Kremlin-backed RT America lays off staff
RT America, the U.S. cable news network widely seen as one of Putin's mouthpieces in the West, plans to halt production and lay off its employees, according to a memo from T&R Productions, the production company that operated the channel.
Misha Solodovnikov, the general manager of T&R Productions, told employees that it will be "ceasing production" because of "unforeseen business interruption events." (NBC News obtained a copy of the memo. The news was first reported by CNN.)
“Unfortunately, we anticipate this layoff will be permanent, meaning that this will result in the permanent separation from employment of most T&R employees at all locations,” Solodovnikov wrote.
An RT America employee who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing concern about professional repercussions, said staff members were told they would receive two months of severance.
RT America is part of the Moscow-based RT network, which U.S. intelligence agencies have described as "Russia's state-run propaganda machine." In late 2017, T&R Productions registered as a foreign agent for the Russian government, according to a Justice Department release.
The channel aired a mix of news broadcasts, political commentary programs and talk shows hosted by the likes of William Shatner and Dennis Miller. (The shows featuring Shatner and Miller were produced by the independent media company Ora TV, which licensed content to RT America.)
NBC News reported this week that Miller would stop making his talk show because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to a source familiar with his thinking.
In an email this week, Shatner insisted that he was not involved in the decision to license his show to RT and said he stood with the people of Ukraine.
Ukraine presses U.S. to sanction Russian oil and gas exports
Ukraine is calling on the Biden administration to sanction Russia’s oil and gas exports, arguing that it's the only way to put real pressure on Putin to stop the invasion.
Andriy Kobolyev, the former head of Ukraine’s state-owned gas company, Naftogaz, flew to Washington this week to make the case for limiting Russia’s fossil fuel exports, meeting with more than a dozen lawmakers from both parties, as well as senior White House and State Department officials.
Putin has convinced the ruling elite in Moscow that “the West cannot survive without Russia’s energy supply,” Kobolyev told NBC News. Casting doubt on that premise would shake the foundation of his power, he said.
“That sounds like a very hard and painful step, but I don’t see any other way for the West to stop the invasion,” said Kobolyev, who has negotiated with Kremlin officials and Russia’s state-owned Gazprom in his former role. “Eight years ago, everybody was saying Ukraine would not survive without Russian gas. We proved we could.”
Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also called for a "full embargo" of Russian oil and gas exports this week.
Energy analysts say placing sanctions on the world’s third-largest oil producer could trigger a spike in oil prices and wreak havoc on the global economy. But Kobolyev argues that there's sufficient oil production capacity in the U.S. and the global market to withstand the blow.
The Biden administration hasn't moved to ban Russian oil in the U.S. or issue sanctions for such products despite growing calls from lawmakers in both parties to cut off Russian imports. However, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said this week that Biden hasn't ruled out the idea.
U.S. TV producer charged with violating 2014 sanctions against Russian oligarch
Federal prosecutors in New York City have charged a U.S. television producer with violating sanctions by helping a Russian oligarch set up a TV network.
The charges against John “Jack” Hanick stem from his work for Konstantin Malofeyev, whom the U.S. sanctioned in 2014 over allegations that he helped finance the promotion of Russian separatists in Crimea.
“Malofeyev is closely tied to Russian aggression in Ukraine, having been determined by OFAC to have been one of the main sources of financing for the promotion of Russia-aligned separatist groups operating in the sovereign nation of Ukraine,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement, referring to the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.
The indictment says Hanick worked for Malofeyev from 2013 until at least 2017 to create a Russian cable TV network and a Greek TV network. In addition to violating sanctions, Hanick is accused of making multiple false statements to FBI agents in an interview last month.
Prosecutors said he was arrested in London, where he had been living, on Feb. 3.
U.K. announces more sanctions against Russian oligarchs
The United Kingdom announced a “full asset freeze and travel ban” Thursday against Alisher Usmanov and Igor Shuvalov, who were described as two of "Russia’s leading oligarchs with significant interests in the UK and close links to the Kremlin.”
