Monday, March 14, 2022

Brent Renaud, First US Reporter Killed in Ukraine, Praised for Exposing Horrors of War

Mar 14, 2022 • On Sunday, the U.S. journalist and filmmaker Brent Renaud was shot dead near Kyiv while working on a documentary about refugees. He is the first foreign journalist known to have been killed in Ukraine since the Russian invasion. Ukrainian officials are accusing Russian forces of his death. We discuss Renaud’s remarkable documentary work and feature part of an interview he gave on Democracy Now! after he was embedded in Iraq with the National Guard from his home state of Arkansas. We are joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ann Marie Lipinski, who got to know both Renaud and photographer Juan Arredondo during their time as fellows at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University, which Lipinski curates. “Brent was a very, very special journalist, yes, but also person,” says Lipinski. “He just brought a very, very rare humanity and patience to the work.” We also hear from Cora Weiss, former board of directors chair of Downtown Community Television, where Brent and his brother Craig started their filmmaking career in the same former firehouse building that housed Democracy Now! for over a decade. “He shouldn’t have been killed,” says Weiss. “Brent was terribly important as an educator for all Americans to understand the horrors of war and the unnecessary expense in life.” Carlos Martínez de la Serna of the Committee to Protect Journalists says Renaud’s killing amounts to a war crime.

Democracy Now! US News & World Headlines – March 14, 2022

Russia Threatens to Seize Western Assets | DW News

Mar 14, 2022 • Russian authorities have threatened foreign companies that are withdrawing from the country with arrests and asset seizures.. that's according to the Wall Street Journal. Coca-Cola, McDonald's and Apple have closed stores in Russia. Procter & Gamble, IBM and others have halted exports to the country. Over the weekend, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would favor putting firms under 'external management'. The Russian government has allegedly threatened to also seize their assets, including intellectual property.

Russian Oligarch Oleg Deripaska & His Links to British Politicians - BBC Newsnight

Mar 19, 2018 • Has Britain been too willing to be a comfortable home to very wealthy Russians, often close to President Putin? John Sweeney examines the social connections of oligarch, Oleg Deripaska.


Related.

Activists Occupy Luxury Biarritz Villa Owned by Putin’s Ex-Son-in-Law

THE GUARDIAN: Pair say they have changed locks and will offer property to Ukrainian refugees fleeing war

One of the activists on an upper-floor balcony of the Alta Mira villa in Biarritz with a Ukrainian flag. Photograph: YouTube

Two Russian activists have broken into and occupied a luxury villa in Biarritz owned by Vladimir Putin’s former son-in-law.

Pierre Haffner, of the Svoboda Liberté Association, whose blog appears on the Mediapart news website, and Sergey Saveliev entered the eight-bedroom Alta Mira property in the French coastal resort, popular with Russian oligarchs. They announced on social media that they had changed the locks and would offer it to house Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war.

The property is said to belong to Kirill Shamalov, a Russian billionaire and former husband of Putin’s younger daughter Katerina Tikhonova. Haffner and Saveliev claimed to have found one of Shamalov’s passports and a translation of a Moscow electricity bill. » | Kim Willsher in Paris | Monday, March 14, 2022

Deux squatteurs évacués de la villa basque de l’ex-gendre de Poutine : Les deux personnes interpellées ont été placées en garde à vue ce lundi pour «violation de domicile». »

Squatters Occupy Russian Billionaire Oleg Deripaska’s London Mansion

THE GUARDIAN: Group enters property in Belgrave Square and warns oligarchs: ‘you occupy Ukraine, we occupy you’

Squatters occupying Oleg Deripaska mansion at Belgrave Square in London Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian

Squatters have occupied a mansion belonging to the Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska in central London in the early hours of Monday.

The five squatters in the building in Belgrave Square – two from eastern Europe, though not from Ukraine – say they feel their countries are also under threat from Vladimir Putin. Their plan is to open up the mansion, which they say “has too many rooms to count” including a cinema and a wine cellar, to Ukrainians fleeing the war, along with other refugees needing shelter.

In a message to Russian oligarchs, the squatters said: “You occupy Ukraine, we occupy you.”

A significant police presence barred entry to the cream-coloured stone building with a black front door and pillars at the entrance.

This part of London has been nicknamed “oligarchs’ quarter” because so many wealthy Russians have bought properties here, a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace. » | Diane Taylor | Monday, March 14, 2022

Ukraine: Squatters occupy Russian oligarch's London mansion: Squatters have occupied a central London mansion believed to belong to one of the oligarchs sanctioned by the UK government. »

Riot police using cherry picker storm Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska's £50million Knightsbridge 'crash-pad' after it was invaded by activists vowing to house Ukrainian refugees there »

Former White House Insider Says US Democracy Is Under Threat | 60 Minutes Australia

Miles Taylor, former chief of staff for the Department of Homeland Security under the Trump administration, tells 60 Minutes why he believes so many Americans have been swept up in the former president's election lies.

Sunday, March 13, 2022

Ukraine War: Key Strategic City of Odesa Prepares for Battle

Mar 13, 2022 • Vladimir Putin's troops have been accused of abducting a second local mayor in a matter of days. The news has put officials in Odesa on high alert, with the port city thought to be next on Russia's list of strategic targets.

Boris Johnson wegen Nähe zu Lebedev unter Druck

Evgeny Lebedev mit der britischen Schauspielerin Claire Foy im November 2018 | Bild: PICTURE ALLIANCE / WWW.PIQTURED.

RUSSISCHER MEDIENUNTERNEHMER

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Evgeny Lebedev ist ein russischer Medienmogul in Großbritannien. Seit 2020 sitzt er im britischen Parlament. Möglich machte das vor allem Boris Johnson, indem er ihn zum Baron ernannte. Die Opposition kritisiert das nun.

Großbritanniens Premierminister Boris Johnson gerät wegen seiner Nähe zum russischstämmigen Medienmogul Evgeny Lebedev unter Druck. Johnson müsse angesichts der Tatsache, dass er Lebedev zum Baron ernannt und damit einen Sitz im Oberhaus verschafft habe, „ernste Fragen“ beantworten, sagte der Oppositionsführer von der Labour-Partei Keir Starmer am Sonntag im Sender „Sky News“. Der Zeitung „Sunday Times“ zufolge hatte Johnson Warnungen des Geheimdienstes MI6 im Zusammenhang mit der Verleihung der Adelswürde an Lebedev ignoriert. » | Quelle: AFP | Sonntag, 13. März 2022

Related links:

here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

Russian Orthodox Church in Amsterdam Announces Split with Moscow

THE GUARDIAN: Clergy takes ‘difficult decision’ to cut ties with the Moscow patriarchate over the invasion of Ukraine

A Russian Orthodox church in Amsterdam in 2020. More than 280 Russian Orthodox priests and church officials from around the world have signed an open letter expressing their opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Photograph: Koen van Weel/ANP/AFP/Getty Images

A Russian Orthodox church in Amsterdam has announced it is to split with the Moscow patriarchate in the first known instance of a western-based church cutting ties over the invasion of Ukraine.

