Page 26 - Russia

India votes against Russia's demand for secret ballot on Ukraine in UNGA

India voted to reject Russia's demand for a secret ballot in the UN General Assembly on a draft resolution to condemn Moscow's illegal annexation of four regions of Ukraine, with New Delhi favouring a public vote on the text along with over 100 other nations. The 193-member UN General Assembly on Monday voted on a motion by Albania that action on the draft resolution that would condemn Russia's illegal so-called referendums and attempted illegal annexation of the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine be taken by a recorded vote. Russia had demanded that the resolution be voted upon by secret ballot. Moscow's demand for a secret ballot was rejected after 107 UN member states, including India, voted in favour of a recorded vote. Only 13 nations voted in favour of Russia's call for a secret ballot while 39 abstained. Russia and China were among the countries that did not vote. After the motion to hold a recorded vote was adopted, Russia appealed against the .

New Russian commander Surovikin brings violent Syria playbook to Ukraine

Sergei Surovikin, the new unified Russian battlefield commander in Ukraine, has been described as "absolutely ruthless, with little regard for human life"

Hong Kong to implement UN sanctions on Russian-owned superyach, not US ones

Hong Kong's leader John Lee said Tuesday he will only implement United Nations sanctions, after the U.S. warned the territory's status as a financial center could be affected if it acts as a safe haven for sanctioned individuals. Lee's statement Tuesday came days after a luxury yacht connected to Russian tycoon Alexey Mordashov docked in the city. Mordashov, who is believed to have close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, was sanctioned by the U.S., U.K. and the European Union in February after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Hong Kong authorities have said that they do not implement unilateral sanctions imposed by other governments. We cannot do anything that has no legal basis, Lee told reporters. We will comply with United Nations sanctions, that is our system, that is our rule of law, he said. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said in a statement Monday that the possible use of Hong Kong as a safe haven by individuals evading sanctions from multiple jurisdictions furthe

Nord Stream breaches reminder of vulnerabilities in undersea infrastructure

The greatest single release of potent greenhouse gas ever recorded was caused by four breaches of Russia's Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, located near the territorial seas of Denmark and Sweden

Ukraine-Russia conflict: Experts assess Crimean bridge blast damage

Early on Saturday, local time, a massive blast shook the Crimean Bridge (also known as the Kerch Bridge)

Will weigh what Russia offers on Sakhalin-1 ownership revamp: Hardeep Puri

India maintains a "healthy dialogue" with Russia and will look at what is offered following announced ownership revamp to the Sakhalin-1 oil and gas project, Hardeep Singh Puri said

Alarmed UN meets after Russian strikes kill nearly 14 people in Ukraine

The UN General Assembly started debating on Monday whether to demand that Russia reverse course on annexing four regions of Ukraine a discussion that came as Moscow's most extensive missile strikes in months alarmed much of the international community anew. The assembly's special session was planned before Monday's barrage, but countries spoke out on the widespread, Monday morning rush-hour attacks that killed at least 14 people and wounded scores. Ukrainian Ambassador Sergey Kyslytsya said some of his own close relatives were imperiled in a residential building, unable to take cover in a bomb shelter. By launching missile attacks on civilians sleeping in their homes or rushing toward children going to schools, Russia has proven once again that it is a terrorist state that must be deterred in the strongest possible ways, he said. Russia said it targeted military and energy facilities. But some of the missiles smashed into civilian areas: a park, a commuter minibus, and more. Russ

Ukraine, Russia clash at UNGA ahead of likely vote on Moscow's annexation

Ukraine and Russia clashed in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Monday ahead of a likely vote on a resolution on whether to condemn Moscow's annexation of four Ukrainian regions

Large Indian lenders shun direct rupee transactions in Russia trade: Report

Large Indian lenders are reluctant to process direct rupee trade transactions with Russia months after the mechanism was put in place for fear of becoming the target of sanctions by the United States

Ukraine makes Putin lurch to far right: Is this beginning of end for him?

