Washington

Car explosion kills daughter of key Putin ally Alexander Dugin, Russia says

Published

2 years ago

August 21, 2022

Car explosion kills daughter of key Putin ally Alexander Dugin, Russia says

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The daughter of Alexander Dugin, a far-right Russian nationalist who helped form the concepts behind President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, was killed Saturday when the automobile she was driving exploded close to Moscow, in accordance with Russia’s foremost investigative authority.

Russia’s Investigative Committee mentioned it was wanting into the incident and had opened a felony homicide case.

A Toyota Land Cruiser “went off at full velocity on a public freeway” and caught hearth, it mentioned, after an “explosive system planted underneath the underside of the automobile on the driving force’s facet” blew up. The driving force, recognized by the committee as “journalist and political scientist Daria Dugina,” died on the scene. It mentioned early proof pointed to “a homicide for rent.”

Dugina, 29, was driving her father’s automobile from a competition they each attended when the blast occurred, engulfing the automobile in flames, Dugin’s pal Andrey Krasnov advised the state-run media outlet Tass. Krasnov mentioned he believed her father was the goal of an assault, “or perhaps the 2 of them.”

Highway to battle: U.S. struggled to persuade allies, and Zelensky, of threat of invasion

Dugin, a scathing critic of america, with shut ties to the Kremlin, is typically known as “Putin’s Rasputin” or “Putin’s mind.” Though he doesn’t maintain an official authorities place, and the extent of his direct relationship with Putin will not be clear, Dugin has lengthy known as for the reabsorption of Ukraine into Russia — and specialists say his language and expansionist views of Russia’s place on this planet have been echoed by the Kremlin and in current speeches by Putin.

His daughter has additionally spoken publicly in help of the battle in Ukraine and Russian enlargement. In March, she was sanctioned by america as a part of a listing of Russian elites and Russian intelligence-directed disinformation shops, alongside her father who has been designated for sanctions since 2015. She was additionally sanctioned by the UK in July for her help of Russia’s invasion.

“The automobile caught hearth instantly [following the explosion]. She misplaced management, as a result of she was driving at velocity, and flew to the other facet of the highway,” Krasnov advised the Russian state media outlet Tass, describing it as a “very grave occasion.”

Krasnov mentioned Dugin, who left the competition in a distinct automobile, returned to the scene after the explosion. Movies circulating on social media seem to point out a visibly distraught Dugin standing on a highway strewn with particles, holding his head in his palms. The stays of a automobile have been in flames on the roadside. The Washington Submit was not instantly capable of independently confirm the movies.

Nervousness surrounds Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant amid unrelieved fears of an assault

The blast occurred about 9 p.m. native time close to the village of Bolshie Vyazyomy, southwest of Moscow, the committee mentioned. Investigators have been dispatched to the scene and seized proof, together with sprint cam footage, whereas an explosives knowledgeable examined the burnt automobile in a specialised parking zone, the committee mentioned Sunday.

The incident appeared poised to create a brand new flashpoint.

Denis Pushilin, a distinguished separatist chief and key determine within the self-proclaimed Donetsk Individuals’s Republic, instantly blamed Ukraine for Dugina’s demise, with out offering any proof.

Ukrainian officers denied any involvement within the blast and advised it may very well be the results of an inner dispute inside Russia. “So far as yesterday’s [death of Daria Dugina] goes, I emphasize that we actually had nothing to do with it,” Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, mentioned Sunday on Ukrainian tv.

“We don’t even touch upon this, as a result of it isn’t an attention-grabbing subject for the Ukrainian particular companies,” Andrii Yusov, spokesperson for Ukraine’s chief directorate of navy intelligence, advised The Washington Submit Sunday. Yusov added that Dugina was not somebody Ukrainian navy intelligence “would make any official statements” about.

Nonetheless, Yusov famous that “I can say that the method of inner destruction of the ‘Russky Mir,’ or ‘the Russian world,’ has begun” and predicted that “the Russian world will eat and devour itself from the within.”

Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for Russia’s International Ministry, mentioned Sunday that if Ukraine have been discovered to have been concerned in Dugina’s demise, “we should always discuss in regards to the coverage of state terrorism carried out by the Kyiv regime.” She mentioned Pushilin’s allegations “have to be verified by the competent authorities.”

Russian nationwide accused of fraud conspiracy geared toward political interference

The U.Okay. Treasury Division described Dugina in its sanctions record as a “frequent and high-profile contributor of disinformation in relation to Ukraine and the Russian invasion of Ukraine on numerous on-line platforms.”

The U.S. Treasury Division, upon sanctioning Dugina, mentioned she was the chief editor of a disinformation web site known as United World Worldwide, which had advised that Ukraine would “perish” if it was admitted to NATO. The web site was developed by a Russian political affect operation known as “Mission Lakhta,” which Treasury officers say has used fictitious on-line personas to intervene in U.S. elections since no less than 2014.

