Page 34 - RusRPTFeb24

President Vladimir Putin's international visits have been curtailed since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant in March 2023 for his role in the deportations of Ukrainian children. Turkey is not party to the ICC's Rome Statute, meaning it is under no obligation to detain Putin.
Russia, in a new push to expand its influence in Africa, is recruiting for an armed force to replace Wagner group mercenaries across the continent. Called the Africa Corps, which controversially shares the name of Adolf Hitler’s expeditionary force, the Kremlin’s aim is to enlist new recruits and former Wagner fighters to deploy to at least five Russia-friendly countries
● Domestic Politics
In January the rollercoaster ride began with a sudden display of public support across Russia for aspiring presidential candidate Boris Nadezhnin, a liberal critic of the war seen by many as the Kremlin’s preferred liberal spoiler candidate. However, the long lines of people waiting in sub-zero temperatures to add their signatures to the 100,000 needed for Nadezhdin’s candidacy to move forward may well have alarmed the Kremlin’s electoral cosplay department. Nadezhdin, whose campaign has now amassed over 150,000 signatures, remains the opposition’s best hope for anything even resembling a candidate that represents their views since the brief but ill-fated candidacy campaign of Yekaterina Duntsova.
Russia’s parliament last week backed measures that would allow the confiscation of property and assets from political activists, independent journalists and opponents of the war. The potential new penalties do not go as far as the Soviet practice of stripping convicted dissidents of all their items and property. However, it remains unclear how the courts might implement the new rules in practice, should they become law.
Court prolongs oligarch Kolomoisky's detention until March. Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky will remain in custody until March 2 with a bail set at Hr 2.65 billion ($71 million), Suspilne reported on Jan. 22, citing the Shevchenkivskyi district court’s decision.
US citizen arrested in Russia on drug trafficking charges. Court documents said Robert Woodland Romanov has dual U.S.-Russian citizenship. The charges he faces can carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Russian ex-warlord Girkin sentenced to 4 years on extremism charges. The Moscow City Court sentenced Russian warlord Igor Girkin, also known as "Strelkov," to four years in prison for inciting extremism online, the Russian independent news outlet Mediazona reported on Jan. 25.
34 RUSSIA Country Report February 2024 www.intellinews.com