Section: KXAN (USA)
Rights group: More than 200 women detained at Minsk protest
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Police in the capital of Belarus cracked down sharply Saturday on a women’s protest march demanding the authoritarian president’s resignation, arresting more than 200 including an elderly woman who has become a symbol of the six weeks of protest that have roiled the country. More than 2,000 women took part in the...
Russian military says US flights near Crimea fuel tensions
MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian military on Friday accused the U.S. and its allies of provoking tensions in the Black Sea region with a sharp increase in the number of bomber patrols and intelligence flights. Col.-Gen. Sergei Rudskoi, head of the Russian General Staff’s main operational department, charged that the U.S. and other members of NATO...
Jewish pilgrims retreat from Ukrainian border
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Thousands of Hasidic Jews, stuck at the Ukrainian border for days due to coronavirus restrictions, have turned back without reaching their destination, the grave of a revered rabbi, officials said Friday. About 2,000 ultra-Orthodox Jewish pilgrims had traveled through Belarus in hope of reaching the Ukrainian city of Uman to...
Belarus borders remain open despite leader’s closure threat
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Belarus’ borders with Poland and Lithuania remained open Friday despite the nation’s president declaring they would be closed and accusing the neighboring nations of instigating nearly six weeks of protests against his 26 years of authoritarian leadership. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said late...
Ukraine urges Jewish pilgrims stuck at border to turn back
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine on Thursday strongly warned thousands of Hasidic Jewish pilgrims who have been stuck on its border for days that it won’t allow them into the country due to coronavirus restrictions. Ukrainian authorities said about 2,000 people have gathered at the border with Belarus, in hope of traveling to the Ukrainian city...
Belarus activists make list of police from protest crackdown
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The main opposition candidate in Belarus’ disputed presidential election said Thursday that activists are compiling a list of law enforcement officers who were allegedly involved in violence against protesters denouncing the results of the vote. Nearly 7,000 people were detained and hundreds were brutally beaten by...
Ukraine, Belarus trade accusations over Jewish pilgrims
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine and Belarus traded angry accusations Wednesday over thousands of Hasidic Jewish pilgrims who have remained stuck on their border after Ukraine denied them entry because of coronavirus restrictions. Ukraine’s presidential office urged Belarusian authorities to stop issuing misleading signals to the ultra-Orthodox...
German government calls Navalny recovery ‘encouraging’
BERLIN (AP) — The German government on Wednesday welcomed news that poisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s condition has further improved after his poisoning in Russia and confirmed that Moscow had sent a second request for judicial assistance in the case. Navalny, who fell ill on a domestic flight in Russia on Aug. 20, posted...
Russian spymaster accuses US of fomenting Belarus protests
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s intelligence chief on Wednesday accused the United States of fomenting massive demonstrations against Belarus’ authoritarian president that have entered their sixth week. Protesters in Belarus are seeking the resignation of Alexander Lukashenko, denouncing his landslide re-election in the Aug. 9 vote as rigged...
Belarusian opposition condemns Russia for backing Lukashenko
MOSCOW (AP) — The Kremlin said Tuesday that a $1.5 billion loan it offered to Belarus carried no political conditions, despite claims by the Belarusian opposition that Russia is trying to shore up the nation’s authoritarian ruler amid post-election protests. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the loan when he hosted his Belarusian...
