Section: The Epoch Times (USA)
Fighting Against IS Rages in Central Syrian Town of Palmyra
DAMASCUS, Syria—Syrian government forces recaptured a Mamluk-era citadel in Palmyra from the extremist Islamic State group on Friday, Syrian state media and monitoring groups said, as the fierce battle for control of the historic town entered its third day. Syrian and Russian warplanes struck at least 56 targets inside IS-held areas of the city...
Fake Video of American Shooting a Quran Traced to Russian Propaganda Agency
An investigative report from the BBC exposed a Russian disinformation attempt that could have been straight out of the Cold War. In September 2015, a video appeared online showing a man dressed like a U.S. soldier firing three shots from a Russian-made Saiga 401K rifle at a copy of the Quran. The video caught plenty of interest in Russia, and...
Syrian Forces Enter IS-held Palmyra; Intense Clashes With IS
DAMASCUS, Syria — Backed by Russian airstrikes, Syrian government forces on Thursday pushed into the ancient town of Palmyra that has been held by the Islamic State group since May, state TV reported, as an Iraqi military spokesman announced the start of a long-awaited military operation to recapture the northern city of Mosul from IS militants....
‘Is This Real Life?’: Inside the Ukraine War’s Gray Zone
LOBACHEVE, Ukraine—War is absurd sometimes. The SUV clambered along the pothole-speckled dirt road, which was now more mud than dirt in the wake of melting snow and spring rains. The driver, a 30-year-old Ukrainian soldier named Andriy, held a pistol in his steering hand as he navigated through no man’s land near the separatist-controlled...
Heavy Winds as Dubai Plane Crashes in Russia, Killing 62
MOSCOW—A Dubai airliner with 62 people on board nosedived and exploded in a giant fireball early Saturday while trying to land in strong winds in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, killing all aboard, officials said. Several planes had trouble landing at the airport at the time of the crash, with one trying to land three times before...
Why Putin Has Pulled Russia Out of Syria
Back in Sept. 30 2015, when Vladimir Putin unexpectedly announced the deployment of the Russian air force in Syria, the consensus was that this would prove to be a costly mistake. Critics argued that airstrikes alone would not make any tangible difference to the facts on the ground. The seemingly endless U.S.-led air campaign against Islamic...
Corruption Threatens Ukraine’s Hard-Earned Freedom
KYIV—The idyllic days of the Maidan revolution are over. With the stench of corruption rising from a government that once inspired so much hope, Ukraine is overwhelmed with disillusionment and a clouded political future. Ukraine’s respected economy minister Aivaras Abromavicius resigned suddenly in February declaring that he would not...
Russian Syria Withdrawal: Vladimir Putin Is the Consummate Political Gambler
Russian President Vladimir Putin is not an easy politician to read. He is willing to say one thing while his diplomats and military do another—as the long-running conflict in Ukraine has demonstrated. His statements are at the pinnacle of a Russian state propaganda machine shrouding any “truth” in layers of often deceptive assertions. And, as the...
‘War Is My Life’: A Journey Along the Front Lines in Ukraine
SHCHASTYA, Ukraine—The late winter weather in Ukraine alternates among frigid, cool, snow, and rain—teasing the arrival of spring. The 2-year-old war, which has ravaged eastern Ukraine, killing more than 10,000 and displacing more than 1 million, is as fickle as the weather—teasing the possibility of peace without ever achieving it. Both sides of...
Ukrainians Rally to Demand Russia Release Savchenko
KIEV, Ukraine—About 2,000 people rallied on Independence Square in Kiev on Sunday to demand that Russia release Ukrainian pilot Nadezhda Savchenko, with hundreds then marching to the Russian Embassy to vent their anger. Savchenko was captured in June 2014 while fighting with a Ukrainian volunteer battalion against Russia-backed rebels in eastern...
