Section: The Epoch Times (USA)
Clashes Rage in Ukrainian Town, Making Mockery of Truce
SHYROKYNE, Ukraine —To reach rear-guard government positions in the seaside town of Shyrokyne, Ukrainian soldiers gingerly wind their off-roaders through private gardens hugging a precipice along the Azov Sea. The truce announced in mid-February has never taken here, so traveling by the main roads is too dangerous. Government and Russian-backed...
Confidence in Ukraine’s Cease-Fire Hurt by Arms Violations
NOVOAMVROSIIVSKE, Ukraine— With cameras and clipboards in hands, teams of blue-jacketed international observers drive around the muddy countryside of eastern Ukraine looking for rocket launchers and artillery. Their task is to verify whether government troops and Russian-backed rebel forces are removing heavy weapons from the front line in...
NATO, Russian Officials Clash Over Situation in Europe
BRUSSELS—Top officials from NATO and Russia clashed sharply in public Friday over who is to blame for the dramatically worsened state of East-West relations. “The big difference is that we are a defensive alliance,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told a member of Russia’s parliament. “You send troops into other countries.” The...
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17: Russian BUK Missile Took Plane Out, Report Says
A Russian BUK surface-to-air missile likely took down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 last July, according to a Dutch forensics expert. A scrap of metal found at the site came from a BUK missile, and it was picked up by a Dutch journalist visiting the village of Hrabove where the plane hit the ground. All 298 people on board the plane died when the...
UK Military Trainers in Ukraine for Medical, Tactical Drills
KIEV, Ukraine—Around 30 British military personnel have arrived in Ukraine to provide medical and tactical training to the country’s troops, officials said Thursday. Britain’s defense ministry said it aims to boost Ukrainian armed forces’ defensive capability in their armed campaign against Russian-backed separatists in the...
Putin Urges Russian Business Leaders to Return Capital
MOSCOW— Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged a gathering of Russia’s billionaires and business leaders to return their capital to Russia and suggested that funds kept abroad could be frozen. In an apparent reference to the possibility of further U.S. and European Union sanctions on Russia for its involvement in the Ukraine crisis,...
Ukraine Urges EU to Keep up Sanctions Pressure on Russia
BRUSSELS— Ukraine urged the European Union on Thursday to stay united in keeping up sanctions pressure on Russia over the conflict in eastern Ukraine, as EU leaders gathered for a two-day summit. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to divide Europe over Ukraine and that this would be a...
Sweden Says 1/3 of Russia Diplomats Are Actually Spies
SOLNA, Sweden—The Swedish security service SAPO accused Russia on Wednesday of using as many as one-third of its diplomatic staff in the Scandinavian country for clandestine intelligence gathering. Offering an unusual glimpse into the hush-hush world of counter-espionage, SAPO chief analyst Wilhelm Unge described the Russian spies as “highly...
Crimea Exiles Fight to Keep Ukraine Unity Message Alive
SHCHASLYVE, Ukraine (AP) — The tormentors stuck scotch tape to his eyes and locked him in a dank room. For 11 days, Andrei Schekun said, they beat him, shocked him with electrodes and scalded him with burning metallic plates. He said the torture took place as Crimea voted in a referendum to secede from Ukraine a year ago Wednesday....
North Korean Leader to Visit Moscow for Victory Day
MOSCOW-Russia’s foreign minister says the leader of North Korea is among 26 world leaders who have accepted invitations to Moscow to take part in celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany. A highlight of the May 9 celebrations will be the annual military parade on Red Square, where...
