Section: National Newswatch (Canada)
Ultra-nationalist Ukrainian fighters want Canada to burnish their image
KYIV, Ukraine – A notorious ultra-nationalist paramilitary group in Ukraine is appealing to Canada to bestow credibility on them and burnish their image.Alexander Alferov, a spokesman for the Azov Regiment, says Canada is a “noble-minded nation” and should publicly reject the characterization of the group as neo-Nazi thugs.The...
Crumbling Ukraine ceasefire to form backdrop for Canadian military training mission
KYIV, Ukraine – It will be mid-to-late summer before the Canadian military fields its highly-touted military training mission to Ukraine and the troops are expected to arrive against a backdrop of rising violence in breakaway eastern regions.They will also hit the ground just as the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper prepares to do...
Unsavoury elements taint Ukrainian regime
Last week, the U.S. Congress voted to explicitly prohibit American soldiers from training the Ukrainian militia unit known as the Azov Battalion. The reason the American lawmakers gave is the fact this rogue unit is openly rife with neo-Nazis in its ranks. From the early heady days of the demonstrations in the streets of Kiev, it has been an...
Midnight in the presidential library with Putin: An exercise in control
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – When the heads of the world’s major news agencies sat down a year ago with Vladimir Putin at a St. Petersburg palace, they were treated to a long, sumptuous meal of Crimean flounder, a dish evidently chosen not only for its delicacy but for the political statement.This year it was tea and caviar at the stroke...
Putin wants to sit around the table with the G7 leaders again
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – Russia appears to be angling to make it the G-8 once again and President Vladimir Putin suggests it’s something Prime Minister Stephen Harper will just have to accept.”I don’t want to offend anyone, but if the United States says Russia should be returned to the G8, the prime minister will change...
Canada and Russia’s deteriorating relationship: Five things to know
OTTAWA – Five things to know about the deteriorating Canada-Russia relationship:Northern Exposure — Tensions over Canada and Russia’s Arctic territorial ambitions have been brewing since at least February 2009, when Canada scrambled F-18 fighter jets to intercept Russian bombers approaching Canadian airspace, then loudly publicized...
US Air Force official: Russian bomber probes near Europe pose risk to commercial air safety
LONDON – Russia’s increasingly aggressive military flights near European airspace pose a risk to commercial air safety in the region’s crowded skies, the commander of the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command said Friday.The past year has seen a marked increase in the number of long-range Russian bombers that have approached...
Putin urges West to lean on Ukraine to honour peace deal as training ramps up
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – Russian President Vladimir Putin is calling on western countries to lean on the Ukrainian government to honour all of the internal political reforms contained in the peace accord signed in Minsk.His remarks came today against the backdrop of fresh fighting in eastern Ukraine and the renewal of international...
Putin’s signature conference plots ways to bear with international “punishments”
ST. PETERBSURG, Russia – Russian President Vladimir Putin is hosting his signature economic conference, and there is plenty of talk about reform — both fiscal and political.But there’s little suggestion of compromise on the key issue contributing to the country’s economic pain.In fact, the ongoing fighting in Ukraine is being...
Bombardier denies role in keeping Russian Railways boss off sanctions list
MONTREAL – Canadian transportation giant Bombardier says it played no role in keeping the boss of Russian Railways off Canada’s sanctions list.”We’re in constant discussions with the Canadian government on our business relationships…but we don’t have any role in who goes on the list or who doesn’t go on...
