of life at Crocus City?Here are some possible reasons:Don’t change enemiesSince the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour, Russians have been led to believe that their principal adversaries are Ukraine and the “collective West”. It’s a message the authorities here are unwilling to alter. After all, if the Russian public were to conclude that radical Islam is a greater threat to their security than the Ukrainian government or Western leaders, they may wonder why Moscow hasn’t focused on that particular threat and has chosen, instead, to fight Ukraine.Divert attentionLast month President Putin publicly dismissed a US embassy warning that an attack by extremists here was “imminent”. He called the terror alert “outright blackmail…[with] the intention of intimidating and destabilising our society”. The Crocus City concert hall attack followed days later.US officials subsequently made it clear that the intelligence they had shared with the Russian authorities had been “specific, timely, and credible”. Blaming Kyiv and the West may be an attempt to distract attention from the question of what information was passed on and how the Russian authorities acted upon it.Escalation pretextAsserting that Kyiv and the West were connected to the attack gives Moscow a pretext for any future escalation in the war in Ukraine – if it decides it needs it.But some commentators are warning the Russian authorities that, for a political system, identifying the wrong enemy can prove a fatal mistake. “That’s the way this type of system usually dies,” believes political scientist Vladimir Pastukhov, honorary senior research associate at University College London. “They concentrate on someone they see as the main enemy and miss the real one somewhere else. For now [the authorities] will concentrate on Ukraine, on the West, on liberals. And they will open the back door. It’s through the back door that the real danger will come.”Related TopicsWar in UkraineRussiaMoscowVladimir PutinUkraineMore on this storyWhat we know about attack on a Moscow concert hallPublished25 MarchMoscow concert hall attack videos examinedPublished23 MarchTop StoriesLive. Qatar cautiously optimistic as Israel and Hamas continue ceasefire talksWatch: Gaza footage shows collapsed buildings and homes in ruin. VideoWatch: Gaza footage shows collapsed buildings and homes in ruinPublished5 hours agoBradford stabbing victim named as manhunt continuesPublished8 minutes agoFeaturesWhen and where in the UK can you see Monday’s solar eclipse?’The NHS paid for my mum to go private. She died’Gazans return to devastation in Khan YounisMyanmar’s army massacred Rohingyas. Now it wants their helpBiggest WrestleMania yet? Fans stunned as The Rock and The Undertaker return to ringAmy Winehouse film: ‘Paparazzi are the villains’ not BlakeBBC visits ruins of kibbutz Nir Oz, abandoned after Hamas attack. VideoBBC visits ruins of kibbutz Nir Oz, abandoned after Hamas attackHow much is the state pension going up by?NZ tightens visa rules over ‘unsustainable’ migrationElsewhere on the BBCFinding the funny in the week’s big storiesIan Hislop, Paul Merton and a who’s who of hosts welcome a gaggle of guest panellistsAttributioniPlayerBlowing the lid on a baffling online scamPolly Weston’s determined to get to the bottom of the con involving a £138 dehumidifierAttributionSoundsWhat went disastrously wrong at Pontins?An investigation into the state of three holiday parks before their sudden closure…AttributioniPlayerThe opera-loving sisters who ‘stumbled’ into heroismHelena Bonham Carter shines a light on extraordinary stories from World War TwoAttributionSoundsMost Read1How it felt to be targeted in Westminster honeytrap2When and where in the UK can you see Monday’s solar eclipse?3What’s behind Russian frenzy to blame Ukraine for concert attack?4Man who cut wife’s body into 224 pieces jailed5Fans hail ‘best WrestleMania’ as WWE icons return6Anger after beauty spot reservoir drained of water7Father and son blowtorch murderers jailed for life8Long Covid blood clues could prompt future trials9’The NHS paid for my mum to go private. She died’10Everton docked two points for second financial breachAttributionSport](https://newsinsightplus.com/wp-content/uploads/https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/5B2C/production/_133104332_gettyimages-2110565029.jpg)
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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaWhat’s behind Russian frenzy to blame Ukraine for concert attack?Published59 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsWar in UkraineImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Russia had received warnings that an attack – like the one on the Moscow concert hall – was imminentBy Steve RosenbergRussia EditorIt began with hints. Intimation.Now, it’s no holds barred accusations.The Russian authorities are aggressively pushing the line that Ukraine and the West were behind last month’s Crocus City concert hall massacre outside Moscow which left 145 people dead.The Islamic State group quickly claimed responsibility for the attack. But soon after the suspected gunmen were detained President Vladimir Putin hinted at a Ukrainian connection.At the weekend Russian state TV broadcast interrogation videos of the four suspects, all citizens of Tajikistan. One of the men said on camera that the post-attack plan had been “to head towards Kyiv”. Their words must be taken with extreme caution. During a court appearance after their arrest the men showed signs of torture. The Russian TV correspondent presenting the report went on to make a series of strange claims:”Following the terrorist attack Western sources and many Russian ‘foreign agents’ began to shift the focus from the Ukrainian connection to, exclusively, Islamic State.”In Russia many