Russia dodges default after paying debts in US dollars April 30, 2022 Russia has paid $649m worth of interest payments using its US currency reserves, in a bid to avoid a default. The payments come after Russia said it would only repay its debts in its own currency, as it claimed sanctions were blocking it from paying in dollars. The Russian Federation has now sent $649m in [...]
Putin to ‘lay the groundwork for an announcement to cover his failure’ and admit Ukraine is a war April 28, 2022 The UK Defence Secretary said this morning that people should not be “too alarmed” by the Russian president’s warning that countries intervening in the Ukraine war will be met with a “lightning-fast” response. Ben Wallace told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that Vladimir Putin has made similar threats before and was trying to “lay the [...]
Foreign Office confirms a British national has been killed in Ukraine April 28, 2022 The foreign office has confirmed a British national has been killed in Ukraine. The unnamed individual was reported dead on Thursday while a second person is reported missing. According to Sky News, the foreign office said: “We can confirm that a British national has been killed in Ukraine and are supporting their family.” “We are [...]
Russia using trained bottlenose dolphins to protect its Black Sea fleet April 28, 2022 Russia is using bottlenose dolphins to stop its warships from being sabotaged. New satellite images analysed by the US Naval Institute show dolphin pens in the occupied Black Sea port of Sevastopol. The animals have been trained to detect mines and warn of hostile scuba diving soldiers, known as frogmen. This comes after the Kremlin’s [...]
Former top executive at Russia’s Gazprombank flees Kremlin’s reach and joins Ukraine’s defence April 28, 2022 A former senior executive at a major Russian bank has fled the country and joined Ukraine’s army. Former vice-president at Gazprombank, Igor Volobuyev, said he “couldn’t stay with those people, shake their hands, watch the war on my phone as if this were a horrible film and pretend I didn’t care. Speaking to Ukrainian media [...]
Chelsea price is a steal – English clubs will be worth $10bn soon, says banker selling club April 28, 2022 The banker running the sale of Chelsea FC says the club would be a bargain even if it fetches £2.5bn, a record price for a sports team. Joe Ravitch, co-founder of US bank the Raine Group, said he expected Premier League clubs to be worth several times more very soon. “My guess is that Chelsea [...]
Putin warns ‘retaliatory strikes will be lightning-fast’ if West intervenes in Ukraine April 28, 2022 Russian president Vladimir Putin has warned the Kremlin’s “retaliatory strikes will be lightning-fast” if the United States or a Nato country intervenes in the Ukraine war. In a television address, he responded to President Joe Biden committing to more military aid to Kyiv continuing to ramp up sanctions on Moscow with European allies. This comes [...]
Ed Warner: Russia ban shows Wimbledon chiefs have backbone – and other sports will take note April 28, 2022 Fans at the Wimbledon Championships aren’t prone to booing, even in the face of a Nick Kyrgios meltdown. And for now they have been spared the challenge to their usual decorum of a Russian or Belarusian player striding onto Centre Court this summer – to the chagrin of the men’s and women’s tours, not to [...]
Germany u-turns on tank delivery to Ukraine as Russia warns west’s support may lead to ‘World War Three’ April 26, 2022 Germany has u-turned on its decision to directly militarily support Ukraine, as Russia’s foreign minister warned it could lead to World War Three. Chancellor Olaf Scholz changed his mind after he was accused of stalling on fulfilling an order of German-made tanks, listed in Vlodymyr Zelensky’s so-called wish-list of military support. Germany said it would [...]
US commits $300m more to Ukraine’s fight against Russia, as Moscow accusing Washington of ‘pouring oil on the flames’ April 25, 2022 The United States has committed an extra $300m in military assistance to Ukraine, as the Kremlin warns it was “pouring oil on the flames” of the war. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken stepped onto the tarmac in Kyiv this week as he met president Vlodymyr Zelensky in the Ukrainian capital. During the visit, accompanied by [...]