Russia recorded almost one million excess deaths between the start of the pandemic and the end of 2021, as the country also reported its sharpest annual fall in population since the fall of the Soviet Union. Pushed down by record numbers of coronavirus fatalities and an already aging population, Russia’s natural population declined by more…
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday called on the West to avoid creating “panic” in the face of the Russian troop buildup on Ukraine’s border. “We don’t need this panic,” Zelensky told a news conference with foreign media. He pointed to the need to “stabilise” Ukraine’s already battered economy as he insisted he saw no greater…
High-stakes talks between Russia and the West have so far failed to de-escalate a tense standoff between the sides, with the United States warning of a serious risk of a Russian offensive against Ukraine. In addition to demanding a ban on Ukraine’s future membership to NATO, Russia wants the Western alliance to pull back its…
President Vladimir Putin told French President Emmanuel Macron that the United States ignored Russia’s key security demands in written responses submitted this week, the Kremlin said Friday. The U.S. and NATO on Wednesday formally rejected Russia’s demand to permanently bar Ukraine from NATO, but outlined areas where they could increase cooperation with Moscow. According to…
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Friday his country would go to war if its key ally Russia was attacked, promising to host “hundreds of thousands” of Russian troops in the event of a conflict. His remarks come as tensions simmer between Moscow and the West over Ukraine, with fears that Russia is preparing to invade…
Russia is not seeking war with the United States and NATO, the country’s top diplomat said Friday as he signaled openness for further dialogue despite the West’s rejection of its sweeping security demands. “If it depends on Russia, there will be no war. We don’t want a war,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. “But we…
Another activist linked to jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has fled Russia, Reuters reported Thursday as the authorities’ year-long campaign to dismantle his network and label its leading figures “terrorists” showed little sign of slowing. Violetta Grudina, 32, was blocked from running for local office in the Arctic port city of Murmansk last year after being…
The Russian navy is to go ahead with live fire exercises off the coast of Ireland despite heightened tensions with the West over Ukraine, the Irish fishing industry said on Thursday. The drills, expected February 1-5 around 200 kilometers (130 miles) southwest of Ireland, had raised fears Irish fishermen would be unable to operate in…
Kyrgyzstan accused Central Asian rival Tajikistan of firing on its troops Thursday in an outbreak of violence that comes after clashes at their contested border left dozens dead last year. “The main exchanges of fire between border guard units of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan take place in the villages of Tort-Kocho and Chyr-Dobo. The Tajik side…
High-stakes talks between Russia and the West have so far failed to de-escalate a tense standoff between the sides, with the United States warning of a serious risk of a Russian offensive against Ukraine. In addition to demanding a ban on Ukraine’s future membership to NATO, Russia wants the Western alliance to pull back its…
Russia’s financial markets staged a decisive fightback Thursday, climbing strongly after weeks of heavy losses, even as the standoff between Moscow and the West over Ukraine continues. Russia’s leading stock market was up more than 7% in dollar terms during trading in Moscow on Thursday afternoon. The ruble gained more than 2% against the U.S.…
While global media outlets are focused on whether or not Russia will invade Ukraine, Russian state media views the rising tensions from a different angle. Over the past 24 hours evening news coverage and leading Russian newspapers have focused on U.S.-Russia negotiations and the likelihood of a Ukrainian attack on Russia-supported separatists in the eastern…
President Vladimir Putin faced criticism Thursday for causing long lines at a mass grave for victims of the Siege of Leningrad to commemorate the 78th anniversary of its lifting, sparking a rebuffal from the Kremlin. A photo shared by the Podyom news website showed Putin walking on the grounds of the Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery in northern…
A U.S. teacher was arrested in a Moscow airport with marijuana and is being held for “large scale” drug smuggling, Russian authorities said on Thursday amid soaring tensions with Washington. Marc Fogel was detained while passing through customs when trained dogs reacted to his luggage, the Interior Ministry said. “Marijuana and hash oil were found…
Russia did not receive a “positive response” from the United States or NATO on its main security demand concerning Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday, but there may still be room for more discussion of other questions. Moscow is seeking sweeping guarantees to limit NATO’s expansion in eastern Europe and the post-Soviet space,…
