By Yevgeny KuklychevAs the world reacted in horror to images and videos of death and destruction left behind in parts of the Kyiv Region after Russian forces withdrew from those areas, Russian state media and officials issued a series of denials and counter-accusations, in some cases self-contradictory, that fueled disinformation surrounding the tragic events. Ukraine's defense ministry alleged that civilians in Bucha and other towns and villages northwest of Kyiv were "executed arbitrarily," while it was occupied by Russian troops for several weeks. It claimed, attaching photos and videos from the scene, that some civilians were killed with their hands tied behind their backs and their bodies were left scattered in the streets. More than 400 bodies of civilians have been recovered in the area so far, according to local officials.
Expendable conscripts from the Donbas used to draw fire and reveal Ukrainian positions, report says.Tom SykesSome conscripts to the Russian war effort from the Donbas region are turning on their commanders and refusing to fight on, after being handed antiquated rifles designed in the 19th century, and forced to drink from ponds littered with dead frogs. One student draftee was given an automatic weapon but no instructions on how to fire it. The student, speaking to Reuters, said he was ordered to repel an attack by Ukrainian forces, but told a reporter: “I don’t even know how to fire an automatic weapon.” The student said he was put in a mortar unit but was “taught nothing… Up to that point I had only seen mortars in movies. Obviously, I didn’t know how to do anything with them.” The wife of another untrained Donbas draftee told Reuters: “He doesn’t even really know how to hold an automatic weapon.”
Harry RobertsonRussia's economy all but imploded in the 1990s. It shrank 7% a year on average for seven straight years. The experience lingers in the minds of Russians who lived through it. Indeed, President Vladimir Putin has historically framed himself as Russia's savior, delivering a stable economy and restoring national pride. Now, however, Putin's brutal war in Ukraine is set to wipe out 15 years of growth and send the Russian economy back to the dark days following the fall of the Soviet Union. Sanctions by the US and its allies have slashed Russia's access to the global financial system, with the central bank cut off from just under half of its $640 billion stockpile of global currency reserves.
(Reuters) - Russian lawmakers will propose measures seeking punishment for the implementation of sanctions on Russia's territory, a senior lawmaker said on Sunday. "My colleagues from the State Duma and I have finished the work and on Monday we will introduce amendments to the Criminal Code for the implementation of restrictive measures (sanctions) imposed by foreign states on the territory of the Russian Federation," Andrei Klishas wrote on his Telegram channel. "We look forward to prompt consideration of the amendments by the State Duma." Klishas did not specify how Russia would identify or punish those who implemented sanctions.
Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania stop importing Russian gas as part of European efforts to curb reliance on Russian energy.Latvia says the Baltic states are no longer importing Russian natural gas, as European nations try to wean themselves off Russian energy sources in the wake of the Ukraine war. “If there were still any doubts about whether there may be any trust in deliveries from Russia, current events clearly show us that there is no more trust,” Uldis Bariss, CEO of Conexus Baltic Grid – Latvia’s natural gas storage operator, said on Saturday. “Since April 1st, Russian natural gas is no longer flowing to Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania,” he told Latvian radio, adding that the Baltic market was currently being served by gas reserves stored underground in Latvia.
Anders AngleseyRussian soldiers have carried out grave war crimes against civilians, including rape and executions in areas they controlled, according to a human rights advocacy organization. Human Rights Watch (HRW) alleged it has documented numerous cases of Russian soldiers committing war crimes against Ukrainian civilians in the occupied areas of Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Kyiv. In an April 3 report, the HRW said it had found a case of "repeated rape," two cases of "summary execution"—one of six men and the other of one man—and unlawful violence and threats against civilians between February 27 and March 14. The group also claimed Russian soldiers had also looted civilian property, including food, clothes, and firewood.
Alberto NardelliSome European Union governments are pushing for the bloc to quickly impose new sanctions in response to multiple reports that Russian troops executed unarmed civilians in Ukrainian towns, according to diplomats familiar with the discussions. The European Commission was already honing measures that would mostly focus on closing loopholes, strengthening existing actions -- such as export controls on technology goods and fully sanctioning banks already cut off from the SWIFT global payments system -- and expanding the list of sanctioned individuals. Some EU nations argue there is now a trigger for even more penalties to be put in place with speed, with Ukrainian officials reporting evidence of war crimes committed by Russian troops in northern areas, according to a diplomat familiar with the discussions.
By Guy FaulconbridgeLONDON, April 3 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin's rouble payment scheme for natural gas is the prototype that the world's largest country will extend to other major exports because the West has sealed the decline of the U.S. dollar by freezing Russian assets, the Kremlin said. Russia's economy is facing the gravest crisis since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union after the United States and its allies imposed crippling sanctions due to Putin's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.
Lucian K. Truscott IVThe word "miscalculation" has been thrown around a lot to describe Vladimir Putin's attempt to annex Ukraine, but perhaps his biggest miscalculation lay in thinking he could do it using tanks as his primary weapon. It's clear as the sixth week of the war begins that his apparent plan was to send a column of tanks rumbling into Kyiv, blow up a few things, send Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his government scampering away in fear, declare victory, install a puppet president and go home. Evidence that his plan was a strategic, tactical and political failure is showing on your television screens around the clock. If there is one image that will symbolize forever this war, it will be a blown-up Russian tank, its treads sagging and its turret tilted, rusting by the side of the road in Ukraine.
By DAVID KLEPPER and AMANDA SEITZWashington (AP) — Though Russia is the country that invaded its neighbor Ukraine, the Kremlin’s version relentlessly warns social media users across Latin America that the U.S. is the bigger problem. “Never forget who is the real threat to the world,” reads a headline, translated here from Spanish. The article, originally posted in late February on Twitter by RT en Español, is intended for an audience half a world away from the fighting in Kyiv and Mariupol. As that war rages, Russia is launching falsehoods into the feeds of Spanish-speaking social media users in nations that already have long records of distrusting the U.S. The aim is to gain support in those countries for the Kremlin’s war and stoke opposition against America’s response.
