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☆ Russian Orthodox head appeals against eviction of church from Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 11 (Reuters) - Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, on Saturday asked Pope Francis and other religious leaders to persuade Ukraine to stop a crackdown against a historically Russian-aligned wing of the church. Kyiv on Friday ordered the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) to leave a monastery complex where it is based, the latest move against a denomination the government says is pro-Russian and collaborating with Moscow. Kirill said it was regrettable that Ukrainian worshippers' rights and freedoms were being blatantly violated. Among the many leaders to whom the appeal is addressed are Pope Francis, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the head of Egypt's Coptic Church, Pope Tawadros as well as U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk, the church said. Most Ukrainian Orthodox believers belong to a separate branch of the faith, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, formed four years ago by uniting branches independent of Moscow's authority.

☆ Ukraine: Russia suffered more than 500 killed and wounded in one day at Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 11 (Reuters) - More than 500 Russian troops were killed or wounded in a recent 24-hour period during the battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, a Ukrainian military spokesman said on Saturday. Pro-Moscow forces have been fighting for months to take Bakhmut, in the eastern Donbas region. "Over the course of the fighting, 221 enemies were killed and 314 sustained injuries of various degrees," he told the national parliament's television channel. Moscow says capturing Bakhmut would punch a hole in Ukrainian defences and be a step towards seizing all of the Donbas industrial region, a major target. Since Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine began in February last year, tens of thousands have been killed, millions displaced and many Ukrainian cities and towns pulverised.

☆ Ukraine orders Russian-aligned Orthodox church to leave Kyiv monastery
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 10 (Reuters) - Ukrainian officials on Friday ordered a historically Russian-aligned wing of the Orthodox Church to leave a monastery complex in Kyiv where it is based, the latest move against a denomination regarded with deep suspicion by the government. Kyiv is cracking down on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) - which accepted the authority of the patriarch of Moscow until after Russia launched its full-scale invasion last year - on grounds that it is pro-Russian and collaborating with Moscow. The Ukrainian culture ministry said the UOC had been ordered to leave the 980-year-old Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery complex, where it has its headquarters. Authorities said they had found pro-Russian literature on church premises, and Russian citizens being harboured there, allegations the UOC denied. Most Ukrainian Orthodox believers belong to a separate branch of the faith, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, formed four years ago by uniting branches independent of Moscow's authority.

☆ Bank of Canada says it needs more evidence that rates are high enough
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

By Steve Scherer and David LjunggrenOTTAWA, March 9 (Reuters) - The Bank of Canada needs more evidence to gauge if interest rates are high enough to tame inflation, in part because the economies of major trading partners are doing better than forecast, senior deputy governor Carolyn Rogers said on Thursday. She spoke a day after the central bank left its key overnight interest rate on hold at 4.50%, becoming the first major central bank to suspend its tightening campaign as inflation eases. "If evidence accumulates suggesting inflation may not decline in line with our forecast, we're prepared to do more." The economic growth and inflation outlooks for both the United States and Europe are higher than the bank had expected in January. (Additional reporting by Fergal Smith in Toronto)((Reuters Ottawa bureau; david.ljunggren@tr.com))Keywords: CANADA CENBANK/Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

OTTAWA, March 8 (Reuters) - The Bank of Canada on Wednesday left its key overnight rate on hold at 4.50%, as expected, becoming the first major central bank to suspend its monetary tightening campaign in the face of an anticipated easing of high inflation. In its statement, the BoC reiterated that it was "prepared to increase the policy rate further if needed to return inflation to the 2% target." The majority of the 32 economists surveyed by Reuters last week said the central bank would likely keep rates on hold through the end of this year, and all of them forecast it would stay on hold on Wednesday. Before the announcement, money markets had expected the policy rate to remain unchanged but were pricing in another tightening by September. The central bank said core inflation measures and short-term inflation expectations still needed to fall in order to return inflation to target.

☆ Georgian police use tear gas to halt protest against 'foreign agents' law
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TBILISI, March 8 (Reuters) - Police in the ex-Soviet state of Georgia used tear gas and stun grenades early on Wednesday to break up a protest outside Parliament against a draft law on "foreign agents". The crowd then gathered outside parliament, where some people pulled aside light metal barriers designed to keep the public away from the building. Speaking in Berlin earlier on Tuesday, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Garibashvili reaffirmed his support for the law, saying the proposed provisions on foreign agents met "European and global standards". [1/10] Police use a water cannon to disperse protesters during a rally against the "foreign agents" law in Tbilisi, Georgia, March 7, 2023. Late on Tuesday night protesters angrily remonstrated with police armed with riot shields who then used tear gas and watercannon.

