After armed men seized the Crimea parliament building and raised the Russian flag, the US says Russia has pledged to respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Kyiv’s new government has approached the IMF for help. Russia has denied that Moscow had any hand in the takeover of the local parliament building in Simferopol, the Crimean regional capital on Thursday. Gunmen with rocket-propelled grenades and sniper rifles erected a sign reading “Crimea is Russia” and raised the Russian […]
Tag: Russia
Alarm in Ukraine as Putin puts Russian troops on alert
(Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin put Russian combat troops on high alert for war games near Ukraine on Wednesday, the Kremlin’s most powerful gesture yet after days of sabre rattling since its ally Viktor Yanukovich was toppled as president in Kiev. Thousands of ethnic Russians, who form the majority in Ukraine’s Crimea region, demonstrated for independence for the peninsula that hosts part of Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet. They scuffled with rival demonstrators, mainly from the […]
Russia and West seek to soothe Ukraine tension
Russian and Western diplomats have signaled a desire for calm as the dust settles from the fall of ex-President Viktor Yanukoych’s government. Efforts are also underway to help the country stave off imminent bankruptcy. As Ukraine’s interim government sought to grapple with the threat of economic collapse on Tuesday, weeks of disagreement between major powers gave way to a more conciliatory tone. EU and US diplomats visited the country, while Russia appeared to soften its […]
Russia lightens up with softer image at closing ceremony
Feb 23 2014, 6:03 PM EST – By Mike Collett-White SOCHI, Russia (Reuters) – An emotional closing ceremony at Russia’s first Winter Olympics painted the hosts in soft colors, in contrast to the muscular, assertive spectacle that kicked off the Games, and there was even room for a joke at the home nation’s expense. The show at the Fisht Stadium on the Black Sea coast opened with a volley of fireworks and a boat suspended […]
Canada beats Sweden 3-0 to win Olympic gold medal in ice hockey
Canada has won the gold medal in men’s ice hockey, the last event of the Sochi Winter Olympics. The Canadians beat Sweden 3-0 in the final. The Canadian men beat Sweden in Sunday’s final 3-0 to defend the gold medal they had won on home ice in Vancouver four years ago. Sweden skated off with the silver medal, while Finland, who defeated the United States 5-0 on Saturday, took bronze. The Canadians, who had defeated the […]
Blast in Russia kills three, authorities suspect gas
MOSCOW Sun Feb 23, 2014 1:55am EST (Reuters) – An explosion that investigators said may have been caused by gas killed three people at a shopping complex in Russia’s remote Altai region in southern Siberia on Sunday, law enforcement authorities said. Russian authorities are on alert for any attacks during the 2014 Winter Olympics, which end on Sunday in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi. Initial reports gave no information about the cause of […]
Sochi Fail? Nobody Told The Athletes
Feb 06 2014, 10:59 AM EST – By Julian Linden SOCHI, Russia (Reuters) – The winter wonderland Russian officials had promised the sporting world burst into life on Thursday as the first events of the Sochi Olympics got underway on the eve of the opening ceremony. The doom and gloom that has shrouded the lead-up to the Games was momentarily forgotten as athletes reclaimed the spotlight from politicians on a picture-perfect winter’s day. In the […]
Russia says Syria to ship chemical arms as civilians flee bombs
By Gabriela Baczynska and Erika Solomon MOSCOW/BEIRUT Tue Feb 4, 2014 4:43pm EST (Reuters) – Russia said its ally Syria would soon ship more chemical weapons abroad for destruction after being accused of dragging its feet, while activists said civilians in Aleppo were fleeing deadly barrel bomb raids by President Bashar al-Assad’s air force. Moscow also said on Tuesday that the Syrian government would show up at a new round of peace talks next week, […]
