Russia
-
We have been reporting today on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s visit to Russia. The Czech government has now criticised the move, pointing to its own decision to wean itself off Russian energy. “It was the Czech government that secured independence from Russian energy supplies so that we wouldn’t have to crawl in front of…
-
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s dependency on Moscow and unwillingness to replace Russian gas is a “big security issue” for Europe, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. In a statement posted online, the Ukrainian leader said Fico did not want to participate “in the common European work on energy independence or seek replacement for Russian gas”, but…
-
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has accused Russia of using illegal migration into Europe to destabilise the bloc. Speaking at a news conference in Finland yesterday, Ms Meloni said: “We have to understand the threat is much wider than we imagine.” She went on to say that the danger to EU security from Russia or…
-
The Kremlin has rejected Turkish media reports which suggested the wife of Bashar al Assad wanted a divorce and to leave Russia. Earlier this month, Assad, his wife Asma and members of his family arrived in the Russian capital after fleeing Syria. Assad’s location was confirmed as Russian news agencies said Moscow had struck a…
-
Vladimir Putin has repeated his assertion that he should have invaded Ukraine earlier, the Institute for the Study of War reports. In an interview with Kremlin journalist Pavel Zarubin yesterday, the Russian leader said his country should have started its full-scale invasion before February 2022 but added that it was impossible to say exactly when that should…
-
Vladimir Putin yesterday hosted Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, in a rare visit to the Kremlin by an EU leader since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Fico arrived in Russia on a “working visit” and met with Putin one-on-one yesterday evening, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russia’s RIA news agency. Peskov said the…
-
We’ve read reactions over the last 24 hours to Vladimir Putin’s comments encouraging a “missile duel” between Russia and the US. The Russian president suggested the two superpowers could use Kyiv as a target to see which country’s missiles were able to bypass US air defences. His comments drew international condemnation, with Volodymyr Zelenskyy labelling…
-
Kyiv church damaged during missile attack There was a missile attack in Kyiv damaged the capital’s second-oldest Catholic church. Windows were broken on the front of the St Nicholas Church, with the business centre located opposite the building severely damaged by the Russian attack. Ukrainian military pulls back from areas in the east Ukraine’s military…
-
Viktor Orban says he’s still holding out hope that Russia and Ukraine may agree to a ceasefire and large-scale prisoner exchange before Orthodox Christmas. Hungary’s prime minister noted that Kyiv and Moscow were unlikely to reach such an agreement by Catholic Christmas, celebrated on 25 December. “Therefore, I will try to make it happen by…
-
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country has been hit by Christmas attacks on its energy infrastructure for the third time since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. Moscow launched a huge aerial attack on Ukraine’s energy facilities last Friday, which Zelenskyy said was one of the largest yet on the grid. The attack damaged power facilities…
-
Russia’s spy agency was likely behind the cyber attack that hit Ukraine’s state registries yesterday, Kyiv’s intelligence service (SBU) has claimed. Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, said the cyber-attack was one of the largest to have hit the country in recent times. In a post on Telegram, the SBU said criminal proceedings have been…
-
Mikhail Shatsky, who is said to have overseen the modernisation of Kh-59 and Kh-69 missiles used by Russia against Ukraine, was reportedly shot dead near his home. A Russian weapons expert who helped to develop cruise missiles used in the Kremlin’s war on Ukraine has reportedly been assassinated in a forest in the Moscow region.…
-
At least three Russian warships including two guided missile frigates left the Syrian port of Tartous over the past few days. A satellite image taken by Planet Labs PBC yesterday reveals that the ships left the port between 6-9 December. Some of the fleet is still visible off the coast of Syria in satellite imagery…
-
Russia on Wednesday said Ukraine launched drone attacks on an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) vehicle, while Ukraine earlier pinned the blame on Russian forces. One of the vehicles of an IAEA team heading to Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant for a planned staff rotation was severely damaged in the attacks on Tuesday, with staff members…
-
Donald Trump on Sunday called for an immediate cease-fire in Russia’s war with Ukraine and the president-elect renewed warnings that he was open to pulling the United States out of NATO. Trump made his cease-fire proposal after a weekend meeting in Paris with French and Ukrainian leaders, claiming in a social media post that Kyiv…
You must be logged in to post a comment.