Page 101 - Russia

US to confront Trump-driven turmoil at this yr's Munich Security Conference

Long regarded as a celebration of the US-led post-World War II international order, the Munich Security Conference this year will be more of a reflection of America's political turmoil. The annual event kicks off Friday after former President Donald Trump threatened not to come to the defence of European allies in the event of an attack by Russia. There also are broad concerns about whether the US will be able to keep providing billions of dollars in defence assistance for Ukraine and about increasing American isolation over its support for Israel's war in Gaza. As if that weren't enough, Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be accompanied to the conference by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas just days after he was impeached by the Republican-led House on charges that Democrats say are specious. The increasingly dire developments in Ukraine and Gaza, coupled with Trump's inflammatory comments, mean the event may be overshadowed by the

Russian efforts to create anti-satellite weapons are cause for US concern

The US has gathered highly sensitive intelligence about Russian anti-satellite weapons that has been shared in recent weeks with the upper echelons of government, according to four people who have been briefed on the intelligence. The people, who were not authorised to comment publicly, said the capability was not yet operational. The intelligence sparked an urgent but vague warning Wednesday from the Republican head of the House Intelligence Committee, who urged the Biden administration to declassify information about what he called a serious national security threat. Rep. Mike Turner gave no details about the nature of the threat, and the Biden administration also declined to address it. But several leading lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, cautioned against being overly alarmed. A congressional aide said he understood that the threat relates to a space-deployed Russian anti-satellite weapon. Such a weapon could pose a major danger to U.S. satellites that transmit .

Russia prefers Biden to Trump because he's 'more experienced, predictable'

President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia would prefer to see President Joe Biden win a second term, describing him as more experienced than Donald Trump. Speaking in an interview with a correspondent of Russian state television on Wednesday, Putin declared that he would work with any US leader who is elected, but noted unequivocally that he would prefer Biden's victory when asked who would be a better choice from the point of view of Russia. Biden, he's more experienced, more predictable, he's a politician of the old formation, Putin said. But we will work with any US leader whom the American people trust. Asked about speculation on Biden's health issues, Putin responded I'm not a doctor and I don't consider it proper to comment on that. Biden's team worked to alleviate Democratic concerns over alarms raised by a special counsel about Biden's age and memory. They came in a report determining that Biden would not be charged with any criminal activity for possessing classified .

Ukrainian military says it sank a Russian landing ship in Black Sea

Ukraine's military said Wednesday it sank a Russian landing ship in the Black Sea using naval drones, a report that has not been confirmed by Russian forces. The Caesar Kunikov large landing ship sank near Alupka, a city on the Crimean Peninsula that Moscow annexed in 2014, Ukraine's General Staff said in a Wednesday morning update. Ukraine's Military Intelligence, known by its Ukrainian acronym GUR, said its special operations unit "Group 13 sank the Caesar Kunikov using Magura V5 sea drones on Wednesday. The Russian military did not immediately comment on the claim, saying only that it downed six Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea overnight. It is the second time in two weeks that Ukrainian forces have said they sank a Russian vessel in the Black Sea. Last week, GUR published a video that it said showed naval drones assaulting the Russian missile-armed corvette Ivanovets.

Russia warns West: We will be very tough if you 'steal' our assets

Russia has said that if its property is seized then it will seize U.S., European and other assets in responses

Russia, West clash over Ukraine at UNSC meeting ahead of war anniversary

Russia accused the West on Monday of sabotaging agreements that would have prevented the war in Ukraine -- but the US and its allies put the blame squarely on Moscow, saying there is no escaping that President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of its smaller neighbour. Days before the second anniversary of Russia's invasion on February 24, 2022, Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia again put the cause of the war down to the failure to implement the 2015 Minsk agreements, which he blamed on "Kyiv's sabotage" supported by the West. The agreements aimed to resolve the conflict between Ukraine and Russia-backed separatists that flared in April 2014 after Russia's annexation of Crimea and its support for the separatists in the mostly Russian-speaking industrial east called Donbas. At Monday's Security Council meeting that Russia called on the seventh anniversary of the signing of the Minsk peace plan brokered by France and Germany, Nebenzia called claims by Ukraine and Western natio