Chloe TaylorRussian President Vladimir Putin has misjudged the situation in Ukraine, but his advisors are scared of telling him the truth about what’s happening on the ground, the head of Britain’s intelligence agency said Thursday. “It increasingly looks like Putin has massively misjudged the situation. It’s clear he misjudged the resistance of the Ukrainian people,” Jeremy Fleming, director of U.K. intelligence agency GCHQ, said in a speech in Australia. Referring to the conflict in Ukraine as Putin’s “personal war,” Fleming said the Russian leader had also underestimated the economic consequences of the sanctions regime as well as Russia’s military capabilities. “We’ve seen Russian soldiers — short of weapons and morale — refusing to carry out orders, sabotaging their own equipment and even accidentally shooting down their own aircraft,” he said.
Director of space agency Roscosmos says partnership will be restored only when ‘illegal sanctions’ are removedReutersRussia says it will end cooperation with western countries over the International Space Station until sanctions are lifted. Russia’s space director said on Saturday that the restoration of normal ties between partners at the ISS and other joint space projects would be possible only once western sanctions against Moscow were lifted. Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Roscosmos, said in a social media post that the aim of the sanctions was to “kill Russian economy and plunge our people into despair and hunger, to get our country on its knees”. He added that they “won’t succeed in it, but the intentions are clear”. “That’s why I believe that the restoration of normal relations between the partners at the International Space Station (ISS) and other projects is possible only with full and unconditional removal of illegal sanctions,” Rogozin said.
By NICOLE WINFIELDVALLETTA, Malta (AP) — Pope Francis said Saturday he is studying a possible visit to Kyiv and he blasted Russian President Vladimir Putin for launching a “savage” war. Speaking after his arrival in Malta, he delivered his most pointed and personalized denunciation yet of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Francis didn’t cite Russian President Vladimir Putin by name, but the reference was clear when he said that “some potentate” had unleashed the threat of nuclear war on the world in an “infantile and destructive aggression” under the guise of “anachronist claims of nationalistic interests.” “We had thought that invasions of other countries, savage street fighting and atomic threats were grim memories of a distant past,” Francis told Maltese officials and diplomats on the Mediterranean island nation at the start of a weekend visit.
Bill ChappellRussia's force has fully withdrawn from the area of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Ukraine's defense ministry confirmed on Friday. It cited two reasons for the exit: military losses and radiation exposure. "Russian mutants lost this round of @stalker_thegame," the ministry said via Twitter, referring to the Stalker video game franchise that is set in the notoriously radioactive zone.
gkay@insider.com (Grace Kay)The CEO of the Netherlands port, Allard Castelein, told Bloomberg that the inspection process for thousands of shipping containers linked to Russia has become a "nightmare." Amid sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine, the Russian-linked containers are set aside for a careful inspection in order to certify that moving the containers won't breach any of the sanctions, he told the publication. "You need to isolate them, set them apart, and then do physical inspections of the containers before they can be released," he told Bloomberg. "That exercise delivers constraints on the value chain in terms of physical space, manpower and time," he added.
By Jake Kwon, Masha Angelova and Uliana Pavlova, CNNCNN — A Russian official accused Ukraine of mounting a helicopter attack on a fuel depot inside Russian territory Friday, as footage surfaced of the facility engulfed in flames. The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region claimed two Ukrainian military helicopters flew across the border at low altitude on Friday morning and struck the fuel storage facility, setting millions of gallons of fuel on fire. A spokesman for Ukraine’s defense ministry declined to comment on the Russian accusations. CNN could not verify the Russian claims. “I would like to emphasize that Ukraine is performing a defensive operation against Russian aggression on the territory of Ukraine,” Oleksandr Motuzyanyk, spokesman for Ukraine’s defense ministry, said in a televised statement Friday.
Group says it has found several ways to keep lost units lost.Patrick TuckerA group of Ukrainian hackers says it has found ways to disrupt Russian military units’ navigation and is working on ways to disrupt artillery fire as well. The nearly two dozen volunteers of the CyberPan Ukraine group work with the Ukrainian military and get funds from sources in Israel and the United States, group members told Defense One. In the weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine, one member said, the group has found ways to keep some field units from receiving signals from the GLONASS system, Russia’s version of the U.S. GPS satellite navigation constellation. Lost Russian forces are easier to find and target than ones that know where they are going. Currently, the group is looking for ways to disrupt artillery fire, at least from systems that employ precision guidance systems. The member said the group has identified several computer servers linked to Russian rockets. “We found many mistakes inside the system,” he said.
By John FengChina fears President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine could lead to Russia's collapse—a scenario that would leave Beijing alone in facing the West's increasing scrutiny, Taiwan's top diplomat has said. Foreign Minister Joseph Wu believes the U.S. is pressuring the Chinese leadership to distance itself from the Kremlin's actions. But Beijing's considerations about its own fate and legitimacy mean it has so far failed to act, a decision Wu sees as likely to further undermine the already fraught U.S.-China relationship.
ReutersBERLIN, March 31 (Reuters) - German Economy Minister Robert Habeck on Thursday rejected demands by Russia that European countries pay for its gas in roubles as an unacceptable breach of contract, adding that the manoeuvre amounted to "blackmail".
Its separatist leader says the Moscow-backed breakaway region plans to take steps to become part of Russia.The separatist leader of Georgia’s breakaway region of South Ossetia says the Moscow-backed territory is planning to take steps in the near future to become part of Russia. Russia recognised South Ossetia as an independent state in 2008 after fighting a short war with Georgia. It has provided the separatist region with extensive financial support, offered Russian citizenship to its population and stationed thousands of Russian troops there.
By LIUDAS DAPKUSVILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Russia’s tech workers are looking for safer and more secure professional pastures. By one estimate, up to 70,000 computer specialists, spooked by a sudden frost in the business and political climate, have bolted the country since Russia invaded Ukraine five weeks ago. Many more are expected to follow. For some countries, Russia’s loss is being seen as their potential gain and an opportunity to bring fresh expertise to their own high-tech industries. Russian President Vladimir Putin has noticed the brain drain even in the throes of a war that, according to the U.N. refugee agency, has caused more than 4 million people to flee Ukraine and displaced millions more within the country.
