Feed InformerRussia and Ukraine News ReviewRussia and Ukraine News ReviewRespective post owners and feed distributors2018-11-27T05:28:04-05:00Feed Informer http://feed.informer.com/http://feed.informer.com/digests/PAZ5XAQQ1J/feederABC defends broadcasting Russia-Ukraine war documentary after ambassador calls it ‘bowl of vomit’<p>Ukraine ambassador to Australia says documentary aired on Four Corners repeats Kremlin’s ‘blatant lies’ but national broadcaster defends ‘important contribution’ to war reporting</p><ul><li>Get our <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/email-newsletters?CMP=cvau_sfl">morning and afternoon news emails</a>, <a href="https://app.adjust.com/w4u7jx3">free app</a> or <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/series/full-story?CMP=cvau_sfl">daily news podcast</a></li></ul><p></p><p>The ABC has defended an international documentary about the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/series/russia-ukraine-war-at-a-glance">Russia-Ukraine war</a> screened on Four Corners after it was criticised as propaganda by the Ukrainian ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko.</p><p>On Monday the ABC broadcast Ukraine’s War: The Other Side, from British film-maker Sean Langan, which promised to offer a human perspective on life on the Russian frontline.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/email-newsletters?CMP=copyembed">Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup</a></strong></p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/mar/19/abc-four-courners-russia-ukraine-war-documentary-bowl-of-vomit">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-19T07:57:40Zurn:uuid:a718ef66-ffc0-9923-a140-aa705a3774b1Amanda MeadePhotograph: ITV/YoutubeAustralia will bring home surveillance aircraft supporting Ukraine within weeks<p>The RAAF E-7A Wedgetail was deployed to monitor threats to assistance from Russia, but Australia says withdrawal does not mean it is scaling back support </p><p>Australia is set to bring home a surveillance aircraft that has helped to protect the delivery of military and humanitarian supplies to Ukraine, but denies it is part of any broader scaling back of support for the country.</p><p>The Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail – which has conducted regular flying missions to monitor threats <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/10/australia-to-send-surveillance-aircraft-to-germany-to-help-protect-supplies-to-ukraine">since its deployment to Germany in October</a> – is likely to end its current role within weeks.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/mar/19/australia-raaf-e-7a-wedgetail-plane-ukraine-russia-war-return-home">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-19T06:34:29Zurn:uuid:4cd3d592-8264-a125-27d7-63614c9a449fDaniel Hurst Foreign affairs and defence correspondentPhotograph: CPL Brett Sherriff/CPL Brett Sherriff/Department of DefenceWho congratulated Putin on his election victory and what does it say about global alliances?<p>While the Russian election results were condemned in the west, the reaction across Asia, Africa and Latin America shows a new global dynamic is emerging</p><p>After Vladimir Putin’s landslide presidential election <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/17/kremlin-vladimir-putin-claim-landslide-russian-election-victory">victory</a> on Sunday, western governments lined up to characterise the win as unfair and undemocratic.</p><p>The elections underlined the “depth of repression” in Russia, according to British foreign minister David Cameron, while the US state department said the jailing and disqualification of opponents meant the process was “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/18/putin-election-result-russia-ukraine-war">incredibly undemocratic</a>”.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/19/russia-election-2024-vladimir-putin-victory-who-which-leders-congratulated-him">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-19T05:45:57Zurn:uuid:010a32d7-7032-a56b-6690-95c4dccae733Jonathan YerushalmyPhotograph: Manish Swarup/APWhy are Indian and Nepali men ending up on the frontline in Ukraine? - podcast<p>Thousands of young Indian and Nepali men are being killed on the frontlines of the war in Ukraine. Their families want answers. Hannah Ellis-Petersen reports from Delhi</p><p>Hemul Mangakia grew up in Surat, a city in the Indian state of Gujarat. At 23 he was looking for opportunities and a way to make his mark on the world. So when he came across a video on YouTube posted by a recruitment agent in St Petersburg, Russia, he was intrigued. The man on the video said there were openings for security guards in the historic city. The pay was up to £2,000 per month. The chance was too good to miss.</p><p>As <strong>Hannah Ellis-Petersen</strong>,<strong> </strong>the Guardian’s south Asia correspondent, tells <strong>Michael Safi</strong>, this is a scene that has played out hundreds, maybe thousands of times in recent months. The young men, mainly from India and Nepal, fly to Russia on the promise of lucrative work and are then pressured into signing a different kind of contract: one that enlists them in the Russian military and pushes them to the frontline of the war in Ukraine, where many are now dying.