Author: Fworld

China has rejected a report that said its officials told their Russian counterparts to delay an invasion of Ukraine until after the Beijing Winter Olympics. Experts say the flap indicates Chinese leaders could have known an attack was coming and that such a discovery would taint China’s reputation in the West. Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry …

French President Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday that he will run for a second term, one day ahead Friday’s deadline. Macron is already leading in national opinion polls, and if he wins the two-round election on April 10 and 24, he will be the first French president to win a second term in office in 20 …

Recent polls show Americans increasingly approve of President Joe Biden’s handling of the invasion of Ukraine. Also, a growing share of Americans agree that paying more for gas because of sanctions against Moscow is worthwhile to defend another democracy. VOA’s Patsy Widakuswara reports. …

“We’re publishing this text while there’s still time,” independent Russian media site Meduza said. “Within a few days, maybe even today, it is possible that there will be no independent media left in Russia,” read the statement published to Meduza’s website Thursday. The independent media outlet said that Moscow’s regulator, Roskomnadzor, has ordered journalists to …

Washington on Thursday piled another round of sanctions on a circle of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest allies, hours after Russian and Ukrainian officials said Russian forces had taken control of the strategic Ukrainian port city of Kherson and had shelled major cities in an offensive that has forced more than 1 million people to …

Following moves by tech companies and the EU to reduce the visibility of Russian state media site RT, the network says it will begin streaming its content on a YouTube-like platform called Rumble. “RT gets ready to… Rumble: After a multitude of platforms have moved to knock out our broadcast and limit social media…,” RT …

Turkey says it has locked Russian warships out of the Black Sea ahead of an expected assault on Ukrainian cities. At the same time Ukraine says it is getting more Turkish drones, despite warnings from Moscow. Turkish-Russian ties are facing a critical test. Ankara claims four Russian warships have withdrawn their request to enter the …

Russian and Belarusian athletes were barred on Thursday from the Winter Paralympics in Beijing on the eve of the Games following threats of boycotts by other teams over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said. Belarus has been a key staging area for the invasion, which was launched a week ago. The …

Ukraine marked one week since Russia invaded the country Thursday, as Russian forces shelled major cities and the number of refugees who have fled Ukraine exceeded 1 million people. Despite Russian assaults on Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Mariupol, Britain’s Defense Ministry said Thursday they all remained in Ukrainian hands. Unclear was the status of Kherson, with …

One week into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces continue their push despite condemnation from the United Nations General Assembly, which voted overwhelmingly to reprimand Russia for invading Ukraine. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb has the latest. …

North Korean authorities waited days to tell the nation about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, first informing only members of the ruling Korean Workers’ Party in private meetings, who later spread the word, government officials told RFA. In North Korea’s one-party state, membership in the Workers’ Party is reserved for the privileged or for exemplary soldiers …

The United States on Wednesday announced a comprehensive effort to identify and seize the assets of wealthy Russians who have supported the regime of Russian President Vladmir Putin, as part of its response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The new initiative, led by the Justice Department, is called Operation KleptoCapture and was hinted at …

Ukrainian staff maintaining the decommissioned nuclear power plant at the site of the 1986 nuclear accident are hungry, exhausted and at increased risk of making errors while under the control of Russian military occupiers, officials with Ukraine’s main nuclear regulatory agency say. A relative of one of the workers tells VOA that the staff, who …

China is positioning itself as a mediator between war-divided Russia and Ukraine so as to be seen as a global leader and earn points in the West, analysts say. At Ukraine’s request, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi talked by phone Tuesday with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported. Ukraine is …

The International Atomic Energy Agency has called on the parties in the Russia-Ukraine conflict to ensure the safety and security of Ukraine’s nuclear plants. The director of the IAEA expressed concern about the plants Wednesday in remarks to a U.N. environmental conference in Kenya. In the past week, the Russian army reportedly has taken control …

Despite mounting pressure to exclude Russia and its teams from global sports as a retribution for its invasion of Ukraine, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said that coordinators of the Beijing Winter Paralympics will allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete when the games open this week.  The International Olympic Committee (IOC) declared that …

While the world is watching Russia invade Ukraine, “Klondike,” a drama by Ukrainian film director Maryna Er Gorbach, takes us back in the beginning of the 2014 Russo-Ukrainian conflict at the Donbas border region between Ukraine and Russia. There, amid an armed conflict between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces, a Russian-made missile downed Malaysia Airlines …

US President Biden says Russian leader Putin ‘Will Never Gain the Hearts and Souls of the Ukrainian People’  …

In his first State of the Union address, U.S. President Joe Biden touted his success in uniting much of the world against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. VOA’s Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports. …

Full developments of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine    …

In his first State of the Union address Tuesday night, U.S. President Joe Biden touted his success in uniting much of the world against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Biden said Ukraine is on the front line of the global battle between democracies and autocracies, and that democracy will prevail. With Putin ratcheting …

Western nations are paying Russia hundreds of millions of dollars every day for gas and oil imports, despite sanctions imposed on the country’s banking and aviation sectors following its invasion of Ukraine. With around 40 percent of Europe’s energy needs imported from Russia, leaders are scrambling to find alternatives, as Henry Ridgwell reports from Berlin. …

The invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces has ignited responses from arts and cultural institutions around the world, which are canceling performances by Russian artists, many of whom are supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin.  The Cannes Film Festival, an invitation-only event that previews top-quality films from more than 80 countries, announced that no Russian …

Western nations are continuing to pay Russia hundreds of millions of dollars every day for gas and oil imports, despite the tough sanctions imposed on the country’s banking and aviation sectors following its invasion of Ukraine. With around 40% of Europe’s oil and gas imported from Russia, governments are scrambling to find alternatives. European Union …

Cryptocurrency purchases in rubles are at a record high following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, raising questions about whether the likes of bitcoin can help Moscow get around sanctions.  Why is crypto attracting Russians?  The United States and its Western allies have sought to cripple Russia’s banking sector and currency with a barrage of sanctions.  They …

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warns that rules of the international order that help protect peace and security will be weakened if Russian President Vladimir Putin is allowed to get away with his premeditated invasion of Ukraine. In a video address to the U.N. Human Rights Council, Blinken warned the human rights and humanitarian …