Europe

Ukraine vows to fight to the end in Mariupol as ultimatum expires

Ukraine on Sunday vowed to fight to the end in Mariupol after a Russian ultimatum expired for remaining forces to surrender in the Black Sea port city where Moscow is pushing for a major strategic victory. “The city still has not fallen,” Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said hours after Moscow’s deadline had passed for fighters holed up and surrounded in a sprawling fortress-like steelworks to surrender. “There’s still our military forces, our soldiers. So they […]

200,000 risk losing jobs in Moscow over sanctions: mayor

Around 200,000 employees of foreign companies in Moscow could lose their jobs due to sanctions over Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, the city’s mayor said on Monday. “According to our estimates, about 200,000 people are at risk of losing their jobs,” Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in a blog post. He said authorities had last week approved a $41-million programme to support employment in the Russian capital. “First of all, the programme is aimed at […]

Ukraine says ‘powerful’ Russian strikes kill six in Lviv

  LVIV, Ukraine (AFP) — A series of “powerful” Russian strikes on military infrastructure in Lviv on Monday left several dead and ignited blazes in the west Ukraine city that has been spared fierce fighting. A resident of Lviv told AFP they could see thick plumes of grey smoke rising above residential buildings and air raid sirens sounded throughout the city during and after the strikes. “At the moment, we are able to confirm that […]

CIA warns desperate Putin poses nuclear threat

Russia’s setbacks in its invasion of Ukraine could lead President Vladimir Putin to resort to using a tactical or low-yield nuclear weapon, CIA director William Burns said Thursday. “Given the potential desperation of President Putin and the Russian leadership, given the setbacks that they’ve faced so far, militarily, none of us can take lightly the threat posed by a potential resort to tactical nuclear weapons or low-yield nuclear weapons,” Burns said during a speech in […]

Russia warns US of ‘consequences’ of Ukraine military aid: reports

Russia has formally complained to the United States over its military aid to Ukraine, warning of “unpredictable consequences” if shipments of advanced weaponry go forward, US media reported. In a diplomatic note this week, Moscow warned the United States and NATO against sending the “most sensitive” weapons for Kyiv to use in the conflict with Russia, saying such shipments were “adding fuel” to the situation and could come with “unpredictable consequences,” the Washington Post reported. […]

Russia hits Kyiv missile factory after flagship sunk

by Daphne ROUSSEAU Agence France Presse KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Russia pounded a Ukrainian rocket factory following the sinking of its Black Sea flagship, as President Volodymyr Zelensky said his allies could shorten the war by delivering the weapons he had requested. The Vizar factory, near Kyiv’s international airport, was seriously damaged in the overnight strikes, an AFP journalist saw on Friday. Russia said it had used sea-based long-range missiles to hit the plant, which […]

Things to know about the missile cruiser Moskva, Russia’s Black Sea flagship

  MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — The Russian Black Sea flagship Moskva, which was involved in Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine, was badly damaged after Russia said a fire sparked munitions explosions onboard. Here are three things to know about Russia’s symbolic warship which, in addition to being involved in military missions, has been a tool of Moscow’s diplomacy. – Soviet origins – The 186-metre (610-foot) missile cruiser — then called Slava (Glory) — was designed […]

Sinking of warship a ‘big blow’ to Russian fleet: Pentagon

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The sinking of the warship Moskva on Thursday after it was engulfed in an inferno was a “big blow” to Russia’s naval strength in the Black Sea, the Pentagon said Thursday. The guided missile cruiser sank in rough seas after being damaged by fire during Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, Moscow’s defense ministry said. But Ukraine said the ship had been hit in a rocket attack. “This is a […]

Russian flagship sinks after Kyiv claims missile hit

by Joris FIORITI Agence France Presse ODESSA, Ukraine (AFP) — Russia’s Black Sea flagship sank on Thursday after an explosion and fire that Ukraine claimed was a successful missile strike, as the Kremlin accused Kyiv of targeting its citizens in sorties across the border. The Moskva missile cruiser had been leading Russia’s naval effort in the seven-week conflict, in which civilian killings have sparked accusations of genocide from the United States and others. Russia’s defence […]

Germany seizes world’s largest yacht owned by Russian oligarch

BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Germany has officially confiscated the world’s largest superyacht owned by Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, as part of sanctions against Moscow following the outbreak of war in Ukraine, police sources said Thursday. The 156-metre (1,680-feet) long “Dilbar” has an estimated value of $600 million ((555 million euros) according to Forbes magazine. Since last October the boat has been docked for repairs in a Hamburg shipyard. German customs had been eyeing the superyacht […]

Russia ‘would deploy nuclear arms’ near Finland, Sweden if they decide to join NATO

  MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev warned Thursday that Russia would deploy nuclear weapons close to the Baltic States and Scandinavia if Finland or Sweden decide to join NATO. Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s security council and president from 2008 to 2012, wrote on Telegram that if the countries joined, this would more than double Russia’s land border with NATO members. “Naturally, we will have to reinforce these borders,” he said. […]

Finland to decide on NATO membership ‘within weeks’

  by Sam KINGSLEY Agence France Presse HELSINKI, Finland (AFP) — Rattled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Finland’s prime minister said Wednesday the Nordic nation would decide whether to apply for NATO membership “within weeks”, despite the risk of infuriating Moscow. Helsinki’s parliament will next week open a debate about joining the Western alliance after the Ukraine war sparked a dramatic U-turn in public and political opinion in Finland and neighbouring Sweden over long-held policies […]