Showing posts with label Crimea Region. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crimea Region. Show all posts

Sunday, February 15, 2015

DTN News - UKRAINE CRISIS: The Hours Before The Ceasefire Between Ukraine And Pro-Russian Rebels – In Picture

DTN News - UKRAINE CRISIS: The Hours Before The Ceasefire Between Ukraine And Pro-Russian Rebels – In Picture
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 14, 2015Fears for Ukraine’s ceasefire as clashes with Russia-backed rebels intensify. Neither side seems to expect an end to the conflict, and both were trying to shore up their positions before the deadline.

Fighting between government and rebel forces in eastern Ukraine trailed off in the first hours after a midnight ceasefire began – but steady shelling resumed later in the morning near the besieged city of Debaltseve.

Kiev and the breakaway republics in the east said fighting had quietened and the ceasefire was mostly being observed.

But the Guardian heard mortar fire to the east of Luhanske on the highway to Debaltseve, where up to 8,000 Ukrainian troops have been under rebel attack for weeks.

The UN security council was convening an emergency session on Sunday to hear a Russian resolution on the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

South of Luhanske is a 10-mile stretch of road that is often shelled by rebels and is reportedly mined, largely cutting off Debaltseve from the rest of the Ukrainian forces. Further north on the highway a destroyed troop transport truck was still smoking on Sunday morning.

Soldiers at the last checkpoint in Luhanske said the guns had gone quiet after the midnight ceasefire, but shelling of Ukrainian positions in the area had resumed around 6am – a report confirmed by the press service of Kiev’s “anti-terrorist operation”.

“There’s no ceasefire here,” said a Ukrainian soldier who would give only his first name, Andrei.

“It’s a present from Putin,” joked another soldier, gesturing in the direction of the shelling.

The soldiers said Ukrainian forces were not shooting back, but some of the shelling to the east of Luhanske sounded like outgoing fire. Ukrainian army command said its forces were observing the ceasefire but would return fire if attacked or if the rebels shelled residential areas.

Related - DTN News - UKRAINE CRISIS: The Hours Before The Ceasefire Between Ukraine And Pro-Russian Rebels – In Picture







*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Defense News
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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Thursday, December 04, 2014

DTN News - RUSSIA ECONOMY NEWS: Putin Blames West Responsible For Coming Recession in Russia

DTN News -  RUSSIA ECONOMY NEWS: Putin Blames West Responsible For Coming Recession in Russia
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources By Michael Birnbaum - Washington Post
(NSI News Source Info) HONG KONG - December 5, 2014: With recession looming, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that the West has had his nation in the crosshairs for “centuries” and vowed that Russia would be unbowed in its attempts to pursue an independent and muscular foreign policy.

In an annual state of the nation address delivered to Russia’s political elite, Putin blasted the West and “speculators” who he said were waging an economic war against Russia over its actions in Ukraine. He made no concessions in response to Western sanctions on Russia, saying instead that they were a spur to bring offshore money home and to invest in domestic industry.

In his speech, delivered in a vast gilt hall in the Kremlin, Putin said Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s autonomous Crimean Peninsula in March was a “historic event” that would not be reversed. He likened Crimea to the Temple Mount — a sacred site in Judaism, Islam and Christianity — in its foundational importance to Russian civilization. The Crimean annexation kicked off the worst stretch of relations between the West and Russia since the Cold War.

“This year we faced trials that only a mature and united nation and a truly sovereign and strong state can withstand,” Putin said. “Russia has proved that it can protect its compatriots and defend truth and fairness.”

He was more conciliatory on domestic policy, assuring investors that “Russia will be open to the world” and ready to do business with anyone — even the West. In the 70-minute speech, which was focused largely on the economy, he offered measures to streamline markets, spur investment and bolster Russian self-sufficiency. Unlike in previous speeches, he held back from condemning opposition forces at home and pressed only against the speculators who he said were profiting from the falling ruble.

Russia has been locked in a bitter fight with the West over the conflict in Ukraine, which has claimed more than 4,300 lives. Hours after Putin’s speech, Secretary of State John F. Kerry said Russia brought on the sanctions because of its “own actions” in Ukraine.

