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☆ Fact Check: Video shows Putin criticizing former Canadian speaker, not Trudeau
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A video showing Russian President Vladimir Putin criticizing former speaker of the Canadian House of Commons Anthony Rota for praising Yaroslav Hunka, a veteran who served in a Nazi unit during World War Two, has been cropped to falsely claim that Putin was insulting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “Justin Trudeau just got called an idiot by Vladimir Putin,” read a post on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter. The video shows Putin delivering his annual speech to the Moscow-based think tank Valdai Discussion Club in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi on Oct. 5. Putin called the Canadian parliament's standing ovations to honor Hunka "disgusting," and said it showed Moscow was right to "denazify" Ukraine, Reuters reported. Vladimir Putin insulted Anthony Rota, not Justin Trudeau.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Anthony Rota, Yaroslav Hunka, Putin, Justin Trudeau, “ Justin Trudeau, ”, Hitler, Hunka, Rota, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Trudeau, Read Organizations: Canadian, of, Nazi, Twitter, Canadian Nazi, Canada, Russia, Nazi Waffen SS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russian, Sochi, Canada, Canadian, Ukraine

☆ Putin Calls Canadian Parliament's Applause of Nazi Veteran 'Disgusting'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday called the Canadian parliament's standing ovations to honour a Ukrainian war veteran who served in one of Adolf Hitler's Waffen SS units "disgusting" and said it showed Moscow was right to "de-Nazify" Ukraine. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last month formally apologised after the speaker of the Canadian House of Commons praised a Nazi veteran in the chamber while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was present. The episode played into the narrative promoted by Putin that he sent his army into Ukraine last year to "demilitarise and denazify" the country. Kyiv and its Western allies say Russia's actions constitute an unprovoked war of aggression designed to grab territory. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who is Jewish, says Moscow's claims that his administration is run by Nazis are absurd.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Adolf Hitler's Waffen, Justin Trudeau, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Putin, Moscow's, Vladimir Soldatkin, Guy Faulconbridge, Alexander Marrow, Andrew Osborn Organizations: Adolf Hitler's Waffen SS, Canadian, Commons, Nazi Locations: MOSCOW, Ukrainian, Moscow, Ukraine, Kyiv

☆ Canada's Trudeau Apologizes After Nazi Veteran Praised in Parliament
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By David LjunggrenOTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday formally apologized after the speaker of the House of Commons praised a Nazi veteran in the chamber while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was present. Trudeau also said Ottawa had already reached out to Kyiv and Zelenskiy through diplomatic channels to apologize. Hunka, 98, was a Polish-born Ukrainian who served in one of Adolf Hitler's Waffen SS units during World War Two. Trudeau said the Liberal government had no responsibility for vetting who the speaker had invited. The official opposition Conservatives say Trudeau was ultimately responsible for what happened, given he had invited Zelenskiy to address the Canadian parliament, and accused him of negligence.

Persons: David Ljunggren OTTAWA, Justin Trudeau, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Trudeau, Anthony Rota, Yaroslav Hunka, Adolf Hitler's Waffen, Zelenskiy, Hunka, David Ljunggren, Alison Williams, Paul Simao Organizations: Canadian, Wednesday, Commons, Nazi, Ottawa, Adolf Hitler's Waffen SS, Ukrainian, Liberal Locations: Kyiv, Polish, Ukrainian, Canada, Russia, Ukraine, Western, Rota's

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to media outside his office on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada September 25, 2023. REUTERS/Blair Gable/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOTTAWA, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday formally apologized after the speaker of the House of Commons praised a Nazi veteran in the chamber while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was present. Trudeau also said Ottawa had already reached out to Kyiv and Zelenskiy through diplomatic channels to apologize. The Kremlin earlier in the day said the whole Canadian parliament should publicly condemn Nazism. The official opposition Conservatives say Trudeau was ultimately responsible for what happened, given he had invited Zelenskiy to address the Canadian parliament, and accused him of negligence.

Persons: Justin Trudeau, Blair Gable, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Trudeau, Anthony Rota, Yaroslav Hunka, Adolf Hitler's Waffen, Zelenskiy, Hunka, David Ljunggren, Alison Williams, Paul Simao Organizations: Canada's, REUTERS, Rights, Canadian, Wednesday, Commons, Nazi, Ottawa, Adolf Hitler's Waffen SS, Ukrainian, Liberal, Thomson Locations: Ottawa , Ontario, Canada, Kyiv, Polish, Ukrainian, Russia, Ukraine, Western, Rota's

Speaker of the House of Commons Anthony Rota speaks during Question Period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada September 25, 2023. Rota publicly recognised Hunka, calling him a hero. Russia called the incident outrageous. "That public recognition has caused pain to individuals and communities, including the Jewish community in Canada and around the world ... Foreign Minister Melanie Joly earlier said Rota should resign while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called on him to ponder his future.

