Month: February 2022

Ukraine Attack Leaves Baltics Wondering: Are We Next?

Viewed from Paris, London and Washington, the events unfolding in Ukraine may seem like a new Cold War taking shape in Europe. From the Baltic countries, it looks much worse. To Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians — particularly those old enough to have lived under Soviet control — Russia’s belligerence toward Ukraine has some worried that they could be the next target. The tensions have brought back memories of mass deportations and oppression. “My grandparents were sent away to Siberia. My father was persecuted by the KGB. Now I live in a free democratic country, but it seems that nothing can …

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Russia Launches Invasion of Ukraine with Multiple Cities Hit in Initial Missile Strikes

Russia fired missiles at more than half a dozen Ukrainian cities, including the capital, Kyiv, targeting air defense facilities and military infrastructure just before dawn Thursday and landed soldiers on the country’s south coast. The action unfolded shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on television what he described as a “special military operation,” but what Ukrainian leaders say is a full-scale invasion of their country, the second biggest in Europe. In an angry address broadcast just before 6 a.m. Moscow time, Russia’s president said he could no longer tolerate what he called the threats from Ukraine. He ended his …

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Ситуація у Львові: увімкнені сирени та «дистанційка» для учнів

Навчання у школах і закладах професійно-технічної освіти у Львові перевели від сьогодні на дистанційний режим. Дитячі садки працюють у режимі чергування. Таке рішення Львівської міської ради. Як повідомив міський голова Львова Андрій Садовий, «працівники, які забезпечують життєдіяльність міста, продовжують чітко та злагоджено виконувати свою роботу». Мер міста закликав львів’ян залишатись вдома і перевірити укриття, які розташовані найближче до місця проживання. Як передає кореспондент Радіо Свобода, від ранку у Львові чутно сирени. В Україні від сьогодні введено воєнний стан після нового вторгнення Росії. О 5-й ранку 24 лютого президент Росії Володимир Путін заявив про початок спецоперації на Донбасі після звернення про …

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Ukraine Closes Airspace to Civilian Flights Amid ‘High Risk’ To Safety

Ukraine said on Thursday it had closed its airspace to civilian flights because of a “high risk” to safety, and Europe’s aviation regulator also warned about the hazards of flying in bordering areas of Russia and Belarus because of military activities. Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized a military operation in eastern Ukraine on Thursday in what appeared to be the start of war in Europe. Ukraine State Air Traffic Services Enterprise said on its website that the country’s airspace was closed to civilian flights starting at 0045 GMT on Thursday and that air traffic services had been suspended. The European …

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Explosions Heard in Ukraine as Putin Announces Military Operation

Explosions were heard in Kyiv early Thursday, shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced “military operations” in Ukraine’s Donbas region. Putin said in a national address around 6 a.m. local time that he had “made the decision of a military operation” in Ukraine to defend separatists in the east of the country, according to media reports. At the same time, the U.N. Security Council was holding a nighttime emergency session Wednesday to discuss the crisis in Ukraine. Earlier, another sweeping cyberattack struck Ukrainian government websites Wednesday as the Pentagon said Russian forces were closing in on Ukraine’s borders, readying “to …

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As West Ratchets Up Economic Pain on Moscow, Will Unity Hold?

Europe is facing calls to impose immediate tougher sanctions on Russia following President Vladimir Putin’s recognition of the separatist-held regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine and his pledge to send in what the Kremlin called “peacekeeping” troops. “We are anticipating further steps on strengthening sanction pressure,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters Wednesday. “It’s important that Germany decided to halt the certification of the Nord Stream 2. It should be irreversible.” Nord Stream 2 Berlin announced Tuesday it had officially halted the certification process for Nord Stream 2, the newly built gas pipeline that was designed to take …

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Ukraine Minister to UN: ‘Russia Will Not Stop at Ukraine’ 

Ukraine’s foreign minister appealed to the international community on Wednesday to “take swift, concrete and resolute actions” to help preserve his country from Russian military aggression. “Russia will not stop at Ukraine,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told a meeting of the U.N. General Assembly. He added that a full-scale war against Ukraine would be the end of the world order as we know it. “Russia shows signs of readiness to further escalate its aggression against Ukraine, and we have limited time to stop, deter and contain it,” he warned. “Every hour of inaction now is a threat to the …

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Mixed Feelings on the Russian Side of the Ukraine Border Over Potential War

The recognition by Russian President Vladimir Putin of two self-proclaimed republics within Ukrainian territory has created an uncertain scenario for Russians, as war and economic sanctions point to a troubled future. Along Russia’s border with eastern Ukraine, interviews with some members of the local population suggest some are eager to fight while others say there is less patriotic fervor this time than in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea. Jon Spier narrates this report from the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. Producer: Henry Hernandez …

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Pakistan’s Khan in Russia to Discuss Trade, Energy Cooperation with Putin

Pakistan’s prime minister, Imran Khan, arrived in Russia Wednesday for a crucial meeting with President Vladimir Putin. Officials said the two sides will review bilateral ties, including energy cooperation. Pakistan’s state-run PTV broadcast live Khan’s arrival at the airport in Moscow, where he was received by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov. Khan is the first foreign leader visiting Moscow since Putin recognized the independence of Ukraine’s breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk earlier this week and deployed troops there. Russia’s action escalated tensions with the West and drew new international sanctions against the country. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told …

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