Tag Archives: Russia

Reuters reports: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned that millions of people could starve because of a Russian blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports which he said had left the world “on the brink of a terrible food crisis.” Russia has seized large parts of Ukraine’s coast, blocking farm exports and driving up the cost of grain. Zelenskiy said Ukraine was …

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 …

“For three years, we would vent about this at the campaign, vent about this in the White House, for three years, we were told the choice of the American people was a Russian asset. Think about that. The president of the United States, a Russian asset. “The D.C. jury pool, this is an area of our country where 76% of …

The Associated Press reports: European Union leaders agreed Monday to embargo most Russian oil imports into the bloc by year-end as part of new sanctions on Moscow worked out at a summit focused on helping Ukraine with a long-delayed package of new financial support. The embargo covers Russian oil brought in by sea, allowing a temporary exemption for imports delivered …

Politico Europe reports: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has denied that Vladimir Putin is seriously ill in the wake of numerous reports suggesting that the Russian leader has cancer. “You know, President Putin appears in public every day. You can see him on the screens, read his speeches, listen to his speeches,” Lavrov said,. “I don’t think sane people can …

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 Associated Press reports: A small brewery in Finland has launched a NATO-themed beer to mark the Nordic country’s bid to join the Western military alliance. Olaf Brewing’s OTAN lager features a blue label with a cartoon version of a beer-drinking medieval knight in metal armor emblazoned with NATO’s compass symbol. The beer’s name is a play on the Finnish …

CNBC reports: After 15 years operating in Russia, Starbucks will exit the market, joining companies like McDonald’s, Exxon Mobil and British American Tobacco in withdrawing from the country completely. The coffee giant announced Monday that it will no longer have a brand presence in Russia. Starbucks has 130 locations in the country, which account for less than 1% of 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 Washington Post reports: Russia is permanently banning nearly 1,000 Americans, including President Biden and Vice President Harris, from entering the country in response to the United States’ support of Ukraine and the historic sanctions facing Moscow nearly three months into its invasion. On Saturday, the Russian Foreign Ministry published the list of 963 Americans barred from entering Russia — …

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 …

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 …

The Guardian reports: Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak has been handed a one-year ban for wearing the letter “Z” supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during an event in Qatar in March, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) has said. The 20-year-old, who won bronze in the parallel bars at the Apparatus World Cup in Doha, displayed the letter as he stood on …

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 …

Politico Europe reports: The ink was still drying on Sweden and Finland’s applications to join NATO on Tuesday when Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö arrived at the royal palace in Stockholm in a horse-drawn carriage. Niinistö’s state visit is seen as a potential bookend over accession by the two Nordic states into the Western defense alliance. Earlier Tuesday, in front of …

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 …

Reuters reports: Russia said on Monday that the West should have no illusions that Moscow will simply put up with the Nordic expansion of the U.S.-led NATO military alliance to include Sweden and Finland, casting the move as a mistake that would stoke military tension. “They should have no illusions that we will simply put up with it – and …

Reuters reports: Sweden’s ruling Social Democrats said on Sunday they backed the country joining NATO, abandoning decades of opposition in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and creating a large parliament majority in favour of membership.  With neighboring Finland already set to hand in its application, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson [photo] is now all but certain to launch a …