Page 81 - Russia

Russia may have been behind recent failed arson attack in Prague: Czech PM

Czech authorities suspect that Russia may have been behind last week's attempt to set Prague public transport buses on fire, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said Monday. A 26-year-old suspect was arrested Saturday and charged with terrorism in connection with Thursday's failed arson attack. The suspect, who is from Latin America, faces up to life in prison if convicted, said police chief officer Martin Vondrek. There's a suspicion that the attack was likely organised and financed from Russia, Fiala said. He said the failed attempt was likely part of Russia's hybrid war against his country. He said the attempt was part of Russia's repeated effort to undermine the trust of citizens in our state. Czechia is a staunch supporter of Ukraine that is fighting Russia's invasion. Unfortunately, it's not the first case, Fiala said, pointing to a huge ammunition depot explosion allegedly caused by Russian spies. Czech leaders said in 2021 that they had evidence pointing to the participation of two

Putin to visit North Korea, Vietnam soon to strengthen diplomatic ties

The Kremlin has said Russia wants to build a partnership with North Korea "in all areas" but has yet to confirm the date of the visit

US officials expect G7 to warn small Chinese banks over Russia ties: Report

This year's G7 summit is also expected to focus on leveraging profits generated by Russian assets frozen in the West for Ukraine's benefit

Russia puts former Ukrainian PM Yulia Tymoshenko on its wanted list

Russia has put former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko on its wanted list, Russian state media reported, citing the Interior Ministry's database. Russian state news agency Tass said Tymoshenko was listed as wanted on unspecified criminal charges. She reportedly joins Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his predecessor, Petro Poroshenko, on the same list, which also includes scores of officials and lawmakers from Ukraine and NATO countries. Tymoshenko and her Batkivshchyna (the Fatherland) party did not immediately comment Saturday. Mediazona, an independent Russian news outlet, reported that both Zelenskyy and Poroshenko had been listed since at least late February. Among others on the list is Kaja Kallas, the prime minister of NATO and EU member Estonia, who has fiercely advocated for increased military aid to Kyiv and stronger sanctions against Moscow. Russian officials in February said that Kallas is wanted because of Tallinn's efforts to remove Soviet-era ...

'Attacks in Russian-occupied Ukrainian regions of Kherson kill 28 people'

Russia-installed officials in the partially occupied Ukrainian regions of Kherson and Luhansk say Ukrainian attacks left at least 27 people dead as Russia and Ukraine continued to exchange drone attacks overnight into Saturday. A Ukrainian attack Friday on the small town of Sadove in Ukraine's partially occupied Kherson region killed 22 and wounded 15 people, Moscow-backed governor Vladimir Saldo said. Russian state news agency Tass cited Saldo as saying that Ukrainian forces first struck the town with a French-made guided bomb, then attacked again with a US-supplied HIMARS missile. He said Ukrainian forces had deliberately made a repeat strike to create greater numbers of casualties when residents of nearby houses ran out to help the injured. Further east, Leonid Pasechnik, the Russia-installed governor in Ukraine's partially occupied Luhansk region, said Saturday that two more bodies had been pulled from the rubble following Friday's Ukrainian missile attack on the regional capit

'Bodies of all students who drowned in Russian river being flown to India'

Russian authorities have recovered bodies of all the four Indian students who drowned in the Volkhov river, a Maharashtra Government official said on Saturday. While two bodies were found within the first two days of the June 4 incident, Russian officials said two more were recovered this morning, Jalgaon district collector Ayush Prasad said. The bodies are being flown to Mumbai and will be later taken to the students' native places in Jalgaon district, the official said. While Harshal Anantrao Desale, Jishan Ashpak Pinjari, Jia Firoj Pinjari and Malik Gulamgous Mohammad Yakub drowned, another student Nisha Bhupesh Sonawane survived. All were aged between 18 and 20. They were studying at Yaroslav-the-Wise Novgorod State University. The students were on a walk along the Volkhov river, when they entered the waters, a university official had said. Jishan Pinjari was on a video call with his parents when he and three others drowned, a family member said. When they entered the Volkhov

Russian central bank keeps key rate unchanged at 16%; inflation at 8.17%

"The Bank of Russia holds open the prospect of increasing the key rate at its upcoming meeting," the bank said in a statement

Russian court starts trial of US soldier arrested on theft charges

A court in Russia's far eastern city of Vladivostok on Thursday began the trial of an American soldier arrested earlier this year on charges of stealing. Staff Sgt. Gordon Black, 34, flew to Vladivostok, a Pacific port city, to see his girlfriend and was arrested after she accused him of stealing from her, according to US officials and Russian authorities. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted. Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported from the courtroom in the Pervomaisky District Court in Vladivostok that Black agreed to testify in the trial and will respond to the accusations against him later in the proceedings. The report also cited local police as saying that Black is cooperating with the authorities. Black's arrest further complicates US relations with Russia, which have grown increasingly tense as the fighting in Ukraine continues. Russia is holding a number of Americans in its jails, including corporate security executive Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal

Four Indian students drown in Russia, one rescued: What we know so far

The Consulate General of India in St Petersburg informed that they are working together with the local authorities of Veliky Novgorod city to send the mortal remains to the relatives

Amid sanctions, Putin pivots to eastern allies for Russian investment forum

Western sanctions have not torpedoed Russia's economy, however, and Moscow has nurtured ties with China, major regional powers in the Middle East and across Africa and Latin America

Russian warships to arrive in Havana, will not carry nukes: Cuban officials

Four Russian ships, including a nuclear-powered submarine, will arrive in Havana next week, Cuban officials said Thursday, citing historically friendly relations between both nations and as tensions escalate over Western military support for Ukraine in its war with Russia. Cuba's foreign ministry said in a news release that the ships will be in Havana between June 12 and June 17, noting that none of them will carry any nuclear weapons and assuring their presence does not represent a threat to the region. The announcement came a day after U.S. officials said that Washington had been tracking Russian warships and aircraft that were expected to arrive in the Caribbean for a military exercise. They said the exercise would be part of a broader Russian response to the U.S. support for Ukraine. The officials said that the Russian military presence was notable but not concerning. However, it's taking place as Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested that Moscow could take asymmetrical

Russia, China raise concerns with US over UN resolution on Gaza ceasefire

Biden laid out a three-phase ceasefire plan for the Gaza Strip a week ago that he described as an Israeli initiative

France to provide Mirage fighter jets to fend off Russian attacks: Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that France will provide Ukraine with its Mirage combat aircraft to be able to defend their country against Russian aggression. Macron said in an interview with French public broadcaster that he will announce on Friday a new cooperation" with Ukraine and the sale of Mirage 2005, the French-made combat aircraft which will allow Ukraine to protect its soil, its airspace against Russian attacks. France will also start training Ukrainian pilots, Macron said. He reiterated that Ukraine should be allowed to use weapons provided by its Western allies to target Russian military targets and neutralise the points from which (the country) is being attacked.

Russia could deploy missiles in striking distance of West, says Putin

Putin also said Moscow was considering deploying similar high-technology, long-range missiles close enough to strike the states that allowed Ukraine to strike Russian territory with such missiles

Results of US elections won't change Moscow, Washington relations: Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that nothing will change in terms of Russia-US relations regardless of whether Joe Biden or Donald Trump wins the American presidential election in November. We will work with any president the American people elect, Putin said, responding to questions from international journalists on the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum. I say absolutely sincerely, I wouldn't say that we believe that after the election something will change on the Russian track in the American politics, he added. We don't think so. We think nothing that serious will happen. Putin also said Trump's felony conviction at his hush money trial last week was the result of "the use of the court system as part of the internal political struggle. The Russian leader faced questions for the first time since his inauguration to a fifth term from senior news leaders of international news agencies, including The Associated Press. Putin has used the ann

Zelenskyy hopes for India's presence at Swiss peace summit next week

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday on his party-led coalition's third consecutive victory in the parliamentary elections and said he was looking forward to India's presence at the peace summit concerning the Russia-Ukrainian war in Switzerland next week. Zelensky also welcomed the successful holding of the world's largest democratic elections in India. "Congratulations to Prime Minister @NarendraModi, the BJP, and BJP-led NDA on the third consecutive victory in India's parliamentary elections. I wish the people of India peace and prosperity, and I hope for continued cooperation between our countries. India and Ukraine share common values and a rich history. May our partnership continue to thrive, bringing progress and mutual understanding for our nations," he said. Asserting that everyone in the world recognises the significance and weight of India's role in global affairs, he said, "it is critical that we all work together to

World leaders congratulate PM Modi, while US and Russia remain silent

The US State Department stated in a Tuesday night press briefing that the Biden administration is waiting for the final election results

European Union prepares for foreign disinformation ahead of elections

Voters in the European Union are set to elect lawmakers starting Thursday for the bloc's parliament, in a major democratic exercise that's also likely to be overshadowed by online disinformation. Experts have warned that artificial intelligence could supercharge the spread of fake news that could disrupt the election in the EU and many other countries this year. But the stakes are especially high in Europe, which has been confronting Russian propaganda efforts as Moscow's war with Ukraine drags on. Here's a closer look: WHAT'S HAPPENING? Some 360 million people in 27 nations from Portugal to Finland, Ireland to Cyprus will choose 720 European Parliament lawmakers in an election that runs Thursday to Sunday. In the months leading up to the vote, experts have observed a surge in the quantity and quality of fake news and anti-EU disinformation being peddled in member countries. A big fear is that deceiving voters will be easier than ever, enabled by new AI tools that make it easy t

Efforts should be recognised in Russia-Ukraine peace measures, says China

China has never "fanned fire or fuelled the flames", said Mao Ning, addressing a question on a peace summit

Proposed ban on Russia's LNG transports not to impact Asia: EU commissioner

European Union proposed to ban re-loading services by EU facilities for trans-shipment of Russian LNG to third countries