Kremlin critics have been designated “foreign agents” for allegedly receiving funding from abroad or just being deemed “under foreign influence”.The “shift of focus” to the IS was hardly surprising. Not only had the group announced that it was behind the attack, it had released video of the shooting. By contrast, Ukraine had denied any involvement. What’s more, both America and, reportedly, Iran had warned Moscow of possible attacks on Russian soil.In its 13-minute report, Russian state TV made no mention of the IS claim of responsibility.Then, from the journalist, this baseless accusation – that Western media “had more sympathy for those who carried out the terrorist attack which killed more than 140 defenceless people, than for the victims…”It was a clear attempt to demonise the West in the eyes of the Russian public.Day of mourning after 137 killed at Crocus City Hall concertMoscow Crocus City Hall attack videos examinedWhat we know about attack on a Moscow concert hallIt’s not just Russian TV saying this. So is the Russian foreign ministry. In a statement on its Telegram channel, the ministry claimed that in the West “there is a strict order not to report in the media the true scale of the tragedy – not to mention the number of victims of the terrorist attack, the dead children…”Demonstrations of humanity and sympathy for the Russian people are not allowed.”This is pure parallel reality. The BBC has received no such order. International media organisations widely reported the devastating consequences of the mass shooting and fire at Crocus City.As for sympathy, many Western diplomats visited the Russian foreign ministry to sign a book of condolence and, later, laid flowers for the victims outside Crocus City.That hasn’t stopped Russian officials from lining up to blame Ukraine and the West.Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB security service, told Russian TV:”We believe that the action was prepared by both the Islamist radicals themselves and was facilitated by Western special services. The special services of Ukraine are directly related to this.”Last week President Putin claimed that “Russia cannot be the target of terrorist attacks by Islamic fundamentalists. We are a country that demonstrates a unique example of interfaith harmony and inter-religious and inter-ethnic unity”.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, President Vladimir Putin has sought to blame Ukraine for the attack on the Crocus City Concert HallYet only last month the FSB reported it had thwarted an IS plot to attack a Moscow synagogue.So why is the Russian leadership seemingly determined to frame Ukraine and the West for the huge loss of life at Crocus City?Here are some possible reasons:Don’t change enemiesSince the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour, Russians have been led to believe that their principal adversaries are Ukraine and the “collective West”. It’s a message the authorities here are unwilling to alter. After all, if the Russian public were to conclude that radical Islam is a greater threat to their security than the Ukrainian government or Western leaders, they may wonder why Moscow hasn’t focused on that particular threat and has chosen, instead, to fight Ukraine.Divert attentionLast month President Putin publicly dismissed a US embassy warning that an attack by extremists here was “imminent”. He called the terror alert “outright blackmail…[with] the intention of intimidating and destabilising our society”. The Crocus City concert hall attack followed days later.US officials subsequently made it clear that the intelligence they had shared with the Russian authorities had been “specific, timely, and credible”. Blaming Kyiv and the West may be an attempt to distract attention from the question of what information was passed on and how the Russian authorities acted upon it.Escalation pretextAsserting that Kyiv and the West were connected to the attack gives Moscow a pretext for any future escalation in the war in Ukraine – if it decides it needs it.But some commentators are warning the Russian authorities that, for a political system, identifying the wrong enemy can prove a fatal mistake. “That’s the way this type of system usually dies,” believes political scientist Vladimir Pastukhov, honorary senior research associate at University College London. “They concentrate on someone they see as the main enemy and miss the real one somewhere else. For now [the authorities] will concentrate on Ukraine, on the West, on liberals. And they will open the back door. It’s through the back door that the real danger will come.”Related TopicsWar in UkraineRussiaMoscowVladimir PutinUkraineMore on this storyWhat we know about attack on a Moscow concert hallPublished25 MarchMoscow concert hall attack videos examinedPublished23 MarchTop StoriesLive. Qatar cautiously optimistic as Israel and Hamas continue ceasefire talksWatch: Gaza footage shows collapsed buildings and homes in ruin. VideoWatch: Gaza footage shows collapsed buildings and homes in ruinPublished5 hours agoBradford stabbing victim named as manhunt continuesPublished8 minutes agoFeaturesWhen and where in the UK can you see Monday’s solar eclipse?’The NHS paid for my mum to go private. She died’Gazans return to devastation in Khan YounisMyanmar’s army massacred Rohingyas. Now it wants their helpBiggest WrestleMania yet? Fans stunned as The Rock and The Undertaker return to ringAmy Winehouse film: ‘Paparazzi are the villains’ not BlakeBBC visits ruins of kibbutz Nir Oz, abandoned after Hamas attack. VideoBBC visits ruins of kibbutz Nir Oz, abandoned after Hamas attackHow much is the state pension going up by?NZ tightens visa rules over ‘unsustainable’ migrationElsewhere on the BBCFinding the funny in the week’s big storiesIan Hislop, Paul Merton and a who’s who of hosts