US Army confirms an American soldier has been detained in Russia:

Free Evan!

I spoke to the BBC Global Story podcast - along with James Beardsworth - about our friend & colleague Evan Gershkovich’s arrest one year on and what it means for Russia.

📻 Listen here:

bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0…

Voting in Russia's presidential election underway in occupied Ukraine

📷AFP stringer

In jail, Russia’s most famous opposition leader faced some of the worst excesses of the Russian prison system. Navalny said the Kremlin wanted to break him, as a punishment for staying alive. His team feared worse. On Navalny's slow-motion death in prison
theguardian.com/world/2024/feb…

Aleksei Navalny is dead, according to the Russia prison service and state media.

On his birthday, seven months since Russia arrested him on absurd charges, a lovely piece about Evan Gershkovich’s Arsenal fandom.

Happy birthday buddy. Eddie Nketiah is a natural finisher and has massively improved his buildup play, just you watch

theathletic.com/4997910/2023/1…

Morning in Goris, Armenia. The Armenian govt has booked out virtually every hotel room in town for Karabakh refugees, mostly villagers from frontline districts who took shelter with the Russian peacekeepers at Stepanakert airport when Azerbaijan attacked.

A Moscow court has extended the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested on bogus espionage charges at the end of March. It has been 21 weeks since Evan was detained for doing his job. Evan should be released immediately! #IStandWithEvan

Пресс-служба белорусского президента сообщает, что весь день Лукашенко по согласованию с Путиным вел переговоры с Пригожиным. Договорились разрешить конфликт. ЧВК Вагнер не пойдет на Москву. Гарантии безопасности бойцам ЧВК будут обеспечены.

Говорит Минск.

At this rate and if not intercepted -- the Wagner military convoy will reach Moscow by around 21:00 GMT... right?

Helpful map from Verstka of where we're at with Prigozhin's coup attempt - the journey the convoy has made so far, north up to Lipetsk region.

One thing on Putin's side is that he is acutely aware of how a long convoy of military vehicles driving down a highway to the capital is particularly vulnerable.

The Fighter Bomber channels claims that Russian military helicopters are allowed to operate from the Millerovo Airbase in Rostov but have to have a Wagner member on board to supervise (to make sure they aren't used against Wagner)
t.me/fighter_bomber…

This is easily the angriest Putin has been about anything since he invaded Ukraine. The internal enemy is so much bigger in Putin's mind than any imagined external threat

As with Navalny in the past, Putin refused to dignify Prigozhin by even naming him

“The termination of Prigozhin and Wagner is imminent. The only possibility now is absolute obliteration”

To recap:

– Wagner's Prigozhin vows a “march of justice” vs. Russia's army
– the FSB “launched a criminal case over calls for an armed uprising”
– Putin's spox: “all essential measures are being taken”
– unclear what is happening bar many Telegram posts

ft.com/content/56d4ab…

Wow. Now Prigozhin says that the council of Wagner commanders have decided to deal with the military leadership of Russia adding that he will destroy everyone who appears n his way. 'I ask everyone to stay calm at home, do not go outside.'

No surprises here...A court in Moscow rejected an appeal against the extended detention of our dear friend and colleague Evan Gershkovich. He will remain in jail at least until 30 August.

If you would like to write him a letter, please send it to [email protected]

#FreeEvan

Journalism is not a crime.

Re-upping this I wrote in November about possible consequences of the Nova-Kakhovka dam being blown themoscowtimes.com/2022/11/10/exp…