As more and more well-to-do Russians shift cash into London real estate, Stephen Moss heads to Moscow to investigate What is it about London that wealthy Russians can't get enough of? Thanks in no small part to the crisis in Ukraine , their takeover of the London property market is growing apace. According to the Financial Times (£) , well-to-do Russians and Ukrainians too "are trying to...
Singer Mariya Yaremchuk may miss out on traditional high scores from sympathetic regional allies on Saturday When Mariya Yaremchuk was selected last year to represent Ukraine in Saturday's Eurovision song contest, she might have fancied her chances. After all, the bloc voting that has for years subverted the euro pop fest has habitually played in Ukraine's favour. Getting good scores - Ukraine came...
Russian president gives speech to soldiers and war veterans at Victory Day military parade in Red Square Vladimir Putin has praised the Soviet role in defeating fascism, as Russia marked the anniversary of the second world war victory over Nazi Germany. In a speech to soldiers and war veterans gathered on Moscow's Red Square for the annual Victory Day military parade, Putin said those who defeated...
Thousands of Russian troops march in Red Square to mark 69 years since victory in the second world war a show of military might amid tensions in Ukraine Continue reading... ...
Thousands of Russian troops march in Moscow's Red Square on Victory Day, marking 69 years since Germany's second world war surrender to the Soviet Union in 1945. According to Russian government figures, Russian losses during the conflict stand at 26.6m, although historians often put forward many different estimates of the numbers. This year's parade takes on a greater political significance than usual...
Interior minister says 20 'terrorists' were also killed, but medical authorities report three deaths and 25 injuries At least three people were killed as Ukrainian government forces attacked the occupied police headquarters in the south-eastern port city of Mariupol, according to medical authorities. Government troops were attempting to drive out pro-Russia militants who had seized the building, the...
President attends second world war commemorations held for first time since Russia took over region from Ukraine Vladimir Putin has arrived in Crimea as the region holds its first Victory Day commemorations since Russia's takeover. Continue reading... ...
The Russian president's council for human rights proposes that the UN and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe should do everything possible to promote international negotiations with the aim of ending the violence in Ukraine . Chancellor Merkel and President Putin have apparently also discussed a similar initiative by phone. It is in everyone's interest in the rest of Europe as...
His may well be the same as they were. What has shifted is the understanding, on both sides, of relative weakness and strength President Vladimir Putin has changed the tone of the international argument over Ukraine, but it remains to be seen whether he has really changed the terms on which Russia has so far insisted when discussing that country's future. But that change of tone is in itself welcome....
Separatist leaders in Donetsk say vote to establish republic will go ahead, as Nato finds no proof of Russian troops' withdrawal Pro-Russian separatists occupying public buildings in eastern Ukraine have pledged to press ahead with a referendum on Sunday to establish their own "republic" despite Russia calling for the vote to be postponed. Continue reading... ...
Foreign secretary William Hague says he hopes separatists in eastern Ukraine heed the request by Russian president Vladimir Putin to postpone a referendum. But Hague says there are no signs of Russian troops pulling back from the Ukrainian border, despite Putin's claims to the contrary. Hague is speaking on Thursday in Tbilisi, where he was meeting Georgian foreign minister Maia Panjikidze Continue...
Photographs from the Guardian Eyewitness series Continue reading... ...
Art and literature would miss out without the rude language of everyday life share examples of the quality quotes that would fall foul of Putin If Vladimir Putin gets his way and he tends to any book published in Russia that contains "foul language" will soon have to be sold in a sealed package and marked with a warning. Swearwords will also be banned and fines issued to anyone who sneaks...
Putin's U-turn over the separatist referendum in eastern Ukraine is a clever move not least because he may well lose it Vladimir Putin acts, and the west (sometimes) reacts. That has been the pattern of the Ukraine crisis since it erupted into an open contest between Russia and the west last November. At every stage, whether through poor intelligence, policy shambles or divisions in Europe and with...
Pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine say a referendum for autonomy of the east of the country will go ahead, despite calls from President Vladimir Putin to postpone. The committee from the self-proclaimed Donestsk People's Republic claims a vote on whether to hold the referendum came back with a 100% positive result Continue reading... ...
So-called Donetsk People's Republic says vote will take place on Sunday despite Russian president's call for postponement A referendum on autonomy in east Ukraine is to go ahead despite a call from the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, to delay the vote. Continue reading... ...
One of two forthcoming Gipper biopics to show the former president from the perspective of a Russian secret service agent A forthcoming biopic of Ronald Reagan will tell the story of the 40th president of the United States through the eyes of the KGB man sent to spy on him, reports Variety . Titled Reagan, the film is being touted to buyers at the upcoming Cannes film festival. Space Cowboys writer...
The shell of a car on the road to Slavyansk is a modern memento mori: an image, as Ballard and Warhol understood, of normality engulfed by horror This photograph of a burnt-out car on a road near Semyonovka village , near Slavyansk, blazes with foreboding about the future of Ukraine. It is a truly menacing picture. The sky has turned dark. Iron-grey clouds blacken with the promise of a coming storm....
Numbers have replaced names as the body count in the east and south-east of Ukraine passed 50 in the last week Four coffins laid outside the Church of Pentecost in rebel held Slavyansk's main square on Wednesday were a bitter reminder of the human cost of the mounting violence in the south-east and eastern regions of Ukraine. The four men were killed in clashes between the rebel, pro-Russia forces...
The Russian president wants to censor bad language in plays, films and books. Irvine Welsh and others tell Alison Flood why this is a dreadful idea Irvine Welsh isn't pleased. The author who has three instances of "cunt", one of "fuck" and one of "fucking" on the first page of his novel Trainspotting has just learned about Russia's planned clampdown on "foul language"....