Putin’s 36-hour Ukraine truce will ‘do nothing’ for peace, James Cleverly warns January 6, 2023 Vladimir Putin’s plans for a 36-hour ceasefire in Ukraine over the Russian Orthodox Christmas holiday period will “do nothing to advance the prospects for peace”, the UK’s Foreign Secretary has said. Russia’s President Putin has ordered Moscow’s armed forces to observe the 36-hour ceasefire in Ukraine this weekend, when the Russian Orthodox Church, which uses [...]
Tony Blair: Vladimir Putin should have got seat at international ‘top table’ December 30, 2022 Tony Blair argued that Vladimir Putin should be given a seat at the international “top table” despite deep misgivings among officials about the new Russian president, according to newly released official files. Papers released to the National Archives in Kew, west London, show Mr Blair, as prime minister, believed the former KGB man was at [...]
Putin “knows he’s in trouble” in Ukraine: Former head of British Army speaks out December 27, 2022 The former head of the British Army has said Vladimir Putin is pushing the idea of peace talks to end the Ukraine war because he’s in a “position of weakness.” Lord Richard Dannatt said of Putin’s negotiation hints that “the reason why he’s talking about this at the present moment is that he knows he’s [...]
Meeting of minds? Putin and Xi to meet before the end of the year December 26, 2022 Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will speak before the end of the year, Russian state news agency TASS said on Monday, without giving details of the timing or format. It quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying the two sides would release details in due course. Putin and Xi proclaimed [...]
Kremlin ‘power grab’ in full swing as controversial Wagner Group boss pushes Putin to boot defence chief Shoigu November 22, 2022 An internal coup inside the Kremlin is reportedly in full swing as the chief of the controversial Wagner mercenary group is putting Russian president Putin increasingly under pressure to sack his Defence minister, Sergie Shoigu. Yevgeny Prigozhin, who heads the Wagner Group, also dubbed Putin’s private army which primarily consists of mercenaries, is reportedly increasingly [...]
Moscow’s elite in shock as another close Putin ally suddenly dies: Gazprom ‘wonderkid’ and Kremlin insider Nikolay Petrunin is no more October 17, 2022 Rumours are flying in Moscow today as it has emerged that another one of Vladimir Putin’s close allies has suddenly dies. Nikolay Petrunin, a 46-year-old Russian multimillionaire and a close confidant of the Russian president, is no more. The official reason by authorities was that the Gazprom executive has died as a result of complications [...]
Ukraine recaptures strategic territories in south and east as pressure mounts on Putin’s army October 5, 2022 Ukrainian forces continued to make massive gains across the south and east this week, liberating a number of key villages and putting increasing pressure on President Putin’s army. In his Tuesday evening address, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said the villages of Lyubymivka, Khreshchenivka, Zolota Balka, Bilyaivka, Ukrainka, Velyka Oleksandrivka and Mala Oleksandrivka had all been [...]
Block Russian oligarch from spending frozen funds, High Court told September 27, 2022 The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) is seeking to block sanctioned Russian billionaire Petr Aven from using £1.5m in frozen funds stored in bank accounts linked to two companies responsible for managing his central London properties and Surrey estate. The £1.5m funds were frozen by the NCA in May after HSBC and Monzo Bank raised [...]
Russians flee en masse to escape Putin’s mobilisation with few flights out of Moscow costing £10,000 September 27, 2022 Tens of thousands of Russians are fleeing their country to escape the mass military mobilisation that is currently underway. As a result, international flights out of Moscow now cost more than £10,000 per seat for a single ticket. The Kremlin ordered last week that up to 300,000 reservists across Russia should report for duty in [...]
Russia holds its breath as Putin mobilises hundreds of thousands amid risk Ukraine war may turn nuclear September 21, 2022 The Russian president announced earlier this morning a partial military mobilisation, with 300,000 reservists set to be called up as the Kremlin attempts to regain ground in the face of a counter-attack by Ukraine’s forces. Vladimir Putin warned Russia would use “all the means at our disposal” to protect itself as the conflict in Ukraine [...]