The Russian invasion

 

Musk/Putin. AP  

 

Russian invasionRussian reactions  

Putin's tribute to Musk: "An outstanding person"  

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin heaped praise on Tesla billionaire Elon Musk during Tuesday's economic conference in Vladivostok, Reuters reports. 

 

- Regarding private business and Elon Musk [...] he is undoubtedly an outstanding person. It must be recognized, and I think it is recognized worldwide.  

 

The tribute comes days after Musk revealed that he denied the Ukrainian military's request to activate the Starlink satellite network in Crimea to facilitate an attack on the Russian navy.  

 

For this he received sharp criticism from Ukraine, while former Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev called him "the last sane mind in North America". 

 

Putin will give a speech on Tuesday. Pavel Bednyakov / AP 

 

Russian invasionRussian reactions  

Putin's speech: Laser weapons and pikes against exiled Russians  

 

On Tuesday, Russian President Putin addressed the annual Eastern Economic Forum conference in Vladivostok in the southeastern corner of the country, the independent Moscow Times reports.  

 

Among other things, he claimed that Russia is developing futuristic weapons.  

 

- Weapons based on new physical principles will ensure the security of all countries in the near future. We realize that, and we're working on it.  

 

He did not specify further, but according to the state news agency Tass, it is about weapons technology based on lasers, high-frequency sounds and radio waves.  

 

Putin also took the opportunity to poke oligarchs who left the country or condemned the war. Including Anatoly Tyubays, a former aide who resigned shortly after the invasion. 

 

Putin refers to "some photo on the Internet" that shows that Tyubajs is now living under a new name in Israel - and adds that he "doesn't understand why he stung".  

 

 

Navalny. Evgeny Feldman / AP  

 

The legal proceedings against Navalny 

Sources: Navalny may be released in prisoner exchange  

 

An exchange of several prisoners between Russia and the West is possible - and could include jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. This is what government sources in several countries tell the Wall Street Journal.  

 

The jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich may also be involved, according to the sources. The Russian prisoner in the West that Putin is said to be mainly interested in bringing home in exchange is Vadim Krasikov.  

 

Krasikov was convicted in Germany for shooting dead a former Chechen rebel leader, Zelimchan Changoshvili, in a park in Berlin in 2019. Since then, the Kremlin has repeatedly explored the possibility of having him released in a prisoner exchange, according to the WSJ's sources.