Page 54 - Russia

Vladimir Putin to visit India in 2025 following PM Modi's formal invitation

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to visit India in early 2025, following an official invitation from Prime Minister Modi

Unclear if US law permits Trump's 100% tariff threat on Brics: Ex-RBI Guv

President-elect Donald Trump's warning that BRICS countries will face 100 per cent tariffs if they choose to move away from the US dollar is unclear to what extent he will carry out his threat, as it remains to be seen if the US law permits such an action, former RBI Governor Duvvuri Subbarao said on Monday. He also said even for BRICS, there are internal differences about bringing out an alternative to the US Dollar. The nine-member group that includes India, Russia, China, and Brazil, moving out of the US currency and having a common one remains a non-starter because of both politics and economics. "Donald Trump has threatened to slap 100 per cent tariffs on imports from countries that try to move out of the dollar. His ire was particularly directed at the BRICS bloc which has been actively talking about developing an alternative to the dollar. Trump is known to bark more than he bites," Subbarao told PTI. BRICS, formed in 2009, is the only major international group of which the

Putin bets big on war: Russia approves $126 billion defence budget for 2025

Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved a record $126 billion defence budget for 2025, as the ongoing war in Ukraine continues to strain Russia's economy

Russia's drone attack on Ternopil kills one, says Ukraine's military

Ternopil and its surrounding region were under air raid alerts for a couple of hours starting soon after midnight on Monday, according to data provided by Ukraine's air force

Around 25 killed as Russia, Syria intensify bombing Syrian rebel territory

Ten children were among the dead in the air strikes in and around Idlib and other targets in rebel-held territory near Aleppo, according to the White Helmets

President Putin signs off record Russian defence spending Budget for 2025

Russian President Vladimir Putin approved budget plans, raising 2025 military spending to record levels as Moscow seeks to prevail in the war in Ukraine. Around 32.5% of the budget posted on a government website Sunday has been allocated for national defense, amounting to 13.5 trillion rubles (over $145 billion), up from a reported 28.3% this year. Lawmakers in both houses of the Russian parliament, the State Duma and Federation Council had already approved the plans in the past 10 days. Russia's war on Ukraine, which started in Feb. 2022, is Europe's biggest conflict since World War II and has drained the resources of both sides. Kyiv has been getting billions of dollars in help from its Western allies, but Russia's forces are bigger and better equipped, and in recent months the Russian army has gradually been pushing Ukrainian troops backward in eastern areas. On the ground in Ukraine, three people died in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson when a Russian drone struck a mini

MoD inks contract with Cochin Shipyard for maintaining aircraft carrier

INS Vikramaditya is a 45,000-tonne aircraft carrier, built in Russia as the Admiral Gorshkov and commissioned into the Indian Navy in November 2013

Open to ceasefire if Nato protects unoccupied areas, says Zelenskyy

Zelenskyy made the comments in an interview with Sky News broadcast Friday when asked about a scenario in which Nato security guarantees covered only territory controlled by Kyiv

Kim Jong Un pledges steadfast support for Russia's war in Ukraine

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed his country will invariably support Russia's war in Ukraine as he met Russia's defence chief, the North's state media reported Saturday. A Russia military delegation led by Defence Minister Andrei Belousov arrived in North Korea on Friday, amid growing international concern about the two countries' expanding cooperation after North Korea sent thousands of troops to Russia last month. The official Korean Central News Agency said that Kim and Belousov reached a satisfactory consensus on boosting strategic partnership and defending each country's sovereignty, security interests and international justice in the face of the rapidly-changing international security environments in a Friday meeting. Kim said that North Korea will invariably support the policy of the Russian Federation to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity from the imperialists' moves for hegemony, KCNA said. North Korea has supported Russia's invasion of Ukraine, calling

Syria insurgents breach second largest city of Aleppo, say fighters

Syrian armed groups launched a large-scale attack on areas controlled by government forces and seized territory in northwestern Syria, opposition groups said Thursday. The government and its allies responded with airstrikes and shelling to ward off the insurgent advances, activists said. The violence has displaced thousands of families, and forced aid groups to suspend some of their services. Volunteers with the Syrian Civil Defence, known as the White Helmets, said at least 18 people, including three children and two women, were killed in two different villages in western Aleppo following airstrikes. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said the airstrikes were from Russian warplanes. Syria's armed forces said Thursday the offensive was led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, which controls much of northwest Syria and is a violation of a de-escalation agreement. It said the attacks are ongoing and have targeted a number of villages and military bases. Turkey, which

