Thousands of Russians are fleeing Russia’s military conscription, hoping to wait out the war in neighboring countries. But those who have wound up in Belarus might not be safe from Moscow. Maxim Moskalkov has the story. Produced by: Dana Preobrazhenskaya …
Ukraine’s bid to fast-track its efforts to join NATO, following Russia’s annexation of four more Ukrainian territories, is being met with caution in Brussels and Washington, where top officials are trying to shift the focus to their unwavering support for Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted video to social media Friday that shows him signing …
Read more “Ukraine Pushes for Fast-Tracked NATO Membership; US Pushes Back”
Tensions between Greece and Turkey over the divided island of Cyprus appear to be escalating. Turkey says it’s increasing its military presence on the island in response to Washington’s lifting of an arms embargo against the Greek Cypriot administration. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu criticized the United States Friday for its stance toward Greece, saying …
Read more “Turkey-Greece Relations Tense Over Cyprus, Aegean Islands”
The U.S. on Friday sanctioned more than 1,000 people and firms connected to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including its Central Bank governor and families of Security Council members, after President Vladimir Putin signed treaties absorbing occupied regions of Ukraine into Russia, in defiance of international law. The Treasury Department named hundreds of members of Russia’s …
Read more “US Hits Russia with Sanctions for Annexing Ukrainian Regions”
Irpin, a city in the Kyiv region, was under Russian occupation in March. Officials say over 70% of its infrastructure was damaged. When the Russians retreated, several residents started returning from abroad to help rebuild their city. Anna Kosstutschenko has the story. …
Uzbekistan has no plans to deport Russians who are fleeing en masse to Central Asia to evade conscription amid Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine, the Tashkent government said on Friday. Hundreds of thousands of men, some with families, have left Russia since President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilization last week; many headed to Uzbekistan, …
Read more “Uzbekistan Says Won’t Deport Russians Fleeing Conscription”
On the day that Russia is set to celebrate its annexation of four Ukranian territories, a humanitarian convoy was hit by Russian shelling near the town of Zaporizhzhia. Officials say at least 23 people were killed in the incident and 28 people were wounded. The convoy was headed to the area to rescue family members …
Read more “Russia Scheduled to Celebrate Annexation of Ukrainian Territories”
The Justice Department on Thursday unsealed an indictment charging Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska and three associates with violating U.S. sanctions. The indictment grew out of Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement group formed in the wake of Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion to enforce the sweeping economic sanctions, export restrictions and other measures the United …
Read more “US Charges Russian Oligarch Deripaska with Sanctions Evasion”
Azerbaijan’s president this week approved the rules that will govern a media registry that the country’s journalists warn could further stifle press freedom. President Ilham Aliyev on Monday signed off on the “rules for maintaining a media registry” — a set of regulations around media credentials and official recognition that would provide approved media with …
Read more “Azerbaijan President Signs Off on Media Registry Rules”
Italy has elected its most right-wing government since the end of World War II, and China watchers are anticipating a different type of relationship between Giorgia Meloni, in position to become Italy’s next prime minister, and Beijing based on her comments about Taiwan during her campaign. Diplomatic issues in Asia are not usually the focus …
Read more “Italy’s New Government to Take Different Position on China”
Several people in a violent crowd attempted to enter the Iranian Embassy in Oslo, police said Thursday, with scuffles breaking out and rocks being thrown at officers. Authorities said 90 people had been detained. A crowd had gathered outside the diplomatic mission in Oslo to protest the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in custody in …
Read more “Several People Try to Enter Iranian Embassy in Oslo”
The U.S. has warned Russia that using nuclear weapons in Ukraine will trigger extraordinary consequences. Russia’s Vladimir Putin said last week that if Russia was threatened, he was prepared to “use all the means available to us.” VOA Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports. …
Residents of the Ukrainian city of Izium say they’re determined to rebuild their lives after six months of Russian occupation. Ukrainian officials say 90% of the recaptured city has been destroyed after enduring nearly 500 airstrikes. For VOA, Anna Chernikova has more from the eastern city, which is only 20 kilometers from the front line. Camera: …
Read more “Izium Resolved to Recover After 6 Months of Russian Occupation”
Ukraine is again urging its companies and private organizations to immediately bolster their cybersecurity ahead of what could be a new wave of Russian attacks. The Ukrainian government’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-UA) published new recommendations Thursday, warning that its experts had identified software vulnerabilities that could allow Russian cyber actors to get deep inside …
Read more “New Warnings from Ukraine About Looming Russian Cyberattacks”
Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, died September 8 of “old age,” according to a death certificate published Thursday by the National Records of Scotland. The official time of death was listed as 3:10 p.m. The queen, 96, was at Balmoral Castle in Ballater, Scotland, at the time of her death. Buckingham Palace announced …
The Vatican said Thursday it had imposed disciplinary sanctions on Nobel Peace Prize-winning Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo in the past two years, following allegations that he sexually abused boys in East Timor during the 1990s. The Vatican admission came a day after a Dutch magazine, De Groene Amsterdammer, exposed the claims against the revered East …
Read more “Vatican Sanctions Nobel Laureate After Timor Accusations”
Turkish pop star Gulsen faces jail as a crackdown on popular music broadens. Some see the crackdown as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s attempt to court his religious base as elections loom and young people voice dissatisfaction with the economy. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. …
The Finnish government announced it is closing its borders to Russians with European tourist visas effective at midnight Thursday night, after thousands of people streamed over their shared border with Russia in recent days. At a news conference in Helsinki Thursday, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told reporters the government is taking the action because …
Read more “Finland Bars Russian Tourists After Thousands Enter Country”
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) cites top-ranked Switzerland, followed by the United States and Sweden, as the world’s most innovative economies. WIPO uses some 80 indicators to rank the innovative performance of 132 economies. These include measures on the political environment, education, infrastructure, business sophistication and knowledge creation of each economy. The latest annual …
Read more “Report Calls Switzerland, US, Sweden World’s Most Innovative Economies”
The Kremlin said Russia will hold a ceremony Friday to officially incorporate four areas of Ukraine into Russia, a process that Ukraine and its allies have dismissed as illegitimate while promising retaliation in the form of new sanctions. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Thursday the ceremony will include Russian President Vladimir Putin along with …
Read more “Russia Plans Annexation Ceremony as Ukrainian Allies Ready Sanctions”
The Pentagon is providing an additional $1.1 billion in aid to Ukraine, bringing the total U.S. military assistance to nearly $17 billion since the Biden administration took office. The latest package includes funding for 18 more High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, and their ammunition, weapons that U.S. defense officials say have proven highly effective …
Read more “Pentagon Announces $1.1 Billion More in Military Aid for Ukraine”
Private American pilots with a group called “Ukraine Air Rescue” are working to get supplies into Ukraine. VOA Russian met some of them and has the story. VOA footage by David Gogokhia. …
Cyprus released griffon vultures into the wild on Wednesday in the latest attempt to boost a once thriving population now critically endangered by poisoning. The island’s largest bird of prey has seen its population fall dramatically to the smallest in Europe in recent decades, either from accidental poisoning or changing farming techniques leaving them short …
Read more “Vultures, Nature’s Cleanup Crew, Get New Lease on Life in Cyprus”
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine stalls, tensions have been unleashed throughout Russian society. Voices of protest are emerging, despite the government crackdown on dissent. The city of St. Petersburg, a center of opposition to the war, is again at the forefront of citizen unrest. Henry Ridgwell narrates this report by VOA’s Moscow bureau. …