» A Canceled Vote in Romania Hands Russia a Propaganda Coup
24/12/24 13:33 from NYT > Russia
Many in the West have applauded the annulling of the first round of the presidential election, won by a Moscow-friendly candidate, but even his critics say it raises troubling questions about Romanian democracy.

» Russia Sentences a U.S. Citizen, Eugene Spector, to 15 Years for Espionage
24/12/24 13:27 from NYT > Russia
Eugene Spector was already serving a sentence for a bribery conviction when he was charged with spying, for which a court ordered him to serve an additional 13 years.

» Russian cargo ship sinks in Mediterranean after explosion in engine room
24/12/24 06:46 from Russia | The Guardian
Two crew members from Ursa Major are missing and 14 have been rescued, Russian foreign ministry says An engine room explosion sank a Russian cargo ship called Ursa Major in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria and two of its c...

» The best of the long read in 2024
24/12/24 02:00 from World news: Ukraine | theguardian.com
Our 20 favourite pieces of in-depth reporting, essays and profiles from the year Nicholas Saunders was a counterculture pioneer with an endless stream of quixotic schemes and a yearning to spread knowledge – but his true legacy is a tota...

» ‘I stood on a mine’: government urged to repatriate Australian seriously injured fighting in Ukraine war
23/12/24 22:49 from Russia | The Guardian
Dfat confirms consular assistance for 38-year-old as PM warns Australians against ‘travelling to areas of conflict’ Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The federal government has been urged to evacuate an Austral...

» Ukraine war briefing: more than 3,000 North Korean military casualties in Russia’s Kursk, claims Zelenskyy
23/12/24 20:43 from Russia | The Guardian
Ukraine president criticises world leaders for doing ‘almost nothing’ to counteract Moscow’s military cooperation with Pyongyang. What we know on day 1,035 Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that more than 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been...

» Slovak Leader Visits Putin, Breaking With E.U.’s Policy of Isolation
23/12/24 16:10 from NYT > Russia
Prime Minister Robert Fico’s surprise visit to Moscow on Sunday, reportedly to discuss natural gas and Ukraine, was a blow to European unity against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

» U.S. Takes Aim at China’s Production of Essential Chips
23/12/24 14:11 from NYT > Russia
The older-style chips are crucial for a wide array of appliances and other machinery, including weaponry.

» The Guardian view on the tenacity of hope: a necessary virtue in troubled times | Editorial
23/12/24 13:47 from World news: Ukraine | theguardian.com
At a moment of the year associated with renewal and new birth, reflection on inspiring acts of solidarity and courage can point the way to a better future In the introduction to a new, seasonal compilation of his speeches on hope, Pope F...

» 'World's best-preserved mammoth' found in Siberia – video
23/12/24 13:06 from Russia | The Guardian
Researchers in Russia have unveiled the near intact carcass of a juvenile female mammoth, whose remarkably well-preserved remains were discovered in thawing permafrost after more than 50,000 years. The creature was recovered from the Bat...

» More than 1,000 North Korean military casualties in Ukraine war, says South Korea
23/12/24 11:46 from World news: Ukraine | theguardian.com
Claims underline risks posed to North’s untested armed forces amid reports regime could send reinforcements More than 1,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded since they were sent to fight alongside Russian troops in Ukrai...

» Kremlin denies reports Asma al-Assad is seeking divorce and a return to London
23/12/24 11:24 from Russia | The Guardian
UK-born wife of ousted Syrian leader is a divisive figure around world and, like her husband, is under sanctions The Kremlin has denied Turkish media reports suggesting that Asma al-Assad, the British-born wife of the ousted Syrian leade...

» Baby mammoth in Russia is the ‘best-preserved’ ever found
23/12/24 10:41 from Russia | The Guardian
The 50,000-year-old female, nicknamed Yana, is one of only seven whole remains discovered in world Russian scientists have displayed the remarkably well-preserved remains of a baby mammoth found in the permafrost-covered region of Yakuti...