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2024/mar/19/why-are-indian-and-nepali-men-ending-up-on-the-frontline-in-ukraine-podcast">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-19T03:00:18Zurn:uuid:0bd78c62-48f1-3852-3aeb-7223bbe97f9fPresented by Michael Safi with Hannah Ellis-Petersen; produced by George McDonagh and Solomon King; executive producer Phil MaynardPhotograph: HandoutPutin Urges Russians to Unite on Ukraine WarA day after a rubber-stamp presidential election, President Vladimir Putin said he would not back down in Russia’s war against Ukraine.2024-03-19T02:38:07Zurn:uuid:627bece0-374f-f42c-6960-0d884975cddcPaul Sonne, Anton Troianovski and Nanna HeitmannUS and Japan push for ban on nuclear weapons in space with UN security council resolution<p>UN chief António Guterres says risk of nuclear war has escalated and that ‘humanity cannot survive a sequel to Oppenheimer’</p><p>The US and Japan are sponsoring a UN security council resolution calling on all nations not to deploy or develop nuclear weapons in space, the US ambassador has announced.</p><p>Linda Thomas-Greenfield told a UN security council meeting that “any placement of nuclear weapons into orbit around the Earth would be unprecedented, dangerous, and unacceptable.”</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/19/us-japan-nuclear-weapons-ban-space-un-war">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-19T02:03:26Zurn:uuid:fba83de8-7a99-7614-0274-d6afb498c62bGuardian staff and agenciesPhotograph: Xinhua/REX/ShutterstockUkraine war briefing: Putin hails ‘return’ of annexed Ukrainian territories at rally<p>Russian president tells Red Square crowd Crimea is ‘pride of Russia’ on 10th anniversary of annexation. What we know on day 755</p><p><strong>President Vladimir Putin hailed the “return” to Russia of annexed Ukrainian territories, after <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/18/putin-election-result-russia-ukraine-war">winning an election slammed as illegitimate</a> by western powers.</strong> “Hand in hand, we will move forwards and this will make us stronger … Long live Russia!” Putin told a crowd at a Red Square pop concert to mark 10 years since Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine.</p><p><strong>Putin told the crowd that Crimea was the “pride of Russia” and that the Black Sea peninsula had “come back to its native harbour” when Moscow annexed the region.</strong> “Through decades, they carried faith in their fatherland. They never separated themselves from Russia and that’s what allowed Crimea to return to our common family,” he said.</p><p><strong>A senior Ukrainian official said Putin’s idea of creating a buffer zone inside Ukrainian territory was a clear indication that Moscow planned to escalate the war.</strong> Putin raised the possibility of setting up a buffer zone during a speech after winning re-election on Sunday, a move the Kremlin said would be the only way to protect Russia from Ukrainian attacks. “This is … a direct manifest statement that the war will only escalate,” presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak told Reuters.</p><p><strong>Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said it was “critically important” for the US to provide additional military aid to Ukraine, during a meeting with US Republican senator Lindsey Graham on Monday. </strong>“The sustained support of Ukraine by international partners, especially the United States, is now more important than ever for the implementation of plans to de-occupy our territories and protect our people,” he said.</p><p><strong>Graham said he was confident an aid package stalled by Republican opposition in the US Congress would soon be approved, but called for aid to take the form of a low-interest, waivable loan</strong>. He and other Republicans have backed the notion of loans rather than grants for US allies to make the expenditure more sustainable and popular, a plan espoused by former president Donald Trump, the likely Republican candidate in the 2024 presidential election.</p><p><strong>Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday congratulated Putin on his re-election and offered to mediate between Moscow and Ukraine, the Turkish presidency announced</strong>. Turkey’s top diplomat, Hakan Fidan, also hit out at “dangerous” rhetoric coming from both Europe and Moscow. “This war must end,” Fidan said in an interview with CNN Turk aired Monday evening. “On both sides, tens of thousands of mothers are burying their children and it’s continuing. Both sides have only too much to lose and nothing to gain,” he said.</p><p><strong>EU foreign ministers strongly support taking the revenues from frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.</strong> “I am not saying there was unanimity but [there was] a strong consensus to take this decision,” Borrell told reporters on Monday after a meeting with the ministers held in Brussels.</p><p><strong>The Council of the European Union ratified an agreement to increase the EU’s support for the Ukrainian military by 5bn euros ($5.44bn) through a dedicated assistance fund</strong>. The EU said the money would fund training and both lethal and non-lethal military gear.</p><p><strong>Ukrainian shelling killed four people near Russia’s border city of Belgorod on Monday, bringing the total number of dead in the region since last week to 15, authorities said</strong>. “Four people were killed in the village of Nikolskoye as a result of a direct shell hit on a private residential house,” governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.</p><p><strong>Ukrainian officials said Monday that Russia had launched missiles on border regions where it has intensified attacks in recent days</strong>. Overnight, Russia launched five missiles on the north-eastern Kharkiv border region and also targeted the neighbouring Sumy border region with two missiles, the Ukrainian air force said. Russia also launched 22 drones on Ukraine overnight, 17 of which were shot down in various regions, the air force said.