US military commander: Russian military 'far more capable' than Soviet Union's - Fox News
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US military commander: Russian military 'far more capable' than Soviet Union's
Fox News A top U.S. military commander warned that Russia's modern military is now “far more capable” than that of the Soviet Union, saying Moscow is “messaging” the United States that “they're a global power.” The warning over Russia's military might from Adm. and more » |
Greek leader’s ‘springtime for Russian-Greek relations’ fails to extend to bailout loans from Vladimir Putin, but he warns sanctions could cause ‘new cold war’
The Greek prime minister has called on Europe to end its sanctions against Russia during a visit to Moscow, warning that they could lead to a “new cold war”.
Alexis Tsipras also rebuked other European leaders who had criticised his two-day visit to the Russian capital, after meeting Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on Wednesday.
The counter-sanctions imposed by Russia have inflicted pain on the Greek economy.
Continue reading... Wall Street Journal |
Greek-Russian Summit Marks Defiance of EU
Wall Street Journal MOSCOW—Russian President Vladimir Putin and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras met at a much-anticipated summit here on Wednesday that brought together two world leaders known for rallying their constituencies by defying the European Union. Europe is “bluffing” over Greece-Russia relations – analysteuronews Greece played its Russia card.. Now what? BBC News Alexis Tsipras in Moscow asks Europe to end sanctions against RussiaThe Guardian ABC Online-Bloomberg all 1,556 news articles » |
Russia would be willing to supply loans to Greece for major infrastructure and transport works, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said, as the Greek Prime Minister Alex Tsipras said European sanctions on Russia risked a new Cold War.
 Bloomberg |
How the US thinks Russians hacked the White House
CNN Washington (CNN) Russian hackers behind the damaging cyber intrusion of the State Department in recent months used that perch to penetrate sensitive parts of the White House computer system, according to U.S. officials briefed on the investigation. Russian Government Seen Behind White House Computer HackBloomberg Report: US officials say Russians hacked White House computer systemFortune 'Accusing Russia is now a sport': Putin aide debunks CNN report on Russians ...RT Fox News-MSNBC-CBS News all 498 news articles » |
US military tactics falling behind those of adversaries, Pentagon official warns by Spencer Ackerman in New York
- Robert Work: ‘Our technological superiority is slipping. We see it every day’
- Deputy defense secretary wants to bring US military into ‘post-insurgency era’
A “proliferation of precision” weapons and the spread of styles of warfare displayed by Russia in Ukraine risks ending “the American way of war that we have grown accustomed to over the last three decades”, the Pentagon’s No 2 official warned on Wednesday.
In a speech likely to be hotly debated in defense circles, US deputy defense secretary Robert Work outlined a vision of ground warfare for what might be called a post-insurgency era, one in which US adversaries cycle between using subterfuge tactics and high-tech precision artillery – “conventional weapons with near-zero miss”, in his warning – to potentially overmatch the US military.
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 УНИАН |
Порошенко с Коморовским нашли общий язык в вопросе санкций против России
УНИАН Как передает корреспондент УНИАН, об этом заявил президент Украины Петр Порошенко во время совместной пресс-конференции с президентом Республики Польша Брониславом Коморовским сегодня в Киеве. "Украина и Польша имеют общую позицию относительно ... Порошенко убежден, что введение миротворцев реальноСЕГОДНЯ Президент Польши рассказал, когда Украина сможет получить безвизовый режимКомсомольская Правда в Украине Порошенко рассказал о кредите в 100 миллионов евро от ПольшиLenta.ru Интерфакс -Взгляд -РБК Украина Все похожие статьи: 341 » |
World Briefing: Spain: ‘Swindlers’? Roma Say Noby THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Spanish groups representing Roma people began a campaign on Wednesday to remove a reference to the Roma as swindlers from the world’s benchmark Spanish dictionary.
 Forbes |
Russia To Europe Private Jet Flights Continue To Drop
Forbes Cold relations between the West and Russia are continuing to weigh down Europe's private aviation industry. The same day news broke that that Moscow interests may have been responsible for hacking into White House computers, WINGX Advance was ... and more » |
Staunton, April 7 – Just as the notion of a liberal Soviet Union proved to be a contradiction in terms, so too the Russian Federation in its current borders cannot become a democracy, according to Lech Walesa. It must first disintegrate and then some parts of it might be able to come back together in a more democratic state.
