Section: The Guardian (The United Kingdom)
Ukraine fears spread of separatist conflict amid hostility towards Kiev
Attacks in Odessa and Kharkiv suggest instability is extending across the country, fuelled by rising inflation and rocketing utility prices On a bright Sunday morning in February, Ihor Rassokha was at a pro-Ukraine rally in Kharkhiv with a friend, the local scientist Igor Tolmachov.Suddenly there was an explosion, Rossokha recalled, sounding like...
Ukrainian commander says captured drones are Russian – video
The commander of the Ukrainian Aerorozvidka unit, Natan Chazin, explains the the importance of a drone his unit shot down this month. Chazin explains that the recovery of the the Israeli-made drone, called the Searcher 2, lasted two days as Ukrainian troops battled to reach the wreckage, saying this is indicative of the aircraft’s...
The Putin paradox: distrusted, feared, and yet revered | Natalie Nougayréde
Putin’s high approval ratings remain a mystery to the west. But Russians haven’t been brainwashedThe recent failure of opinion polls ahead of the British elections has sparked much soul-searching in Westminster circles. Pollsters, we are told, have eroded the public’s faith in politics and should consider resigning en masse.I...
Ukrainian forces says two drones shot down over war zone are Russian
Captured drones appear to be further evidence of Russia’s involvement in Ukraine conflictRussia is using advanced drones to monitor the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine, according to Ukrainian forces who say they have shot down two of the aircraft this month.The announcement come shortly after Ukraine’s capture of two men it says are...
Ukraine bans Soviet symbols and criminalises sympathy for communism
New laws also honour controversialist nationalist groups that committed ethnic cleansing or allied with the Nazis for part of second world warTwo new laws that ban communist symbols while honouring nationalist groups that collaborated with the Nazis have come into effect in Ukraine, raising concerns that Kiev could be stifling free speech and...
Ukrainian artists turn up heat on Russia with Kremlin barbecue – video
A group of artists in Kiev have produced a barbecue in the style of the Kremlin. They say the project is a symbol of resistance against Russian involvement in the conflict in the east of Ukraine. Yaroslav, the project co-founder, compares the image of the Kremlin burning with JRR Tolkein’s Mordor, the home of Lord of the Rings villain...
Fifa should strip Russia of hosting 2018 World Cup, says Polish FA chairman
• Zbigniew Boniek: ‘Hosting the World Cup in Russia is a disastrous mistake’• Former Juventus player adds Fifa should have clause ‘in the event of a war’• Fifa’s Sepp Blatter says 2018 World Cup in Russia will stabilise regionZbigniew Boniek, the chairman of the Polish Football Association, has said that Russia should be...
The Guardian view on eastern Europe and the EU: get it right in Riga | Editorial
One year after war broke out in Ukraine, the EU’s review of its eastern policy will have profound consequences for the continentThe Riga summit on the European Union’s eastern partnership policy may not make many headlines, but the issues that will be debated on Thursday and Friday in Latvia are major ones all the same. They will...
EU Eastern Partnership summit will highlight failure of plan to check Russia
Shadow of Ukraine conflict will loom heavily over Riga conference, showing flagship programme to woo eastern Europe away from Moscow to be in turmoilA summit in Riga this week is likely to highlight the failure of the EU’s flagship programme designed to entice six former Soviet states out of Moscow’s orbit and into the embrace of...
Video raises concerns over Ukraine’s treatment of Russian prisoners
Release of footage of recently captured soldiers said to violate Geneva conventions. RFE/RL reportsA video showing the interrogation of alleged Russian servicemen captured in Ukraine has sparked concerns about the treatment of prisoners of war in the conflict. The footage of one of the two men captured in eastern Ukraine on Saturday appears to...
