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☆ Pro-Kremlin channel Russia Today says France operation closing
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Late last February, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, the European Union said it would ban Russia Today on the grounds it had been spreading disinformation about the war. RT (Russia Today) France appealed the ban but lost. "The funds of RT France are frozen at the request of the general directorate of the Treasury ... our channel can no longer continue its activity," she said. In March, the European Union's Court of Justice on Wednesday rejected a RT France bid for a temporary reprieve. It accused the French authorities of censorship and said RT France had never been condemned or sanctioned for any reason.

☆ Zelenskiy says Ukraine will still have to fight for supply of modern tanks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 20 (Reuters) - Ukraine will still have to fight to ensure a supply of modern heavy armor, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday after Western partners failed to agree on whether to provide German tanks. A meeting at the Ramstein Air Base broke up without a decision on whether Germany should send Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, or permit other countries which have them to do so. Zelenskiy said in a video address that the Ramstein meeting would strengthen Ukraine's resilience and expressed confidence allies would support Kyiv as much as possible. "Yes, we will still have to fight for the delivery of modern tanks, but every day we make it more obvious that there is no alternative to taking a decision about tanks," he said. Reporting by David Ljunggren, Editing by Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

REUTERS/Igor Russak/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Jan 20 (Reuters) - The United States will impose additional sanctions next week against Russian private military company the Wagner Group, which U.S. officials say has been helping Russia's military in the Ukraine war, the White House said on Friday. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said the U.S. Treasury Department will designate Wagner as a significant Transnational Criminal Organization. Wagner owner Yevgeny Prigozhin last month denied taking delivery of arms from North Korea and characterized the report as "gossip and speculation." Kirby said Russian President Vladimir Putin has been increasingly turning to Wagner for military support, causing some tensions in Moscow. "Wagner is becoming a rival power center to the Russian military and other Russian ministries."

Some two-thirds of firms expect a recession over the next 12 months, with 90% of those expecting it to be mild. Several businesses said rising interest rates were slowing household demand and housing market activity. The survey showed that 84% of firms expect inflation to remain above 3% for the next two years, up from 77% in the third quarter. Canada's annual inflation rate eased to 6.8% in November as gasoline prices rose more slowly, still well above the central bank's 2% target, data showed last month. Almost 64% of consumers said they would reduce spending and save more to cope with inflation and rising interest rates.

☆ Zelenskiy: Ukraine forces are holding Soledar positions, inflicting big losses
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 12 (Reuters) - Ukrainian forces in the eastern city of Soledar are holding their positions and inflicting significant losses on Russia troops, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a video address on Thursday. A Russian-installed official in Ukraine's Donetsk region earlier said "pockets of resistance" remained in Soledar, undermining claims that the town had been captured. Zelenskiy thanked two Ukrainian units in Soledar which he said "are holding their positions and inflicting significant losses on the enemy." "We also discussed the situation regarding the supply of weapons and ammunition to the troops and the relevant cooperation with our partners," he continued. Reporting by David Ljunggren and Ron Popeski; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Zelenskiy mocks Russia's claims over Soledar, says fighting continues
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 11 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday mocked Russian claims to have taken over parts of the eastern city of Soledar, saying that fighting was still going on. Russian mercenary group Wagner on Tuesday claimed it had taken full control of Soledar but that fighting continued in the city centre. Soledar is a salt-mining town near the city of Bakhmut, which has been the focus of a Russian assault aimed at capturing the entire Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. "The terrorist state and its propagandists are trying to pretend that part of our town of Soledar ... is some sort of a Russian possession," Zelenskiy said in a video address. Reporting by David Ljunggren and Ron Popeski Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russia's Wagner Group claims 'liberation' of Soledar, says about 500 Ukrainians killed
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 11 (Reuters) - The head of Russia's private military firm Wagner on Wednesday said his forces had achieved the complete "liberation" of the eastern Ukrainian mining town of Soledar, killing around 500 pro-Ukraine troops. Minutes before, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had mocked earlier Russian claims to control part of the town and said fighting continued. Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin on Tuesday announced his forces had control over Soledar but said battles were still raging in the city centre. [1/3] Ukrainian army, of the 43rd Heavy Artillery Brigade fire a German howitzer Panzerhaubitze 2000, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, near Soledar, Ukraine, January 11, 2023. (This story has been refiled to revise the headline and the first paragraph to change the word "liberated" to "liberation".)