By Debjit Chakraborty and Unni KrishnanRussia is offering India steep discounts on the direct sale of oil as mounting international pressure lowers the appetite for its barrels elsewhere following the invasion of Ukraine, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The sanctions-hit nation is offering its flagship Urals grade to India at discounts of as much as $35 a barrel on prices before the war to lure India to lift more shipments, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing confidential deliberations. Headline Brent prices have risen about $10 since then, implying an even larger reduction from current prices.
Ukraine war: Dozens of Russian diplomats expelled by four EU nations
BBC NewsIn a co-ordinated move, four EU countries are expelling more than 40 Russian diplomats suspected of spying. Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic issued expulsion orders to a total of 43 embassy staffers on Tuesday afternoon. The move follows similar actions taken by other EU members, including Poland, in the past week. Belgian Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmès told MPs that the expulsions were "related to our national security".
The plan involves rupee-rouble-denominated payments using Russia’s messaging system SPFS, according to people familiar with the matter.
By Shruti Srivastava and Vrishti BeniwalBloomberg
India’s government is considering a proposal from Russia to use a system developed by the Russian central bank for bilateral payments, according to people with knowledge of the matter, as the Asian nation seeks to buy oil and weapons from the sanctions-hit country. The plan involves rupee-ruble-denominated payments using Russia’s messaging system SPFS, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing confidential deliberations. No final decision has been taken and the matter will probably be discussed when Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrives in India for a two-day visit Thursday.
Several hundred Russian troops reportedly rushed to a special medical facility in Belarus after digging in radioactive soil in a forest near the infamous nuclear plant.Barbie Latza NadeauSeveral hundred Russian soldiers were forced to hastily withdraw from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine after suffering “acute radiation sickness” from contaminated soil, according to Ukrainian officials. The troops, who reportedly dug trenches in a contaminated Red Forest near the site of the worst nuclear disaster in history, are now being treated in a special medical facility in Gomel, Belarus. The forest is so named because thousands of pine trees turned red during the 1986 nuclear disaster. The area is considered so highly toxic that not even highly specialized Chernobyl workers are allowed to enter the zone.
By ROD McGUIRK, Associated PressCANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Demoralized Russian soldiers in the Ukraine were refusing to carry out orders and sabotaging their own equipment and had accidentally shot down their own aircraft, a U.K. intelligence chief said on Thursday. Jeremy Fleming, who heads the GCHQ electronic spy agency, made the remarks at a speech in the Australian capital Canberra. Russian President Vladimir Putin had apparently “massively misjudged” the invasion, he said.
Speed and scale of refugee crisis unprecedented in Europe since WW2, says UN refugees commissionerJon HenleyMore than 4 million people have fled Russia’s “utterly senseless” war on Ukraine, the United Nations has said, as the Kremlin played down hopes of an early breakthrough a day after peace talks between the two sides. “We cannot state that there was anything too promising or any breakthroughs,” the Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said on Wednesday. He said it was “positive” that Kyiv had outlined its demands but there was “a lot of work to be done”. Ukraine and its western allies dismissed a promised Russian military pullback from near Kyiv as a strategic ploy after heavy losses, and Moscow’s bombardment of cities from Chernihiv in the north to Mariupol in the south continued unabated.
By KEN SWEET and ELLEN KNICKMEYERWASHINGTON (AP) — The ruble is no longer rubble. The Russian ruble by Wednesday had bounced back from the fall it took after the U.S. and European allies moved to bury the Russian economy under thousands of new sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has resorted to extreme financial measures to blunt the West’s penalties and inflate his currency. While the West has imposed unprecedented levels of sanctions against the Russian economy, Russia’s Central Bank has jacked up interest rates to 20% and the Kremlin has imposed strict capital controls on those wishing to exchange their rubles for dollars or euros.
By NEBI QENA and YURAS KARMANAUKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces bombarded areas around Kyiv and another city just hours after pledging to scale back operations in those zones to promote trust between the two sides, Ukrainian authorities said Wednesday. The shelling — and intensified Russian attacks on other parts of the country — tempered optimism about any progress in the talks aimed at ending the punishing war. The Russian military’s announcement Tuesday that it would de-escalate near the capital and the northern city of Chernihiv to “increase mutual trust and create conditions for further negotiations” was met with deep suspicion from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the West. Soon after, Ukrainian officials reported that Russian shelling hit homes, stores, libraries and other civilian sites in and around Chernihiv and on the outskirts of Kyiv. Russian troops also stepped up their attacks on the Donbas region in the east and around the city of Izyum, which lies on a key route to the Donbas, after redeploying units from other areas, the Ukrainian side said.
ReutersLONDON, March 30 (Reuters) - Ramzan Kadyrov, the powerful head of Russia's republic of Chechnya, said on Wednesday that Moscow would make no concessions in its war in Ukraine, deviating from the official line and suggesting the Kremlin's own negotiator was wrong. Kadyrov, who has Chechen forces fighting in Ukraine as part of Russia's military operation, said in comments on Telegram that President Vladimir Putin would not simply stop what he had started there.
Ramzan Kadyrov promoted to lieutenant-general for his role in invasion of UkraineEmma Graham-Harrison in Lviv and Vera MironovaThe Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has promoted Ramzan Kadyrov to lieutenant-general for his role in the invasion of Ukraine, which the Chechen leader is using to showcase his loyalty to Moscow and his own impunity. This week Kadyrov claimed that a key ally linked to the 2015 murder of the Russian opposition leader, Boris Nemtsov, was injured fighting in the besieged port city of Mariupol. Ruslan Geremeev was pictured in hospital, where Kadyrov visited him. Earlier videos the Chechen leader posted calling Geremeev a “dear brother” claimed to show him on the frontlines in Mariupol, including at the city hall.