“The clergy unanimously announced that it is no longer possible for them to function within the Moscow patriarchate and provide a spiritually safe environment for our faithful,” the clergy said in a statement posted on its website.

“This decision is extremely painful and difficult for all concerned.”

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, a trusted ally of President Vladimir Putin, has declined to condemn Kremlin’s decision to invade its neighbour, referring to Russia’s opponents in Ukraine as “evil forces.” In a Sunday sermon last week he also said gay pride parades organised in the West were part of the reason for the war in Ukraine.

The statement said the Russian Orthodox parish of Saint Nicholas of Myra had asked the Russian archbishop of the diocese of the Netherlands who is based in The Hague to grant the church “canonical dismissal.”

The clergy of the parish said they had requested to join the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Istanbul-based Orthodox branch, seen as a rival to the Russian Orthodox Church.
Kirill’s position on the war has led to unease among some Russian Orthodox priests who object to the invasion of a country often referred to as a “brotherly nation” in religious circles. » | Pjotr Sauer| Sunday, March 13, 2022

Lien connexe à cet article.

Mon commentaire à ce sujet ici.

Russia Faces ‘Brain Drain’ as Thousands Flee Abroad Since Start of War with Ukraine - BBC News

Mar 13, 2022 • According to one estimate by a Russian economist, as many as 200,000 Russians have left their country since the start of the war in Ukraine, with more than 25,000 alone arriving in Georgia since Russia's invasion began.

The exodus does not stop there. The EU, US, UK and Canada have closed their airspace to Russian flights, so they are heading for countries where flights are still permitted and where visas are not required, such as Turkey, Central Asia and the South Caucasus. Many have fled to Armenia.



Lien connexe vers ce rapport.

The Second Coming of Donald Trump: Can He Become President Again? | 60 Minutes Australia

Not everyone in the west thinks Vladimir Putin is a dangerous megalomaniac - no less than former US President Donald Trump has called the man responsible for so much death and destruction in Ukraine a genius. Now of course Trump has made a career out of being unorthodox, and the more unpredictable he is, it seems the more his supporters love him. So much so, Donald Trump is now seriously considering another tilt at the White House. And if you thought it was a wild ride last time he was the leader of the free world, you ain't seen nothin' yet.


Donald Trump: Der Ex-Präsident deutet seine Kandidatur für 2024 klar wie selten zuvor an: Trotz seiner Niederlage im Kampf um eine zweite Amtszeit ist Donald Trumps Einfluss auf die amerikanische Politik immer noch enorm. Wie gross ist seine Chance auf ein Comeback? Und welche Gefahr droht ihm durch die Ermittlungen der Justiz? Ein Überblick. »

Anti-war Protests in Moscow | DW News

Streamed live 2 hours ago • Anti-war rally in Moscow amid heavy police presence

U.K. vs. Oligarchs: ‘The Gloves Are Now Off’

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Russia’s war in Ukraine has finally led the British government to go after ultrawealthy Russians in London. But curbing the flood of corrupt money will require going after more than the big names.

A view of London. Some Britons are calling on their government to curb a phenomenon that some call the “London laundromat.” | Andrew Testa for The New York Times

LONDON — On Friday, the day after Britain blacklisted seven prominent Russian oligarchs, residents of the wealthy London borough of Kensington and Chelsea rolled a washing machine overflowing with fake pound notes in front of a multimillion-dollar townhouse belonging to the family of the president of Azerbaijan.

It was a camera-ready stunt that made a serious point: For Britain to be successful in curbing the flood of dirty money — a phenomenon some call the “London laundromat” — it needs to go further than imposing sanctions on highly visible Russians like Roman Abramovich, the billionaire owner of the Chelsea soccer club.

The Azerbaijani leader, Ilham Aliyev, is one of hundreds of wealthy foreigners who have exploited Britain’s lax regulations to amass property and other assets, often under a web of offshore companies that disguise their ownership. Others have parlayed their fortunes into gilt-edged social status, endowing revered British cultural and educational institutions, or donating money to the Conservative Party.

Targeting these figures will be even more challenging than going after boldface names like Mr. Abramovich, whose ties to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia are longstanding and well documented. But the protesters in Kensington said such an effort was crucial if Britain genuinely wanted to rid itself of the taint of dirty money. » | Mark Landler and Stephen Castle | Sunday, March 13, 2022

‘My Mother Says I Am Betraying Russia’: Putin’s Invasion Divides the Generations

THE OBSERVER: Families torn apart as younger Russians opposing war in Ukraine fall out with older relatives reliant on diet of state propaganda

People walk past the letter Z, a symbol of the Russian military, and a hashtag reading ‘We don't abandon our own’ in St Petersburg on 9 March. Photograph: AP

On day three of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Victoria Gogh realised her mother was slipping away from her.

“I noticed on the phone that mum was starting to parrot the government’s narrative about this war – that this was all the fault of Nato, that Russia had no choice but to defend itself,” said Gogh, 28, a fashion consultant originally from a small town in Siberia who moved to Moscow.

“It became my mission to change her mind, to show her what was really going on,” said Gogh, who has strongly opposed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on her social media channels.

Vladimir Putin’s decision to start a war with Russia’s neighbour has seen many Ukrainian families torn apart, as their adult men are forced to stay behind and fight while other members of the family flee the violence.

But Russia has also been experiencing its own family rifts – between those who back the war and those who oppose it. Often, that divide runs along generational lines. » | Pjotr Sauer | Sunday, March 13, 2022

Russland trägt den Krieg vor die Haustür der NATO

Männer, die sich freiwillig als Soldaten melden, warten am Freitag auf dem Bahnsteig des Bahnhofs von Lwiw, der größten Stadt im Westen der Ukraine. | Bild: DPA

ANGRIFF AUF MILITÄRSTÜTZPUNKT

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Lange war es in Lwiw (Lemberg) und Umgebung vergleichsweise ruhig. Inzwischen greift Russland Ziele bis kurz vor der Grenze zu Polen an.

Zweieinhalb Wochen nach Beginn des Angriffs auf die Ukraine trägt Russland den Krieg immer weiter nach Westen. Die dritte Nacht in Folge heulten in Lemberg (Lwiw) und Umgebung in der Nacht zu Sonntag die Luftsirenen auf. Gut drei Stunden mussten die Menschen von 3.32 Uhr an in Keller und Schutzräume. Einwohner berichteten, sie hätten aus den oberen Stockwerken erstmals seit Beginn des Krieges selbst den Lichtschein von Explosionen am Horizont gesehen. Die Nächte in den Kellern werden langsam zur Routine. » | Von Alexander Haneke. Redakteur in der Politik. Lemberg | Sonntag, 13. März 2022

Dans les archives du « Monde » : 23 articles essentiels sur Vladimir Poutine

LE MONDE : De la guerre en Tchétchénie en 1999 à sa main-mise totale sur le pouvoir en Russie, Vladimir Poutine a fait l’objet de multiples enquêtes au fil des ans. Nous vous proposons une plongée à travers ces archives.

