Ben Tavener
@BenTavener
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@BBCNews Moscow producer. @Reuters and @BBCRussian before that. Previously in Tbilisi, London and São Paulo.
Moscow, Russia
Joined December 2009
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WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich’s appeal has been rejected. He’ll be held in pre-trial detention until at least June 30. But members of the media were let in to see him for the first time in months.
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Evan gave a thumbs-up when asked by the press how he was. And later shared this moment with his lawyers after the judge announced the decision. The legal team said they held out hope the next hearing would be the last.
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It’s approaching 2am in Tbilisi and the protests outside Parliament against the Georgian government’s controversial “foreign funding” bill are still going strong - and still peaceful despite fears of a violent crackdown seen previously. The BBC’s
@rayhandemytrie
has been speaking
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2am in Tbilisi. The energy these protesters have after their parliamentary defeat today… It’s not over for them.
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#BREAKING
:
#Russia
opposition activists linked to Alexey
@navalny
reporting raids and searches at over 60 addresses in 29 cities across the country.
@Kira_Yarmysh
calling it a “mass hit” against Navalny’s anti-corruption foundation FBK.
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Our report for
@BBCNews
on Tuesday’s dramatic events in Tbilisi —
@rayhandemytrie
@mattgodtv
#georgia
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.
@Pr0ud_Bear
group’s satirical
#Russia
Brexit posters have mainly been torn down (this one clinging on). Owner says they’re illegal but “Lukas”, who I interviewed earlier today, argues
#Brexit
process is what’s illegal. They want Waterloo digital board next and have “more plans”.
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#Russia
protests: 1000+ protesters detained so far at today’s unsanctioned rally in Moscow. They’re angry opposition candidates have been stopped from running in local elections over alleged irregularities regarding supporter signatures when registering.
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Russian-lang media reporting raids on LGBT clubs in Moscow last night, with police “photographing people’s IDs”. It comes after Russia’s Supreme Court ruled “int’l LGBT movement” an extremist organisation. A famous gay club in St Petes has also closed down
📹: Ostorozhno Novosti
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BBC launches new shortwave radio service in
#Ukraine
- four hours of World Service English news for audiences in Ukraine and parts of Russia.
Listeners in the area will be able to tune into the broadcasts at 15735 kHz from 16:00-18:00 GMT and 5875 kHz from 22:00-00:00 GMT.
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Returning to
@BBCNews
to join the formidable Moscow team led by
@BBCSteveR
- initially from London. Excited to help tell this fascinating and important story.
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São Paulo police officer caught pointing gun at
#ContraTarifa
transport protester. Circumstances unclear. Photo:
@G1
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Ivan Golunov taken from hospital in Nikulinsky District Court to determine how he will await trial for drug dealing offences - which he denies, arguing police planted drugs on him. Meduza reports his defence team “were given 15 mins to examine all case materials” before hearing.
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Tbilisi now. Thousands marching against Georgian government plans to adopt what critics call a Kremlin-inspired ‘foreign agents’ law. The ruling party says it will ensure transparency. Those marching fear it will make Georgia veer off its path to EU integration. They chant
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Wild horses have returned to the Golden Steppe of
#Kazakhstan
for the first time in at least 200 years after a decades-long reintroduction programme
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Workers' rally in defence of
#Petrobras
and President Rousseff marching down Av Paulista in pouring rain
http://t.co/A7fSmXqg9I
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If you ban RT in the UK, you play *straight* into Putin’s narrative of Western double standards. And risk getting BBC kicked out of
#Russia
and losing power to report from/to country.
The audience share of RT UK is small, and the rest is shared online - which this won’t limit.
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#Rocketman
: Censorship alive and well in Mother
#Russia
. Despite being an 18, Rocketman has been hacked at by cinema censors, removing scenes with same-sex kissing/sex, and changing the final title message about
#EltonJohn
raising kids with the love of his life, David Furnish.
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Speaking in the courtroom, Golunov said: “I’ve never taken drugs, am not guilty of anything and am prepared to cooperate with the investigation if it plays fair”.
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"The BBC strongly rejects the decision by the Russian authorities to designate Andrei Zakharov [...] a ‘foreign agent’ [...] Our priority right now is to support Andrei and to ensure that he and his colleagues are able to continue reporting the country at such an important time."
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@KarinBBC
@bbclaurak
@bbcukrainian
@Yollika
My dearest friend and colleague,
@Yollika
- I’m so sorry. Your country doesn’t deserve this. Все буде добре. Колись.