Persons: Anthony Rota, Blair Gable, Yaroslav Hunka, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Rota, Hunka, Adolf Hitler's Waffen, Vladimir Putin, Zelenskiy, Melanie Joly, Justin Trudeau, Trudeau's, David Ljunggren, Daniel Wallis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Canada's, Nazi, Ukrainian, Adolf Hitler's Waffen SS, Liberal, Canada, Trudeau's Liberal, Thomson Locations: Ottawa , Ontario, Canada, Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Western, Rota's

☆ Kremlin says Canadian recognition of veteran from Nazi unit is 'outrageous'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Yaroslav Hunka, 98, received two standing ovations from Canadian lawmakers during a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the episode showed a careless disregard for historical truth, and that the memory of Nazi crimes must be preserved. "Many Western countries, including Canada, have raised a young generation that does not know who fought whom or what happened during the Second World War. Canadian parliament speaker Anthony Rota introduced Hunka as "a Ukrainian Canadian war veteran from the Second World War who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians" and "a Ukrainian hero and a Canadian hero." During World War Two, when Ukraine was a part of the Soviet Union, some Ukrainian nationalists joined Nazi units because they saw the Germans as liberators from Soviet oppression.

Persons: Adolf Hitler's Waffen, Yaroslav Hunka, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Anthony Rota, Hunka, Simon Wiesenthal, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Adolf Hitler's Waffen SS, Ukrainian, Nazi, Waffen Grenadier Division, Simon Wiesenthal Center, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Ukrainian, Canada, Ukrainian Canadian, Canadian, Ukraine, Soviet Union, Rota, European, Russia, Europe

☆ 3 Bullets, 2 Wars, 1 Village
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Thomas Gibbons-Neff | More About Thomas Gibbons-Neff | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the spring of that year German forces counterattacked around Izium and the city of Kharkiv to the northwest. The Soviet and German forces arrayed against each other, on just a portion of World War II’s sprawling eastern front, involved hundreds of thousands of men more than the Ukrainian and Russian armies fighting today. The roughly two-week battle resulted in roughly 300,000 casualties on both sides and a crushing Soviet defeat. But World War II’s relevance is not just buried in the soil of Ukraine, it also serves as an undercurrent of Russia’s present-day invasion. He falsely claimed the country was overrun by the same type of adversaries millions of Soviet soldiers had died fighting during World War II, or what Russians call the Great Patriotic War.

Persons: ” Mr, Glantz, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: Soviet, denazify Locations: Izium, Kharkiv, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Russia, Nazi Germany, Soviet Union, Germany

☆ Girl and her mother killed in Russian strikes as Ukraine reports frontline progress
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Two more civilians were reported killed in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, now on the front line after being recaptured from Russian forces in November. [1/5]A firefighter works at a site of an apartment building heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine July 31, 2023. ANTI-DRONE DEFENCESRussian forces have levelled residential areas across eastern and southern Ukraine since they invaded more than 17 months ago. Ukraine rarely comments on strikes on Russian territory, which have recently begun to include drone attacks on Moscow. Russia's military said it had halted Ukrainian forces in the region.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy's, Hanna Maliar, Sergei Shoigu, Zelenskiy, Serhiy Lysak, Oleksandr Vilkul, Oleksandr Prokudin, Ukraine's, Dmitry Peskov, Anna Pruchnicka, Ron Popeski, Nick Starkov, Tom Balmforth, Philippa Fletcher, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Telegram, Russian, Press, State Emergency Service of, REUTERS, European Union, NATO, Kremlin, Ukrainian, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, KYIV, Russian, Kryvyi Rih, Kryvyi, Ukrainian, Kherson, State Emergency Service of Ukraine, Handout, Donetsk, Donetsk city, Russia, Moscow, denazify, Sunday