Depuis l’accession de Vladimir Poutine au pouvoir en Russie, en mars, « Le Monde » a publié beaucoup d’articles, d’enquêtes, d’analyses sur le président russe, ses actions, sa communication ou son influence. Voici une sélection non exhaustive. » | Le Monde | dimanche 13 mars 2022

Article réservé aux abonnés

After Three Decades Covering Russia, CNN's Nic Robertson Leaves in Despair

Mar 13, 2022 • CNN's Nic Robertson discusses leaving Russia after covering the country for over thirty years amid new laws cracking down on journalism.


Here is Nic Robertson’s article on CNN.com:

After over three decades of covering Russia, I leave in despair. One man has extinguished the bright hope many once felt »

Saturday, March 12, 2022

Would You Trust a Man with Eyes Like These?

Screenshot taken from an image on Google Images

Let's Put Some Love into This Shitty World!

Lasst uns ein bisschen Liebe in diese beschissene Welt bringen! / Mettons un peu d'amour dans ce monde de merde !

Many thanks to another-way-of-love.tumblr.com for this lovely photo.

Saudi Arabia Executes 81 Men in 24 Hours

THE GUARDIAN: Officials say those executed were convicted of charges including terrorism and holding ‘deviant beliefs’

A man walks past a banner showing King Salman, right, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, outside a mall in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia. Photograph: Amr Nabil/AP

Saudi Arabia has executed 81 men over the past 24 hours, including seven Yemenis and one Syrian national, on charges including terrorism and holding “deviant beliefs“, state news agency SPA said on Saturday.

The number dwarfed the 67 executions reported in the kingdom in all of 2021 and the 27 in 2020.

“These individuals … were convicted of various crimes including murdering innocent men, women and children,” SPA said, citing a statement from the interior ministry.

“Crimes committed by these individuals also include pledging allegiance to foreign terrorist organisations, such as Isis (Islamic State), al-Qaeda and the Houthis,” it added.

Some travelled to conflict zones to join “terrorist organisations“, SPA said. » | Reuters | Saturday, March 12, 2022

Fear not! You can rest assured that all 81 were executed ‘In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful’! – Mark

PS: Expect this website to be hacked very shortly!

Putin Is “A Sick Man with a Sick Mind,” Says Moscow-based Journalist | Amanpour and Company

Mar 10, 2022 • Independent journalism has been all but silenced in Russia under new censorship laws that make it a crime to call the war a war, or to say Russia is attacking civilian infrastructure. But Yevgenia Albats continues to defy the government’s restrictions. She is editor-in-chief of The New Times magazine, and a radio host at Echo of Moscow – both independent media organizations recently shut down by the Kremlin. She risks imprisonment to join Michel Martin from Moscow and discuss the danger of a misinformation war. Originally aired on March 10, 2022

Michael Bolton : Drift Away

Provided to YouTube by Columbia | Views on YouTube: 2,942,901

Ukraine Reveals ‘Russian Warship, Go Fuck Yourself!’ Postage Stamp

THE GUARDIAN: Stamp commemorates phrase uttered by border guards at Snake Island that has become a rallying cry

The illustration by the artist Boris Groh received the most votes in a competition held by the Ukrainian postal service. Photograph: Ukrposhta

Ukraine has chosen the image for a new postage stamp called “Russian warship, go fuck yourself!” as the besieged country continues to try to keep morale high and win the PR battle against invading Russian forces.

The country’s first deputy foreign minister, Emine Dzheppar, announced the stamp commemorating the Snake Island incident, in which 13 border guards stationed on a roughly 16-hectare (40-acre) rocky island about 186 miles (300km) west of Crimea reportedly replied, when asked to surrender: “Russian warship, go fuck yourself.” They were then attacked, and thought killed.

The phrase has become a rallying cry for Ukraine’s defenders. Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, announced he would posthumously award all the soldiers the Hero of Ukraine award, though it was later reported that they may in fact still be alive.

The illustration by the artist Boris Groh received the most votes in a competition held by the Ukrainian postal service, Dzheppar said. » | Chris Michael and agencies | Saturday, March 12, 2022

Fact-check: Fox's Tucker Carlson Caught Amplifying Kremlin Claims

Mar 12, 2022 • U.S. officials are calling out Russia for renewing false allegations the U.S. is funding bio-weapons labs in Ukraine. Despite this, Fox News host Tucker Carlson has been amplifying Russia’s claims. MSNBC’s Ari Melber is joined by Michael McFaul, the former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, to discuss.

Jusqu'où ira Vladimir Poutine ?

LE FIGARO : ENQUÊTE - Face à la résistance ukrainienne et la mobilisation de l'Occident, Poutine brandit désormais la menace de l'arme nucléaire. Faut-il le croire? Pour notre collaboratrice Laure Mandeville, qui a longuement enquêté auprès des hommes du Kremlin et de leurs opposants, le président russe est capable de tout.

Vladimir Poutine, entouré de son ministre de la Défense, Sergueï Choïgou (à gauche) et du chef des forces armées russes, Valéri Guérassimov. MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV/ Sputnik via AFP

C'est une étrange vidéo d'une rencontre du président russe avec les personnels féminins de l'aviation qui a été diffusée par le Kremlin samedi 5 mars, à l'approche de la Journée internationale des femmes. On y voit Vladimir Poutine assis à une longue tablée décorée de fleurs, entouré de jeunes femmes ¬interdites et immobiles, qui boivent ses paroles comme celle d'un Dieu vivant. Une prise de vue très inha¬bituelle, le président n'ayant été vu récemment qu'à 10 ou 15 mètres au moins de son entourage.

« Les sanctions, c'est évidemment un combat contre la Russie, cela revient même à déclarer la guerre à la Russie, même si, grâce à Dieu, on n'en est pas encore là », déclare-t-il à ses interlocutrices d'un ton un peu exaspéré. « Tout le monde comprend la menace que cela représente pour nous tous », ajoute-t-il - une allusion claire à une guerre directe avec l'Ouest qui pourrait dégénérer en conflit nucléaire. Déformant totalement les propos qu'elle a prononcés, il accuse la ministre des Affaires étrangères britannique d'avoir évoqué une entrée en guerre de l'Otan au côté de l'Ukraine, et souligne qu'il a dû « mettre en alerte les ¬arsenaux stratégiques ». Une métaphore de la réalité de la Russie d'aujourd'hui » | Par Laure Mandeville | vendredi 11 mars 2022

Réservé aux abonnés

Pandemic Fears Give Way to a Rush for Bomb Shelters

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Since Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, European anxiety has shifted from Covid to nuclear annihilation. Bunkers, survival guides and iodine pills are flying off the shelves.

