Finland officially joins NATO as security bloc’s border with Russia doubles April 4, 2023 Finland has officially joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in a move that doubles the Western alliance’s border with Russia. The historic realignment was triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. It has sparked warnings from Moscow that it will seek to bolster defences along its border. Finland shares a 832-mile border with [...]
Watch the moment Russia is rocked by an explosion in St Petersburg cafe which kills prominent pro war blogger April 3, 2023 An explosion has torn through a cafe in Russia’s second-largest city, killing a prominent military blogger who had supported the fighting in Ukraine and was speaking at a patriotic discussion event. Russian news reports said blogger Vladlen Tatarsky was killed in the explosion at the Street Food Bar No 1 cafe in St Petersburg. Twenty-five [...]
Advantage Putin? Wimbledon U-turns to let Russia and Belarus stars like Sabalenka and Medvedev compete March 31, 2023 Russian and Belarusian players will be allowed to compete at Wimbledon this year, the All England Club has announced. Athletes from the two countries must sign declarations of neutrality and must not express support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while players who receive funding from the Russian or Belarusian states, including sponsorship from state owned [...]
Four ex bankers convicted over accounts with Putin-linked man who’s ‘part of system that managed his offshore wealth’ March 30, 2023 Four former bankers with the Swiss affiliate of a key Russian bank have been found guilty of failing to properly check accounts opened in the name of a Russian cellist with long-time ties to President Vladimir Putin. The defendants were handed suspended sentences in Zurich district court that, if violated, could lead collectively to hundreds [...]
Ed Warner: Is China about to bring Russia and its athletes in from the sporting cold? March 30, 2023 The war in Ukraine doesn’t look like ending any time soon. Just as Russia is recalibrating its geopolitical and industrial relations, so the prospect of a conflict stretching years into the future will necessitate a realignment of its place in the sporting world. Asia’s warmth towards the Kremlin points a way back into the international [...]
Losing Bakhmut will let Putin ‘sell this victory to the West, to his society, to China, to Iran’ – Zelensky March 29, 2023 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned defeat in the battle for Bakhmut would enable Russia to start building international support for a deal that would require his nation to make unacceptable compromises. And he has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping, long aligned to Russia, to visit. Mr Zelensky said if the eastern city of Bakhmut [...]
Lloyd’s of London’s war underwriters prepare to pay out over ships stuck in Ukrainian waters March 28, 2023 Lloyd’s of London’s war underwriters have begun setting aside cash reserves as they prepare to pay out on a flurry of claims from the owners of ships stuck in Ukraine’s territorial waters. The insurance market is readying itself for a new wave of claims from shipowners that have now become viable following the anniversary of [...]
Allowing athletes from Russia back into sport ‘works’ despite Ukraine war, says Olympic chief Bach March 28, 2023 The president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach today doubled down on plans for Russian and Belarusian athletes to be allowed back into competitions, adding that his plans “work” despite the war in Ukraine. The German spoke at the IOC’s executive meeting. There was, however, no decision on whether Russians and Belarusians would [...]
Chelsea puts £121m loss down to sanctions imposed on ex owner Roman Abramovich March 27, 2023 Chelsea say Government sanctions imposed on former owner Roman Abramovich were a factor in the club posting losses of £121million in 2021-22. Russian billionaire Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK Government in March last year as it sought to freeze the assets of individuals it believed had connections to the country’s president, Vladimir Putin, following [...]
Ukraine war ‘second front’ as Putin moves to store nukes in Belarus March 27, 2023 The world should prepare for a “second front” to open up in the Ukraine war as Vladimir Putin moves to store nuclear weapons in Belarus. Russia’s president claimed he agreed with Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko to station tactical nuclear warheads on its territory. Ukraine has accused the Kremlin of “nuclear blackmail” and demanded an emergency [...]