Page 28 - Russia

US hits Russia with new sanctions for annexing Ukrainian regions

The US on Friday sanctioned more than 1,000 people and firms connected to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including its Central Bank governor and families of National Security Council members, after President Vladimir Putin signed treaties absorbing occupied regions of Ukraine into Russia, in defiance of international law. The Treasury Department named hundreds of members of Russia's legislature, leaders of the country's financial and military infrastructure and suppliers for sanctions designations. The Commerce Department added 57 companies to its list of export control violators, and the State Department added more than 900 people to its visa restriction list. We will not stand by as Putin fraudulently attempts to annex parts of Ukraine, said Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. The Treasury Department and US government are taking sweeping action today to further weaken Russia's already degraded military industrial complex and undermine its ability to wage its illegal war.

Zelenskyy accelerates NATO bid as Russia annexes 4 Ukraine regions

Ukraine's president says his country is submitting an accelerated application to join the NATO military alliance. The comment Friday by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy came just after Russia said it would annex four region of Ukraine it seized amid its war and held gunpoint referendums viewed as illegitimate by the international community. Zelenskyy said: We are taking our decisive step by signing Ukraine's application for accelerated accession to NATO. It wasn't immediately clear what an accelerated application would mean, as ascension to NATO requires the unanimous support of the alliance's members. De facto, we have already proven compatibility with alliance standards. They are real for Ukraine -- real on the battlefield and in all aspects of our interaction, Zelenskyy said. We trust each other, we help each other, and we protect each other. This is the alliance. Zelenskyy also repeated his pledge to reunite all of the Ukrainian territory now held by Russia. The entire territory

UNSC to vote on resolution against Russia's illegal referendum in Ukraine

The United Nations Security Council has scheduled a vote for Friday afternoon on a resolution that would condemn Russia for its illegal so-called referenda in four Ukrainian regions and declare that they have no validity. The US- and Albanian-sponsored resolution would call on all countries not to recognise any alterations to the status of Ukraine's Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. It would reaffirm the UN commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence within its internationally recognised borders. The Kremlin has announced plans to move on annexing Russian-controlled areas of the four regions on Friday, and Russia is certain to veto the resolution. US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said earlier this week that if that happens the US and Albania will put the resolution to a vote in the 193-member General Assembly where there are no vetoes. The draft resolution, obtained late on Thursday by The Associated Press, would order Russia

US will never recognise Russia's claims on Ukrainian territory: Joe Biden

In response to Russia's move to formally annex four more areas in Ukraine, US President Joe Biden said that Washington will "never, never, never recognise" Moscow's claims on Kiev's territory

A shift towards indigenisation: 'Make in India' fortifies defence spending

An analysis of defence capex over the past 12 years shows a noticeable shift towards indigenisation

Rupee trade: Understanding difference between Nostro and Vostro accounts

The RBI has allowed two Russian banks, Sberbank and JSC VTB, to open Vostro accounts for rupee trade. Read more to find out what a Vostro account is and how it is different from a Nostro account

World Bank President Malpass warns of stagflation, recession in Europe

In a speech at Stanford University, Malpass said there was an increased likelihood of recession in Europe, while China's growth was slowing sharply and U.S. economic output had contracted

PM's remarks to Putin reflect India's stance on Ukraine war: S Jaishankar

India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent remarks to Russian President Vladimir Putin were consistent with the existing Indian position

Indian refiners pay dollars for Russian oil after Dubai bank rejects dirham

Indian companies are still buying Russian oil using dollars after Dubai's Mashreq Bank declined to handle payments from at least two refiners in Emirati Dirhams

Moscow sets up draft offices at borders to intercept fleeing Russian men

Long lines of Russians trying to escape being called up to fight in Ukraine continued to clog highways out of the country on Wednesday, and Moscow reportedly set up draft offices at borders to intercept some of them. North Ossetia, a Russian region that borders Georgia, declared a state of high alert and said that food, water, warming stations and other aid should be brought in for those who have spent days in queues. Volunteers on the Georgian side of the border also have brought water, blankets and other assistance. North Ossetia restricted many passenger cars from entering its territory, and set up a draft office at the Verkhy Lars border crossing, Russian news agencies said. Some media outlets released photos at the crossing showing a black van with military enlistment office written on it. Another such draft checkpoint was set up in Russia along the Finnish border, according to the independent Russian news outlet Meduza. Tens of thousands of Russian men have fled in the week .

US announces $1.1 bn more in military aid for Ukraine to counter Russia

The US will provide an additional USD 1.1 billion in aid to Ukraine, with funding for about 18 more advanced rocket systems and other weapons to counter drones that Russia has been using against Ukrainian troops, the Biden administration announced Wednesday. The latest package is being provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which funds contracts to purchase weapons and equipment. And it brings the total of US aid to Ukraine to nearly USD 17 billion since the Biden administration took office. The aid announcement comes as Russia moves to annex parts of Russian-occupied Ukraine that held Kremlin-orchestrated referendums on living under Moscow's rule. The votes were denounced by Kyiv and the West as illegal and rigged. We will not be deterred from supporting Ukraine, we will continue to stand with the Ukrainian people, and provide them with the security assistance they need to defend themselves, for as long as it takes, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre

Putin to proclaim formal annexation of Ukrainian territory in days

European Union likely to place trade sanctions on Moscow over 'sham' votes

Rupee trade: Two Russian banks get RBI nod for special vostro account

Trade between India and Russia started growing after the latter invaded Ukraine in late February

FinMin opposed extension of PMGKAY a day ahead of Cabinet approval

Office memorandum flagged fiscal concerns due to impact of Ukraine war on fuel prices. With Covid-19 having largely subsided, reasons for which earlier extensions were given no more seem to hold

Facebook takes down political influence operations from China and Russia

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, on Tuesday took down two separate covert influence networks operating from China and Russia

Russia claims win in 4 'referendums' held in occupied regions of Ukraine

Russia has claimed to win four 'referendums' in occupied Ukrainian regions, a victory which Moscow may use as grounds to annex more territory, the media reported on Wednesday

Russia's total grain harvest may reach record 150 mn ton this year: Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia could harvest a record 150 million ton of grain this year

Over 194,000 Russians flee call-up to neighbouring nations amid Ukaine war

It took Vsevolod four days to drive from Moscow to Russia's southern border with Georgia. He had to abandon his car at one point and continue on foot. On Tuesday, he finally finished his 1,800-kilometer (1,100-mile) journey and crossed the frontier to escape being called up to fight in Russia's war in Ukraine. At 26, I do not want to be carried home in a zinc-lined (coffin) or stain (my) hands with somebody's blood because of the war of one person that wants to build an empire, he told The Associated Press, asking that his last name not be used because he feared retaliation from Russia. He was one of over 194,000 Russian nationals who have fled to neighboring Georgia, Kazakhstan and Finland most often by car, bicycle or on foot in the week since President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization of reservists. The mass exodus of men alone or with their families or friends began Sept. 21, shortly after Putin's address to the nation, and continued all this week. Early on,

Gas leaks from Russian pipelines to Europe raise sabotage fears: Report

But it remained far from clear who might be behind any foul play, if proven, on the Nord Stream pipelines that Russia with European partners spent billions of dollars building.

Europe suspects sabotage as mystery gas leaks hit Russian pipelines

Poland's PM said the leaks were caused by sabotage, while Denmark's prime minister and Russia, which slashed its gas deliveries to Europe after Western sanctions, said it could not be ruled out