Russian defence minister visits North Korea for talks to boost ties

Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov arrived in North Korea on Friday for talks with North Korean military and political leaders as the countries deepen their cooperation over Russia's war in Ukraine. In announcing the visit, Russia's Defence Ministry didn't say whom Belousov would meet or the purpose of the talks. North Korean state media didn't immediately confirm the visit. Belousov, a former economist, replaced Sergei Shoigu as defence minister in May after Russian President Vladimir Putin started a fifth term in power. Photos released by the Defense Ministry showed Belousov walking alongside North Korean Defense Minister No Kwang Chol on a red carpet at a Pyongyang airport. North Korean military officials were seen clapping under a banner that read, Complete support and solidarity with the fighting Russian army and people. Belousov noted after his arrival that military cooperation between the countries is expanding. He applauded a strategic partnership agreement signed by

Desertion a major issue with Ukraine's forces in its war with Russia

Desertion is starving the Ukrainian army of desperately needed manpower and crippling its battle plans at a crucial time in its war with Russia, which could put Kyiv at a clear disadvantage in future ceasefire talks. Facing every imaginable shortage, tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops, tired and bereft, have walked away from combat and front-line positions to slide into anonymity, according to soldiers, lawyers and Ukrainian officials. Entire units have abandoned their posts, leaving defensive lines vulnerable and accelerating territorial losses, according to military commanders and soldiers. Some take medical leave and never return, haunted by the traumas of war and demoralized by bleak prospects for victory. Others clash with commanders and refuse to carry out orders, sometimes in the middle of firefights. This problem is critical, said Oleksandr Kovalenko, a Kyiv-based military analyst. This is the third year of war, and this problem will only grow. Although Moscow has also b

Russia could strike 'decision-making centres' in Kyiv, says Putin

Russian attacks have not so far struck government buildings in the Ukrainian capital. Kyiv is heavily protected by air defences, but Putin says Russia's Oreshnik hypersonic missile

Russia's labour shortage spreads as defence sector cuts down staff

Heavy recruitment by the armed forces and defence industries has drawn workers away from civilian enterprises, as has emigration, pushing unemployment to a record low of 2.3 per cent

Russia's plane shortage hinders air travel as wartime wages boost demand

Rostec, whose subsidiary United Aircraft Corporation controls almost all of Russia's major aircraft producers, appears still far from making that dream a reality

Trump nominates Keith Kellogg as special envoy to Ukraine and Russia

Keith Kellogg is expected to play a key role in peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine if both nations agree to talks

Jaishankar slams Western criticism of India's purchase of Russian oil

Criticising Europe's selective approach, Jaishankar asked why Europe has itself not cut its businesses with Russia

Ukraine says Russian attack sets new record for number of drones used

Russia launched 188 drones against most regions of Ukraine in a nighttime blitz, the Ukrainian air force said Tuesday, describing it as a record number of drones deployed in a single attack. Most of the drones were intercepted, according to the air force, but apartment buildings and critical infrastructure such as the national power grid were damaged. No casualties were immediately reported in the 17 targeted regions. Russia has been hammering civilian areas of Ukraine with increasingly heavy drone, missile and glide bomb attacks since the middle of the year. At the same time, Russia's army has largely held the battlefield initiative for the past year and has been pushing hard in the eastern Donetsk region where it is making significant tactical advances, according to Western military analysts. Ukraine faces a difficult winter, with worries about the reliability of the electricity supply amid Russia's attacks and how much US support it can count on next year after President-elect .

JSW Steel, SAIL in discussions with Mongolia for coking coal shipments

JSW Steel, the country's biggest steelmaker by capacity, plans to buy 2,500 metric tons, while SAIL aims to import 75,000 metric tons of the steelmaking raw material from Mongolia

Russian forces advance in Ukraine at fast pace, moving into Kurakhove

The report noted recent confirmed battlefield gains near Vuhledar and Velyka Novosilka, which are in the Donetsk region