☆ Russia's Wagner Group says it found body of a missing Briton in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Andrew Bagshaw, one of the two British men missing in Ukraine is seen in this undated handout photo. The Spearhead Foundation/Handout via REUTERSJan 11 (Reuters) - Forces from Russia's Wagner Group on Wednesday found the body of one of two British voluntary aid workers reported missing in eastern Ukraine, the private military firm said in a statement. Documents for both Britons were discovered with him," said the Wagner statement. Ukrainian police said the two left the city of Kramatorsk for the town of Soledar on Friday morning and were reported missing on Saturday evening after contact with them was lost. A spokesperson for Britain's Foreign Office said: "We are supporting the families of two British men who have gone missing in Ukraine."

☆ Russia's Wagner says it controls Ukrainian town of Soledar, fighting continues -agencies
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Jan 10 (Reuters) - The head of Russia's private military firm Wagner on Tuesday said his forces had taken control of the eastern Ukrainian mining town of Soledar but that fighting continued, Russian news agencies reported. Ukraine had said earlier in the day that its forces were still holding out despite a Russian onslaught. "Wagner units took control of the entire territory of Soledar. A cauldron has been formed in the centre of the city in which urban fighting is going on," Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a statement cited by Russian agencies. Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ German minister promises Ukraine weapons, EU accession help on surprise trip
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In a statement ahead of a meeting with Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Baerbock expressed Germany's solidarity with Ukrainians living through Russia's invasion and harsh winter conditions. After Germany last week promised to send Marder fighting vehicles to Ukraine as part of increased military support, Baerbock promised more weapons, without specifying which ones. Senior Russian legislator Leonid Slutsky, echoing Moscow's line that it launched the war to "denazify" Ukraine, said history would harshly judge the comments by Baerbock. Baerbock also said it was important not to lose sight of Ukraine's place in Europe and its desire to join the EU. She said Germany would provide 20 million euros ($21.47 million) for demining efforts and another 20 million euros to boost Ukraine's access to Starlink internet terminals.

☆ Russian airliner lands safely in Moscow after declaring emergency, Tass reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Jan 7 (Reuters) - A Russian-operated Boeing 737 airliner that declared an in-flight emergency during a domestic flight on Saturday landed safely at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, Tass news agency cited a civil aviation source as saying. The plane, flying at an altitude of more than 10,000 metres (33,000 feet), sent the alert while en route from the Arctic port of Murmansk to Moscow, 1,500 km (930 miles) to the south. The Tass report did not give any more details or identify the airline. S7, Russia's biggest private airline and the country's second largest carrier overall, offers flights between the two cities. Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Putin praises Russian Orthodox Church for backing troops in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the Orthodox Christmas service at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia January 7, 2023. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERSSummary Putin issues congratulatory Orthodox Christmas messageHails Russian Orthodox Church as important unifying forcePraises its support for 'military operation' in UkraineJan 7 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Saturday praised the Russian Orthodox Church for supporting Moscow's forces fighting in Ukraine in an Orthodox Christmas message designed to rally people behind his vision of modern Russia. Many Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7, but the Russian Orthodox Church's backing for Moscow's war in Ukraine has angered many Ukrainian Orthodox believers and splintered the worldwide Orthodox Church. Ukraine has about 30 million Orthodox believers, divided between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate and two other Orthodox Churches, one of which is the autocephalous, or independent, Ukrainian Orthodox Church. In a service on Friday, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow criticised Ukraine for cracking down on the branch of the Orthodox church with longstanding ties to Moscow.

