Tag Archives: Russia-Ukraine war

The Washington Post reports: Russia this week sent a formal diplomatic note to the United States warning that U.S. and NATO shipments of the “most sensitive” weapons systems to Ukraine were “adding fuel” to the conflict there and could bring “unpredictable consequences.” The diplomatic démarche, a copy of which was reviewed by The Washington Post, came as President Biden approved …

The Associated Press reports: The head of the U.N. World Food Program said people are being “starved to death” in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol, and he predicted the country’s humanitarian crisis is likely to worsen as Russia intensifies its assault in the coming weeks. WFP executive director David Beasley also warned in an interview Thursday with The Associated …

The BBC reports: A Russian warship that was damaged by an explosion on Wednesday has sunk, Russia’s defence ministry has said. Moskva, the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, was being towed to port when “stormy seas” caused it to sink, according to a ministry message. The 510-crew missile cruiser was a symbol of Russia’s military power, leading its naval …

Reuters reports: Russia said the crew of its Moskva warship were evacuated on Thursday after an explosion of ammunition aboard that Ukraine said was caused by a missile strike, and a U.S. defence official said the stricken vessel was still trying to put out a fire. The warship, a Soviet-era missile cruiser, is still believed afloat and the United States …

Politico reports: State Attorney General Tish James is launching an investigation into whether oil companies are taking advantage of inflation and the Russian invasion in Ukraine to jack up prices. “Soaring gas prices are forcing working New Yorkers and low-income families to make difficult decisions on whether to pay bills or put food on the table,” James said Wednesday in …

Axios reports: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered during a televised address Wednesday to exchange Viktor Medvedchuk, a pro-Kremlin Ukrainian oligarch who was recently arrested, for Ukrainian prisoners of war. “I offer the Russian Federation to exchange this guy of yours for our boys and our girls who are now in Russian captivity,” Zelensky said. “It is therefore important that our …

Axios reports: President Biden on Tuesday said Russia is committing genocide in Ukraine, telling reporters “it’s become clearer and clearer” that Russian President Vladimir Putin “is just trying to wipe out even the idea of being Ukrainian.” While Biden had accused Putin and Russian forces of committing war crimes, the U.S. had previously refrained from using the term “genocide” to …

The New York Times reports: President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia said on Tuesday that the “main goal” of the war in Ukraine was “to help people” in the country’s east, the latest sign that Russia is focused on the battle for the Donbas region as the next stage of the war. “What we are doing is helping people and …

The Hill reports: In an interview with CNN, Donestk region military governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said that Russian troops were taking the bodies in order to destroy them in “territory not controlled by Ukraine” in an attempt to hide “evidence of genocide.” “They are using mobile crematoriums and mobile cremation machines and, also, taking people out, taking bodies of the dead …

The Washington Post reports: Prices rose 8.5 percent in March compared with a year ago, the largest annual increase in four decades, as Russia’s war in Ukraine drove up energy prices even higher and policymakers launched a major effort to get soaring inflation under control. The inflation data, released Tuesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, showed prices rose 1.2 …

The Daily Beast reports: Italian police have added another stunning villa to their collection of sequestered Russian properties after seizing the so-called Rocky Ram belonging to former Formula One driver Nikita Dmitrievich Mazepin and his father, chemical baron Dimitry Mazepin, on Monday. The property, valued at around $115 million, sits on a cliff overlooking Sardinia’s rocky Paradise Beach coast and …

The Associated Press reports: The mayor of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol said Monday that more than 10,000 civilians have died in the Russian siege of his city, and that the death toll could surpass 20,000, with corpses that were “carpeted through the streets.” Speaking by phone Monday to The Associated Press, Mayor Vadym Boychenko also said Russian forces …

ABC News reports: Russia has defaulted on its foreign debt because it offered bondholders payments in rubles, not dollars, credit ratings agency S&P has said. Russia attempted to pay in rubles for two dollar-denominated bonds that matured on April 4, S&P said in a note on Friday. The agency said this amounted to a “selective default” because investors are unlikely …

Agence France-Presse reports: Pro-Russia protesters rallied in Germany on Sunday, the country’s significant Russian-speaking population demanding an end to the discrimination it says it has suffered since war began in Ukraine. Germany is home to 1.2 million people of Russian origin and 325,000 from Ukraine. Authorities fear the conflict could be imported into Germany and the protests used to promote …

The Associated Press reports: Pope Francis opened Holy Week Sunday with a call for an Easter truce in Ukraine to make room for a negotiated peace, highlighting the need for leaders to “make some sacrifices for the good of the people.” Celebrating Palm Sunday Mass before crowds in St. Peter’s Square for the first time since the pandemic, Pope Francis …

Reuters reports: The head of Russia’s Orthodox Church called on people on Sunday to rally around the authorities as Moscow pursues its military intervention in Ukraine. Patriarch Kirill has previously made statements defending Moscow’s actions in Ukraine and views the war as a bulwark against a Western liberal culture that he considers decadent. “Let the Lord help us unite during …

Reuters reports: YouTube has blocked Duma TV which broadcasts from Russia’s lower house of parliament, drawing an angry response from officials who said the world’s most popular streaming service could face restrictions in response. On Saturday, a message on YouTube said the Duma channel had been “terminated for a violation of YouTube’s Terms of Service”. YouTube, owned by Alphabet, has …

Reuters reports: At least 39 people were killed and 87 wounded on Friday when two rockets hit a railway station in eastern Ukraine packed with evacuees, Ukrainian authorities said, as the region braced for a major Russian offensive. Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor of the Donetsk region, said thousands of civilians had been at the station at the time the rockets struck, …

Sky News reports: Vladimir Putin’s spokesman has admitted a “significant” loss of Russian troops since the invasion of Ukraine began, telling Sky News their deaths are a “tragedy”. Dmitry Peskov, in his first broadcast interview with Western media, also said Russia hopes “this operation” will reach its goals “in the coming days”. He told Sky News’ Mark Austin that “we’re …

Axios reports: Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Facebook says it has removed “tens of thousands of accounts, Pages and Groups” around the world for spreading misleading content about the conflict to build audiences and bring in cash. Spammers switched user names repeatedly to trick people into following them. They would then push their followings to other websites …