Section: Herald LIVE (South Africa)
Ukraine says preparing for combat in face of Russian build-up
Ukraine said on Wednesday (12/11/2014) it was readying for fresh combat operations in the war-torn east as NATO backed claims that Moscow has poured columns of military hardware across the border. Kiev’s warning will fuel fears of a return to all-out conflict despite a two-month-old ceasefire deal which has halted fighting along much of the...
Heavy shelling rocks Ukraine rebel bastion Donetsk
Heavy artillery fire on Wednesday (12/11/2014) rocked east Ukraine’s pro-Russian rebel bastion of Donetsk, after international monitors warned over escalating violence following the arrival of columns of insurgent reinforcements. The explosions of mortars being fired from near the centre towards government positions at the ruined airport...
Obama and Putin meet amid tensions: White House
US President Barack Obama met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin three times on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit on Tuesday (11/11/2014), with their conversations covering Iran, Syria and Ukraine, the White House said. Relations between Washington and Moscow are at their lowest since the Cold War, with Russia under US-backed Western...
Ukraine says tanks enter from Russia, fighting kills five soldiers
Ukraine said on Friday (07/11/2014) that dozens of tanks and truckloads of soldiers had crossed from Russia into Kremlin-backed rebel territory, as five servicemen were killed in fighting that made a mockery of a supposed ceasefire. A column of 32 tanks, 16 howitzer cannons and 30 trucks carrying troops and equipment crossed the border into...
To deliver or not to deliver warships to Russia? A French dilemma
As a deadline for the controversial delivery of a warship to Russia nears, France faces a gruelling dilemma: ditch the deal, lose billions and antagonise Moscow – or go ahead and attract NATO’s wrath. Until the deadly crisis in Ukraine erupted this year, the 1.2 billion-euro (1.5-billion) contract to build and sell two mammoth Mistral-class...
Putin cannot avoid me: Australia PM
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Thursday (06/11/2014) warned Vladimir Putin he will not be able to avoid a “conversation” over the loss of Australian lives in the downing of Flight MH17 over Ukraine. Last month Abbott vowed to “shirtfront” the Russian president at the G20 summit in Brisbane next week. Shirtfronting is an Australian Rules...
Ukraine creates de facto border around separatist zone
Ukraine on Thursday (06/11/2014) announced passport controls around areas held by pro-Russian separatists in the latest step toward what resembles the breakup of the ex-Soviet republic, as heavy artillery fire erupted in Donetsk. Ukraine’s border guards service said anyone crossing in or out of rebel areas will have to present a passport....
Ukraine’s warring sides trade blame on school shelling as locals rage
Ukraine’s warring sides on Thursday (06/11/2014) traded blame over the deadly shelling of a school sports ground in rebel-held territory that killed two teenagers as they played football. Pro-Russian insurgents announced two days of mourning for the slain adolescents as Russian investigators launched a criminal case against Ukrainian...
Russia snubs US on nuclear summit
Russia has confirmed it will not attend the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit, a gathering championed by President Barack Obama, accusing Washington of seeking to play first fiddle on matters of nuclear safety. In another sign of the growing chill between the former Cold War rivals, Moscow claimed the organisers wanted to accord special rights to the...
Ukraine peace plan hangs by a thread
The ceasefire in Ukraine hung by a thread on Wednesday (05/11/2014) after President Petro Poroshenko accused pro-Russian rebels of endangering the peace process and ordered troop reinforcements to eastern cities. In another sign of how far apart the two sides are drifting, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk announced he was cutting the rebel-held...
