Section: San Francisco Chronicle (USA)
Chechen commander in Ukraine drawn into Russian intrigue
LYSYCHANSK, Ukraine (AP) — From a dimly lit room at his base in eastern Ukraine, the commander of a battalion of Chechens fighting Russia-backed rebels looked shaken as TV broadcast news of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov’s slaying. […] two weeks later, Kremlin-friendly Russian newspapers published reports based on...
US, Russian war games rekindle Cold War tensions
AMARI AIR BASE, Estonia (AP) — Russia is so close that the F-16 fighter pilots can see it on the horizon as they swoop down over a training range in Estonia in the biggest ever show of U.S. air power in the Baltic countries. The simulated bombs release smoke on impact, but the M-61 cannon fires live ammunition, rattling the aircraft with a...
Amnesty says Ukraine rebels executed government soldiers
Amnesty says Ukraine rebels executed government soldiers KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Amnesty International says it has evidence that Russian-backed separatists in east Ukraine executed several captured government soldiers in gross violation of international humanitarian law. …read more Source: San Francisco...
Misery, tuberculosis in prisons of war-torn east Ukraine
The gray, squat, three-story building stands inside a perimeter lined with barbed wire and observation towers. The deputy prison director, dressed in a military-style uniform and seated under a black-blue-and-red Donetsk People’s Republic flag, coldly explained the rules: The only prisoners unwilling to speak were in Block 3 — a group of...
Misery, tuberculosis in prisons of war-torn east Ukraine
The gray, squat, three-story building stands inside a perimeter lined with barbed wire and observation towers. The deputy prison director, dressed in a military-style uniform and seated under a black-blue-and-red Donetsk People’s Republic flag, coldly explained the rules: The only prisoners unwilling to speak were in Block 3 — a group of...
News of the day from across the globe, April 8
The Russian parliament voted to allow legal action against an opposition lawmaker who was the sole deputy last year to vote against the annexation of Crimea. The State Duma on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to strip Ilya Ponomarev of immunity against prosecution, paving the way for legal proceedings that could cost him his seat. The Duma was...
Ukrainian president eases opposition to vote on regional power
KIEV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Monday publicly lifted his objections to a referendum that could give more powers to the restive regions engulfed in more than a year of warfare, reversing his government’s previous position. The conflict between Russia-backed rebels and government troops in eastern Ukraine has claimed...
Czech president, US envoy in rare public spat over Ukraine
PRAGUE (AP) — Czech President Milos Zeman and the U.S. ambassador to Prague are in a rare public dispute over Zeman’s decision to attend a Russian military parade, and the country’s prime minister together with Czech lawmakers are siding with the American. In an interview with online publication Parlamentni Listy on Sunday, Zeman...
Ukrainian leader lifts objections to vote on regional power
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Monday publicly lifted his objections to a referendum that could give more powers to the restive regions engulfed in more than a year of warfare, reversing his government’s previous position. […] Poroshenko on Monday met a parliamentary commission that is drafting amendments...
Ordinary folk take up military training over Russia threat
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — NATO aircraft scream across eastern European skies and American armored vehicles rumble near the border with Russia on a mission to reassure citizens that they’re safe from Russian aggression. The drive to teach ordinary people how to use weapons and take cover under fire reflects soaring anxiety among people in a...
