Tag Archives: Russia

The New York Daily News reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) has rejected a push for Florida to sell investments in Russian-owned companies in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine. The Republican governor pushed back after state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, the Sunshine State’s top elected Democrat, called on the state move to divest itself of assets tied to Russia. DeSantis …

Axios reports: Russia’s central bank said the Moscow Exchange wouldn’t open for stock trading through at least Thursday. The exchange has been closed since Monday. It’s the latest financial fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which triggered massive sanctions from several other countries that have sent the ruble plummeting to record lows against the dollar. Multiple Western corporations have also …

The Daily Beast reports: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was ready to justify the invasion of Ukraine to a top UN human-rights forum on Tuesday—but was left humiliated when more than a hundred diplomats abruptly walked out. Lavrov was speaking to the UN Human Rights Council remotely after canceling his planned in-person appearance at the forum in Geneva. However, Reuters …

The Associated Press reports: NATO’s chief says the alliance sees no need to change its nuclear weapons alert level, despite Russia’s threats. NATO’s secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, spoke to the AP following talks on European security with Polish President Andrzej Duda an air base in Poland where NATO’s Polish and U.S. fighter jets are based. “We will always do what is …

NBC News reports: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Russia should be considered a “terrorist state” following a deadly attack in central Kharkiv Tuesday. “This is terror against the city. This is terror against Kharkiv. Terror against Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said in a morning speech. Video shared on social media by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and verified by NBC …

The Washington Post reports: Russian forces, frustrated by the tenacious defense of major cities by Ukrainian soldiers and ad hoc civilian militias, gathered menacing strength Tuesday, as a projectile appeared to strike near Kharkiv’s administration building and a convoy of tanks, troop carriers and artillery more than 40 miles long threatened Kyiv. Kharkiv remains under Ukrainian control but is “surrounded” …

Reuters reports: Russia will impose temporary curbs on foreign investors seeking to exit Russian assets to ensure they take a considered decision not one driven by political pressure, the prime minister said on Tuesday, as Moscow responds to Western sanctions. “In the current sanction situation foreign entrepreneurs are forced to be guided, not by economic factors, but to make decisions …

Politico Europe reports: Belarus joined the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Tuesday, with the country’s troops entering the Chernihiv region in northern Ukraine, Ukrainian authorities confirmed. In a tweet posted on Tuesday morning, the Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, confirmed earlier reports that Belarusian troops were on Ukrainian soil. “Belarusian troops have entered Chernihiv region. The information was confirmed to …

TechCrunch reports: Google has just announced that YouTube will geoblock the Kremlin-affiliated media outlets Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik in Europe, following pressure from regional lawmakers to choke off Russian war propaganda. YouTube hosts thousands of videos by the two Russian state-affiliated media firms and RT’s own channel marketing claims it’s “the most watched news network on YouTube.” Yesterday Facebook, …

Reuters reports: U.S. payment card firms Visa and Mastercard have blocked multiple Russian financial institutions from their network, complying with government sanctions imposed over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Visa said on Monday it was taking prompt action to ensure compliance with applicable sanctions, adding that it will donate $2 million for humanitarian aid. Mastercard also promised to contribute $2 million. …

The Node reports: While most Americans take to social media to express opposition to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and to support the people of Ukraine, one Texas man has broken the rule and flew all the way to Russia to support its troops. The man who has been identified by local Texas Monthly magazine as 54-year old Russell …

Axios reports: Russia’s central bank said the Moscow Exchange wouldn’t open for stock trading through at least Tuesday. The exchange was closed on Monday. It’s the latest financial fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which triggered massive sanctions from several other countries that have sent the ruble plummeting to record lows against the dollar. Russia’s central bank increased interest rates …

Politico Europe reports: World football’s governing body, FIFA, announced Monday that it would suspend Russia indefinitely from international tournaments — expelling it from the World Cup 2022 playoffs one month before the final qualification matches. FIFA had come under fire Sunday night for its initial proposed sanctions on Russia, which proposed only a temporary ban on its name, flag and …

The New York Daily News reports: Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine has called for expanded sanctions against Russia to allow the seizure of oligarchs’ pricey real estate holdings in New York. As the Russian invasion of Ukraine enters its second week, Levine demanded more brutal action to target cronies of strongman Vladimir Putin. But so far, the U.S. Treasury Department, …

The New York Times reports: Switzerland, a favorite destination for Russian oligarchs and their money, announced on Monday that it would freeze Russian financial assets in the country, setting aside a deeply rooted tradition of neutrality to join the European Union and a growing number of nations seeking to penalize Russia for the invasion of Ukraine. After a meeting with …

Reuters reports: The websites of several Russian media outlets were hacked on Monday, Reuters checks showed, with their regular sites replaced by an anti-war message and calls to stop President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. “Dear citizens. We urge you to stop this madness, do not send your sons and husbands to certain death,” the message read. “Putin is forcing …

The Daily Beast reports: The Putin-backed president of Belarus has warned that World War III could be about to begin as he reportedly prepares his troops to assist with Russia’s mass-scale invasion of Ukraine. President Alexander Lukashenko warned that the crisis in Ukraine could spark a global conflict, writing in a statement: “Russia is being pushed towards a third world …

Newsweek reports: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the European Union on Monday to allow Ukraine to join the bloc “immediately.” He insisted in a televised speech that Ukraine had earned the right to join the EU and this could be achieved through a “new special procedure.” “I say this as honestly as possible, the people of Ukraine have already …

ESPN reports: FIFA backed away from immediately expelling Russia from World Cup qualifying on Sunday but said it remained an option, deciding instead the squad can play using the “RFU” acronym of its football federation, the Russian Football Union. The unanimous ruling by the Bureau of the FIFA Council, which includes the six regional football confederation presidents, was also that …

The Associated Press reports: Ordinary Russians faced the prospect of higher prices and crimped foreign travel as Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine sent the ruble plummeting, leading uneasy people to line up at banks and ATMs on Monday in a country that has seen more than one currency disaster in the post-Soviet era. The Russian currency plunged about …