Section: US & Canada
Ukraine’s martial law is over — but there’s no end in sight to tensions with Russia
The Kremlin on Saturday rejected European demands to release the two dozen Ukrainian sailors who were detained last month in the Black Sea. …read more Source:...
Another Player in the Story
“He owed us a lot of money. And he was offering ways to pay it back.” That’s the most intriguing and enticing quote from an article published today by Time. The quote is from a guy named Victor Boyarkin, who Time tracked down at a conference in Greece, apparently after quite a bit of sleuthing. Boyarkin works for Oleg Deripaska, the Russian...
Medvedev Announces Russian Ban On Ukrainian Goods
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has announced a ban on Ukrainian goods, including agricultural and industrial products, days after adding Ukrainian firms and individuals to Russia’s sanctions list. …read more Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio...
Exclusive: Russian Ex-Spy Pressured Manafort Over Debts to an Oligarch
When the U.S. government put out its latest sanctions list on Dec. 19, the man named at the top did not seem especially important. Described in the document as a former Russian intelligence officer, he was accused of handling money and negotiations on behalf of a powerful Russian oligarch. The document did not mention that the man, Victor...
Is Russia Prosperous? Depends Whom You Ask
During the past four years, Russia’s $1.7 trillion economy has been plagued by under-investment, broadening state ownership of enterprise and Western sanctions over Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. Kremlin economic ministers have even warned of unexpectedly high inflation, but you wouldn’t know that talking to people passing...
Russia’s Prosperity: Depends on Whom You Ask
In the past four years, Russia’s $1.7 trillion economy has been in the world’s top 20. But in 2018, it has been plagued with problems stemming from under-investment, broadening state ownership of enterprise and Western sanctions over the 2014 annexation of Crimea. Now, rising value added tax and interest rates are triggering inflation...
Moscow Rejects French, German Appeal To Release Ukrainian Sailors
The Russian Foreign Ministry has rejected what it says are unacceptable demands by Germany and France to release Ukrainian soldiers held by Russia. …read more Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio...
Shoring Up NATO Is in Europe’s Own Interest
The United States is now in the midst of a long overdue strategic redefinition aimed at shifting the country’s focus away from counterterrorism and toward great power competition. Evidence of the opening steps of this shift can be found in the December 2017 National Security Strategy and in the past year’s defense budget increase,...
How a Guy With a Camera Outsmarted the United States
On the morning of December 26, Alan Meloy stood on the front porch of his home in northern England and noticed that “murky” early clouds were clearing into a crisp and sunny winter’s day.Meloy, a retired IT professional and a plane spotter of 45 years, decided to grab his best camera to see whether he could catch any interesting flyovers....
Russian Newspaper Publishes New Year’s Messages From Jailed Activists
Imprisoned Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov, a Crimean native who opposed Russia’s 2014 takeover of the Ukrainian peninsula, has written in a letter to the Moscow-based Novaya Gazeta newspaper that he is not “going to give in.” …read more Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio...