☆ Russia journal: Moscow mulls possible use of nuclear arms to fend off US attack -RIA
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A general view shows buildings damaged by a Russian military strike, amid their attack on Ukraine, in the frontline city of Bakhmut, in Donetsk region, Ukraine February 27, 2023. REUTERS/Alex BabenkoMarch 2 (Reuters) - A Russian defence ministry journal says Moscow is developing a new type of military strategy using nuclear weapons to protect against possible U.S. aggression, RIA news agency reported on Thursday. This, it continued, "presupposes the use of modern strategic offensive and defensive, nuclear and non-nuclear weapons, taking into account the latest military technologies". Russian President Vladimir Putin last week suspended a landmark nuclear arms control treaty, announced new strategic systems had been put on combat duty, and threatened to resume nuclear tests. Although Moscow says it would only use nuclear weapons in case Russia's territorial integrity were threatened, Putin allies have regularly suggested calamity could be close.

☆ Russia bans government officials from using most foreign words
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 28 (Reuters) - Russian government officials will be banned from using most foreign words when carrying out their duties, according to an amended law on the formal use of Russian that President Vladimir Putin signed on Tuesday. The amendments to the 2005 law are designed to protect and support the status of Russian, according to a text posted on the government's website. "When using Russian as the state language of the Russian Federation, it is not allowed to use words and expressions that do not correspond to the norms of modern Russian ... with the exception of foreign words which do not have widely-used corresponding equivalents in Russian," says the text. A list of foreign-based words that can still be used will be published separately. The amendments do not mention any punishments for those who fail to respect the updated law.

☆ Russia's Medvedev says arms supplies to Kyiv threaten global nuclear catastrophe
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 27 (Reuters) - Russia's former president and an ally of President Vladimir Putin said in remarks published on Monday that the continued arms supply to Kyiv risks a global nuclear catastrophe, reiterating his threat of nuclear war over Ukraine. Dmitry Medvedev's apocalyptic rhetoric has been seen as an attempt to deter the U.S-led NATO military alliance and Kyiv's Western allies from getting even more involved in the year-old war that has dealt Moscow setbacks on the battlefield. "Of course, the pumping in of weapons can continue .... and prevent any possibility of reviving negotiations," Medvedev said in remarks published in the daily Izvestia. "Our enemies are doing just that, not wanting to understand that their goals will certainly lead to a total fiasco. Reporting by David Ljunggren and Lidia Kelly; Writing by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Michael PerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Zelenskiy fires a top Ukrainian military commander, no reason given
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 26 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday fired a senior military commander helping lead the fight against Russian troops in the country's embattled east but gave no reason for the move. In a one-line decree, Zelenskiy announced the dismissal of Eduard Moskalyov as commander of the joint forces of Ukraine, which are engaged in battles in the Donbas region. Zelenskiy mentioned Moskalyov in a daily address on Friday when listing the military commanders he had spoken to. Neither the joint forces' Facebook nor Twitter accounts made any mention of the dismissal. In a Facebook post, the Ukrainian armed forces' general staff said Russian troops had carried out several unsuccessful attacks in the Bakhmut area on Sunday.

☆ Russia's Tinkoff bank to suspend trading in euros from Feb 27
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 26 (Reuters) - Russian online bank Tinkoff, run by TCS Group Holding (TCSq.L), said on Sunday it would suspend trading in euros from Monday following the imposition of a further set of European Union sanctions. The package includes cutting off more banks, among them Tinkoff and the private Alfa-Bank, from the SWIFT global payments system. Euro trading will be suspended from Feb. 27, 2023," Tinkoff said in a statement, adding that trading in other currencies would not be affected. In a separate statement, Tinkoff said it had prepared counter-measures to the sanctions which would allow a transfer of assets to a new non-sanctioned company within three weeks. Tinkoff Bank was set up by entrepreneur Oleg Tinkov, who has become an outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

REUTERS/Carlos OsorioOTTAWA, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Canada is sending four more Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine and is imposing new Russia-related sanctions, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, marking the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Friday. The delivery would bring to eight the total number of Leopard 2 tanks Canada has pledged to Ukraine. Canada will also provide an armored recovery vehicle and over 5,000 rounds of 155 mm ammunition to help Ukraine in its defense against Russia. Since the start of the war a year ago, Canada has provided more than C$5 billion ($3.67 billion) in support to Ukraine, Trudeau said. Russia's ambassador to Canada Oleg Stepanov said the sanctions by Canada and the West were "meaningless," TASS news agency reported.