» Russia-Ukraine war: North Korea preparing to send more troops to Russia, says South Korea – as it happened
23/12/24 10:24 from Russia | The Guardian
Troops and weapons, including suicide drones, to be shipped to Russia to support war against Ukraine, say Seoul’s joint chiefs of staff Continue reading...

» Russia-Ukraine war live: North Korea preparing to send more troops to Russia, says South Korea
23/12/24 10:08 from Russia | The Guardian
Troops and weapons, including suicide drones, to be shipped to Russia to support war against Ukraine, say Seoul’s joint chiefs of staff Continue reading...

» Tulip Siddiq questioned over multibillion-pound embezzlement allegations
23/12/24 05:56 from Russia | The Guardian
Treasury minister denies claims by Bangladesh that she helped broker corrupt deal with Russia to build nuclear plant The Treasury minister Tulip Siddiq has been questioned by the Cabinet Office’s propriety and ethics team after Banglades...

» Sending Troops to Help Russia Was North Korea’s Idea, U.S. Officials Say
23/12/24 05:01 from NYT > Russia
North Korean troops have now entered Russia’s war with Ukraine in a major way, and some have been killed, Western officials say.

» Russia urged to act lawfully after video purportedly shows Australian man fighting for Ukraine captured
22/12/24 23:58 from World news: Ukraine | theguardian.com
Dfat making inquiries about footage showing man who identifies himself as Oscar Jenkins, PM confirms Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The federal government has urged Russia to adhere to international law obli...

» Ukraine war briefing: Putin meets Slovak PM in rare Moscow visit to secure energy deal
22/12/24 20:28 from World news: Ukraine | theguardian.com
Slovakia is dependent on gas passing through neighbouring Ukraine, and it has ramped up efforts to maintain those flows from 2025, after a five-year agreement expires See all our Ukraine coverage Russian president, Vladimir Putin met the...

» Russian video appears to show Australian man fighting for Ukraine captured and interrogated
22/12/24 18:36 from World news: Ukraine | theguardian.com
PM confirms DFAT making enquiries after video circulates showing man who identifies himself as Oscar Jenkins being questioned Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A video purporting to show the Russian capture of ...

» Inside the Final Days of the Assad Regime in Syria
22/12/24 12:35 from NYT > Russia
President Bashar al-Assad, who wielded fear and force over Syria for more than two decades, fled the country under the cover of night — and a fake political address.

» Volodymyr Zelenskyy tells Ukraine’s diplomats to fight for Nato membership
22/12/24 12:08 from World news: Ukraine | theguardian.com
Comments come after Vladimir Putin threatens ‘more destruction’ in response to Kazan drone attack Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told the country’s diplomats Ukraine will have to fight to persuade allies to allow it to take up Nato membership, ...

» With Assad’s fall, Putin’s dream of world domination is turning into a nightmare | Peter Pomerantsev
22/12/24 04:30 from Russia | The Guardian
Complaints about the president are growing among Russian military and business leaders. Now is the time for the west to turn up the heat As Bashar al-Assad fell, Russian nationalist military bloggers turned on the Kremlin. “Ten years of ...

» ‘Nutcracker’ Is a Casualty of a ‘Quarantine’ of Russian Culture in Lithuania
22/12/24 00:01 from NYT > Russia
Lithuania’s national opera house had stopped showing Tchaikovsky’s 1892 masterpiece in solidarity with Ukraine over the war with Russia. Then a new minister expressed fondness for the Russian composer, igniting a furor.

» Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv strikes Russia in major drone attack 1,000km from frontline
21/12/24 21:46 from World news: Ukraine | theguardian.com
High-rise residential buildings hit in Russian city of Kazan but no casualties reported; Zelenskyy reveals meetings with CIA chief. What we know on day 1,033 See all our Ukraine war coverage Ukraine staged a major drone attack on the Rus...

» What if Russia wins in Ukraine? We can already see the shadows of a dark 2025 | Timothy Garton Ash
21/12/24 04:00 from Russia | The Guardian
Instability is growing, Putin’s hybrid war in Europe is heating up and for fear of escalation we have encouraged global nuclear proliferation There are human activities in which both sides can win. War is not one of them. Either Ukraine ...

