Section: USA

Kerry, Lavrov Trade Barbs on Ukraine

Thursday, December 4 , 2014 - 20:55 (EEST) Section: Voice of America (USA)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov exchanged sharp comments on Ukraine at an international meeting in Basel, Switzerland. Secretary Kerry put the blame for the Ukraine crisis squarely on Russia, with his Russian counterpart sitting nearby. Kerry on Thursday accused Russia of providing weapons and other...

Ukraine Steps Up Fight Against ‘Communists’

Thursday, December 4 , 2014 - 20:40 (EEST) Section: Newsweek (USA)

Ukraine’s parliament tabled a bill banning “communist”, “Nazi” and “anti-Ukrainian” ideology on Wednesday, as Kiev has undertaken several projects billed as the “de-communisation” of Ukraine, amidst mounting concern about the state of the freedom of speech in the country. No explanation of the bill’s practical implementation has been...

Ukraine rebel says residential areas used as cover

Thursday, December 4 , 2014 - 19:56 (EEST) Section: San Francisco Chronicle (USA)

DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) — A leading military separatist commander in eastern Ukraine has admitted that rebels have mounted rocket attacks against government troops from within residential areas, but says efforts are being undertaken to halt the practice. A large number of homes in the main rebel stronghold of Donetsk have been hit by rockets...

Leading Ukraine rebel military commander admits rockets launched from residential areas

Thursday, December 4 , 2014 - 19:56 (EEST) Section: FOX News (USA)

A leading military separatist commander in eastern Ukraine has admitted that rebels have mounted rocket attacks against government troops from within residential areas, but says efforts are being undertaken to halt the practice. …read more Source: FOX...

UEFA bans Crimea clubs from Russian competitions

Thursday, December 4 , 2014 - 19:11 (EEST) Section: Business Insider (USA)

Nyon (Switzerland) (AFP) – Crimean football clubs were Thursday banned by UEFA from taking part in Russian championships starting from January 1, the governing body’s secretary general Gianni Infantino announced.”The Russian football federation cannot organise matches in Crimea without the agreement of UEFA and Ukraine,”...

Thursday, December 4 , 2014 - 18:55 (EEST) Section: The Washington Post (USA)

BASEL, Switzerland – Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday that Moscow had only itself to blame for the misery caused by sanctions imposed for its intervention in Ukraine. Speaking at a meeting of senior diplomats for countries in the Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe, Kerry said Russia was isolating itself. Read full...

Ukraine will halt fire in east from December 9, president says

Thursday, December 4 , 2014 - 18:25 (EEST) Section: Business Insider (USA)

Kiev (AFP) – Ukraine’s army will halt fire across the separatist east on December 9 under the terms of a Russian-brokered peace deal signed in September, President Petro Poroshenko said on Thursday. A source in Poroshenko’s office told AFP that the president’s statement, published on his official website, meant that...

Kerry Cites Russia’s Actions in Ukraine

Thursday, December 4 , 2014 - 17:55 (EEST) Section: The New York Times (USA)

Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday that Russia’s actions in Ukraine had resulted in “hundreds of Russian soldiers who fight and die in a country where they had and have no right to be.” …read more Source: The New York...

Former Soviets Charged With Insurance Fraud In New York

Thursday, December 4 , 2014 - 17:26 (EEST) Section: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (USA)

Ten New York residents, including five former Soviet citizens, have been charged in a $70 million scheme to defraud Medicaid and Medicare at health clinics in New York. Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced on December 3 that the suspects were arrested earlier that day. Five of the suspects: Victor...

Hawkish Putin says West has tried to destabilize Russia for years

Thursday, December 4 , 2014 - 16:26 (EEST) Section: Mashable (USA)

KIEV, Ukraine – A hawkish Vladimir Putin capped off a tumultuous year in Moscow on Thursday with his annual state of the nation address, during which he defended Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the country’s bullish foreign policy, saying it is needed to ensure its survival. Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in March...