German prosecutors on Thursday said they had charged a Russian scientist working at a Bavarian university with espionage, accusing him of sharing information about Europe’s Ariane space rocket program with Moscow. The accused, identified only as Ilnur N., was arrested last June, the latest in a string of alleged Russian spies uncovered on German soil…
A conscript in Ukraine’s National Guard shot and killed five people at an aerospace plant in the eastern city of Dnipro, authorities said Thursday. Police said the man, identified as 21-year-old Artemiy Ryabchuk, opened fire in the early hours at the Pivdenmash aeronautics and defense plant he was tasked with guarding, killing four fellow soldiers…
A Ukrainian separatist leader on Thursday urged Russia to send modern weapons to the breakaway statelets to help them defend themselves against Western-backed Kyiv forces. Denis Pushilin spoke after Russia’s ruling party urged the Kremlin to start arming the separatist-held regions with tensions soaring between Moscow and the West. “First and foremost, we need to counter…
Moscow and Kyiv on Wednesday agreed at talks in Paris that all parties should observe a ceasefire in the east of Ukraine after more than eight hours of discussions which were hailed by a French diplomat as sending a “good signal.” A Russian troop build-up close to the border with east of Ukraine has raised…
The United States and NATO on Wednesday rejected Russia’s demand to bar Ukraine from NATO and pushed for a diplomatic solution to a crisis triggered by Moscow’s military build-up near Kyiv’s borders. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg held separate press conferences on their responses given earlier in the…
The U.S. embassy in Ukraine on Wednesday urged its citizens in the ex-Soviet country to “consider departing now” as fears grow over a possible Russian invasion. “The U.S. embassy urges U.S. citizens in Ukraine to consider departing now using commercial or other privately available transportation options,” the embassy said in a statement, warning that the security situation “can deteriorate with little notice.” Kyiv and the West…
High-stakes talks between Russia and the West have so far failed to de-escalate a tense standoff between the sides, with the United States warning of a serious risk of a Russian offensive against Ukraine. In addition to demanding a ban on Ukraine’s future membership to NATO, Russia wants the Western alliance to pull back its…
Russia’s ruling, pro-Kremlin party will ask the country’s leadership to deliver military supplies to eastern Ukraine’s separatist-held breakaway regions, a senior lawmaker said Wednesday, a new escalation of rhetoric amid ongoing tensions over Ukraine. “We appeal to the leadership of our country to provide assistance to the Luhansk and Donetsk republics in the form of…
Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed warm economic ties between Russia and Italy in a controversial video call with leading Italian CEOs on Wednesday. The call sparked concern in Italy and across Europe, as it comes at a time when the EU is trying to finalize a package of economic sanctions to slap on Moscow in…
Russian billionaires have lost a combined $28 billion in recent days amid drastic falls in the value of Russian companies and the ruble in response to mounting fears of military conflict. The Russian stock market is down by around 20% this year alone, and the ruble has approached an all-time low of almost 80 against…
Under an agreement with the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Rosneft has completed construction, commissioning and equipping of a building for the Small Academy of Sciences in the Chapayevo settlement in Khangalassky ulus.
Russia hit back Wednesday at U.S. threats of direct sanctions against President Vladimir Putin, saying moves against the Russian leader would be ineffective and hurt efforts to lower tensions over Ukraine. Officials from France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine met for talks in Paris in the latest bid to ease a crisis sparked by fears that Moscow is preparing…
Authorities in southwestern Russia said Wednesday they have detained a U.S. citizen on criminal charges of assaulting a police officer. The unnamed 27-year-old American suspect is accused of kicking a police officer “several times” while refusing arrest on suspicion of violating public order on public transport while drunk. The incident was said to have taken place…
Russia issued an arrest warrant for the brother of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on Wednesday, part of ongoing efforts to silence opposition voices critical of the Kremlin. The Interior Ministry said Oleg Navalny, 38, is wanted on criminal charges, without providing further details and his name appeared on the ministry’s wanted list, an AFP…
Russia set a sixth consecutive daily record for coronavirus infections Wednesday as officials warned that the surge fueled by the more-contagious Omicron variant could continue for another two weeks. The government’s Covid-19 task force reported 74,692 new infections over the last 24 hours. The increase brings Russia’s total caseload to 11.3 million, the sixth-highest in…
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan – Atai. T was in the office Tuesday when his phone lit up with notifications around noon. Both his parents were trapped in separate elevators on opposite ends of Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, as the city was hit by one of the biggest regional blackouts in Central Asia’s history. They were two…
