Day: November 18, 2022
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Russian Pandemonium Pop Quiz
Ералаш: mish-mash, chaos; Soviet-era children’s television show It’s Friday in a rather gloomy November, which is the perfect time for a pop quiz. Clear your desk of all papers, switch off your cell phones, get out your pencils and start testing your knowledge of Russian. Паноптикум is (pick two): a) a special wide-angle lens used…
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Russia Accuses Ukraine of Executing at Least 10 Prisoners of War
Updates with comments and background The Russian Defence Ministry on Friday accused Kyiv of executing at least 10 prisoners of war in what Moscow said constituted a “war crime,” the latest allegation of abuses after nearly nine months of fighting in Ukraine. Moscow’s claims come after the UN this week published a report saying prisoners…
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Finland Unveils Plan to Build High-Security Fence Along Russian Border
Finland unveiled a plan on Friday to build a 200-kilometer fence along its border with Russia, amid increased security concerns since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine began in late February. “In this situation, we have every reason to reconsider our arrangements,” Brigadier General Jari Tolppanen of the Finnish Border Guard agency told AFP. Some 200 kilometers of…
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Dutch Foreign Ministry Summons Russian Envoy Over MH17 Verdict
The Netherlands summoned the Russian ambassador on Friday after Moscow accused a Dutch court of a politically motivated verdict in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 above Ukraine. Russia’s foreign ministry had on Thursday described as “scandalous” the ruling by Dutch judges that saw two Russians and a Ukrainian sentenced to life imprisonment in…
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G7 Warns of Growing ‘Hybrid Threats’ From Russia’s War
Russia’s war in Ukraine has had a “significant impact” on the security of other countries, G7 interior ministers said on Friday, warning of attacks on key infrastructure and risks posed by returning foreign fighters. German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser reaffirmed the Group of Seven’s “unwavering solidarity” with Ukraine, after hosting two days of talks in…
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Belarus Autocrat on McDonald’s Departure: ‘Thank God’
Belarus’s autocratic president, Alexander Lukashenko, on Friday ridiculed McDonald’s after the announcement it would be replaced by a Russian franchise following its departure over the Ukraine conflict. McDonald’s in Belarus will from Tuesday operate under the name ‘Delicious. Full Stop.’, the moniker of the Russian chain that took over the U.S. burger group in Russia in…
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In Photos: Ukrainians Prepare For a Long and Cold Winter as Russian Strikes Continue
While usually greeted with excitement, the first snows of the winter were this year met with unease in Ukraine, as millions of people were left without power after a fresh barrage of Russian missile strikes targeting the country’s infrastructure, and millions more feared being left without heat as the mercury plummeted. While the recent recapture…
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Navalny Denounces Harsher Russian Detention Conditions
Jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny says he has been moved to a small, isolated cell and deprived of family visits, his team announced on social media. Navalny said he had been placed in a “cramped cell” used for prisoners accused of bad behavior, adding: “Congratulate me!” Under the toughened detention conditions, he is only…
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Russian Authorities in Crimea to Strengthen Defenses Amid Ukrainian Gains
Russian authorities in annexed Crimea are fortifying the peninsula’s defensive positions, its governor said Friday in a signal of Moscow’s growing concerns over Ukrainian forces’ push to reclaim captured territories in the south. Attacks on the Black Sea peninsula have increased in recent weeks as Kyiv presses on with a counteroffensive to retake territory in southern…
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Sweden Confirms Nord Stream Pipeline Sabotage – Prosecutor
The blasts which destroyed sections of the Nord Stream pipelines carrying natural gas from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea in September were acts of sabotage, Swedish officials confirmed Friday. The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines have been at the center of geopolitical tensions as Russia cut gas supplies to Europe in suspected retaliation…
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Russian Military Dismisses ‘Fake’ Soldiers’ Complaint of Chaotic Kherson Retreat
The Russian military has dismissed as “fake” a video address by mobilized soldiers who accuse commanders of endangering them during last week’s chaotic retreat from southern Ukraine’s city of Kherson, state media reported Thursday. In the video published Tuesday, the soldiers said they had suffered losses during two days of Ukrainian shelling while they were…
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Russia Says Hopes for Prisoner Swap with U.S.
Russia said Friday it hoped the United States will return notorious Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout in a prisoner swap after American basketball star Brittney Griner was transferred to a penal colony. “I would like to hope that the prospect (of an exchange) is not only still a topical issue, but that it is being…
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Russian Deserter Says Ready to Testify on War Crimes in Ukraine
A soldier from a Russian unit accused of committing war crimes in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha said he is ready to testify in an international court as he seeks asylum in Spain, The Guardian reported Thursday. Nikita Chibrin, 27, told The Guardian he heard “widespread rumors” of fellow soldiers committing sexual violence and killing civilians…