Opinion by Justin BronkOn March 25, the Russian Ministry of Defence announced that the “first phase” of the invasion of Ukraine was over. A mere month earlier, President Vladimir Putin had vowed to completely destroy Ukraine’s military capabilities and to replace the Ukrainian government, which he claimed without any evidence was a neo-Nazi junta planning to commit “genocide” in Donbas. To that end, on February 24 the Russian army and airborne forces attempted a lightning assault on Kyiv, and simultaneously launched offensives against Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Kherson, Melitopol, Mariupol and on the line of contact in the Donbas region. The subsequent month of unexpectedly vicious high-intensity combat has seen Russian forces fail to take all the cities, with the exception of the smaller southern cities of Kherson and Melitopol, which fell in the first days. In return, the Russian army has taken extremely heavy losses; between 7,000 and 15,000 personnel killed and more than 2,000 vehicles visually confirmed as destroyed or captured.
ReutersLONDON, March 30 (Reuters) - Russian hackers have recently attempted to penetrate the networks of NATO and the militaries of some eastern European countries, Google's Threat Analysis Group said in a report published on Wednesday. The report did not say which militaries had been targeted in what Google described as "credential phishing campaigns" launched by a Russian-based group called Coldriver, or Callisto. "These campaigns were sent using newly created Gmail accounts to non-Google accounts, so the success rate of these campaigns is unknown,"
By Matthew ImpelliRussia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov promoted a new "world order" with China on Wednesday ahead of his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. In a video posted to Twitter by the Russian Foreign Ministry and translated by Agence France-Presse (AFP), Lavrov can be heard saying "We, together with you, and with our sympathizers will move towards a multipolar, just, democratic world order." "Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov and Wang Yi meet in Tunxi, China," the Russian Foreign Ministry tweeted, showing a picture of Lavrov and Wang.
CBS NewsBeijing — Beijing and Moscow advanced a vision of a new world order Wednesday as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made his first visit to key ally China since his country launched its invasion of Ukraine. Moscow's top diplomat landed in the eastern city of Huangshan early Wednesday for a series of meetings about the future of Afghanistan, but Russia's bloody assault on its neighbor was likely to loom large over proceedings. Russia says it's building a new "democratic world order" with China. Beijing has refused to condemn the invasion and has provided a level of diplomatic cover for an increasingly isolated Russia.
ReutersMarch 30 (Reuters) - Russia plans to keep the contract currency for gas exports to Europe unchanged but will seek final payment in roubles as one of the options to switch the currency of gas trade, two Russian sources said on Wednesday. President Vladimir Putin has said Russia, the world's top natural gas producer, will soon require "unfriendly" countries to pay for fuel in roubles, raising alarm about a possible gas crunch in Europe. "Only payment currency is changing, the contract currency is not," one source said. For example, for deals clinched in euros the payment should be made at the official rouble/euro exchange rate set by the Russian central bank, that source said.
Don Lemon TonightCNN's Don Lemon and Col. Cedric Leighton (Ret.) discuss reports that the Wagner Group -- made up of soldiers hired by Russia -- is now expected to be deployed in eastern Ukraine.
Alexander Nazaryan | Yahoo NewsWASHINGTON — Russian and Ukrainian diplomats appeared to reach the outlines of a ceasefire deal on Tuesday that would halt Moscow’s monthlong assault on its much smaller neighbor. Even so, observers of Russian politics over the last two decades fear that what looks like progress could be a mere bid for time to regroup after a poor offensive to launch a second, more devastating attack. “I am very, very skeptical of these peace negotiations,” Samuel Ramani, a University of Oxford expert in Russian history and politics, told Yahoo News. “It’s very possible that the Russians could use these negotiations to buy time while escalating and consolidating their presence in eastern Ukraine,” where they already established control over the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.
By MICHAEL STARRThe Russian defense industry is unable to meet its production contracts for munitions and vehicles that are vital to its invasion of Ukraine because of sanctions and the consequent rising cost of raw materials and components, the Ukrainian Intelligence Directorate (GUR) alleged on Tuesday. Supposed Russian Defense Ministry documents GUR claimed to have obtained say that the Kremlin is collecting data on the status of government defense contracts and disruption "associated with rising prices for the raw materials and components used." The Ukrainian intelligence body assessed that Russia has relied on foreign technology and electronics to produce modern military equipment, and sanctions have limited the supply of those items, in addition to driving up costs. One such advanced weapon, the Zircon hypersonic cruise missile, was announced to have had its production delayed on March 20, but this was attributed to a backlog of production demands. Due to the loss of key foreign components and costly raw materials, Russia may have to produce older components and vehicles — in the case of one factory, equipment allegedly developed from as far back as the 1960s — instead of modern gear GUR claimed.
By Kirstin Ridley, Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi and Danielle KayeLONDON/ZURICH/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Yevgeny Chichvarkin, a telecoms tycoon who fled Russia in 2008 and became a high-profile London restaurateur, has long been a vocal supporter of Ukraine. Together with wife Tatiana Fokina, the multimillionaire says he has sent four truckloads of medical and protective equipment to Poland to help Ukrainians since the Russian invasion on Feb. 24. Chichvarkin, a burly man with a waxed moustache, said he drove the first load himself. But the 48-year-old entrepreneur, a long-time critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said he has just unexpectedly had one of his Swiss bank accounts frozen. He declined to say by which bank.
hdyer@insider.com (Henry Dyer,Natalie Musumeci)Russian elites will likely blame each other for Russia's "disastrous progress" in its more-than-month-long war with Ukraine, Western officials said on Tuesday. "It's also likely that within the Russian system various elements are going to be blaming each other for the lack of success" in Ukraine, a Western official speaking on the condition of anonymity told reporters. The official added, "People are going to be being quite defensive about their own failures, and I think, looking to point the finger at others." Additionally, the official said, there has been "considerable evidence of unease about the way in which the invasion has panned out for Russia amongst the Russian elite broadly defined." "The question as to who has ultimate power in this is in one sense an easy one to answer, and in one sense a difficult one," the official said. "In an easy sense, it's obviously only one man — and that is [Russian President] Vladimir Putin."