Giulio Cavicchioli, the owner of Minus Energie in Italy, has gone from working on 50 bunkers in the past 22 years to fielding 500 inquiries in the past two weeks. | Nadia Shira Cohen for The New York Times

BAGNOLO SAN VITO, Italy — Across a footbridge from a busy shopping outlet surrounded by verdant fields in northern Italy, workers in a nondescript warehouse are preparing for a nuclear attack, its radioactive fallout and the end of the world as we know it.

“We have found ourselves in the midst of this giant cyclone of demand,” said Giulio Cavicchioli, as he showed off an underground air filtration system that “cleans” radioactive particles, nerve gas and other biological agents and played a video tour of a nuclear shelter that was “ready to use.” His company, Minus Energie, has gone from working on 50 bunkers in the past 22 years to fielding 500 inquiries in the past two weeks.

“It’s a hysteria for construction of bunkers,” he said, driven by the fear of Russian nuclear warheads reaching across Europe. “It’s much scarier now.”

In the days since President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia launched his war on Ukraine, and put his nuclear forces into “special combat readiness,” the intensifying violence and the legacy of two world wars has revived fears in Europe of nuclear calamity for the first time in decades.

Europe has already spent two years on high alert against the pandemic. But now the manifestations of its anxieties and desires for self-defense have shifted from the masks, vaccines and lockdowns of Covid to the bunkers, iodine pills and air raid sirens of nuclear war. » | Jason Horowitz | Saturday, March 12, 2022

Gaia Pianigiani contributed reporting from Siena.

Putin unter Druck: Massive russische Bombardierung von Zivilisten soll Ukraine brechen | WELT Thema

Mar 12, 2022 • Die russische Armee setzt nach Angaben des Verteidigungsministeriums in Moskau ihre Angriffe auf «breiter Front» in der Ukraine fort. In der Nähe der Hauptstadt Kiew seien eine Luftwaffenbasis in Wassylkiw und das nachrichtendienstliche Aufklärungszentrum der ukrainischen Streitkräfte in Browary außer Gefecht gesetzt worden, teilte Ministeriumssprecher Igor Konaschenkow am Samstag in Moskau mit. Es war Tag 17 von Russlands Angriffskrieg gegen die Ukraine.

Den russischen Angaben zufolge nahmen die eigenen Truppen und jene der Separatisten aus Luhansk und Donezk erneut zahlreiche Ortschaften im Osten der Ukraine ein. Einheiten der Donezker «Volksmiliz» seien weitere 9 Kilometer vorgedrungen, die russischen Streitkräfte insgesamt 21 Kilometer und die Gruppierungen der «Volksrepublik Luhansk» 6 Kilometer. Überprüfbar waren die russischen Militärangaben nicht.

Zu Beginn des Krieges am 24. Februar hatten die Separatisten rund 30 Prozent der Regionen unter ihrer Kontrolle. Nun sind es nach ukrainischen Angaben im Gebiet Luhansk bereits 70 Prozent. Auch das russische Militär hatte zuletzt mitgeteilt, es fehle nicht mehr viel bis zur vollständigen Einnahme des Gebietes Luhansk.

Wie Generalmajow Konaschenkow weiter mitteilte, wurden erneut auch fünf Kampfdrohnen abgeschossen. Insgesamt seien bisher rund 3500 Objekte der militärischen Infrastruktur des Landes zerstört worden, darunter auch mehr als 1000 Panzer und andere gepanzerte Militärfahrzeuge. Russland hat den Angriff auf die Ukraine unter anderem damit begründet, das Land entmilitarisieren zu wollen.


Ukraine: Resisting the Aggressor I ARTE.tv Documentary

Mar 12, 2022 • Ordinary Ukrainian citizens are preparing to resist the Russian invader by joining the army and helping the resistance in any way they can.

Ukraine: Resisting the Aggressor I ARTE.tv Documentary
Available until the 01/03/2025


McDonald’s in Russia: Departure Is about a Lot More Than Burgers

THE GUARDIAN: Stung by its honeymoon with westernisation, Putin’s way of restoring Russian relevance has been to tear up global norms

Thousands of people gather in Pushkin Square, Moscow, on 31 January 1990 for the opening of the first McDonald’s in the Soviet Union. Photograph: Vitaly Armand/AFP/Getty Images

When the first McDonald’s in Moscow opened 32 years ago, the line of Russians waiting outside was hundreds of metres long, and there were long queues again this week for a last Happy Meal and a slice of history, as the fast-food giant closes its doors in Russia.

The shuttering of 850 McDonald’s franchises around the country is supposed to be temporary, but nothing about the war in Ukraine and the consequent exodus of western companies suggests the rift will be healed any time soon.

McDonald’s’ departure, like its arrival, is about a lot more than burgers. The golden arches of history, that once seemed to be bounding forward, now appear to be turning full circle and threatening to take Russia back in time.

An urban consumer culture built around Visa and Mastercard, Ikea, Nike, Apple, Zara and Netflix has evaporated in a few days.

“There’s just this sickening feeling that they’re going to go back, not to the 1990s, but to the 1970s when you didn’t have access to these things, and when you were living isolated from the rest of the world,” said Prof Angela Stent, a former national intelligence officer for Russia on the National Intelligence Council, now at Georgetown University. » | Julian Borger in Washington | Saturday, March 12, 2022

Kyiv ‘Ready to Fight’ as Russian Forces Close In Ukraine Capital

THE GUARDIAN: Ukrainian president warns of ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ as hundreds of thousands of civilians remain under fire across country

A Ukrainian army tank on a Kyiv street as Russian troops inch towards the capital. Photograph: Jonathan Alpeyrie/SIPA/REX/Shutterstock

Ukrainian officials have said Kyiv is “ready to fight” as Russian forces renewed their bombardment on the capital and observers warned of “an unimaginable tragedy” unfolding after more than two weeks of war.

Air raid sirens and shelling rang out over Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities on Saturday morning amid warnings from western defence officials that the Russians were beginning to gain ground around the capital.

There were reports of loud explosions in Dnipro in the country’s east on Saturday, as well as Mykolaiv, Nikolaev and Kropyvnytskyi.

But Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said the capital was “ready to fight”. He called it a “city under siege”, with checkpoints prepared and supply lines in place. “Kyiv will stand until the end.”

Satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies on Saturday has shown homes and buildings on fire and Russian artillery battalions appearing to fire on towns surrounding to the north-west of the Ukrainian capital as forces advance. The Guardian has not independently verified the images. » | Tess McClure, Peter Beaumont and Luke Harding in Lviv | Saturday, March 12, 2022

Londongrad: Großbritanniens Jagd auf reiche Russen I auslandsjournal

Mar 12, 2022 • Jahrelang haben russische Oligarchen in London ihr Geld geparkt. Mit den Sanktionen gegen Russland wird das jetzt schwerer. "Londongrad" gerät ins Fadenkreuz britischer Ermittler.

