Section: Newsweek (USA)
Crimea Tensions Mount Over Ukraine Missile Drill
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine are running high over Kiev’s decision to launch a two-day missile drill in the Black Sea, near Crimea’s border with mainland Ukraine, starting Thursday. Ukraine announced plans for the drill in the Black Sea, which will involve missile launches, last week, warning Russian air transport authorities...
Putin’s Bikers Ask Him to Give National Crest a Soviet Makeover
Russia’s motorcycle gang, often known as “Putin’s bikers”, are calling on the Russian president to give the national crest a Soviet makeover. The “Night Wolves”, who travel around Russia and Europe several times a year, have become notorious and influential advocates of a pro-Kremlin brand of Russian nationalism, mixing...
Russians Want Closer Ties With the U.S.
The majority of Russians are backing closer ties with the West in the second-highest numbers since Vladimir Putin came to power, Russian independent pollster Levada Center reports. Russia’s relationship with the U.S. and other Western states has considerably deteriorated over the last three years, with Moscow and Washington falling on...
Ousted Ukrainian President Called to Answer Treason Charges
Ukraine’s prosecutor general has accused the ousted President Viktor Yanukovych of treason, after the former leader made his first witness testimony to a Ukrainian court since the street protests that toppled him almost three years ago. Yanukovych, who has not been back to Ukraine since fleeing for Russia in 2014, spoke to the court by...
Russians See Increase in Prices of Products Under Import Ban
The majority of Russians have noticed an increase in the prices of fruit, vegetables and meat, according to a survey reported by state news agency Itar-Tass. All three commodities are affected by the Kremlin’s import ban on EU and U.S. goods. The import ban was introduced in 2014, in response to U.S.-led economic action at the start of the...
With Hospitals Destroyed, Aleppo Could Be ‘Next Madaya,’ Doctor Warns
days after the last functioning hospitals were bombed out of operation in the eastern part of Aleppo, activists are warning that the city could become “the next Madaya.” More than a quarter of a million people living in eastern Aleppo now have no access to urgent medical care. The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Sunday that while some...
Putin Claims Russia’s Borders ‘End Nowhere’ At Geography Event
“Russia’s borders end nowhere,” Russian President Vladimir Putin declared at the annual award ceremony of the national geographic society in Moscow to roaring applause, broadcast live on state television on Thursday. “This is a joke,” Putin declared, as the cameras panned to the hall full of grinning government officials, including Minister...
Russia and Ukraine Take Turns Arresting Crimea Servicemen on Spying Allegations
The arrest of the serviceman is one of several such detentions made on the contested peninsula in recent days by both Russia and Ukraine. Crimea, recognized by the U.N. as Ukrainian, came under Russian control following an internationally unrecognized referendum in 2014, but both Russian and Ukrainian forces had long been stationed there. Some...
Vladimir Putin Vows to Continue EU Import Ban ‘As Long as Possible’
Vladimir Putin has promised to retain a ban on Western food products for “as long as possible” in a bid to help Russian businesses. A long list of imports—such as cheese, fish and meat from EU countries—have been banned in Russia for two years in an apparent response to Western sanctions on Russian pro-Kremlin officials and enterprises over...
How Europe Can Survive the Populist Onslaught in a Post-Trump, Post-Brexit World
Close Is there really an international wave of a hard-right populism? Are the masses rising up around the world to topple corrupt elites? Or is talk of this colossal political shift just jargon, guff and cocktail chatter concocted by analysts searching for patterns when the victories of Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election and...
