Category: Євросоюз

Russian and Belarusian athletes were barred on Thursday from the Winter Paralympics in Beijing on the eve of the Games following threats of boycotts by other teams over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said. Belarus has been a key staging area for the invasion, which was launched a week ago. The decision comes a day after the IPC gave athletes from the two countries the green light to participate as neutrals, saying that the governing body had followed its rules and that “athletes were not the aggressors.” But that decision led to an outcry and threats …

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Ukraine marked one week since Russia invaded the country Thursday, as Russian forces shelled major cities and the number of refugees who have fled Ukraine exceeded 1 million people. Despite Russian assaults on Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Mariupol, Britain’s Defense Ministry said Thursday they all remained in Ukrainian hands. Unclear was the status of Kherson, with Russian troops present in the city amid disputed claims of who was in control. “We are a people who in a week have destroyed the plans of the enemy,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video address early Thursday. “They will have no peace …

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One week into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces continue their push despite condemnation from the United Nations General Assembly, which voted overwhelmingly to reprimand Russia for invading Ukraine. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb has the latest. …

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North Korean authorities waited days to tell the nation about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, first informing only members of the ruling Korean Workers’ Party in private meetings, who later spread the word, government officials told RFA. In North Korea’s one-party state, membership in the Workers’ Party is reserved for the privileged or for exemplary soldiers who complete long mandatory stints in the armed forces. The Russian military began its large-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, but it wasn’t until two days later that Pyongyang told the party members. “Yesterday, each regional party committee in the province informed all the …

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The United States on Wednesday announced a comprehensive effort to identify and seize the assets of wealthy Russians who have supported the regime of Russian President Vladmir Putin, as part of its response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The new initiative, led by the Justice Department, is called Operation KleptoCapture and was hinted at by President Joe Biden on Tuesday in his State of the Union address. “Tonight, I say to the Russian oligarchs and the corrupt leaders who bilked billions of dollars off this violent regime: No more,” Biden said. “The United States Department of Justice is assembling …

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Ukrainian staff maintaining the decommissioned nuclear power plant at the site of the 1986 nuclear accident are hungry, exhausted and at increased risk of making errors while under the control of Russian military occupiers, officials with Ukraine’s main nuclear regulatory agency say. A relative of one of the workers tells VOA that the staff, who have now been manning the facility for a week without relief, are without clean clothes and blankets and are provided only one meal a day. The Russian soldiers guarding them are also short of supplies and have been scavenging in local villages for food, according …

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The International Atomic Energy Agency has called on the parties in the Russia-Ukraine conflict to ensure the safety and security of Ukraine’s nuclear plants. The director of the IAEA expressed concern about the plants Wednesday in remarks to a U.N. environmental conference in Kenya. In the past week, the Russian army reportedly has taken control of several nuclear sites in Ukraine, including Chernobyl, site of the 1986 nuclear meltdown that released high amounts of radiation into the atmosphere. On Tuesday, Ukraine’s deputy environment minister, Roman Shakhmatenko, addressed the U.N. Environmental Assembly from Kyiv, speaking from what appeared to be a …

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A Ukrainian camera operator killed in Russia’s airstrike on a Kyiv TV tower is the first confirmed media fatality of the war.   Yevhenii Sakun, who worked for LIVE TV, was killed along with four others in Tuesday’s strike, Ukrainian police confirmed Wednesday. Ukrainian journalists and foreign correspondents covering the war paid tribute to Sakun on social media.   The international community, including the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Association for International Broadcasting (AIB), condemned the strike.   “Broadcasting must not be attacked and illegitimately obstructed as it is vital to inform people about the …

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Despite mounting pressure to exclude Russia and its teams from global sports as a retribution for its invasion of Ukraine, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said that coordinators of the Beijing Winter Paralympics will allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete when the games open this week.  The International Olympic Committee (IOC) declared that the Russian and Belarusian athletes will compete under the Paralympic flag and will not be included in the medal table. The affected athletes must cover any Russian Paralympic Committee flags or symbols identifying their countries that appear on their uniforms in all official ceremonies and …

