Section: National Post (Canada)
Putin orders snap military drills involving troops, airforce and navy as talks on Ukraine near
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered snap military drills as German Chancellor Angela Merkel accused him of breaking international law in Ukraine and said NATO will defend member states against attack. Combat readiness exercises are taking place “to defend the interests of the Russian Federation amid increasing threats to its security,”...
Putin tones down rhetoric after Ukraine puts army on high alert for possible ‘full-scale Russian invasion’
Vladimir Putin sought to ease tensions after Ukraine warned of a possible “full-scale” invasion by Russia, even as he convened a meeting in Crimea to demand heightened security measures on the peninsula he annexed in 2014. It’s “obvious” that Ukraine carried out an attack in Crimea because it “doesn’t want to, or can’t for...
Ukrainian investigators find Trump’s campaign chief listed in off-the-books ‘black ledger’
KIEV, Ukraine — On a leafy side street off Independence Square in Kiev is an office used for years by Donald Trump’s campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, when he consulted for Ukraine’s ruling political party. His furniture and personal items were still there as recently as May. And Manafort’s presence remains elsewhere here in the...
Putin deploys Russia’s most advanced air-defence missiles in Crimea as alarm grows war is imminent
World powers urged Russia and Ukraine to refrain from ratcheting up a confrontation over Crimea as President Vladimir Putin bolstered the disputed peninsula’s military with some of his army’s most advanced air-defence missile systems. The European Union said there was no independent confirmation of claims that Ukrainian agents had...
Ukraine calls attacks in Crimea a Russian ploy, accuses Putin of intentionally escalating conflict
Accusations that Ukrainian agents have engaged in “terror” tactics on the disputed Crimean peninsula may be a ploy by Russia to justify an escalation of the military conflict in its former Soviet ally, officials in Kiev said. President Vladimir Putin vowed in Moscow to respond with “very serious” measures after his Federal Security Service, of...
After Ukraine appeared to quit in Olympic gymnastics final, team member explains… sort of
Ukraine offered a medical explanation Tuesday for why it appeared to quit while competing in the men’s team gymnastics final Monday at Rio Olympic Park. It was a stunning and, to gymnastics commentators, outrageous sight when the team willingly took scores of zero in the eight-team final, ensuring a last-place finish. Three athletes from...
Robert H. Scales: While the U.S. chased political correctness, Russia chased the edge on the battlefield
In November, while visiting the headquarters of the U.S. Army in Europe, I received a briefing on the performance of the Russian army in Ukraine. In a perfunctory tone, the young intelligence briefer recited the details of the July 2014 Battle of Zelenopillya, in which a single Russian artillery “fire strike” almost destroyed two Ukrainian...
War against Russia-backed separatists has turned Ukraine into a ‘supermarket’ for illegal weapons
KIEV, Ukraine — A former Ukrainian soldier-turned-arms dealer agrees to meet in Kyiv, where he offers to sell a Makarov semi-automatic pistol for about $160. Amid haggling, he drops the price to $120. He says he also has Kalashnikov automatic rifles for less than $400 and can get heavier weapons such as rocket launchers if given a little more...
Red tape forces Canada to stop providing Ukraine’s military with satellite imagery of Russian forces
The Canadian government has pulled the plug on providing Ukraine with satellite imagery to track Russian and rebel forces after the process of transferring the data became tangled up in red tape. The Conservative government announced in February 2015 Canada would give Ukraine imagery from the high-tech Radarsat-2 satellite to boost security in...
Dion sits down with Lavrov for first meeting of Canadian foreign minister with Russian equal in years
OTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion sat down Monday with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov — the first meeting of its kind in years. The 30-minute discussion took place in the Laos on the margins of an annual meeting of Southeast Asian nations. It represented the most tangible move yet by the Liberal government to thaw relations...
