Page 143 - Russia

Russia's Wagner claims to have captured Ukraine's Bakhmut, hoists flag

"Technically we have captured Bakhmut," Prigozhin added

Russia to put nuclear weapons near western border of Belarus, says envoy

Russian tactical nuclear weapons will be deployed close to Belarus' borders with NATO neighbors, the Russian ambassador to Belarus said Sunday amid simmering tensions between Russia and the West over Moscow's war in Ukraine. Ambassador Boris Gryzlov's comment followed Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent statement about plans to station tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Russia's neighbor and ally. The announcement marked another attempt by the Russian leader to dangle the nuclear threat to discourage the West from supporting Ukraine. Putin has said that construction of storage facilities for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus will be complete by July 1 and added that Russia has helped modernize Belarusian warplanes to make them capable of carrying nuclear weapons. The two neighbors have an agreement envisioning close economic, political and military ties. Russia used Belarusian territory as a staging ground for invading Ukraine and has maintained a contingent of ...

Consensus on 99% issues, readying first draft by July: G20 Sherpa Kant

"India is looking to evangelise its successes in digital public infrastructure through its G20 Presidency to all 133 nations that do not yet have fast digital payments"

Russia pulls off revolution in India's overall crude oil basket

Oil supplies from Russia surged after the G7's stringent sanctions, relegating traditional suppliers Iraq and Saudi Arabia to second and third place

Russia's UNSC presidency a slap in the face of int'l community: Ukraine FM

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Russia's tenure of the body's rotating presidency was a slap in the face to the international community, reported Kyiv Independent.

Food supply risks rise worldwide as important traders leave Russia

The exit of Cargill Inc. and Viterra means Russia, the world's largest wheat exporter, will have more control over its food shipments and reap more of the revenues

Wimbledon allows Russian, Belarusian players to compete under neutral flags

In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Wimbledon barred players from Russia and Belarus last year. In 2022, Wimbledon's ranking points were taken away due to the ban

Wall Street Journal reporter's arrest threatens reporting from Russia

The arrest of a Wall Street Journal reporter on espionage charges in Russia has news organisations based outside the country weighing for the second time in a year whether the risks of reporting there during wartime are too great. The Journal and other news outlets continued to press Friday for the release of Evan Gershkovich, He was taken into custody by Russian security officials a day earlier and accused of spying, charges the newspaper vehemently denies. More than 30 press freedom groups and news organizations, including the Journal, The New York Times, BBC, The Associated Press, The New Yorker, Time and The Washington Post, signed a letter Friday to Anatoly I. Antonov, Russia's ambassador to the U.S., expressing concern about "a significant escalation in your government's anti-press actions. Russia is sending the message that journalism within your borders is criminalized and that foreign correspondents seeking to report from Russia do not enjoy the benefits of the rule of law,

G20: War in Europe did not cause global inflation, says Russian Sherpa

"Unless the G7 nations stop bringing attention to issues which have nothing to do with G20, it will be difficult to reach an agreement on the final Leaders Declaration at the end of the year"

Govt turns optimistic on forging G-20 consensus on Russia-Ukraine war

India's top G-20 negotiator, Amitabh Kant, said that the group still isn't close to reaching a settlement over the language in a joint statement at the leaders meeting in September

Russia to continue notifying US of its ballistic missile launches

Ryabkov clarified that Russia would adhere to the restrictions outlined in the treaty on a voluntary basis, and would continue to implement a 1988 bilateral agreement between US and Soviet Union

Wall Street Journal reporter detained in Russia, US condemns strongly

Russia's intelligence agency said that Gershkovich has been detained for "acting on the instructions of the American side, collected information constituting a state secret"

Russia detains Wall Street Journal's Evan Gershkovich on spying charges

Gershkovich "is suspected of espionage in the interests of the American government," the security service known as the FSB said in a statement

Huge win for Russia as TikTok propaganda labels on agencies fall flat

A year ago, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, TikTok started labelling accounts operated by Russian state propaganda agencies as a way to tell users they were being exposed to Kremlin disinformation. An analysis a year later shows the policy has been applied inconsistently. It ignores dozens of accounts with millions of followers. Even when used, labels have little impact on Russia's ability to exploit TikTok's powerful algorithms as part of its effort to shape public opinion about the war. Researchers at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, a bipartisan, transatlantic nonprofit operated by the German Marshall Fund that studies authoritarian disinformation, identified nearly 80 TikTok accounts operated by Russian state outlets like RT or Sputnik, or by individuals linked to them, including RT's editor-in-chief. More than a third of the accounts were unlabelled, despite a labelling policy announced by TikTok a year ago. The labels, which appear in bold immediately below an ...

Russia's external debt hits 15-yr low to $380.5 bn in 2022, says cenbank

Russia's external debt fell to $380.5 billion in 2022, its lowest level in 15 years, the central bank said

Russia in talks with India to develop Northern Sea shipping route: Interfax

Russia and India are looking at expanding the use of the Northern Sea shipping route that passes through the Artic and which could include the building of processing facilities

UN Council votes against Russian resolution on Nord Stream sabotage

The UN Security Council did not support the Russian-Chinese resolution on the international investigation of the Nord Stream sabotage Monday, Russian news agency TASS reported

Russia says it has test-fired anti-ship missiles in the Sea of Japan

Russia's Defense Ministry says Moscow has test-fired anti-ship missiles in the Sea of Japan. The ministry said on Tuesday that two boats launched a simulated missile attack on a mock enemy warship about 100 kilometers (60 miles) away. The ministry said the target was successfully hit by two Moskit cruise missiles. The Moskit, whose NATO reporting name is the SS-N-22 Sunburn, is a supersonic anti-ship cruise missile that has conventional and nuclear warhead capacity. It says the exercise took place in the Peter The Great Bay in the Sea of Japan but does not give more precise coordinates. Japan's Defense Ministry had no immediate response. The US Navy's 7th Fleet did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

UN Security Council declines Russian request to probe Nord Stream blasts

The UN Security Council on Monday declined a Russian request to investigate the blasts on the pipelines that move natural gas from Russia to Europe under the Baltic Sea. Russia, China and Brazil voted in favour of the Russian request, but other Security Council members abstained or said another investigation was unnecessary. For a resolution to be adopted by the UN Security Council, it needs a minimum of nine "yes" votes in the 15-member council, and no veto by one of the permanent members the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France. The US deputy ambassador, Robert Wood, said there was no need for a UN probe when investigations by Sweden, Denmark and Germany "are proceeding in a comprehensive, transparent and impartial manner". "It was an attempt to discredit the work of ongoing national investigations and prejudice any conclusions they reached that do not comport to Russia's predetermined and political narrative. It was not an attempt to seek the truth," he said. The .

Securing peace in Ukraine

This requires a compromise on their current positions by both Russia and the US