Russian President Vladimir Putin last week met with the mothers of Russian soldiers serving in Ukraine in an event that was timed to coincide with Mother’s Day in Russia. Before the gathering even came to an end, journalists had managed to identify most participants as women with close ties to the government and the ruling…
European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday floated the idea of a “specialized court” to put Russia’s top officials on trial over the war in Ukraine. “While continuing to support the International Criminal Court, we are proposing to set up a specialized court backed by the United Nations to investigate and prosecute Russia’s…
The Russian military should deploy next-generation weapons in its campaign in Ukraine, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday. “We need to continue upgrading and creating advanced systems with their subsequent application in the special military operation,” Shoigu said at a ministerial board meeting. Shoigu did not specify which types of innovative weapons systems he was…
South Korea’s military said it scrambled fighter jets Wednesday as six Russian and two Chinese warplanes entered its air defense zone without notice. Japan’s military also said it had scrambled jets in response to flights over the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, by Russian and Chinese aircraft. Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of…
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov on Wednesday said Pope Francis “fell victim to propaganda” after the pontiff singled out the alleged role of Russian ethnic minorities in the Ukraine offensive. Kadyrov, who rules the Muslim-majority Chechnya in Russia with widespread violation of human rights, has been one of Moscow’s most vocal supporters in the campaign. “The…
Jailed Belarusian opposition activist Maria Kolesnikova, who helped lead historic pro-democracy protests in her country in 2020, is in intensive care in the hospital, her allies said Tuesday. Kolesnikova was sentenced to 11 years in prison in August 2021 for “conspiracy” over her role in the mass protests that erupted before and after Belarusian President…
Russia’s postal service has launched deliveries of European fashion brands like Zara and H&M that have exited or reduced their presence in Russia this year over the war in Ukraine, the state-run TASS news agency reported Tuesday. Shipping companies in Russia have been exploring workarounds after hundreds of Western companies withdrew from the Russian market in…
Oil tanks near Russia’s border with Belarus and Ukraine caught fire early Wednesday, local authorities said Wednesday. The oil tank fires come a day after Russian regions bordering Ukraine reported one of the widest spates of shelling attacks on their territory since the start of Moscow’s invasion of its western neighbor. Bryansk region Governor Alexander Bogomaz…
Ukraine urged NATO members Tuesday to speed up weapons deliveries and help restore its shattered power grid, as Western allies vowed to bolster support to aid Kyiv through winter in the face of Russia’s attacks. Moscow has unleashed waves of strikes against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as its troops are pushed back on the ground, plunging…