Section: The Epoch Times (USA)
NATO Ministers to Meet on Russia, Upgrading Response Force
BRUSSELS— With NATO officials calling Russia more unpredictable now than during the Cold War, alliance defense ministers on Thursday are expected to approve further measures to enhance the organization’s ability to deter and, if necessary, respond to military threats from Moscow, officials said. Adam Thomson, Britain’s permanent...
Kremlin Pursues Military Modernization Despite Economic Woes
MOSCOW—Hundreds of new Russian aircraft, tanks and missiles are rolling off assembly lines. Russian jets roar through European skies under NATO’s wary eye. Tens of thousands of troops take part in war games showing off the military’s readiness for all-out war. The muscle flexing suggests that Russia’s economic woes so far are...
US, Russia at Odds Over Energy in Cold War-Style Conflict
WASHINGTON—As the Obama administration escalates economic sanctions on Russia and weighs military support to Ukraine, it has revved up a less noticed but far broader campaign to wean Central and Eastern Europe off a deep reliance on Russian energy. It’s a Cold War reprise, but not for military supremacy, and the points on the map...
At Least 5 Killed in Artillery Shelling in Eastern Ukraine
KIEV, Ukraine— Heavy shelling in the rebel stronghold of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday afternoon killed at least five people and damaged a hospital, six schools and five kindergartens, local officials said. The fighting between Russia-backed separatists and government troops in eastern Ukraine resumed in January after a month of...
8 Civilians Killed in Artillery Fire in Eastern Ukraine
ARTEMIVSK, Ukraine— Artillery fire in eastern Ukraine has killed at least eight people and wounded 22 others in the past day, rebels in the separatist stronghold of Donetsk said Tuesday. Hostilities between the pro-Russian separatists and the Ukrainian government in Kiev resumed with a vengeance in January after a month of relative calm. The...
EU, Polish Leaders Discuss Energy Security Plan
WARSAW, Poland—The European Union energy commissioner and Polish leaders discussed on Monday plans for an EU energy union aimed at greater security at a time of troubled ties with major gas supplier Russia. Poland, dependent on Russia for some 60 percent of its gas, is urging greater EU energy security through steps like joint gas purchases,...
Obama Reconsidering Lethal Assistance to Ukraine
WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama is reconsidering whether to send lethal assistance to Ukraine, a senior administration official said Monday, but continues to have concerns about the effectiveness of that step and the risks of a proxy war between the U.S. and Russia. The official said Obama is specifically concerned about the besieged Ukrainian...
Ukrainian Troops Fight to Avoid Being Surrounded by Russia-Backed Rebels
DEBALTSEVE, Ukraine—Ukrainian troops battled Monday to repel waves of Russia-backed separatists trying to surround a strategic railway hub in eastern Ukraine, while in an ominous sign for peace efforts, the rebels announced plans to boost the size of their armed forces. Elsewhere, the rebel stronghold of Donetsk came under heavy, sustained...
Recent Developments in the Ukraine Conflict
Video Transcript Paul Floyd: Hi my name is Paul Floyd a military analyst here at Stratfor and today I’m joined by Sim Tack, another military analyst, and today we’ll be discussing the Ukrainian cease-fire and what has been happening recently in that country. So Sim, technically we’re in a cease-fire, but there have been almost...
Poland’s Geographic Challenge
Video Transcript Poland sits at the crossroads of Eastern and Western Europe. Located on the Northern European Plain, the country has a largely flat terrain with few geographic barriers — with the exception of the Baltic Sea to the north and the Carpathian Mountains in the extreme south. From the 15th to the 18th century, Poland was among the...