Friday, March 11, 2022

heute 19:00 Uhr vom 11.03.2022

Mar 11, 2022 • Zivile Gebäude werden wiederholt Ziel russischer Angriffe. Streumunitionen sollen in bewohnten Gebieten eingesetzt worden sein, obwohl dies gegen das Völkerrecht verstoßen würde. Diese und weitere Nachrichten des Tages in den ZDFheute Nachrichten um 19 Uhr.

Phil Collins : Everyday | Remastered 2016

Provided to YouTube by Laika Network | Views on Yoube: 3,411,210

Say ‘Yes’ to Kissing; Say ‘No’ to Bombing!

Sag „Ja“ zum Küssen; sag „Nein“ zu Bombardierung! / Dites « oui » au baiser ; dites "non" aux bombardements !

Many thanks to howtheyasked.com for this splendid photo.

EU Leaders Pledge Increased Military Aid for Ukraine | DW News

Mar 11, 2022 • As Russia's invasion continues, EU leaders have pledged more financial assistance and said further sanctions against Russia were in the works.

Europe has earmarked another €500 million ($550 million) for military aid to Ukraine, the President of the European Council Charles Michel said.

He spoke at the end of the meeting of EU leaders at Versailles in France. The money will be on top of the €500 million the EU has already committed to support Ukraine. At the same event,

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe would impose a fourth round of sanctions on Russia and President Vladimir Putin soon. She also said Ukraine's application for EU membership was being considered favorably, adding that the country is already "a member of the European family."

"Ukraine's membership application is an expression of their will and their right to choose their own destiny. Today we have opened the pathway towards us for Ukraine," she added

. French President Emmanuel Macron said the EU would hold an extraordinary summit by May to discuss joint defense investments in the block.



Lien connexe ici.

L'Union européenne doit «en faire plus» pour l'Ukraine, estime Zelensky

Le président ukrainien Volodymyr Zelensky. UKRAINE PRESIDENCY / AFP

LE FIGARO : Le président ukrainien a fait part de son mécontentement après que les dirigeants des 27 ont exclu la veille toute adhésion rapide de l'Ukraine à l'Union européenne.

Le président ukrainien Volodymyr Zelensky a estimé vendredi 11 mars que l'Union européenne devait «en faire plus» pour l'Ukraine, après que les dirigeants des 27 eurent exclu la veille toute adhésion rapide de l'Ukraine à l'UE.

«Il faut aller plus fort. Ce n'est pas ce que nous attendons», a déclaré Volodymyr Zelensky dans une vidéo sur Telegram. «Il faut que les décisions des hommes politiques coïncident avec l'humeur de leurs peuples, les peuples européens (...) L'Union européenne doit en faire plus pour nous, pour l'Ukraine.» » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | vendredi 11 mars 2022

M. Zelenskyy : Soyons clairs sur les raisons pour lesquelles l'Union européenne a pris la décision de ne pas accélérer l'adhésion de l'Ukraine à l'Union européenne : peur de la Russie et représailles. – © Mark

The Psychology of an Isolated Russia | The New Yorker

Mar 11, 2022 • David Remnick and the historian Steve Kotkin discuss Vladimir Putin and how authoritarian regimes are pushed into misguided foreign wars.

CALLEkocht : Deftiger Räubertopf. Ein "one pot" - Gericht nach Omas Rezept bei 160°

Mar 11, 2022 • CALLEkocht: Räubertopf, Räuberpfanne oder Bauerntopf: Alles Gerichte aus einem Topf, einfach, lecker, günstig und alles als "one pot" Rezept gekocht. Einfache und großartige Küche von Großmutter zum Satt werden oder für mehrere Tage. Einfach einmal selber machen. Ein Gulasch als Eintopf. Ich habe den Eintopf bei 160°C langsam köcheln lassen.


Zutaten:

1,5 kg Gulaschfleisch vom Schwein
1 kg mehligkochende Kartoffeln
500 g Champignons
800 ml stückige Tomaten
4 Knoblauchzehen
4 Zwiebeln
2 rote Paprika
2 gelbe Paprika
200 ml Saure Sahne
500 ml Sahne
Salz und Pfeffer
3 EL Paprikapulver
Öl zum Anbraten

Guten Appetit!

Senior Ukrainian Official: Bennett Pushed Zelensky to ‘Surrender’ to Putin — Report

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett shake hands during their meeting in Sochi, Russia, on October 22, 2021. (Evgeny Biyatov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP/File)

THE TIMES OF ISRAEL: Prime Minister Naftali Bennett pushed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept an offer from Russian President Vladimir Putin, which would require Kyiv to make significant concessions in order to end Moscow’s invasion, the Walla news site reports.

Walla does not divulge the details of Putin’s offer, but previous reports from the news site said that Putin is demanding an independent Donbas region, but stopping short of regime change in Ukraine.

“If I were you, I would think about the lives of my people and take the offer,” Bennett told Zelensky during a phone call on Tuesday, according to a senior Ukrainian official who spoke to Walla on condition of anonymity.

Zelensky did not take well to the proposal, responding with a brief “I hear you.”

“Bennett has proposed that we surrender,” the senior Ukrainian official tells Walla. “We have no intention of doing so. We know that Putin’s proposal is just the beginning.” » | LIVEBLOG | Friday, March 11, 2022

Biden Announces Plan Suspend Normal Trade Relations with Russia

Mar 11, 2022 • President Biden announced that the U.S. will move to suspend normal trade relations with Russia as its invasion of Ukraine continues. This is one part of new economic actions the president is putting in place with fellow allied countries.

Ukraine: What Would Stop Putin? I ARTE. tv Documentary

Mar 11, 2022 • As Russian troops wage a fierce battle against the Ukrainian army, and as the West imposes tough sanctions against Russia, the question remains: what else can stop Putin? Two experts on Russia provide some answers.

Ukraine: What Would Stop Putin? I ARTE.tv Documentary
Available until the 03/03/2023


Democracy Now! US News & World Headlines – March 11, 2022

Statement from the Proprietor in Response to Media Speculation

Evening Standard

EVENING STANDARD: It troubles me that I am even writing this at a time when others are suffering so much and deserve unreserved focus. The harrowing news we are hearing from Ukraine is heart-breaking. Each hour brings fresh reports of a child killed, lives lost or families forced to flee their homes.

Nevertheless, accusations are coming from credible media outfits who are posing incredible questions to me so I feel I have no option but to respond. As someone who believes in transparency and the freedom of the press, I want to provide this statement as some context.

I am a British citizen. I first moved here as a child and was educated in the United Kingdom at primary and secondary level. I am proud to be a British citizen and consider Britain my home.

I have publicly made clear my condemnation of the war in Ukraine and called on President Putin to end the invasion of the country in the most public way possible through a letter to him published on the front page of the Evening Standard.

Our Ukraine Appeal has so far already raised £300,000, with every penny going to help the men, women and children who are fleeing the fighting in search of safety and desperately need food, water and medicines. » | Evgeny Lebedev | Friday, March 11, 2022

More about Evgeny Lebedev.

Related links here.

