Section: The Epoch Times (USA)
Putin Puts Crimean Archaeological Site Under Federal Control
MOSCOW— Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Saturday placed a major archaeological site in Crimea, which he has hailed as the country’s most sacred spiritual symbol, under federal control following turmoil over the appointment of its director. The Kremlin said that Putin ordered the area of the ancient Greek city of Chersonesus to be...
Ukraine’s New Police on Charm Offensive in Kiev
KIEV, Ukraine—Only a few months ago, Kiev residents would normally avoid the police if they could help it. The officer would be of no use on a complaint — or worse, would demand a bribe. Not any longer. These days, Kiev residents approach members of a new police force that has hit the streets — and even ask to take a picture with them. It’s...
Hundreds of Ukrainian Right-Wingers Rally Against Kiev Govt
KIEV, Ukraine—Hundreds of Ukrainian right-wingers are rallying in Kiev to protest government policies. The radical Right Sector group was one of the most militant factions in the massive protests in Ukraine’s capital that prompted pro-Russia President Viktor Yanukovych to flee the country in February 2014. Since war broke out in eastern...
Lithuania Removes Remaining Soviet-Era Statues in Capital
VILNIUS, Lithuania — Workers in Lithuania on Monday began dismantling the last Soviet statues in the capital, following calls prompted by the Ukraine crisis that symbols of the Soviet occupation be removed. The statues, which depict Soviet-era heroes including Red Army soldiers with machine guns, have commanded a prominent position on the four...
Former Auschwitz Guard, 94, Convicted as Accessory to Murder
LUENEBURG, Germany—A 94-year-old former SS sergeant who served at the Auschwitz death camp was convicted Wednesday on 300,000 counts of accessory to murder and sentenced to four years in prison. Oskar Groening testified during his trial at the state court in Lueneburg, in northern Germany, that he guarded prisoners’ baggage after they...
Right Sector Gunmen Take Boy Hostage in Western Ukraine
KIEV, Ukraine—Two gunmen from Ukraine’s nationalist Right Sector militia on Monday briefly took a 6-year-old boy hostage in western Ukraine as a standoff between the gunmen and police entered its third day. Two people were killed Saturday in a Right Sector gun-and-grenade attack on police in a western Ukrainian city. Police had surrounded...
Russia Halts Gas Supply to Ukraine Amid Pricing Dispute
MOSCOW—The Russian gas company Gazprom halted supplies to neighboring Ukraine on Wednesday after the collapse of pricing talks, a company official said — but an EU official said the dispute would not affect the flow of Russian gas to Europe. Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said Russia stopped deliveries at 10 a.m. because Ukraine didn’t make an...
Pro-European Candidate Leads in Moldova Local Vote
CHISINAU, Moldova— Near-final results gave the pro-European candidate a comfortable lead in the runoff for mayor of Chisinau on Sunday, in an election seen as a test of whether the former Soviet republic moves closer to the European Union or to neighboring Russia. With 95.78 percent of the votes counted, incumbent Dorin Chirtoaca, had 52.43...
Europe Seeks to Counter Kremlin Success Pushing World View
MOSCOW—Larry King’s back on the air, beaming his high-octane brand of talk to households around the world. Where can you catch him? Kremlin-backed TV. Moscow wants you to pay better attention to what it’s saying, and to better reach your eyes and ears it’s spending around a half-billion dollars a year and carrying top-name...
NATO: Risk of Return to Heavy Fighting in Ukraine
BRUSSELS— Warning of a return to heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine this summer, NATO on Thursday blamed Russia and outlined additional support for Kiev, including aid in defusing roadside bombs. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance is creating a new trust fund that will help with removing mines and detecting and destroying...
