Members phkrause Posted June 17 Author Members Share Posted June 17 Russian forces storm a detention facility to rescue staff taken hostage, killing hostage-takers MOSCOW (AP) — Security forces stormed a detention center in southern Russia on Sunday, killing inmates accused of links to the Islamic State group who had taken two staff members hostage, state-funded news channel RT reported. https://apnews.com/article/russia-inmates-hostages-rostov-ea9a2e91c25ac7785e957a9636db76d3? Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted June 18 Author Members Share Posted June 18 Russian warships leave Havana’s port, with their next stop unknown A fleet of Russian warships, including a nuclear-powered submarine, left Havana’s port on Monday after a five-day visit to Cuba following planned military drills in the Atlantic Ocean. It’s unclear what the fleet’s next destination is or where it will dock next in the Caribbean. Read more. Why this matters: The exercise has been seen by some as a show of strength by Moscow against the backdrop of tensions as U.S. and other Western nations support Kyiv in Russia’s war on Ukraine. Officials with the Biden administration have said that they were monitoring the vessels and confirmed that they did not pose a threat to the region. Still, the United States docked a submarine, the USS Helena, at its Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. Russian military and defense doctrine holds Latin America and the Caribbean in an important position, with the sphere seen as under U.S. influence acting as a counterweight to Washington’s activities in Europe, said Ryan Berg, director of the Americas Program at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Putin arrives in North Korea for the first time in 24 years State Department removes Cuba from shortlist of countries deemed uncooperative on counterterrorism Afro-Cuban drums, Muslim prayers, Buddhist mantras: Religious diversity blooms in once-atheist Cuba Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted June 19 Author Members Share Posted June 19 Putin says Russia and North Korea have vowed to aid each other if attacked Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have vowed closer ties in a rare meeting today as both face escalating standoffs with the West. Read more. Why this matters: Putin’s visit comes amid growing concerns about an arms arrangement in which North Korea provides Russia with badly needed munitions to fuel Moscow’s war in Ukraine, in exchange for economic assistance and technology transfers. Along with China, Russia has provided political cover for Kim’s continuing efforts to advance his nuclear arsenal, repeatedly blocking U.S.-led efforts to impose fresh U.N. sanctions on the North over its weapons tests. Kim’s military nuclear program now includes developmental intercontinental ballistic missiles that can potentially reach the U.S. mainland, but he may need outside help to advance his program. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Thousands of NATO troops join drills in the strategically sensitive Baltic Sea region US soldier convicted of theft in Russia and sentenced to nearly 4 years in prison WATCH: North Korea and Russia’s complicated relationship, explained in 60 seconds Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted June 27 Author Members Share Posted June 27 More Americans are ending up in Russian jails One was a journalist on a reporting trip. Another was attending a wedding. Yet another was a dual national returning to visit family. All are U.S. citizens now behind bars in Russia on various charges. Read more. Why this matters: Arrests of Americans in Russia are becoming increasingly common with relations sinking to Cold War lows. Washington accuses Moscow of using U.S. citizens as bargaining chips, but Russia insists they all broke the law. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, an American-born son of immigrants from the USSR, is the first Western journalist to be arrested on espionage in post-Soviet Russia. Detained in March 2023, he is on trial today for espionage charges that he, his employer and the U.S. government deny. It’s unclear how many Americans are jailed in Russia or if negotiations are in the works to have them freed. The U.S. successfully negotiated swaps in 2022 for WNBA star Brittney Griner and Marine veteran Trevor Reed — both designated as wrongfully detained. Still, the designation is applied to only a small subset of Americans jailed by foreign countries. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Evan Gershkovich goes on trial in Russia for espionage that he and his employer deny International court seeks the arrest of Russian officials over attacks on Ukrainian power plants Russia summons the American ambassador over a deadly attack that Moscow says used US-made missiles Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted June 27 Author Members Share Posted June 27 The trial of Evan Gershkovich, the first American journalist to be arrested on espionage charges in Russia since the Cold War, began today in a closed hearing that has been condemned by the US. Gershkovich, 32, was arrested while reporting for the Wall Street Journal, which he joined just weeks before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. While many newsrooms subsequently pulled their reporters out of Russia, Gershkovich remained, covering the war and how it was changing life in the country. He was arrested in March 2023 and Russian officials later accused him of spying for the CIA. Gershkovich, the US government, and the WSJ have vehemently denied the charges against him. His trial is expected to last months. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison. Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted June 28 Author Members Share Posted June 28 Falsely Accused Wall Street Journal Reporter Evan Gershkovich in Court for Start of Secret Russian Trial Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich appeared in a Russian court Wednesday to face a false accusation of espionage in a secret trial, as a senior Kremlin official told reporters that Moscow was open to the possibility of a prisoner-swap deal that would send him home. https://www.wsj.com/world/falsely-accused-wall-street-journal-reporter-evan-gershkovich-appears-before-russian-court-b1b155a8? Quote phkrause Obstinacy is a barrier to all improvement. - ChL 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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