Putin's Russia

The US may be without a Russian ambassador for a longer time

For the first time since the 1930s, the United States may be without a Russian ambassador for an extended period of time, the Moscow Times reports.

On Sunday, Ambassador Anatoly Antonov's term of office ended after seven years, and he returned to Moscow. The Kremlin is in no rush to appoint a successor, government and Duma sources told Russian Vedemosti.

- Right now, no officials (in the US) are communicating with the Russian ambassador anyway, so in the end it doesn't matter who becomes the new representative in Washington, says one of the sources.

However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov states that a replacement will be appointed sooner or later, writes Reuters.

- Of course, an ambassador will be appointed in a reasonable time.

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Irish parliamentarian was recruited by Russia

In 2019, Russia recruited an Irish parliamentarian to act as a propaganda megaphone and sow a split between Ireland and Britain after Brexit. This is stated by sources for The Sunday Times and Politico.

The parliamentarian is not formally suspected of any crime, and is still in his post.

Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris says he is not surprised.

- Russia is actively trying to distort public opinion around the world. Ireland is not immune to it.

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The Middle East crisis Israel–Houthis
"Merchant of death" back - selling weapons to the Houthis

Russian Viktor Bout is back in the arms dealer business. The 57-year-old is trying to negotiate the sale of small arms to the Houthis, according to information provided to the Wall Street Journal.

Bout made a name for himself when he sold Soviet weapons to the Middle East, Africa and South America and earned the nickname "merchant of death". He was arrested in 2008 in a US raid in Thailand but was released in 2023 in a prisoner exchange.

Envoys from the Houthis have been in Moscow to negotiate an arms purchase for approximately SEK 100 million. The visit was made under the guise of buying pesticides and vehicles, and Viktor Bout handled the negotiations, according to sources the Wall Street Journal spoke to.

According to the Wall Street Journal, it is unclear whether Viktor Bout sells the weapons directly to Russia or whether the deal only takes place with Russian approval. The first delivery could take place as early as now in October to the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah, under the guise of being a food transport.