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International Chess Federation bans Russian and Belarusian national teams
The International Chess Federation has banned the Russian and Belarusian national teams from official competition until further notice, according to a release from the Federation (FIDE).
“Taking into account the current recommendations of the IOC [International Olympics Committee], the FIDE Council suspends the national teams of Russia and Belarus from participation in official FIDE tournaments until further notice,” the statement read.
The statement also noted that individual Russian and …
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Turkish Foreign Minister to travel to Moscow on Wednesday, Kyiv on Thursday
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu will travel to Moscow on Wednesday to meet with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, and to Kyiv the following day to meet with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
“I am sending my foreign minister to Russia tonight. He will hold talks in Moscow tomorrow, and travel to Kyiv on Thursday,” Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said after a cabinet meeting.
Ukraine stated Sunday that it was relying on Turkey and Israel to serve as mediators to help …
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Slovakia expelling 3 Russian diplomats for espionage
Slovakia expelled three employees of the Russian Embassy in Bratislava on suspicion of espionage. They must leave the country within 72 hours, as their actions violate the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, said the the Slovak Foreign Ministry.
The Slovak Foreign Ministry did not provide the names of these employees, as well as what exactly they are accused of. At the same time, according to dpa news agency, three Slovak citizens were arrested earlier for alleged espionage in exchange …
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Russian drone reportedly enters Polish airspace, shot down over Ukraine
Ukraine’s military has said that a Russian surveillance drone crossed into Polish airspace before reentering Ukrainian airspace, where it was shot down by the Ukrainian military.
The drone, believed to be a Forpost surveillance drone, was thought to be inspecting the damage caused by Sunday’s missile attack on the Yavoriv training center, which is near the Polish border. The attack killed at least 35 and injured at least 134, according to Ukrainian authorities.
Following the attack, NATO …
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Belarus asks Russia to accelerate economic support
Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko has requested that his Russian counterpart, Mikhail Mishustin, accelerate economic support plans that were to be implemented at a later date, Interfax reported.
“Given the high vulnerability of the Belarusian economy to external shocks, we are counting on the support of the Russian Federation in this difficult state,” Golovchenko stated after a meeting with Mishustin.
Golovchenko specifically called for delaying the restructuring of Belarusian debt, …