☆ Putin says Russia to deploy Sarmat nuclear missiles
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Guy Faulconbridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his annual address to the Federal Assembly in Moscow, Russia February 21, 2023. Sputnik/Dmitry Astakhov/Kremlin via REUTERSSummary Russia to deploy Sarmat missilesRussia to roll out hypersonic missilesRussia to add more nuclear submarinesPutin continues nuclear signalling to WestMOSCOW, Feb 23 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia would pay increased attention to boosting its nuclear forces by deploying a much delayed new intercontinental ballistic missile, rolling out hypersonic missiles and adding new nuclear submarines. A year since ordering the invasion of Ukraine, Putin has signalled he is ready to rip up the architecture of nuclear arms control - including the big powers' moratorium on nuclear testing - unless the West backs off in Ukraine. "As before, we will pay increased attention to strengthening the nuclear triad," Putin said, referring to nuclear missiles based on land, sea and in the air, in an address broadcast on state television. In addition, Putin said, Russia would continue mass production of air-based hypersonic Kinzhal systems and would start mass supplies of sea-based Zircon hypersonic missiles.

☆ Russia says Lavrov and Wang Yi did not discuss 'Chinese peace plan'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 22 (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and China's top diplomat Wang Yi did not discuss a reported Chinese plan to resolve the conflict in Ukraine when they met on Wednesday, Moscow said. Wang, the highest-ranking Chinese official to visit Russia since it invaded Ukraine almost a year ago, met President Vladimir Putin and Lavrov separately amid speculation the two sides would discuss a possible Chinese peace plan for Ukraine. "We note statements by some Western politicians and media reports regarding some kind of 'Chinese peace plan'. The two countries signed a "no limits" strategic partnership days before the invasion last Feb. 24, and have since held joint military drills over the Sea of Japan, East China Sea and Western Pacific. Moscow's foreign ministry said earlier that it was studying a newly released paper on Beijing's Global Security Initiative, Chinese leader Xi Jinping's flagship security proposal.

☆ Russia says its forces capture village in Ukraine's Kharkiv region
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Feb 18 (Reuters) - Russia's defence ministry said on Saturday that its forces had captured Hrianykivka, a village in Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv region that is well to the north of most significant fighting. A briefing note from Ukraine's General Staff later on Saturday said the village was being shelled, but made no mention of an assault. Hrianykivka is around 180 km (110 miles) north of Bakhmut, a city in the eastern Donetsk region that has seen fierce fighting in recent weeks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Saturday thanked forces in the region, saying in a video address that "the most brutal and significant fighting is going on there". Reporting by Reuters; editing by Jason Neely and David LjunggrenOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Most of Ukraine has power despite Russian attacks, says Zelenskiy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 18 (Reuters) - Most of Ukraine has power despite a series of major Russian attacks on the generating system, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday, praising the work done by repair crews. Most of our people have electricity," Zelenskiy said in a video address. "This is yet another confirmation of our resilience, the strength of Ukraine, the colossal work that was and is being done by many people," he said, specifically mentioning power industry workers. The one major exception is the southern port city of Odesa, where protective outages are still in force to help protect generating facilities harmed by earlier attacks. In a statement, it said protective outages were also possible in the Kyiv region.

☆ Netherlands orders Russian embassy to downsize, Moscow says it will respond
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMSTERDAM, Feb 18 (Reuters) - The Dutch government on Saturday said it would close its consulate in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and that it would limit the number of Russian diplomats allowed at the Russian embassy in The Hague. "At the same time Russia refuses to give visas to Dutch diplomats who would work at the consulate in St Petersburg or the embassy in Moscow." In Moscow, the Russian foreign ministry said it would respond to the move, RIA news agency reported. The Dutch government said it had decided to limit the number of diplomats at the Russian embassy in The Hague to match the number of those at the Dutch embassy in Moscow. "A number of diplomats shall therefore have to leave the country within two weeks," The Foreign Affairs ministry said in a statement, without giving a specific number.

