SAN FRANCISCO—Russian diplomats worked to vacate three properties in the United States on Saturday including the six-story consulate in San Francisco, complying with a U.S. order issued in retaliation for Moscow cutting the American diplomatic presence in Russia. Staff at the San Francisco consulate were seen moving equipment, furniture and small items from the building into minivans and driving away, before coming back for more 20 to 30 minutes later. A group of men in plainclothes and suits were seen on the roof of the consulate looking around, some wearing rubber gloves. The closure ordered by the Trump administration of the consulate …read more Source: The Epoch...
Ukraine has removed all 1,320 statues of Vladimir Lenin, the first Soviet dictator, following a government campaign to remove its Soviet-era symbols. In every village, town, and city controlled by Kiev, monuments to the communist leader—considered a dictator by many—were removed. The initiative was made law by President Petro Poroshenko in May 2015, according to The Times of London on Aug. 18. Some streets were renamed, including Lenin Street in Zakarpattia, which was later renamed to Lennon Street in a tribute to Beatles singer John Lennon, the Telegraph reported. Another 1,069 Soviet-era monuments have also been removed, said Volodymyr Viatrovych, director of the …read more Source: The Epoch...
KIEV, Ukraine—A Ukrainian military transport plane was shot down Monday along the country’s eastern border with Russia, the defense minister said. Rebels in conflict-wracked eastern Ukraine immediately claimed responsibility for downing the Antonov-26 but Ukrainian Defense Minister Valeriy Heletey said the rocket may have been fired...
