Pro-Moscow Ukrainian Politician Shot in Apparent Assassination Attempt

GUARDIAN EUROPE: Oleg Tsaryov, who had been tipped to lead a puppet government after Russia’s 2022 invasion, is in a critical condition

Oleg Tsaryov is in intensive care after being shot by an unknown assailant, his associates have said. Photograph: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images
A Ukrainian politician once said to have been considered for leader of a Kremlin-controlled puppet government in Ukraine is in a critical condition after he was shot twice in an apparent assassination attempt at a sanatorium in Crimea.

Oleg Tsaryov, a pro-Kremlin Ukrainian figure who played a prominent political role in the 2014 war against the Kyiv government, was shot twice by an unknown assailant, his associates have confirmed.

“Oleg is fighting for his life. After the attempt on his life tonight, Oleg lost a lot of blood,” wrote Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-installed official in the Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine, which is under Moscow’s partial control. » | Andrew Roth | Friday, October 27, 2023

Are Ukrainian Special Forces behind the Attack? | DW News

Russian anti-terrorism officials said that a large fire on the bridge linking Russia and Crimea was caused by an exploding truck.

The blast "set fire to seven oil tankers being carried by rail to Crimea," Russian news agencies cited the national anti-terrorism committee as saying. Russia has launched a criminal probe into the event.

"According to preliminary information a fuel tank was on fire on one of the sections of the Crimean bridge, the shipping arches are not damaged," RIA reported citing a local official. The tank was being pulled by a train. There have been no deaths or injuries reported so far.

The road running along that part of the bridge was also badly damaged, according to the reports.

The Crimean city of Simferopol announced that they were considering putting in place a ferry connection.

Russian President Putin Speaks at Crimea Celebration Event - BBC News

Mar 18, 2022 • Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to tens of thousands of Russians at an event celebrating eight years since the annexation of Crimea.

The stadium was awash with Russian flags and the letter "Z", which has come to symbolise the invasion.

Putin hailed Russia's "special operation" in Ukraine, claiming its objective is to save locals "from suffering from genocide".

The Russian president told the crowd: "We know what we have to do next... we'll definitely carry out all the plans we have made." But his address on state TV suddenly cut to singer Oleg Gazmanov belting out the words "Forward, Russia", in what the Kremlin later called a technical glitch.

Hear What Putin Told Large Crowd amid Invasion

Mar 18, 2022 • Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke at a massive celebration in Moscow marking the eighth anniversary of the annexation of Crimea as Russia. CNN's Nada Bashir reports.

Putin warns Russia against pro-Western 'traitors' and scum: Putin says West wants to destroy Russia / Says Russians will quickly spot traitors among them / Kremlin critics fear intensification of clampdown »

Merkel Presses Putin On Gay Rights - BBC News

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to help protect gay rights. Activists say police in the republic of Chechnya have arrested and tortured dozens of gay people in a crackdown. Mrs Merkel raised the issue during her first visit to Russia since 2015, which saw her hold talks with Mr Putin at his summer residence in Sochi. Relations between the two nations have been strained over Syria and Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

Finland Tells 900,000 Reservists Their Roles 'In the Event of War'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Amid rising tension with Russia, Finland takes the rare step of sending letters to every military reservist

Finland has sent letters to nearly a million military reservists, setting out their roles “in the event of war” amid rising tension with neighbouring Russia.

The letters have been dispatched to 900,000 former conscripts in the armed forces, including to Finns living abroad.

The first were sent earlier this month, with the final batch distributed in the last few days.

Finland is not a member of Nato and the country shares an 830-mile border with Russia – the longest of any European nation apart from Ukraine.

In the aftermath of Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the invasion of eastern Ukraine, Finland is uniquely vulnerable to any further aggression.

The letter tells the reservists which regiment or unit to report to in the event of hostilities. “Attached you will find your personal details as well as your role in the event of war,” it reads. » | Nick Squires, Rome | Thursday, May 21, 2015

Mandelson Tells Putin's Cronies: Russia Will Suffer for Crimean Invasion

Lord Mandelson has said that the invasion of Crimea was an illegal
annexation that will be cutting the country off from foreign investment

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Lord Mandelson warns Kremlin loyalists the invasion of Crimea will become a 'self-inflicted economic wound' for Russia

Lord Mandelson has told members of President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle that the invasion of Crimea was an illegal annexation that would become a “self-inflicted economic wound” for Russia by cutting the country off from foreign investment.

