Tag: Vladimir Putin

Putin: West Trying to ‘Cancel’ Russian Culture

Russian President Vladimir Putin alleged that the West of trying to cancel Russian culture, including great composers and writers. “Today, they are trying to cancel a thousand-year-old country,” Putin said in a televised meeting, according to state-run media. “I am talking about the progressive discrimination against everything connected with Russia, about this trend that is…


A New Arms Race

Commentary “When Russia annexed Crimea and meddled in Ukraine’s Donets Basin, or Donbas, region in 2014, its military revealed new technology, organization and tactics—and upended much of the U.S. military’s thinking about modern warfare.”— Jason Sherman, Scientific American Defense. By most accounts, the annual military budget of the Russian Federation is a small fraction of…


Australia Sanctions Belarus President Lukashenko and Family, 22 Russian ‘Propagandists’

The Australian government has placed new sanctions on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, members of his family, as well as 22 Russian “propagandists and disinformation operatives.” Meanwhile, an expert has suggested the sanctions may be a form of deterrence against Belarusian forces joining Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “These latest steps, one month into Russia’s invasion of…


Russian Regulator Blocks Google News Over ‘Unreliable’ Information on Ukraine Invasion

Russia’s media regulator on Wednesday blocked Google’s news aggregator service, accusing it of providing access to materials containing “unreliable” information about the Russian-Ukraine conflict. Roskomnadzor, the communications regulator, said it had acted on a request from the office of Russia’s prosecutor general. It said access to the online resource news.google.com has been blocked. “The American online…


Russia Expels US Diplomats in Retaliatory Move Amid Ukraine Invasion

Moscow on Wednesday announced that it will expel U.S. diplomats from Russia. Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the U.S. embassy in Moscow was handed a list of its diplomats that were declared “persona non grata.” Persona non grata means “an unwelcome person.” “On March 23, a note with the list of the American diplomats…


Putin Wants ‘Unfriendly’ Countries to Pay for Russian Energy in Rubles

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that he wants “unfriendly” countries to start paying for Russian energy using rubles, a move that could strengthen the value of the weakened Russian currency. Putin made the remarks at a meeting with members of his government, according to a video of his statement provided by state-backed media outlet RT. “We…


Kremlin Responds After Biden’s Claim Russia May Be Planning Cyberattacks

The Kremlin on March 22 responded to U.S. warnings that Russia may be planning cyberattacks against American companies. “The Russian Federation, unlike many Western countries including the United States, does not engage in banditry on the state level,” Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, told reporters in Moscow. U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday said intelligence…


Zelensky Calls for Direct Talks With Putin, Says Ukrainians Must Vote on Terms of Peace Deal

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for direct talks with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, saying such a meeting is needed to understand Putin’s conditions for ending the war. Russia and Ukraine have held several rounds of talks by way of video conferencing, but so far without any significant breakthroughs. Zelensky said direct talks are now…


UK Blames Russia for Hoax Calls Targeting Cabinet Ministers

The UK government has publicly accused Russia of being responsible for hoax calls targeting British ministers. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Home Secretary Priti Patel said they had been targeted by calls from imposters last week, and Downing Street revealed an unsuccessful attempt was also made to contact Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries. Prime Minister Boris…


Zelensky Says He Wants Talks With Putin, Failure Means ‘Third World War’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday announced he’s ready to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but he warned that if the talks fail, the conflict could escalate to become World War III. “I’m ready for negotiations with him. I was ready for the last two years. And I think that without negotiations, we cannot…