Page 94 - Russia

Russian agency investigating assault on concert hall as terrorist attack

Russia's top investigative agency is investigating the shootings, explosions and fire at a Moscow concert hall as a terrorist attack. The Investigative Committee said it has opened a criminal probe into the charges, though it didn't say who might be behind the attack. Several gunmen burst into a big concert hall on the edge of Moscow on Friday and sprayed visitors with automatic gunfire, killing and injuring an unspecified number of people and starting a massive blaze. The attack happened just days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide.

Gunmen with automatic weapons fire at crowds at Moscow concert hall

Several gunmen in combat fatigues burst into a big concert hall in Moscow on Friday and fired automatic weapons at the crowd, injuring an unspecified number of people, Russian media said. Russian news reports said that the assailants also used explosives, causing a massive blaze at the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow. Video posted on social media showed huge plumes of black smoke rising over the building. Russia's state RIA Novosti news agency reported that at least three people in combat fatigues fired weapons. The state Tass news agency also reported the shooting. Extended rounds of gunfire could be heard on multiple videos posted by Russian media and Telegram channels. One showed two men with rifles moving through the mall. Another one showed a man inside the auditorium, saying the assailants set it on fire, with incessant gunshots ringing out in the background. Andrei Vorobyov, the governor of the Moscow region, said he was heading to the area and set up a task .

Indian refiners refuse to take Russian oil delivered on Sovcomflot tankers

Private and state-run processors including the biggest - Indian Oil Corp. - have stopped taking cargoes if they're on Sovcomflot tankers

EU Commission proposes to impose tariffs on grain imports from Russia

The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, is proposing to member countries to impose tariffs on grain imports from Russia and Belarus, commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday. Speaking at the end of the opening day of a summit of EU leaders in Brussels, Von der Leyen said the move would prevent Russia from destabilizing the EU market with its imports of cereals, oilseeds and derived products. It will stop Russia from using the revenues from the export of these goods to the European Union, and it will ensure that illegal Russian exports of stolen Ukrainian grain do not enter the EU market, she said. Von der Leyen did not give any details about the value of the proposed tariffs. Russia was one of the main trade partners of the European Union before it invaded Ukraine. In support to Ukraine in the war against Russia, the EU has imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia. The measures have targeted the energy sector, banks, the world's bigges

EU leaders debating fresh ways to get more arms to help war-torn Ukraine

European Union leaders on Thursday debated fresh ways to help boost arms and ammunition production for Ukraine amid a new sense of urgency about the future of the war-torn country. Ukraine's munition stocks are desperately low, while Russia has more and better-armed troops. There is also a growing awareness that the EU must provide for its own security, with election campaigning in the US raising questions about Washington's commitment to its allies. At the same time, political rhetoric is at fever pitch as the campaign for Europe-wide elections on June 6-9 gathers pace, with security a major issue. As they talk up the need to fund the defense industry, both at home and in Ukraine, many leaders are also trying to convince citizens that budgets could be tightened elsewhere. Ahead of the summit in Brussels, EU Council President Charles Michel said the Europeans face a pivotal moment." He said that with Europe "facing the biggest security threat since the Second World War, it is high .

'Govt trying to bring back Kerala men stranded in Ukraine-Russia conflict'

Three young men from Kerala are stranded in war-torn Ukraine after being lured with promise of a lucrative job in the Russian army and then being allegedly forced to fight in the ongoing conflict there, with Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan saying all efforts are being made to bring them back. According to the families of the three men, they were taken to Russia by a recruitment agency with the promise of a huge salary of Rs 2.5 lakh and on reaching there, their passports and mobile phones were taken away. Thereafter, they were made to fight for the Russian forces in Ukraine, they alleged. The mothers of the men told a TV channel that they came to know what had happened when one of their sons got injured in the war there and managed to call back home. "We just want our sons to be brought back home safe as soon as possible," they said. Reacting to the reports about the three men being stranded in Ukraine, Muraleedharan said the Indian government had been aware

PM Modi has open invitation to visit Russia: Kremlin spokesperson Peskov

"While discussing the Russia-Ukraine conflict, PM reiterated India's consistent position in favour of dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward. The two leaders agreed to remain in touch," it added

Russia fires 31 missiles at Kyiv in first attack in 44 days, 13 people hurt

Russia fired 31 ballistic and cruise missiles at Kyiv before dawn on Thursday in the first attack on the Ukrainian capital in 44 days, officials said. Air defenses shot down all the incoming missiles, though 13 people including a child were injured by falling wreckage, they said. Residents of Kyiv were woken up by loud explosions around 5 am as the missiles arrived at roughly the same time from different directions, said Serhii Popko, head of the Kyiv City Administration. Ukraine's air force said Russia launched two ballistic missiles and 29 cruise missiles against the capital. An 11-year-old girl and a 38-year-old man were hospitalised, the city administration said. Eight other people sustained light injuries, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko. Ukraine's Emergency Service said around 80 people were evacuated from their homes. Falling wreckage from the intercepted missiles set fire to at least one apartment building, burned parked cars and left craters in streets and a small par

We support efforts for peaceful conflict resolution: PM Modi to Zelenskyy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and asserted that India supports all efforts for an early and peaceful resolution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. While discussing the ongoing conflict with him in a telephonic conversation, Modi reiterated India's people-centric approach and called for dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward, a stand he conveyed to Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier in the day as well. "Had a good conversation with President @ZelenskyyUa on strengthening the India-Ukraine partnership. Conveyed India's consistent support for all efforts for peace and bringing an early end to the ongoing conflict. India will continue to provide humanitarian assistance guided by our people-centric approach," Modi said on X. He spoke to Putin on Wednesday and also congratulated him on his re-election. Zelenskyy appreciated India's continued humanitarian assistance for the people of Ukraine, a statement said, as the two .

