Section: The Epoch Times (USA)
Ukraine Says Rebels Firing Rocket Launchers Again
KIEV, Ukraine—Separatist rebels in the east of Ukraine have resumed the use of rocket launchers that should have been withdrawn under a February peace deal, Ukrainian military officials said Tuesday. The army said in a statement that rebels fired Grad rockets Monday evening at the government-held town of Avdiivka, which lies on the fringes of the...
NATO’s No. 2 in Europe Offers Support to Moldova, Ukraine
CHISINAU, Moldova— NATO’s second-in-command in Europe says the alliance backs the territorial integrity of former Soviet republics Moldova and Ukraine “We … support the neutrality, independence and sovereignty of your country in the interests of the whole region,” said Gen. Adrian Bradshaw, deputy supreme allied commander in Europe, during...
EU Charges Russia’s Gazprom Gas Giant With Market Abuse
BRUSSELS—The European Union on Wednesday charged Russian state energy giant Gazprom of abusing its dominant position in central and eastern EU nations in an antitrust case that will further test tense relations between Brussels and Moscow. EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said Gazprom is strong-arming customer nations ranging from...
US, Ukraine Start Military Training, Defying Russian Fury
YAVORIV, Ukraine— Troops from the United States and Ukraine have officially opened joint training exercises intended to help bolster Ukraine’s defenses against incursions from Russian-backed separatists in the east. Speaking under driving rain at a military base in the western region of Lviv, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said the...
Moscow Balks at Norway’s Protests at Russian Arctic Visit
MOSCOW— Russia has dismissed Norway’s protests over a weekend visit to a Norwegian archipelago by a delegation that included Russia’s deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin. During a visit to the Arctic Sunday to inaugurate Russia’s new floating research station, the delegation stopped by Norway’s Svalbard islands. Rogozin...
Fighting in Eastern Ukraine Rages on Overnight Despite Talks
SHYROKYNE, Ukraine—Fighting raged overnight and in the early hours on Tuesday on the outskirts of the rebel stronghold of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine despite an agreement reached by the Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers a day earlier. The yearlong military conflict between Russian-backed rebels and government forces has claimed more than...
Ukraine, Russia, Agree to Withdraw Tanks, Mortars, Small Artillery From Front Lines
BERLIN—Russia and Ukraine agreed Monday to call for the pullback of smaller caliber weapons from the front lines in eastern Ukraine as part of a fresh push to end the region’s yearlong conflict. Foreign ministers from the two countries — meeting with their French and German counterparts in Berlin — also agreed to support international...
Fighting Picks up in War-Torn Eastern Ukraine
DONETSK, Ukraine—Fighting has picked up in eastern Ukraine after more than a month of relative calm, as diplomats gathered in Berlin on Monday to discuss the country’s crisis. Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said Sunday that its mission observed an intense clash with the use of tanks and heavy...
US, Russia Stage Competing War Games Along Russia’s Border
AMARI AIR BASE, Estonia—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 deafening...
Amnesty Says Ukraine Rebels Killed Captive Soldiers
KIEV, Ukraine— Amnesty International said Thursday that it has evidence that Russian-backed separatists in east Ukraine have killed several captured government soldiers in gross violation of international humanitarian law. The human rights group said in a statement that footage it has seen shows at least four Ukrainian soldiers — now confirmed...