Vladimir Putin's bizarre ceremonies formalising Russia's annexation of some 15% of Ukraine once again revealed the yawning chasm between Kremlin triumphalism and reality

India's balancing act on Russia-Ukraine conflict is getting trickier

India, as a member of the UNSC, abstained on a vote condemning Moscow's "annexation" of Ukrainian territory. To add insult to injury, Modi told Zelenskyy there was "no military solution" to it.

Vladimir Putin faces grim choices after blast hits prized Crimea bridge

An explosion that severely damaged parts of the road and rail bridge between annexed Crimea and the Russian mainland seems designed to play into Putin's current talent for making bad decisions

At least 17 killed in Russian strikes on Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia

A Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia overnight struck apartment buildings and killed at least 17 people, a top official in the Ukrainian city said on Sunday. City council Secretary Anatoliy Kurtev said the city was struck by rockets overnight, and that at least five private houses were destroyed and around 40 were damaged. The Ukrainian military also confirmed the attack, saying that there were dozens of casualties. The strike came after an explosion Saturday caused the partial collapse of a bridge linking the Crimean Peninsula with Russia, damaging an important supply artery for the Kremlin's faltering war effort in southern Ukraine and hitting a towering symbol of Russian power in the region. Zaporizhzhia has been repeatedly hit in recent weeks and is in the Ukrainian controlled-part of a region that Russian President Vladimir Putin annexed in violation of international law last week. A part of the region currently in Russian control is home to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, .

Putin tightens infrastructure security after blast on Crimea-Russia bridge

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree late Saturday tightening security for the Kerch Bridge and for energy infrastructure between Crimea and Russia. Russia's federal security service, the FSB, was put in charge of the effort, according to a Kremlin statement. The move by Putin came after an explosion Saturday caused the partial collapse of the bridge that link the Crimean Peninsula with Russia, damaging an important supply artery for the Kremlin's faltering war effort. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a video address, indirectly acknowledged the attack on the bridge by talking about the weather in Crimea but did not address its cause. Today was a good and mostly sunny day on the territory of our state, he said. Unfortunately, it was cloudy in Crimea." He said Ukraine wants a future without occupiers. Throughout our territory, in particular in Crimea.

US, allies pushing Pakistan to vote against Russia at UN General Assembly

The United States and its allies are seeking Pakistan's support for the resolution to be tabled at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) next week against Russia for invading Ukraine

Crimea bridge blast damages key Russian supply route; 3 dead: Official

An explosion caused the partial collapse of a bridge linking the Crimean Peninsula with Russia on Saturday, damaging a key supply artery for the Kremlin's faltering war effort in southern Ukraine. Three people were killed in the blast, Russian authorities said. The speaker of Crimea's Kremlin-backed regional parliament immediately accused Ukraine, though Moscow didn't apportion blame. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly threatened to strike the bridge and some lauded the attack, but Kyiv stopped short of claiming responsibility. The bombing came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin turned 70, dealing him a humiliating blow that could lead him to up the ante in his war on Ukraine. Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee said that a truck bomb caused seven railway cars carrying fuel to catch fire, resulting in a partial collapse of two sections of the bridge. A man and a woman who were riding in a vehicle across the bridge were killed by the explosion and their bodies wer

Ukraine war: Crucial bridge linking Crimea to Russia hit by huge explosion

The Kerch bridge from Russia to Crimea, a hated symbol of the Kremlins occupation of the southern Ukrainian peninsula, was hit by a massive explosion

Nord Stream explosions show the deep sea is now a zone of conflict

The series of pipeline explosions have yet to be definitively proved as sabotage or attributed to any nation, but most analysts believe that the likely culprit is Russia.

Amid energy crisis, desperate Europeans return to firewood for warmth

Not far from Berlin's Nazi-era Tempelhof airport, Peter Engelke is putting up a new security gate at his warehouse because of concerns about desperate people pilfering his stock

Shortage of LNG tankers beginning to affect supplies to India: Industry

Tightening Russian gas supplies to Europe has led to scramble for tankers before winter sets in