Page 78 - Russia

Russia says U.S. is responsible for deadly Ukrainian attack on Crimea

Television footage on Russian state television showed people running from a beach and some people being carried off on sun loungers

Ukraine sends over 30 drones into Russia after brutal bombing of Kharkiv

Russian authorities said more than 30 drones were shot down over the country's western regions overnight into Sunday, just hours after a Russian bomb attack on Ukraine's second largest city of Kharkiv killed three people and left dozens in hospitals. One of the four aerial bombs hit a five-story residential building on Saturday afternoon, officials said. Regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said 41 people were still being treated for injuries. In a video address following the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Ukraine's partners to bolster its air defences. Modern air defence systems for Ukraine such as Patriots, accelerated training of our pilots for F-16s, and most importantly, sufficient range for our weapons are truly necessary, he said. Two people were wounded by falling debris when two Russian missiles were shot down over the Kyiv region overnight, Ukraine's air force commander Mykola Oleschuk said. In Russia, air defence forces shot down 33 Ukrainian drones ov

With new pact with North Korea, Russia raises stakes with West over Ukraine

Behind the smiles, the balloons and the red-carpet pageantry of President Vladimir Putin's visit to North Korea last week, a strong signal came through: In the spiralling confrontation with the US and its allies over Ukraine, the Russian leader is willing to challenge Western interests like never before. The pact that he signed with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un envisions mutual military assistance between Moscow and Pyongyang if either is attacked. Putin also announced for the first time that Russia could provide weapons to the isolated country, a move that could destabilise the Korean Peninsula and reverberate far beyond. He described the potential arms shipments as a response to NATO allies providing Ukraine with longer-range weapons to attack Russia. He bluntly declared that Moscow has nothing to lose and is prepared to go to the end to achieve its goals in Ukraine. Putin's moves added to concerns in Washington and Seoul about what they see as an alliance in which North Korea

Why a crime wave will be unleashed in Russia when its war on Ukraine ends

Crimes committed by servicemen that aren't linked to the war increased by more than 20 per cent last year

May oil imports: Russia at record high, Saudi lowest in 10-month

India shipped in about 5.1 million bpd oil in May, a growth of about 5.6% from April, the data shows

Russian ambassador summoned in South Korea as tensions rise with North

South Korea summoned the Russian ambassador to protest the country's new defense pact with North Korea on Friday, as border tensions continued to rise with vague threats and brief, seemingly accidental incursions by North Korean troops. Earlier Friday, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un issued a vague threat of retaliation after South Korean activists flew balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets across the border, and South Korea's military said it had fired warning shots the previous day to repel North Korean soldiers who briefly crossed the rivals' land border for the third time this month. That came two days after Moscow and Pyongyang reached a pact vowing mutual defense assistance if either is attacked, and a day after Seoul responded by saying it would consider providing arms to Ukraine to fight Russia's invasion. South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong Kyun summoned Russian Ambassador Georgy Zinoviev to convey Seoul's stance on the deal ...

From Pyongyang to Putin: Nuclear diplomacy shifts amid Ukraine standoff

Russian President Vladimir Putin has escalated tensions by threatening to arm North Korea in response to US and allied support for Ukraine

Ukraine can hit inside Russia anywhere its forces attack across border: US

If Russia is attacking or about to attack from its territory into Ukraine, it only makes sense to allow Ukraine to hit back, said the US embassy

Japan imposes trade curbs on Chinese firms for backing Ukraine war

The new sanctions also target firms in India, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan

Russia fires deputy defence min jailed on bribery charges, extends arrest

Russian authorities have formally dismissed a deputy defence minister jailed on bribery charges and accused by Kremlin critics of living a lavish lifestyle, Russian media reported Thursday. A court ordered that his pre-trial detention be extended for three more months. Timur Ivanov, 48, is one of several senior military officers arrested on corruption charges in recent months. He was a close associate of Sergei Shoigu, whom President Vladimir Putin replaced as defence minister last month. Ivanov, arrested in April, was charged with taking an especially large bribe. His lawyers said he maintains his innocence. The Basmanny District Court in Moscow on Thursday extended his detention pending investigation and trial until at least September 23. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison. Russian media, citing an online registry of government officials, said Thursday that Ivanov was dismissed from his post. His lawyer Denis Baluyev confirmed the dismissal in comments to Russian ...

