Section: Boston Herald (USA)
Ukraine, rebels both claim to control Donetsk airport
DONETSK, Ukraine — Russian-backed rebels and Ukrainian government troops fought pitched battles Monday for control of Donetsk airport, while residential areas nearby were caught in intensive crossfire.The airport, reduced to a wreck by months of heavy fighting, has been the epicenter of hostilities due to its symbolic importance and strategic...
EU won't ease Russia sanctions as Ukraine conflict rages
BRUSSELS — The European Union foreign ministers are ruling out any immediate easing of sanctions against Russia as fighting rages in eastern Ukraine, despite concerns about the economic consequences.Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders said Monday that since the fighting around the Donetsk airport in eastern Ukraine had intensified, “this...
Ukraine leader vows to retake separatist-held east
KIEV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s president vowed Sunday to reassert control over his country’s conflict-shattered eastern regions as fighting there reached a new peak of intensity.Petro Poroshenko told a crowd of several thousand gathered in central Kiev that Ukraine wouldn’t “give up an inch” of its land to Russian-backed...
Ukraine: 10 civilians die in rebel shelling of checkpoint
DONETSK, Ukraine — Ukrainian officials say 10 civilians have been killed and a further 13 wounded in rebel shelling of a military checkpoint in eastern Ukraine.The Donetsk regional administration answering to the central government in Kiev said in a statement that the rebels shelled the checkpoint near the town of Volnovakha in the Donetsk region...
Foreign ministers gather in Berlin to seek Ukraine progress
BERLIN — Germany’s foreign minister is hosting his counterparts from Russia, Ukraine and France to try to calm the Ukrainian crisis and perhaps clear the way for a summit of the countries’ leaders.The Berlin meeting on Monday evening follows a flurry of diplomacy including a brief weekend encounter in Paris between the German, French...
Ukraine rebel 'Batman' battalion commander killed
KIEV, Ukraine — A Ukrainian security official says a prominent rebel commander in the separatist eastern region of Luhansk has been killed.A website of the separatist Luhansk People’s Republic said that Alexander Bednov, head of a battalion called “Batman,” was killed Thursday when separatist security forces tried to arrest him....
Putin calls annexation of Crimea a historic landmark
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin has used his New Year’s speech to hail his country’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula as an achievement that will “forever remain a landmark in the national history.”Putin’s comment in his pre-recorded annual address on Wednesday already has been broadcast in...
Ukraine says Crimea transport halt temporary
KIEV, Ukraine — A Ukrainian security official says suspension of transport connections with Crimea is expected to be only a temporary measure.Ukraine on Friday blocked rail and bus travel between the mainland and the peninsula that was annexed by Russia in March. On Saturday, the Crimean customs service said automobiles also were being blocked at...
Woman who bared breasts in Vatican square is freed
VATICAN CITY — The Holy See has released a Ukrainian activist who bared her breasts in St. Peter’s Square on Christmas Day and snatched the statue of Baby Jesus from the Vatican’s outdoor Nativity scene.Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said the Holy See prosecutor, met with Yana Zhdanova on Saturday and decided to order...
Russian deputy PM talks up the ruble
MOSCOW — A senior Russian Cabinet minister said on Monday he’s expecting the ruble to extend its recent gains and added that the government is not planning to introduce currency controls on Russian companies.The ruble has been the worst performing currency this year, along with the Ukrainian hryvnia, having lost half of its value. Its...