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/19/ukraine-war-briefing-putin-hails-return-of-annexed-ukrainian-territories-at-rally">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-19T00:37:41Zurn:uuid:984daf27-65c2-77fa-0973-abb6812a2412Guardian staff and agenciesPhotograph: Gavriil Grigorov/ReutersRussia-Ukraine war: Putin says Crimea ‘returned home’ when it was annexed and declares Donbas part of ‘New Russia’ – as it happened<p>This live blog is now closed. For more on Putin’s re-election, you can read our latest reporting:</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/18/putin-election-result-russia-ukraine-war">West condemns ‘undemocratic’ Russian election as results show Putin landslide</a></li></ul><p>The EU has said the Russian election took place in a highly restricted environment “exacerbated by Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine”.</p><p>The EU said it regretted the decision of Russian authorities not to invite international observers to its elections.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/mar/18/russia-ukraine-war-live-west-criticises-putins-election-win-as-another-breach-of-international-law">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-18T19:02:53Zurn:uuid:bbe3172a-017f-9904-3c9d-6d761b90de72Gloria Oladipo (now); Yohannes Lowe and Lili Bayer (earlier)Photograph: Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty ImagesFalse King Charles death story spread by Russian media outlets<p>One site tweeted of monarch’s purported demise only to later concede: ‘Most likely, the information is fake’</p><p>The news broke in the Russian media on Monday afternoon. King Charles III was dead. He wasn’t, but no one really had time to check the details. The saga of the royal family finally had its latest twist: a viral Russian disinformation angle.</p><p>The rumour went into overdrive when it was shared on a Telegram channel used by Vedomosti, once Russia’s most respected business newspaper. There was a photo of Charles in ceremonial military uniform and the curt caption: “British King Charles III has died.” It made it through Russian internet channels, including Readovka, a pro-Kremlin Telegram channel with more than 2.35 million subscribers.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/mar/18/false-king-charles-death-story-spread-by-russian-media-outlets">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-18T18:51:54Zurn:uuid:5f7da1a2-3136-aa48-007b-7acf66a929d9Andrew RothPhotograph: Royal Household/ReutersRussia-Ukraine war live: Putin says Crimea ‘returned home’ when it was annexed and declares Donbas part of ‘New Russia’<p>Russian president’s speech marking 10 years since Crimea focuses on ‘Russia’s pride’ and ‘glory’ in front of crowd in central Moscow</p><p>The EU has said the Russian election took place in a highly restricted environment “exacerbated by Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine”.</p><p>The EU said it regretted the decision of Russian authorities not to invite international observers to its elections.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/mar/18/russia-ukraine-war-live-west-criticises-putins-election-win-as-another-breach-of-international-law">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-18T18:40:59Zurn:uuid:3dcbebc5-fdf5-bacf-9cfc-8ed47b084fbeGloria Oladipo (now); Yohannes Lowe and Lili Bayer (earlier)Photograph: Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty ImagesThe Guardian view on Russia’s election: in Stalin’s footsteps | Editorial<p>Vladimir Putin’s landslide victory in a fake contest marks the latest phase in a transition from authoritarianism to outright autocracy</p><p>One of the curiosities of the Soviet Union was the serious weight its leaders attached to holding elections. In a dictatorship, why bother? Academic studies <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1953432">concluded</a> that ensuring a 99% vote share for the only candidate on the ballot was a useful tool for civic mobilisation, and a way of isolating and intimidating anyone who aspired to a real democratic choice.</p><p>Under the repressive, paranoid leadership of Vladimir Putin, Russians are going back to the future. Mr Putin’s 87% <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/17/kremlin-vladimir-putin-claim-landslide-russian-election-victory">landslide</a> in Russia’s presidential election – the highest percentage in any post-Soviet poll – confirms that, almost a quarter of a century after he first entered the Kremlin, the resumption of a form of totalitarian control is all but complete. Having changed the constitution to ensure he can continue to rule, a further victory in 2030 would see him surpass Stalin’s 31 years of dictatorial power.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/18/the-guardian-view-on-russias-election-in-stalins-footsteps">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-18T18:40:33Zurn:uuid:dac054c8-ce3d-c63f-6946-a7aa0bca2907EditorialPhotograph: Alexander Zemlianichenko/APWest condemns ‘undemocratic’ Russian election as results show Putin landslide<p>UK, US and Germany denounce poll that was said to give president vote share of 87.28% amid crackdown on dissent</p><p>Western nations have widely condemned Russia’s presidential election, in which Vladimir Putin claimed a landslide victory that will keep him in power until at least 2030 amid a crackdown on dissent and opposition.</p><p>“These Russian elections starkly underline the depth of repression under President Putin’s regime, which seeks to silence any opposition to his illegal war,” said the British foreign secretary, David Cameron, as EU foreign ministers met to approve new sanctions against<strong> </strong>30 individuals and organisations<strong> </strong>in response to the death <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/17/vladimir-putin-claims-prisoner-swap-alexei-navalny">of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny</a>.