welcome a gaggle of guest panellistsAttributioniPlayerBlowing the lid on a baffling online scamPolly Weston’s determined to get to the bottom of the con involving a £138 dehumidifierAttributionSoundsWhat went disastrously wrong at Pontins?An investigation into the state of three holiday parks before their sudden closure…AttributioniPlayerThe opera-loving sisters who ‘stumbled’ into heroismHelena Bonham Carter shines a light on extraordinary stories from World War TwoAttributionSoundsMost Read1How it felt to be targeted in Westminster honeytrap2When and where in the UK can you see Monday’s solar eclipse?3What’s behind Russian frenzy to blame Ukraine for concert attack?4Man who cut wife’s body into 224 pieces jailed5Fans hail ‘best WrestleMania’ as WWE icons return6Anger after beauty spot reservoir drained of water7Father and son blowtorch murderers jailed for life8Long Covid blood clues could prompt future trials9’The NHS paid for my mum to go private. She died’10Everton docked two points for second financial breachAttributionSport
[ad_1] It’s a message the authorities here are unwilling to alter. After all, if the Russian public were to conclude that radical Islam is a greater threat to their security…
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaEvan Gershkovich: Waiting for her brother, Putin’s ‘bargaining chip’ in Russian jailPublished3 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, National Press ClubImage caption, Danielle Gershkovich’s brother Evan has been detained in a Russian prison for a yearBy Steve RosenbergRussia EditorOne year ago Danielle Gershkovich got a call from her mother. She could hardly believe the news. Her younger brother, Evan, a reporter with the Wall Street Journal, had just been arrested: he was the first US journalist in Russia since the Cold War to be charged with espionage. The maximum possible punishment: 20 years in prison. “It’s been a really difficult year,” Danielle tells me by video call from Washington. “The uncertainty is very hard to deal with.” Writing letters helps. The jailed American journalist has been sending plenty from prison.”The best way to support one another is to keep things light,” Danielle says. “We have a lot of sibling banter back and forth, a lot of teasing with love.”I recently asked him if it’s OK for me see the Dune movie, the sequel. I felt guilty about seeing it, because he can’t. Image source, National Press ClubImage caption, Evan and his sister Danielle stay in contact by writing lettersEvan’s ordeal began one thousand miles from Moscow in the city of Yekaterinburg. On a reporting trip there, he was detained by the FSB, Russia’s domestic security service. The Russian authorities say the American was “caught red-handed” with “classified information”. He, his employer and the US authorities fiercely deny the spying charge.Locked away in a Russian jail, Evan is still managing to surprise his family.”On International Women’s Day he arranged for the women in his life to receive bouquets. We want him to focus on himself and there he was taking care of us. He supports the people in his life. We really miss him.”Since Evan Gershkovich’s arrest, here in Moscow we have had few opportunities to see him. True, he has made several court appearances in the last 12 months. And sometimes the media is allowed in to film him.For no longer than a minute.For us, that is just enough time to get a rough sense of how Evan is holding up. For Evan, it is a chance to spot some familiar faces.Image source, ReutersImage caption, There have been few opportunities to see Evan since he was detained a year agoBut when Evan appeared in court this week no journalists were let in. No explanation was given. Instead, the Moscow City Courthouse filmed and released its own footage of the American journalist as he stood in the courtroom in a glass cage. That video was just six seconds long. At the end of the hearing a judge ruled that Evan Gershkovich must stay in pre-trial detention.”It’s just complete, total and utter nonsense. Evan is not a spy. He’s a journalist,” Emma Tucker, editor-in-chief of the Wall Street Journal, tells me.”Like a lot of reporters a year ago, people were already wary about reporting from Russia. News outlets had begun to withdraw correspondents. They were treading very carefully. So, the arrangement with Evan was that he was based in London and was going in [to Russia] for two or three weeks at a time, and then coming out again.”He’d been writing a lot of interesting reports on the state of the Russian economy in light of the Ukraine war. This was the sort of piece he was doing.”Evan Gershkovich is being kept in Moscow’s Lefortovo jail. Built in Tsarist times, it has held some of Russia’s most high-profile inmates over the years, including political prisoners and dissidents. During the Great Terror of Joseph Stalin, torture and execution were commonplace. Former inmates have spoken of an unnerving sensation of total isolation. “He is managing. He is in good health,” says US ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy, one of the few people allowed to visit Evan in Lefortovo.”One of the things that has really struck me is how important correspondence has been for him. Corresponding with his family, friends and people he has never met before has really energised him. It gives him focus and something to work for in terms of the day when he gets out.”Image source, National Press ClubImage caption, Evan (pictured with his family) is being held in Moscow’s Lefortovo jailThe US government has designated Evan Gershkovich “wrongfully detained.””The insinuation that he was somehow engaging in some kind of criminal activity is just flat-out false,” insists Ambassador Tracy. “The message is: release him now.”Referring to Evan Gershkovich last month, Vladimir Putin said that he would “like him to go home eventually. I say this sincerely.”But there is a “but”. From the unsubtle hints Moscow’s been dropping, it is clear that the Kremlin wants something – or rather someone – in return. That someone is thought to be FSB security service officer Vadim Krasikov, who is serving a life sentence for murder in Germany.Image caption, US Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy is one of the few people who has been given access to Gershkovich in prisonThe Russian authorities barely hide the fact that they see Evan Gershkovich as a bargaining chip. “I think it’s pretty clear that [Evan] was picked up in order to be traded,” believes Emma Tucker.”It’s often referred to as hostage diplomacy, which I absolutely hate because there’s nothing diplomatic about what’s going on. Evan is a hostage. He is a bargaining chip. Putin is holding him as currency. And that is just the brutal reality of it. It makes it very difficult for governments to know how to approach this. Because there’s a lot at stake here, including what might happen in the future.””Russia is stockpiling Americans in its jails in order to be able to trade them at a later date,” says Emma Tucker.And Russia knows that America trades.One example. In December 2022 Washington and Moscow carried out a prisoner exchange, trading US basketball player Brittney Griner, who had been sent to a Russian penal colony for having cannabis oil in her luggage, for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Image source, AFP/ReutersImage caption, Paul Whelan has been held in Russia since 2018 and Alsu Kurmasheva was arrested last OctoberAmong the Americans currently in prison here is former marine Paul Whelan. In 2020 he was convicted of espionage and sentenced to 16 years in a penal colony. As in the case of Evan Gershkovich, US officials have designated Mr Whelan “wrongfully detained”. Last year Alsu Kurmasheva, a journalist with Prague-based Radio Free-Europe-Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), was arrested in Russia. Ms Kurmasheva holds American and Russian passports. She was making a short trip to Russia to visit her ailing mother.She was initially fined for failing to declare her US citizenship. But the accusations grew more serious. She has now been charged with spreading “false information” about the Russian armed forces over a book she helped to edit, which contains criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. If convicted Alsu Kurmasheva could face up to 15 years in prison. Her friends and family maintain the case against her is politically motivated. They are calling on the US authorities to designate her, too, “wrongfully detained”. The ordeal of those behind bars is shared by their families. “To me, this will always be about my brother, getting him home,” Danielle Gershkovich tells me. “He’s an innocent man. His friends and family miss him so much. But, of course, it’s also about journalism and freedom of speech. The world needs him too.”Related TopicsPress freedomFreedom of expressionRussiaUnited StatesMore on this storyPutin names Navalny and claims he agreed swapPublished18 MarchRussia extends US journalist Gershkovich’s detentionPublished26 JanuaryUS citizens jailed by Putin left hostage to a dealPublished20 December 2023Top StoriesSecret papers show Post Office knew case was falsePublished5 hours agoBus plunges off South Africa bridge, killing 45Published7 hours agoTop UN court orders Israel to allow aid into GazaPublished2 hours agoFeaturesWaiting for Evan, Putin’s ‘bargaining chip’ in Russian jailThe Papers: Water bosses a ‘disgrace’ and Easter honours ‘row’Why is Thames Water in so much trouble?Weekly quiz: How much did Kate’s Titanic piece of wood sell for?’We’ve won £80k by entering 50 competitions a day’Could artificial intelligence benefit democracy?Vice, Vice, Baby: Who’ll be Trump’s running mate?AttributionSoundsLife after Pontins swapped tourists for tradespeopleI’m not ashamed of who I am any more, says LionessElsewhere on the BBCHow are jelly beans made?Gregg Wallace visits a Dublin factory that makes over ten million of the sweets per day!AttributioniPlayerIf aliens existed, what would they look like?Let Brian Cox and Robin Ince guide you through the universe’s big questionsAttributionSoundsThe ultimate bromanceEnjoy the genius of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore with a journey through the archivesAttributioniPlayerThe deadly history of wallpaper…Discover the extraordinary stories of the ordinary items all around youAttributionSoundsMost Read1Bus plunges off South Africa bridge, killing 452Questions raised over Temu cash ‘giveaway’ offer3Water bosses a ‘disgrace’ and Easter honours ‘row’4Man arrested after death of Gogglebox star5Beyoncé’s country album: The verdict6Tory donor and four Conservative MPs given honours7Secret papers show Post Office knew case was false8Charge of £90 to clear problem debt axed for poorest9Easter getaways hit by travel disruption10Top UN court orders Israel to allow aid into Gaza](https://newsinsightplus.com/wp-content/uploads/https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/163C1/production/_133037019_reutersoctober20232.jpg)