☆ Putin: foreign-made tanks are 'priority target' for Russian forces in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, July 13 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Western supplies of weapons to Ukraine would change nothing on the battlefield but only further escalate the conflict, adding that foreign-made tanks were a "priority target" for Moscow's forces. "The supply of new weapons will only aggravate the situation... and will further fuel the conflict," Putin said. Asked about France's decision to supply Ukraine with long-range cruise missiles which can travel 250 km (155 miles), Putin said: "Yes, they cause damage, but nothing critical happens in the war zone with their use." Putin added that foreign-made tanks were "a priority target for our guys". In his first public response to the moves, Putin reiterated Moscow's strong opposition to Ukraine ever joining NATO, saying this would threaten Russia's own strategic interests.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Moscow's, Gareth Jones, Mark Heinrich, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: NATO, Ukraine, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Ukraine, Russian, Lithuanian, Vilnius, Russia, Moscow

☆ Ultra-nationalists aim to restrict travel for Russian officials' families
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 2 (Reuters) - The ultra-nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) is working on a bill that would temporarily ban the travel of close relatives of high-ranking officials to "unfriendly countries," the RIA state news agency reported on Sunday. Russia considers all countries that have hit it with sanctions over its military campaign in Ukraine to be "unfriendly." Citing a member of the Russian Duma, Sergei Karginov, RIA reported that restrictions may also affect, among others, law enforcement officers, judges, top managers of state corporations, and the board of directors of the Central Bank. Russia launched a full-scale invasion on Ukraine in February 2022, calling it a "special military operation" to demilitarise and denazify its neighbour. Despite its name, Russia's Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) has since its founding in 1991 espoused a hardline, ultranationalist ideology, demanding Russia reconquer the countries of the former Soviet Union.

Persons: Sergei Karginov, Karginov, Lidia Kelly, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, Russian Duma, Central Bank, Russia's Liberal Democratic Party, Soviet Union, Duma, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, United States, Kyiv, Melbourne

☆ The Wagner revolt made everyday Russians start to question Putin's mission in Ukraine, Russian blogger says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ordinary Russians are starting to question the war in Ukraine, a Russian blogger told Insider. For the majority of typical Russian citizens, the Wagner uprising came as a "huge shock," Konstantinova told Insider. "You say we go to denazify Ukraine; you say they are our enemies," she said of Russia's leaders. On the surface, life has changed very little for most Russians since their country went to war, Konstantinova said. Konstantinova traveled to Mariupol with several other Russian citizens in December of last year, delivering electric heaters to Ukrainian citizens still living in the decimated and frozen city.

Persons: Wagner, Natalia Konstantinova, —, Vladimir Putin, Konstantinova, Chaos, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Putin, she's, festering, aren't, Natasha, it's Organizations: Service, Kyiv, Group, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Saint Petersburg, Russia, Moscow, Belarus, Ukrainian, Mariupol, Rostov

☆ Putin’s Beast That Would Now Devour Him
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Roger Cohen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Over the course of a month I spent in the Russian capital, the red-and-black billboards of Yevgeny V. Prigozhin’s Wagner paramilitary group multiplied. “Join the team of victors!” they said, beneath an image of menacing mercenaries in balaclavas and masks, only their eyes visible. A possible implication was that the Russian forces on the other mushrooming Moscow billboards — regular soldiers recruited by the Ministry of Defense pictured above slogans like “Real Work!” or “Be a hero!” — were the losers of President Vladimir V. Putin’s reckless gamble in Ukraine. Easier to order a latte than dwell on lost lives in Mariupol. officer, abruptly emerged as the inscrutable president and Mr.

Persons: Yevgeny V, Prigozhin’s Wagner, ”, ” —, Vladimir V, heedless Muscovites, Prigozhin, Putin Organizations: Ministry of Defense Locations: Russian, balaclavas, Moscow, Ukraine, Mariupol

☆ Wagner leader Prigozhin will move to Belarus following the mercenary group's uprising against Putin, Kremlin spokesman says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Michelle Mark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin will move to Belarus and won't be prosecuted, a Kremlin spokesman said. Prigozhin and his mercenary group waged an uprising and marched across Russia on Saturday. In exchange for Prigozhin's exile to Belarus, the mercenary leader won't be prosecuted, the Associated Press reported, citing a Kremlin spokesperson. "The war wasn't needed to return Russian citizens to our bosom, nor to demilitarize or denazify Ukraine," Prigozhin said. On Saturday the mercenary group was reportedly also in Lipesk province, just 225 miles south of Moscow.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, —, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin's, Aleksandr Lukashenko, Putin, didn't Organizations: Kremlin, Service, Wagner Group, Associated Press, Wagner, Prigozhin, The New York Times, Times Locations: Belarus, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Rostov, Lipesk province