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Evan Gershkovich in court again today. Still buoyant after over a year in a Russian jail.
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After protesting outside Downing St and Parliament,
#stopthecoup
protesters against
#Prorogation
marched to Buckingham Palace - quickly moving on.
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The Empire State Building this evening. One of several buildings in New York flying
#Ukraine
’s colours
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🚨 Personal news klaxon! 🚨
Today is my last day at
@bbcrussian
. For everyone who’s played a part in my BBC News journey (and that’s 11 years in total now), I am eternally in your debt. From March, I’ll be joining
@Reuters
- more on that later. Спасибо и до новых встреч!
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#Russia
labels reporters 'foreign agents' hours after congratulating opposition journalist on his Nobel peace prize win
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More EU sanctions announced, this time against political and business figures, including: Dmitry Peskov (Putin’s spokesman), Igor Sechin (Rosneft), Nikolai Tokarev (Transneft), Alisher Usmanov (Megafon/Metalloinvest), Pyotr Aven & Nikolai Fridman (Alfa-Bank)
#BREAKING
The EU has slapped sanctions on a host of Russia's business and political elite, including Rosneft head Igor Sechin and Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov
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Back in Moscow after 4 years. Red Square prepped to mark the 10th anniversary of Russia’s “reunification” with Crimea – what others call its annexation – on Monday. Also looks like a convenient venue for Vladimir Putin’s impending victory rally.
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CNN's
@ShastaCNN
has been injured and is bleeding after police used stun grenades on protesters
http://t.co/80WTc6M48c
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#Russia
: This is
@EvgenyFeldman
’s photo of Yegor Zhukov moments after he was handed a 3-year suspended sentence for his part in this summer’s anti-govt protests in Moscow. Some saying this is pretty much tantamount to him being acquitted.
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#Brazil
minister speaking now: says group was acquiring AK47s, had shared IS execution videos, and had celebrated Orlando & Nice attacks.
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Protesters say police & the local govt are “criminalising social movements”, particularly during the
#WorldCup
—
http://t.co/wK4aXKHmmQ
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#Russia
votes: Now, I'm no handwriting expert, but those ticks look pretty similar...
(from a St Petersburg monitor group)
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Video claims this man was injured by police at tonight's
#MPL
#ContraTarifa
transport protest in central São Paulo
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Some thoughts this difficult morning from Tatyana
@Stanovaya
- a 🧵:
Although a military operation had been considered almost inevitable, there was little reason to expect Russia would try to take the whole of
#Ukraine
- rather than try to cleave it in two. No more. 1/8
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Lots of anti-Dilma protesters heading to centre of São Paulo in
#Brazil
colours. Huge queue to buy metro tocjets.
http://t.co/CdjMveQnkS
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Nobel Peace Prize joint winner Dmitry Muratov tells the BBC the prize is for his murdered (or presumed so) Novaya Gazeta colleagues Igor Domnikov, Yuri Shchekochikhin, Anna Politkovskaya, Stas Markelov, Anastasia Baburova, Natalya Estemirova.
"These people won the Nobel today."
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#Uzbekistan
"has the highest diet-related deaths in the world" - 892 per 100,000 people/year. (But plov is very tasty...)
MORE:
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BREAKING: Armed police deployed to
#oxfordcircus
tube after incident. Police urging people away from scene. People running, hiding in buildings.
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He's back...
#Pixuleco
, the R$12k inflatable prisoner Lula, is back on the streets of São Paulo today (photo: Folha)
http://t.co/olYi7M9AgD
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🚨 Personal news klaxon 🚨
Today is my last day with
@Reuters
. It's been a huge privilege to be part of the Moscow TV team, as well as a very steep learning curve - I started as the war began. I am deeply grateful for the incredible professional experience I've been afforded.
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1.3 million animals, incl. some of the world's most majestic, killed daily on
#Brazil
's roads
http://t.co/EaSZCKk5cl
http://t.co/cKk0FjqxhE
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#NaoVaiTerGolpe
, anti-
#impeachment
protesters shout at this march in São Paulo. "There will be no coup!"
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More images from
@j_livres
of tonight's schools protest in São Paulo. Police say 5 minors are among those detained.
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Collapsed flyover in Belo Horizonte fell on top of a bus - as this local police image shows:
http://t.co/EWw8egLiyN
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Evan
#Gershkovich
is in court this morning in Yekaterinburg, the Russian city in the Urals where he was arrested in March 2023. He is being tried for espionage and faces 20 years in prison if found guilty - which is almost certain to happen. His supporters, the US and the WSJ
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#Russia
feminist groups take stand on
#InternationalWomensDay
This banner outside Moscow Kremlin says: "200 years of men in power - out!"