Standard owner Evgeny Lebedev insists he is not ‘an agent of Russia’: Media magnate issues statement in relation to peerage, as 386 Russian MPs added to UK sanctions list »

Boris Johnson and Evgeny Lebedev: a decade of politics, parties and peerages: Pair have been friends since 2009, but security concerns were raised because of the Russian tycoon’s father, a one-time Moscow spy »

Evgeny Lebedev Says He Is 'Not Some Agent of Russia'

THE GUARDIAN: Evgeny Lebedev has said he is “not some agent of Russia” following allegations that a British security services assessment said he posed a national security risk was withdrawn following an intervention by the prime minister.

The Russian-born owner of the Evening Standard and Independent and member of the House of Lords said “I am not a security risk to this country”. » | Miranda Bryant (now); Léonie Chao-Fong and Samantha Lock (earlier) | Friday, March 11, 2022

Related links.

Russian Military Moves into Firing Positions around Ukraine Capital Kyiv - BBC News

Mar 11, 2022 • The Russian military convoy that had been outside Kyiv appears to be on manoeuvers, taking up positions around towns near Kyiv.

US officials say that Russian forces have moved closer to Kyiv in the last 24 hours in what could be a renewed push.

More people are leaving their homes as fears grow of use of chemical weapons. At the same time volunteers are arriving in Kyiv to help fight the Russian invasion.


Beth Rigby Interviews... The Prime Minister on the War in Ukraine

Mar 10, 2022 • Sky News' Political Editor Beth Rigby speaks to the Prime Minister Boris Johnson about the war in Ukraine and the UK's response.

Asked if Russia's potential use of chemical weapons was a red line, which could push the UK to military involvement, Mr Johnson said it was an 'agonising' situation, but there was no Western country where that kind of involvement was on the agenda.

He described the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as "one of the most extraordinary leaders of recent times". But he defended the UK's response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis, saying his government wanted to be 'generous but fair'.


Russians Are "Brainwashed," Says Litvinenko's Widow | DW News

Mar 11, 2022 • In Russia, there are some signs that opposition to the invasion of Ukraine is beginning to form, but with almost every Russian media outlet under state control - anti-war voices are struggling to be heard. And the Putin regime has a history of suppressing dissent by any and all means. Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian spy and Putin critic was poisoned on the streets of London in 2006 with the radioactive substance Polonium

A British legal investigation found Russia responsible for the killing. Litvinenko's widow, Marina, has been a leading critic of Putin and the Russian state. Echoing her late husband's call that they can silence one person, but not the whole world. She is now calling for a stop to Russia's war against Ukraine.


If PM Can’t Say It, We Israelis Must: Zelensky, We’re with You; Putin, Stop the War

THE TIMES OF ISRAEL: Damagingly and ultimately untenably for Israel, Bennett believes he dare not alienate Russia by publicly condemning it. Even so, there’s more he should be doing now to help Ukraine

We know Israel has genuine security concerns, and is realistically wary of becoming an adversary of Vladimir Putin — now that the United States is much less influential in Syria, and Russia much more so.

We realize that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett believes he simply cannot afford to alienate the Russian presidential bully over his war on Ukraine, when Israel may need him as it faces down our own potentially existential foe, Iran.

We understand that Bennett truly thinks he might be uniquely placed to help mediate a resolution to the Russian invasion that brings a faster conclusion, with less loss of life.

And we recognize that Israel’s leadership has tried to square the impossible circle by having Foreign Minister Yair Lapid do the condemning of Russia while Bennett refrains from pointing the direct finger of blame.

But such considerations and maneuverings become more untenable with every passing day of bloodshed.

If Bennett feels he cannot safely do so, then it must fall to the rest of us Israelis to say it:

Putin’s assault on Ukraine is intolerable and cannot be condoned. Every fresh bombardment, every new targeting of civilians, renders it increasingly despicable. » | David Horovitz | Friday, March 11, 2022

‘My Plan Is There Is No Plan’: The Foreign Fighters Flocking to Ukraine

THE GUARDIAN: Thousands of people from around the world have joined the war effort, unsure when or if they will return home

Igor Gavrylko: ‘My grandfather spent 10 years in a Soviet camp in Kazakhstan.’ Photograph: Alessio Mamo/The Guardian

Igor Gavrylko was at his home in west London when the Russian bombs began to fall on Ukraine. A British citizen originally from Ukraine, he had lived in the UK since 1996, working most recently for Nissan as a forecourt salesperson. He rang his boss. “I knew a Russian invasion was going to happen,” he said. “My Ukrainian grandfather fought against the Red Army and the Nazis in world war two. Now it’s my turn to help.”

Gavrylko set off by car from Ealing and drove across Europe. By the time he arrived in Ukraine his elderly parents had already had a narrow escape. Russian missiles had destroyed the airport in their home town of Ivano-Frankivsk. “My city was bombarded,” he said. Gavrylko arranged for his mother, sister and four-year-old niece to escape to Poland. His 74-year-old father, Bogdan, refused to leave.

Now based in the western city of Lviv, Gavrylko is one of thousands of volunteers from around the world who have come to Ukraine to defend the country from Russian attack. Some have Ukrainian roots. Others are military veterans with no family ties who have decided to fight with Ukraine’s army. According to Gavrylko, “several hundred” Britons have already arrived, including Ben Grant, the son of a Tory MP. » | Luke Harding in Lviv | Friday, March 11, 2022

Guerre en Ukraine : l’OTAN ne veut pas de « guerre ouverte » avec la Russie ; 2,5 millions de personnes ont fui le pays

LIVE EN COURS

LE MONDE : « Nous estimons également qu’environ deux millions de personnes sont déplacées à l’intérieur de l’Ukraine », a indiqué le chef de l’agence de l’ONU pour les réfugiés, Filippo Grandi.

Londres sanctionne 386 élus de la Douma

La ministre britannique des Affaires étrangères Liz Truss a annoncé des sanctions contre 386 députés de la Douma, la chambre basse du Parlement russe. Dans un communiqué, la ministre précise que ces élus, qui avaient voté pour reconnaître l’indépendance des régions séparatistes prorusses de Donetsk et de Lougansk dans l’est de l’Ukraine, se voient frappés d’une interdiction de voyager et d’un gel de leurs avoirs au Royaume-Uni :
" Nous visons les complices de l’invasion illégale de l’Ukraine par Poutine et ceux qui soutiennent cette guerre barbare. Nous ne relâcherons pas la pression et nous continuerons à serrer la vis à l’économie russe par le biais de sanctions.
Cette décision porte à 400 le nombre total de membres de la Douma sanctionnés par le Royaume-Uni. La Pologne, principal pays d’accueil des réfugiés ukrainiens » | vendredi 11 mars 2022

Ukraine’s Zelenskiy Calls Russia ‘Terrorist State’ over Aid Shelling as Forces Close In on Kyiv

THE GUARDIAN: Ukraine president accuses Moscow of deliberate attack on humanitarian corridor in Mariupol as Russian forces appear to be regrouping in order to encircle capital


Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has accused Russia of being a “terrorist state” after its tanks prevented a delivery of food, water and medicine to the besieged city of Mariupol, and said Moscow was capable of chemical weapon attacks.

