Page 27 - Vladimir Putin

Russian oil spill kills over 30 dolphins; Putin called ecological disaster

Thirty-two dolphins have died since fuel oil spilled out of two storm-stricken tankers three weeks ago in the Kerch Strait, which separates the Russia-occupied Crimean Peninsula from Russia's southern Krasnodar region, an animal rescue group said Sunday. Russia's Delfa Dolphin Rescue and Research Center said the deaths are most likely related to the fuel oil spill. The centre said on the messaging app Telegram that a total of 61 dead cetaceans an order of aquatic mammals that includes whales and dolphins had been recorded since the emergency, but the condition of the bodies suggested that the 29 others had died before the spill. Judging by the condition of the bodies, most likely the majority of these cetaceans died in the first 10 days after the disaster. And now the sea continues to wash them up, the centre wrote, noting that most of the dead dolphins were from the endangered Azov species. Russia's Emergencies Ministry said on Sunday that over 96,000 tons of contaminated sand a

Zelenskyy says Russia suffered losses, including North Korean soldiers

US, Ukrainian and South Korean intelligence estimates indicate that the number of North Korean soldiers in Russia are between 11,000 to 12,000, some of whom have already engaged in combat operations

Trump's strength, unpredictability can help end war with Russia: Zelenskyy

US President-elect Donald Trump is strong and unpredictable, and those qualities can be a decisive factor in his policy approach to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. However, Zelenskyy said it won't be possible to end the almost three years of war in one day, as Trump claimed during his election campaign he could do. The hot' stage of the war can end quite quickly, if Trump is strong in his position, Zelensky said in a Ukrainian television interview late Thursday, referring to fighting on the battlefield. I believe (Trump) is strong and unpredictable. I would very much like President Trump's unpredictability to be directed primarily toward the Russian Federation, Zelenskyy said. Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, hasn't publicly fleshed out his policy on Ukraine but his previous comments have put a question mark over whether the United States will continue to be Ukraine's biggest and most important military backer. Zelenskyy is

Putin asks Russian govt, top bank to develop AI cooperation with China

Putin's instructions were published on the Kremlin's website on Wednesday, three weeks after he announced that Russia would team up with Brics partners and other countries to develop AI

Zelenskyy confident of Trump's capability of ending Putin's aggression

Ukrainian President further emphasised the nation's commitment to bringing its people back home and spoke about the 189 Ukrainians who were recently freed

China Russia moving forward hand-in-hand along the right path: Xi to Putin

China and Russia are moving forward hand in hand along the "right path" of non-alliance, non-confrontation and their relations have been advancing towards "higher levels," Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday in his New Year message to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Xi and Putin exchanged New Year greetings highlighting their burgeoning strategic ties in recent years. In the face of the accelerated transformation unseen in a century and a volatile international landscape, China and Russia always move forward hand in hand along the right path of non-alliance, non-confrontation, and not targeting any third party," Xi said in the message. Putin in his message said both countries have advanced the Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era to new heights. The mutually beneficial cooperation between China's and Russia's economy, trade, energy, transportation, science, and technology is progressing in an orderly manner, the Russian ...

Hundreds of soldiers freed in prisoner exchange between Russia, Ukraine

Russia and Ukraine have exchanged prisoners of war in the latest such swap that saw the release of hundreds of captives and was brokered with the help of the United Arab Emirates, officials said Monday. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 189 Ukrainian prisoners, including military personnel, border guards and national guards along with two civilians were freed. He thanked the UAE for helping negotiate the exchange. Russia's Defence Ministry said that 150 Russian soldiers were freed from captivity as part of the exchange in which each side released 150 people. The reason for the discrepancy in numbers wasn't immediately clear. We are working to free everyone from Russian captivity, Zelenskyy said in a statement. We do not forget anyone. He posted pictures of Ukrainian soldiers sitting on a bus, some holding the country's blue-and-yellow flags. Zelenskyy said that those freed from Russian captivity included defenders of the Snake Island off the Black Sea port of Odesa, w

2024: A year of triumphs, setbacks for Putin, here's how it unfolded

In 2024, President Vladimir Putin further cemented his grip on power and sought to counter Russia's isolation from the West over the war in Ukraine. But he faced continuing challenges, with a deadly attack by gunmen in Moscow and an incursion by Kyiv's troops on his territory. As Russia's nearly 3-year-old war in Ukraine enters a new, potentially pivotal phase amid a new U.S. administration and its uncertain support for Kyiv, here's a look back at how the year unfolded for Putin: January: A presidential campaign with no real opponents Putin ran for a fifth term in office with his top opponents either jailed or exiled abroad. But in a rare show of defiance, thousands of Russians queued in the January cold to sign petitions for an unlikely challenger. Boris Nadezhdin, a 60-year-old legislator and war critic, got the 100,000 signatures needed to put him on the ballot, but election authorities eventually barred him from running. Still, the support he received reflected anti-war sentimen

