Tag: Russia

Sabotage suspected after Nord Stream pipeline leaks

  Copenhagen, Denmark (AFP) by Camille BAS-WOHLERT The two Nord Stream gas pipelines linking Russia and Europe have been hit by unexplained leaks, Scandinavian authorities said Tuesday, raising suspicions of sabotage. The pipelines have been at the centre of geopolitical tensions in recent months as Russia cut gas supplies to Europe in suspected retaliation against Western sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine. While the pipelines, which are operated by a consortium majority-owned by Russian gas […]

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Putin wants to ‘save people’ of Moscow-held Ukrainian territories

Moscow, Russia (AFP) President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia wanted to “save people” in four Moscow-controlled territories in Ukraine, on the last day of annexation votes denounced as a sham by Western leaders. If the regions vote to join Russia, Moscow will claim sovereignty over about 20 percent of Ukraine, including Crimea, which was annexed in 2014. “Saving people in all the territories where this referendum is taking place… is the focus of the attention […]

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Russians arriving daily in Georgia have doubled since draft: minister

  Tbilisi, Georgia (AFP) The number of Russians arriving daily in neighbouring Georgia has nearly doubled since President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilisation for the war in Ukraine, officials in Tbilisi said Tuesday. Putin’s announcement has sparked a new wave of exodus to the Caucasus country of Georgia which has been a major destination for Russians fleeing since the war began on February 24. “Four to five days ago 5,000-6,000 (Russians) were arriving in […]

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As Ukraine war grinds on, Saudi influence grows

by Robbie COREY-BOULET and Haitham EL-TABEI Agence France-Presse RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Saudi Arabia’s unexpected role in brokering the release of foreign fighters detained in Ukraine was just the latest example of how the kingdom is seeking to bolster its international standing, diplomats and analysts say. It also enables Riyadh to argue that preserving ties with Moscow -– a source of tension with Washington, especially since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine -– can be a […]

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Finland sees record surge in Russians crossing border

Helsinki, Finland (AFP) Finland said on Monday it had recorded the year’s busiest weekend in terms of Russians entering the country, after Moscow’s military call-up announcement caused a rush for the border. “Last weekend was the busiest weekend of the year for traffic on the eastern border,” Mert Sasioglu of the Finnish border guard told AFP. The border agency said nearly 8,600 Russians entered Finland via the land border on Saturday and nearly 4,200 crossed the […]

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Russia school shooting leaves 13 dead, including children

  Moscow, Russia (AFP) The death toll has risen to 13 people, including seven children, after a shooting at a school in the city of Izhevsk in central Russia, investigators said Monday. The attack was the latest in a series of school shootings that have shaken Russia in recent years and came with the country on edge over efforts to mobilise tens of thousands of men to fight in Ukraine. “Thirteen people, including six adults […]

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URGENT: At least six dead in Russia school shooting, attacker kills self: officials

Moscow, Russia (AFP) At least six people were dead and some 20 wounded after a gunman opened fire in a school in the central Russian city of Izhevsk, the interior ministry said Monday. “The body of the man who opened fire has now been found by police. According to reports, he committed suicide. At the moment, there are six dead and around 20 injured by his actions,” the ministry said on Telegram, with the region’s […]

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Queues build up at Mongolian border as people flee Russia call-up

  Altanbulag, Mongolia (AFP) Long lines of vehicles were seen at a border crossing between Mongolia and Russia on Sunday as people fled the Kremlin’s call-up of hundreds of thousands of reservists for the war in Ukraine. The head of a checkpoint in the town of Altanbulag told AFP that more than 3,000 Russians had entered Mongolia via the crossing since Wednesday, most of them men. Queues of people holding Russian passports were also seen […]

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Blinken demands action on Putin at UN showdown on Ukraine

by Michael Mathes Agence France-Presse UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday demanded President Vladimir Putin be held to account as he faced Russia in a Security Council session in which the United Nations cataloged abuses in Ukraine. Pressure has swelled against Moscow as world leaders attend the UN General Assembly, but in the highly anticipated first encounter between the top Russian and US diplomats since the war […]

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Russia begins troop mobilization for Ukraine fight

by Dmytro GORSHKOV Agence France-Presse KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Moscow began its mandatory troop call-up Thursday to try to bolster a stumbling war effort in Ukraine, with authorities saying thousands had volunteered even as Russian men fled the country to avoid being forced to fight. Amateur footage posted on social media since President Vladimir Putin ordered the mobilization of reservists on Wednesday purported to show hundreds of Russian citizens across the country responding to military […]

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Putin ally Medvedchuk, 55 servicemen freed in swap with Ukraine

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — President Vladimir Putin’s ally Viktor Medvedchuk and 55 servicemen were handed over to Russia in a record-high prisoner swap with Kyiv, a leader of Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine confirmed Thursday. “Fifty-six people were released, 55 of them servicemen… Viktor Medvedchuk was also released from captivity,” Denis Pushilin told the state-run RIA Novosti news agency, referring to the former Ukrainian lawmaker, who was accused of high treason. Medvedchuk, 68, is one […]

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Erdogan emerges a key mediator in Ukraine war

ISTANBUL, Turkey AFP) – A mysterious reference on US television to an imminent Russia-Ukraine prisoner swap highlights Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s unique role as mediator and friend of both sides in time of war. Erdogan flew to New York from a meeting in Uzbekistan with Russian President Vladimir Putin — his third in three months — to tell US viewers on Monday that the Kremlin “is willing to end this (war) as soon as […]

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