Page 9 - Moscow

German president arrives in Ukraine as tensions with Russia rise

Germany's president arrived in Kyiv Tuesday for his first visit to Ukraine since the start of Russia's invasion, a trip that comes amid Moscow's unsubstantiated warnings of a dirty bomb attack as the conflict enters its ninth month. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said after arriving that it was important to me in this phase of air attacks with drones, cruise missiles and rockets to send a signal of solidarity to Ukrainians, German news agency dpa reported. Steinmeier's spokesperson, Cerstin Gammelin, posted a picture of him in Kyiv on Tuesday. Our solidarity is unbroken, and it will remain so, she tweeted. The German president, whose position is largely ceremonial, made it to Ukraine on his third try. In April, he was planning to visit the country with his Polish and Baltic counterparts, but said his presence apparently wasn't wanted in Kyiv. Steinmeier has been criticized in Ukraine for allegedly cozying up to Russia during his time as Germany's foreign minister. Last week, a

General who led Syrian bombing is new face of Moscow's war in Ukraine

The general carrying out President Vladimir Putin's new military strategy in Ukraine has a reputation for brutality - for bombing civilians in Russia's campaign in Syria. He also played a role in the deaths of three protesters in Moscow during the failed coup against Mikhail Gorbachev in 1991 that hastened the demise of the Soviet Union. Bald and fierce-looking, Gen. Sergei Surovikin was put in charge of Russian forces in Ukraine on October 8 after what has so far been a faltering invasion that has seen a number of chaotic retreats and other setbacks over the nearly eight months of war. Putin put the 56-year-old career military man in command following an apparent truck bombing of the strategic bridge to the Crimean Peninsula that embarrassed the Kremlin and created logistical problems for the Russian forces. Russia responded with a barrage of strikes across Ukraine, which Putin said were aimed at knocking down energy infrastructure and Ukrainian military command centers. Such attac

Putin's war escalation in Ukraine is hastening demographic crash for Russia

Plans by Putin's government had set the goal of starting to reverse the decline in the population in 2022 before growth should resume in 2030

Moscow-Delhi flight arrives safely after bomb threat; search underway

Situation at Indira Gandhi International Airport became chaotic after the Delhi Police received a PCR call about a bomb in a flight that was coming from Moscow

Russia can't erase a sovereign state from map: Biden hails UNGA vote

US President Joe Biden hailed the adoption of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution that condemned Russia's annexation of four Ukrainian regions

Kremlin tells state media to start admitting some failures in Ukraine war

After months of reporting virtually nothing but battlefield successes, state TV has lately been cataloging Russian retreats and defeats - without the usual positive spin from the Ministry of Defence

Putin signs laws on annexation as Kyiv takes back dozens of towns

The documents finalizing the annexation, carried out in defiance of international laws, were published on a Russian government website on Wednesday morning

Putin in a bunker outside Moscow mulling over nuclear decisions: Report

Russian President Vladimir Putin is 'preparing to make key decisions about launching a tactical nuclear strike from a bunker' a long way outside Moscow, the media reported.

US will never recognise Russia's claims on Ukrainian territory: Joe Biden

In response to Russia's move to formally annex four more areas in Ukraine, US President Joe Biden said that Washington will "never, never, never recognise" Moscow's claims on Kiev's territory

Moscow sets up draft offices at borders to intercept fleeing Russian men

Long lines of Russians trying to escape being called up to fight in Ukraine continued to clog highways out of the country on Wednesday, and Moscow reportedly set up draft offices at borders to intercept some of them. North Ossetia, a Russian region that borders Georgia, declared a state of high alert and said that food, water, warming stations and other aid should be brought in for those who have spent days in queues. Volunteers on the Georgian side of the border also have brought water, blankets and other assistance. North Ossetia restricted many passenger cars from entering its territory, and set up a draft office at the Verkhy Lars border crossing, Russian news agencies said. Some media outlets released photos at the crossing showing a black van with military enlistment office written on it. Another such draft checkpoint was set up in Russia along the Finnish border, according to the independent Russian news outlet Meduza. Tens of thousands of Russian men have fled in the week .

