NATO leaders are expected to agree on the deployment of four new battle groups to the alliance’s eastern flank in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Leaders will agree to deploy troops to Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia at Thursday’s NATO summit in Brussels, according to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. ‘I expect leaders to … Read more
Heroic Olga Semidyanova, who was armed, was tragically wounded while fighting Russian soldiers after the majority of her battalion had been dead. Olga, who was killed during battle on March 3, was remembered on social media by sympathetic Ukrainians. Olga had adopted swarix orphans from her local orphanage in addition to her own six children. … Read more
According to Ukrainian officials, a FOURTH Russian general has been slain. Major-General Oleg Mityaev, 47, and seven members of an elite SWAT unit were killed in the assault of Mariupol, dealing a further blow to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko shared a photo of the deceased distinguished military … Read more
President Zelensky admitted that Ukraine may never join NATO, paving the door for peace. Zelensky conceded that possible membership in the defence alliance was now in doubt, fulfilling a key requirement of Putin’s warmongering. ‘We have heard for years that the doors are open, but we have also heard that we cannot join,’ said President … Read more
NATO has gathered 30,000 troops and 50 warships near Russia’s border for military drills, putting Mad Vlad’s rage at risk. The drill, dubbed Cold Response, began today in Norway, amid rising tensions between Russia and the West over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The exercise includes 30,000 troops from more than 25 European and North American countries, 200 aircraft, and 50 vessels. The largest Nato exercise, which is taking place just a few miles from Russia’s border, was planned long before Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, but its significance has now been increased. “This exercise is … Read more
ZAGREB: Croatia’s prime minister Saturday urged closer cooperation within NATO after a military drone, which he said was launched from Ukraine, crashed in Zagreb. The Soviet-era Tu-141 reconnaissance drone crashed in the Croatian capital late Thursday, damaging around 40 parked vehicles, but no one was injured. It entered Croatia’s airspace from Hungary, having flown in … Read more
New Delhi – When an Indian student was killed in shelling in Ukraine, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram asked the government to “stop its verbal balancing act” and demand “loudly and bravely” that Russia immediately stop the bombing, which is putting the lives of Indians too in danger. The Congress also stepped up its attack … Read more
KYIV – Russian troops have seized Kherson, the first major Ukrainian city to fall in a devastating week-old war that has already created one million refugees. The capture of the Black Sea city of 290,000 people, which just last year hosted NATO-supported war games, appeared a significant boost for Moscow as it readied for potential ceasefire … Read more
BUCHAREST – Romania’s military was mourning Thursday separate helicopter and fighter jet crashes in bad weather near the Black Sea that killed eight personnel in its deadliest incident in years. The EU country is on the front line in strengthening NATO’s eastern flank following Russia’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine and has seen US and European military … Read more
HELSINKI – Finland’s president called on Thursday for the country to remain calm while deciding whether to apply to join NATO as a defence against potential Russian aggression. “In the midst of an acute crisis it is particularly important to keep a cool head and carefully assess the impact on our security” from the Ukraine crisis, … Read more
LASK, Poland – NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday said Russian President Vladimir Putin had “shattered peace in Europe” by invading Ukraine, adding that the Western defence alliance would defend “every inch of our territory”. He spoke during a visit to the Lask airbase in NATO member Poland, whose neighbour Ukraine has been fighting back against a Russian offensive … Read more
Russia launches the biggest attack in Europe since WWII; the West vows heavy sanctions; Ukraine claims 50 troops were killed.