Monique BealsExperts gathered to speak to the Helsinki Commission on Tuesday about Russia's extensive and seemingly effective propaganda campaign regarding Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Peter Pomerantsev, who was born in Kyiv but spent 10 years working as a journalist in Russia, spoke of Russian President Vladimir Putin's major role in directing the propaganda machine at the hearing. "He depends on their feeling that, in the words of his own spin doctors, there is no alternative to Putin," Pomerantsev, who is now a fellow at Johns Hopkins University's Agora Institute, said, referencing the Russian people. "And that is why he's doing so much to control the information environment, emotions and perceptions at home. It's why breaking through the new information Iron Curtain is a challenge, which is as much psychological as it is technical," he added. Also during the hearing, Fatima Tlis, a Russian American journalist, spoke of the varied tactics Russia uses on domestic and international groups.
Brendan ColeKremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Russia is not considering turning to nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine, and reiterated Moscow's stance that the use of such capabilities would only follow a "threat for existence." Peskov told PBS "no one is thinking about [...] using a nuclear weapon," and that the Ukrainian conflict has "nothing to do with" any threat to Russia's existence. The comments come a week after on CNN he repeatedly refused to rule out that Russia would consider nuclear force against an "existential threat." In the PBS interview on Monday, Peskov had been asked to clarify comments from former President Dmitry Medvedev, who has listed scenarios in which Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons if it faced an existential threat. Russia has around 6,000 nuclear warheads and Medvedev said Russia's nuclear doctrine did not require an adversary to use such weapons first.
ReutersMarch 29 (Reuters) - The Russian finance ministry said on Tuesday it has fully paid a coupon on the country's Eurobond due in 2035, its third payout since unprecedented Western sanctions called Moscow's ability to service foreign currency debt into question.
By Nina ChestneyFRANKFURT/LONDON, March 29 (Reuters) - Russia said it would work out practical arrangements by Thursday for foreign companies to pay for its gas in roubles, raising the probability of supply disruptions as Western nations have so far rejected Moscow's demand for a currency switch. President Vladimir Putin's order last week to charge "unfriendly" nations in roubles for Russian gas has boosted the currency after it fell to all-time lows when the West imposed sweeping sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
Holly EllyattWhen Russia invaded Ukraine, it was widely believed to have expected an easy victory over its neighbor. But so far, Russia has little to show for what it has called its “special military operation”: Its forces have been bogged down in fighting mainly on the northern, eastern and southern fringes of Ukraine and have found the country to be much more organized and well equipped than they expected. Russian forces have seized only one city, Kherson, but even that occupation looks shaky, with Ukrainian forces launching a counteroffensive to retake the southern port. Similar moves have been seen elsewhere in Ukraine, with officials claiming its forces are mounting an increasing number of counterattacks.
Russian shares have slumped as its stock market resumed trading of all companies after a monthlong halt following the Ukraine invasionBy The Associated PressLONDON -- Russian shares slumped as its stock market resumed trading of all companies Monday after a monthlong halt following the invasion of Ukraine. The benchmark MOEX index slid 2.2% after the Moscow Exchange reopened for all of its several hundred listed companies, but with restrictions still in place to limit volatility. State-owned energy giant Gazprom fell 3.7%, while airline Aeroflot was up 3%. The last full trading session in Moscow was on Feb. 25, a day after the index tumbled by a third after President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine. Prices whipsawed last week when the exchange tentatively reopened for two days of limited trading, with investors allowed to trade only 33 of the MOEX index's 50 companies. Some restrictions remained in place Monday to prevent another big selloff, including the daily session shortened to four hours and a ban on short-selling, which essentially involves betting on stock prices to go down.
Grant SunesonSeveral research reports rank corrupt countries. Among the most well-known of these are Corruption Perceptions Index, The U.S News countries index, and a report by Forbes. While not all use the same measures, most include the pervasiveness of bribery, sexual exploitation, and lack of legal enforcement of activities that contribute to corruption. To determine the most corrupt country in the world, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data from Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index. Countries were ranked based on their corruption index score, a measure reflecting perceived levels of public sector corruption ranging from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). According to the CPI, the most corrupt country in the world is South Sudan.
By Zoe StrozewskiRussian oligarchs could see their European Union citizenship revoked under a proposal announced Monday by the bloc's executive branch. Some member nations have golden passport schemes that make it possible for wealthy people to buy citizenship in the EU, the Associated Press reported. The European Commission recommended that those nations consider whether to strip citizenship rights from Russians and Belarusians among the hundreds of sanctioned individuals—or those who support the Russia-Ukraine war—who may have obtained EU citizenship through these schemes.
John Bacon, Celina Tebor | USA TODAYThe Russian military said Tuesday that it had drastically reduced its military activity near the Ukraine capital of Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv as talks with Ukraine aimed at ending the war entered the “practical” stage. Russia and Ukraine began face-to-face talks Tuesday in Turkey as the United Nations pressed for a cease-fire for Russia's brutal invasion. The talks took place in the Turkish presidential office in Istanbul and lasted more than three hours, Russia's Tass reported. Alexander Fomin, Russia's deputy minister of defense, said the military cutbacks were made to improve conditions for the talks. Fomin said that “a decision was made to drastically reduce the military activity on the approaches to Kiev and Chernihiv.”
Hannah ToweyRussian tanker ships switched off their tracking systems at least 33 times last week, according to location data provided to Bloomberg by Windward, a maritime risk consultancy. That's double the normal weekly rate, the firm said. This tactic known as "going dark," or "dark activity" has been flagged by the US Treasury as one of several "deceptive practices used to evade sanctions" in the maritime industry. The data from Windward also shows that ship-to-ship meetings are taking place that could be long enough to transfer cargo to vessels without sanctions, though the frequency of those meetings is still at a normal level. Windward also said last week that 22 unique vessels had entered Russian waters for the first time in the weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine. The news follows reports that nine superyachts owned by Russian oligarchs and tycoons — several of whom were sanctioned — similarly turned off their tracking signals last week.