Russia’s economy is expected to go into recession next year, the result of plummeting oil prices and sanctions that have crimped investments. The ruble has fallen significantly in recent weeks and has lost more than a third of its value against the dollar since July. On Thursday, it dropped more than 2 percent.

Putin’s popularity ratings remain near record highs, but surging inflation and diminished growth have made many Russians increasingly pessimistic about the economy.

Putin said the Western sanctions were the product of a fight against Russia that began long before what he called the “Crimean Spring.”

“If none of that had ever happened,” he said, “they would have come up with some other excuse to try to contain Russia’s growing capabilities.” The efforts to thwart Russia, he said, have gone on “for decades, if not centuries.”

Putin likened Russia’s enemies to the Nazis and said they should remember the lessons of World War II. Hitler “set out to destroy Russia and push us back beyond the Urals. Everyone should remember how it ended,” he said.

He also said that although Russia is boosting its defense spending, it did not desire a new arms race with the West, saying it had more inexpensive ways to strengthen its capabilities.

President Obama said a day earlier that Putin “has been improvising himself into a nationalist, backward-looking approach to Russian policy that is scaring the heck out of his neighbors and is badly damaging his economy.” Obama said the West intends to maintain economic pressure.

Obama’s comments are “obviously unfriendly and obviously unconstructive,” Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, said Thursday.

Putin’s speech came shortly after the worst outbreak of violence in years in the Russian region of Chechnya, where he crushed an insurgency early in his presidency. Authorities said at least nine gunmen and 10 police officers were killed in a battle in Grozny, the regional capital. Putin said he had full confidence in Russian authorities’ ability to eliminate any threats.

In an effort to boost the economy, Putin said in his speech that he would freeze taxes on businesses for several years. He also promised to reduce government inspections of small and mid-size enterprises that are found to be compliant with Russian regulations. And he vowed to fight corruption and offered a full, no-questions-asked amnesty for Russians who bring money back from abroad.

Money has mostly been going in the opposite direction. Russia has been plagued by investors pulling their money from the country: Up to $128 billion in capital flight is expected in 2014.

The Economy Ministry said this week that it expected Russia’s economy to contract by 0.8 percent next year. Independent economists have forecast an even more biting recession.


Economic officials also have said that they expect inflation of up to 10 percent next year, largely driven by the falling ruble and the rising cost of food. Russia banned most U.S. and European Union food imports in August in retaliation for Western sanctions, and the move has driven up the cost of food staples.

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources By Michael Birnbaum - Washington Post
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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Friday, August 22, 2014

DTN News - UKRAINE UNREST: Kiev Says Two Russian Armoured Vehicles Captured in East Ukraine

DTN News - UKRAINE UNREST: Kiev Says Two Russian Armoured Vehicles Captured in East Ukraine
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources AFP
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 22, 2014: (KIEV) — Ukraine's military on Thursday said its forces in the east of the country had captured two Russian armored vehicles with documents linking them to an elite army paratrooper unit.

"Ukrainian soldiers captured two armored vehicles of Russia's Pskov Airbourne division in a battle near Lugansk," said security spokesman Andriy Lysenko at a briefing.

"One of the vehicles had a full set of documents, from driver's licenses to military documents," he said, adding that the vehicles had been abandoned by their drivers.

Ukrainian journalist Roman Bochkala, who is travelling with Kiev's army in the Lugansk region, published pictures on his Facebook page claiming to show a vehicle with its plates scratched out and various items apparently found inside, including a Russian passport.

A social networking page of a 20-year-old Russian with the same name and date of birth shows him posing in a typical Russian paratrooper uniform. The page was last updated in July.

Russia swiftly rejected allegations that it had sent vehicles into Ukraine.

"Among the daily 'exposure' of Russian presence in Ukraine this is the 1001st such piece of 'evidence'," military spokesman Igor Konashenkov told Russian state agency ITAR-TASS.

He said that Ukraine's army has the same equipment and the documents allegedly found inside had been stolen.