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/18/putin-election-result-russia-ukraine-war">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-18T18:30:25Zurn:uuid:8eaae6b4-2ed5-f891-a456-1a8b78ac6e15Pjotr SauerPhotograph: Anadolu/Getty ImagesPutin’s vote share nears outer limits but still the only way is up<p>Observers say Russian leader’s election numbers approaching 90% mark final break with western conventions</p><p>Vladimir Putin is approaching the electoral outer limits. Claiming a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/18/putin-election-result-russia-ukraine-war">record landslide</a> on Sunday of 88.48% of the vote on a 77.44% turnout, Putin has launched himself into the stratosphere of post-Soviet election results.</p><p>It is a mathematical axiom for any president-for-life: support should never go down, only up; turnout should never go down, only up. And as Putin’s one-man rule extends past a quarter of a century, Russian officials retain straight faces even as they post astronomical numbers that would make many convinced autocrats blush.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/18/putin-vote-share-outer-limits-russia-election">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-18T17:29:35Zurn:uuid:bcb34370-3c5b-ebce-f1a1-dd55c3ccb4a9Andrew RothPhotograph: Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty ImagesRussia-Ukraine war live: Putin says Crimea returned ‘to our common family’ in speech marking 10th anniversary of annexation<p>Russian president makes speech in front of crowd in central Moscow</p><p>The EU has said the Russian election took place in a highly restricted environment “exacerbated by Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine”.</p><p>The EU said it regretted the decision of Russian authorities not to invite international observers to its elections.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/mar/18/russia-ukraine-war-live-west-criticises-putins-election-win-as-another-breach-of-international-law">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-18T17:18:31Zurn:uuid:e63c816d-7717-0b85-a93c-361f73cbea7bGloria Oladipo (now); Yohannes Lowe and Lili Bayer (earlier)Photograph: Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty ImagesBen Jennings on Vladimir Putin’s landslide victory in the Russian election – cartoon<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2024/mar/18/ben-jennings-vladimir-putin-landslide-victory-russian-election-cartoon">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-18T16:56:04Zurn:uuid:31ad9baa-aa63-8732-7d01-f5892e1376fdBen JenningsIllustration: Ben Jennings/The GuardianRussia-Ukraine war live: Putin to mark annexation of Crimea with Moscow speech after Russia election decried as corrupt<p>Russian president to mark 10th anniversary of Russia’s annexation of Crimea with even in central Moscow</p><p>The EU has said the Russian election took place in a highly restricted environment “exacerbated by Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine”.</p><p>The EU said it regretted the decision of Russian authorities not to invite international observers to its elections.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/mar/18/russia-ukraine-war-live-west-criticises-putins-election-win-as-another-breach-of-international-law">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-18T16:36:56Zurn:uuid:5795b1d0-d299-0a5d-476a-d57018f0da3fGloria Oladipo (now); Yohannes Lowe and Lili Bayer (earlier)Photograph: Maxim Shemetov/ReutersRussia-Ukraine war live: Presidential election most corrupt in Russian history, watchdog says, as west criticises Putin’s victory<p>Watchdog says presidential campaign fell ‘far short of constitutional standards’; German foreign ministry cals ‘Putin’s rule is authoritarian’</p><p>The EU has said the Russian election took place in a highly restricted environment “exacerbated by Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine”.</p><p>The EU said it regretted the decision of Russian authorities not to invite international observers to its elections.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/mar/18/russia-ukraine-war-live-west-criticises-putins-election-win-as-another-breach-of-international-law">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-18T15:16:53Zurn:uuid:d8b3fdc4-424f-c59d-e710-1b2da81b6928Yohannes Lowe (now); Lili Bayer (earlier)Photograph: Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty ImagesKremlin says election result is ‘eloquent confirmation’ of Putin’s popularity<p>Vote share of 87.28% is biggest post-Soviet landslide but independent monitors say result is a mockery</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/mar/18/russia-ukraine-war-live-west-criticises-putins-election-win-as-another-breach-of-international-law">Ukraine war – live updates</a></li></ul><p>Russia’s election result shows that the people have consolidated around Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin has said after the president took 87.28% of the vote, according to an official tally.</p><p>The vote share, which equates to 76 million votes and is by far the biggest landslide in post-Soviet Russian history, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/17/kremlin-vladimir-putin-claim-landslide-russian-election-victory">follows an election</a> described as a mockery by an independent monitor group.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/18/putin-election-result-russia-ukraine-war">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-18T14:05:54Zurn:uuid:69197c9b-5c27-a0f2-820d-1c797af34c82Pjotr SauerPhotograph: Natalia Kolesnikova/EPAPutin’s Orchestrated Election Leaves Russians With No Other ChoicesMany Russians say they back their president, but it is far less clear what they might do if they were given alternatives.2024-03-18T14:05:47Zurn:uuid:bd46ebd4-3e06-ad39-f183-29e89ed0d7f3Paul SonneGerman living standards plummeted after Russia invaded Ukraine, say economists<p>Energy price shocks had huge knock-on effect, with real wages falling further in 2022 than in any year since 1950, says report</p><p>The energy shock caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to the biggest collapse in German living standards since the second world war and a downturn in economic output comparable to the 2008 financial crisis, a stark assessment has found.