Section: San Francisco Chronicle (USA)
Serbia to revoke Ukrainian billionaire’s passport
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia will revoke the citizenship it granted to Ukrainian businessman Sergei Kurchenko, who is on a European Union sanctions list and wanted in his country on embezzlement charges, officials said Friday. The Belgrade Blic daily said the 29-year-old billionaire media mogul and gas magnate was given a Serbian passport after...
Biden calls on Russia to uphold east Ukraine truce
Biden said that Russia was violating a September cease-fire agreement meant to bring stability to east Ukraine, where pro-Russian rebels are fighting Kiev’s troops. …read more Source: San Francisco...
Corruption saps enthusiasm for east Ukraine rebels
The former energy minister of the self-styled Donetsk People’s Republic has accused a top rebel official of pocketing money from the sale of coal to power plants. The details are murky, but there is growing agreement that the opaque nature of the new order in separatist-controlled areas has created fertile ground for the corruption that...
UN says killings, displacement rise in Ukraine
Thursday’s report cites allegations of serious human rights abuses by armed groups including torture, detention, executions, forced labor and sexual violence that “are of a systematic nature and may amount to crimes against humanity.” …read more Source: San Francisco...
New U.S. ambassador to Russia faces tough challenges
MOSCOW — Ask most Russians and they will tell you that the U.S. instigated the conflict in Ukraine with the ultimate aim of subjugating Russia. The arrival of new U.S. Ambassador John Tefft, a career diplomat with experience in Russia and Ukraine, offered some hope of improved lines of communication. “We are ready for practical cooperation with...
Russia blasts Ukraine for payment freeze
Dozens of armored trucks, artillery and other heavy weaponry were seen moving around rebel-held areas in the past weeks, fueling fears of the resumption of the hostilities there. Fearing an imminent escalation in hostilities, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko earlier this month announced a deployment of additional troops to the east to defend...
Putin receives new US ambassador in Kremlin
MOSCOW (AP) — The new U.S. ambassador to Russia has presented his credentials to President Vladimir Putin in a Kremlin ceremony that politely hinted at the challenges the career diplomat will face, with the Washington and Moscow locked in their worst confrontation since the Cold War over the crisis in Ukraine. …read more Source: San...
German foreign minister tries to save peace plan
Germany’s foreign minister shuttled between Kiev and Moscow on Tuesday in an effort to avert all-out war between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists. NATO’s new chief, meanwhile, warned of a “serious military buildup” by Russia along Ukraine’s eastern border that is escalating tensions and the risk of...
Putin says US wants to subdue Russia
The sanctions over Moscow’s annexation of Crimea and support for a pro-Russian insurgency in eastern Ukraine have exacerbated Russia’s economic problems and contributed to a sharp devaluation of the Russian ruble. Putin sought to project an optimistic image Tuesday, downplaying the ruble’s nosedive and saying that a ban on...
Germany’s minister shuttles between Moscow, Kiev
The continuing military conflict in eastern Ukraine has killed more than 4,000 people and displaced a million, according to the U.N. The Sept. 5 accords froze the position of front lines between the sides although heavy artillery fire is still killing civilians and combatants daily. …read more Source: San Francisco...