Russian football fans’ growing boycott movement against a controversial new law requiring them to present personal data before entering the stadium is gaining steam, prompting a response from the Kremlin. The initiative, set to come into force on June 1, will require fans to submit their personal details through a government portal in order to…
High-stakes talks between Russia and the West have so far failed to de-escalate a tense standoff between the sides, with the United States warning of a serious risk of a Russian offensive against Ukraine. In addition to demanding a ban on Ukraine’s future membership to NATO, Russia wants the Western alliance to pull back its…
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday wished his country’s athletes “triumphant performances” at next month’s Winter Olympics in China as he criticized the diplomatic boycott announced by several global powers. Russian athletes are allowed to compete as neutrals — without the Russian flag or anthem — if they can prove their doping record is clean.…
The Russian military will stage large-scale exercises in its regions near Ukraine and in annexed Crimea amid ongoing tensions at the border, news agencies reported Tuesday. The Defense Ministry said 6,000 troops and 60 warplanes have been deployed for so-called combat readiness drills stretching across three regions near Ukraine and in Crimea, which Moscow seized from…
Swathes of western, northern and southern Russia have been blanketed with record snowfall in recent days after a powerful winter cyclone swept in from the North Atlantic, prompting widespread discontent as municipal snow removal services in many cities struggled to keep the roads clear. In Russia’s capital, Moscow, snowdrifts grew to half a meter in…
Moscow on Tuesday accused the United States of ratcheting up tensions over Ukraine after Washington put several thousand troops on alert for possible deployment to boost NATO. The West is accusing Russia, which has massed 100,000 troops on the Ukrainian border, of preparing a potential invasion of its pro-Western neighbor. The troop build-up has sparked the…
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said Monday that his southern Russian region would not be able to survive a month without Moscow’s multi-billion-dollar subsidies. Kadyrov estimated that Russian handouts in Chechnya total 300 billion rubles ($3.8 billion) a year. According to the RBC news website, Moscow’s grants and subsidies to the republic of Chechnya totaled 125.6…
A new documentary about jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s poisoning will have its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, the Sundance Institute announced Monday. “Navalny,” a fly-on-the-wall look into the saga that unfolded following the Kremlin critic’s near-fatal poisoning, was revealed as the “mystery 10th film” to be screened in the prestigious festival’s…
Millions of people were left without power after a huge blackout hit three Central Asian countries Tuesday following an unspecified accident, officials in the ex-Soviet region said. The capitals of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan as well as Kazakhstan’s economic hub Almaty suffered power cuts at around lunchtime local time, with media and officials reporting that the…
Russia added Alexei Navalny and several of his top aides to the country’s “terrorists and extremists” register Tuesday. The Kremlin critic appeared on the list, which is maintained by Russia’s Federal Financial Monitoring Service, on Tuesday. The online database lists individuals Russian authorities believe are involved in activities that support “terrorist or extremist” organizations. The…
NATO said Monday it was sending jets and ships to bolster its eastern European flank, as the U.S. and EU looked to coordinate a tough response to Russia if it invades Ukraine. Tensions have soared over Russia’s deployment of some 100,000 troops and heavy armour at its neighbour’s borders, despite the Kremlin’s insistence it is…
High-stakes talks between Russia and the West have so far failed to de-escalate a tense standoff between the sides, with the United States warning of a serious risk of a Russian offensive against Ukraine. In addition to demanding a ban on Ukraine’s future membership to NATO, Russia wants the Western alliance to pull back its…
As Western countries recall diplomats from Kyiv amid fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, The Moscow Times asked experts what likely scenarios could emerge in the coming weeks. Here’s our roundup: Annexing the Donbas Annexing the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics — unrecognized states proclaimed by pro-Russian separatists in East Ukraine’s Donbas region in…
Four million Russian workers have registered as self-employed since the introduction of an income tax regime targeted toward them in 2019, the country’s Federal Tax Service said in a statement on its website. According to the FTS, more than 7,000 people a day register with the scheme, most of them running taxi, repair and delivery,…