☆ U.S. Bradley vehicles are exactly what Ukraine needs, says Zelenskiy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 6 (Reuters) - A U.S. commitment to supply Kyiv with Bradley Fighting Vehicles for the first time is exactly what Ukraine needs, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a video address on Friday. Zelenskiy said the formal announcement showed his visit to Washington last month had produced concrete results. The weapons are part of a new $3 billion U.S. weapons aid package for Ukraine that is set to be announced later on Friday. "For the first time we will receive Bradley armoured vehicles - this is exactly what is needed," Zelenskiy said, thanking U.S. President Joe Biden and the U.S. Congress. Zelenskiy - who has been pressing allies relentlessly to send more weapons - also thanked Germany, which will send Marder Infantry Fighting Vehicles and a Patriot air-defence.

Jan 7 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday attended an Orthodox Church Christmas service by himself inside a Kremlin cathedral rather than joining other worshippers in a public celebration. Russia's RIA news agency said it was the first time in years that Putin had marked Christmas in Moscow rather than in the region around the capital. State television showed two live clips of Putin inside the gilded Cathedral of the Annunciation as Orthodox priests conducted the midnight service, known as the Divine Liturgy. The Russian Orthodox Church backs the war in Ukraine. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow on Thursday called for both sides to observe a 36-hour Christmas truce that Putin had announced.

☆ France to send Ukraine light combat vehicles, Kyiv wants tanks from allies
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"This is the first time that Western-made armoured vehicles are being delivered in support of the Ukrainian army," the official said. Zelenskiy thanked Macron for the announcement and said it showed the need for others to provide heavier weapons. "We must put an end to the Russian aggression this year," he said, adding that "modern Western armoured vehicles and Western-type tanks" were major assets that Ukraine needed. Macron in October also said Paris would provide air defence weapons as Russia intensified missile strikes on critical infrastructure. Zelenskiy has repeatedly asked Western allies for heavier fighting vehicles such as the German-made Leopard tanks.

☆ Russia says 89 troops were killed in New Year's attack, blames use of mobile phones
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 4 (Reuters) - Russia's defence ministry said on Wednesday that 89 servicemen were killed in the Ukrainian attack on Makiivka in the Moscow-controlled parts of the Donetsk region, adding the main reason for the attack was unauthorised use of mobile phones by the troops. "This factor allowed the enemy to track and determine the coordinates of the soldiers' location for a missile strike." Russia previously said 63 Russian soldiers were killed. The defence ministry said four rockets from the U.S.-made HIMARS launchers hit the building, adding that "from the detonation of the warheads of the HIMARS rockets, the ceilings of the building collapsed." The ministry added in its statement on the Telegram messaging app that a commission is investigating the circumstances of the attack.

☆ Russia blames its soldiers' mobile phone use for deadly missile strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Bogdan Kochubey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Moscow previously said 63 Russian soldiers were killed in the weekend strike. The Russian defence ministry said four Ukrainian missiles hit a temporary Russian barracks in a vocational college in Makiivka, twin city of the Russian-occupied regional capital of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine's military has said it launched a strike that resulted in Russian loss of equipment and possibly personnel near Makiivka. A little known patriotic group which supports the widows of Russian soldiers is calling on Putin to order a large-scale mobilisation of millions of men and to close the borders to ensure victory in Ukraine. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said Washington had seen reports "that the Ukrainian military struck a Russian military barracks that stored ammunition inside of Ukrainian territory" and led to many Russian deaths.

☆ Zelenskiy, Putin promise victory in contrasting New Year speeches
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Lidia Kelly | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addresses Ukrainian people on the New Year eve, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, in this handout picture released December 31, 2022. We say: we have no other option than to win," said Zelenskiy, dressed in his trademark khaki outfit and standing in darkness with the Ukrainian flag fluttering behind. The attacks followed a barrage of more than 20 cruise missiles fired across Ukraine on Saturday - and many bombardments earlier. "The main thing is the fate of Russia," Putin, dressed in a dark suit and tie, said. Reiterating that the West is supposedly intent on "destroying Russia" by using Kyiv, Putin vowed he will never allow that.