</p><p>In a joint paper designed to underline the depth of the economic crisis in Europe’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/15/germany-two-year-recession-2023-gdp">erstwhile powerhouse</a>, two former economic advisers to the German government have said that real wages in the country slumped further in 2022 than in any year since 1950.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/18/german-living-standards-plummeted-after-russia-invaded-ukraine-say-economists">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-18T13:32:02Zurn:uuid:8fe8631b-8d7f-2107-a0cb-e0565e351487Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editorPhotograph: Nord Stream 2 AG/AFP/Getty ImagesRussia-Ukraine war live: Presidential election accused of being most corrupt in Russian history as west criticises Putin’s victory<p>German foreign ministry says ‘Putin’s rule is authoritarian’ as China’s president says country will maintain ties with Russia</p><p>The EU has said the Russian election took place in a highly restricted environment “exacerbated by Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine”.</p><p>The EU said it regretted the decision of Russian authorities not to invite international observers to its elections.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/mar/18/russia-ukraine-war-live-west-criticises-putins-election-win-as-another-breach-of-international-law">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-18T13:18:26Zurn:uuid:8d23e21c-94f7-fd96-cc33-9f9759d8384fLili Bayer (now); Yohannes Lowe (earlier)Photograph: Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty ImagesRussia-Ukraine war live: west criticises Putin’s election win as Xi Jinping sends congratulations<p>German foreign ministry says ‘Putin’s rule is authoritarian’ as China’s president says country will maintain ties with Russia</p><p>The EU has said the Russian election took place in a highly restricted environment “exacerbated by Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine”.</p><p>The EU said it regretted the decision of Russian authorities not to invite international observers to its elections.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/mar/18/russia-ukraine-war-live-west-criticises-putins-election-win-as-another-breach-of-international-law">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-18T12:14:10Zurn:uuid:9cb8d67f-474e-528b-ec5a-113d1dae1db1Yohannes LowePhotograph: Evgenia Novozhenina/ReutersPutin had to contrive a ‘landslide’ – because he knows cracks are showing in Russian society | Samantha de Bendern<p>The Kremlin will use this victory to justify an intensified war. But even the state news agency reported election rebellion</p><p>Although Vladimir Putin’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/17/kremlin-vladimir-putin-claim-landslide-russian-election-victory">landslide victory</a> with 87% of the vote in the Russian election was no surprise, these elections were important both for the Kremlin and for those in opposition to Putin.</p><p>With voter turnout at 74% – the highest in history – anything less than a landslide victory would have suggested that those who did not vote for Putin represented a significant force in Russian politics. This would have been particularly awkward in the case of young upstart Vladislav Davankov, who, with 3.79% of the vote, came a close third place. Davankov has been mistakenly described as an anti-war candidate – he supports <a href="https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2024/02/15/presidential-candidate-davankovs-manifesto-calls-for-peace-and-negotiations-en-news">peace and negotiations</a>, “but on Russia’s conditions and without one step backwards” – but his platform also called for “freedom of speech and opinion, instead of intolerance and denunciations”, and “openness and pragmatism instead of searching for new enemies”.</p><p>Samantha de Bendern is an associate fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House and a political commentator on LCI television in France</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/18/vladimir-putin-russian-society-kremlin-election-war">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-18T11:34:47Zurn:uuid:a0cb443d-efdf-b90a-36bd-03b21ad6c384Samantha de BendernPhotograph: Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty ImagesRussia-Ukraine war live: west criticises Putin’s election win as ‘another breach of international law’<p>German foreign ministry says ‘Putin’s rule is authoritarian’ while UK foreign secretary says ‘this is not what free and fair elections look like’</p><p>The EU’s chief diplomat, <strong>Josep Borrell</strong>, has condemned the Russian elections while foreign ministers gathered in Brussels warned that with another five years in power Putin “will not stop” but he “has to be stopped”.<br><br>“This has not been a free and fair election. It has been based on repression and intimidation,” he said.<br><br>Latvian minister <strong>Krišjānis Kariņš</strong> said: “Russia will not stop, they can only be stopped. Ukraine is prepared to do the stopping but they need our assistance.”<br><br>Kariņš praised Emmanuel Macron for inserting “strategic ambiguity” into the EU’s response <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/27/french-president-emmanuel-macron-ukraine-french-ground-troops">by suggesting European troops could be deployed in Ukraine</a>. “France sees the urgency we in the Baltics have had for the past two years.”