Page 123 - Russia

From East with Love: Chinese firms rev up Russian auto industry

There's been a major shift in the Russian automotive landscape. Western automakers, who once ruled the roost, have packed up and left following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine >

Russia shot down two combat drones headed for capital: Moscow mayor

Later on, Russia's Defence Ministry reported a failed attempt by Ukraine to attack facilities in the Moscow Region by UAV, adding that two drones have been shot down by air defence systems

Luna-25: Russia's bold return to the Moon

After India's successful Chandrayaan-3 launch in July, 2023, Russia's long-awaited Luna-25 is marking a return to moon exploration after half a century. The mission is set for launch on 11th August fr

Russia promises retaliation after Ukrainian drones hit Russian tanker

Moscow promised retaliation on Saturday after Ukrainian drones hit a Russian tanker in the Black Sea near Crimea late on Friday, the second sea attack involving drones in one day. Ukraine struck a major Russian port earlier on Friday. Moscow strongly condemned what it sees as a Ukrainian "terrorist attack" on a civilian vessel in the Kerch Strait, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. "There can be no justification for such barbaric actions, they will not go unanswered and their authors and perpetrators will inevitably be punished," she wrote on the Telegram messaging app. As Kyiv's naval capabilities grow, the Black Sea is becoming an increasingly important battleground in the war. Three weeks ago, Moscow withdrew from a key export agreement that allowed Ukraine to ship millions of tons of grain across the Black Sea for sale on world markets. In the wake of that withdrawal, Russia carried out repeated strikes on Ukrainian ports, including Odesa. An official

Ukrainian drones hit Russian tanker transporting fuel near Crimea

Ukrainian drones hit a Russian tanker in the Black Sea near Crimea, according to Russian officials. They said that the vessel's engine room sustained damage in the strike late Friday night in the Kerch Strait. The Sig tanker...suffered a hole in the engine room near the waterline on the starboard side, presumably as a result of a sea drone attack, Russia's Federal Agency for Marine and River Transport wrote on Telegram, adding that there were no casualties among the 11 crew members. Vladimir Rogov, a Kremlin-installed official in Ukraine's partially occupied southern Zaporizhzhia region, said several members of the ship's crew were wounded because of broken glass. An official with Ukraine's Security Service confirmed to The Associated Press that the service was behind the attack on the tanker, which was transporting fuel for Russian forces. A sea drone, filled with 450 kilograms (992 pounds) of TNT, was used for the attack, added the official who spoke on condition of anonymity ..

Ukraine and its allies to woo the Global South at Saudi Arabia meeting

Zelenskiy would like the Jeddah meeting to pave the way for a summit of leaders backing the 10-point "peace formula" he released last year

Alexei Navalny handed 19 more years in jail, West condemns Russia

A small group of Navalny supporters had gathered outside the penal colony but were not let in to hear the verdict

Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking Black Sea navy base, Crimea with drones

Russia accused Ukraine early Friday of attacking its Black Sea navy base in the port of Novorossiysk with sea drones. Novorossiysk is just across the water from Crimea, where Russia's Ministry of Defense said it thwarted another attack by Ukraine overnight, taking down 13 drones. Russia's Ministry of Defence said Russian ships patrolling the perimeter of the naval base destroyed two Ukrainian sea drones. Footage published on Russian social media channels appeared to show a ship firing into the sea and a burning object exploding. Ukrainian agencies carried footage from social media channels they suggested showed a Russian ship listing to one side after the attack. The Associated Press could not verify the videos. Ukrainian officials have not commented on the attack, in keeping with the country's security policy. Minutes after confirming the attack on the Black Sea port, Russia's Ministry of Defence said it had also repelled another attack by Ukraine on Moscow-annexed Crimea. The ..

Top Russian official pitched N Korea on increasing sale of munitions: WH

The White House on Thursday said US intelligence officials have determined that Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke last week to North Korean officials during a visit to Pyongyang about increasing the sale of munitions to Moscow for its war in Ukraine. Shoigu made the pitch during his visit to North Korea for events marking the 70th anniversary of the armistice that halted fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War, according to White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. Russian President Vladimir Putin dispatched Shoigu to lead the Russian delegation for the commemoration. The Biden administration says Shoigu's pitch to tighten cooperation with North Korea underscored that the Kremlin has become reliant on the country, as well as Iran, for the arms it needs to fight its war against Ukraine. North Korea and Iran are largely isolated on the international stage for their nuclear programs and human rights records. This is yet another example of how desperate Mr. Putin

Russia adds Norway to list of unfriendly nations for 'targeting' diplomats

Russia has added Norway to its list of unfriendly countries for allegedly targeting Russian diplomats abroad, further worsening its relations with the West. The Russian government published the order Thursday, which restricts the number of local staff the Norwegian diplomatic mission can hire in Russia to 27 people. In April, Norway expelled 15 Russian diplomats after accusing them of carrying out intelligence activities under diplomatic cover. Russia retaliated by expelling 10 Norwegian diplomats in what Norway said was an act of revenge. Norway's Foreign Ministry said it hasn't yet received official information from Russian authorities but that there is no basis for saying Norway is unfriendly toward Russia. Today's situation is due to Russia's war against Ukraine. Russia can itself choose to end the war, Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt told local media. Huitfeldt added that the two nations, which share a border in the Arctic, have an interest in functioning diploma