In an interview with Ukrainska Pravda, the former Solidarity leader, Polish president and Nobel Prize winner says that Vladimir Putin’s use of force in Ukraine and his threats of using nuclear weapons against the West show that Russia is “30 to 50 years” behind the West.
In an interview with Ukrainska Pravda, the former Solidarity leader, Polish president and Nobel Prize winner says that Vladimir Putin’s use of force in Ukraine and his threats of using nuclear weapons against the West show that Russia is “30 to 50 years” behind the West.
“In Russia,” he says, “there has never been democracy and freedom. It has always wanted to have an enemy,” and that desire keeps Russia at a distance from everyone else: “Russia will never live according to the principles of the Western world.” Consequently, it must and can be resisted — the West is stronger — and contained until it changes, something that will involve its disintegration.
There are “a minimum of 60 peoples” within the current borders of the Russian Federation, Walesa points out. It could fall apart and the center would still have a population of 20 million. Exactly what the borders of the post-Russian states would be, he says, will “depend on how the disintegration happens.”
After Russia falls apart, he continues, “it is possible that there will be a repetition of a scenario like the formation of the European Union.” There will follow “a union of new states but already on other principles,” at least some of whom will become democratic and be open “for cooperation in various configurations.”
All this will take a lot of time, Walesa says, noting that “Russians are an unhappy people. It is necessary that their mentality be completely changed.” That will happen but it won’t be any time soon.
In other comments in the course of a wide-ranging interview about his own past and current views, Walesa argues that the West, having committed itself to the protection of Ukraine in order to secure the removal of nuclear weapons from its territory, must now use every weapon in its arsenal to defend Ukraine from Russian aggression.
If the West fails to do this and shows that it will allow the stronger to win just because they are stronger, the Polish leader says, then this will be “the end of our civilization” and the beginnings of a new barbarism.
And Walesa dismisses the idea that Russian propaganda has been successful in Europe. “Of course, Europe is not united. Each state has its own interests and fears suffering losses, but here there is no success of Russian propaganda.” That is something everyone must understand rather than giving Putin another victory he doesn’t deserve.
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 Defense One |
As Russia Improves Its Surface-to-Air Missiles, US Looks To Counter
Defense One It's the latest move in a decades-old chess game between ever-stealthier U.S. aircraft and increasingly lethal anti-aircraft defenses developed by companies like Russia's Almaz-Antey. But the Pentagon believes it has a potent new weapon against ... Russia Warns US That It Can Counter Its Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems: Sees ...International Business Times AU all 9 news articles » |
Yesterday’s live coverage of the Ukraine conflict can be found here. An archive of our liveblogs can be found here. For an overview and analysis of this developing story see our latest podcast.
Please help The Interpreter to continue providing this valuable information service by making a donation towards our costs.
For links to individual updates click on the timestamps.
For the latest summary of evidence surrounding the shooting down of flight MH17 see our separate article:Evidence Review: Who Shot Down MH17?
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 Fox News |
UN paid Russian air charters hundreds of millions while Putin invaded Ukraine
Fox News Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at a rally marking one year anniversary of annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula, outside the Kremlin, with the dome of St. Basil Cathedral at right, in Moscow, Russia, March 18, 2015. (AP Photo/Maxim ... Protests bubble up across Russia in sign of public discontentFinancial Times Graveyard of emperors: Putin should heed the fates of Russia's leadersQuartz How the Next President Should Deal with RussiaHeritage.org Huffington Post-Today's Zaman-The Moscow Times all 89 news articles » |
The French television station TV5Monde says hackers claiming to belong to the Islamic State group had taken over its TV channels, websites, and social media pages.
White House Won't Cite Hack Source Amid Reports Naming Russia by noreply@rferl.org (RFE/RL)
The White House is declining to name the source of a hack to its unclassified e-mail system amid reports that it came from Russia.
Russia is considering soon giving Greece funds based on future profits it could earn from shipping Russian gas to Europe as part of a pipeline extension, two Greek government sources said Wednesday.