France accuses Russia of disinformation campaign in key election year

French government officials on Monday accused Russia of operating a long-running online manipulation campaign against Ukraine's Western backers in the lead up to the second anniversary of Moscow's military invasion of its neighbour. French foreign ministry officials said in a media briefing that Russia has stepped up efforts to manipulate information and spread deception, targeting Kyiv's allies in the West, including Poland, Germany and France. They referred to messages on social media platforms such as X, formerly Twitter, and websites like Sputnik as "massive in scope" and "complex in structure". The aim of Russia's disinformation campaign remains the same, officials said: To amplify Russia's success in the Ukraine war, justify its invasion, discredit and diminish Ukraine's military resistance and undermine civilians' resilience in the face of daily attacks on cities and towns, and fracture Western support for Ukraine's military and slow if not stop supply with weapons ...

Nato chief warns, says Trump puts safety of US troops, allies at risk

The head of the NATO military alliance warned on Sunday that Donald Trump was putting the safety of US troops and their allies at risk after the Republican presidential frontrunner said Russia should be able to do "whatever the hell they want" to NATO members who don't meet their defence spending targets. "Any suggestion that allies will not defend each other undermines all of our security, including that of the US, and puts American and European soldiers at increased risk," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement. Speaking on Saturday at a rally in Conway, South Carolina, Trump recalled how as president he told an unidentified NATO member that he would "encourage" Russia to do as it wishes in cases of NATO allies who are "delinquent". "You didn't pay? You're delinquent?" Trump recounted saying. "No I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay. You gotta pay your bills." Trump's remarks caused deep ...

Warned Nato allies to spend more on defence to counter Russia: Donald Trump

Republican front-runner Donald Trump said Saturday that, as president, he warned NATO allies that he would encourage Russia to do whatever the hell they want to countries that are delinquent as he ramped up his attacks on foreign aid and longstanding international alliances. Speaking at a rally in Conway, South Carolina, Trump recounted a story he has told before about an unidentified NATO member who confronted him over his threat not to defend members who fail to meet the trans-Atlantic alliance's defense spending targets. But this time, Trump went further, saying had told the member that he would, in fact, encourage Russia to do as it wishes in that case. You didn't pay? You're delinquent?' Trump recounted saying. No I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay. You gotta pay your bills.' NATO allies agreed in 2014, after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, to halt the spending cuts they had made after the Cold

Russian envoy Denis Alipov advocates permanent seat for India at UNSC

India and Russia have maintained a robust strategic partnership, rooted in historical ties and shared interests, over decades

Russian drone strike on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, kills 7

A Russian drone strike on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, killed at least seven people overnight, including three children, Kharkiv region governor Oleh Syniehubov reported on Saturday. He said the Iranian-made Shahed drone hit civilian infrastructure in the Nemyshlyan district on the city, causing a massive fire that burned down 15 private houses. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said more than 50 people had been evacuated and that emergency workers had contained the blaze by Saturday morning. The Ukrainian air force said air defense systems destroyed 23 out of 31 Iranian Shahed drones launched by Russia overnight. The drones primarily targeted the northeastern Kharkiv region and the southern province of Odesa, the statement said. Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper said four people were injured there by the overnight drone attacks. The attacks came in three waves, he said. The first targeted the regional capital the port city of Odesa. All nine drones were shot down, but

Tucker Carlson interviews Vladimir Putin: 5 key things Russian Prez said

Tucker Clarson interview: Vladimir Putin said that a deal to release the WSJ journalist Evan Gershkovich 'can be reached'