Russia fines Wikipedia, Apple for 'false information' on Ukraine conflict

A Russian court on Thursday imposed fines on Apple and the host of Wikipedia for failing to remove material deemed to be false information about Russia's military actions in Ukraine. A justice of the peace in a magistrate's court, which handles administrative violations and low-level criminal cases, fined the Wikimedia Foundation 3 million rubles (USD 33,000) for retaining material on Russian-language Wikipedia pages that violated a law against discrediting Russia's military and spreading false information about the Ukraine conflict, the Interfax news agency reported. The same justice found Apple guilty of failing to delete podcasts and apps with such information and fined the company 400,000 rubles (UAD 4,400). Since sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has enacted an array of measures to punish any criticism or questioning of the military campaign. Some critics have received severe punishments. Opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza was sentenced this year to 25 ye

Russian shelling hits a landmark church in the Ukrainian city of Kherson

Russian shelling on Thursday damaged a landmark church in the city of Kherson that once held the remains of the renowned 18th-century commander who exerted Russian control through the southeast parts of modern Ukraine and annexed the Crimean Peninsula. Ukraine's emergency service said that four of its workers were wounded in a second round of shelling as they fought the fire at St. Catherine's Cathedral. Four other people were wounded in the first shelling attack, which also hit a trolleybus, the general prosecutor's office said. The shelling followed the severe damage sustained by a beloved Orthodox cathedral in a missile strike last week in Odesa and underlined the war's risk to the country's cultural monuments. The Kherson church, dating from 1781, is one of the city's most notable buildings. It once was the burial spot for Prince Grigory Potemkin, a favoirite of Russian Empress Catherine the Great. The remains were removed last year while the city was still under Russian ...

PM Modi unlikely to travel to South Africa for Brics, to attend virtually

China and Russia are keen to discuss expansion of BRICS at the summit, while India has reservations about that idea

Chicago wheat falls after Russian attack on Ukraine port renews worries

The most-active wheat contract on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) fell 15 cents at $6.37-1/4 a bushel by 10:15 a.m. (1615 GMT), its lowest since July 13 after earlier rising nearly 5%

RBI approved 34 applications from Russian banks for vostro accounts: Govt

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved 34 applications from different Russian banks for opening special rupee vostro accounts in 14 Indian commercial lenders as of July 2, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. India's trade with Russia has been affected by difficulties in payment due to western countries' sanctions on major Russian banks, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. "India's trade with Russia has been affected due to the difficulties in payment because of sanctions on major Russian banks, including their disconnection from SWIFT, problems in insurance and re-insurance coverage, and logistics, as the major shipping and logistics companies do not serve Russia-bound cargo," the minister said. She said the central government has taken several steps to not only sustain but to increase exports to Russia, making payments in national currencies, smooth operationalisation of the International North South Transport

Drone Attacks on Russia

Russian authorities say three Ukrainian drones attacked Moscow in the early hours on Sunday, injuring one person and prompting a temporary closure of one of four airports around the Russian capital.

RBI tells banks it is ready, able to manage Russian fund outflows

Amid Western sanctions that restrict Russia's use of the US dollar for trade, India paid in other currencies, including the dirham, yuan and rupee, which local banks hold in special accounts

French embassy in Niger attacked as protesters with Russian flags march

Thousands of supporters of the junta that took over Niger in a coup earlier this week marched through the streets of the capital, Niamey, on Sunday waving Russian flags, chanting the name of the Russian president and forcefully denouncing former colonial power France. The protesters marched through the city to the French Embassy, where a door was lit on fire, according to someone who was at the embassy when it happened and videos seen by The AP. Black smoke could be seen rising from across the city. The Nigerien army broke up the crowd of the protesters. Russian mercenary group Wagner is already operating in neighbouring Mali, and Russian President Vladimir Putin would like to expand his country's influence in the region. However, it is unclear yet whether the new junta leaders will move toward Moscow or stick with Niger's Western partners. Days after the coup, uncertainty is mounting about Niger's future, with some calling out the junta's reasons for seizing control. President ...

Wagner mercenaries in Belarus move closer to Polish border: Poland PM

Over 100 mercenaries belonging to the Russian-linked Wagner group in Belarus have moved close to the border with Poland, the Polish prime minister said Saturday. Mateusz Morawiecki said at a news conference that the mercenaries had moved close to the Suwalki Gap, a strategic stretch of Polish territory situated between Belarus and Kaliningrad, a Russian territory separated from the mainland. Poland is a member of both the European Union and NATO, and it has worried about its security with Russian ally Belarus and Ukraine on its eastern border. Those fears have grown since Wagner group mercenaries arrived in Belarus since the group's short-lived rebellion earlier this summer. The Poland-Belarus border has already been a tense place for a couple of years, ever since large numbers of immigrants from the Middle East and Africa began arriving, seeking to enter the EU by crossing into Poland, as well as Lithuania. Poland's government accuses Russia and Belarus of using the migrants to .

Russian President Putin says ready for talks, but Kyiv refusing to join

Russia has repeatedly said any talks must take account of these "new realities"