Kerry 'Very Concerned' About Iranian Support for Yemen Rebels by webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says Washington is "very concerned" about Iran's support for Shi'ite rebels in Yemen, after reports suggested an Iranian naval fleet was headed near the Persian Gulf country. Iran's Press TV reported Wednesday an Iranian destroyer and another warship were headed for the waters near Yemen, where a Saudi Arabia-led airstrike campaign is trying to halt the advance of Houthi rebels. Iranian Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said the fleet will provide safety for "Iran's shipping lanes" and protect the country's "interests in the high seas." He said it also will seek to keep commercial ships safe from pirates. Speaking on the PBS Newshour, Kerry said the U.S. was closely monitoring Iranian support for the rebels, including "supplies that have been coming from Iran" and "a number of [Iranian] flights every single week" into Yemen. "We're well aware of the support that Iran has been giving to Yemen. And Iran needs to recognize that the United States is not going to stand by while the region is destabilized or while people engage in overt warfare across lines, international boundaries and other countries," he said. Kerry said the U.S. - which has supported the campaign of Arab airstrikes with weapons, intelligence, and other support - is "not looking for a confrontation, obviously." "But we're not going to step away from our alliances and our friendships, and the need to stand with those who feel threatened as the consequence of the choices that Iran might be making," he added. Iran calls for cease-fire Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called for an end to airstrikes in Yemen by Saudi Arabia and Arab allies, saying they could not succeed, and said countries in the region should work toward a political solution. “A great nation like Yemen will not submit to bombing. Come, let us all think about ending war. Let us think about a cease-fire,” Rouhani said in a televised speech on Thursday. “Let us prepare to bring Yemenis to the negotiating table to make decisions about their future. ... Let us accept that the future of Yemen will be in the hands of the people of Yemen, not anyone else,” Rouhani continued. On the same day, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called on Pakistan to work towards a political solution during a visit to Islamabad, after Saudi Arabia asked Pakistan to join the coalition. Tensions are high in Yemen due to the conflict between Houthi rebels and forces loyal to the country's internationally backed president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Rebel fighters and troops loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was ousted in 2011, have been trying to capture Aden, one of the last strongholds of forces backing Hadi. The fighting has led to a humanitarian emergency, aid groups are warning. On Wednesday, the medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said a five-person emergency surgical team and urgently needed medical supplies have arrived at the port city of Aden. The 1.7 tons of medical supplies arrived from Djibouti and will be used to treat large numbers of wounded people at the hospital run by the aid group. Also Wednesday, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Tuesday's airstrike on a school in Yemen's Ibb province "is a stark reminder of the appalling risks facing children as the conflict in Yemen intensifies." The airstrike killed at least two children and wounded two others. According to the World Health Organization, 643 people have been killed and 2,226 wounded in the fighting in Yemen. UNICEF says at least 77 children have been killed in the conflict. Some material for this report came from Reuters.
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 Правда.Ру |
Внутренние войска МВД России провели учения «Заслон-2015»
Коммерсантъ В Северо-Западном федеральном округе (СЗФО) прошли учения «Заслон-2015» подразделений внутренних войск МВД России по противодействию общественным беспорядкам. Масштабные учения проводятся со 2 по 10 апреля на территории Северо-Западного, Центрального, ... МВД ликвидировало МайданДни.Ру В России проходят учения МВД по противодействию "Майдану"Новый Крым Все похожие статьи: 161 » |
Amnesty: Evidence Of Summary Killings By Ukraine Rebelsby noreply@rferl.org (RFE/RL)
Amnesty International says it has new evidence of “execution-style killings” by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
At least 26 people have been injured after a passenger train traveling from Volgograd to Moscow crashed into a locomotive in Russia's Lipetsk region.
Pentagon Chief: North Korea Missile Tests Reminder of Dangerby webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, who arrived in South Korea on Thursday, says Pyongyang's recent missiles tests are a reminder of how dangerous the situation is on the Korean peninsula. Speaking at Yokota Air Base in Japan before departing for South Korea, Carter told reporters he was "flattered" if the North Korean missile launches were meant to be a "welcome message" for him. The short-range missiles were launched this week into the sea off North Korea's west coast. North Korea also fired four missiles in a similar test last Friday. It is not unusual for the North to conduct such tests ahead of visits to the region by U.S. officials or during moments of heightened tension with its foe, South Korea. Seoul's defense ministry on Thursday called this week's test routine and said the projectiles did not represent a serious security threat to South Korea. South Korean officials have also said the launches appear to be a response to the ongoing Foal Eagle joint military exercise between the U.S. and South Korea. The annual war games are a source of regular tension between the two Koreas, who are technically still at war since their 1950s conflict ended in a truce instead of a peace treaty. Pyongyang says it considers the drills to be a preparation to invade, while Washington and Seoul say they are defensive. The threat posed by North Korea figures to be a main topic for discussion for Carter's talks with top officials in Seoul.