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While the world is watching Russia invade Ukraine, “Klondike,” a drama by Ukrainian film director Maryna Er Gorbach, takes us back in the beginning of the 2014 Russo-Ukrainian conflict at the Donbas border region between Ukraine and Russia. There, amid an armed conflict between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces, a Russian-made missile downed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, killing all 298 people on board. In an interview with VOA’s Penelope Poulou, the filmmaker said that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine never really ended. …

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In his first State of the Union address, U.S. President Joe Biden touted his success in uniting much of the world against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. VOA’s Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports. …

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US President Biden says Russian leader Putin ‘Will Never Gain the Hearts and Souls of the Ukrainian People’  …

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In his first State of the Union address Tuesday night, U.S. President Joe Biden touted his success in uniting much of the world against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Biden said Ukraine is on the front line of the global battle between democracies and autocracies, and that democracy will prevail. With Putin ratcheting up attacks on major Ukrainian cities such as Kharkiv and Kyiv, Biden stood in the House chamber and told Americans the free world is united against Putin’s aggression. “The free world is holding him accountable,” Biden said. “Along with 27 members of the European Union, …

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Full developments of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine    …

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Western nations are paying Russia hundreds of millions of dollars every day for gas and oil imports, despite sanctions imposed on the country’s banking and aviation sectors following its invasion of Ukraine. With around 40 percent of Europe’s energy needs imported from Russia, leaders are scrambling to find alternatives, as Henry Ridgwell reports from Berlin. Camera: Henry Ridgwell …

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The invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces has ignited responses from arts and cultural institutions around the world, which are canceling performances by Russian artists, many of whom are supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin.  The Cannes Film Festival, an invitation-only event that previews top-quality films from more than 80 countries, announced that no Russian delegations will be welcome this year, following the continued conflict between Ukraine and Russia. The festival is set to begin in May.  “Unless the war of assault ends in conditions that will satisfy the Ukrainian people, it has been decided that we will not welcome …

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Russia and Ukraine had their first prisoner exchange Tuesday since the Kremlin ordered the invasion of its neighbor six days ago, but it came on a day of further mayhem and destruction as Russian forces stepped up attacks on cities and towns across Ukraine, striking at civilian infrastructure and communications facilities, including Kyiv’s iconic main TV Tower. Five people were killed in the strike on the tower, Ukrainian authorities reported. In a tweet, the defense ministry has said some Ukrainian channels will not work for a while. Grad rockets rained down on Ukraine’s battered but still defiant capital just after …

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The United Nations is appealing for $1.7 billion to assist in delivering immediate humanitarian aid to Ukrainians and refugees in neighboring countries. According to the U.N., around 12 million Ukrainians will need relief and support as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine escalates. An additional four million Ukrainian refugees are expected to need protection in surrounding countries in the next few months. Russia invaded Ukraine last week. U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths says as casualties rise fast, the response to protect lives needs to happen now. “Families with small children are hunkered down in basements and subway stations or running …

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In the first three days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, over 100,000 people crossed Ukraine’s border in the West. On February 27th alone – according to the Ukrainian border police – over 120,000 people poured out of the embattled country. For VOA, Oksana Lihostova has more from western Ukraine in this report narrated by Anna Rice. …

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Australia says it plans to spend $50 million to buy missiles and ammunition to support Ukraine. As the conflict in Ukraine intensifies, the Australian government has shifted its stance on sending military hardware to Ukrainian forces. Last week, Canberra said it would provide only technical assistance. That has changed. Now, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, his country will buy military equipment and weapons for Ukraine as part of a coordinated effort with other western nations to help its armed forces resist Russia’s invasion. It is unclear how quickly the armaments would be delivered. Morrison made the announcement at a media …

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