Russia

Ukraine Wary of Fragile Peace as Patriotism Surges

Ukraine Wary of Fragile Peace as Patriotism Surges By Laura Mills, Associated Press 2 October 2014 Since Ukraine's conflict with Russia erupted, Oleksandr Federenko has gone from village kid to army cadet, trading computer games for knife-throwing classes and morning marches. He is only 13. Federenko's shy laugh and wisp of upper lip hair seem at odds with his bulky camouflage uniform as he explains his decision to sign up for the military academy.

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At least 9 killed when shells hit Ukrainian school and bus, officials say

At least 9 killed when shells hit Ukrainian school and bus, officials say By Victoria Butenko and Jason Hanna, CNN 1 October 2014 A shell landed near a school as children began their school year in the war-weary eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk on Wednesday morning, killing at least three adults and shattering what would have been a step toward normalcy for dozens of students. Shells also hit a public transit bus in the city about the same time,

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Ukraine crisis: Nato sees ‘significant’ Russian troop pullback

Ukraine crisis: Nato sees 'significant' Russian troop pullback BBC News 24 September 2014 Nato spokesman Lt Col Jay Janzen says it is difficult to determine the number of soldiers in Ukraine, as pro-Russian rebels control some border crossings. Moscow denies arming the rebels and sending Russian troops to the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. UN officials say 3,245 people have been killed since fighting began in April. A shaky ceasefire has held since

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Russia and the Tatars, Divide and Digest

Russia and the Tatars, Divide and Digest By The Economist online 17 September 2014 THE Mejlis is the governing body of Crimea’s Tatars, the Muslim indigenous group who make up 12% of the region’s population. On September 16th, its headquarters was surrounded and searched by dozens of Russian police (pictured). The raid came just a day after Crimea’s elections, which the Tatars, most of whom opposed Russia’s takeover of the peninsula this

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Most Russian Forces Now Out of Ukraine, Kiev Says

Most Russian Forces Now Out of Ukraine, Kiev Says By Neil MacFarquhar,The New York Times 10 September 2014  President Petro O. Poroshenko of Ukraine said on Wednesday that the bulk of Russian forces had withdrawn from Ukrainian territory, a move that he said heightened the chances for a lasting cease-fire in the southeast. Speaking at the start of a cabinet meeting that was broadcast nationally, the president also announced plans to move ahead

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NATO Prepares New Sanctions Over Russian Action in Ukraine

NATO Prepares New Sanctions Over Russian Action in Ukraine By Steven Erlanger, Julie Hirscheld Davis, and Stephen Castle, The New York Times 4 September 2014 Amid talk of a possible cease-fire between Ukrainian forces and Moscow-backed separatists, President Obama and European leaders at a NATO summit meeting here on Thursday prepared a new round of sanctions against Russian officials, banks and enterprises that could be imposed as early as Friday.

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Shellshocked Ukrainians Flee to New Lives in Russia

Shellshocked Ukrainians Flee to New Lives in Russia By Andrew Roth, The New York Times 4 September 2014 Oksana Shevelina, 62, who came here with her elderly mother just a few days ago from their home in eastern Ukraine, squinted at a map of the Russian Federation. She traced with her index finger an imaginary railroad into the Russian heartland, through the black earth of southern Russia, across the Volga River and into the industrial towns that

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On Ukraine, the West Sidesteps a Fraught Term

On Ukraine, the West Sidesteps a Fraught Term By Andrew Higgins. The New York Times 4 September 2014 Whether on the streets of Budapest in 1956, the mountains of Afghanistan in 1979 and again in 2001 or in the swampy forests of Grenada in 1983, invasions have tended to be noisy, unmistakable affairs that screamed their purpose from the start. After four months of conflict in eastern Ukraine, however, few have chosen to use the “I” word to define

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Stronger sanctions are needed to stop Putin

Stronger sanctions are needed to stop Putin Nicholas Burns, The Boston Globe 31 July 2014 VLADIMIR PUTIN has broken all the rules of geopolitics in Ukraine over the last five months. He finally had to pay for his actions this week. The coordinated list of tougher financial, military, and energy sanctions announced by the United States and European Union is a potential turning point. But is it enough to convince Putin to turn back from his determination

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Rebels Killed Dozens in Attack on Refugees, Ukraine Says

Rebels Killed Dozens in Attack on Refugees, Ukraine Says By Andrew E. Kramer, Andrew Higgins and David M. Herszenhorn 18 August 2014 DONETSK, Ukraine — Separatists rebels on Monday attacked a caravan of cars carrying refugees trying to flee war-ravaged eastern Ukraine, killing “dozens” of people in a devastating barrage of artillery fire, Ukrainian military officials said, though rebel leaders denied there had been any attack at all. Col. Andriy

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