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Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski has voiced strong support for Ukraine during a speech in the parliament in Kyiv, and urged other nations to back the country as its struggles against Russian interference.
 РИА Новости |
В Петербурге началась командно-штабная тренировка российских и белорусских офицеров
ГАZЕТА.СПБ Российские и белорусские офицеры проводят в Петербурге специальные учения , направленные на тренировку навыков управления войсками и воинскими формированиями. Завершится тренировка 10 апреля, сообщает официальный сайт Минобороны РФ . «Офицеры штаба ... Офицеры России и Белоруссии проводят совместную тренировкуИА REGNUM Российские и белорусские военные начали совместную командно-штабную тренировкуВзгляд Военные России и Беларуси начали совместную командно-штабную тренировкуИнтерфах-Запад Московский комсомолец Все похожие статьи: 39 » |
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Russia's Interior Ministry troops are conducting large-scale exercises involving a "full arsenal" of anti-riot weapons to practice suppressing political protests.
Azerbaijani Activist Held For 20 Days Over Street Protestby noreply@rferl.org (RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service)
An activist from Azerbaijan's opposition Popular Front Party has been sentenced to 20 days in custody after taking part in a public protest.
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В интервью немецкому телеканалу ARD в 2008 году президент России Владимир Путин заявил, что Москва «давно приз...
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From: Радио Свобода
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says he plans to meet with his counterparts from Ukraine, Germany, and France on April 13 to discuss the implementation of a deal meant to end the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Russian Interior Ministry Forces Prepare to Counter Maidans across Russia and in Crimeaby paul goble (noreply@blogger.com)
Paul Goble
Staunton, April 9 – Russian internal troops are currently conducting exercises in six of the countries federal districts – the North-West, Central, Volga, North Caucasus, South, and Crimean -- to prepare them to counter any appearance of Maidan-like protests, according to an interior ministry press officer.
The exercises which began on April 2 and will conclude tomorrow involve the use by internal troops of “the entire arsenal of special means,” including tear gas, water cannons and “various types of military technology and special non-lethal arms,” the official said (top.rbc.ru/politics/09/04/2015/5525a5139a79476b3bd22456).
Three things about this announcement make it noteworthy: First, the organizers say they are trying to make the exercises as useful as possible by copying all the aspects of the Maidan events in Ukraine, including the actions of demonstrators and the actions and inactions of officials in response.
Second, Moscow is organizing them throughout the country, an indication that the Kremlin is worried about the possibility of Maidans in one or more of Russia’s regions or republics, something many in Moscow and the West discount but a possibility that clearly has Vladimir Putin’s attention.
Perhaps especially indicative of Moscow’s concerns are the exercises being staged in Crimea, where the situation may not be as completely under the control of the occupation forces as many Russian officials would like to believe.
And third, the announcement comes as opposition leader Gari Kasparov has challenged orthodoxy among opposition groups and argued that the best way of combatting Putin and Putinism is to organize a Maidan in Moscow, a step he suggests could prove successful because support for Putin there is lower than elsewhere (kasparov.ru/material.php?id=5525790DEE188).
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 ИнфоРос |
Колл-центры начали прием вопросов для "прямой линии" с Путиным
ИнфоРос Новый сайт российского президента работает без сбоев – сегодня он начал принимать вопросы россиян на "прямую линию" с Владимиром Путиным. Отправить свой вопрос можно и по телефону. Колл-центры открылись в полдень по московскому времени, информирует "МИР 24". и другие » |
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Four-times Olympic swimming champion Vladimir Salnikov is completely against the idea of limiting Russian athletes to only being allowed to compete in two Olympics in a row, he said Wednesday.
 Радио Свобода |
Рада запретила пропаганду коммунизма и нацизма на Украине
Радио Свобода Верховная Рада Украины в четверг приняла внесенный кабинетом министров законопроектоб осуждении коммунистического и нацистского режимов, запретив их пропаганду и символику. За решение проголосовали 254 из 307 депутатов. Авторами документа выступили 13 ... Лидер КПУ: Киев "пытается расправиться с героями войны"РИА Новости Верховная Рада запретила символику нацизма и коммунизмаПолит.ру На Украине запретили пропаганду коммунизма и нацизмаРадиостанция ЭХО МОСКВЫ РБК-СЕГОДНЯ -Биржевой лидер Все похожие статьи: 152 » |
 Quartz |
Graveyard of emperors: Putin should heed the fates of Russia's leaders
Quartz Russia, of course, denies the engagement, instead accusing the West of stirring protests in Kiev last year. Crippling economic sanctions imposed on Russia as a result of Putin's annexation of Crimea aren't seen as punishment for flouting international law. GlobalPost: Russia would attack Russians to justify war in Ukraine, ex-Putin ...Ukraine Today Alexey Malashenko: Russia gained nothing from Crimea annexationKyiv Post Finnish diplomat: Sanctions on Russia seek to preserve Ukrainian sovereignty ...Today's Zaman RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty all 44 news articles » |
 International Business Times |
Russian Military Drills Continue With Su-35 Flight Training, Heavy Weapons ...