Ukrainian athletes should avoid standing next to their Russian rivals at the 2022 Beijing Olympics next week, Ukraine’s Sports Minister said Monday. Minister Vadym Gutzeit told the national broadcaster Suspilne that the 45 Ukrainian athletes heading to the Winter Games have been briefed on how to behave in case of “provocations.” “They should not stand…
Russia’s Central Bank was forced to halt foreign currency purchases Monday in a bid to stop a dramatic slide in the value of the ruble. The Russian currency was down 2.3% by Monday afternoon against the U.S. dollar — a significant move in the foreign currency markets — trading at 79.3 at one point. That…
The Kremlin on Monday accused the United States and NATO of ramping up tensions after the U.S.-led military bloc said it was bolstering Europe’s eastern defences amid the Ukraine crisis. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Washington and NATO were escalating tensions through “information hysteria” and “concrete actions,” adding that the risk of an offensive by Ukrainian…
Russia set a fourth consecutive daily record for coronavirus infections Monday as the Omicron variant continues to spread across the country. A total of 65,109 new infections were recorded over the past 24 hours, according to the government’s Covid-19 task force. Moscow, the epicenter of Russia’s outbreak, also reported a record of 17,528 confirmed infections.…
The U.S., U.K. and Australia are among the countries that have ordered some diplomats and their family members stationed in Kyiv to leave Ukraine amid fears of an imminent Russian invasion. The United States said Sunday it has ordered the families of its diplomats to depart the country along with some government staff. It also…
Germany’s new government is facing pressure to get tough on Russia, after a German navy chief’s pro-Moscow remarks angered Kyiv and exasperation grows with Berlin’s fence-sitting in the Ukraine crisis. After a week of frantic diplomacy that included a visit to Berlin by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government found itself…
The United States is not “at this time” organizing an evacuation of American citizens from Ukraine despite rising fears of an unspecified military action by Russia, a State Department spokesperson said Saturday. In the event matters deteriorate, however, “American citizens should not anticipate that there will be U.S. government-sponsored evacuations,” the spokesperson said, speaking on…
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has accepted an invitation to meet his British counterpart Ben Wallace to discuss the crisis on the Russia-Ukraine border, a senior U.K. defense source said Saturday. “The Defence Secretary is glad that Russia has accepted the invitation to talk with his counterpart,” the source said. “Given the last defense bilateral…
Germany will send a field hospital to Ukraine, Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said on Saturday, while once again rejecting Kyiv’s calls for weapons delivery as fears of a Russian invasion grow. Berlin has already delivered respirators to Ukraine and severely injured Ukrainian soldiers are currently being treated in Bundeswehr hospitals, the minister told Welt am…
High-stakes talks between Russia and the West have so far failed to de-escalate a tense standoff between the sides, with the United States warning of a serious risk of a Russian offensive against Ukraine. In addition to demanding a ban on Ukraine’s future membership to NATO, Russia wants the Western alliance to pull back its…
Moscow has secured a deal that the United States will provide a written response to its European security demands next week, Russia’s top diplomat said following high-stakes talks with his U.S. counterpart Friday. Washington previously dismissed Moscow’s “binding” demands — including barring Ukraine from joining NATO and withdrawing the alliance’s forces and weapons from Eastern…
Moscow is seeking the withdrawal of NATO forces and weapons from Romania and Bulgaria as part of its sweeping security demands from the U.S.-led alliance, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Friday. Russia demands written responses from the United States on its proposed security guarantees, which includes the withdrawal of NATO’s infrastructure from eastern European countries that…
Kyiv on Friday accused Russia of increasing supplies of weapons, ammunition and military equipment to separatist-held territory in eastern Ukraine, ahead of key talks between Moscow and Washington. The breakaway regions bordering Russia, collectively known as Donbass, have been locked in armed conflict with Kyiv’s army since a Kremlin-backed insurgency following Russia’s annexation of Crimea…
Washington and Moscow’s top diplomats met Friday in Geneva for high-stakes talks on Ukraine, but with little hope of a breakthrough that would ease fears of a Russian invasion. The talks between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov come just 11 days after their deputies met in Geneva and agreed to…
The mother of a Chechen rights lawyer and activist has been “kidnapped” in western Russia by Chechen law enforcement a month after dozens of his relatives were detained, an NGO that tracks torture reported Thursday. The Committee Against Torture said masked men broke into the home of Abubakar Yangulbaev’s family, using brute force against his…