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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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
by Ania Tsoukanova Agence France Presse KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Ukraine on Wednesday announced the exchange of a record-high 215 imprisoned soldiers with Russia, including fighters who led the defence of Mariupol’s Azovstal steelworks that became an icon of Ukrainian resistance. Russia received 55 prisoners including Viktor Medvedchuk, a former Ukrainian lawmaker and ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin accused of high treason, Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky said in his daily address. The swap […]
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Ten prisoners of war from countries including the United States and Britain have been transferred to Saudi Arabia as part of an exchange between Russia and Ukraine, the Saudi foreign ministry said Wednesday. The prisoners, who also hail from Sweden, Morocco and Croatia, arrived in Saudi Arabia from Russia, and Saudi authorities “are facilitating procedures for their safe return to their respective countries”, the statement said. The move came following […]
by Sylvie LANTEAUME Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Western experts predicted Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s new troop mobilization would prolong the war but not change the balance on the ground, and warned against downplaying his renewed nuclear threat. Putin announced the call-up of 300,000 reservists — more than the nearly 200,000 mustered to invade Ukraine in February — after his troops have lost significant parts of territory seized early in the […]
by Emmanuel PARISSE Agence France-Presse SIVERSK, Ukraine (AFP) — “Don’t worry, it’s us” who are firing, said Nataliya, a shopkeeper in Siversk, implacable behind her counter as the Ukrainian artillery bombarded Russian positions about 10 kilometers away. But the Russians are not slow about firing back — particularly at night. “We got no sleep last night,” said Nataliya, who opens her little shop when the shelling isn’t too close because “people need it”. “It is […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China called Wednesday for a “ceasefire through dialogue and consultation” following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s address on Ukraine, in which he announced a partial military mobilisation. “We call on the relevant parties to realise a ceasefire through dialogue and consultation, and find a solution that accommodates the legitimate security concerns of all parties as soon as possible,” China’s foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a regular press briefing. Putin announced the […]