The former Labour business secretary was speaking at the St Petersburg Economic Forum, a gathering designed to mirror the Davos convention and dubbed a “vanity summit” for Putin as he attempts to mask Russia economic malaise.

He was appearing alongside Kremlin loyalists including Sergei Glazyev, Putin’s chief adviser on Ukraine and Vladimir Yakunin, the president of Russian Railways and a potential successor to his friend, the president . Both men are subject to Western travel bans and asset freezes.

Alexei Uljukaev, the economic development minister, Anton Siluanov, the finance minister, and Anatoly Chubais, the architect of the mass privatisations in the 1990s that created Russia’s oligarch class were also on the panel.

The invasion will become a “Pyrrhic victory” for Moscow and the country cannot turn its back on markets and finance from the rest of the world, Lord Mandelson said. » | Matthew Holehouse, Political Correspondent | Thursday, May 22, 2014

Moscow Accuses Kiev of Issuing 'Criminal Orders' and Warns of Civil War

THE GUARDIAN: Russia orchestrating latest violence in east Ukraine and is staging another Crimea-syle intervention, claims US and Nato

The crisis in Ukraine escalated dramatically on Sunday night as Russia accused Kiev of issuing a "criminal order" against protesters and warned of a civil war in the country, which has been hit by a wave of unrest that America believes has been orchestrated from Moscow.

The Russian statement came after unknown armed men attacked a convoy of Ukrainian troops in Slaviansk, about 100 miles from the border, launching the first gun battle in Ukraine since the standoff began, in which at least one person was killed. Both the US and Nato accused Russia of staging another Crimea-style intervention, with Samantha Power, the US ambassador to the United Nations, saying events were following the same pattern as in Crimea, where unidentified military forces took over government installations before the peninsula was in effect annexed last month.

"[The unrest] is professional, it's co-ordinated, there is nothing grassroots-seeming about it," Power said. "The forces are doing, in each of the six or seven cities they've been active in, exactly the same thing. Certainly it bears the telltale signs of Moscow's involvement," she told ABC's This Week.

The Nato secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, described the protests as "a concerted campaign of violence by pro-Russian separatists, aiming to destabilise Ukraine as a sovereign state". » | Paul Lewis in Washington and Alec Luhn in Slaviansk | Sunday, April 13, 2014

Ukraine Crisis: Donetsk Officials ‘Proclaim Independence from Kiev’ and Set Date for Referendum on Joining Russia

THE INDEPENDENT: Russian media reports suggest industrial hub Donetsk could be set to follow in footsteps of Crimea

The eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk has reportedly declared itself independent from the central government in Kiev and set a date for a referendum on joining Russia, according to local media reports.

The local government building was taken over last night by pro-Russian activists, and today members of the regional legislature moved to declare the city and its surrounds the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Russian news agency Itar Tass reported.

The Ukrainian prime minister denounced the creation of a separatist state, describing it as part of a Russian plan to invade the east of the country. » | Adam Withnall | Monday, April 07, 2014

Russian Ambassadors 'Joked about Annexing Scotland'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A leaked recording purporting to be of envoys joking about adding Scotland, Alaska and Venice to Russia's conquest of Crimea is the latest salvo in the war of dirty tricks over Ukraine

The war of dirty tricks over the Ukraine crisis escalated on Friday with the leak of a conversation purporting to be of two Russian ambassadors joking about adding Scotland, Alaska, and Venice to Russia’s conquest of Crimea.

The expletive ridden conversation posted on Youtube features two voices said to be Igor Chubarov, the ambassador to Eritrea, and Sergei Bakharev, the ambassador to Zimbabwe and Malawi.

The voice labelled as Mr Chubarov’s congratulates Mr Bakharev on persuading Zimbabwe to back Russia’s position on Crimea at the UN, and goes on to joke about telling a European diplomat about future conquests.

“We’ve got Crimea, but that’s not ----ing all, folks. In the future we’ll take you ----ing Catalonia, Venice, as well as Scotland and Alaska,” the voice says.

The pair go on to add Miami and London to their hit list, noting that "Miamiland' is ----ing 95 percent Russian citizens." » | Roland Oliphant, Moscow and Tony Paterson, Berlin | Friday, April 04, 2014

Russians Petition for Return of Alaska »

Germany Preparing to Mobilise Once Mighty Luftwaffe in Response to Russia’s Crimea Crisis

DAILY EXPRESS: GERMANY is preparing to mobilise its once mighty Luftwaffe to patrol Europe's Russian border, it has been disclosed, as an international expert today warned placing Nato bases in former Soviet Union countries would further enrage Vladimir Putin.

