Section: Kuwait
Putin stages huge military exercises – Game of ‘brinkmanship’ with West
MOSCOW: Mammoth Russian military drills ordered by President Vladimir Putin from the Pacific to the Black Sea are designed to send a message to the West: keep your distance and don’t overplay your hand on Ukraine, observers say. Since the start of the Ukraine crisis more than a year ago, Russia has flexed its muscles with a series of war...
Nemtsov’s murder suspect ‘tortured, forced to confess’
Zaur Dadayev, charged with the murder of Russian opposition figure Boris Nemtsov MOSCOW: A former Chechen police officer who admitted taking part in the murder of Russian opposition activist Boris Nemtsov “likely confessed under torture”, a member of the Kremlin’s human rights council said yesterday. Zaur Dadayev allegedly confessed and was...
5 Nemtsov killing suspects arraigned; 1 admits guilt
MOSCOW: Russian news agencies said yesterday one of the suspects in the killing of leading opposition figure Boris Nemtsov has admitted involvement in the crime. Judge Nataliya Mushnikova said that Zaur Dadaev made a statement confirming his guilt, according to the reports. They did not specify his alleged actions. Dadaev is among five suspects...
EU ready for more Russia sanctions if necessary
RIGA: The European Union is ready to step up sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine conflict, but its priority is to bolster a fragile ceasefire agreed in Minsk, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said yesterday. Mogherini, attending a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Latvia, said the need now was to strengthen ceasefire monitors from the...
32 feared dead in Ukraine mine blast – Dozens still trapped underground
DONETSK: Thirty-two miners in eastern Ukraine were missing and feared dead yesterday following an explosion at a coal mine in the rebel-held city of Donetsk. The blast took place at Zasyadko mine in the separatist hub of Donetsk, near the city’s war-wrecked airport. The chairman of Ukraine’s parliament, Volodymyr Groysman, announced...
Russian mourners bid farewell to Nemtsov – Brazen assassination shocks Russia
MOSCOW: Thousands of mourners yesterday filed past the coffin of slain Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, bidding farewell to a charismatic activist whose brazen assassination shocked the country. The 55-year-old former deputy prime minister, longtime Putin critic and anti-corruption crusader who was gunned down near the Kremlin late...
Ukraine death toll soars past 6,000
GENEVA: US Secretary of State John Kerry held tense talks with his Russian counterpart in Geneva yesterday to end fighting in Ukraine, where the UN says more than 6,000 have died in less than a year. The meeting with Sergei Lavrov in Geneva came less than a week after Kerry accused Moscow of lying about its involvement in the conflict, and as...
Mystery surrounds Putin critic’s death – Conflicting reports on CCTV video footage
Ganna Duritska, the chief witness to the murder MOSCOW: The investigation into the killing of Boris Nemtsov, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin who was gunned down not far from the Kremlin, faced conflicting reports yesterday about possible surveillance footage of his slaying. No suspects have been arrested since Nemtsov was shot...
Russians march in memory of murdered Putin critic – Nemtsov supporters blame authorities
MOSCOW: Tens of thousands of Russians marched through central Moscow yesterday, carrying banners declaring “I am not afraid” and chanting “Russia without Putin” in memory of murdered Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov. Families, the old and young walked slowly, with many holding portraits of the opposition politician and former...
Estonians vote under shadow of Russia – NATO countering moves by boosting defences
TALLINN: Estonians voted yesterday in an election marked by jitters over a militarily resurgent Russia and a popular pro-Kremlin party, with the security conscious centre-left coalition tipped for a return to power. Moscow’s annexation of Crimea last year and its meddling in eastern Ukraine have galvanised the European Union, including this...