Kiev has accused Russia of sending weapons and soldiers into eastern Ukraine to aid the rebels as it mounts an offensive to surround Donetsk and Lugansk and cut off the area from the Russian border.

NATO has recently accused Russia of engaging in "hybrid warfare" and sending "secret commandos" across the border.

The 76th Chernigov airborne assault division based in Pskov, a city in western Russia close to the borders with Estonia and Latvia, is Russia's oldest paratrooper unit.

It participated in various conflicts and peacekeeping missions in the former Soviet Union and beyond, as well as Russia's war in Chechnya.

In February, Pskov lawmaker Lev Shlosberg wrote in a blog that the division has been sent to Crimea, where days later soldiers appeared armed to the teeth but without any identifying insignia.

The so-called "little green men" helped to seize Ukrainian military bases in the peninsula after a hastily organized referendum led to its annexation by Russia.


On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the Pskov division an award "for successful completion of combat missions and showing courage and heroism," without specifying where it had fought.

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources AFP
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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Wednesday, June 25, 2014

DTN News: Ukraine Crisis Top Stories / Headlines News Dated June 25, 2014

DTN News: Ukraine Crisis Top Stories / Headlines News Dated June 25, 2014
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 25, 2014: Comprehensive daily news related to Ukraine Crisis Top Stories / Headlines News for the world of TODAY.
*Comprehensive daily news related to Ukraine Crisis Top Stories / Headlines News for the world of TODAY
  • CTV News

    Ukraine crisis: Fighting continues despite ceasefire

    CBC.ca-Jun 22, 2014
    Fighting flared between Ukrainian and pro-Moscow separatist forces, both sides reported on Sunday, further straining a unilateral ceasefire ...
  • Forbes: Russian ruble returns to pre-Ukraine crisis levels

    Kyiv Post-1 hour ago
    The Russian ruble is back to where it was before all hell broke loose inUkraine on Feb. 22 with the ousting of pro-Russia president Viktor ...
  • William Hague warns Russia of fresh EU sanctions over Ukraine crisis

    Telegraph.co.uk-Jun 23, 2014
    William Hague, the British foreign secretary, warned on Monday that the European Union may impose tougher sanctions against Russia if the ...
  • Ukraine crisis: Country welcomes Vladimir Putin's decision to step ...

    The Independent-4 hours ago
    The Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called it a “first practical step”, ... Ukraine crisis aftermath: Slavyansk residents show the scale of ...
  • Reuters India

    Ukraine crisis: NATO accuses Russia of not 'respecting commitments'

    Firstpost-2 hours ago
    Brussels: NATO's secretary general said Wednesday there are "no signs" Russia is respecting its commitments over Ukraine, and that the ...
  • Ukraine crisis unsettles Shell and Chevron

    FT.com (registration) (blog)-16 hours ago
    This has happened to Royal Dutch Shell in eastern Ukraine, where heavy fighting between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian military ...
  • BBC News

    Ukraine crisis: ceasefire proposed by Petro Poroshenko

    CBC.ca-Jun 18, 2014
    Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Wednesday proposed a unilateral ceasefire by his troops to allow pro-Russian separatists in the east ...
    Ukraine crisis: Deadly attack on Russian TV crew
    BBC News-Jun 17, 2014
    Explore in depth (6,954 more articles)
  • RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty

    Putin discusses Ukraine crisis, gas pipeline during Austrian visit

    CCTV-7 hours ago
    VIENNA, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday evening wrapped up an official visit to Austria, as his talks with ...
    Putin defends South Stream decision
    The Local Austria-11 hours ago
    Explore in depth (108 more articles)
  • Ukraine crisis reaches watershed

    Asia Times Online-5 hours ago
    When I heard that Russian President Vladimir Putin had asked the Federation Council to repeal the resolution on the use of Russian armed ...
  • *Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth 
    *Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
    *Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
    *This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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    Friday, April 11, 2014

    DTN News: Ukraine Crisis Top Stories / Headlines News Dated April 11, 2014

    DTN News: Ukraine Crisis Top Stories / Headlines News Dated April 11, 2014
    (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 11, 2014: Comprehensive daily news related to Ukraine Crisis Top Stories / Headlines News for the world of TODAY.