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaRosenberg: How two years of war in Ukraine changed RussiaPublished2 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsWar in UkraineImage caption, A mural of fallen Russian soldiers in SolnechnogorskBy Steve RosenbergRussia EditorAs I stood watching Russians laying flowers in memory of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, a young man shared his reaction to Mr Navalny’s death in prison.”I’m in shock,” he told me, “just like two years ago on 24 February: when the war started.”It made me think about everything that has happened in Russia these last two years, since President Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It is a catalogue of drama, bloodshed, tragedy.Russia’s war has brought death and destruction to Ukraine. The Russian military has suffered huge losses, too.Russian towns have been shelled and come under drone-attack;Hundreds of thousands of Russian men were drafted into the army;Wagner mercenaries mutinied and marched on Moscow. Their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin later died in a plane crash.The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russia’s president for alleged war crimes.Now Vladimir Putin’s most vocal critic is dead.24 February 2022 was a watershed moment. But looking back the direction of travel had been clear. It was in 2014 that Russia had annexed Crimea from Ukraine and first intervened militarily in the Donbas; Alexei Navalny had been poisoned with a nerve agent in 2020 and jailed in 2021. Domestic repression in Russia pre-dates the invasion of Ukraine, but it has accelerated since. As for Vladimir Putin, two years into this war he sounds increasingly confident and determined to defeat his enemies at home and abroad. He rails against America, Nato and the EU and presents Russia’s war in Ukraine as a war on Russia by the “collective West”, an existential battle for his country’s survival. How and when will it end? I can’t predict the future. I can, however, recall the past. In a cupboard at home recently I found a dusty folder with copies of my Russia despatches from more than 20 years ago: the early Putin years.Sifting through them, it was like reading about a different galaxy light-years away.Russia accused of executing prisoners of war in Avdiivka Is Russia turning the tide in Ukraine?”According to a recent poll, 59% of Russians support the idea of Russia joining the European Union…” I wrote on 17 May 2001.”Nato and Russia are actively seeking closer cooperation: a sign to both sides that the real threat to world peace lies not with each other…” [20 November 2001]So, where did it all go wrong? I’m not the only person wondering.Image caption, Former Nato chief Lord Robertson says Russia’s loss of superpower status “ate away” at Vladimir Putin”The Putin I met with, did good business with, established a Nato-Russia Council with, is very, very different from this almost megalomaniac at the present moment,” former Nato chief Lord Robertson told me recently when we met in London. “The man who stood beside me in May of 2002, right beside me, and said Ukraine is a sovereign and independent nation state which will make its own decisions about security, is now the man who says that [Ukraine] is not a nation state.”Lord Robertson even recalls Vladimir Putin contemplating Nato membership for Russia.”At my second meeting with Putin, he said explicitly: ‘When are you going to invite Russia to join Nato?’ I said, ‘We don’t invite countries to join Nato, they apply.’ And he said, ‘Well, we’re not going to stand in line beside a bunch of countries who don’t matter.’ Lord Robertson said he does not think that Putin really wanted to apply for Nato membership. “He wanted it presented to him, because I think he always thought – and increasingly thinks – that Russia is a great nation on the world stage and needs the respect that the Soviet Union had,” he told me. “He was never going to comfortably fit inside an alliance of equal nations, all sitting round the table debating and discussing interests of common policy.”‘Growing ego’Lord Robertson points out that the Soviet Union was once recognised as the second superpower in the world, but Russia can’t make any claims in that direction today. “I think that sort of ate away at [Putin’s] ego. Combine that with the feebleness, sometimes, of the West and in many ways the provocations that he faced, as well as his own growing ego. I think that changed the individual who wanted to cooperate with Nato into somebody who now sees Nato as a huge threat.” Moscow sees things differently. Russian officials claim it was Nato enlargement eastwards that undermined European security and led to war. They accuse Nato of breaking a promise to the Kremlin, made allegedly in the dying days of the USSR, that the alliance wouldn’t accept countries previously in Moscow’s orbit. “There was certainly nothing on paper,” Lord Robertson tells me. “There was nothing that was agreed, there was no treaty to that effect. But it was Vladimir Putin himself who signed the Rome Declaration on 28 May 2002. The same piece of paper I signed, which enshrined the basic principles of territorial integrity and non-interference in other countries. He signed that. He can’t blame anybody else.” Image caption, A war memorial in Solnechnogorsk commemorates Russians killed in the “special military operation”In the town of Solnechnogorsk, 40 miles from Moscow, the last two dramatic years of Russia’s history are on display in the park. I spot graffiti in support of the Wagner mercenary group. There are flowers in memory of Alexei Navalny. And there’s a large mural of two local men, Russian soldiers, killed in Ukraine. Painted alongside is a Youth Army cadet saluting them.In the town centre, at a memorial to those killed in World War Two and the Soviet war in Afghanistan, a new section has been added:”To soldiers killed in the special military operation.”Forty-six names are etched into stone.I ask Lidiya Petrovna, passing by with her grandson, how life has changed in two years. “Our factories are now making things we used to buy abroad. That’s good,” Lidiya says. “But I’m sad for the young men, for everyone, who’ve been killed. We certainly don’t need war with the West. Our people have seen nothing but war, war, war all their lives.” When I speak to Marina, she praises Russian soldiers she says are “doing their duty” in Ukraine. Then she looks across at her 17-year-old son Andrei. “But as a mother I’m frightened that my son will be called up to fight. I want peace as soon as possible, so that we won’t fear what comes tomorrow.”Related TopicsWar in UkraineRussiaVladimir PutinUkraineMore on this storyRussia accused of executing prisoners of war in AvdiivkaPublished2 days agoIs Russia turning the tide in Ukraine?Published5 days agoInside Ukraine’s struggle to find new men to fightPublished12 FebruaryThe Ukrainians ‘disappearing’ in Russia’s prisonsPublished10 FebruaryTop StoriesLive. 