Section: Cyprus
Russia starts large-scale military exercises in disputed territories
Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Thursday that large-scale military exercises had started in southern Russia and in disputed territories on Russia’s borders. The exercises involve over 2,000 anti-aircraft troops and 500 items of weaponry and will last until April 10, Interfax news agency reported. The Defence Ministry said the...
More than 30 killed in coal mine blast in rebel-held east Ukraine
By Maria Tsvetkova A blast at a coal mine in the eastern Ukrainian rebel stronghold of Donetsk killed more than 30 people, a local official said on Wednesday, with dozens more miners who were underground at the time unaccounted for. Miners’ relatives were gathering at the entrance to the Zasyadko mine desperately trying to get more...
Three dead as Kiev accuses Ukraine rebels of shelling
By Pavel Polityuk and Thomas Grove Three Ukrainian servicemen were killed and nine wounded as pro-Russian rebels shelled government positions despite a ceasefire deal, the military said on Tuesday, announcing Kiev’s highest casualty toll in several days. The losses underscore the fragility of a two-week-old ceasefire agreement which...
Mourners pay respects to murdered Kremlin critic Nemtsov
By Alexander Winning Several hundred Russians, many carrying red carnations, queued on Tuesday to pay their respects to Boris Nemtsov, the Kremlin critic whose murder last week showed the hazards of speaking out against Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin’s aides deny any involvement in killing Nemtsov, who was shot in the back four...
Murder in Moscow
By Gwynne Dyer “EVERY time I call (my mother),” said Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov recently, “she gives me a talking-to: ‘When will you stop being rude about Putin? He’ll kill you.’” Now Nemtsov is dead: four bullets in the chest as he was walking home in Moscow with his girlfriend on Friday night. The protest march against...
Kerry says he pressed Russia’s Lavrov on Ukraine ceasefire deal
By Tom Miles US Secretary of State John Kerry said he told Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday that Moscow and pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine must implement a ceasefire or face consequences that could hit Russia’s economy. Kerry told a news conference in Geneva that the ceasefire must be respected in all areas, including...
New deal with Russia raising East-West tensions
A recent agreement signed between South Cyprus and Russia to allow Russian navy vessels to dock in Cyprus ports has raised concerns in the UK. The controversial deal allows heavily armed Russian warships to dock in Cypriot ports, a move which was “worrying and disappointing” according to some British MPs. Tension is on the increase between the...
Russian opposition leader Nemtsov shot dead in Moscow
By Alexander Winning and Timothy Heritage Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, an outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s involvement in the war in Ukraine, was shot dead steps from the Kremlin in central Moscow late on Friday. Nemtsov, 55, was shot four times in the back by assailants in a white car as he walked...
Ukraine begins artillery withdrawal, recognising truce is holding
By Peter Graff Ukraine announced on Thursday that it would begin withdrawing artillery from the front line with separatist rebels in the east, a move that amounts to recognition that a ceasefire meant to take effect on Feb. 15 is holding at last. The pro-Russian rebels have already been pulling back heavy weapons for two days, but Kiev had held...
Russian navy vessels in Cyprus – Putin says don’t worry
President Anastasiades has signed eight agreements with Russia, one of which will allow Russian navy vessels to dock in South Cyprus ports. At a joint news conference with Anastasiades, held at his house in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that those vessels would be there as part of international attempts to counter terrorism and...
