Section: US & Canada
Putin signs new military doctrine naming NATO as Russia’s top military threat
MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin has signed a new military doctrine that describes NATO’s military buildup near the Russian borders as the top military threat amid Russia-West tensions over Ukraine. The document released by the Kremlin on Friday maintains the provisions of the previous, 2010 edition of the military doctrine regarding the...
Christmas under fire: Conditions increasingly dire for citizens of rebel-held Ukrainian town
DONETSK, Ukraine — The blasts were so powerful they nearly knocked Antonina Sumina off her feet and shattered windows on the opposite side of the apartment. But after five months living under fire, the Grad rocket strike that slammed into the courtyard of her home in Pervomaisk, 80 kilometres north-east of Donetsk, was a familiar event. Vasily...
Ukraine abandons nonaligned status in possible step towards NATO membership, Russia not happy
KYIV, Ukraine — The vote by Ukraine’s parliament to drop its nonaligned status, which could pave the way for a bid to join NATO, challenges the Kremlin’s ardent desire to keep NATO from taking a giant step toward the Russian heartland. The move is likely to add difficulties to Wednesday’s round of talks aimed at resolving the...
News Analysis: How Syriza’s Win Could Change EU Policy On Russia
The electoral victory by Greece’s far-left Syriza party is already shaking up Europe’s financial markets, but the impact on EU foreign policy could be equally important. …read more Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio...
Russia defiant after more threats from West over Ukraine
MOSCOW — Russian officials struck a defiant note Monday after Western leaders threatened to further punish Moscow for escalated fighting in eastern Ukraine over the weekend.In televised comments after a meeting with students in St. Petersburg, President Vladimir Putin said that Ukraine’s army was at fault for the uptick in violence and...
Russian Security Forces Raid Independent Crimean TV Station
MOSCOW—Russian security forces raided independent Crimean television station ATR on Monday, seizing equipment and telling employees they were looking for archival footage of an anti-Russia protest last year, station officials said. In an emotional video posted on YouTube, deputy director Liliya Budzhurova said that armed men from Russia’s...
Under New Belarus Law, ‘Little Green Men’ Would Mean War
Belarus has adopted legislation under which the appearance of armed foreign forces on the country’s soil will be considered an act of aggression regardless of whether they are regular troops. …read more Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio...
Security Forces Raid Crimean Tatar TV Station
In Crimea, armed, masked security forces raided the headquarters of the only TV station on the Russian-controlled peninsula broadcasting in the Tatar language. ATR television said that Russia’s Investigative Committee, along with counter-terrorism officials, were looking for materials relating to a Tatar protest last year. Human rights...
Russia: Sanctions over Ukraine ‘destructive’ blackmail
Russia blamed Kiev for a surge in fighting in Ukraine and warned the West against “absolutely destructive” blackmail through sanctions. …read more Source: New York Daily...
Pro-Russian Rebels Advance In Eastern Ukraine, Fighting Intensifies
By Natalia Zinets and Denis Dyomkin KIEV/ST PETERSBURG, Jan 26 (Reuters) – Russian-backed rebels pushed forward on Monday with a new offensive that has brought all-out war back to eastern Ukraine after a five-month ceasefire, bringing U.S. and European threats of tighter Western financial sanctions against Moscow. Washington and Brussels...