Russian parliament approves proposal to raise income tax for the wealthy

Russia's parliament on Thursday gave preliminary approval to a bill that outlines higher income taxes for Russia's wealthy elite. The bill, which was passed in the first of three readings in the State Duma, Russia's lower parliament house, comes as Moscow continues to spend vast amounts of money on the military campaign in Ukraine. The proposal involves a progressive tax on personal incomes and represents a change of course from the current flat-rate tax that was credited with bringing order and improving tax collections after it was introduced in 2001. It envisages imposing a 13% tax for incomes of up to 2.4 million rubles ($27,500) a year. For incomes over that amount, a steadily higher tax rate would apply. The maximum tax rate would be 22% for annual incomes exceeding 50 million rubles ($573,000). The increased taxes would affect not more than 3.2% of Russia's taxpayers, Russian President Vladimir Putin said this week, citing calculations by the Finance Ministry. The proposed

Putin inks deals with Vietnam to shore up ties in Asia to offset isolation

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed at least a dozen deals with his Vietnamese counterpart on Thursday and offered to supply fossil fuels, including natural gas, to Vietnam during a state visit that comes as Moscow is seeking to bolster ties in Asia to offset its growing international isolation over its war in Ukraine. Putin and President To Lam agreed to further cooperate in education, science and technology, oil and gas exploration and clean energy. The two countries also agreed to work on a roadmap for a nuclear science and technology centre in Vietnam. Of the 12 publicly announced agreements, none overtly pertained to defense but Lam said there were other deals that were not made public. Putin said the two countries share an interest in developing a reliable security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region with no room for closed military-political blocs. Lam added that both Russia and Vietnam wanted to "further cooperate in defence and security to cope with non-traditional

Putin says Russia keen to partner with Vietnam in energy, security

Russia, a major energy, natural resources and nuclear power, pivoted to Asia after the West imposed sanctions on Moscow for the conflict in Ukraine

Vietnam welcomes Russian Prez Putin, vows to strengthen diplomatic ties

Russian President Vladmir Putin arrived in Vietnam on Thursday, Russian news agency RIA-Novosti reported, for a state visit to strengthen ties with a longtime partner at a time when Moscow is facing growing international isolation because of its war in Ukraine. Putin landed in the Southeast Asian country after concluding his first trip to North Korea in 24 years. There, he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed an agreement that pledges mutual aid if either country faces aggression, a strategic pact that comes as both face escalating standoffs with the West. Details of the deal were not immediately clear, but it could mark the strongest connection between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War. In Hanoi, the Russian leader is scheduled to meet Vietnam's most powerful politician, Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the new President To Lam and other politicians. The trip has resulted in a sharp rebuke from the United States Embassy in Hanoi.

Russia obliterates front-line Ukraine towns by retrofitting bombs

The first shock wave shattered aisles stacked almost to the ceiling with home improvement products. The next Russian bomb streaked down like a comet seconds later, unleashing flames that left the megastore an ashen shell. A third bomb failed to detonate when it landed behind the Epicenter shopping complex in Kharkiv. Investigators hope it will help them trace the supply chain for the latest generation of retrofitted Russian glide bombs that are laying waste to eastern Ukraine. The Soviet-era bombs are adapted on the cheap with imported electronics that allow distant Russian warplanes to launch them at Ukraine. Other cities that have been devastated by the weapons include Avdiivka, Chasiv Yar and Vovchansk, and Russia has nearly unlimited supplies of the bombs, which are dispatched from airfields just across the border that Ukraine has not been able to hit. Store manager Oleksandr Lutsenko said the May 25 attack hints at Russia's aim for Kharkiv: Their goal is to turn it into a ghost

Deal between Putin, Kim requires immediate military assistance: North Korea

The deal could mark the strongest connection between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War

Putin gives North Korea's Kim a luxury Russian-built limousine, says TASS

Photos released by Russian media showed Putin and Kim taking turns to take the wheel in the new Aurus around the guest house following the summit talks

Parlous state of Indian refining segment threatens clean energy projects

Govt-run refiners may not be able to aggressively invest in clean energy projects as they stare at a rough road amid dwindling margins, volatile crude prices, shrinking discounts on Russian oil buys

Putin, Kim ink mutual defence pact; North Korea vows unconditional support

On his first visit to Pyongyang since July 2000, Putin explicitly linked Russia's deepening of ties with North Korea to the West's growing support for Ukraine

Russia and North Korea have vowed to aid each other if attacked: Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a new partnership deal that includes a vow of mutual aid if either country is attacked, as both face escalating standoffs with the west. It was not clear what kind of assistance the deal, described as a comprehensive strategic partnership, would call for. Putin's first visit to North Korea in 24 years comes amid growing concerns over an arms arrangement in which the country provides Moscow with badly needed munitions for its war in Ukraine in exchange for economic assistance and technology transfers that could enhance the threat posed by Kim's nuclear weapons and missile program. Putin added that Russia would not rule out developing military-technical cooperation with North Korea the deal, according Russian state news agencies. Kim said that the agreement was of a peaceful and defensive nature, according to Ria Novosti. I have no doubt it will become a driving force accelerating the creation of a new ...