Section: Voice of America (USA)
Russian Scientists Squeezed by Sanctions, Kremlin Policies
Artur Bilsky’s Institute of Thermophysics recently sought to buy equipment from a Japanese company that was a routine purchase a few years ago. The request was turned down “categorically,” said Bilsky, a researcher at the institute. Hundreds of other Russian scientists are reporting similar experiences of being refused sale of...
Russian Ex-PM’s Daughter Under Fire for Leaving for Ukraine
The daughter of a former Russian prime minister has accepted the job of deputy governor in a Ukrainian region, a decision that has sparked criticism in both Russia and Ukraine. Maria Gaidar’s appointment Friday as deputy governor of Odessa, now led by former Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, has been painted as a betrayal in Russia....
Ukraine, Rebels Trade Blame for Deadly Shelling in Donetsk
Ukraine’s military and pro-Russian rebels are accusing each other of shelling residential districts in and near the war-shattered rebel-held city of Donetsk, after police on Sunday reported at least four civilians killed in the past 24 hours. Ukrainian military officials say they observed rebels firing missiles toward the city center and...
Intensified Shelling in East Ukraine Kills Four Civilians, Soldier
Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels accused each other Saturday of shelling residential areas despite a cease-fire, reporting four civilians and one soldier killed following a week of the deadliest fighting in over a month. Separatists said one man was killed by shelling from Ukrainian forces in central Donetsk. A Reuters witness reported seeing the...
Russia’s Stake in Iran Nuclear Deal
U.S. President Barack Obama said Russia was a “help” in securing the deal to limit Iran’s nuclear program. In addition to that praise, printed in the New York Times, Obama talked with Russian President Vladimir Putin by telephone Wednesday, thanking Putin for Russia’s role in the negotiations. Simon Saradzhyan, a...
Memorial Marks 1 Year Since MH17 Shot Down Over Ukraine
Mourners for the victims of last year’s downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 are gathered in the Ukrainian village of Hrabove to mark the first anniversary of the crash that killed 298 people. Relatives will read aloud the name of each of the victims, whose plane was shot down by a missile over Ukraine’s Donetsk region on July 17,...
Little Certainty a Year After MH17 Downed Over Ukraine
A year since a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 was blown out of the sky over war-ravaged eastern Ukraine — killing 298 people — there has been little official word of progress in determining what brought down Flight MH17. One of the probes under way reportedly points toward a ground-to-air missile fired from a village held by Russia-backed...
One Year Later, MH17 Downing Still Impacts Ukraine Crisis
A year after 298 people died when Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine allegedly shot down a Malaysian passenger airliner on July 17, 2014, the tragic incident still hangs over the ongoing conflict. VOA’s Al Pessin reports from London. …read more Source: Voice of...
Ukraine Passes Draft Bill on More Autonomy for East Regions
Ukraine’s parliament approved a draft law on Thursday to grant two separatist regions greater autonomy, a first step towards meeting the demands of a cease-fire agreement on the status of the pro-Russian self-styled “people’s republics.” President Petro Poroshenko submitted the bill to parliament after coming under...
Putin: UN Tribunal on MH17 Downing Premature
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday calls for a U.N. tribunal to be set up to prosecute suspects in the downing of a Malaysian airliner in a rebel-held part of Ukraine were counterproductive and premature. Putin made his comments in a phone call with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte before Friday’s first anniversary of the...