VILNIUS – Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nauseda on Thursday signed a decree imposing a state of emergency in the small formerly Soviet-ruled NATO and EU Baltic state, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “The aim of the state of emergency is to address the serious threat to public security… in response to possible unrest and provocations involving large-scale … Read more
PARIS – Sandwiched between Russia and the European Union, Ukraine has been torn between its former Soviet master and the West of which it wants to be a part since its independence in 1991. Here is an overview: – Dominated by Russia – Ukraine votes overwhelmingly for independence from the crumbling Soviet Union in … Read more
KYIV – Ukraine mobilised its military reserve Wednesday and urged its citizens to leave Russian territory as Moscow sharpened its demands, increasing fears of all-out war. Kremlin chief President Vladimir Putin has defied an avalanche of international sanctions to put his forces on stand-by to occupy two rebel-held areas of eastern Ukraine. In response, Kyiv’s President … Read more
BEIJING – China and Russia set off alarms in the West this month with the most robust declaration of their friendship in decades but Beijing has signalled it would not back Vladimir Putin if he sent troops in to invade Ukraine. The February 4 joint statement by the neighbours included unprecedented support from Beijing for … Read more
Kabul – A decision by the White House to retain half of the $7 billion in frozen Afghan funds held in the United States has been denounced as unfair by observers. Under an executive order signed by US President Joe Biden said the holdings will be split, with half going ultimately to the victims of … Read more
TBILISI – As tens of thousands of Russian troops mass near Ukraine’s border, many in fellow ex-Soviet state Georgia are feeling a frightening sense of deja vu. In 2008, during the Summer Games in Beijing, Russia launched a devastating ground assault against the small Caucasus country on its southern border. Georgia was battling pro-Russian militia … Read more
BRUSSELS – When outgoing Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg returns home to head Norway’s central bank later this year the western alliance will need a new champion, and for the first time she is expected to be a woman. For seven decades the powerful military coalition has been led by a series of western European men … Read more
HONG KONG – Asian markets rebounded Wednesday and Europe extended gains on hopes that Russia will not invade Ukraine after Moscow said some of its troops on the countries’ border had started pulling back. While not verified, the claims by Russia provided some much-needed relief for investors, who had grown increasingly fearful of a conflict … Read more
KARACHI: The Pakistan bourse gave up to the selling pressure within an hour of the opening bell, as bears took over for the rest of the day, leading the market to close on a negative note. An analyst at Pearl Securities said the global markets had been down on account of Russia invading Ukraine along … Read more
MOSCOW – With war clouds gathering over Ukraine, international diplomacy goes into overdrive on Monday with the French and Russian presidents to talk in Moscow and the German chancellor heading to the White House to meet with US leader Joe Biden. Also on Monday, the German, Czech, Slovak and Austrian foreign ministers were expected in Kyiv, which … Read more
BERLIN – Russia said Thursday it would hold huge naval drills across four seas, in a new bout of sabre-rattling as tensions with the West soared to new heights over the threat that Moscow would march on Ukraine. The Russian defence ministry’s announcement to deploy more than 140 warships and supporting vessels this month and … Read more
ISTANBUL – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday warned Russia against invading Ukraine, calling the former Soviet republic a “powerful” country with international friends. Turkey’s supply of combat drones to Ukraine has drawn the wrath of Russia, which fears they could be used by Kyiv in its years-long conflict in two regions of the Moscow-backed separatist … Read more
VILNIUS – Six Lithuanians who lost relatives during Moscow’s crackdown on the Baltic state’s independence drive filed a lawsuit against former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev on Thursday. The group initiated legal action 31 years to the day since the January 1991 assault, which killed 14 civilians and wounded over 700. In 2019, a Lithuanian court … Read more
WASHINGTON – From severing Russia from the world’s banking system to further arming Kyiv, US President Joe Biden is hoping threats of painful consequences will deter his counterpart Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine. With tens of thousands of Russian troops amassed on Ukraine’s border, the Biden administration has accepted talks in Geneva next week with … Read more
Alongside the concerns about Russia’s military build-up on the border of Ukraine, regional states worry about a possible stitch-up between major powers that could turn the clock back. For countries once ruled from Moscow, US President Joe Biden’s comments last week about seeking a possible “accommodation” between Russia and major Nato powers have had a … Read more
PRAGUE: Tensions have been flying high between Taiwan and China just as a Taiwanese delegation is visiting central and eastern Europe to boost business ties in a region also targeted by Chinese investors. The 66-member delegation on a tour of Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Lithuania has signed 18 memorandums of cooperation in the three countries. Taiwan’s charm … Read more
