Section: San Francisco Chronicle (USA)
Former Russian lawmaker shot dead in Ukraine
Voronenkov, 45, a former member of the communist faction in the lower house of Russian parliament, had moved to Ukraine last fall and had been granted Ukrainian citizenship. …read more Source: San Francisco...
20,000 evacuated after fire at military arsenal in Ukraine
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials say around 20,000 people have been evacuated in the Kharkiv region near the border with Russia after a massive fire at a military ammunition depot. Ukraine’s chief military prosecutor, Anatolii Matios, said on Facebook that the blaze, which erupted early Thursday at the depot in Balaklia, was sparked...
Ukraine lawmaker: Manafort tried to hide $750,000 payment
MOSCOW (AP) — A Ukrainian lawmaker has published a document that he said ties Paul Manafort, Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, to attempts to hide a $750,000 payment from a pro-Russia political party. Leshchenko said the contract was cover for payments made to Manafort for work he did for the pro-Russian Party of the Regions, which...
Russia says US missile systems a risk to regional security
TOKYO (AP) — Russia views U.S. missile defense systems being deployed in northeast Asia as a threat to regional security, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said following talks Monday with Japanese officials in Tokyo. Strategic concerns, both in northeast Asia and elsewhere, including Syria and Ukraine, were among a wide range of regional and global...
Japan and Russia hold talks on security, territorial dispute
TOKYO (AP) — The foreign and defense ministers from Japan and Russia are meeting in Tokyo for the first “two-plus-two” talks since Russia’s annexation of Ukraine. The Tokyo talks are not expected to lead to a breakthrough on conflicting claims to islands north of Hokkaido — Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and the Habomai islets —...
Lamborghinis and icons: New and old mix for Moscow visitor
[…] perhaps it’s fitting that Lamborghini, Porsche and Rolls-Royce dealerships have opened near the Moscow apartment building where the Soviet leader once lived. Back then, I witnessed the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union amid the political and social reforms unleashed by Mikhail Gorbachev. […] Putin is preparing to campaign...
Common bonds aside, Trump and Merkel show little rapport
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel tried to sidestep their differences, but some awkward moments punctuated their first public appearance. Later, during a joint news conference, Trump pushed back against the notion in Europe that his “America First” agenda means he’s an isolationist,...
For the Kremlin, boosting turnout is key task for 2018 vote
The lack of competition has progressively drained public interest in politics, and the lineup of presidential contenders for 2018 can hardly cause any excitement. “A long and dangerous confrontation caused strong public fear of a big war,” he said, adding that Trump’s victory eased those fears and softened a negative public...
Yahoo breach spotlights links between Russian spies, hackers
MOSCOW (AP) — A U.S. indictment of two Russian intelligence agents and two hackers alleged to have stolen more than half a billion U.S. email accounts in 2014 has cast a spotlight on the intertwining of the Russian security services and the murky digital underworld. The officers of the powerful FSB, Russia’s Federal Security Service, are...
The Latest: Son says Minnesota man innocent of war crimes
The son of a Minnesota man who’s the subject of an arrest warrant issued by a Polish court says his father is innocent of any war crimes. A judge in Poland said Wednesday that a court issued the warrant for 98-year-old Michael Karkoc, whom The Associated Press previously identified as an ex-commander in an SS-led unit that burned Polish...