In accordance with Treasury officers, Dugina’s father was first designated in 2015 for “being chargeable for or complicit in actions or insurance policies that threaten the peace, safety, stability, or sovereignty or territorial integrity of Ukraine.”

Dugin was a frontrunner of the Eurasian Youth Union, which actively recruited people with navy and fight expertise to combat on behalf of the self-proclaimed Donetsk Individuals’s Republic, a separatist enclave in japanese Ukraine that has performed a central function in Putin’s justification for battle.

In an interview with a Russian YouTuber in March, Dugina mentioned that Ukrainian id is generally localized in western Ukraine, and that japanese Ukraine — together with the Donbas area — was prone to settle for a “Eurasian Empire” on the idea of non secular religion and nationality.

Why is Ukraine’s Donbas area a goal for Russian forces?

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Washington

What Gonzaga’s Mark Few said after win vs. Washington State

Published

1 hour ago

January 12, 2025

Press Room

What Gonzaga’s Mark Few said after win vs. Washington State

The Gonzaga men’s basketball team pulled away from Washington State for an 88-75 victory in the first meeting between the in-state rivals in over a decade.

Graham Ike led the way with 21 points on 8-for-11 from the field, Nolan Hickman added 19 points and the Bulldogs (14-4, 5-0 WCC) earned their fifth straight win to open league play by putting the Cougars (13-5, 3-2 WCC) away early in the second half. After ending the first half on an 8-2 scoring run, the Zags came out of the second half with a sense of urgency on both ends, sparking a 15-5 scoring run to make it a double-digit margin.

Here’s what Gonzaga head coach Mark Few had to say after the game.

On what he told the team at halftime that led to the strong start to the second half:

“I just told them, ‘hey, we’re in a we’re in a battle. It’s a great game. Both teams are competing really hard, and we’re at our best when we’re in attack mode.’ And they did a great job of taking the message and I thought we really went out and turned defense into offense, and we knew that was going to be a big key for us. [The Cougars] are hard to guard, they’re big and they’re physical, and [WSU coach David Riley] does a really lot of nice stuff on on offense that exploits mismatches. But our guys battled tonight, so I was really proud of them.”

On the team’s performance while Ryan Nembhard was on the bench for the final 9 minutes of the first half:

“They played great. I told them that in the locker room that that was huge. We haven’t really had to do that all year. And this guy [Nolan Hickman] stepped up. He was amazing tonight. I mean, seven boards … defensively in there, battling in the post. I mean, he did a lot of stuff that, as I said, he’s now, he set a high standard, so kind of be counting on that moving forward, but he and Dusty [Stromer] both really helped during that stretch and [Khalif Battle] and obviously having Ben [Gregg] and then Graham was rock solid all night.”

On the team’s effort on the defensive end of the floor in the second half:

“I thought our effort and our making plays, I thought it was definitely up there [with the best of the season], and just the physicality that it took. Because, again, they’re so much bigger than us at several of those spots. And again, you just don’t see the post-up thing like this, where your guards are getting constantly posted. But so in that way, we fought, we were physical and kind of had to navigate our way through a lot of different actions. There’s staggers and some curls and some switches and all that. For the most part, we did pretty good.”

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Washington

Washington Nationals Agree to Terms With Former All-Star Reliever

Published

9 hours ago

January 11, 2025

Press Room

Washington Nationals Agree to Terms With Former All-Star Reliever

The Washington Nationals have continued to invest into the pitching staff with another free agency move on Saturday.

Shared on social media, the Nationals announced that they had agreed to terms with relief pitcher Jorge Lopez on a one-year contract. That deal will be worth $3 million plus incentives per Jon Heyman.

This is the third pitcher that Washington has signed this offseason, with Michael Soroka brought in as a free agent and Trevor Williams receiving a new deal to say.

They also added another reliever, Evan Reifert, as a Rule 5 draft pick from the Tampa Bay Rays.

Lopez made headlines last year with his infamous exit from the New York Mets. He caused a stir after a loss when he referred to himself as ‘the worst teammate on the worst team in baseball.’

For a lot of players, that might spell an end to the season. The fastball-heavy reliever was able to bounce back. He was released and then signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs.

The 31-year-old came back from controversy as strong as ever, posting a 2.03 ERA over the final 26.2 innings of work.

With the loss of Kyle Finnegan, Lopez makes sense as a potential replacement at closer. He does have some closing experience, but has not been his main role for much of his career.

That season, 2022, was the year he made his first and only All-Star team.

He is a ground ball machine that loves to force bad contact. Keeping him in a situational role could also be a smart idea, given that he struggles against lefties.

No matter how he is used, this is another good signal that the Nationals don’t want to throw any season away.

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Washington

Michigan basketball vs. Washington prediction: Can U-M stay undefeated in Big Ten?