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Anti-govt protest on av Paulista now. Turnout growing. Vast crowds now
http://t.co/SqOyTFD6FA
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Russia's new McDonald's to be called 'Vkusno i Tochka', which translates as "Tasty. Full Stop" (shudder to think how that'll be translated in the U.S.!)
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Putin slams “rewriting of history”, particularly re: WW2, and the rise of “cancel culture” in the West, singling out the “cancelling” of Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and deriding Western gender freedoms. He says
#Russia
is “protected” from these tendencies.
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Ukraine seeks U.N. cultural status for beloved borscht. A culinary spat with Russia could be brewing...
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#Supermoon
#lunareclipse
in São Paulo,
#Brazil
tonight. Shot from my garden in momentary gaps btwn mist & low cloud!
http://t.co/yDkXl30PA7
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We’re outside Georgia🇬🇪 parliament ready to go live shortly on
@BBCNews
to give the latest on events here
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- Russian radio station: "Which god did Putin have in mind [for his constitutional amendment]?"
- Putin spox: "I think that'll become clear at an appropriate juncture".
Пресс-секретаря президента России Дмитрия Пескова спросили об упоминании бога в Конституции.
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Central São Paulo is basically now a military zone. Some police have revolvers. More protesters being searched
http://t.co/Ix2NhdHJFj
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Maria Pevchikh, head of investigations at
@Navalny
’s FBK anti-corruption org, has given her 1st ever interview - to
@bbcrussian
. She speaks about Navalny’s poisoning and how they intimidate her family. Proud to have worked on it with
@akozenko
.
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Protesters last night marched along both sides of the Mtkvari river and converged on Tbilisi’s Europe Square. This gives you some sense of numbers at the final rally.
📹
@Reuters
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#Brazil
dam disaster: Images show small town of Bento Rodrigues has been completely engulfed in sludge (Images: G1)
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At a Moscow court for the latest appeal hearing on
@WSJ
reporter Evan Gershkovich’s pre-trial detention. If denied, he can be held until at least June 30.
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#BREAKING
: US reporter Evan
#Gershkovich
handed 16-year prison sentence as Russia spy trial ends in Yekaterinburg
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Folha posts pic of Temer watching yes votes stack up. As VP he succeeds Rousseff if
#Brazil
#impeachment
deposes her
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#MillionMaskMarch
protesters in
#London
voice their contempt at UK government in what’s become a annual
#BonfireNight
event. There have been arrests in previous years, but tonight it’s basically a couple of hundred people and a Russian flag.
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Howler monkeys back in Rio's Tijuca park after 100 years
http://t.co/3MJrIwnyLs
http://t.co/UZZXyTrif9
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Paulista continuing to fill. Still not as big as March. Many references to
#impeachment
, Lava Jato corruption probe.
http://t.co/PJtxQzWlND
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#Russia
spy poisoning: Police and intelligence agencies identify key suspects in Skripal case, The
@Telegraph
understands. Counter-terrorism police now trying to build case against “persons of interest”, believed to be back in Russia.
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What happened at a Moscow nightclub was bizarre. What happened next says so much about the current atmosphere in Russia.
Russian celebs at 'almost naked' party stung by backlash
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"Not all Russians supported Navalny. But for a decade he was the only opposition figure in Russia capable of bringing large numbers of protesters on to the streets... He had charisma... as well as a sense of humour and the ability to inspire"
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Russian editor Irina Slavina dies after setting herself on fire
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Delighted to speak at the University Council of Modern Languages
@UCML
plenary workshop at Europe House today about my BBC career and being a languages graduate in the media. Great insight from fascinating speakers from the FCO, CIOL the Universities of Glasgow & East Anglia.
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Oh, live TV! The moment Prof. Robert Kelly's kids upstaged him live on
@BBCNews
during an interview about S.Korea (which he finished!).
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Some violence earlier this morning between protesters and police, local news outlet shows. Ruling party GD says 20 people were detained for obstructing law enforcement. They said protesters were violent and insulting police.
Situation escalates at Parliament. Detentions have been reported.
#TbilisiProtests
#ForeignAgentsLaw
🎥Gigi Kobakhidze/Civil.ge
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Just checking... Nope, not a parody account 😅
Сегодня Владимиру Путину исполнилось 69 лет. Давайте вспомним самые яркие моменты его неофициальной жизни
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Spotted in a Moscow supermarket, Western sanctions apparently no match for these crisps from my county…
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