Russian Digest 4/11

Top daily stories I'm keeping an eye on

1. The Pentagon is closely monitoring social media reports claiming Russian forces deployed chemical weapons in Mariupol, Ukraine, Defense Department press secretary John Kirby said in a statement on Monday. via Axios

2. Russian forces have kidnapped 9 bus drivers working for "Help People," a Ukrainian volunteer group that provides food and medicine and assists in evacuations who were heading to Mariupol. via CNN

3. Colonel-General Sergei Beseda, head of the Fifth Service of the FSB, is being held in Lefortovo prison.

   Beseda was placed under house arrest in March. Rumor had it that Beseda fell out with Putin – it was his Fifth Service of the FSB which was largely in charge of providing intelligence about the political situation in Ukraine and, more importantly, for cultivating political support for the Kremlin in Ukraine. via Moscow Times

4. France’s foreign ministry on Monday declared six Russian agents posing as diplomats as “persona non grata” after an investigation by the domestic intelligence services concluded they were working against French national interests.

   “Following a very long investigation, the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI) revealed on Sunday April 10 a clandestine operation carried out by the Russian intelligence services on our territory,” the ministry said in a statement, without elaborating.

   “Six Russian agents operating under diplomatic cover and whose activities proved contrary to our national interests have been declared persona non grata,” it said. via Reuters

5. As Shanghai's Covid-19 lockdown leaves residents struggling to access food or medical care, citizens elsewhere in China fear similar stringent measures are heading their way -- even as officials seek to assure the public they are well prepared.

   In the southern port city of Guangzhou, where all 18 million residents faced mandatory testing after a handful of infections were found last week, officials stressed that food and other supplies were well taken care of -- despite one local paper reporting shortages at supermarkets due to "panic buying." via CNN