Russian leader says separatists should put off Sunday's vote Pro-Russian militia to consider Putin's advice Russian troops have 'moved away' from the border 9.26pm BST 8.51pm BST Much of Odessa spent the day in mourning for the lives lost over last Friday, when more than 40 died in violent clashes and a fire. 8.40pm BST The White House will remove Russia from a program offering favorable trade rates,...
Russian president also calls for halt to Ukrainian military operations against pro-Russia activists in eastern towns The Kremlin beat a tactical retreat over a regional referendum following days of soaring tension that have left dozens dead and fed fears of a civil war in Ukraine. Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, said the referendum being staged by pro-Russia separatists in parts of eastern Ukraine...
UK foreign secretary accuses Moscow of failing to take action on Geneva accord and denies extremists are dominating Ukraine Russia is deliberately fomenting disorder in Ukraine to disrupt the presidential elections in the former Soviet republic later this month, the British foreign secretary, William Hague, has said. As the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said pro-Russia rebels in the east...
US defence secretary downplays need for large deployments Hagel warns of 'shadowy conflicts with irregular forces' The US defense secretary said Tuesday that America can have a persistent global presence without engaging in major military deployments. With the specter of war in Ukraine hanging over his words, Chuck Hagel , the former Republican senator turned defense secretary for Barack Obama, argued...
Casualties on both sides as Kiev attempts to regain control of east and Russia insists that rebels be included in talks on equal terms A day after intense fighting in eastern Ukraine, the region remained on the brink of civil war as a diplomatic initiative to end the confrontation floundered, with Russia insisting that the rebels holding much of the south and east of the country should be included...
Kremlin imposes unprecedented requirements on global payment systems operating in Russia in response to US sanctions International credit card companies face a "severe impact" on their operations in Russia following a strict new law Moscow has adopted in response to Visa and Mastercard freezing service to banks under US sanctions. Visa described the regulations as "unprecedented"...
Moscow threat recedes but soldiers at sleepy crossing fear armed separatists on their own side of the border Dovzhanske is a sleepy border crossing between Russia and Ukraine where, normally, there is very little activity. But these are not normal times. At the checkpoint, located between the Ukrainian city of Donetsk and the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, several Ukrainian border guards in green berets...
In a divided and dangerous world, we need to teach the new powers some manners To know a society is not only to know its explicit rules. One must also know how to apply them: when to use them, when to violate them, when to turn down a choice that is offered, and when we are effectively obliged to do something but have to pretend we are doing it as a free choice. Consider the paradox, for instance,...
Steve Bell on Vladimir Putin's clampdown on swearing – cartoon Comment is free The Guardian Turn autoplay off Turn autoplay on Please activate cookies in order to turn autoplay off Jump to content [s] Jump to comments [c] Jump to site navigation [0] Jump to search [4] Terms and conditions [8] Edition: UK US AU Your activity Email subscriptions Account details Linked services Sign out Profile Beta About...
White House officials struggled to explain what would trigger harsher round of economic measures against Russia at Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing Obama administration officials struggled on Tuesday to explain what would trigger harsher economic measures against Russia, amid fears of a potential separatist referendum in the south and east of Ukraine this coming Sunday. At a Tuesday afternoon...
Frank-Walter Steinmeier says Ukraine is 'a few steps away' from military conflict as dozens are reported dead near Slavyansk Ukraine is close to war, the German foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, has warned in interviews published in four European newspapers on Tuesday. Dozens are feared to have died in clashes outside Slavyansk on Monday as Ukrainian troops clashed with pro-Russia separatists....
The aftermath of fighting between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists in Slavyansk on Monday. Four Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and at least 30 injured, according to official figures, as the army attempted to regain control of the east of the country. The separatists also reported a number of deaths in the fighting though exact figures were impossible to verify Continue reading... ...
Four Ukrainian soldiers killed and at least 30 injured in latest fighting, as funerals are held for people killed in Odessa fire Four Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and at least 30 injured, according to officials, in clashes with separatists as the army attempted to regain control of eastern Ukraine. There was fighting at a number of points on the outskirts of Slavyansk on Monday, the base of...
Pro-Russia prisoners are cheered by supporters as they walk free after militants stormed the Ukrainian police station in Odessa on Sunday. Officers agreed to release scores of prisoners detained on Friday, after crowds stormed the police station. The released detainees were hugged and cheered as they left the building Continue reading... ...
Insurgents 'deploying large-calibre weapons and mortars' Pro-Russia fighters report number of fatalities Fighting in several sites around eastern city Ukrainian troops have fought pitched gun battles with a pro-Russia militia occupying an eastern city an apparent escalation of their efforts to bring the region back under government control. Associated Press reporters heard gunfire and multiple explosions...
Vladimir Putin gave 'Order of Service to the Fatherland' medals to 300 journalists known for Kremlin-friendly coverage The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, secretly gave prestigious awards to pro-Kremlin journalists for their "objective coverage" of the events leading up to the March annexation of Crimea, it has emerged. Putin awarded medals of the "Order of Service to the Fatherland"...
What do you get when a set designer is given free rein to take over a show? Colliding pianos, magic prams and Sputnik on ice. We meet a Russian stage visionary in Moscow The most astonishing moment in Opus No 7 is not the part when the stage is invaded by a fleet of rusty metal grand pianos, clattering and crashing into each other like demented bumper cars. Nor is it the scene in which a virtual Nazi...
A week before Donetsk region votes on secession, rebels are rebuilding barricades despite Kiev's attempt to retake control "We have God in our hearts, and they have cockroaches in their brains," said a Cossack military commander who would only give his nickname, "the Diver", and who was speaking into a walkie-talkie outside rebel headquarters in Kramatorsk. The Ukrainian army entered...
Protesters attack building in Ukrainian port city where 42 people died in blaze on Friday Pro-Russia militants have stormed the police headquarters in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa, where 42 people died in clashes two days ago . An AFP reporter on the scene said the crowd of more than 2,000 shouted "fascists, fascists" as they attacked the building, demanding the release of some of their...
The west has many more vigorous measures at its disposal, but it also has too many interests in Russia to punish Moscow hard In its complex battle of sanctions chess with Vladimir Putin, the west has so far confined itself to rather modest tactics. Visa bans on leading officials and freezing the assets of minor companies amount to the economic equivalent of nudging a few pawns slowly up the board....