As Russian forces appeared to be regrouping in order to encircle Kyiv and the US planned to ratchet up the economic pressure on Vladimir Putin, Zelenskiy tried to rally Ukrainians with another video address late on Thursday condemning Moscow’s relentless assault on cities.

“This is outright terror ... from experienced terrorists,” he said of the alleged attack on the aid convoy. “The world needs to know this. I have to admit it – we are all dealing with a terrorist state.

“They did it deliberately, they knew what they were blowing up, they have an order to keep the city a hostage, abuse it and bomb it constantly, and shell it.”

More than 400,000 people remain trapped in Mariupol, which is surrounded by Russian forces, and basic supplies are running out. Some 200,000 are believed to want to leave amid a relentless Russian artillery onslaught but have not been able to do so despite the daily declaration of humanitarian corridors. With video » | Martin Farrer, and Luke Harding in Lviv | Friday, March 11, 2022

Facing Economic Calamity, Putin Talks of Nationalizing Western Businesses.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Besieged by an onslaught of sanctions that have largely undone 30 years of economic integration with the West in the space of two weeks, President Vladimir V. Putin on Thursday opened the door to nationalizing the assets of Western companies pulling out of Russia and exhorted senior officials to “act decisively” to preserve jobs.

With Russia in danger of defaulting on its sovereign debt and facing a sharp contraction in its economy, the West is betting that the looming, generation-defining economic crisis could make Russians turn on their president. It is also possible, however, that the crisis could end up strengthening Mr. Putin, validating his narrative that the West is determined to destroy Russia.

“I have no doubt that these sanctions would have been implemented no matter what,” Mr. Putin said in televised remarks on Thursday, arguing that his invasion of Ukraine served merely as a pretext for the West to try to wreck Russia’s economy. “Just as we overcame these difficulties in years past, we will overcome them now, too.”

But the sanctions imposed in the two weeks since the invasion — combined with multinational companies that employ tens of thousands of Russians voluntarily deciding to withdraw amid the global outrage — dwarf any other economic pressure that Russia has faced under Mr. Putin.

With the ruble having lost nearly half its value in the last month, prices of basic goods have risen sharply, causing panic buying at supermarkets. The central bank, which has kept the Moscow stock exchange closed since the war began, has introduced new capital controls, preventing companies from withdrawing more than $5,000 in cash for the next six months. » | Anton Troianovski | Thursday, March 10, 2022

Thursday, March 10, 2022

Le patriarche Kirill – la guerre en Ukraine ? : C’est un «guerre sainte» de Vladimir Poutine !

Vraiment ? Dieu sanctionne-t-il les attaques contre la maternité ? Comment ce patriarche peut-il dire que la guerre de Poutine contre l'Ukraine est une « guerre sainte » ? De quel genre de théologie chrétienne s'agit-il ? Où dans la Bible Dieu sanctionne-t-il les attaques contre des innocents, sans parler des femmes enceintes ? Si c'est ce que ce patriarche entend par une « guerre sainte », alors les honnêtes gens ne devraient rien accepter ! Quelle absurdité ! – © Mark

La Serbie, seul pays d’Europe à soutenir massivement la Russie de Poutine

LE MONDE : Le pays, candidat à l’entrée dans l’Union européenne, refuse de prendre des sanctions contre Moscou. Des milliers de militants d’extrême droite ont même défilé dans les rues de Belgrade en criant « tous les Russes sont des frères des Serbes ».

Des manifestants pro-russes défilent dans les rues du centre de Belgrade, en Serbie, le 4 mars 2022. STR / REUTERS

Toute l’Europe est derrière l’Ukraine ? Oui, à une exception de taille près. Depuis le début de l’invasion russe, la Serbie, pays des Balkans comptant 7 millions d’habitants, se démarque du reste du Vieux Continent, en évitant soigneusement de sanctionner Vladimir Poutine.

Vendredi 4 mars, des milliers de militants d’extrême droite ont défilé dans les rues de Belgrade pour soutenir l’offensive, en brandissant des drapeaux russes. « Tous les Russes sont des frères des Serbes », a proclamé Damnjan Knezevic, un des organisateurs de la manifestation et le chef du mouvement d’extrême droite Patrouille du peuple, qui s’est fait connaître en Serbie, ces dernières années, pour ses agressions violentes contre des migrants. » | Par Jean-Baptiste Chastand( Vienne, correspondant régional) | jeudi 10 mars 2022

Article réservé aux abonnés

Western Europe Leaders Rebuff Ukraine Fast-track EU Membership Appeal

THE GUARDIAN: Emmanuel Macron says ‘we must be vigilant’ despite eastern member states wanting to show Ukraine ‘path is open to them’

Emmanuel Macron has led western European leaders in rebuffing appeals from Volodymyr Zelenskiy for fast-track EU membership for Ukraine despite the backing of eastern member states.

At a summit in Versailles, the 27 EU countries acknowledged as one the “tectonic shift in European history” caused by Russia’s invasion of its neighbour and vowed to bolster their military might and “strengthen our bonds and deepen our partnership” with Kyiv.

But calls from Ukraine’s president, supported by Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, for a special membership process failed to convince France, Germany, Spain or the Netherlands.

France’s president said he wanted to “send a strong signal in this period to Ukraine and to the Ukrainians” of solidarity but “at the same time, we must be vigilant”, adding that he did not believe it possible to “open an accession procedure with a country at war”.

“Should we close the door and say never, it would be unfair,” he said. » | Daniel Boffey in Versailles | Thursday, March 10, 2022

Florida's Controversial "Don't Say Gay" Bill - A Threat to the LGBTQ Youth? | Brendon Wolf Interview

Mar 10, 2022 • Florida lawmakers have passed the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, which bans discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. Governor Ron Desantis, who has emerged as a potential candidate to be the next President of the United States is expected to sign the bill next week. Activist Brandon Wolf sees this as the beginning of a cultural war in the US, which impacts issues regarding race, gender and abortion.

War in Ukraine: 'More Than 300 UK Fighters Heading to Ukraine'

Mar 10, 2022 • The founder and commander of the Georgian National Legion of the Ukrainian Army, Mamuka Mamulashvili, says more than 300 Britons have volunteered to fight in Ukraine.

But Mr Mamulashvili said no serving British soldiers were being allowed to take part in the conflict.


War in Ukraine: 'Trump Dossier' Author Says Invasion Could Finish Putin

Mar 10, 2022 • Christopher Steele, the former British intelligence officer who authored the infamous report on Donald Trump's alleged connections to Russia, says the invasion of Ukraine could end Vladimir Putin's regime.

Mr Steele said the Russian leader had overstretched himself in Ukraine and pressure would mount on him, domestically and internationally.

ut he warned more violence would be inflicted on Ukraine in the short-term.


