Section: Voice of America (USA)
British Blogger Raises Awkward Questions on Russia’s Role in Ukraine
It was not an unusual evening for war blogger Eliot Higgins. As he was rocking his infant son to sleep in his bedroom in the English city of Leicester, Higgins, who has written in-depth reports on the conflict in eastern Ukraine, was engaging in an online war of words with a pro-Kremlin blogger over Twitter. This time he and his Bellingcat...
Ukraine Reports ‘Significant Reduction’ in Fighting
Ukraine’s military is for the second consecutive day reporting a “significant reduction” in attacks by pro-Russian rebels, but says a cease-fire has not yet taken hold in eastern Ukraine. Rebels carried out 19 attacks on government-held territory and targets over the previous 24 hours, according to a Facebook statement Wednesday...
US, British Lawmakers Discuss Response to Russia’s Aggression
French and German leaders still hope to salvage the shaky truce between the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian separatists in the east. But officials in the United States and Britain are accusing Russia of working to further destabilize the region. Zlatica Hoke reports that lawmakers in both countries are discussing how to respond to what they...
Amnesty International Report Chronicles ‘Catastrophic’ Year
The year 2014 was a “catastrophic” one for millions of people around the world, a human rights watchdog group said Wednesday. Amnesty International released its annual report accusing world governments of failing to protect civilians from violence by states and armed groups, and calling the global response “shameful and...
Russia Lays Groundwork for New Gas Pipeline in Europe
Thwarted in one attempt to build a gas pipeline to southeast Europe, the Kremlin is working with a small circle of allies to lay the groundwork for an alternative that would help it maintain leverage in its rivalry with the West. Russia last year aborted South Stream, a $40 billion pipeline that was to have passed under the Black Sea and via...
Report: Kremlin Was Eying Ukraine Prior to Yanukovych Ouster
A Russian newspaper has published what it says is a strategy document calling for Russia to annex Crimea and absorb other parts of Ukraine that was presented to Kremlin leaders in early February 2014, shortly before Ukraine’s pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych was forced from power. The independent weekly Novaya Gazeta posted an...
Ukraine Rebels Say Weapons Pullback Under Way
Rebels in war-torn eastern Ukraine said they have begun pulling back heavy weapons from the frontlines, as required by an internationally brokered cease-fire. …read more Source: Voice of...
Lithuania to Reinstate Limited Conscription
Lithuania said Tuesday it would reinstate limited conscription later this year as a precautionary measure, given a new geopolitical situation. “The current geopolitical environment requires us to enhance and accelerate army recruitment,” said a statement by President Dalia Grybauskaite’s office issued after an emergency meeting...
European Leaders to Discuss Shaky Ukraine Cease-fire
The foreign ministers of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France meet Tuesday to discuss the cease-fire in eastern Ukraine that has lessened but failed to stop hostilities between Kyiv and pro-Russian separatists. The truce, which was supposed to begin February 15, is failing to hold in critical, strategic points, according to the Organization for...
Rebels Celebrate Victory Over Ukrainian Forces at Debaltseve
Pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine celebrated their victory over Ukrainian forces at Debaltseve Monday with parades and a huge rally in the nearby city of Donetsk. The festivities in the Russian-speaking city came as the Kyiv government asked the United Nations Security Council to deploy peacekeepers to the war-torn region. The Donetsk rally...
