TEL AVIV – News reports in the Arab world claim Russia is planning to escalate its military involvement in Syria by sending in ground troops and increasing airstrikes, according to translations provided by the Middle East Research Institute (MEMRI).
The Russian government began steps to push through economic sanctions against Turkey for downing a warplane on Nov. 24.
Contents: Russia accuses Turkey of ‘industrial scale’ oil purchases from ISIS; Russia escalates retaliation against Turkey for downing warplane; European Union to end visa restrictions on Turkey’s citizens
Contents: Russia and Turkey move closer to the brink of war; Turkish analysis of downing of Russian warplane; Quote without comment
France said EU sanctions against Russia could be lifted if Moscow fulfils its pledges to bring peace to Ukraine, hours after Kiev closed its airspace to its neighbour’s airlines and Russia said it would stop delivering gas. Speaking on the
Contents: Putin calls Turkey’s downing of Russian plane a ‘stab in the back’; Turkmen in Syria versus Russians in occupied Crimea; Russia – Turkey crisis evokes memories of centuries of Crimean wars
Contents: Migrants blocked at Macedonian border sew their mouths shut; Ukraine suspends all commercial trade with occupied Crimea; Ukraine and Russia in tit-for-tat escalating sanctions; Steel and other commodity prices continue to plummet
Contents: China blocks Miss World Canada from attending Miss World pageant; ASEAN leaders harshly criticize China over South China Sea actions; Occupied Crimea declares state of emergency after electricity is cut
Russian President Vladimir Putin appears ready to cooperate with the European Union to remove economic sanctions–after having gained enormous international leverage through his surprise military intervention in Syria.
Contents: US Navy to challenge China in the South China Sea today; What was the purpose of Russia’s Caspian Sea cruise missile attack on Syria?; Insurers taking increasingly risky investment bets
The Russian government is operating close to undersea cables, setting off alarms of American officials who believe the Kremlin could cut the lines if tensions continue to escalate.
A man disguised as the Star Wars character Chewbacca was arrested in Ukraine for breaking election laws after he drove “Darth Vader,” the Internet Party candidate for mayor of Odessa, to vote in local elections.
Contents: Eurosceptic party in Poland wins election overwhelmingly; European Union nations in crisis agree on a migration plan for refugees; Hey kids, what time is it? In Turkey, it’s Erdogan Time!
Residents in Odessa, Ukraine, traded one dark lord for another. A Vladimir Lenin statue has been transformed into an homage to Darth Vader.
South Ossetia President Leonid Tibilov announced he is ready to unify the Georgian breakaway region with Russia.
Egypt, Japan, Senegal, Uruguay, and Ukraine have received a non-permanent spot on the United Nations Security Council.
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Russian “aggression” in Europe and now the Middle East is a “new reality” for the United States that is “here to stay,” said U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter.
Contents: Dutch report confirms that Russian missile shot down airliner over Ukraine; Russia launches its massive disinformation campaign; ‘Lone wolf’ violence by ‘Oslo generation’ of Palestinians grows; Android apps: Xenakis MathGame and Professional Debt Calculator
The Dutch Safety Board has published a report on the destruction of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17, concluding that the plane was brought down last July by a missile launched from eastern Ukraine.
GILZE-RIJEN, Netherlands (Reuters): Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine by a Russian-made Buk missile, the Dutch Safety Board said on Tuesday in its final report on the July 2014 crash that killed all 298 aboard. The
Contents: India Muslims attacked and lynched by Hindus over cow slaughter; Cow slaughter cases surging in India’s state of Uttar Pradesh; Garry Kasparov’s analysis of Vladimir Putin’s strategy in Syria
Belarusian author Svetlana Alexievich condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine when she won the 2015 Nobel Prize for Literature for her work that portrayed the cruel reality of living in the Soviet Union. She documents experiences of between 500 and 700 people for each book.
Limp Bizkit singer Fred Durst announced the band will play in Donetsk and Luhansk, two areas in war-torn east Ukraine. In early September, the singer stated he wanted to gain Russian citizenship as well.
An American archbishop who served as Vatican nuncio to Ukraine until several weeks ago warned that the country is in dire straits and risks becoming “a kind of Somalia in the middle of Europe.”
Russian “volunteers” fighting in Ukraine might travel to Syria to fight with President Bashar al-Assad’s forces. However, the Kremlin insists the government has no plans to deploy ground troops.