Paris Olympics: IOC excludes Russian and Belarusian from opening ceremony

Russian and Belarusian athletes will not be allowed to take part in the traditional parade at the opening ceremony at the Paris Olympics, the IOC said on Tuesday. The opening ceremony on July 26 will see thousands of athletes travel on boats down the River Seine for several kilometres toward the Eiffel Tower, instead of the normal parade of teams inside a stadium. The IOC said athletes from Russia and Belarus who are approved to compete at the Olympics as neutrals will have a chance only to experience the event likely watching from near the river. The IOC has laid out a vetting procedure for Russian and Belarusian athletes to be granted neutral status, with requirements including that they must not have publicly supported the invasion of Ukraine, or be affiliated with military or state security agencies. The IOC said it expects about 36 neutral athletes with Russian passports and 22 with Belarus passports to qualify for the Paris Games. A decision on whether those athletes will b

February crude oil imports from Russia edged up from January trade

The world's third biggest oil importer and consumer, India has been gorging on Russian oil since the West imposed sanctions on Moscow for its invasion on Ukraine in February 2022

West decries reelection of Putin as President; China, India vow closer ties

"Russia's election was an election without choice," German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said at the start of the meeting.

Prez Putin wins Russia election in landslide with no serious competition

Russian President Vladimir Putin basked in a victory early Monday that was never in doubt, as partial election results showed him easily securing a fifth term after facing only token challengers and harshly suppressing opposition voices. With little margin for protest, Russians crowded outside polling stations at noon Sunday, on the last day of the election, apparently heeding an opposition call to express their displeasure with Putin. Still, the impending landslide underlined that Russian leader would accept nothing less than full control of the country's political system as he extends his nearly quarter-century rule for six more years. Putin hailed the early results as an indication of "trust" and "hope" in him while critics saw them as another reflection of the preordained nature of the election. "Of course, we have lots of tasks ahead. But I want to make it clear for everyone: When we were consolidated, no one has ever managed to frighten us, to suppress our will and our ...

Russia's Putin warns west, says conflict with Nato just one step from WW3

The Ukraine war has triggered the deepest crisis in Moscow's relations with the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

How Russia's grabbing of Crimea led to war with Ukraine, tensions with West

A decade ago, President Vladimir Putin seized Crimea from Ukraine, a bold land grab that set the stage for Russia to invade its neighbor in 2022. The quick and bloodless seizure of the diamond-shaped peninsula, home to Russia's Black Sea fleet and a popular vacation site, touched off a wave of patriotism and sent Putin's popularity soaring. Crimea is ours! became a popular slogan in Russia. Now that Putin has been anointed to another six-year term as president, he is determined to extend his gains in Ukraine amid Russia's battlefield successes and waning Western support for Kyiv. Putin has been vague about his goals in Ukraine as the fighting grinds into a third year at the expense of many lives on both sides, but some of his top lieutenants still talk of capturing Kyiv and cutting Ukraine's access to the Black Sea. The largest conflict in Europe since World War II has sent tensions between Moscow and the West soaring to levels rarely seen during even the chilliest moments of the C

Vladimir Putin: From the KGB to running Russia for nearly three decades

With an 87 per cent vote share, 71-year-old Putin has cemented his power, and if he completes his six-year tenure, he will become the longest-reigning Russian leader ever

Drones key to gain advantage over Russia, says Ukraine's army chief

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as part of his military reforms ordered in February the creation of a separate branch of Ukraine's armed forces devoted to drones

With poll win in his pocket, Putin wants to secure a buffer zone in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said after extending his rule in an election that stifled opposition that Moscow will not relent in its invasion of Ukraine and plans to create a buffer zone to help protect against long-range Ukrainian strikes and cross-border raids. The Kremlin's forces have made battlefield progress as Kyiv's troops struggle with a severe shortage of artillery shells and exhausted front-line units after more than two years of war. The front line stretches over 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) across eastern and southern Ukraine. Advances have been slow and costly, and Ukraine has increasingly used its long-range firepower to hit oil refineries and depots deep inside Russia. Also, groups claiming to be Ukraine-based Russian opponents of the Kremlin have launched cross-border incursions. "We will be forced at some point, when we consider it necessary, to create a certain sanitary zone' on the territories controlled by the (Ukrainian government)," Putin said late ...

India buying more oil from US as fresh sanctions stifle Russian flows

Russian crude flows to India surged after the invasion of Ukraine and the OPEC+ producer is still the biggest supplier to the South Asian nation, but tighter US sanctions have stranded cargoes

Two tankers with Russia's Urals oil idle for weeks off West Coast of India

It remains unclear why they have been idling but there are growing signs that western sanctions are disrupting the fleet of tankers moving Russian oil