International Business Times The Russian military mobilized more than 30 fighter jets, including its Sukhoi Su-35, as part of flight training conducted over its far eastern Primorsky Territory, state-controlled media said Thursday. Russia has conducted countless military drills in ... and more » |
 Fox News |
US, Russian war games rekindle Cold War tensions in Eastern Europe amid ...
Fox News AMARI AIR BASE, Estonia – Russia is so close that the F-16 fighter pilots can see it on the horizon as they swoop down over a training range in Estonia in the biggest ever show of U.S. air power in the Baltic countries. The simulated bombs release ... Cold War Tensions Revived By Russia, U.S. War GamesValueWalk Latest from IranPress TV US, Russia Stage Competing War Games Along Russia's BorderThe Epoch Times all 44 news articles » |
‘Perfect Storm’ over Land May Push the North Caucasus into Chaos, Sokolov Says by paul goble (noreply@blogger.com)
Paul Goble
Staunton, April 9 – The “Kavkazskaya politika” portal has launched a new series of articles that pose the question as to what “”a perfect storm’” that would overthrow the existing political order in the North Caucasus might look like, whether such a whirlwind is approaching, and how both regional elites and Moscow might be able to cope.
The first article which has just appeared is by Denis Sokolov, a senior researcher at the Russian Academy of Economics and State Service, who argues that increasing competition for land will undermine official control because it shift the balance from the public sector to the private sector and leave the public one with fewer resources to buy off the population.
And that shift in turn is already intensifying the concerns of many in the region that they face “a perfect storm,” something that in the past allowed regional elites to consolidate their position by playing on the fears of chaos but that now may be beyond their capacity to cope (kavpolit.com/articles/kogda_sluchitsja_idealnyj_shtorm_popytka_prognozir-15712/).
For the past two decades, Sokolov acknowledges, “apocalyptic predictions” about the impact of conflicts over land have not proved to be true. Officials using various means have been able to “neutralize” such conflicts and even to exploit them to build their own power. But that may be ending, the Moscow scholar suggests.
As one of his friends has observed, he continues, “there are two means of struggle with chaos: national liberal democracy with human rights, an open market and accessible justice and empire in which everything proceeds not according to law but by understandings, where there is a secret police, where obscurantism is promoted, and where corruption flourishes.”
The events in Ukraine over the last year, Sokolov says, “show how complicated it is to build a state on the remnants of an empire.” The risks of a breakdown into chaos and the fears of that are great, and “there are no entirely positive examples” on the territory of what was once the Soviet Union.
In Daghestan, he says, there is a system which is best described by the Arabic word “’nizam.’” “This is not adat or shariat; it is a system of unpublished rules which define who can speak at a meeting and who should remain silent, who can be elected head, become an imam or leader of a jamaat, and who cannot.”
Such rules have “several sources,” Sokolov points out, including the stratification of Daghestani society going back centuries and “the natural inequality which arises” with private property. “The Most High has given us equal rights, but has made us different,” the Moscow analyst continues.
If one translates “’nizam’” into “the language of political anthropology, he says, then this is the collection of rules “which supports stability in a society where two or more clanic grups compete for rule.” It is “a universal order, arising out of necessity to “informally distribute power and financial flows.”
Regional elites in the North Caucasus and the Moscow bureaucracy “function not according to law but according to ‘nizam,’” a system that “is everywhere different” but based on “a single principle: with the aid of unwritten rules to strengthen the hierarchy and avoid force and chaos.”
“’Nizam’” is thus the first step away from chaos, one that does not require from those taking part in it a high degree of social organization but effectively limits force, compensates for the absence of justice, while at the same time “catastrophically limiting competition.” That last is not only bad news but ultimately can be the source of instability.
