Russian teen sentenced for anti-war graffiti and poetry
A Russian court has sentenced 19-year-old Darya Kozyreva to nearly three years in prison for protesting the war in Ukraine using poetry and graffiti.
The Kremlin considers the termination of the Russian House in Baku as “a misunderstanding” and does not rule out raising this issue even at talks of Russian and Azerbaijani leaders
"We regret to hear it. We believe that it is a misunderstanding that can be resolved through bilateral contacts," – said Russian President’s spokesperson to reporters on Friday.
He noted that Moscow intends to “address this issue through dialogue, guided by the traditionally strong relations with Baku.”
Azerbaijan has suspended the activities of “Rossotrudnichestvo”, a Russian agency with main mission to “strengthen Russia’s humanitarian influence in the world” via its representative offices called “Russian House” in over 70 countries.
Local media have linked the decision to terminate the "Rossotrudnichestvo" agency in Baku to accusations of alleged involvement in anti-Azerbaijani espionage activities, disguised under the guise of cultural and humanitarian work.
Aykhan Hajizada, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed that a note verbale was sent to the Russian side on February 3, 2025, terminating the activities of “Russian House.”
“The Russian Information and Cultural Center – “Russian House,” the representative office of “Rossotrudnichestvo” in Azerbaijan, did not have registration as a legal entity, and the organization has been seriously violating Azerbaijani legislation,” – he said. “The activities of such organizations in the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan are regulated in accordance with national legislation, the principle of reciprocity between countries, and the requirements of agreements reached on a bilateral basis.”
Baku expects that Moscow will "take appropriate measures in this direction" following Azerbaijan's decision to terminate the activities of the "Russian House" in the country.
Russian cultural agency’s head, Yevgeny Primakov said in his interview to a Russian state TV that they had applied to Azerbaijan’s authorities for registration of a Russian information and cultural center in Baku, but their requests remained unanswered.
"The point is that the Russian embassy in the Republic of Azerbaijan, our representative office, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have repeatedly reached out to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the years, requesting assistance with registration. We were always ready to cooperate, but our calls remained unanswered," – Primakov said.
He recalled a previous escalation on the issue in 2017, when Baku demanded the agency's "immediate" registration, but after bilateral consultations, Azerbaijan’s authorities “accepted” situation as it is.
“We [“Rossotrudnichestvo”] are a federal executive body, and the Russian Information and Cultural Center is a Russian organization, so there is no regulatory mechanism in the legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan to register the center as a local legal entity. Azerbaijan’s foreign affairs and justice ministries accepted it,” – Primakov added.
Meanwhile, the center must vacate its premises within six weeks, as the property owner has decided to sell the building.
The Kremlin intends to address the issue at every possible level of Azerbaijan-Russia communication, including during talks between the two leaders.
"We will definitely raise this issue with our colleagues at all levels, even at the highest level. We do not rule out that this issue could be discussed during a dialogue between the two heads of state," the Kremlin spokesperson said.
The Russian ruble has emerged as the top-performing currency globally in 2025, registering an impressive 38% appreciation against the US dollar since the beginning of the year, according to a report by Bloomberg.
A small plane crashed near Kopake, New York, on April 13, killing at 6 people. The Mitsubishi MU-2B aircraft, carrying six people, went down under unclear circumstances. This marks the second aviation accident in New York in a week, raising safety concerns.
Several regions in Ukraine faced heightened alert on Palm Sunday, as reports of explosions and missile threats drew public attention and official responses.
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Severe rainfall on April 17 led to flooding and landslides in the Piedmont region, prompting a large-scale emergency response from over 400 firefighters.
The British steel industry is grappling with its most significant crisis in decades, as the government has been forced to intervene in an emergency bid to save the country's last operational blast furnaces at British Steel.
Police in Pakistan have detained nearly 180 people following a series of incidents involving KFC restaurants in several major cities.
The leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Central Asian countries will come together on May 5 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, marking a major milestone in relations between the two sides.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman has confirmed that the second round of talks between representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America will be held in Rome this Saturday.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is scheduled to hold talks with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Moscow.
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