Published

19 hours ago

January 11, 2025

Press Room

Michigan basketball vs. Washington prediction: Can U-M stay undefeated in Big Ten?

For Michigan basketball, the recent West Coast trip went about as well as hoped.

The No. 24 Wolverines (12-3, 4-0 Big Ten) picked up a pair of double-digit wins against the Big Ten’s Los Angeles-based teams — topping USC, 85-74, last Saturday and then defeating No. 21 UCLA, 94-75, Tuesday night as wildfires raged a few miles away — and now return home looking to make it three consecutive wins against league newcomers, welcoming Washington (10-6, 1-4) to Ann Arbor on Sunday afternoon (2 p.m., Big Ten Network).

The Huskies’ first trip to the Midwest hasn’t started well; they were dog-walked by Michigan State in East Lansing, 88-54, on Thursday. U-W trailed by 29 points at the half (42-13) and by more than 40 points in the second half (82-41 with less than five minutes to play) in an utter annihilation.

After two tight wins in conference play — by three points over Wisconsin and two over Iowa — U-M has won four games in a row by double digits and could make it five straight, with one of the bottom teams in the Big Ten coming to town.

Great Osobor with not-so-great help

U-Dub forward Great Osobor made headlines this offseason when he transferred from Utah State to Washington (following head coach Danny Sprinkle) for a then-record NIL deal worth $2 million.

Apparently, money doesn’t buy wins, because while Osobor has been decent, it hasn’t been nearly enough for the Huskies.

The senior leads the Huskies in scoring (13.8 points per game) and rebounding (8.4) but his efficiency has taken a large drop, as he has shot just 45% from the floor on 3s after hitting at least 57.7% in each of his first three college seasons. Some of that might be attributable to his increased 3-point tries — after attempting just 18 3s (and making four, for a 22.2% success rate) in his first 104 games, he has 14 3-point tries in 16 games this season (with only two makes, a 15.3% rate). More concerning is his 2-point shooting percentage: After hitting 59.1% last season, he’s at 47.7% inside the arc this season.

He has scored in double figures in 11 games with the Huskies, though much of his success came in a weak nonconference schedule. Though he put up 20 points and 14 rebounds vs. Maryland, he had just nine points and three boards vs. USC and a combined 15 points and eight rebounds vs. Illinois and MSU.

Sophomore guard Tyler Harris (Portland) is next at 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while freshman point guard Zoom Diallo, a top-50 recruit according to 247 Sports’ composite rankings, averages 10.8 points per contest for Sprinkle’s team.

Overall, U-Dub is simply not up to Big Ten standard. On defense, the Huskies are No. 7 nationally in limiting 3-pointers (28%) and No. 69 in efficiency (99.9), per KenPom, but on offense, the Huskies are No. 149 in efficiency (107.4), No. 201 in 2-point shooting (50.1%) and No. 240 on 3s (32%).

Depth on display

The Wolverines, meanwhile, continue to flex their depth and balance with each passing game.

Michigan just defeated UCLA by 19 on the road and did so by scoring 94 points (the most a Mick Cronin team has ever allowed at home) without perhaps its most proven guard: Roddy Gayle Jr. (knee bruise) missed Tuesday’s game vs. the Bruins. U-M coach Dusty May said then it was too early to say if he’d play Sunday.

“Long-term health is priority No. 1 for us,” May said. “But I would say he’ll be back relatively soon.”

Gayle is one of five U-M players scoring in double figures for May in his first season in Ann Arbor. After putting up a career-high 36 points vs. the Bruins, center Vlad Goldin now leads the Wolverines at 15.8 points per game. Point guard Tre Donaldson (13.1 points) is next while Danny Wolf, Goldin’s frontcourt partner, averages a double-double at 12.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.

All three had standout games on the trip; Wolf started the L.A. double-dip becoming just the third NCAA player in more than 20 years with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and six blocks, and Donaldson made a career-high four 3-pointers vs. USC, then topped it with six vs. UCLA.

And then there’s Gayle (12.4 points) and Nimari Burnett (10.5 points), who are both shooting better than 50% from the floor. Every starter has led the team in scoring at least once this season, a major reason U-M leads the country in 2-point shooting (62%) and effective field goal percentage (60.2%).

“I mean numbers don’t lie,” Donaldson said. “We’re shooting over 60% inside the arc, I mean just continuing to do that. We got big guys out here … with Danny doing what he does in and out. It’s hard to guard. Nobody’s seen nothing like that before.”

Prediction for Michigan basketball vs. Washington

The Wolverines’ outlook is worlds away from a year ago, when it was often U-M on the wrong side of the talent and coaching ledger. U-M is better than Washington in every facet. As long as the Wolverines don’t have a horrendous shooting night, or commit an egregious number of turnovers (they’re 16th nationally, at 15.2 per game), they just have too much talent and depth for U-Dub to slow down. The pick: U-M 88, Washington 68.

Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.

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