On the one hand, it means that fighting corruption is a threat to the continuing operation of “’nizam.’” And on the other, it limits the ability of the powers that be to maintain themselves if economic situations change and they have fewer resources to offer than do those who may be able to operate in the private sector.
As long as officials have more money and other goods to distribute than the private sector does, “the political system appears to be irreplaceable.” Almost everyone is dependent on officials, Sokolov says, and “even leaders of the opposition are appointed by the administration,” he suggests.
But that situation isn’t in fact eternal, especially given that increasing competition for what is “the chief resource” of the North Caucasus – land -- is intensifying and the rewards of controlling it are becoming greater than those the state which has relied on profits from oil and gas have to hand out.
Ever more people in the North Caucasus see control of land as the best way to make a profit for themselves, especially given the declining value of the ruble, increasing demand for agricultural products, and the absence of other investment opportunities, and officials themselves have intensified this feeling with projects that require control over land as well.
At present, “no free land remains,” and with population increasing, competition over land and its repartition is growing, something likely to take on an ethnic and regional dimension and thus call into question the current arrangements of “’nizam’” and make chaos, at least in the short term, more likely, Sokolov concludes.
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Amnesty International says "shocking new evidence" shows pro-Russian militants in eastern Ukraine have killed soldiers in their captivity execution-style.
 Bloomberg |
Russian Oil Floods Export Market as Teapot Refiners Lose Money
Bloomberg A gas flare burns at the central processing plant for oil and gas in the Salym oilfields near Surgut, Russia. Russian crude exports averaged 4.84 million barrels a day last year, a 6.1 percent decrease compared with 2013. Photographer: Alexander ... and more » |
Amnesty Says Ukraine Rebels Killed Captive Soldiersby webdesk@voanews.com (Associated Press)
Amnesty International said Thursday that it has evidence that Russian-backed separatists in east Ukraine have killed several captured government soldiers in gross violation of international humanitarian law. The human rights group said in a statement that footage it has seen shows at least four Ukrainian soldiers — now confirmed dead — being interrogated by rebel militia. Pictures showing bullet wounds to the soldier's heads and bodies appeared to show they had died as the result of summary killings, the group said. Eduard Basurin, a spokesman for rebel forces, denied the claims, saying that footage of soldiers being taken prisoner could not serve as evidence. “Accusations without facts are nothing,” Basurin told The Associated Press. “Nobody has shot anybody.” Hundreds of Ukrainian troops are believed to have been captured by rebel forces over the course of a year-long war that has claimed more than 6,000 lives. Both sides accuse one another of mistreating captives. Under a February peace agreement, all prisoners had been due for release in early March, but little progress has been achieved. Amnesty said claims of summary killings should be thoroughly and impartially investigated and that perpetrators should be prosecuted in trials by recognized authorities. “The torture, ill-treatment and killing of captured, surrendered or wounded soldiers are war crimes,” Denis Krivosheev, Europe and Central Asia deputy director at Amnesty International, said in the statement. The English-language Kyiv Post newspaper earlier this week managed to contact a rebel unit commander, Arseniy Pavlov, who is believed to be a Russian national, to respond to widely aired claims he was responsible for killing captives. In the telephone interview, which has been uploaded to YouTube, Pavlov responds — before hanging up — that he personally shot dead 15 Ukrainian servicemen. “This chilling ‘confession’ from a separatist fighter, alongside video evidence and testimony from witnesses, and the mounting evidence of abuses of captives by both sides, highlights the urgent need for an independent investigation into this and all other allegations of abuses in this conflict which began a year ago,” Krivosheev said. Speaking to the AP, rebel spokesman Basurin said instances of mistreatment of Ukrainian soldiers captured on video had taken place, but rejected suggestions that separatist fighters were responsible for extrajudicial killings. Basurin said that Pavlov's remarks to Kyiv Post did not serve as proof of any misdeeds.
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French Broadcaster TV5 Monde Recovers After Hackingby AURELIEN BREEDEN and ALISSA J. RUBIN
A cyberattack by hackers claiming to support the Islamic State militant group had shut down transmission and wrested control of online accounts.
Анти- и государственные СМИ by Радио Свобода
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Роспечать заподозрена в финансировании «антигосударственных» изданий. Список «неблагонадежных» средств...