Image Mr. Prigozhin and President Vladimir Putin at one of Mr. Prigozhin’s factories in St. Petersburg in 2010. Mr. Prigozhin accused the Russian military of attacking his forces, vowed to retaliate, on Friday. In an earlier videotaped speech, Mr. Prigozhin did not explicitly impugn Mr. Putin, instead casting him as a leader being misled by his officials. But, during the battle for Bakhmut, Mr. Prigozhin also emerged as a populist political figure, excoriating Russia’s military leadership for corruption. Others theorized that the Kremlin had orchestrated Mr. Prigozhin’s tirades against Mr. Shoigu, the defense minister, to deflect blame from Mr. Putin himself.

Persons: Yevgeny V, Vladimir V, Putin, Prigozhin, Wagner, Mr, ” Gen, Vladimir Alekseyev, ” Mr, Prigozhin’s Wagner, Russia’s, ’, “, ”, GOH, Volodymyr Zelensky, Mykhailo Podolyak, Adam Hodge, Vladimir Putin, —, Sergei K, Shoigu, Dmitri S, diatribes, excoriating, Prigozhin’s, Igor Girkin, Girkin, ” Julian E, Barnes, Cassandra Vinograd Organizations: Russian, ., Reuters, Russian Defense Ministry, Russia’s, Defense Ministry, Telegram, Twitter, National Security, Associated Press, Bakhmut, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Rostov, Don, Russia, White, St . Petersburg, St, Petersburg, Syria, Africa, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Prigozhin, Russian, Ukraine’s, “

"Those who destroyed our lads, who destroyed the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be punished. He later said his men had been involved with clashes with regular army soldiers and had shot down a helicopter. The video showed him telling the generals: "We have arrived here, we want to receive the chief of the general staff and Shoigu. Army Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alekseyev - who was later to appear with Prigozhin in the video from Rostov-on-Don - issued a video appeal asking Prigozhin to reconsider his actions. An unverified video on a Telegram channel close to Wagner showed the purported scene of an air strike against Wagner forces.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Yulia Morozova, Moscow, Prigozhin, Putin, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Reuters Wagner, Shoigu, Dmitry Peskov, Sergei Sobyanin, Joe Biden, Putin's, Vladimir Alekseyev, Sergei Surovikin, Andrew Osborn, Kevin Liffey, Daniel Wallis, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, Russian Defence, General Staff, Reuters, Don, Southern Military District, Prigozhin, Wagner, Moscow, Russian Federation, PMC, Private Military Company, Russian Ministry of Defence, Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Russian, St Petersburg, Moscow, Russia, Rostov, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Voronezh, Bakhmut, Washington , U.S, European Russia

☆ An Russian ex-commander says Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin should face 'treason' charges after his latest tirade against Russia's war with Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Russian ex-commander said Wagner boss should be tried for "treason" over his latest anti-war tirade. Prigozhin posted a video on Friday calling the war a "racket" used to line oligarchs' pockets. "The war wasn't needed to return Russian citizens to our bosom, nor to demilitarize or denazify Ukraine," Prigozhin said in the video, according to The New York Times. And that rant ticked off Igor Girkin, the former commander of another Russian paramilitary group, and an ultranationalist who is also highly critical of Prigozhin and Russia's strategy. "Prigozhin already should have been handed over to a military tribunal for many things," Girkin wrote in a Telegram post on Friday, which was translated by The New York Times.

Persons: Wagner, Prigozhin, Prighozin, —, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russia's Wagner, Putin, Igor Girkin, Girkin, he's Organizations: Service, The New York Times, New York Times Locations: Russian, Ukraine, The, Bakhmut

☆ Wagner mercenary chief says Russia's war in Ukraine based on lies
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"The war was needed ... so that Shoigu could become a marshal ... so that he could get a second 'Hero' [of Russia] medal. The war wasn't needed to demilitarise or denazify Ukraine." There was no immediate response from the Defence Ministry, which has ignored previous complaints from Prigozhin, in public at least. Putin has, however, backed a Defence Ministry order, which Prigozhin opposes, that mercenary groups like Wagner must sign contracts putting themselves under ministry control by July 1. Portraying the top brass as vodka- and cognac-swilling fools who lunch on caviar, he alleged the Russian war effort was being hobbled by corruption.

