Section: War & conflict

      Russia knew of upcoming Syrian chemical attack – media
      Apr11

      Russia knew of upcoming Syrian chemical attack – media

      The United States has made a preliminary conclusion that Russia knew in advance of Syria`s chemical weapons attack last week, but has no proof of Moscow`s involvement, a senior U.S. official said Monday, according to the Associated Press. The official said that a drone operated by Russians was flying over a hospital as victims of the attack were...

      Hague court announces date of decision on Russia over Ukraine
      Apr11

      Hague court announces date of decision on Russia over Ukraine

      The UN International Court of Justice in The Hague, the Netherlands, will issue a ruling on a claim filed by Ukraine against Russia, the order will be delivered next Wednesday, April 19, according to the court`s press service. ”On Wednesday, April 19, 2017, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United...

      OSCE spots at least 10 Grads, howitzers and tanks near occupied Luhansk
      Apr10

      OSCE spots at least 10 Grads, howitzers and tanks near occupied Luhansk

      Monitors from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine have reported they spotted proscribed weapons in Russian-occupied areas in Donbas on the weekend; they included multiple rocket launchers, howitzers, as well as tanks, according to an update. ”In violation of the respective withdrawal lines in areas not controlled by the...

      Czech court closes down organization posing as ”Donetsk People`s Republic Consulate”
      Apr10

      Czech court closes down organization posing as ”Donetsk People`s Republic Consulate”

      The Regional Court in Czech Republic`s Ostrava started proceedings to liquidate the ”DPR” Representative Center in Czech territory headed by Czech national Nela Liskova, according to Hlidacipes.org. The court handed down the ruling on the second attempt, Hlidacipes.org reported. Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek demanded court action as...

      Russian naval activity in Europe exceeds Cold War levels – U.S. Navy Admiral Michelle Howard
      Apr10

      Russian naval activity in Europe exceeds Cold War levels – U.S. Navy Admiral Michelle Howard

      Recent Russian naval activity in Europe exceeds levels seen during the Cold War, a top U.S. and NATO military officer said, voicing concern that the distributed nature of the deployments could end up ”splitting and distracting” the transatlantic alliance, according to Reuters. ”We`re seeing activity that we didn`t even see when it was the Soviet...

      Russian propaganda calls Crimean Tatar`s batallion ”Jihadisi Islamic Battalion”
      Apr10

      Russian propaganda calls Crimean Tatar`s batallion ”Jihadisi Islamic Battalion”

      The spokesperson of the self-proclaimed ”DPR”`s ministry of defense, Eduard Basurin on Saturday voiced baseless claims that an ”Islamic brigade” with as many as 500 fighters had been deployed to the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol and was working with the 36th Naval Infantry Brigade, according to the Atlantic Council`s Digital Forensic Research...

      Ukrtelecom stops operations in occupied Donbas
      Apr10

      Ukrtelecom stops operations in occupied Donbas

      One of the largest Ukrainian telecom operators, Ukrtelecom, halted its telephone communication services and internet access on the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the company press service reports. ”Telephone communication and internet access services are not provided in the uncontrolled territory of Donetsk and...

      New Russia sanctions weighed in U.S. Senate over Moscow`s support for Assad
      Apr09

      New Russia sanctions weighed in U.S. Senate over Moscow`s support for Assad

      Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Friday indicated a willingness to work with Democrats toward drafting new sanctions targeting Russia in response to Moscow`s unwavering support for Syrian President Bashar Assad, according to The Washington Times. See also: U.S. imposes sanctions against eight Russian companies While Russia is already...

      Russia, Iran say U.S. crossed ”red lines” in Syria
      Apr09

      Russia, Iran say U.S. crossed ”red lines” in Syria

      A joint command center made up of the forces of Russia, Iran and militias supporting Syrian President Bashar al Assad said the U.S. strike on a Syrian air base on Friday crossed ”red lines” and it would respond to any new aggression and increase its support for its ally, according to Reuters. ”What America waged in an aggression on Syria is a...

      UNICEF: Children in east Ukraine need urgent support to overcome trauma of volatile conflict
      Apr09

      UNICEF: Children in east Ukraine need urgent support to overcome trauma of volatile conflict

      More than 200,000 children – or 1 in 4 – in the two regions most severely affected by the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine require urgent and sustained psychosocial support to address the trauma of living through more than three years of violence, the United Nations Children`s Fund (UNICEF) said on April 7. See also: Civilian casualties...