Karen Gilchrist, Sam MeredithThe United Arab Emirates’ energy and infrastructure minister has insisted that Russia will always be a part of OPEC+ even as governments across the globe shun the oil exporter over its war in Ukraine. Speaking to CNBC on Monday, Suhail Al Mazrouei, a former president of the oil alliance, said no other country could match Russia’s energy output and argued politics should not distract from the group’s efforts to manage energy markets. “Always, Russia is going to be part of that group and we need to respect them,” he told Hadley Gamble at the Atlantic Council’s sixth annual Global Energy Forum in Dubai. “OPEC+, when they speak to us, they need to speak to us including Russia,” he said, referring to the group’s negotiations with energy importers.
internewscast.comRussian billionaire Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian officials — who were negotiating an end to Moscow’s invasion reportedly — suffered symptoms suggesting they were poisoned, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Abramovich, the oligarch who is thought to be close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and several Ukrainian government officials, came down with the symptoms after meeting in Kyiv earlier this month, The Journal reported. Abramovich and two members of the Ukrainian delegation developed symptoms that included red eyes, peeling skin on their hands and face, and constant and painful tearing, according to the report. Abramovich, the owner of the British soccer club Chelsea FC who has been sanctioned by the United Kingdom, has been shuttling between Moscow, Lviv, Kyiv, and other locales in a diplomatic push to end the fighting, according to the Journal.
Huileng TanRussian secret-service agents confiscated millions of dollars' worth of luxury watches from a Swiss watchmaker in apparent retaliation against Switzerland's sanctions over the Ukraine war, Switzerland's NZZ am Sonntag newspaper reported over the weekend. The watches were confiscated from a local subsidiary of Audemars Piguet in Moscow earlier this month, the report said. Audemars Piguet, a nearly 150-year-old family-owned business, makes luxury watches that typically cost tens of thousands of dollars. Russian authorities cited customs offenses for the seizure of the watches, but Switzerland's foreign ministry said in a confidential memo that it was most likely "an arbitrary repressive measure in reaction to the sanctions," NZZ am Sonntag reported.
The Russians who interfered in our 2016 elections are upset for what Biden said.By Guy FaulconbridgeLONDON, March 28 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Monday that U.S. President Joe Biden's remark that Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power" was a cause for alarm, a guarded response to the first public call from the United States for an end to Putin's 22-year rule.
By Olafimihan OshinUkrainian defense officials said on Sunday that some Russian military units have returned to Belarus through Chernobyl to regroup amid mounting losses as Moscow's invasion enters its fifth week. In a statement on Saturday, General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (GSAFU) said an unspecified number of Russian forces have left Ukraine and crossed into Belarus. It added that the units could return to bolster attempts to encircle the capital Kyiv. “Several units have been taken to the Chernobyl district with further relocation to the territory of the Republic of Belarus to hold measures for the restoration of armour," GSAFU said in its Facebook post.
CBS NewsA key eyewitness to Syrian crimes against humanity is speaking out for the first time on CBS News, describing the atrocities he witnessed at a pivotal moment — as the West sounds alarms about civilian deaths in war-torn Ukraine. "The Gravedigger," a codename he is using because of ongoing threats against him and his family, described in an interview the wrenching details of the Russian-backed assaults on the Syrian population, and said they provide worrying indications of what is to come. "I see the news coming out of Ukraine, my heart hurts because I know what Russia has done in Ukraine — what it can do — because I know what it's done in Syria," he said.
Inside the rebel-controlled Idlib province, Syrians speak of their hopes and fears for the Ukraine war. Borzou Daragahi reports from near SaraqibBorzou Daragahi Idlib ProvinceA network of underground tunnels and earthen berms crisscross the muddy front line between Syrian opposition positions and Russian-backed regime forces just beyond the field to the south near the town of Saraqib.
By:Connor SurmonteRussian troops reportedly ran over their own commander because they were upset with the number of casualties their unit was facing in their ongoing war against resisting Ukrainian forces. The alleged intentional killing of the Russian colonel by his soldiers also comes as Vladimir Putin’s forces as a whole are facing heavy losses, and a substantial number of his generals are reportedly either going missing or being declared dead at the hands of Ukrainian soldiers as the Kremlin continues their vicious and violent invasion into their neighboring nation.
Julia DavisPutin’s invasion of Ukraine pitted Russia against most of the world, leaving Kremlin propagandists yearning for any tidbits of pro-Russian sentiment in the United States. These days, state television draws on a bounty of translated quotes almost exclusively from two Western voices: Tucker Carlson of Fox News and former U.S. President Donald J. Trump. They have a plan to reward them both: Carlson with a highly-coveted interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Trump with a freebie PR campaign designed to light his path back to the White House.
While many in the West were busy debating Biden’s words, Putin’s troops were using white phosphorus munitions and snatching up civilians.Allison QuinnJoe Biden’s off-the-cuff declaration on Saturday that Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power,” almost immediately walked back by the White House, has dominated Western news coverage this weekend as it stepped on the message the president was trying to put out while giving a boost to the Kremlin’s fanatical propaganda claims about a “fifth column” supposedly working towards regime change in Russia. But don’t let the wall-to-wall coverage of Biden’s “rhetorical escalation” distract you from the very literal, bloody escalations by Putin’s shock troops. You may have heard about the six missiles Russia fired at the Ukrainian city of Lviv even as Biden was speaking just across the border. But what about the reports of white phosphorus munitions being used by Russian troops on Saturday night—just as much of the Western world was in a tizzy over Biden’s assessment of Putin. Ukrainian forces in Avdiivka shared photos of the white phosphorus raining down, days after President Volodymyr Zelensky had warned the world that Russia was using “phosphorus bombs against peaceful people in Ukraine.”
Germany’s energy minister says the Group of Seven major economies have agreed to reject Moscow’s demand to pay for Russian natural gas exports in rublesBy FRANK JORDANS Associated PressBERLIN -- The Group of Seven major economies have agreed to reject Moscow’s demand to pay for Russian natural gas exports in rubles, the German energy minister said Monday. Robert Habeck told reporters that “all G-7 ministers agreed completely that this (would be) a one-sided and clear breach of the existing contracts.” He said officials from France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada met Friday to coordinate their position and that European Union representatives also were present.
