Russia-Ukraine news

University of Rochester political scientist Randall Stone says Putin has "set a trap for himself" if Russia invades Ukraine.

On the other hand, a long-term occupation of the whole country would be difficult. STONE: The cost of an invasion would be tremendous. In other words, this is the territory that would be least costly to occupy and control, and doing so would create the appearance of having accomplished something after having mobilized his troops. The majority of people in this territory speak Russian and think of themselves as ethnically Russian. It’s also the part of Ukraine where the most pro-Russian votes were found in elections. For example, he could connect the occupied area of Donetsk and Luhansk in the east to Crimea in the south by occupying the coastal region in between. A lot of the previous disunity seems to have evaporated as a result of Putin’s recent actions. One is to occupy Ukraine, take over the entire country, and perhaps incorporate it into greater Russia. Another military option for Putin would be the “Novorossiya” strategy, where instead of trying to occupy the whole country, he expands the territory under Russian control. In the following years, an influx of Russians settled in the eastern and southern parts of Ukraine, and Russia came to consider Ukraine an integral and essential part of its territory. Most Russians do not regret the end of communism; yet the average Russian would agree with Vladimir Putin that the dissolution of the Soviet Union was a great tragedy. STONE: The American withdrawal from Afghanistan and the way in which it took place were perceived by the Russian leadership as signs of weakness. Who knows who is going to win the next Ukrainian election and what NATO would then be committed to? Or is this a desperate gambit that will reveal that there really isn’t any way for him to exert his will in this way?

Copper prices fell on Thursday as investors took a cautious stance amid growing Russia-Ukraine tension, while the dollar firmed, ...

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com It was not immediately clear how serious the incidents were. read more Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine accused government forces of opening fire on their territory four times in the last 24 hours. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

"In fact," a senior administration official said, "we have now confirmed that in the last several days, Russia has increased its troop presence along the ...

The official reiterated that the Biden administration would welcome diplomacy and steps to de-escalate the conflict, but offered the stark warning in a briefing ahead of a trip to Germany by Vice President Harris, who is leading the U.S. delegation to the Munich Security Conference. There, she plans to meet with 13 heads of state this weekend, according to senior administration officials. "In fact," the official said, "we have now confirmed that in the last several days, Russia has increased its troop presence along the Ukrainian border by as many as 7,000 troops, with some arriving as recently as today." Russia's recent claim that it was beginning to pull back some troops from Ukraine's border is "false," a senior administration official told reporters in a background briefing Wednesday.

But the Russian defence ministry said its forces were retreating after exercises in the country's southern and western military districts. Meanwhile, Ukrainians ...

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow does not want war and would rely on diplomatic efforts to eliminate any chance that Ukraine could one day join NATO – his key demand in the crisis. “Upon arrival, the equipment will be serviced and prepared for carrying out the next phase of combat training.” “We look forward to seeing evidence of the withdrawal of troops on Russia’s part. And we haven’t seen any pullback of its forces,” the US secretary of state told US broadcaster MSNBC. “We continue to see critical units moving toward the border, not away from the border.” If we do not stand for freedom where it is at risk today, we’ll surely pay a steeper price tomorrow.” “We can welcome that the president of the United States, one of the most powerful countries, thinks about the Russian nation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. The ministry said hackers had succeeded in finding vulnerabilities in the portal’s programming code. National television and government YouTube channels also broadcast speeches and rousing reminders of Ukraine’s nationhood. Washington has urged American citizens to leave Ukraine immediately, warning an attack could come at any time despite Russia repeatedly denying it has any plans to invade. The Kremlin has denied having any involvement in the cyberattacks. “It is important not to panic,” he said. I’d like to plan my holidays,” Zakharova wrote on social media.