<br><br>The council of foreign ministers hope to adopt several sets of sanctions today including two related to Russia – one against those involved in the treatment of Alexei Navalny and another to give Ukraine the windfall profits from Russian assets sitting in the Euroclear bank in Belgium since the start of the war.</p><p>China’s president, <strong>Xi Jinping</strong>, has congratulated Vladimir Putin on winning another term as Russia’s president and said China was set to maintain close communication with Russia to promote their partnership, according to Chinese state media.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/mar/18/russia-ukraine-war-live-west-criticises-putins-election-win-as-another-breach-of-international-law">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-18T10:08:41Zurn:uuid:13c9f396-e39a-ee0d-aa87-01e641b16eb2Yohannes LowePhotograph: Evgenia Novozhenina/ReutersWhat’s Next After Putin’s Win, and Why U.S. Home Prices May Start to DropPlus, the impossibility of a perfect March Madness bracket.2024-03-18T10:01:58Zurn:uuid:f95c8979-e0f6-12f0-aae9-e1032ee75e49New York Times AudioA year ago Russia jailed Evan Gershkovich for doing journalism. He’s still there | Margaret Sullivan<p>The 32-year-old Wall Street Journal reporter’s imprisonment is a gross injustice and an affront to press freedom</p><p>The photograph, framed and in a place of honor, is precious to me. Taken in 2016 outside a Manhattan restaurant, it’s a casual shot of four young people and me, everyone smiling. I was concluding my stint as New York Times public editor, and each of these talented young journalists – plus one more who couldn’t make it to the dinner – had served as my editorial assistant at some point over a four-year period.</p><p>Almost eight years later, I’ve kept tabs on them. Two still work at the Times, having climbed the newsroom ladder to become a courts reporter and a book-review editor, respectively. One recently has experienced the joy of his first child’s birth. Another has bought a house, with her husband, after moving to Seattle.</p><p>Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist writing on media, politics and culture</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/18/russia-evan-gershkovich-margaret-sullivan">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-18T10:01:41Zurn:uuid:a36c8abe-ddfe-ad9a-ba28-456f8411c59dMargaret SullivanPhotograph: Alexander Zemlianichenko/APPutin bromance has US intelligence officials fearing second Trump term<p>Ex-president’s support for the Russian strongman has experts fretting over American interests and security sources overseas</p><p>Donald Trump’s continuing lavish praise and support for Russian president Vladimir Putin are fueling alarm among former intelligence officials and other experts who fear another Trump presidency would benefit Moscow and harm American democracy and interests overseas.</p><p>Trump praised Putin as a “genius” and “pretty savvy” when Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, and has boasted he would end the war in a “day”, sparking critics’ fears that if he’s elected again Trump would help Russia achieve a favorable peace deal by cutting off aid to Kyiv. Trump also recently greenlit Russia to “do whatever the hell they want” to Nato members who don’t pay enough to the alliance.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/18/us-intelligence-trump-putin-threat">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-18T10:00:42Zurn:uuid:95a464fe-b45e-7c7d-4c79-1d0a1a91f568Peter Stone in WashingtonPhotograph: Kevin Lamarque/ReutersPutin Breaks Silence on Navalny’s Death, Calling It an ‘Unfortunate Incident’The Russian leader claimed he had been ready to release Navalny in a prisoner swap when the opposition leader died last month at an Arctic penal colony.2024-03-18T08:41:40Zurn:uuid:f7f1dda5-e866-079d-0d5e-0a5f97887bdbAnton TroianovskiFive Takeaways From Putin’s Win in RussiaPresident Vladimir V. Putin is expected to use the scale of his victory to justify more aggression in Ukraine. Many Russians are uneasy about what comes next.2024-03-18T07:56:15Zurn:uuid:fadceda1-a475-44ac-b45f-95051bf08cc8Neil MacFarquharVolkov attack signals Russia’s return to cold war-era spying in Europe<p>Defence experts say Moscow is rapidly improving its intelligence operations after Ukraine invasion</p><p>It was a crude and violent assault, but as a bloody message, it was chillingly effective. An <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/13/lithuania-blames-putin-vilnius-hammer-attack-alexei-navalny-aide-leonid-volkov">attacker ambushed Leonid Volkov</a>, a close adviser to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/16/alexei-navalny-obituary">the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Nalvany</a>, outside his home on the outskirts of Vilnius, Lithuania. The time was 10.06pm on Tuesday night as he arrived, after having filmed an anti-Putin video in time for this weekend’s election.</p><p>The assailant smashed open the car window and blasted Volkov with teargas, and repeatedly struck him with a hammer – about 15 times – breaking his left arm and bloodying his left leg before fleeing the scene. It was, Volkov said in the aftermath, “an obvious, characteristic, typical, gangster-style greeting from Putin” and the assault reflected an emerging truth: Russian intelligence operations in Europe are back.