Persons: Putin, oligarchic, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Prigozhin, PUTIN Wagner, Russia's, Vladimir Putin, Volodymr Zelenskiy, Andrew Osborn, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Defence Ministry, NATO, Kyiv, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Ukraine's, Moscow, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Prigozhin

☆ Who is winning the war in Ukraine? Experts break down the territorial, psychological, and military gains made by Putin and Zelenskyy.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Insider spoke to four experts about who they think is currently winning the war in Ukraine. But two experts told Insider this appears to be unattainable. "So territory-wise, I don't think Zelenskyy has budged on his objective of liberating all of the occupied territories," Miron told Insider. Photo by Getty ImagesMilitary victoryIt is difficult to analyze who is currently winning from a military standpoint because a lot of hinges on Ukraine's counteroffensive, all experts told Insider. John E. Herbst, who was the US ambassador to Ukraine from 2003 to 2006, told Insider that he believes that right now, the advantage lies with Ukraine.

Persons: —, Ukraine —, Vladimir Putin, Marina Miron, Volodymyr Zelenskyy's, Miron, David Lewis, Yasuyoshi Chiba, University of Birmingham's Jaroslava Barbieri, " Barbieri, Lewis, John E . Herbst, Bakhmut, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Barbieri, Herbst, Putin Organizations: Service, Department of, King's College London, Institute for, Royal United Services Institute, Getty, Kyiv, University of Birmingham's, Getty Images, Washington Post, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Kyiv, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Crimea, Sloviansk, AFP, Ukrainian, Irpin, Bakhmut

A Russian-installed official said on Sunday that Ukraine had taken control of the village, Piatykhatky, in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said Ukrainian forces had not only retaken Piatykhatky but had advanced by up to seven km (4.3 miles) into Russian lines in two weeks, capturing 113 square km (44 square miles) of land. The reported capture of the villages reflects incremental gains for Ukraine that highlight the challenge of breaking through lines Moscow has spent months strengthening. Russia says it invaded Ukraine to "denazify" it, an argument Ukraine and its Western allies call a pretext for a land grab. While Ukraine conducts what Western governments and analysts say are probing attacks to test Russian forces, officials from two NATO member states said Moscow is redeploying some of its forces as it seeks to predict where Ukraine will strike.

Persons: Ukraine Zelenskiy, Hanna Maliar, Piatykhatky, Maliar, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Vladimir Rogov, Margo Grosberg, Michael Kofman, Denise Brown, Dan Peleschuk, Lidia Kelly, Wendell Roelf, Philippa Fletcher, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Russian Defence Ministry, NATO, Russia, Western, Estonian Defense Forces, Twitter, Russia's Defence Ministry, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, French, KYIV, Russian, Piatykhatky, Moscow, Ukrainian, Novodonetske, Donetsk, Sweden, Estonian, Dnipro, Estonia, U.S, Great Salt, Kherson region, Kyiv, West

☆ Putin says Russia positions nuclear bombs in Belarus as warning to West
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Speaking at Russia's flagship economic forum in St Petersburg, Putin said Russian tactical nuclear warheads had already been delivered to close ally Belarus, but stressed he saw no need for Russia to resort to nuclear weapons for now. "As you know we were negotiating with our ally, (Belarusian President (Alexander) Lukashenko, that we would move a part of these tactical nuclear weapons to the territory of Belarus - this has happened," said Putin. Lukashenko, a staunch ally of Putin, said late on Tuesday his country had started taking delivery of Russian tactical nuclear weapons that included some three times more powerful than the atomic bombs the U.S. dropped on Japan in 1945. The Russian leader announced in March he had agreed to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, pointing to the U.S deployment of such weapons in a host of European countries over many decades. "Just talking about this (the potential use of nuclear weapons) lowers the nuclear threshold.

