Tag Archives: Russia-Ukraine war

Reuters reports: It might look and smell like McDonald’s but now it’s Vkusno & tochka. The golden arches are gone, the Filet-O-Fish is simply a fish burger. The Big Mac has left Russia. A new era for Russia’s fast-food and economic scene dawned on Sunday, as McDonald’s restaurants flung open their doors in Moscow under new Russian ownership and with …

Reuters reports: A Russian general was killed in eastern Ukraine, a Russian state media journalist said on Sunday, adding to the string of high-ranking military casualties sustained by Moscow. The report, published on the Telegram messaging app by state television reporter Alexander Sladkov, did not say precisely when and where Major General Roman Kutuzov was killed. Russia already classifies military …

Newsweek reports: Vladimir Putin’s health is a subject of intense conversation inside the Biden administration after the intelligence community produced its fourth comprehensive assessment at the end of May. The classified U.S. report says Putin seems to have re-emerged after undergoing treatment in April for advanced cancer, three U.S. intelligence leaders who have read the reports tell Newsweek. All three …

The Washington Post reports: A diplomat at Russia’s mission to the United Nations in Geneva has resigned over the war in Ukraine, writing that he has never been “so ashamed” of his country, in a rare public rebuke of the war from within the Russian government. In a letter circulated to colleagues in Geneva and posted on a LinkedIn account …

The Insider reports: Video footage has emerged of concertgoers in St Petersburg, Russia, chanting an anti-war message to protest Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The video, shared on Twitter by the Russian opposition politician Lubov Sobol, shows a large crowd chanting in unison. The concertgoers can be heard shouting “fuck the war” repeatedly in Russian, referring to the …

The BBC reports: A court in Ukraine has jailed a Russian tank commander for life for killing a civilian at the first war crimes trial since the invasion. Captured soldier Sgt Vadim Shishimarin was convicted of killing Oleksandr Shelipov, 62, in the north-eastern village of Chupakhivka on 28 February. He admitted shooting Mr Shelipov but said he had been acting …

The New York Times reports: Russia is moving toward eliminating age limits for military service — an apparent effort to expand the pool of potential recruits amid heavy casualties in Ukraine. Under an amendment introduced by senior lawmakers, Russians older than 40 would be able to sign first-time military service contracts. The law would bring in more service members with …

The Washington Post reports: The Senate voted Thursday to deliver more than $40 billion in new military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, sending the measure to President Biden after a week-long delay sparked by a lone senator’s objection. The vote was 86-to-11 with all opposition to the package coming from Republicans. The bill provides a combined $20.1 billion in military …

Reuters reports: Google’s Russian subsidiary plans to file for bankruptcy after the authorities seized its bank account, making it impossible to carry on operations, a Google spokesperson said on Wednesday. Alphabet Inc’s Google has been under pressure in Russia for months for failing to delete content Moscow deems illegal and for restricting access to some Russian media on YouTube, but …

NBC News reports: A Russian soldier on trial for war crimes has pleaded guilty to the murder of a Ukrainian civilian during the early days of the invasion. It’s the first such trial since the war began, and takes place amid mounting allegations of atrocities committed by Russian forces. Sgt. Vadim Shyshimarin, 21, was accused of “violating the laws and …

The New York Times reports: After more than three decades in Russia, McDonald’s — an icon of U.S. lifestyle and capitalism — is selling its Russia business as it looks to leave the country completely. Under growing employee and consumer pressure, many brands and restaurant chains have partly — or fully — paused their operations in Russia. But few have …

The New York Times reports: The Ukrainian rap and folk band Kalush Orchestra won the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday, as European viewers and juries delivered a symbolic, pop culture endorsement of solidarity behind Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s invasion. After 80 days of fighting that has forced millions from their homes, brought ruin to cities and towns across …

The Associated Press reports: A Russian soldier went on trial in Ukraine on Friday for the killing of an unarmed civilian, marking the first time a member of the Russian military has been prosecuted for a war crime during the 11-week conflict. A 21-year-old captured member of a tank unit is accused of shooting a 62-year-old Ukrainian man in the …

The Washington Post reports: Protesters doused Russia’s ambassador to Poland, Sergey Andreev, in bright red paint — resembling blood — as he was arriving at an event to honor Soviet soldiers who fought in World War II. Footage posted by Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti showed the ambassador’s face dripping with the liquid as he arrived to lay flowers …

NBC News reports: Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to justify his war in Ukraine on Monday, blaming the West and linking the conflict to World War II but not announcing any escalation despite fears from Kyiv and its allies. In a speech at Moscow’s Victory Day parade to celebrate the Soviet Union’s triumph over Nazi Germany, Putin framed the struggling …

Reuters reports: U.S. first lady Jill Biden met Ukrainian refugees in eastern Slovakia on Sunday, the last full day of her tour of Romania and Slovakia to visit U.S. servicemen deployed there and women and children who fled Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Biden spoke to families, volunteers and local authority workers at a refugee centre in the eastern Slovak city …

Reuters reports: President Vladimir Putin will send a “doomsday” warning to the West when he leads celebrations on Monday marking the 77th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany, brandishing Russia’s vast firepower while its forces fight on in Ukraine. Defiant in the face of deep Western isolation since he ordered the invasion of Russia’s neighbour, Putin will …

Religion News Service reports: Pope Francis told an Italian newspaper on Tuesday (May 3) that NATO may be partly to blame for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and he said he hopes to visit Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in hopes of brokering a peace. Talking to reporters from Il Corriere della Sera, Francis said that “NATO barking …

Reuters reports: Israel denounced Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday for suggesting that the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler had Jewish origins, saying his comments were anti-Semitic and dangerous. Israeli Foreign Ministry Yair Lapid said the Russian ambassador would be summoned for “a tough talk” over the assertion, which Lavrov made on Sunday in an interview with Italian television. “It …

The New York Times reports: After a secret visit to Kyiv and a three-hour meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday pledged broad economic, military and humanitarian support for Ukraine’s government, saying the United States would stand with its ally until Russia was defeated. Drawing parallels with the American Revolution, the comments by Ms. Pelosi — who …