» Ukraine faces difficult decisions over acute shortage of frontline troops
21/12/24 02:00 from World news: Ukraine | theguardian.com
Depleted army is increasingly made up of older men, but Zelenskyy is reluctant to lower mobilisation age from 25 On a recent icy afternoon in the western Ukrainian city of Kovel, a silver-haired man in military fatigues prepared to board...

» Ukraine war briefing: IMF approves $1.1bn loan to Ukraine
20/12/24 21:25 from Russia | The Guardian
Loan approval by the International Monetary Fund will bolster Ukraine as it faces continued Russian attacks. What we know on day 1,032 See all our Ukraine war coverage Continue reading...

» Russia’s Abrupt Setback in Syria Creates Headaches for Putin
20/12/24 16:15 from NYT > Russia
Losing Syrian military bases would hurt the Kremlin’s attempts to project power in the Middle East and Africa.

» The week around the world in 20 pictures
20/12/24 14:41 from Russia | The Guardian
Russian missiles hit Kyiv, the aftermath of the fall of Assad, Cyclone Chido in Mayotte and the Maasai Olympics: the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists Continue reading...

» Libyan PM resists Russia’s move to reinforce military bases in country
20/12/24 11:45 from Russia | The Guardian
Abdul Hamid Dabaiba says country would not be a platform for settling international scores after fall of Assad in Syria Russia’s move to reinforce its military base in eastern Libya after the toppling of the Assad regime in Syria is faci...

» Russia strikes Kyiv with ballistic missiles during rush hour – video
20/12/24 11:25 from Russia | The Guardian
Russia has hit Kyiv with eight powerful ballistic missiles, a day after the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, claimed his troops were winning on the battlefield and that his goals to seize more territory in Ukraine were unchanged. Sever...

» Russia-Ukraine war: Russia suffers worst daily losses since the start of the invasion, claims Ukraine – as it happened
20/12/24 10:00 from Russia | The Guardian
Kyiv says that 2,200 Russian soldiers have died in the last 24 hours The Russian Defence Ministry said that its forces had taken control of two more settlements in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, Uspenivka and Novopustynka , Reuters reported, ...

» Russia-Ukraine war live: Russia suffers worst daily losses since the start of the invasion, claims Ukraine
20/12/24 09:37 from Russia | The Guardian
Kyiv says that 2,200 Russian soldiers have died in the last 24 hours The Russian Defence Ministry said that its forces had taken control of two more settlements in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, Uspenivka and Novopustynka , Reuters reported, ...

» Russia bombards Kyiv with ballistic missiles, with debris falling in several districts
20/12/24 08:57 from World news: Ukraine | theguardian.com
Mayor accuses Moscow of ‘genocide’, saying latest strike shows Putin’s indifference to women and children Russia-Ukraine war – latest news updates Russia has hit Kyiv with eight powerful ballistic missiles, a day after Vladimir Putin cla...

» Russia bombards Kyiv with eight ballistic missiles
20/12/24 08:57 from World news: Ukraine | theguardian.com
Mayor accuses Moscow of ‘genocide’, saying latest strike shows Putin’s indifference to women and children Russia-Ukraine war – latest news updates Russia has hit Kyiv with eight powerful ballistic missiles, a day after Vladimir Putin cla...

» Russia bombards Kyiv with eight ballistic missiles day after Putin speech
20/12/24 08:57 from World news: Ukraine | theguardian.com
Mayor accuses Moscow of genocide, saying latest strike shows Putin’s indifference to women and children Russia-Ukraine war – latest news updates Russia has hit Kyiv with eight powerful ballistic missiles, a day after Vladimir Putin claim...

» Russia-Ukraine war live: Portugal condemns Russia’s attacks on Kyiv after embassy damaged
20/12/24 08:52 from Russia | The Guardian
‘It is absolutely unacceptable for attacks to damage diplomatic facilities,’ says Portugal’s foreign minister after strikes on Ukrainian capital The Russian Defence Ministry said that its forces had taken control of two more settlements ...