Section: Egypt Independent (Egypt)
Special Report: Russian soldiers quit over Ukraine
Some Russian soldiers are quitting the army because of the conflict in Ukraine, several soldiers and human rights activists have told Reuters. Their accounts call into question the Kremlin’s continued assertions that no Russian soldiers have been sent to Ukraine, and that any Russians fighting alongside rebels there are volunteers. Evidence...
Polish President Komorowski front-runner in election
Poland voted in the first round of a presidential election on Sunday that opinion polls show will send front-runner and incumbent Bronislaw Komorowski into a runoff against a conservative opposition challenger. A comfortable re-election for Komorowski would give a confidence boost to his allies in the centre-right Polish government, who face what...
Russia fetes WWII victory with huge military parade
Russia readied for a grandiose Red Square military parade Saturday to mark 70 years since the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, but Western leaders were going to stay away due to the Ukraine crisis. New tanks, mammoth nuclear missile systems and some 16,000 troops were set to sweep past the Kremlin under the gaze of President Vladimir...
Parade hiccup as Russia prepares to unveil ‘masterpiece’ tank
A new high tech battle tank hailed by Russia as a “masterpiece” appeared to break down on Red Square on Thursday during a rehearsal for the military parade at which it will make its long-awaited debut. The tank’s driver raised a small red flag to show he had problems but managed to drive on about 30 minutes later after an...
Russia’s Putin, Germany’s Merkel to discuss Ukraine on May 10
Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will discuss the crisis in Ukraine at talks in Moscow on Sunday, a Kremlin aide told reporters on Wednesday. Outlining Putin’s planned meetings with foreign leaders during events this weekend marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two in Europe, foreign...
Martial law introduced by eastern Ukraine separatists
The leaders of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) in eastern Ukraine declared martial law on Monday, the separatist-linked DNR News agency reported. The decree, issued by the Republic’s president Igor Plotnitsky, comes into force on Tuesday. According to the legislation’s text published on the DRN News website,...
NATO starts anti submarine exercise in North Sea as tensions with Russia rise
NATO launched one of its biggest-ever anti-submarine exercises in the North Sea on Monday, inviting non-member Sweden for the first time, amid increasing tensions between Russia and its northern neighbours. More than a dozen vessels from 11 countries are participating in the “Dynamic Mongoose” exercise. NATO will simulate detecting...
Kremlin: North Korean leader will not visit Moscow in May
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will not attend events in Moscow next week commemorating the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two in Europe, the Kremlin said on Thursday. “He has decided to stay in Pyongyang,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call. “This decision is related to (North)...
Ukraine says separatists step up attacks, Poroshenko warns of ‘threat of war’
Ukraine’s leader warned on Tuesday that a war with pro-Russian separatists could still break out again as its military said the rebels had greatly stepped up attacks and widened the area of their operations despite a ceasefire. A military spokesman said one Ukrainian serviceman had been killed — the fourth fatality among the Ukrainian...
Birds of prey help NATO warplanes police Baltic air
A NATO mission policing Baltic airspace amid heightened tensions with Russia has forged a rather exotic alliance to ensure the safety of pilots and their jets. Four birds of prey — three falcons and an eagle — soar over the tarmac near four massive hangars at the Zokniai airforce base in northwest Lithuania. The winged warriors flew...