India does not trust US; played smart by staying close with Russia: Haley

Aspiring Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley on Wednesday said that India wants to be a partner with the US, but as of now they don't trust Americans to lead. The Indian-American presidential aspirant also said that New Delhi has played smart in the current global situation and stayed close with Russia. In an interview with Fox Business News, Haley, 51, said that as of now India sees the United States as weak. "I have dealt with India too. I have got to say, I have dealt with India too. I have talked with Modi. India wants to be a partner with us. They don't want to be a partner with Russia," she said. "The problem is, India doesn't trust us to win. They don't trust us to lead. They see right now that we're weak. India has always played it smart. They have played it smart, and they have stayed close with Russia, because that's where they get a lot of their military equipment," she said in response to a question. "When we start to lead again, when we start to get the weak

Security is fragile at Ukraine's Russian-occupied nuclear power plant: IAEA

Security at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant remains fragile amid worrying recent staff cuts enacted by Russian authorities occupying the facility, which is one of the 10 biggest atomic power plants in the world, the United Nations nuclear watchdog chief said Tuesday. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi, who is in Kyiv, told The Associated Press that his upcoming visit to the plant as the war approaches its two-year milestone will aim to assess the impact of recent personnel reductions after Russia denied access to employees of Ukraine's Energoatom. This huge facility used to have around 12,000 staff. Now, this has been reduced to between 2,000 and 3,000, which is quite a steep reduction in the number of people working there, Grossi said. To man, to operate these very sophisticated big installations you need a certain number of people performing different specific functions. So far the situation is stable, but it is a very, very delicate equilibrium, he

Russia accuses US of aggression against Iraq and Syria, US vows to continue

Russia accused the United States on Monday of aggression against Iraq and Syria aimed at preserving its global dominance and salvaging the Biden administration's image ahead of US elections. The US retorted that its military response to unjustified attacks by Iranian-backed proxies against American forces is not only legal but will continue. The exchange came at a contentious UN Security Council meeting called by Russia, Syria's closest ally, where both countries also said they did not want an escalation and spillover of the Israel-Hamas war. Many council members expressed fears of a growing Mideast conflict and urged de-escalation and stepped-up peace efforts. Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused the US of violating international law and continuing to sow chaos and destruction in the Middle East. He said violence by the United States and its allies has escalated from the Palestinian territories to Lebanon, the Red Sea and Yemen and is nullifying international efforts to

Putin to visit Turkey in first trip to Nato country since Ukraine War

Putin's trips abroad have been limited due to the risk of possible arrest on a warrant from the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes

Search engine Yandex owner to exit Russia in $5.2 bn deal: Report

Yandex has always sought to portray itself as free from Kremlin influence, a task that has become more challenging as the company has become such a strategic national asset

At least 28 dead after bakery attacked in Russian-occupied Ukraine: Report

Moscow-installed officials say Ukrainian shelling killed at least 28 people at a bakery in the Russian-occupied city of Lysychansk. At least one child was among the dead Saturday, local leader Leonid Pasechnik wrote in a statement on Telegram. A further 10 people were rescued from under the rubble by emergency services, he said. Ukrainian officials in Kyiv did not comment on the incident. Both Moscow and Kyiv have increasingly relied on longer-range attacks this winter amid largely unchanged positions on the 1,500-kilometer (930-mile) front line in the nearly 2-year-old war. The military administration for Ukraine's Sumy region said Sunday that Russian forces had shelled the region in 16 separate attacks the previous day, firing on the border communities of Yunakivka, Bilopillia, Krasnopillia, Velyka Pysarivka, and Esman.

Foreign journalists, people detained in Moscow amid crackdown on protests

Independent Russian media group Mediazona reported on Saturday that among those held are journalists working for Kommersant, France Press and Spiegel, as well as human rights activists

Top UN court decides to proceed with Ukraine case over Russia's invasion

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced on Friday (local time) its decision to proceed with the case initiated by Ukraine concerning Russia's justification for its invasion in Feb 2022