According to a statement from the U.K. government, Usmanov has had significant interests in English football clubs Arsenal and Everton, as well as owning luxury real estate. Shuvalov also has two luxury apartments in central London and is a “core part of Putin’s inner circle, and headed up Russia’s bid for the 2018 Football World Cup,” the statement said.
“Our message to Putin and his allies has been clear from day one — invading Ukraine would have serious and crippling economic consequences. Sanctioning Usmanov and Shuvalov sends a clear message that we will hit oligarchs and individuals closely associated with the Putin regime and his barbarous war,” Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in the statement. “We won’t stop here. Our aim is to cripple the Russian economy and starve Putin’s war machine.”
The U.S. government also joined the sanctions against Usmanov and others. Usmanov's superyacht and private jet were among his assets blocked.
The superyacht "has two helipads and one of the world’s largest indoor pools ever installed on a yacht," according to the Treasury Department's statement.
The jet "is one of the largest privately owned planes in Russia and was previously leased out for use by Uzbekistan's president."
Biden administration sanctions additional Russian oligarchs
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration announced new sanctions Thursday against additional Russian oligarchs and their families as U.S. officials prepare for the invasion of Ukraine to intensify in the coming days.
The sanctions are the latest move by Biden and European allies to pressure Putin to de-escalate the situation in Ukraine after he launched an invasion last week.
The Biden administration said in a statement that the new sanctions would seize yachts, luxury apartments, money and other assets belonging to Russian oligarchs in U.S. jurisdiction.
Among those targeted is Dmitry Peskov, a prominent spokesperson for the Kremlin. Other oligarchs sanctioned include Nikolai Tokarev, Boris Rotenberg, Arkady Rotenberg, Sergei Chemezov, Igor Shuvalov and Yevgeniy Prigozhin, as well as their spouses and children.
International Cat Federation bans Russian felines from competitions
The International Cat Federation has banned Russian cats from international competitions, condemning the invasion of Ukraine as an "unprecedented act of aggression."
Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFe), which considers itself "the United Nations of Cat Federations," with members from over 40 counties, said in a statement on its website that it "cannot just witness these atrocities and do nothing."
Starting this week, no cat bred in Russia can be imported or registered in any FIFe pedigree book outside Russia and no cat belonging to exhibitors living in Russia may be entered at any FIFe show outside the country.
The group said the new regulations will last through May 31 and "will be reviewed as and when necessary."
Life under siege: Inside Ukraine's southern cities facing the Russian assault
Each morning since Russian forces invaded Ukraine a week ago, Irina Khabaluk has awakened alongside her husband and their two young children feeling anxious about what fresh pain the day will bring.
From her apartment in the port city of Kherson, Khabaluk is on the front lines of the fierce fight for Ukraine’s south.
Days of intense shelling have left residents like her terrified to leave their homes, feeling helpless while food supplies run low.
“There is just shock and disbelief,” Khabaluk, a project manager, said by phone from Kherson, a city of almost 300,000 people, where she has lived all her life. “We stopped saying ‘Good morning’ to each other when we open our eyes, because the morning is never good anymore.”
Kherson Mayor Ihor Kolykhaev said Thursday that Russian troops had captured the city, which sits on the strategically important Dnieper River.
U.S. military sets up channel to communicate with Russian military
The U.S. military has established channels to communicate directly with the Russian military as a way to deconflict tactical movements around Ukraine, a senior defense official said Thursday.
U.S. forces do not have any aircraft flying over Ukraine or ships near where Russia's navy is operating in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, but the U.S. military has assets all around Ukraine. The amount has increased in the past few weeks as the Biden administration has sent more troops and assets to Ukraine's neighbors as a way to shore up NATO ally defenses.
With the U.S. military operating in the area, concerns persist of a possibility of a close encounter that leads to a miscalculation and an escalation.
To mitigate that, the U.S. European Command has set up a deconfliction mechanism with its counterparts at the Russian ministry of defense.
The senior defense official said there is more than one channel and this communication has been operable for about the past day.