☆ Putin allows Gazprom Neft to take over Shell stake in Salym oil project
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Feb 17 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed a decree allowing Gazprom Neft (SIBN.MM) (GPN) to take over Shell's (SHEL.L) 50% stake in the Salym oil project, a deal that had been provisionally agreed in December. But the decree, posted on the government's website, did not say whether Shell would receive any money. Shell - which announced the deal earlier this month - had already written down the value of its stake with an impairment of $233 million last year. Its directors resigned from the project last July. Reporting by David LjunggrenOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Of at least 36 missiles that Russia fired about 16 were shot down, the air force said, a lower rate than normal. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris are among many top officials attending the Munich Security Conference. As Russian troops massed on Ukraine's borders, Western leaders in Munich urged President Vladimir Putin not to invade and warned of dire consequences if he did. Russian leaders will be notable by their absence at the conference, which runs until Sunday, but senior Ukrainian officials are expected to address it. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address his priority was to hold off Russian attacks and get ready for an eventual Ukrainian counter-offensive.

Following a pattern of heavy bombardments after Ukrainian battlefield or diplomatic gains, Russia launched 36 missiles in the early hours, Ukraine's Air Force said. The Russian missiles triggered air-raid sirens and landed across Ukraine, including at the Kremenchuk refinery, where the extent of damage was unclear. Ukraine said the barrage included three KH-31 missiles and one Oniks anti-ship cruise missile, which its air defences cannot shoot down. [1/6] Ukrainian servicemen of the 80th Air Assault Brigade fire M119 Howitzer artillery weapon towards Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near Bahmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, February 16, 2023. Its capture would give Russia a stepping stone to advance on two bigger Donetsk cities further west, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.

"The enemy's offensive continues in the east, (with) round-the-clock attacks," Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar said. Earlier, the Russian Defence Ministry said Ukrainian forces had retreated in the face of Russian operations in the Luhansk region, although it gave no details and Reuters was not able to verify this and other battlefield reports. "Even the more fortified second line of defence of the enemy could not hold the breakthrough of the Russian military." BAKHMUT ATTACKSRussia's main effort has been an artillery and ground onslaught on the city of Bakhmut, in Donetsk. Russian forces have launched attacks on several settlements, including Paraskoviivka on the northern approaches to Bakhmut, over the past day, Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said.

[1/6] A firefighter walks at a car park near an apartment block that was heavily damaged by a missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine, February 15, 2023. "Even the more fortified second line of defence of the enemy could not hold the breakthrough of the Russian military." Later on Wednesday, Ukrainian deputy defence minister Hanna Malyar said Russian forces were mounting "round-the-clock" assaults on government positions, without specifying where. Near Bakhmut, Russian forces fired on more than 15 towns and villages, including the city itself, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in its evening report. Russia calls the invasion a "special military operation" against security threats, saying NATO shows hostility to Russia daily and is growing more involved in the conflict.

☆ Zelenskiy urges speedy help from allies as Russia pounds Ukraine's east
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Much of Russia's artillery fire was focused on Bakhmut, a bombed-out city in Donetsk province and a principal target for President Vladimir Putin. Zelenskiy said Russia was in a hurry to achieve as much as it could with its latest push before Ukraine and its allies could gather strength. Speed saves people's lives, speed brings back security, and I thank all our partners who realize that speed is important." Russian forces had made incremental progress in their assault on Bahkmut, White House spokesperson John Kirby said. Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin said Russian forces would not be able to capture the town anytime soon.

☆ Zelenskiy: too early to declare victory after repairs to power system
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERSFeb 12 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday hailed efforts to restore power generation systems damaged by Russian attacks but warned the population it was too early to declare victory on the energy front. Zelenskiy said power workers had done such a good job repairing the damage caused by Russian missile and drone strikes on Friday that most people had not had to face too many outages on Saturday and Sunday. Zelenskiy said scheduled energy outages would once again be in place when the working week started on Monday. Russia has carried out repeated waves of attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities in recent months, at times leaving millions of people without light, heating or water supplies during the cold winter. "This is the best response of Ukrainian energy workers to enemy shelling," he said in a statement.

☆ Russia reports pressure glitch on cargo ship docked to ISS
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 11 (Reuters) - Russia's space agency reported an unexplained loss of pressure on Saturday in a cargo craft docked to the International Space Station but said there was no threat to the crew. It was the latest glitch to affect the ageing ISS after a coolant leak in December on a Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft docked to the station. "Officials are monitoring all International Space Station systems and are not tracking any other issues," it said in a blog post. The Soyuz craft are used to ferry crew to and from the station, while the Progress vessels deliver equipment and supplies. Another Progress craft, MS-22, docked successfully with the ISS earlier on Saturday.

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