Section: The Guardian (The United Kingdom)
‘A true friend’: Ukraine president asks Tony Blair to take on advisory role
Unclear whether former British PM will take up offer by Petro Poroshenko, as Blair meets other key figures in Kiev hosted by oligarch Viktor PinchukTony Blair has been offered a role advising Ukraine’s president after the pair met in Kiev on Wednesday. Blair, whose foundation has long-standing links with a Ukrainian oligarch, is said to be...
Russian journalist beaten and detained by Ukrainian separatists
Novaya Gazeta reporter says he was beaten after being held at gunpointA correspondent for the independent Russian newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, was beaten and briefly detained in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, reports the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Pavel Kanygin, a special correspondent for the Moscow-based paper, said he was held for five...
Facebook’s block policy accused of facilitating pro-Kremlin trolls
Prominent bloggers claim their accounts are being routinely blocked after orchestrated complaints from Russia’s cyber army. RFE/RL reportA growing number of Russian and Ukrainian Facebook users have had their accounts temporarily suspended over spurious accusations which they say have been logged by pro-Kremlin users upset by the political...
US seeks to store military weapons and vehicles in eastern European countries
Proposal aims to send message to Vladimir Putin to deter further Russian aggression in Europe, the New York Times reportsThe US is poised to store battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and other heavy weapons for as many as 5,000 troops in several Baltic and eastern European countries, the New York Times reported on Saturday. The move is aimed...
Ukraine says six soldiers killed by rebels and 14 wounded in past 24 hours
Ukrainian military spokesman says the situation is particularly tense around Donestsk airport as skirmishes continue despite a four-month ceasefireThe Ukrainian military says six of its soldiers have been killed and 14 wounded in the past 24 hours in the separatist east of the country despite the current four-monthceasefire. The situation is...
Pope Francis tells Putin: ‘sincere’ peace efforts needed for Ukraine
Pair agree in Vatican on need to ‘restore climate of dialogue’ between Russia and Ukraine after pontiff expresses deep concern over ‘great humanitarian crisis’ in the regionPope Francis spent most of an hour-long meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin on Wednesday night discussing the crisis in Ukraine, with the pontiff calling...
Igor Kostin, photographer who captured the Chernobyl disaster, dies at 78
Ukrainian Igor Kostin, who took the first pictures of Chernobyl nuclear plant after it exploded in 1986, has died in a car accident in KievIgor Kostin, a Ukrainian photographer who took one of the first pictures of the ravaged Chernobyl nuclear plant after it exploded in 1986, has died. He was 78.His wife, Alla, told the Associated Press on...
Pope Francis urged to take tougher stance against Vladimir Putin
US ambassador to Holy See says pontiff, who has taken a cautious approach to criticising Russia since Crimea annexation, should raise concernsPope Francis has been encouraged by a top American diplomat to take a tougher stance against Vladimir Putin when he meets the Russian president on Wednesday evening.The pope, a frequent critic of military...
Putin’s trip to Rome underscores Russia’s special relationship with Italy
The Russian president, who has been treated as a pariah on the world stage, is likely to receive a warmer welcome in Italy than he would elsewhere in the EUVladimir Putin might not have been welcome at the G7 meeting of world leaders in Germany this week, but when he touches down in Milan on Wednesday, the Russian president is likely to receive a...
Ukrainian soldiers killed in land mine blast
Seven servicemen died when their vehicle was blown up and another soldier killed fighting with pro-Russian rebels as conflict continues despite ceasefireEight Ukrainian servicemen have been killed – seven of them in a single land mine blast – in the past 24 hours in eastern Ukraine where government forces are battling pro-Russian separatists,...
