Section: Voice of America (USA)
US Think Tank Takes Heat for Hosting Putin-Linked Oligarchs
A dozen prominent anti-Kremlin thinkers and activists have published an open letter condemning a major Washington research organization for hosting an off-the-record round-table dinner for two oligarchs listed on a U.S. Treasury-issued registry of 210 wealthy Russians identified as close to President Vladimir Putin. The Atlantic Council, which...
Macron Heads to Russia to Save Iran Nuclear Deal
French President Emmanuel Macron heads to St. Petersburg Thursday for talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, whose support is key on matters ranging from salvaging the Iran nuclear deal to securing steady European gas supplies. Business also is high on the agenda of Macron’s two-day visit, which coincides with a key economic...
Ukraine: Massive Cyberattack Possible Before Champions League Final
Ukraine’s state security service (SBU) on Wednesday warned of a possible cyber attack on state bodies and private companies ahead of the Champions League soccer final in Kiev on Saturday. The SBU is particularly concerned that critical infrastructure appears to be a target and believes Russia is behind the possible attack. “Security...
Russian MPs Adopt Bill That Could Stymie Trade With US
Russia’s parliament on Tuesday adopted a wide-ranging bill that could freeze crucial exports to the United States and imports to Russia from the U.S. and other countries. The bill, drafted by leading lawmakers at the State Duma in response to the latest round of U.S. sanctions, lays out a wide range of restrictions for U.S. businesses in...
Ukraine’s Poroshenko: We’ve Listened to Foreign Partners on Corruption Law
President Petro Poroshenko said on Tuesday that Ukraine had taken into account most international recommendations in the latest draft law to create an anti-corruption court, which may be voted on by parliament this week. A long-delayed tranche of loans from the International Monetary Fund’s $17.5 billion aid-for-reforms program hinges on...
Swedes Told to Prepare for Conflict in Cold War-Style Booklet
Sweden will send out instructions to its citizens next week on how to cope with an outbreak of war, as the country faces an assertive Russia across the Baltic Sea. The 20-page pamphlet titled “If Crisis or War Comes” gives advice on getting clean water, spotting propaganda and finding a bomb shelter, in the first public awareness...
Putin Seeks Common Cause With Merkel Over Trump
Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday that he would stand up to any attempts by U.S. President Donald Trump to block a Russian-German gas pipeline project. Berlin and Moscow have been at loggerheads since Russia’s annexation of Crimea four years ago, but they share a common...
Millions Face Food Insecurity and TB Outbreak In Eastern Ukraine Conflict Zone
Close to 3.5 million people caught up in the conflict in eastern Ukraine urgently need humanitarian aid, according to the U.N. — which says its assistance program has received a small fraction of the funding it needs. Populations live under the constant threat of artillery and gunfire, mines, and unexploded ordnance — and now face growing food...
In Crimea, Locals Divided Over Russia’s Kerch Strait Span
The newly-opened bridge linking Crimea and Russia carries traffic both ways, but the political divide its construction has come to symbolize is most apparent to those who call the territorially contested peninsula home. As Russian President Vladimir Putin led the televised, inaugural crossing of the controversial span on Tuesday—ensconced in the...
Putin: Russia to Press Ahead With Military Modernization
President Vladimir Putin says Russia will maintain a high tempo of modernizing its military arsenals this year. Speaking Thursday at a meeting with the top military brass in the southern Russian city of Sochi, Putin said the Russian air forces would receive 160 new aircraft this year and the army is to get 500 new armored vehicles and artillery...
