Section: The Japan Times (Japan)
Russians quit army 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...
Kerry, Putin pledge to cooperate to bolster Ukraine peace accord
The U.S. and Russia said they’ll work together to shore up a Ukrainian peace deal that’s come under increasing strain amid violations of a cease-fire in effect since February. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that, while differences exist between Russia and the U.S. over...
Hundreds of Russian soldiers killed in east Ukraine, opposition says
Moscow spent more than 53 billion rubles ($1.04 billion) supplying a separatist rebellion in east Ukraine and at least 220 Russian soldiers have been killed there, a report by Russian opposition activists said Tuesday. The report was the last project of murdered Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov, who used open source information and interviews with...
Kerry pays first Russia visit since Ukraine crisis erupted, rift over Syria started
Secretary of State John Kerry departed Monday for Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin, on his first visit to the country since relations between Washington and Moscow plummeted to post-Cold War lows amid disagreements over Ukraine and Syria. The State Department said Kerry would meet Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday at...
U.S., Russian foreign ministers reportedly to hold talks Tuesday
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will meet in Sochi on Tuesday with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, for talks on ongoing unrest in Ukraine, Syria and Yemen, Russian news agencies reported Monday. State news agency RIA-Novosti cited a diplomatic source as saying the Kremlin hopes Kerry will bring new proposals on reaching a settlement...
Ukrainian port Mariupol’s locals practice taking to shelters as they brace for attack
Ukraine’s eastern port of Mariupol is bracing for attack. Army vehicles rumble down streets, windows are fortified to shield against shell damage and signs pasted to apartment blocks point people to their nearest bomb shelter. Locals fear pro-Russian separatists will unleash an assault on their city now that President Vladimir Putin has...
Putin leads WWII victory celebrations in Moscow while Ukraine bristles
Tanks and troops paraded across Moscow’s Red Square on Saturday to mark the 70th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany, an event boycotted by Western leaders over Russia’s role in the Ukraine crisis. President Vladimir Putin has used the anniversary to whip up patriotism and anti-Western sentiment; at a parade in Kiev, Ukraine...
Europe marks end of WWII under shadow of new threats
Europe on Friday marked 70 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany with somber ceremonies overshadowed by modern threats such as the war in Ukraine and Islamic extremism. The Victory Day commemorations in Europe were muted compared with Moscow’s planned display of its military might at a parade Saturday, which is being snubbed by Western […]...
Ruble conquering east Ukraine
As a wobbly cease-fire keeps eastern Ukraine’s warring factions apart, Russia’s ruble is conquering new territory across the breakaway republics. In Donetsk, the conflict zone’s biggest city, supermarkets have opened ruble-only checkout counters to serve the fighters in camouflage lining up along pensioners. Bus and tram tickets...
Ukraine cease-fire teeters; five government soldiers killed
Five Ukrainian government troops battling separatist forces in the east have been killed in one of the worst single days of bloodshed since a cease-fire was declared in February, military officials said Wednesday. Army spokesman Andriy Lysenko said four soldiers died when their armored vehicle hit a mine near the front line town of Avdiivka. […]...
