Contents tagged with Russia
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67 states ready to deprive Russia of veto right in UN
67 countries have already supported the initiative to restrain the veto right in the UN Security Council in cases where conflicts become especially rigid, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations Yuriy Sergeyev wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.
"67 states supported restrain the veto initiative to save the UNSC authority and stop abuse of veto right by Russia," he tweeted.As reported earlier, on July 29, Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on setting up an MH17 …
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Dutch King: Russian annexation of the Crimea impacts the continent security
In his throne speech on Tuesday, Willem-Alexander, the King of the Netherlands drew attention to trouble spots on the European borders – the Russian annexation of the Crimea, conflict in eastern Ukraine, conflicts in Mali, Yemen and Afghanistan. “All these developments directly and indirectly affect our security and freedom.” He announced on behalf of the government that more money is structurally being made available to the security services to arm the Netherlands against “the threat of …
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Russian mines in Ukraine
Russia puts 1990’s markings on its ammunition sent to Donbas
Ukrainian engineers demining mine fields near Mariupol came across brand new mines and shells. The ammunition had the 1990’s markings on it to hide their origin, ZIK reports Sept. 15.
Ukrainian engineers found ‘black widows’ mines banned by international conventions for being especially dangerous.
In a hidden cache of explosives near one of the highways, the engineers also came across anti-tank mines Ukraine never had.
The …
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Don't Trust Putin on Syria
SEPT. 14, 2015
As written by Andrew Foxall in New York Times:
SYRIA is being destroyed. The civil war, now more than four years old, has left the country in ruins. The implacable Islamic State controls vast areas of the north and east, and the barbaric regime of President Assad maintains its Damascus stronghold.
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EU Extends Sanctions against Russia
The European Union on Monday extended its sanctions against Russia until March of 2016. The sanctions are meant to punish Moscow for its military support for Ukrainian separatists and its annexation of Crimea.
The sanctions include asset freezes and travel bans against 149 people and 37 entities, the European Union announced in a statement. Without the EU action the sanctions would have lifted on Tuesday.
A separate set of European economic sanctions against Russia are in place until the end …
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Is Russia More Bark Than Bite?
As per Sir Andrew Wood, Chatham House
The received wisdom that Russia will always be ready to go further than the West in a confrontation over Ukraine is flawed.
‘The West could never prevail in a military confrontation over Ukraine with Russia, which would always be prepared to go further.’ This line, from a Financial Times editorial last week, reflects a commonly-held view among Western commentators about the crisis in eastern Ukraine. But if taken literally, it would imply that Vladimir …
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Russia is stepping up its military presence in Syria.
Three Russian military cargo jets have landed in Syrian in the recent days.
They have delivered mobile housing units and military equipment.
American officials said that most likely Russian is trying to build its military base and also an air control center in Syria to aid an embattled President Bashar al-Assad.
Previously Bulgaria refused to provide an air space corridor to Russian Syria-bound flights.
Although today Russian officials have confirmed that the airspace has been provided by …
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American hedge funds are betting against the Russian ruble
As reported by the US Futures trading commission starting November 2014 American hedge funds and currency traders have placed a record number of short future contracts against the Russian ruble.
The total number of short positions (betting on collapse of the Russian currency) has reached 6848 contracts (17.2 billion rubles).
Overall the investors were net short 2857 contracts (7.14 billion rubles). This number takes into account long positions – bets on the increase of the value of the …
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Coup in Pro-Kremlin Donetsk Republic
Andrei Purgin, President of the National Council of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic has been ousted from his position and his deputy Denis Pushilin has taken over his seat.The arrest warrant has been issued for a head of the National Council of Donetsk Republic, Mr. Alexandrov. Mr. Purgin and Mr. Alexandrov were initially prevented from entering Donetsk Republic at the Uspenka border crossing with Russia on Friday. After several hours they managed to make their way to Donetsk. …
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Chicago Tribune - Putin's Deceptive Pause
Ukraine: Putin's Deceptive Pause
AS PER MARVIN KALB OF CHICAGO TRIBUNE
A strange, deceptive pause has settled over the Ukraine crisis. The war in the Donbas has slipped off the front page. American diplomats, absorbed with selling the Iran nuclear deal to a reluctant Congress, have been deflected from their long-standing concerns about Vladimir Putin's next steps