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/18/volkov-attack-russia-return-to-cold-war-era-spying">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-18T05:00:04Zurn:uuid:0d3f9d2b-1008-c9ca-f09b-a96f888687f7Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editorPhotograph: Mindaugas Kulbis/APThousands join worldwide protests abroad as Russians vote in election – video<p>Russians abroad took part in a worldwide act of protest to show their opposition to Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine. The protest action, labelled 'Noon against Putin', was proposed by the St Petersburg politician Maxim Reznik and endorsed by Navalny before his death. He called it a safe way for Russians inside and outside the country to congregate publicly and show their opposition to the president</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/17/a-farce-not-an-election-russians-abroad-join-noon-against-putin-protest">‘A farce, not an election’: Russians abroad join ‘Noon against Putin’ protest</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/17/kremlin-vladimir-putin-claim-landslide-russian-election-victory">Vladimir Putin claims landslide Russian election victory</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/17/vladimir-putin-claims-prisoner-swap-alexei-navalny">Putin claims he agreed to prisoner swap involving Navalny before his death</a></p></li></ul> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2024/mar/18/thousands-join-worldwide-protests-abroad-as-russians-vote-in-election-video">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-18T04:47:56Zurn:uuid:2bc9039f-1d12-aca4-1765-02c0d94ed994Guardian StaffPhotograph: APPutin Wins Russian Presidential ElectionA rubber-stamp presidential election with no real competition allows Vladimir Putin to claim strong public support for his domestic dominance and the invasion of Ukraine.2024-03-18T04:12:31Zurn:uuid:c9d14d2d-e623-0f98-3c39-32a7970ae0b2Anton Troianovski and Nanna HeitmannPutin claims landslide victory and fifth term in Russian elections – video<p>Vladimir Putin has claimed a landslide victory in Russia’s presidential vote, as thousands in the country and around the world protested against his deepening dictatorship, the war in Ukraine and a stage-managed election that could have only one winner. During his victory speech the Russian president pushed back as the US denounced the vote as "obviously not free nor fair". Putin also made his first public comment on the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, claiming he had agreed to a prisoner swap involving him before his death.</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/17/kremlin-vladimir-putin-claim-landslide-russian-election-victory">Vladimir Putin claims landslide Russian election victory</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/17/vladimir-putin-claims-prisoner-swap-alexei-navalny">Putin claims he agreed to prisoner swap involving Navalny before his death</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/17/a-farce-not-an-election-russians-abroad-join-noon-against-putin-protest">‘A farce, not an election’: Russians abroad join ‘Noon against Putin’ protest</a></p></li></ul> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2024/mar/18/putin-claims-landslide-victory-and-fifth-term-in-russian-elections-video">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-18T02:57:26Zurn:uuid:66d69921-fbca-b71d-dea1-dadcac73d7ceGuardian StaffPhotograph: EPAPutin calls US undemocratic and addresses Navalny death after Russian election win – video<p>Vladimir Putin has claimed a landslide victory in Russia’s presidential vote, as thousands in the country and around the world protested against his deepening dictatorship, the war in Ukraine and a stage-managed election that could have only one winner. During his victory speech the Russian president pushed back as the US denounced the vote as "obviously not free nor fair". Putin also made his first public comment on the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, claiming he had agreed to a prisoner swap involving him before his death.</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/17/kremlin-vladimir-putin-claim-landslide-russian-election-victory">Vladimir Putin claims landslide Russian election victory</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/17/vladimir-putin-claims-prisoner-swap-alexei-navalny">Putin claims he agreed to prisoner swap involving Navalny before his death</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/17/a-farce-not-an-election-russians-abroad-join-noon-against-putin-protest">‘A farce, not an election’: Russians abroad join ‘Noon against Putin’ protest</a></p></li></ul> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2024/mar/18/putin-claims-landslide-victory-and-fifth-term-in-russian-elections-video">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-18T02:57:26Zurn:uuid:23d29359-827b-bcaa-137f-141b842715a0Photograph: EPAFive Takeaways From Putin’s Orchestrated Win in RussiaPresident Vladimir V. Putin is expected to use the scale of his victory to justify more aggression in Ukraine. Many Russians are uneasy about what comes next.2024-03-18T02:46:40Zurn:uuid:13421427-8e79-05ca-e479-07dcbf995f32Neil MacFarquharUkraine war briefing: ‘No evil’ Putin will not commit to hold on to power, Zelenskiy says<p>Ukrainian president says Russian leader ‘imitating’ an election as Moscow accuses Kyiv of trying to sabotage poll. What we know on day 754</p><p><strong>Vladimir Putin <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/17/kremlin-vladimir-putin-claim-landslide-russian-election-victory">claimed a landslide victory</a> and a fifth term in Russia’s presidential election, with the Kremlin’s electoral machine boosting his share of the vote and turnout to near farcical levels</strong>. After counting 75% of ballots, Russia’s electoral commission claimed Putin was leading with 87.14% of the vote and that turnout was the highest in history at 74% of the electorate.