That is ironic coming from the Russians who interfered in our 2016 elections to help Trump win because Putin did not want Hillary Clinton to win.ReutersLONDON, March 26 (Reuters) - The Kremlin dismissed a remark by U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday that Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power," saying it was up to Russians to choose their own president. Asked about Biden's comment, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Reuters: "That's not for Biden to decide. The president of Russia is elected by Russians." A White House official said Biden, who was speaking in Warsaw, had not been calling for "regime change" in Russia but his point was that "Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region"
CBS NewsLong before Russia invaded Ukraine, long before you ever heard of Vladimir Putin, Russia invaded Afghanistan. It was Christmas of 1979, and Michael Vickers was working for the CIA. "Nobody gave the Afghans a chance in 1979," he said. And yet, "It was the only time the Red Army had been defeated in its history." It's only a month into Putin's invasion of Ukraine and already what was supposed to be a cakewalk has turned into a bloody slog. Vickers said, "Putin's in a, probably even a tougher box than the Soviets were then." "Tougher box, how?" asked CBS News national security correspondent David Martin. "His economy is being destroyed. You have to look at this and see Russian power being destroyed, you know, both militarily and economically, and its international position," said Vickers. "How long are you going to let this go on?"
By Pavel Polityuk and Oleksandr KozhukharLVIV, Ukraine, March 27 (Reuters) - Russia wants to split Ukraine into two, as happened with North and South Korea, Ukraine's military intelligence chief said on Sunday, vowing "total" guerrilla warfare to prevent a carve-up of the country. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged the West to give Ukraine tanks, planes and missiles to help fend off Russian forces. Top American officials sought on Sunday to clarify that the United States does not have a policy of regime change in Russia, after President Joe Biden said at the end of a speech in Poland on Saturday that Russian leader Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power".
Dmitry Polyanskiy spoke to Sky News from inside Russia's mission to the UN in New York, where pictures of Vladimir Putin adorn the walls.Martha KelneThe Russian deputy ambassador to the UN says Russia retains the right to use nuclear weapons if the country is "provoked" by NATO. Dmitry Polyanskiy, one of Russia's top diplomats in the United States, spoke to Sky News after Vladimir Putin's spokesman said his boss could push the nuclear button if the country feels it is facing an "existential" threat. Asked if Putin was right to hold the prospect of nuclear war over the rest of the world, Mr Polyanskiy said: "If Russia is provoked by NATO, if Russia is attacked by NATO, why not, we are a nuclear power.
By Lexi LonasNATO Deputy-General Secretary Mircea Geoana said in an interview with The Associated Press that the group would respond if Russia used chemical or nuclear weapons in its war against Ukraine. “NATO is a defensive alliance, but also it’s a nuclear alliance,” said Geoana, who is also the former Romanian foreign minister and ambassador to the United States. “If they will be using chemical weapons or other kinds of higher-end systems against Ukraine, this will be changing fundamentally the nature of the war that Mr. Putin has waged against Ukraine." “I can guarantee that NATO is ready to respond proportionately,” Geoana added.
The members of the battalion took an oath and became part of Ukraine’s armed forces.Foreign fighters from Belarus have officially joined Ukraine’s military to take on the Russian counterparts as Moscow's invasion has entered into its 31st day on Saturday, according to a report. In a video, shared by The Kyiv Independent, the battalion can be seen taking an oath to Belarus. The Belarusian language is endangered as the regime of dictator Alexander Lukashenko allegedly favours Russian and discriminates against Belarusian speakers, who are already a minority, the report claimed.
Brad ReedThe Russian military is reportedly losing an average of more than a general per week, and The Daily Beast's Julia Davis reports that tensions over the war are now boiling over on the country's state-run TV news stations and are even resulting in "screaming matches." One particularly fraught debate came when analyst Vitaly Tretyakov gave a blunt assessment of the state of the war, which the Kremlin has insisted on calling a "special military operation." "The situation is serious," he said. "We have to admit that there was no psychological breakthrough in our operation, where the opposing side would lose their will to resist... The resistance from the Ukrainian side is neither stopping nor weakening." This drew an angry response from host Olga Skabeeva, who grilled Tretyakov about what he would do.
Ukrainian officials claimed to have gained ground around their capital city, but military experts and U.S. officials have warned of a long road ahead.By Richard Engel, Lauren Egan and Phil McCauslandKYIV, Ukraine — As Russian missile strikes continued to cause fires, terrorize residents and turn buildings to rubble here Wednesday, Ukrainian forces seemingly managed to push back Vladimir Putin's invading army from the capital's outer edges. Inside a city administration building, two Ukrainian generals helping to lead the counterattack pored over a map detailing the movement of their country's forces and the areas they had apparently recaptured. This is where officials from the city’s police, military and local government are meeting, planning and monitoring the war.
By Mark Trevelyan and Alexander WinningLONDON, March 25 (Reuters) - In a scaled-back formulation of its war goals, Russia said on Friday that the first phase of its military operation was mostly complete and it would focus on completely "liberating" Ukraine's breakaway eastern Donbass region.
polygraph.infoOn March 24, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova summarized the status of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, using the Kremlin’s mandatory term “special military operation” instead of war. “Exactly one month since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine; it is going according to plan, and all the stated goals will be achieved. Life is returning to normal in the territories already liberated from nationalists.”That is false.It is impossible to know what Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plan was in Ukraine. Still, judging by Russia’s confirmed losses since the operation began – likely an underestimate – and the fact that Russia has only captured some smaller cities, there’s reason for skepticism. On March 21, three days before Zakharova’s statement, The New York Times reported that U.S. intelligence officials conservatively estimated that Russia had lost more than 7,000 troops killed in action, with as many as 21,000 wounded or captured.
By Emily CraneThe Ukrainian Snake Island sailors who told a Russian warship to “go f–k yourself” before they were captured a month ago have been freed in a prisoner swap with Moscow. The 19 sailors were released from Russian captivity on Thursday, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereschuk revealed. In exchange, Ukraine freed 11 Russian civilian sailors they had rescued from a sunken ship near Odessa, Vereschuk said. It wasn’t immediately clear when the Russian sailors were captured.
