Page 43 - Vladimir Putin

Ukraine, Russia exchange drone attacks while Russia advances in east

Russia reported some 60 drones and several missiles shot down over its territory overnight into Sunday, with Ukraine in turn saying it destroyed over 30 Russian drones. Russia's renewed offensive continues to play out in Ukraine's war-ravaged northeast. Russian air defences shot down 57 Ukrainian drones over its southern Krasnodar region overnight Saturday, the Russian Defence Ministry said Sunday morning. Local military officials said drone debris hit an oil refinery in the town of Slavyansk-on-Kuban, but there was no fire or damage. Local news outlet Astra published videos appearing to show an explosion at the refinery as it was hit by a drone. The videos could not be independently verified. Nine long-range ballistic missiles and a drone were destroyed over the Russia-occupied Crimean Peninsula, following Friday morning's massive Ukrainian drone attack that cut off power in the city of Sevastopol. A further three drones were shot down over the Belgorod region, which borders Ukrai

Vladimir Putin, Xi Jingping vow to cooperate against US 'containment'

The two leaders also warned of "increased strategic risks" from spiraling tensions between nuclear powers

'Sent envoy to Israel to stop bombing at least during Ramzan': PM Modi

'I sent my special envoy to Israel and asked him to convey and explain to the Prime Minister that at least do not carry out bombings in Gaza during Ramzan,' said PM Modi

Putin focuses on trade, cultural exchanges after reaffirming ties with Xi

Russian President Vladimir Putin focused on trade and cultural exchanges on Friday on his state visit to China that started with bonhomie in Beijing and a summit with China's leader Xi Jinping that deepened their no-limits partnership as both countries face rising tensions with the West. Putin will attend the China-Russia Expo in the northeastern city of Harbin and meet with students at Harbin Institute of Technology. Harbin, capital of China's Heilongjiang province, was once home to many Russian expatriates and retains some of these historical ties in the city's architecture, such as the central Saint Sophia Cathedral, a former Russian Orthodox church. Though Putin's visit is more symbolic and short on concrete proposals, the two countries, which both face rising tensions with the West, nonetheless are sending a clear message. At this moment, they're reminding the West that they can be defiant when they want to, said Joseph Torigian, a research fellow at Stanford University's Hoove

Russia asks British diplomat to leave country in a week in tit-for-tat move

Russia on Thursday declared Britain's defence attach persona non grata and gave the diplomat a week to leave the country in response to London's decision to expel the Russian defence attach earlier this month over spying allegations. Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it summoned a representative of the British Embassy in Moscow on Thursday to express its strong protest in connection with the unfriendly and groundless decision to expel the Russian attach from London. We emphasized that we regard this step as a politically motivated action of clearly Russophobic nature, which is causing irreparable damage to bilateral relations, the statement read. Britain on May 8 announced several measures to target Moscow's intelligence gathering operations in the UK Those included a decision to boot Maxim Elovik, a Russian colonel who the British government termed an undeclared military intelligence officer, rescinding the diplomatic status of several Russian-owned properties ...

Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping pledge new era, cast US as Cold War hegemon

Xi and Putin believe the post-Cold War era of extraordinary U.S. dominance is crumbling after perceived humiliations of the 1991 Soviet collapse and centuries of European colonial dominance of China

Ukraine risks dragging West into major war with Russia, says Putin ally

President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine has touched off the worst breakdown in relations between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis

China, Russia ties stabilising factor, conducive to peace, says Putin

Russia's President Vladimir Putin landed in Beijing on Thursday for a two-day state visit to China, in a show of unity between the authoritarian allies as Moscow presses forward with a new offensive in Ukraine. Putin's visit comes as Russia has become more economically dependent on China following Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago. On the eve of the visit, Putin said in an interview with Chinese media that the Kremlin is prepared to negotiate over the conflict in Ukraine. We are open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including ours, Putin was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency. The Russian leader's two-day trip comes as his country's forces have pressed an offensive in northeastern Ukraine's Kharkiv region that began last week in the most significant border incursion since the full-scale invasion began, forcing almost 8,000 people to flee thei

As Putin visits China to meet Xi; here's what to know about the allies

Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to China starting on Thursday underlines an increasingly close partnership between the two allies who oppose the US-led democratic order. China, led by President Xi Jinping, has offered robust diplomatic support to Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine and has emerged as a top export market for Russian oil and gas, helping fill the Kremlin's war coffers. Russia also has relied on China as the main source of high-tech imports to keep its military machine running. Once Communist rivals, the two countries that share a 4,200-kilometer (2,600-mile) border have become closer in recent years. A look at that relationship: DEAR FRIENDS' Putin and Xi have met over 40 times and developed strong personal ties to bolster their "strategic partnership as they both face soaring tensions with the West. Xi last travelled to Moscow in March 2023, where they addressed each other as dear friend and exchanged compliments. Putin went to Beijing in October for a su

Ukrainian troops retreat, Zelenskyy postpones trips amid Russian offensive

Ukrainian forces withdrew from some parts of the country's northeast and battled Russian troops in other areas Wednesday, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's decision to postpone all his upcoming foreign trips underscored the seriousness of the threat his soldiers face. Against that grim backdrop, visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought to reassure Ukraine of continuing American support, announcing a $2 billion arms deal. Most of the money comes from a package approved last month. The top diplomat's trip comes as Russian troops press a new offensive in Ukraine's Kharkiv region. It began last week, marking the most significant border incursion since the full-scale invasion began in 2022 and forcing thousands to flee their homes. In recent weeks, Moscow's forces have also sought to build on gains in the eastern region of Donetsk. Taken together, the developments mean the war has entered a critical stage for Ukraine's depleted army. Ukraine's General Staff reported late .