</p><p><strong>The war in Ukraine was front and centre in his victory speech, as Putin claimed he was securing the border from recent raids by pro-Ukrainian military units and said that his main tasks as president would be the war in Ukraine, “strengthening defence capacity and the military”</strong>. Asked about the potential for a direct conflict with Nato, he said: “I think that everything is possible in the modern world … everyone understands that this would be one step from a full-scale third world war. I don’t think that anyone is interested in that.”</p><p><strong>The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said Putin was “imitating” yet another election,</strong> <strong>adding that the Russian leader was “addicted to power” and that there was “no evil he will not commit to prolong his personal power”.</strong> <strong>“</strong>There is no legitimacy in this imitation of elections and there cannot be. This person should be on trial in The Hague. That’s what we have to ensure,” Zelenskiy said.</p><p><strong>Ukraine <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/17/ukraine-oil-electricity-drone-attacks-russia">launched 35 drones</a> at targets across Russia including in the capital region, sparking a fire at an oil refinery and disrupting electricity supplies in several border areas but causing no direct casualties, the defence ministry in Moscow has said</strong>. The ministry accused Kyiv of seeking to sabotage the presidential election after one of the biggest air operations on Russian territory since the invasion two years ago.</p><p><strong>Russian authorities also said shelling of the Belgorod region on Sunday morning killed a 16-year-old girl and injured her father, while an attack later in the day killed one man and injured 11.</strong> Russian forces shot down 12 rockets launched from Ukraine towards the region, the defence ministry said, as well as a Ukrainian Mi-8 military helicopter that was heading towards Belgorod and was reportedly downed in Ukraine’s Sumy region.</p><p><strong>Ukraine</strong> <strong>meanwhile</strong> <strong>reported dozens of attacks by Russia near their shared border on Sunday, with more than 60 shelling incidents in the district of Sumy in which one person was killed.</strong> Earlier on Sunday one man was killed and at least eight people were wounded in a Russian missile attack on the Black Sea port city of Mykolaiv, Ukrainian officials said.</p><p><strong>A drone strike at a military installation in Moldova’s breakaway republic of Transnistria on Sunday destroyed a helicopter and ignited a fire, authorities in the pro-Russia region said, blaming the strike on Ukraine</strong>. However, Moldova’s Bureau for Reintegration Policies said in a statement that after examining video footage, they “do not confirm any attack” on Transnistria and called it “an attempt to cause fear and panic in the region.” It added that the military equipment destroyed in the footage, which appeared across social media, “has not worked for several years”.</p><p><strong>Russia has sought to suppress the Ukrainian identity of Crimea since annexing the Black Sea peninsula a decade ago, Amnesty International said in a report</strong>, adding that the same rulebook was being used with other annexed territories in Ukraine.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/18/ukraine-war-briefing-no-evil-putin-will-not-commit-to-hold-on-to-power-zelenskiy-says">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-18T00:29:51Zurn:uuid:2f54a8f2-ba71-8c10-fdb0-802002d25e4fGuardian staff and agenciesPhotograph: ReutersVladimir Putin claims landslide Russian election victory<p>Russian president uses victory speech to say war in Ukraine and strengthening military will be his main tasks</p><p>Vladimir Putin has claimed a landslide victory in Russia’s presidential vote, as thousands in the country and around the world protested against his deepening dictatorship, the war in Ukraine and a stage-managed election that could have only one winner.</p><p>In a vote denounced by the United States as “obviously not free nor fair”, Putin won 87% of the vote, according to exit polling published by the state-run pollsters Russian Public Opinion Research Center and the Public Opinion Foundation.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/17/kremlin-vladimir-putin-claim-landslide-russian-election-victory">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-17T23:19:27Zurn:uuid:d4576360-1dc2-f13b-2b5f-eca7a816d66dPjotr Sauer and Andrew RothPhotograph: Maxim Shipenkov/EPAPutin claims he agreed to prisoner swap involving Navalny before his death<p>Re-elected Russian president makes first public comment on death of opposition leader, which he calls ‘sad event’</p><p>Vladimir Putin has claimed he had agreed to a prisoner swap involving Alexei Navalny before the opposition leader’s sudden death in an Arctic prison last month.</p><p>Speaking in central Moscow after early results indicated he had won <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/17/kremlin-vladimir-putin-claim-landslide-russian-election-victory">Russia’s presidential election in a landslide</a>, Putin said unnamed people made an offer to release Navalny in a swap deal with the west a few days before he died.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/17/vladimir-putin-claims-prisoner-swap-alexei-navalny">Continue reading...</a>2024-03-17T23:17:40Zurn:uuid:b72503f2-90ac-7b05-2fa0-e7949107e303Pjotr SauerPhotograph: Mikhail Metzel/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL/EPARussia Says It Shot Down Ukrainian Drones, Debris Caused Oil Refinery FireAn oil refinery was set on fire in southern Russia and air defense forces shot down two drones flying toward Moscow, officials said, as Ukraine continued a flurry of attacks timed for the election.2024-03-17T22:26:48Zurn:uuid:cb78a559-ffe8-569b-a976-4ae9a6c44bc6Andrew E. Kramer