German media reported at the weekend that Berlin's defence ministry was ready to make available up to six aircraft for a strengthened air patrolling mission in parts of eastern Europe, and the number of Nato aircraft would be at least doubled as a response to the crisis in Crimea.

Berlin has been reluctant to involve the German military in foreign conflicts, and after the Second World War West Germany's constitution went so far as to prohibit any military action, except in case of an external attack against Germany or its allies.

Earlier this month US President Barack Obama said Nato needed to boost its presence in those eastern European partner states that feel vulnerable to Russia.

But German magazine Der Spiegel quoted German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the weekend as saying it was important for Nato to keep a cool head and not get dragged into a military escalation.

"At the same time, our partners know that we stand for solidarity in the alliance with no ifs and buts and not just when the weather suits," Der Spiegel quoted. » | Owen Bennett | Political Reporter | Tuesday, April 01, 2014

Graham: Putin Must 'Pay a Heavy Price' for Annexing Crimea

Mar. 31, 2014 - 7:20 - Senator Lindsey Graham on the US response to Russia's actions in Ukraine

Ukraine: UN Condemns Crimea Vote as IMF and US Back Loans

Russian forces seized Crimea's remaining military bases after
Ukrainian servicemen withdrew this week

BBC: The UN General Assembly has approved a resolution describing the Moscow-backed referendum that led to Russia's annexation of Crimea as illegal.

It comes after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed to a loan deal with Ukraine worth $14-18bn.

The US Congress also passed legislation on Thursday backing a $1bn loan guarantee for Ukraine.

Tensions are high between Russia and the West after pro-Russian troops annexed Ukraine's southern peninsula.

The West has widely condemned the move, with US President Barack Obama warning on Wednesday of "deeper" EU and US sanctions against Russia if it carried out further incursions in Ukraine. » | Thursday, March 27, 2014

Is 'Empire' Vladimir Putin's Endgame?

Mar. 27, 2014 - 4:58 - Signs Russia preparing to further invade Ukraine

Russian View: Say What? Obama Claims 'Iraq Invasion Not as Bad as Crimea'

Barack Obama has declared the Kiev uprising a moral victory, Crimea's vote a sham and Russia a brute aggressor, that must be confronted. To prove his points the President used examples... including US achievements in Iraq. RT's Gayane Chichakyan takes a look at the narrative being put forward by the White House.

Ukraine: Barack Obama Says Europe Must Defend Its Hard-won Freedoms Again

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: This is no time for "casual indifference" to the annexation of Crimea, US president tells European leaders

President Barack Obama has called on European countries to meet a "moment of testing" by stepping up their commitment to Nato against the threat to democracy and international law posed by Russia's aggression in Ukraine.

In a passionate speech delivered in Brussels, the American president warned that indifference to Vladimir Putin's attempt to redraw Ukraine's borders by force risked undermining the sacrifices of those who had died in two world wars.

"Russia's leadership is challenging truths that only a few weeks ago seemed self-evident: that in the 21st century the borders of Europe cannot be redrawn with force, that international law matters, that people and nations can make their own decisions about their future," he warned. » | Bruno Waterfield, Brussels and Peter Foster in Washington | Wednesday, March 26, 2014

If the West Wants to Hurt Putin, Could Saudi Arabia Do Its Dirty Work?

THE GUARDIAN – ECONOMICS BLOG: Europe depends on Russian oil and gas exports, so an embargo may not be practical. But there is another way to apply pressure

Russia is vulnerable to sanctions. Economic weakness caused the collapse of the Soviet Union a quarter of a century ago and – the self-enrichment of the oligarchs apart – not much has changed since. Energy exports to the rest of the world pay for imports of machines and consumer goods. The population is ageing and there has been little industrial diversification. » | Posted by Larry Elliott | Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Putin Wins

Mar. 25, 2014 - 8:33 - Talking Points 3/25

Time to Grab Guns and Kill Damn Russians: Tymoshenko Tape Leak

Russia Sidelined from G8: Does It Matter?

Mar. 25, 2014 - 4:33 - Moscow shrugs off summit snub after Crimea takeover