Persons: Putin, Moscow, Vladimir Putin, Alexander, Lukashenko, ", PUTIN, Andrew Osborn, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: WEST, United, NATO, Russian, Independent, Russia's Defence, Kyiv, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Belarus, Russia, St Petersburg, Russian, Soviet Union, Ukraine, Japan, United States, Washington, China, Moscow, Europe, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Bakhmut, U.S

☆ Exclusive: African leaders to propose 'confidence building measures' to Russia, Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Summary African leaders travel to Ukraine and Russia Friday and SaturdayAiming to begin "diplomacy-led" process to resolve conflictAfrica hit hard by economic fallout of warJOHANNESBURG, June 15 (Reuters) - African leaders could propose a series of "confidence building measures" during their initial efforts to mediate in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, according to a draft framework document seen by Reuters on Thursday. "The conflict, as well as the sanctions placed on Russia by major trading partners of the (African) Continent, have had an adverse effect on African economies and livelihoods," it said. The document lists a number of measures that could be proposed by the African leaders as part of the first stage of their engagement with the warring parties. The African peace effort is just one of several competing initiatives aimed at ending the fighting. Among the measures that could be proposed by the African leaders in the first stage of their engagement was an "unconditional grain and fertiliser deal".

Persons: Macky Sall, Cyril Ramaphosa, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Antonio Guterres, Ramaphosa, It's, Guterres, Zelenskiy, Michelle Nichols, Tom Balmforth, Joe Bavier, Olivia Kumwenda, Mark Potter, Nick Macfie Organizations: Reuters, Ukrainian, Global, NATO, United, Johannesburg, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Africa, JOHANNESBURG, Senegal, Zambia, Comoros, Kyiv, St, Petersburg, Russian, Belarus, China, Moscow, United Nations, Turkey

☆ Russia says two killed after Ukraine shelled border regions
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Governor of Russia's Belgorod Region Vyacheslav Gladkov via... Read moreJune 2 (Reuters) - The governor of Russia's Belgorod region said that two people were killed and two others injured on Friday after Ukraine shelled a town near the border, while officials in nearby regions reported overnight drone attacks. The Defence Ministry said its forces had repelled on Thursday three cross-border attacks by what it said were Ukrainian "terrorist formations" into the Belgorod region. Ukraine denies its military is involved in the incursions and says they are conducted by Russian volunteer fighters. Gladkov said on Friday at least one incident of shelling had been reported overnight in the Shebekino district, and over 2,500 people were being evacuated from the area. Russia denies targeting civilians or committing war crimes but its forces have devastated Ukrainian cities and repeatedly hit residential areas.

Persons: Read, Vyacheslav Gladkov, Gladkov, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Gareth Jones Organizations: Ukraine, Telegram, The Defence Ministry, Russian, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Shebekino, Belgorod, Russia's Belgorod, Maslova, Ukraine's, Kharkiv, Bryansk, Kursk, Smolensk, Russia's Kaluga, Ukrainian, Moscow

[1/3] A man sits next to the body of his granddaughter who was killed during a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 1, 2023. The war has killed tens of thousands of people, uprooted millions, shattered Ukrainian cities, and brought increasing attacks on Russian soil. Earlier, the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC), a far-right paramilitary group of ethnic Russians that supports Ukraine, had said it was fighting inside Russia. 'NO ONE OPENED SHELTER'In Kyiv, Ukraine said it shot down 10 ballistic and Iskander cruise missiles in Russia's 18th attack on the capital since the start of May. Russia denies targeting civilians or committing war crimes but its forces have devastated Ukrainian cities and repeatedly hit residential areas since the Feb. 24, 2022 invasion.

Persons: Vyacheslav Gladkov, Yaroslav Ryabchuk, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Maia Sandu, Guy Faulconbridge, Felix Light, Olena Harmash, John Irish, Andrew Gray, Andrew Cawthorne, Ros Russell, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Moldova KYIV, Russia's, Russian Volunteer Corps, Belgorod region's, Soviet Union, NATO, Moldovan, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Kyiv, Moldova, MOSCOW, Russia, Ukrainian, Shebekino, Moscow, Belgorod, Soviet, Western, EU, Scandinavia, Denmark, Lithuania, NATO

☆ Russia accuses Washington of encouraging Ukraine in its attacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Putin on Tuesday cast the assault, which brought the 15-month war in Ukraine to the heart of Russia, as a terrorist act. Ukraine also accuses Russia of terrorism for its bombing of Ukrainian civilians, allegations Moscow denies. Russia has long accused what it calls the "collective West" of staging a proxy war against Moscow by supporting Ukraine with military and financial aid. Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, devastating cities, forcing millions of people to flee their homes and costing thousands of lives. Moscow calls the war a "special military operation" to "denazify" Ukraine and protect Russian speakers.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Anatoly Antonov, Lidia Kelly, Christian Schmollinger, Stephen Coates Organizations: Telegram, Kyiv, Moscow, Thomson Locations: Washington, Moscow, United States, Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Melbourne

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