Future of Ukraine-Russia gas transit deal faces critical moment of truth

Ukraine is under mounting pressure from Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and a group of central European companies to keep gas moving from its eastern border with Russia into the European Union

Putin apologises to Azerbaijani counterpart for tragic plane crash incident

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday apologised to his Azerbaijani counterpart for what he called a tragic incident following the crash of an Azerbaijani airliner in Kazakhstan that killed 38 people. The plane was flying on Wednesday from Azerbaijan's capital of Baku to Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, when it turned toward Kazakhstan and crashed while making an attempt to land. There were 29 survivors. In an official statement Saturday, the Kremlin said air defence systems were firing near Grozny on Wednesday due to a Ukrainian drone strike, but stopped short of saying one of these hit the plane. On Friday, a US official and an Azerbaijani minister made separate statements blaming the crash on an external weapon.

Altercation erupts at high-level meeting of Russia-dominated economic union

A tightly-scripted meeting of the Russia-dominated economic alliance of several ex-Soviet nations briefly went awry Thursday when two leaders engaged in bickering during a live broadcast of the event. Russian President Vladimir Putin and other heads of states attended the meeting of the Eurasian Economic Union, which includes Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who has increasingly sought to phase down his country's ties with Moscow and forge closer relations with the West, joined the meeting via video link after cancelling his trip following a positive test for COVID-19. The carefully choreographed session at a resort near St. Petersburg veered off script when Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, whose country was taking the rotating chairmanship in the economic grouping from Armenia, urged Pashinyan to visit Belarus for the union's next meeting. Pashinyan responded that he plans to attend the Belarus meeting via vide

China's President Xi Jinping will visit Russia in 2025, says Russian envoy

China, working with Brazil, has put forward a peace plan for the Ukraine war, calling for a freezing of battle lines and taking into account the security interests of both sides

It's up to Trump team to make first move to improve ties, says Russia

Trump's designated Ukraine envoy, retired Lieutenant-General Kellogg, told Fox News on Dec. 18 that both sides were ready for peace talks and that Trump was in a perfect position to execute a deal

Russia's inflation at 9.5% amid rising prices of essentials, shows data

Inflationary expectations among households for the coming year also reached 13.9 per cent in December, the highest level since the beginning of the year

From Trump's return to Hasina's ouster: Top events of the world in 2024

A dramatic campaign, a comeback, and peace efforts amid attacks & counterattacks - 2024 redefined global relations. Diplomacy was tested, power disrupted, and the world watched as history was made

Russian missiles target Ukraine's energy infrastructure on Christmas day

Russia launched a massive missile barrage targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure on Wednesday, striking a thermal power plant and prompting Ukrainians to take shelter in metro stations on Christmas morning. In a Facebook statement, Ukrainian energy minister, Herman Halushchenko, said Russia again massively attacks energy infrastructure." Ukraine's Air Force alerted multiple missiles fired at Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Poltava regions east of the country. The (electricity) distribution system operator takes the necessary measures to limit consumption to minimise negative consequences for the power system, he said. As soon as the security situation allows, energy workers will establish the damage caused. Ukraine's biggest private energy company, DTEK, said Russia struck one of their thermal power plants Wednesday morning, making it the 13th attack on Ukraine's power grid this year. Denying light and warmth to millions of peace-loving people as they celebrate Christmas is a depraved and

Russia never abandoned desire to normalise ties with US, says Putin

In an interview with Russian TV and radio outlet VGTRK, Putin said, "It is possible to do everything if there is desire. We have never abandoned this desire"

Russia targets Kyiv in response to Ukrainian strike using US-made weapons

Ukraine's air force said it intercepted five Iskander short-range ballistic missiles fired at the city

Russia keeps rates at 21% amid inflation struggles fueled by war spendings

Russia's central bank has left its benchmark interest rate at 21 per cent, holding off on further increases as it struggles to snuff out inflation fueled by the government's spending on the war against Ukraine. The decision comes amid criticism from influential business figures, including tycoons close to the Kremlin, that high rates are putting the brakes on business activity and the economy. Factories are running three shifts making everything from vehicles to clothing for the military, while a labour shortage is driving up wages and fat enlistment bonuses are putting more rubles in people's bank accounts to spend. All that is driving up prices. On top of that, the weakening Russian ruble raises the prices of imported goods like cars and consumer electronics from China, which has become Russia's biggest trade partner since Western sanctions disrupted economic relations with Europe and the US. High rates can dampen inflation but also make it more expensive for businesses to get th

Brics developing tools to lead global economy, attract new members: Putin

Russian head of state emphasised that the association works for the interests of the member states