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From: Радио Свобода
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Порошенко приравнял Сталина к Гитлеру
Дни.Ру 16:06 / 09.04.2015 Гитлер, День Победы, Порошенко, Сталин, УкраинаСтремясь любым способом противопоставить себя России, Украина идет подчас на отчаянные и неразумные шаги, в которых можно увидеть намеренный отказ от исторической памяти. Так, стало известно, что ... Порошенко обвинил Сталина и Гитлера в развязывании Второй мировой войныРБК Порошенко уравнял Сталина и Гитлера как виновников Второй мировойГазета Труд Порошенко заявил, что Гитлер и Сталин вместе развязали Вторую мировую войнуГазета.Ru ИА REGNUM -Аргументы и факты -Mail.Ru Все похожие статьи: 45 » |
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Patriarchate Aide Pushing Émigré Solonevich’s Ideas about ‘a Peoples Monarchy’ by paul goble (noreply@blogger.com)
Paul Goble
Staunton, April 9 – Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, a close aide to Patriarch Kirill and the head of the Synod’s Department for Relations between the Church and Society, is pushing the notion of a popular or even socialist monarchy as the most appropriate form of government for Russia, an idea that has its roots in the works of Ivan Solonevich, an émigré thinker.
Chaplin’s suggestion has provoked much opposition by Russians who view it as an effort to further clericalize the country (regions.ru/news/2548514/), but it has also attracted support from some who believe his proposal is less the basis for any immediate action than the occasion for discussion of Russia’s uniqueness and need for a government that reflects that fact.
In a “Svobodnaya pressa” commentary, Vladimir Bondarenko argues that those criticizing Chaplin now have failed to understand either that the Russian churchman has not said anything new or that his ideas are not appropriate subjects for discussion as Russia tries to make its way in the world (svpressa.ru/society/article/117984/).
The idea of a popular or socialist monarchy as the best form of governance for Russia was developed by émigré thinker Ivan Solonevich, who is remembered if at all for his book “Russia in a Concentration Camp” which introduced the term GULAG to a wide audience but who should be remembered for his role in creating the Popular Monarchy Movement.
Solonevich was attacked on all sides for this notion, Bondarenko says, but most of those condemning him never paid attention to the details of his argument or the ways in which his call reflects Russia’s special historical position.
He quotes the émigré editor as saying that “the Popular Monarchy Movement starts from the axiom that Russia has its own path, has worked out its own methods, is proceeding to its own goals, and that as a result, no political borrowings from outside can lead to anything except catastrophe.”
Solonevich (1891-1953) was convinced that Russia by virtue of its size and history can and must follow its own model and no one else’s. “It would be completely stupid to convince gypsies in the superiority of ‘functional property’ and Jews in the desirability of building a European empire.”
“However, for some reason, an attempt to impose on Russian political orders which grew out of West European feudalism as equally self-evident stupidity,” he wrote. Russia can copy others, but it must choose rather than having others choose for it – and that means, he said, that it must promote its own unique ideas as well.
“One would have to be blind,” Bondarenko suggests, “not to see that Russian people always had strong aspirations to collectivity, a socialist ideal of justice and also to a strong power and its monarchical form.” That was true in the time of Ivan the Terrible, true also in the times of Peter the Great. And it was true as well even under Stalin.
In one sense, what Chaplin has suggested is nothing more than a revival of the Uvarov trinity of “Autocracy, Orthodoxy, Nationality.” And it is entirely appropriate to link socialism with its roots in Christianity to that idea, especially given that in some socialist countries, a monarchical principle is at work.
Is there not an inherited dynasty of the Kims in North Korea or the transfer of power from one brother to another in Cuba? the commentator asks. “The intermixture of monarchy and socialism did not begin today and it will not end tomorrow.”
To speak as Chaplin has, Bondarenko says, does not mean that any steps will be taken toward a monarchic autocracy in the near term or that there will be a new move toward Russian socialism. “One need not fear the words.” He is talking about “a natural selection of elements necessary for the improvement of our state,” elements of “monarchy and socialism.”
And Chaplin is right to focus on faith, because “without faith any administration will be harmful. It will fall into dictatorship,” just as many things suggest “Putin’s course” is leading. And he is also right to talk about hereditary monarchy because in such a system, each ruler thinks longer term and not just about taking care of his own retirement.
Bondarenko concludes his essay by saying that he “doesn’t expect there will be a coronation of Tsar Vladimir or any other tsar in the near future. But reflections about the character of power, one organic for Russia are extremely useful:” a popular monarchy is would “not be the worst form of government” for the country.
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