Turkey says it has locked Russian warships out of the Black Sea ahead of an expected assault on Ukrainian cities. At the same time Ukraine says it is getting more Turkish drones, despite warnings from Moscow. Turkish-Russian ties are facing a critical test. Ankara claims four Russian warships have withdrawn their request to enter the …
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It’s unclear if Russian President Vladimir Putin expected the sanctions that followed his invasion of Ukraine. But their severity could have far-reaching economic consequences for Russia. Oksana Bedratenko has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera and video editing: Oleksii Osyka …
South Africa chose to abstain Wednesday when the United Nations General Assembly voted on a resolution calling on its BRICS partner, Russia, to withdraw its military forces from Ukraine. South Africa’s U.N. ambassador defended the move, but some South Africans were unhappy with the decision. South Africa was one of 17 African nations that abstained. …
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The French government Wednesday seized a yacht connected to Russian oil oligarch Igor Sechin, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, as part of European Union sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In a written statement posted on his official Twitter account, French Minister of Public Action and Accounts Olivier Dussopt said the 85.6-meter …
One week into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces continue their push despite condemnation from the United Nations General Assembly, which voted overwhelmingly to reprimand Russia for invading Ukraine. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb has the latest. …
Full developments of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine …
Russian and Belarusian athletes were barred on Thursday from the Winter Paralympics in Beijing on the eve of the Games following threats of boycotts by other teams over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said. Belarus has been a key staging area for the invasion, which was launched a week ago. The …
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Ukraine marked one week since Russia invaded the country Thursday, as Russian forces shelled major cities and the number of refugees who have fled Ukraine exceeded 1 million people. Despite Russian assaults on Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Mariupol, Britain’s Defense Ministry said Thursday they all remained in Ukrainian hands. Unclear was the status of Kherson, with …
Read more “Ukrainian Leaders Express Confidence One Week After Russian Invasion”
North Korean authorities waited days to tell the nation about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, first informing only members of the ruling Korean Workers’ Party in private meetings, who later spread the word, government officials told RFA. In North Korea’s one-party state, membership in the Workers’ Party is reserved for the privileged or for exemplary soldiers …
Read more “North Korea Kept Ukraine Invasion Secret to All Except Ruling Party Members”
China is positioning itself as a mediator between war-divided Russia and Ukraine so as to be seen as a global leader and earn points in the West, analysts say. At Ukraine’s request, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi talked by phone Tuesday with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported. Ukraine is …
Read more “China Positions Itself as Mediator Between Russia, Ukraine”
Following a spate of real-world bans of Russian athletes from international competition over the country’s invasion of Ukraine, a popular video game company said Wednesday it would start removing Russian teams from some of its most popular products. EA Sports, which makes popular soccer and hockey video games, said it has “initiated processes” to remove …
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While the world is watching Russia invade Ukraine, “Klondike,” a drama by Ukrainian film director Maryna Er Gorbach, takes us back in the beginning of the 2014 Russo-Ukrainian conflict at the Donbas border region between Ukraine and Russia. There, amid an armed conflict between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces, a Russian-made missile downed Malaysia Airlines …
Read more “Film Klondike Chronicles Russia’s War on Ukraine”
In his first State of the Union address Tuesday night, U.S. President Joe Biden touted his success in uniting much of the world against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Biden said Ukraine is on the front line of the global battle between democracies and autocracies, and that democracy will prevail. With Putin ratcheting …
Full developments of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine …
U.S. President Joe Biden said late Tuesday Russian leader Vladimir Putin “badly miscalculated” in his invasion of neighboring Ukraine and the thought that he could make the free world “bend to his menacing ways.” Biden used the beginning of his State of the Union address to the nation to express support for Ukraine and outline …
Read more “Biden: Putin ‘Will Never Gain the Hearts and Souls of the Ukrainian People’”
The invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces has ignited responses from arts and cultural institutions around the world, which are canceling performances by Russian artists, many of whom are supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Cannes Film Festival, an invitation-only event that previews top-quality films from more than 80 countries, announced that no Russian …
Read more “Russian Artists, Arts Groups No Longer Welcome at Many Venues”
Western nations are paying Russia hundreds of millions of dollars every day for gas and oil imports, despite sanctions imposed on the country’s banking and aviation sectors following its invasion of Ukraine. With around 40 percent of Europe’s energy needs imported from Russia, leaders are scrambling to find alternatives, as Henry Ridgwell reports from Berlin. …
Read more “Despite Sanctions, Europe Continues to Bankroll Russia for Gas and Oil”
Cryptocurrency purchases in rubles are at a record high following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, raising questions about whether the likes of bitcoin can help Moscow get around sanctions. Why is crypto attracting Russians? The United States and its Western allies have sought to cripple Russia’s banking sector and currency with a barrage of sanctions. They …
Read more “Could Russia Get Around Sanctions with Cryptocurrency?”
Western nations are continuing to pay Russia hundreds of millions of dollars every day for gas and oil imports, despite the tough sanctions imposed on the country’s banking and aviation sectors following its invasion of Ukraine. With around 40% of Europe’s oil and gas imported from Russia, governments are scrambling to find alternatives. European Union …
Read more “Despite Sanctions, Europe Continues to Bankroll Russia for Gas, Oil”
Despite strategic partnerships with the Kremlin, no Central Asian government has supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or recognized Luhansk and Donetsk as independent. Russian claims that regional leaders “understand” President Vladimir Putin’s decisions have been refuted or ignored. U.S. media reports that Kazakhstan refused Moscow’s “request to send troops,” attributed to the U.S. National Security …
Read more “Central Asian Countries Tread Cautiously on Russia’s War in Ukraine”
Western diplomatic missions in Pakistan collectively urged the host country Tuesday to denounce Russia’s invasion on Ukraine and back international calls for Moscow to immediately stop the war. The statement, signed by ambassadors of 22 countries and the head of the European Union delegation in Islamabad, comes as the United Nations General Assembly is expected …
Read more “Western-Led Pressure Grows on Pakistan to Condemn Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine”
Russian and Belarusian tennis players can continue to compete in international events and the Grand Slams but they cannot do so under the name or flag of Russia or Belarus until further notice, a joint statement by the international governing bodies said on Tuesday. The decision comes in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine …
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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warns that rules of the international order that help protect peace and security will be weakened if Russian President Vladimir Putin is allowed to get away with his premeditated invasion of Ukraine. In a video address to the U.N. Human Rights Council, Blinken warned the human rights and humanitarian …
Read more “Blinken: Putin Must Not Be Allowed to Flout International Humanitarian Law”
Russia and Ukraine had their first prisoner exchange Tuesday since the Kremlin ordered the invasion of its neighbor six days ago, but it came on a day of further mayhem and destruction as Russian forces stepped up attacks on cities and towns across Ukraine, striking at civilian infrastructure and communications facilities, including Kyiv’s iconic main …
Read more “Russia Steps Up Attacks as Prelude to Likely Renewed Offensive on Defiant Kyiv”