Chinese State Media Pushes Putin's Lies about Ukraine Invasion

Mar 10, 2022 • In public statements and at international summits, Chinese officials have attempted to stake out a seemingly neutral position on the war in Ukraine, neither condemning Russian actions nor ruling out the possibility Beijing could act as a mediator in a push for peace.

But while its international messaging has kept many guessing as to Beijing's true intentions, much of its domestic media coverage of Russia's invasion tells a wholly different story. CNN's David Culver reports.


A Moscou, l’inquiétude contenue des consommateurs russes

LE MONDE : Malgré la hausse des prix, et la crainte d’une crise économique profonde, la capitale garde son calme.

A l’intérieur du centre commercial GUM, à Moscou (Russie), le 4 mars 2022. AP

Le territoire de Ioulia T., dans le centre commercial Mozaïka du sud-est de Moscou, est modeste : un petit stand qui vend des accessoires pour smartphones. Mardi 8 mars, les clients ne se bousculent pas et la jeune femme, propriétaire de l’échoppe, s’inquiète. L’effet des sanctions et celui de l’effondrement du rouble se conjuguent : les produits de fabrication occidentale, notamment de la marque Apple, sont déjà plus difficiles à trouver ; ceux venant de Chine ont vu leurs prix s’envoler d’au moins 30 %. « Les prix vont continuer à monter et les gens auront de moins en moins d’argent », prédit-elle.

Quelques jours plus tôt, le 3 mars, quand une foule immense s’est massée dans le centre commercial, la jeune femme s’est réfugiée derrière son comptoir. « La queue s’étendait sur deux étages du mall, dans un climat de tension tel que la police a dû intervenir », se souvient-elle. L’objet de cette agitation : la possibilité de faire un dernier achat chez Ikea, peu après l’annonce par l’enseigne d’une fermeture de ses magasins. » | Par Benoît Vitkine (Moscou, correspondant) | jeudi 10 mars 2022

Article réservé aux abonnés

Democracy Now! US News & World Headlines – March 10, 2022

How the British Upper Class Became Servants to the Global Elite

THE GUARDIAN – OPINION: Who better to understand the needs of global capitalism’s mega-rich than Britons who grew up with staff themselves?

‘London is known to the world’s wealthy as a place to eat in expensive restaurants, park your supercar outside Harrods (above), and check on your barely used properties and hidden investments.’ Photograph: Carl Court/AFP/Getty Images

Britain is good at wealth. Not necessarily at generating it, or distributing it in ways that make a contented society, but at looking after it, helping it grow and making it respectable – converting it into social and cultural capital. For centuries, British bankers, lawyers, accountants and other assistants to the wealthy have discreetly performed these roles.

Their customers used to be mostly British: slave traders, self-made industrialists, people who had extracted fortunes from our colonies. But in recent decades, foreigners have become the main beneficiaries of Britain’s readiness to serve the rich regardless of how they made their money. So significant is this change that Britain has become “butler to the world”, according to a persuasive new book by the anti-corruption campaigner and journalist Oliver Bullough. » | Andy Beckett | Thursday, March 10, 2022

Saudi Arabia and UAE Refuse to Take Biden’s Calls on Oil

After declining to speak to Biden, Mohammed bin Salman took a call from President Putin SERGIO MORAES/REUTERS

THE TIMES: Joe Biden has been rebuffed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in his attempts to persuade them to produce more oil in the wake of a US ban on Russian imports.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the UAE’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan both declined requests to speak to the US president in recent weeks, officials told The Wall Street Journal, amid frosty relations with his administration.

After declining to speak to Biden, both rulers took calls from President Putin of Russia last week. They both also spoke to President Zelensky of Ukraine and a Saudi official said the US had requested that MBS, as the Saudi prince is known, mediate in the conflict. » | David Charter, Washington | Charles Bremner, Paris | Thursday, March 10, 2022

Enjoy unlimited digital access, free for one month. Subscription offers here.

Umfrage in Moskau: Das hat sich für die Russen geändert

Mar 10, 2022 • Die wirtschaftlichen Sanktionen als westliche Antwort auf den russischen Angriffskrieg in der Ukraine treffen hart. Immer mehr Unternehmen ziehen sich aus Russland zurück. Moskauer Passanten erzählen, welche Auswirkungen das auf ihren Alltag hat. © REUTERS, AP

Ukraine: The Information War I ARTE.tv Documentary

Mar 10, 2022 • Parallel to the very real war in Ukraine, an information war is raging. Some Ukrainian newspapers are translating their articles into Russian to combat what they see as Moscow’s distorted media picture of the conflict.

Ukraine: Information War I ARTE.tv Documentary
Available until the 01/03/2025


Ros Atkins on... Food Price Rises and the Ukraine War

The war in Ukraine has already caused a surge in some food prices globally, with wheat prices up 40% this month.


Read a few more details here.

Borrow billions or see incomes squeezed, Rishi Sunak told: Chancellor Rishi Sunak faces a "huge judgment call" over whether to borrow more or allow household budgets to be squeezed, new research suggests. »

Kremlin Vet: They’ll Overthrow Putin before Giving Him ‘Bad News’ about Russian Setbacks in Ukraine

Mar 10, 2022 • U.S. intelligence officers are warning Putin is “angry” and “frustrated” that Russia has failed to rapidly seize Ukraine’s capitol city. Russian insider and Putin critic Andrei Kozyrev, who served as the Russian Foreign Minister from 1991 to 1996, joins MSNBC’s Ari Melber to discuss Putin’s state of mind and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

UK Freezes Assets of Seven Russian Oligarchs Including Roman Abramovich

THE GUARDIAN: Others added to sanction list are Igor Sechin, Oleg Deripaska, Andrey Kostin, Alexei Miller, Nikolai Tokarev and Dmitri Lebedev

Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich. Photograph: Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

Chelsea football club owner, Roman Abramovich, is among seven of Russia’s wealthiest and most influential oligarchs who have been sanctioned by the UK in an effort to further punish allies of Vladimir Putin over the invasion of Ukraine.

Abramovich was found by the UK government to have “received preferential treatment and concessions” from the Kremlin and through his business links been “involved in destabilising Ukraine and undermining and threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence” of the eastern European country.

The Foreign Office said he was implicated through a steel manufacturing and mining company, Evraz PLC, in which he had a significant shareholding and over which he exercised effective control.

It said the firm may have supplied steel to the Russian military for the production of tanks. » | Aubrey Allegretti, Political correspondent | Thursday, March 10, 2022

Roman’s empire: how the seeds of Abramovich’s demise were there all along: Almost 20 years after his high profile purchase, the oligarch is looking to sell Chelsea. Here’s the story of how it unravelled »

Abramovich superyacht heads west across Mediterranean after sanctions: Solaris is tracked off coast of Sicily, joining hurried sailings of Russian yachts to avoid seizure »

READ ALSO:

UK to ease entry requirements for Ukrainian refugees, says Priti Patel: Change means people with passports can apply for entry online and do not have to give biometric details until they are in UK »