Section: The Guardian (The United Kingdom)
Ukraine ceasefire leaves frontline counting cost of war in uneasy calm
Lull in fighting prompts some locals to fear Moscow is retooling its strategy, while others suspect it has abandoned themIt was mid-morning when the bombs began to fall on Artyomove, a crumbling mining town on the frontline in eastern Ukraine. One mortar landed in Nina Dmitrievna’s garden. It flattened her fence. Another hit next door,...
Moscow reacts to Russia’s rouble crash
RFE/RL asks Muscovites for their opinions on why their currency is shedding value, and whether they believe authorities can stem the decline The Russian rouble’s precipitous decline this week means it now has the dubious distinction of being the world’s worst performing currency.And the central bank’s dramatic hike in its...
Obama ‘intends to’ sign new Russian sanctions bill – video
A White House spokesman says the US president will likely sign a bill implementing new sanctions on Russia by the end of the week. The Ukraine Freedom Support Act was passed by Congress on Saturday, and will see more pressure put on Vladimir Putin. Josh Earnest moved on to offer condolences to those affected by the Taliban attack at a school in...
Wrecking Russia’s economy could be a disaster for the west | Angus Roxburgh
It’s sheer folly to hope that the country is destabilised and Vladimir Putin overthrown. We’ve no idea what the outcome would beLike a rudderless ship running out of fuel and buffeted in an icy storm, the Russian economy looks as if it is heading for a crash. All the graphs – the rouble-dollar rate, the slump in GDP, bank interest...
In 2014, people power took on the state in a battle for minds and streets
Civilians from Hong Kong to Mexico, Ukraine to Burkina Faso, stood up to the establishment and demanded more accountabilityIt has been a year where the question of people power versus state hard power became ever more prominent. From Russia’s actions in Ukraine to Burkina Faso’s overthrow of a president whose rule had lasted 27 years,...
MH17 investigation: Ukraine’s Petro Poroshenko promises quick resolution
Speaking on a visit to Australia, Poroshenko vowed to expose those responsible for the deaths of the 298 people on the Malaysia Airlines flightThe Ukrainian president, Petro Poroshenko, has spoken of the solidarity between his country and Australia and has vowed to expose those responsible for the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 tragedy.Poroshenko...
Former commander urges Nato to send arms to Ukraine
James Stavridis, ex-Nato supreme allied commander in Europe, says non-lethal aid insufficient in fight against separatistsA former commander of Nato in Europe has called for the alliance to send arms and military advisers to Ukraine to help it fight Moscow-backed separatists.James Stavridis said during a visit to London: “I think we should...
Ukraine’s first casualty-free day in seven months ‘shows sanctions are working’
President Petro Poroshenko says milestone is proof the west’s diplomatic pressure and sanctions against Russia are bearing fruitThe president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, said in Sydney on Friday that the war-torn east of his country had just had its first day without military or civilian casualties in seven months.He told the Lowy...
Accusations fly around Russia’s Baltic deployments as tensions escalate
Reports of increased military activity raises alarm for border states as diplomatic relations between Russia and Nato worsenThe Polish defence minister has called Russia’s naval and air force activity around the Baltic Sea this week unprecedented, marking a further escalation of tensions in the region.Tomasz Siemoniak said that although...
The Guardian view on the freedom of the internet: it’s under attack around the world | Editorial
The net is a powerful weapon, and governments don’t want it in the hands of their criticsThe internet is not a culture in itself. It has no values and works indifferently either for or against freedom and democracy. But however it is employed, it works powerfully. So it has become an arena in which struggles over power and ideas are fought...