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![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaAlexei Navalny: Supporters’ grief, defiance and hope after leader’s deathPublished7 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesBy Steve RosenbergRussia Editor, MoscowBlink, and you might have missed it. In its 45-minute Friday night news bulletin, Russian TV devoted 28 seconds to the news about Alexei Navalny. His death was announced almost in passing. Just 28 seconds for the man who’d become Russia’s most prominent opposition figure and the country’s most famous prisoner.Alexei Navalny had, in fact, been many things: lawyer, blogger, anti-corruption campaigner, political activist – and always a thorn in the side of the Kremlin.Not all Russians had supported him. But, for a decade he was the only opposition figure in Russia capable of bringing large numbers of protesters on to the streets – across the country – to rail against the government, slam corruption and demand free and fair elections.Which is why the Kremlin saw him as a threat. Navalny had charisma and strength of character, as well as a sense of humour and the ability to inspire – rare for a Russian politician.He also understood the power of the internet for getting across his message. He and his team produced and uploaded highly-polished documentaries that shone a light on alleged corruption at the highest levels of power in Russia. “What we’re seeing now,” he told me in 2017, “is that the internet is the number one concern for the current regime – and its number one enemy, too.” At the time the authorities had clearly wanted to avoid turning Navalny into a political martyr. He had run-ins with the police, but initially the punishments were smaller scale. In March 2017 I remember being crammed into a Moscow courtroom where he was being prosecuted for resisting arrest at a street protest. How Russian state media are spinning Navalny deathNavalny’s life in ‘Polar Wolf’ remote penal colony”Millions of people back the battle against corruption,” he told me from the dock. “That shows the Kremlin is categorically wrong to claim it enjoys enormous support.”He was found guilty and sentenced to 15 days behind bars.Compare that to the 19-year prison sentence he received last year on extremism charges, widely viewed to have been politically motivated.There were physical attacks, too. In 2017 his eyesight was damaged when he was splashed with a green antiseptic dye. Three years later in Siberia he was poisoned with a nerve agent and airlifted to Germany for life-saving treatment. He survived and accused the Kremlin of trying to murder him. And yet the following year – despite concerns for his safety – he returned to Russia. Why did he go back?Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Navalny’s return to Russia after the Novichok poisoning was heavily reported, with observers astonished he wanted to go backPerhaps the “inner politician” was telling him that to effect political change at home he had to be in Russia. But almost immediately he ended up in prison. Now Alexei Navalny is dead. The Russian authorities claim that he lost consciousness after a walk inside a penal colony and that medical teams tried, but failed, to resuscitate him. His supporters are convinced it was a political assassination.Will there be political consequences?These were already dark times for the Russian opposition. The country’s main opposition leaders are either in exile or in prison. With Navalny’s death, dark times have just got even darker. It’s likely to demoralise the Kremlin’s opponents even more.Western leaders are insisting that President Vladimir Putin be held accountable and demanding serious consequences for the Kremlin.Right now, it’s hard to see what those could be. More sanctions? After its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia is already the most sanctioned country in the world, and the International Criminal Court has already issued an arrest warrant for President Putin in relation to the war.But for Alexei Navalny’s supporters, pondering the political consequences of his death is not their priority right now. They’re in mourning. By Moscow’s “Wall of Grief” – a memorial to the victims of Stalin-era political repression – I watch Russians laying roses and carnations, and lighting candles in memory of the opposition leader. Police are out in force, hurrying people along.In a country where dissent has pretty much been silenced, for many here just laying flowers is an act of courage. There is a palpable sense of disbelief. “I saw the news on my phone,” Mikhail tells me. “My first reaction was, ‘It’s just a joke. It can’t be real.’ But then the news came more and more and more. And I was crying for one hour.”This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Media caption, Watch: Russians detained for leaving flowers for Navalny”I was with my friends [when I found out],” says Alina. “I was broken. I really thought that it couldn’t happen. Never.” “We never thought it could happen”: it’s a phrase I have heard so often from Russians in recent times. Later the riot police try to clear the square in front of the memorial. “Move along. No-one is allowed to gather here,” says an officer.”We have the right to be here,” shouts a woman. “We want to stand here and we will. This street isn’t yours. It belongs to everyone.”The police don’t think so. They start pushing people away and making arrests.There are cries of “Disgrace! Shame!” from people on the square. But I’ll tell you what struck me most when I talked to people who’d come to lay flowers. Some of them told me that, despite a sense of shock, they still hoped for a better future, a different Russia. And they were clinging on to that hope – like a single shaft of light in the darkness. Alexei Navalny: More coverageOBITUARY: Russia’s most vociferous Putin criticREAD MORE: What we know about reports of Navalny’s death BEHIND BARS: Life in notorious ‘Polar Wolf’ penal colonyIN HIS OWN WORDS: Navalny’s dark humour during dark timesSARAH RAINSFORD: Navalny was often asked: ‘Do you fear for your life?’WATCH: Oscar-winning BBC documentary on NavalnyRelated TopicsEuropeRussiaAlexei NavalnyMoscowVladimir PutinTop StoriesLive. 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![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaWhy Russia’s Putin backing Biden for the US presidency is not what it seemsPublished17 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsUS election 2024Image source, Sputnik/Alexander Kazakov/PoolImage caption, The Russian president told Russian TV correspondent Pavel Zarubin that Joe Biden was an “old-style politician”By Steve RosenbergRussia Editor, MoscowI’m sure that ahead of the US election President Biden will welcome messages of support. But he won’t have expected this one. “For us, who’s better, Biden or Trump?” Russian TV correspondent Pavel Zarubin asked President Putin. “Biden,” Vladimir Putin replied in a flash. “He’s more experienced, he’s predictable, he’s an old-style politician.” There was more. The Kremlin leader defended President Biden’s ability to do the job.”When I met Biden in Switzerland – true, it was a few years ago – some people were already saying that he was unable to function. I didn’t see anything of the kind. “Yes, he looked down at his papers. To be honest, I did the same. It means nothing. And as for [Biden] bumping his head getting out of a helicopter on one occasion, well, who can say they’ve never bumped their head?”These words coming from a Kremlin leader whom President Biden has labelled “a murderous dictator”, “a pure thug”, and accused of having “a craven lust for land and power”. Putin expresses preference for Biden over Trump So, no hard feelings, then, from the Kremlin? All forgiven? I very much doubt it. Compare what Joe Biden has said about Vladimir Putin and Russia to what Donald Trump has said in the past. Mr Trump has called President Putin “smart” and “a genius”. He has even suggested he would “encourage” Russia to attack any Nato member that fails to pay its bills as part of the Western military alliance. If you were Vladimir Putin, who would you be rooting for? But if he’s a closet fan of Trump, why has the Russian president gone on record as saying he’d prefer Joe Biden back in the White House? Imagine Vladimir Putin had said publicly that he’d prefer a Trump presidency. What a gift for the Biden campaign. Donald Trump’s political enemies would have pounced on such an endorsement and accused the former US president of colluding with the Kremlin, of having ties to Russia two years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Hardly a vote-winner for the Republicans. Still, if Donald Trump does become the Republican Party’s official nominee for the 2024 presidential election, he won’t escape questions about Putin and Russia. Only now, Team Trump can point to these Kremlin comments about Biden and use them to deflect the inevitable accusations that Mr Trump is the Kremlin’s choice. Related TopicsRussiaUS election 2024Donald TrumpJoe BidenMore on this storyFact-checking Putin’s ‘nonsense’ historyPublished5 days agoPutin takes charge as Carlson gives free rein to KremlinPublished6 days agoUkraine battles frostbite and shell shortage in ruined townPublished1 hour agoTrump ‘encourages’ Russia to attack non-paying Nato alliesPublished3 days agoTop StoriesLive. UK fell into recession in 2023 – we answer your questionsLive. 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![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaVladimir Putin: Many Russians see no alternative candidate as election loomsPublished2 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsWar in UkraineImage source, EPAImage caption, Celebrities were in attendance as Vladimir Putin spoke at a major campaign event on WednesdayBy Steve RosenbergRussia EditorIn an exhibition hall opposite the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin walks onto a stage.There’s rapturous applause, a standing ovation.No surprise there. The invited guests – many of them Russian celebrities – are officially supporting Mr Putin’s candidacy in the presidential election in March.The Kremlin leader is running for a fifth term in office. The audience here is only too pleased. “[Putin’s] an extraordinary leader, the most courageous and wise person,” gushes filmmaker Andrei Konchalovsky.”The Russian people have never been so united in their support for their president,” claims singer Nadezhda Babkina. “And anyone who tries to prevent that will fail.”The idea behind the event (and this high-profile celebrity support) seems to be to show that candidate Putin is in a league of his own: Premier League Putin.Keep in mind, though: this is a league he created and of which he’s in charge. Russia’s political system is Mr Putin’s political system; his rules of the game; his election. Mr Putin’s most vocal critics have long been relegated. They’re either in exile or in prison. Which makes elections here rather predictable. Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Russia Today, was among the famous faces to appear in support of President PutinThat wasn’t always the case. Thirty years ago in Moscow I remember watching one of Russian TV’s first ever election night results programmes – it was for a parliamentary election. No-one had a clue who was going to win. I’ll never forget the astrologer they had on to make a political forecast. Quite appropriate really, because three decades ago, Russians had stars in their eyes about democracy, freedom, and their country’s future. For a Russian election today you don’t need astrologers or crystal balls. I can tell you now how the 2024 presidential election will end: with a Vladimir Putin landslide. The reasons for such confidence? First, although his will not be the only name on the ballot, Mr Putin’s challengers will not include arch-rivals like jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Putin v Navalny? Matches like that just aren’t allowed to happen in the Putin Premier League. True, another Kremlin critic, Boris Nadezhdin, is pushing to be on the ballot. But Mr Nadezhdin is not Mr Navalny. He carefully calibrates his criticisms of Mr Putin. He’s also believed to have connections within the presidential administration. If he does end up running, it will be because the Kremlin has decided it’s in Mr Putin’s interests to face a more critical challenger. Image source, EPAImage caption, Boris Nadezhdin, a critic of the Ukraine war, says he has enough signatures to stand in the electionsSecond, in Russia the Kremlin controls television. Mr Putin receives vast amounts of airtime during which he’s much praised and rarely criticised: handy when you’re seeking re-election. And there’s another reason Mr Putin will do well. “We all support your decision to run in the election. Because you’ve been in power as long as I can remember,” said Alexander, a young Russian TV reporter at Mr Putin’s end of year press conference.I’ve met many Russians like Alexander who cannot imagine anyone else in the Kremlin. Not because they idolise Mr Putin. They just see no alternative. I’ve often heard people say: “Well, if not Putin, who then?” The Kremlin has engineered that. It has cleared the political landscape removing any potential challengers to the man who has ruled Russia, as president or prime minister, for nearly a quarter of a century. By doing so, it has ensured that little question – “who then?” – is left unanswered. When I talk to people in the town of Rzhev, 140 miles (225km) from Moscow, about their hopes for the election, many seem to want change – without changing the leader.”I hope things change for the better because there’s stagnation now,” says a young man called Ilya. “But if you elect someone new, that person might not cope with the burden of government. Someone experienced like Putin can develop the country even in the difficult situation we’re in now.””I have big hopes for the election,” says pensioner Lidiya. “I hope that the war will end and the economy will improve. But I do respect Putin.””Is there no-one else who could do his job?” I ask.”Not right now,” Lidiya replies. “Maybe Putin will find someone later. But I think he’ll be in power for a long time to come.”Even the war in Ukraine and significant Russian military losses don’t appear to have sparked widespread disillusionment in Russia’s president and Commander-in-Chief. It was Mr Putin’s decision to launch the full-scale invasion. But some Russians believe that at a time of war it is their duty to back their leader, without questioning his motives or the consequences. Others accept the official narrative/alternative reality that it’s the West, not Russia, that started the war.I meet one woman in Rzhev who does want to see change in the Kremlin. Former TV journalist and regional legislator Yekaterina Duntsova recently tried to run for president herself. She called for peace in Ukraine, the release of political prisoners and a “humane” Russia. Image source, ReutersImage caption, Former TV journalist Yekaterina Duntsova is setting up a new party after being disqualified from running for presidentRussia’s Central Election Commission refused to accept her nomination, citing errors in her paperwork. “I think the political system here sees me as some kind of alien object, and doesn’t know what to do with me,” Ms Duntsova said. “Because I appeared out of the blue the system doesn’t understand who I am. So it’s decided to keep me well out of harm’s way.”Now she’s setting up a new party. Isn’t she scared that the system will turn on her?”We’re not doing anything illegal. We act according to the law. As for being scared, fear mustn’t prevail. I believe in what I’m doing. And this conviction relegates fear to second place.” Back at the Putin campaign event, I talk to Margarita Simonyan, editor in chief of RT.”A leader in power for a quarter of a century and more… with no checks and balances. Isn’t that dangerous?” I ask.”That’s a mantra you guys have been propagating for years,” she replies. “If a person has been in power for a long time, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be worse than if you change a leader every four years. Pol Pot in Cambodia annihilated a third of his population in three years.”A comforting thought. Related TopicsWar in UkraineRussiaVladimir PutinMore on this storyPutin challenger submits bid to run for presidentPublished58 minutes agoFears for Russia activist over secretive jail movePublished1 day agoNavalny: Russia’s jailed but vociferous Putin criticPublished4 August 2023Top StoriesLive. New deal means no routine checks on GB to NI goodsLive. Sturgeon: I did not take Covid decisions for political reasonsCrossbow man shot dead by police was stalkerPublished1 hour agoFeatures’I saved £200 by doing Dry January’Sturgeon fights back tears: Key moments from Covid inquiry evidence. 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