Tag: Moscow

Moscow says EU becoming ‘aggressive, militant’

  MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday said he doubted the motives of Ukraine’s intention of joining the European Union, while accusing Brussels of ambitions beyond the European continent. Ukraine, where Russia launched a military campaign on February 24, “is ready to declare a neutral, non-aligned status,” Lavrov told reporters following a meeting of CIS foreign ministers in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe. “At the same time, they are trying in every […]

Ukraine to hold first war crimes trial as Moscow says Kyiv shelled Russian city

  by David Stout, with Dmitry Zaks in Kramatorsk Agence France Presse KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Ukraine announced it will hold its first war crimes trial over the Russian invasion, as Moscow accused Kyiv of shelling a Russian city in the war’s latest flashpoint. The conflict has devastated cities and displaced millions, with fears also growing of its broader international impact as gas supplies to Europe were disrupted by a halt in Russian flows through […]

Mariupol ‘continues to resist’, Ukrainian president says

  by Joris Fioriti, with Joshua Melvin in Kyiv Agence France Presse ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AFP) — The devastated city of Mariupol “continues to resist” despite Russian claims to have captured it, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday as he welcomed fresh US aid to help confront Moscow’s eastern offensive. Russia says it has “liberated” the city, with just a few thousand Ukrainian soldiers left in the Azovstal plant complex, where thousands more civilians are also […]

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 […]

Civilians flee east Ukraine as Kyiv readies for ‘big battles’

by Herve BAR Agence France Presse Ukraine is preparing for “big battles” against Moscow’s forces in the east of the country, officials in Kyiv said, as thousands of civilians flee in fear of an imminent Russian offensive. Evacuations resumed on Saturday from Kramatorsk, in eastern Ukraine, where a missile strike killed 52 people at a railway station a day earlier, as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson became the latest Western leader to visit Kyiv. Hailing […]

New Ukraine-Russia talks set, France’s Macron warns against ‘escalation’

  by Danny KEMP Agence France Presse KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are to sit down for a fresh round of talks this week in an attempt to end the war in Ukraine that the UN estimates has killed at least 1,100 civilians and sent more than 3.8 million fleeing to other countries. Kyiv said the negotiations would start Monday in Turkey, while Russia’s lead negotiator said they would begin on Tuesday […]

Moscow warns ban on Russian oil will have ‘catastrophic consequences’

  MOSCOW< Russia (AFP) — Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak warned Monday that a ban on Russian oil imports would have “catastrophic” consequences, as Western allies consider further sanctions on Moscow over Ukraine. “A ban on Russian oil will lead to catastrophic consequences for the global market. The surge in prices will be unpredictable — more than $300 per barrel, if not more,” Novak said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies. Novak added […]

Putin orders nuclear alert as Ukraine fiercely resists Russian invasion

  by Dave CLARK with Sergey Bobok in Kharkiv, Ukraine Agence France Presse KIEV, Ukraine (AFP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement that his nuclear forces were on alert sparked outcry in the West as the invading troops faced stiff resistance on Monday. The UN General Assembly will hold a rare emergency session Monday to discuss the conflict, which has claimed dozens of lives and raised fears that it will displace millions of people. Ukraine […]

Ukrainian and Russian forces fight over capital Kyiv

  by Dave CLARK and Dmytro GORSHKOV Agence France Presse KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Ukrainian soldiers repulsed a Russian attack in the capital, the military said early Saturday, only hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Moscow would attempt to take Kyiv before dawn. Russian leader Vladimir Putin unleashed a full-scale invasion on Thursday that has killed dozens of people, forced more than 50,000 to flee Ukraine in just 48 hours and sparked fears of […]

Russia says it is ready for talks if Ukraine ‘lays down arms’

  MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday Moscow was ready for talks if Ukraine’s military surrendered, as he insisted that invading forces were looking to free the country from “oppression”. Russian President Vladimir Putin “took the decision to conduct a special military operation to demilitarise and de-Nazify Ukraine so that, freed from oppression, Ukrainians themselves could freely determine their future”, Lavrov said at a press conference in Moscow. The comment […]

Russian forces press deep into Ukraine

  by Dave Clark, with Thibaut Marchand in Chuguiv, Ukraine Agence France Presse KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Invading Russian forces pressed deep into Ukraine as deadly battles reached the outskirts of Kyiv, with explosions heard in the capital early Friday that the besieged government described as “horrific rocket strikes”. The blasts in Kyiv set off a second day of violence after Russian President Vladimir Putin defied Western warnings to unleash a full-scale ground invasion and […]

Russian warship chases off US sub near Pacific islands: Moscow

  MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — A Russian anti-submarine destroyer chased off a US submarine near the Kuril Islands, forcing it to leave the country’s territorial waters, Moscow said Saturday, amid rising tensions over Ukraine. The US military however denied the account. Russia’s defence ministry said that during planned military drills the Marshal Shaposhnikov destroyer had detected a US Navy Virginia-class submarine in Russian territorial waters near the Kuril Islands in the northern Pacific. When the […]