    *Comprehensive daily news related to Ukraine Crisis Top Stories / Headlines News for the world of TODAY
    1. Satellites Show Russia Mobilizing Near Ukraine, NATO Says

      New York Times-46 minutes agoShare
      By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN APRIL 10, 2014 ... MOSCOW — NATO released satellite photographs on Thursday showing Russian military ...
    2. WRAPUP 3-US accuses Russia after Putin warning on gas supplies ...

      Reuters UK-3 hours ago
      MOSCOW/WASHINGTON, April 10 (Reuters) - President Vladimir ... Russia has nearly doubled the gas price it charges Ukraine, whose economy is in crisis, since pro-Moscow ... NATO raised Moscow's ire by publishing satellite pictures it said showed a Russian military buildup on the Ukrainian border.
    3. Russia and West trade threats over Ukraine

      SBS-7 hours ago
      11 Apr 2014 - 7:02am ... Russia and the West have traded threats over Ukraine, with Moscow warning about ... with more sanctions in a further escalation of the crisis overUkraine. ... and Ukraine to attend, set for April 17 in either Geneva or Vienna. ... NATO on Thursday released a score of satellite pictures showing that up ...
    4. Russia: Don't worry about our troops

      WTSP 10 News-14 hours ago
      Ukraine said on April 9 that pro-Russian militants had freed 56 ... The U.S. ambassador in Kiev, Geoffrey Pyatt, posted photos via ... secession from Ukraine to be held by May 11 -- remained in control of the ... to end the crisis may escalate the tensions in Ukraine'seastern region. ... April 9, 2014, 9:40 p.m..
    5. Putin turns up economic heat before Ukraine talks

      Anchorage Daily News-Apr 9, 2014
      The Associated PressApril 8, 2014 Updated 11 minutes ago ... This satellite image made by DigitalGlobe on March 27, 2014, and provided by ... efforts to ease the Ukrainian crisiswould yield "positive results," an apparent reference to talks set ...
    6. US Won't Give War Intel to Ukraine

      Daily Beast-Apr 9, 2014
      But the Obama administration hasn't shared with Ukraine the ... U.S. officials and members of Congress briefed on the crisis in Ukraine tell The Daily Beast that senior U.S. .... Scimio survived to take a picture of himself in Children's Hospital. .... Cat Emporium plays with a cat in London on March 28, 2014.
    7. Ukraine Crisis: Independence Movement Spreads East

      ABC News-Apr 7, 2014
      Ukraine Crisis: Independence Movement Spreads East ... police as they try to occupy a regional administration building in Donetsk, UkraineApril 6, 2014. ... A. Nikolskiy/ Kremlin Press Office/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images .... The 11-story building has been flying the Russian flag, rather than the Ukrainian flag, for three days ...
    8. Around town: Upcoming events in Saskatoon

      StarPhoenix-11 hours ago
      Mendel Art Gallery Opening April 11 at 950 Spadina Cres. ... Big Sky Artists' 2014 Annual Art Show and Sale April 11, 5 p.m. to 9:30 ...Ukrainian Museum of Canada Until June 21 at 910 Spadina Cres. ..... A portion of proceeds will go to the Crisis Shelter and Residence and to help with YWCA programs.
    9. Russia warns civil war possible in Ukraine

      WTSP 10 News-Apr 9, 2014
      Russia warned Tuesday that any use of force in Ukraine's eastern region could lead to civil war. ... Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, April 8,2014. ... (Photo: SAUL LOEB AFP/Getty Images) ... and called for a referendum on secession from Ukraine to be held by May 11.
    10. Russia Warns Ukraine Of More 'Difficulties And Crises' If Demands ...

      CBS Local-Apr 8, 2014
      Russia Warns Ukraine Of More 'Difficulties And Crises' If Demands Not Met ... administration building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk on April 7, 2014, in Donetsk. (credit: Alexander KHUDOTEPLY/AFP/Getty Images) ... Russia, to be held no later than May 11, according to the Interfax news agency.
    *Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth 
    *Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
    *Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
    *This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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