Page 105 - Russia

UN to rule Friday on jurisdiction in Ukraine case over genocide claim

The United Nations' top court will rule on Friday whether it has jurisdiction in a case brought by Ukraine accusing Russia of violating international law by using a false accusation of genocide as the pretext for its 2022 invasion. Kyiv launched the case at the International Court of Justice days after the start of the full-scale war in 2022, arguing that Russia breached the 1948 Genocide Convention by wrongly claiming Ukraine was committing genocide against Russian-speaking people in the country. Russia has flouted an order by The Hague-based court to halt hostilities. Moscow snubbed hearings over provisional measures in 2022 but filed an objection to the court's jurisdiction. During hearings in 2023, lawyers for Russia asked the court to toss out the complaint, calling the legal case an abuse of process. Ukraine is not claiming Russia is committing genocide but rather arguing that the false accusation of genocide is enough to violate the 1948 treaty. Kyiv told judges the neighbor

Russian authorities register Putin as candidate for March elections

Russia's election commission on Monday formally registered President Vladimir Putin as a candidate for the March presidential election, a vote in which he's all but certain to win another six-year term in office. Putin, 71, is running as an independent, but he retains tight control over Russia's political system that he has established during 24 years in power. With prominent critics who could challenge him either jailed or living abroad and most independent media banned, his re-election in the March 15-17 presidential vote looks all but assured. In 2018, Putin also ran as an independent, snubbing the United Russia party that nominated him to run in 2012. With his approval ratings hovering around 80 per cent, Putin is far more popular than United Russia, which is widely seen as a part of the Kremlin-controlled state bureaucracy rather than a political force. The Central Election Commission formally cleared Putin for the race after reviewing 315,000 signatures gathered by his campaig

No evidence for Russia's claim that POWs died in plane crash: Ukraine

Officials in Ukraine said Russia has provided no credible evidence to back its claims that their own forces shot down a military transport plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war who were to be swapped for Russian POWs. The Ukrainian agency that deals with prisoner exchanges said late Friday that Russian officials had with great delay provided it with a list of the 65 Ukrainians who Moscow said had died in the Wednesday plane crash in Russia's Belgorod region. Ukraine's Coordination Staff for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said relatives of the named POWs were unable to identify their loved ones in crash site photos provided by Russian authorities. The agency's update cited Ukraine's military intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, as saying that Kyiv had no verifiable information about who was on the plane. The Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday that missiles fired from across the border brought down the transport plane that it said was taking the POWs back to Ukraine. Local

Putin commends privileged strategic ties between Russia and India on R-Day

Extending his greetings on India's 75th Republic Day, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said India enjoys a "deserved influence in the international arena" and is playing "an active role" in solving the most important issues on the international agenda. Putin also commended the privileged strategic partnership with India as he congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the 75th Republic Day, the state-run TASS news agency reported. We value the privileged strategic partnership between our countries. I am confident that, through joint efforts, we will continue to systematically boost the constructive cooperation between Russia and India across the board, the Russian leader said in a telegram message. This fully meets the interests of our friendly peoples as it in line with strengthening security and stability both regionally and globally, he added. According to Putin, India has achieved impressive success in the socio-economic sphere, as well as in the fields of research

Opec+ unlikely to decide oil policy on February 1, will wait several weeks

Oil prices have found support from more positive sentiment about demand this week and rising geopolitical tensions from attacks by the Iran-aligned Houthi group on Red Sea shipping

Putin's opponent offers hope though only few expect him to win election

They have lined up by the thousands across Russia in recent days, standing in the bitter cold for a chance to sign petitions to support an unlikely challenger to President Vladimir Putin. Boris Nadezhdin has become a dilemma for the Kremlin as he seeks to run in the March 17 presidential election. The question now is whether Russian authorities will allow him on the ballot. The stocky, bespectacled 60-year-old local legislator and academic has struck a chord with the public, openly calling for a halt to the conflict in Ukraine, the end of mobilising Russian men for the military, and starting a dialogue with the West. He also has criticised the country's repression of LGBTQ+ activism. The collection of signatures has gone unexpectedly well for us, Nadezhdin told The Associated Press in an interview on Wednesday in Moscow. We didn't expect this, to be honest. Nadezhdin's name is a form of the Russian word for hope, and although he is highly unlikely to defeat the still-popular Putin,

Foreign envoys from Russia, US, Israel wish India on 75th Republic Day

On the occasion of 75th Republic Day, the envoys of various countries, ranging from the United States, Israel and Russia wished India and called for further prospering ties with New Delhi

Amid growing tensions, Chinese foreign minister visits North Korea

North Korea said on Friday it was hosting a visit by a Chinese government delegation led by Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong, as it continues its efforts to strengthen ties with Beijing and Moscow in the face of deepening confrontations with Washington. The North's official Korean Central News Agency said Sun's delegation arrived in the capital, Pyongyang, on Thursday after crossing the land border between the countries. The report didn't provide further details about the visit. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been trying to boost the visibility of its partnership with China and Russia as he tries to break out of diplomatic isolation and strengthen his regional footing by joining a united front against the United States. Kim travelled to Russia's Far East in September for a rare summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and some experts say he is also likely seeking a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. While Kim has prioritized his ties with Russia, which has raised

Canada officially adds India to probe of election meddling amid tensions

The inquiry's commissioner is tasked with examining potential interference by China, Russia and other state and non-state actors during the 2019 and 2021 elections