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy, in New Year message, predicts victory in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Dec 31 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Saturday predicted victory in the war against Russia next year, saying it would come through hard work rather than miracles, as well as aid from foreign partners. And it will come true not by a miracle but through our work, our struggle, mutual aid and humanity," he said. Zelenskiy alluded to repeated Russian strikes that have smashed the power-generating system, saying light could be found in everyone, even when there was no electricity. Zelenskiy made the forecast in a short written message to mark the New Year, a modest effort compared to the nine-minute Christmas video he released on Dec 24. Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Mark PorterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Muscovites mark muted New Year without fireworks, hope for peace
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, Dec 31 (Reuters) - People in the centre of Moscow prepared late on Saturday to mark a somewhat muted New Year's Eve without the usual fireworks and celebrations on Red Square, with many saying they wanted peace in 2023. New Year's Day is Russia's main seasonal holiday, while Orthodox believers also celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7. "We hope that there will be a predictable year, we hope there will be world peace, as strange as it may sound in such a situation," said Moscow resident Alexander Tsvetov. The canceled fireworks display, she said, was an act of solidarity with what was happening in Ukraine. Tatyana, a woman who did not give her full name, said she hoped for "world peace, clear skies, happiness and health for everyone."

Dec 25 (Reuters) - Russia's nuclear arsenal and the rules Moscow has laid out for its use are the only factors preventing the West from starting a war against Russia, a top ally of President Vladimir Putin said in an article published on Sunday. "Is the West ready to unleash a fully-fledged war against us, including a nuclear war, at the hands of Kyiv?" Putin and other senior officials have repeatedly said Russia's policy on nuclear weapons dictates they can be used if there is a threat to territorial integrity. Earlier this month, Putin said the risk of a nuclear war was rising, but insisted Russia had not "gone mad" and that it saw its own nuclear arsenal as a purely defensive deterrent. If Russia did not get the security guarantees it is demanding, he said, "The world will continue to teeter on the brink of World War Three and nuclear catastrophe.

☆ Sanctions to help cut Belarus GDP by 4% in 2022, Interfax quotes prime minister as saying
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 24 (Reuters) - The economy of Belarus is expected to shrink by 4% in 2022 after western nations imposed punitive measures, much less than some had forecast, Interfax cited Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko as saying on Saturday. The European Union, the United States and others have imposed billions of dollars worth of sanctions on the ex-Soviet state over its support for Russia's war against Ukraine. "You know the forecasts we were given - from a total collapse (of the economy) to a drop of 20%," Interfax quoted Golovchenko as telling national television. Golovchenko also said the overall inflation rate in 2022 would be 12%, Interfax reported. Year-on-year inflation on Dec. 1 was 13.3%, down from 15.2% the previous month.

☆ Head of major Russian shipyard dies suddenly, no cause given
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 24 (Reuters) - A major Russian shipyard that specialises in building non-nuclear submarines said its general director had died suddenly on Saturday after 11 years in the job, but gave no details. Admiralty Shipyards, based in the western port of St Petersburg, announced the death of Alexander Buzakov in a statement. His main achievement, it said, had been preserving and strengthening the shipyard's order books for modern non-nuclear submarines, surface ships and deep water vehicles. Tass news agency said the shipyard is building improved Kilo-class diesel-powered submarines capable of launching Kalibr cruise missiles. St Petersburg is the home city of President Vladimir Putin.

Dec 24 (Reuters) - Ukrainians will create their own miracle this Christmas by showing they remain unbowed despite Russian attacks that have plunged millions into darkness, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a defiant message on Saturday. "We endured at the beginning of the war - we withstood attacks, threats, nuclear blackmail, terror, missile strikes. Zelenskiy made his remarks in a video address to Ukrainians who celebrate Christmas in December. [1/3] A Christmas tree is seen in front of an Orthodox cathedral during a service on the eve of Christmas, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine December 24, 2022. The clip, which lasted just under nine minutes, was filmed outside at night with just a few white lights and a Christmas tree in the background.

☆ Head of Russia's Wagner group dismisses talk of N. Korean weapons as gossip
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Dec 22 (Reuters) - The head of private Russian military company the Wagner Group on Thursday dismissed as "gossip and speculation" a U.S. assertion that it had taken delivery of an arms shipment from North Korea. "Everyone knows that North Korea has not been supplying any weapons to Russia for a long time. And no such efforts have even been made," Wagner owner Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a statement. Reporting by David Ljunggren and Ron Popeski; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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