Russian forces advancing in Ukraine from all sides as per plan: Putin

Russia has been pushing Ukrainian forces back at various points in recent months despite hundreds of billions of dollars worth of aid from the United States and its allies

Zelenskyy postpones foreign visits as Ukraine faces new Russian offensive

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office said Wednesday that he has postponed all his upcoming foreign visits amid a new Russian offensive. Zelenskyy cancelled all foreign visits that were planned for the coming days, his office said Wednesday on Telegram. The head of state instructed his team to reschedule the visits. We are grateful to our partners for understanding, the announcement said. Zelenskyy had been expected to visit Spain, and perhaps Portugal, later this week.

Ukraine plans electricity imports after Russian attacks on energy system

Ukraine consumes up to 19,000 Mwh at peak of consumption in winter

Russian air destroys 10 Ukraine-launched ATACMS missiles over Crimea

The war has killed thousands, displaced millions and turned Ukrainian cities into rubble

Defying west, President Putin scheduled to meet Xi Jinping in Beijing

Blinken said Beijing's supply of dual-use goods was 'powering Russia's brutal war of aggression against Ukraine'

ICC prosecutor faces demand to act against Israeli leaders, Putin warrant

The International Criminal Court's prosecutor faced demands Tuesday for speedy action against Israeli leaders and a blistering Russian attack over the ICC's arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin stemming from Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Karim Khan responded by telling the UN Security Council that he will not be swayed or intimidated as his team investigates possible war crimes or crimes against humanity in Gaza and the Palestinian territories as well as in Ukraine. Libya's UN ambassador, Taher El-Sonni, told Khan that if the Libyan cases the ICC is investigating are so complex that they won't be completed until the end of 2025, he should allocate the court's efforts to the war in Gaza. El-Sonni claimed genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity are being perpetrated by Israeli forces. The world expects the ICC to be courageous and to issue arrest warrants against officials of the Israeli regime who have repeated again and again that they want to commit genocidal actio

Putin backs China's Ukraine peace plan, says Beijing understands conflict

Putin, speaking to China's Xinhua news agency ahead of his visit to Beijing this week, said Russia remained open to dialogue and talks to solve the more than two-year-old conflict

Russia arrests another senior defence min official in bribery charges

Russian authorities arrested another senior Defence Ministry official on charges of bribery, authorities said Tuesday, days after President Vladimir Putin replaced the defence minister in a Cabinet shake-up and amid expectations of further purges at the ministry. The Investigative Committee, Russia's top law enforcement body, wrote in a statement that Lt. Gen. Yury Kuznetsov, the chief of the ministry's main personnel directorate, was arrested on charges of bribery and placed in custody pending investigation and trial. Kuznetsov is accused of accepting an exceptionally large bribe, a charge punishable by up to 15 years in prison, the statement said. The official's home and other properties were searched, the Investigative Committee reported, and the authorities seized gold coins, luxury items and 100 million rubles (just over USD 1 million) in cash. Putin replaced Sergei Shoigu as defence minister Sunday in a Cabinet shakeup that comes as he begins his fifth term in office, moving

US delay in war aide allowed Putin inflict more damage: Ukraine's ex-prez

Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said the long delay by the US Congress in approving military aid for his country was a colossal waste of time, allowing Russian President Vladimir Putin to inflict more suffering in the 2-year-old invasion and prolonging the war. The severe lack of ammunition, which forced outgunned Ukrainian forces to surrender village after village on the front lines, also sowed concern among Ukraine's other Western allies about Kyiv's prospects in repelling the Russian invasion, Yushchenko told The Associated Press in an interview on Monday. That sent a signal to Putin to attack, ruin infrastructure, rampage all over Ukraine, said Yushchenko, a pro-European reformer who sought to distance Kyiv from Moscow during his 2005-2010 administration. And, of course, this undermines the morale of those in the world who stand with and support Ukraine, said Yushchenko, who was in Philadelphia to speak at a World Affairs Council event. The delay is not fatal to ..

Putin shuffles security team, replaces defence minister Sergei Shoigu

Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Sunday proposed replacing Sergei Shoigu as defence minister on Sunday and appointed him as secretary of Russia's national security council. The appointment comes after Putin proposed appointing Andrei Belousov as the country's defence minister in place of Shoigu, who has served in the post for years. The reshuffle comes as Putin starts his fifth presidential term and as the war in Ukraine drags on for the third year In line with Russian law, the entire Russian Cabinet resigned on Tuesday following Putin's glittering inauguration in the Kremlin. The announcement came as thousands more civilians have fled Russia's renewed ground offensive in Ukraine's northeast that has targeted towns and villages with a barrage of artillery and mortar shelling, officials said Sunday. The intense battles have forced at least one Ukrainian unit to withdraw in the Kharkiv region, capitulating more land to Russian forces across less defended settlements in the so-cal