New York retains top position, Moscow sinks in financial centres ranking

New York remains the world's most favoured financial centre, with London still second and Singapore overtaking Hong Kong to come in third, latest rankings from the Global Financial Centre showed

President Zelensky vows Ukraine's win as Russian forces redouble efforts

Ukraine's president has implored the world to punish Russia for its invasion, even as the leader vowed his forces would win back every inch of territory despite Moscow's decision to redouble its war effort. In a much-anticipated video address to the UN General Assembly hours after Russia on Wednesday announced it would mobilise some reservists, Volodymyr Zelenskyy portrayed the declaration as evidence the Kremlin wasn't ready to negotiate an end to the war but insisted his country would prevail anyway. We can return the Ukrainian flag to our entire territory. We can do it with the force of arms, the president said. But we need time. Putin's decree on Wednesday about the mobilisation was sparse on details. Officials said as many as 300,000 reservists could be tapped. It was apparently an effort to seize momentum after a Ukrainian counteroffensive this month retook swaths of territory that Russians had held. But the first such call-up in Russia since World War II also brought the ..

Moscow aims pre-Covid level footfall from India by end of 2023: Official

Over 13,000 Indians visited Moscow during the first half of 2022 and the footfall is expected to reach pre-Covid levels by 2023 end, despite the ongoing war in the region, Moscow City Tourism Committee said on Tuesday. This year during the first six months, Moscow hosted 13.3 thousand Indians and it is expected that the pre-pandemic figures will be reached by the end of 2023, Moscow City Tourism Committee said in a statement. In 2021, when the borders opened after the pandemic, it was noted that 48 per cent of Indian travellers visited Moscow. According to the Federal Agency for Tourism, in 2021, the tourist flow from India to Moscow has recovered by 40 per cent compared to the pre-pandemic 2019. The main driver for this growth in Indian footfalls to Moscow is the visa policy of Russia. In September, President Vladimir Putin supported the initiative to introduce a visa-free regime for groups of foreign tourists. Besides that, the e-visa application will be launched for 52 countri

Putin receives round-the-clock updates on the Ukraine situation: Official

Russian journalists were questioning Peskov over Putin's awareness and communication schedule after Ukrainian forces conducted a successful offensive last week

Russia's Kharkiv retreat marks 200 days of its Ukraine invasion

Zelenskyy says the military has reclaimed about 2,000 square kilometre of its territory

Kremlin pledges serious measures if EU puts visa restrictions on Russians

Moscow will take serious retaliatory measures if the EU formally introduces visa restrictions on Russian citizens, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said

Hundreds line up to say farewell to Mikhail Gorbachev; Putin absent

Hundreds of mourners lined up Saturday to pay tribute to former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who launched drastic reforms that helped end the Cold War and precipitated the breakup of the Soviet Union, in a farewell snubbed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin's refusal to declare a state funeral reflects its uneasiness about the legacy of Gorbachev, who has been venerated worldwide for bringing down the Iron Curtain but reviled by many at home for the Soviet collapse and the ensuing economic meltdown that plunged millions into poverty. On Thursday, Putin privately laid flowers at Gorbachev's coffin at a Moscow hospital where he died. The Kremlin said the president's busy schedule would prevent him from attending the funeral. Asked what specific business will keep Putin busy on Saturday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the president will have a series of working meetings, an international phone call and needs to prepare for a business forum in ...

Russian oil giant chairman dies after falling from hospital window

The chairman of Russia's Lukoil oil giant, Ravil Maganov, has died after falling from a hospital window in Moscow, reports say

EU foreign ministers to suspend visa facilitation agreement with Russia

Foreign Ministers of the European Union (EU) member states have agreed to suspend a visa agreement with Moscow, making it harder for Russian citizens to obtain entry to the bloc

Putin orders Russian military to beef up forces by 137,000 amid Ukraine war

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered the Russian military to increase the size of the country's armed forces by 137,000 amid Moscow's military action in Ukraine. Putin's decree, which takes effect on Jan 1, didn't explain whether the military will beef up its ranks by drafting a bigger number of conscripts, increasing the number of volunteer soldiers or using a combination of both. The presidential decree seeks to boost the number of Russian armed forces' personnel to 2,039,758 overall, including 1,150,628 servicemen. A previous order put the military's numbers at 1,902,758 and 1,013,628 respectively at the start of 2018. The Kremlin has said that only volunteer contract soldiers take part in what it calls the special military operation in Ukraine, rejecting claims that it was pondering a broad mobilisation. Russian media and non-governmental organizations say Russian authorities have sought to bolster the number of troops involved in the military action in Ukraine