Russian investigators release top managers of publishing house Eksmo without charges in case involving distribution of LGBT literature. The executives were released under an obligation to appear for further proceedings.

Russia sentences 22-year-old from Kaliningrad Oblast to 12 years for spying on Baltic Sea ships, distributing leaflets

A 22-year-old from Guryevsk in Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast has been sentenced to 12 years in a strict-regime penal colony on charges of spying for a foreign organization by monitoring ships in the Baltic Sea and distributing recruitment leaflets.

3 men beat Moscow metro passenger, hospitalized. Attackers arrested.

Three men beat a man in the Moscow metro, leaving him with head and body injuries. He was hospitalized and the attackers were arrested.

4 entrepreneurs sentenced to 4-6 yrs for embezzling border defense funds in Belgorod

A court in Belgorod has sentenced four entrepreneurs to prison terms of four to six years for embezzling budget funds during the construction of defensive structures on the border with Ukraine. The defendants, including Vyacheslav Avtonomov, Denis Kornilov, Ivan Novikov, and Sergei Petryakov, were tried under an accelerated procedure, and their appeals for leniency were rejected.

Russia: Supreme Court defines criminal hierarchy leader for 1st time. Includes influence, conflict resolution, rule-setting, corruption ties. Court must specify signs.

Supreme Court defines leader of criminal hierarchy for the first time, according to RBC correspondent. Includes influence on organized groups, conflict resolution, rule-setting, and corruption or extremist ties. Court must specify signs leading to this conclusion.