By Kate AbnettBRUSSELS, March 24 (Reuters) - Leaders from some European Union member states said on Thursday Russia's demand that "unfriendly" countries use roubles to buy for its oil and gas could breach supply contracts.
Ned SimonsRussian troops killed one of their own commanders due to the losses being suffered during the invasion of Ukraine, Western officials have said. It is also believed Vladimir Putin has decided to “pause” his attempt to take Kyiv in order to concentrate his forces on the Donbas region in the east of the country.
Caroline VakilUkraine's Armed Forces revised earlier comments they had made about which Russian landing ship they claimed Ukrainian forces had destroyed. "In the Azov operational zone, according to updated information, a large landing ship 'Saratov' was destroyed during the attack on the occupied Berdyansk port. Large landing ships 'Caesar Kunikov' and 'Novocherkassk' were damaged. Other losses of the enemy are being clarified," the Ukrainian military said on Friday in a statement on Facebook. Previously, the Ukrainian military claimed it had destroyed the Orsk in Russian-occupied Berdyansk, which sits in the southern region of Ukraine, The Washington Post reported.
By Phil StewartWASHINGTON, March 25 (Reuters) - Russian precision-guided missiles are failing up to 60% of the time in Ukraine, three U.S. officials with knowledge of intelligence on the issue told Reuters, a possible explanation for the poor progress of Russia's invasion. Since President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, Russia has failed to achieve basic objectives such as neutralizing Ukraine's air force despite a vastly larger armed forces. The U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information, did not provide evidence to support the assessment and did not disclose what precisely was driving high Russian missile failure rates.
Opinion by Benjamin SawyerOn March 9, a committee in the Russian Duma approved a law that would allow the Russian government to nationalize the property of foreign firms that have exited or ceased operations inside the country since it invaded Ukraine. This follows calls from prominent Russian leaders, including former president Dmitry Medvedev and United Russia General Council Secretary Andrei Turchak, to punish these firms. The law has yet to move forward in the Duma, but the mere threat of such a step will probably harm Russia’s economy for years to come. Sanctions can hurt an economy, but they can be revoked. Reputation, on the other hand, is not so easily repaired. Vladimir Putin has spent years working to distinguish modern Russia from its czarist and Soviet predecessors, and he is well aware of the costs associated with proposing nationalization as a wartime policy.
ReutersMarch 24 (Reuters) - Russia accused Poland on Thursday of trying to destroy bilateral relations by expelling 45 of its diplomats, and said it would respond harshly. The Russian ambassador said Poland, which said on Wednesday it was expelling the diplomats on suspicion of working for Russian intelligence, had also blocked the embassy's bank accounts. The Russian foreign ministry said the expulsions were "a conscious step towards the final destruction of bilateral relations, the dismantling of which our Polish 'partners' have been systematically carrying out for a long time". It added: "Russia will not leave this hostile attack without a response, which will make Polish provocateurs think and will hurt them."
Ukraine has accused Russia of forcibly deporting residents of the besieged city.By Morgan Winsor, Emily Shapiro, Nadine El-Bawab, Ivan Pereira, Julia Jacobo, Meredith Deliso, Bill Hutchinson, Kevin Shalvey, Celia Darrough, and Mary KekatosRussian forces are continuing their attempted push through Ukraine from multiple directions, while Ukrainians, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are putting up "stiff resistance," according to U.S. officials. The attack began Feb. 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation." Russian forces moving from neighboring Belarus toward Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, have advanced closer to the city center in recent days despite the resistance. Heavy shelling and missile attacks, many on civilian buildings, continue in Kyiv, as well as major cities like Kharkiv and Mariupol. Russia also bombed western cities for the first time last week, targeting Lviv and a military base near the Poland border.
By NEBI QENA and CARA ANNAKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine accused Moscow on Thursday of forcibly taking hundreds of thousands of civilians from shattered Ukrainian cities to Russia, where some may be used as “hostages” to pressure Kyiv to give up. Lyudmyla Denisova, Ukraine’s ombudsperson, said 402,000 people, including 84,000 children, have been taken against their will to Russia, and some have reported shortages of food and water there. The Kremlin has said that the people relocated from Ukraine wanted to go to Russia. The country’s rebel-controlled eastern regions, for example, are predominantly Russian-speaking, and many people there have supported close ties to Moscow.
Danielle WallaceThe head of Russia's Ministry of Defense Sergei Shoigu has not been seen in public for 12 days and is possibly missing, according to reports and messages circulated on Telegram on Wednesday. Investigative journalists from the Russian independent news outlets Mediazona and Agentstvo claimed on Wednesday that the normally media savvy Shoigu has not appeared in public since March 11. There are rumors that Shoigu is in poor health and is experiencing heart problems, while other messages are swirling online suggest Shoigu might have been fired from the ministry and is on house arrest, according to Russian journalists. Fox News has not yet independently verified these allegations.
ReutersMarch 23 (Reuters) - Russia plans to resume some stock trading on Thursday after a near month-long hiatus, with 33 rouble securities to be traded on the Moscow Exchange. Non-residents will have to wait, though - they will be barred from selling stocks and OFZ rouble bonds until April 1. Trading in blue chips, including state lenders Sberbank (SBER.MM) and VTB (VTBR.MM), energy majors Rosneft (ROSN.MM) and Gazprom (GAZP.MM), will take place between 0650 and 1100 GMT, with short-selling banned, the central bank said on Wednesday. Russian stocks last traded on the Moscow Exchange on Feb. 25. The central bank then curbed trading as Western sanctions over events in Ukraine threw markets into turmoil.
News Menu:
All News Blog Business and Financial News Commentary and Opinions Coronavirus (Covid-19) Corruption News Crime News DEM Watch Election Fraud Election Interference Entertainment News Environment News FBI News Fox News GOP Watch Headline News Health News January 6 Commission Mob News News Links Odd News Past Headline News Police Watch Political News Politics Republicans vs Republicans Sports News Technology News Terrorism News The Mueller Investigation Top Stories Trump U.S. Headline News U.S. Monthly News White House World Headline News World Monthly News
Read it the then discuss it in the Forums.
News got you down then check out: 