Russian plane crashes near Ukraine with 65 Kyiv prisoners of war on board

A Russian military transport plane carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, six crew and three people accompanying them crashed on Wednesday morning in Russia's Belgorod region near Ukraine, Russia's Defense Ministry said. It wasn't immediately clear what caused the crash, which occurred around 11 a.m. It was also not known if anyone survived. The authorities were investigating the cause of the crash, and a special military commission was on the way to the crash site, the Defense Ministry said. Earlier Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a major Russian missile attack that apparently was devised to overwhelm Ukraine's air defenses had killed 18 people and injured 130. Ukraine is marking the 700th day since the full-scale invasion by Kremlin's forces started. The barrage employing more than 40 ballistic, cruise, anti-aircraft and guided missiles early Tuesday hit 130 residential buildings in three Ukrainian cities, all ordinary houses, Zelenskyy said on X, formerl

Indian tea exporters tackle West Asia market loss, gain ground in Iraq

'Aggressive promotion' helps companies to regain business share in nation

Bilateral trade between India, Russia likely to increase this year: Sonowal

Bilateral trade between India and Russia was at USD 50 billion in the last financial year and is expected to increase this year, said Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, here on Wednesday. The Eastern Maritime Corridor between the ports on the east coast of India and the Far East region of Russia promises "immense potential" to unlock new trade opportunities, he said. The minister was speaking at a conference on 'Operationalising Eastern Maritime Corridor' which was attended by a delegation from Moscow led by A Yu Bobrakov, Deputy Minister for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic of the Russian Federation, among others. While welcoming the visiting delegates, Sonowal said the India-Russia partnership is strong and steady building upon strategic convergence, geo-political interests and mutually beneficial cooperation. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi remains engaged with President Putin through telephonic conversation. The latest discussion t

Russin missiles strike Ukrainian cities again, killing at least 7

Russian missiles struck three Ukrainian cities on Tuesday, including its two biggest, killing at least seven people and wrecking apartment buildings after Moscow shunned any deal backed by Kyiv and its Western allies to end the nearly 2-year-old war. The barrage included more than 40 ballistic, cruise, anti-aircraft and guided missiles, officials reported, in what the United Nations said appeared to be the heaviest bombardment since early January, when hundreds of Ukrainian civilians were killed. Ukraine's air force, whose defenses include Western-supplied systems, said it intercepted 21 of the missiles. The attacks keep Ukrainians on edge while the 1,500-kilometer (930-mile) front line has barely budged. Both sides' inability to deliver major gains on the battlefield has pushed the fighting toward trench and artillery warfare. Analysts say Russia stockpiled missiles at the end of last year to press a winter campaign of aerial bombardment. The recent Russian bombardment was an ..

Russian government proposes extending capital controls until end-2024

The measures, ordered by President Vladimir Putin in an October decree, have been effective, the government said on the Telegram messaging app. They are currently set to expire in April

Russia clashes with US, Ukraine supporters, rules out any peace plan

Russia's foreign minister clashed with the United States and Ukraine's supporters at a UN meeting Monday where Moscow ruled out any peace plan backed by Kyiv and the West, and China warned that further global chaos could impact the slowing global economy. Sergey Lavrov, Russia's top diplomat, claimed that Ukrainian forces have been a complete failure on the battlefield and are incapable of defeating or weakening Russia. He told the UN Security Council that Moscow is always ready to negotiate peace, but he claimed peace plans presented by Ukraine and its Western masters are only used as cover to continue war and continue getting money from Western taxpayers. All of these formulas are a road to nowhere, and the sooner Washington, London, Paris and Brussels realise this the better for Ukraine and the West, he said, warning that their crusade against Russia has already created new, clear, reputational and existential risks. U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood dismissed Lavrov's claims a

4 survivors of Russian plane crash in Afghanistan in 'good health': Taliban

Video footage released by Mujahid's office showed the four men, some of whom had bruising visible on their faces and one with blood stains on his clothes, stepping off a helicopter with Taliban

Russian private jet carrying six people likely crashed in Afghanistan

A Russian private jet carrying six people is believed to have crashed in a remote area of rural Afghanistan, authorities said Sunday. The plane had been operating as a charter ambulance flight on a route from Gaya, India, to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, onward to Zhukovsky International Airport in Moscow. The crash happened Saturday in a mountainous area near Zebak district in Badakhshan province, regional spokesman Zabihullah Amiri said, adding that a rescue team had been dispatched to the area. Badakhshan police chief's office also confirmed the report of the crash in a statement. From Moscow, Russian civil aviation authorities said a Dassault Falcon 10 went missing with four crew members and two passengers. The plane stopped communicating and disappeared from radar screens, authorities said. Russian officials said the plane belongs to Athletic Group LLC and a private individual. The Associated Press could not immediately reach its owners. A separate Taliban statement described the p

A century after death of Lenin, he's an afterthought in modern Russia

Many streets and localities that bore his name have been rechristened

N Korea stresses alignment with Russia against US, hints at Putin's visit

North Korea said Sunday it has agreed to further strategic and tactical cooperation with Russia to establish a new multi-polarised international order, as the two countries work to build a united front in the face of their separate, intensifying tensions with the United States. In describing North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui's meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minster Sergey Lavrov in Moscow last week, the North's Foreign Ministry said Putin also reaffirmed his willingness to visit Pyongyang and said that could come at an early date. North Korea has been actively strengthening its ties with Russia, highlighted by leader Kim Jong Un's September visit to Russia for a summit with Putin. Kim is trying to break out of diplomatic isolation and strengthen his footing as he navigates a deepening nuclear standoff with Washington, Seoul and Tokyo. In a separate statement on Sunday, the North's Foreign Ministry condemned the U.N. Security Council for calling a

Regret Argentina's move not to join Brics, hope it reconsiders: Kremlin

Argentina's incoming Foreign Minister Diana Mondino said in November that his country would not join the Brics grouping of developing nations despite being invited to do so