Section: Voice of America (USA)
Russian Court Backs Ex-Kremlin Internet ‘Troll’ in Lawsuit
A Russian court has awarded symbolic damages to an online Russian writer who claimed her employer’s main goal was churning out Internet propaganda favorable to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin. In a ruling Monday, the court in St. Petersburg set the damages at one ruble – the penalty sought by plaintiff Lyudmila...
Kyiv, Moscow Trade Blame for Escalation in E. Ukraine
Kyiv and Moscow are accusing each other of fueling tensions, as fighting in eastern Ukraine continues to escalate. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko denounced President Vladimir Putin’s arrival Monday in Crimea. In a Facebook posting, Poroshenko called the Russian leader’s visit to the Black Sea peninsula “a challenge to the...
Russia Dismisses Iran General Visit as ‘Rumor’
Russia is dismissing as “rumors” reports it hosted an Iranian general, despite a United Nations travel ban on such a visit. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said “all commentaries” on these rumors have been made and there is nothing he can add to what he called a “chain of suspicions” from his American colleagues....
Russia Sends Anti-Western Message With Imports Destruction
Russia has burned flowers from Holland in a battle against Western imports that saw the destruction of hundreds of tons of food in retaliation for sanctions over Ukraine. Critics say the action is unethical while Russia is struggling against rising poverty. Russia added Dutch flowers to the fire just days after officials destroyed more than 500...
Russia Sends Anti-Western Message With Imports Destruction
Russia has burned flowers from Holland in a battle against Western imports that saw the destruction of hundreds of tons of food in retaliation for sanctions over Ukraine. As VOA’s Daniel Schearf reports from Moscow, critics say the action is unethical while Russia is struggling against rising poverty. …read more Source: Voice of...
Ukraine Clashes Prompt Stern Call From Kerry to Lavrov
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has expressed “grave concern” to his Russian counterpart about a “sharp rise” in separatist attacks in eastern Ukraine. A senior State Department official told reporters in Washington on Thursday that in a telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Kerry urged “an...
Kerry: ‘No’ Vote on Iran Could Fray Ties With Allies
If the U.S. Congress rejects the Iran nuclear deal, that could destabilize the country’s relations with allies on other crucial issues, Secretary of State John Kerry warned Tuesday. “That is a recipe, quickly, my friends, for them to walk away from Ukraine, where they are already very dicey and ready to say, ‘Well, we have done...
Truce Faltering as E. Ukraine Fighting Spikes
Intense clashes this week between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russia rebels are jeopardizing a fragile peace agreement and renewing concerns of a possible summer offensive. Ukrainian officials say it is the worst fighting since a cease-fire deal six months ago and may signal the start of a Russia-backed offensive by rebels in eastern Ukraine. A...
MH17 Probe Yields Possible Parts of Russian Missile
Investigators probing last year’s downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine have found fragments that may have come from a Russian surface-to-air missile. Dutch prosecutors said in a statement Tuesday that the investigators from Belgium, Australia, Ukraine, Malaysia and the Netherlands who are conducting the criminal...
Ukraine Official: Russia Readying Deadly Attacks in East
In Ukraine’s east, Russian intelligence services are preparing attacks with high civilian casualties which they will try to blame on Kyiv’s armed forces, a top Ukrainian security official said. “In the occupied territories [of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions] Russian special services are in the process of identifying...
