March 8:
A former separatist fighter is coming clean about Russia's role in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports. Anton Rayevsky, a 30-year-old "former Fascist" from Russia who fought alongside pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine's Donbass region has told the news agency that - contrary to official Kremlin denials - the conflict in Ukraine was systematically orchestrated and perpetuated by the Russian government. "I can say with absolute certainty that all of the mid- and high-level commanders -- from the battalion to the brigades -- were Russian advisers. All of the military equipment we had, all of the weapons: It was all from Russia," Rayevsky has said.
European officials are seeking to pressure Moscow over the captivity and political show trial of Ukrainian pilot Nadia Savchenko. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports that a group of European parliamentarians have asked EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini to levy sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin and 28 other officials as punishment for Savchenko's continued detention. The request, in the form of a formal letter, was signed by 57 EU politicians, and lays out that the Kremlin is "responsible for the political decision to kidnap" Savchenko following her capture in eastern Ukraine in June 2014, and to subsequently "transport her to the territory of Russia, detain her unlawfully, and fabricate charges against her."
March 9:
The Russian government continues to tighten domestic control in anticipation of upcoming parliamentary elections in September. According to news website NEWSru.com, Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a decree that effectively equates so-called "caravan" demonstrations (processions of vehicles), and bars the practice - along with the creation of tent cities in public places. The ordinance, promulgated by the presidential press service and published on the Kremlin's official website, makes both practices illegal under Russian law in a move that observers say is intended to preemptively head off avenues of potential protest.
March 10:
Russia is at risk of being partially excluded from the upcoming Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a top international athletics official has warned. Reuters reports Dick Pound, chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency, as saying that Russia - which is currently excluded from a range of international tournaments on account of its lax policies toward performance-enhancing drugs - "may not make it back for Rio." Pound told a recent anti-doping conference that Russia's attempts to reform its athletic practices, which have engendered considerable controversy in sports circles, remain cosmetic at best. "There seems to be some evidence that they're just changing deck chairs on the Titanic," he said.
March 11:
Former Kremlin media czar Mikhail Lesin, who was found dead in a Washington, DC hotel last November, was the victim of foul play, an official inquiry has concluded. The Daily Caller reports that the results of an autopsy carried out by the DC Medical Examiner's Office indicate that Lesin died due to blunt force trauma to the head. Lesin was also apparently struck in the "neck, torso, arms and legs" - although authorities are not yet prepared to conclusively declare that his death was the result of a crime.
March 13:
In its ongoing crackdown on the operations of NGOs and international organizations within the country, the Kremlin has set its sights on the biggest agency of them all: the United Nations. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports that the Russian government is moving to close down the Moscow office of the UN High Commissioner For Human Rights. Russia's diplomatic mission in Geneva has confirmed the move, which will take place in coming weeks.
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