News Reviews and Opinions - Blog by Michael Novakhov

Window On Eurasia -- New Series

Former U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton won a major victory Saturday over rival Bernie Sanders in the South Carolina primary, solidifying her status as the Democratic Party frontrunner. Clinton benefited from huge support from African-American voters, an advantage that could carry over into several of the upcoming Super Tuesday primaries on March 1. VOA National correspondent Jim Malone has more from Washington.

Врио главы Коми надеется на оперативное расследование ЧП на шахте - РИА Новости
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 9:17 AM

В Мире – Новости Google

РИА Новости

Врио главы Коми надеется на оперативное расследование ЧП на шахте
РИА Новости
Врио главы республики Коми Сергей Гапликов считает, что справедливость должна быть установлена. На шахте "Северная" в результате двух аварий погибли 10 человек, 26 человек оказались под завалами. Исполняющий обязанности главы республики Коми Сергей Гапликов.
Трёхдневный траур объявлен в республике КомиРадиостанция ЭХО МОСКВЫ
Власти Коми надеются на оперативное расследование ЧП на шахте «Северная»Новостной проект INFOX.ru
Врио главы Коми ожидает максимально открытого расследования причин аварии на шахтеТАСС
Портал progorod11.ru- Коммерсантъ Санкт-Петербург- Mangazia
Все похожие статьи: 134 »

Clash in Russian Military Unit in Chechnya Involves Russians, Chechens and Daghestanis by paul goble (noreply@blogger.com)
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 9:17 AM

Paul Goble

Staunton, February 27 – Although Russian and Chechen officials insist that there was no ethnic component to a fight on Tuesday among soldiers of Russian, Chechen, and Daghestani nationalities, the situation regarding Ramzan Kadyrov and his reappointment as head of Chechnya is so fraught that many are investing it with broader ethnic meaning.

In today’s “Gazeta,” Elizabeta Mayetnaya and Vladimir Dergachev report what little is known about the clashes, which took place on Tuesday but about which the first reports appeared only yesterday. The Moscow journalists also interviewed one of the soldiers involved (gazeta.ru/politics/2016/02/26_a_8095793.shtml).

Apparently the fight among the soldiers began when one tried to break into a lunch line and others objected. They beat the individual soldier who had tried to jump the line; and then others joined in. About 30 soldiers were involved in all. An ethnic Chechen intervened on his behalf, the soldier interviewed said; otherwise the soldier in question could have been killed. He is now in the hospital with “serious trauma.”

Because those who supported the soldier who had broken into line were mostly his fellow Russians and those who opposed him were either Chechens or Daghestanis, the fight quickly took on an ethnic coloration, especially after a video of the fight appeared on the Internet (gazeta.ru/army/video/2016/02/26/massovaya_draka_voennosluzhashih_v_odnoi_iz_chastei_popala_na_video_.shtml).

This is not the first such conflict that had occurred on this Russian military base in Chechnya, the journalists say. A year ago, there was another incident, several soldiers suffered, but things quickly quieted down. One reason is that the Chechens who work on the base are well paid compared to Chechens in the surrounding community.

Kadyrov on Instagram played down the incident saying that it was the kind of thing that happens in every army in the world. The Russian Presidential Human Rights Council confirmed that clashes had occurred but was unable to provide additional information. Its spokesman suggested that the draft of Chechens into the army, for the first time in 20 years, may have had something to do with it.

The reason for that conclusion, the spokesman said, is that clashes in Russian military units had become increasingly rare during the period when Moscow did not draft anyone from the North Caucasus nationalities. Dedovshchina occurred, but it was less along ethnic lines than it had been or may be again.

Unfortunately, the spokesman said, it is increasingly difficult to say what in fact is happening in Russian military units. Since the Crimean Anschluss, the Russian military has severely restricted the access of human rights activists to individual units and thus is in a position to keep them from finding out what is going on.

Read the whole story

· ·

Virginia Police Officer Shot, Killed on First Day on Dutyby webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 9:16 AM

A police officer in the Eastern U.S. state of Virginia was shot and killed Saturday afternoon during her first full day in uniform. Officer Ashley Guindon and two other officers with the Prince William County police force were responding to a domestic disturbance call in a community located nearly 50 kilometers southwest of Washington when they were shot. The trio were taken to a hospital where Guindon later died of her injuries. No information has been released on the other two officers. Guindon, who had spent several years serving in the U.S. Marines, was just sworn in as a police officer Friday. The department posted a picture of Guindon and another newly sworn-in officer with a message that ended with "Be safe!" One person has been taken into custody. The chairman of Prince William's governing body told The Associated Press that another woman was killed in the dispute.

IS Militants Hit Northern Iraq with Chemical Weapons: Kurdish Officials by webdesk@voanews.com (Sharon Behn)
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 9:16 AM

Kurdish officials are working with the U.S.-led coalition to verify if Islamic State militants hit Kurdish peshmerga fighters with chemical weapons in the northern area of Sinjar. Dozens of peshmerga as well as civilians reported suffering from nausea and vomiting after homemade IS rockets hit the area. The Kurdistan Region Security Council said on its Twitter feed that it was investigating the February 25 attack. If confirmed, according to the Kurdish authority it would be the eighth chemical weapon attack on its forces. U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told Congress in early February that the extremist group had used chemical agents in both Iraq and Syria. CIA Director John Brennan later confirmed that IS had the ability to manufacture both chlorine and mustard gas. A source at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons told Reuters earlier in the month that lab tests showed Kurdish fighters had been exposed to mustard gas last year.

Syrian Cease-Fire in Effect, Some Violence Reported
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 9:16 AM

The cease-fire in Syria that began Saturday has mostly held, but there have been some incidents of violence.

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3 Stabbed in Clash Between KKK, Protesters in Californiaby webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 9:15 AM

SvobodaRadio's YouTube Videos

Three people were stabbed and 13 people arrested when members of a white separatist group clashed with a larger group of counter-demonstrators outside of Los Angeles Saturday, police said. The violence occurred in the city of Anaheim, near the famed Disneyland theme park. A police spokesman said several protesters had arrived ahead of time to protest a planned anti-immigration rally by a local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. When the Klansmen arrived to begin their rally, they were surrounded by the counter-demonstrators and attacked. All three stabbing victims were counter-demonstrators, one of them stabbed by a Klansman with the sharp end of a flagpole. Two Klansmen were stomped on by several of the protesters. The police spokesman said six Klan members and seven protesters were arrested, and all face charges of assault with a deadly weapon. The Ku Klux Klan was founded in the southern U.S. state of Tennessee in 1866, one year after the anti-slavery Union army defeated the army of the slave-holding Confederate states -- which broke away from the rest of the U.S. -- to bring an end to the Civil War. Initially aimed at terrorizing newly freed African-American slaves, the KKK's ranks grew through the later part of the 19th century and first half of the 20th century as it fought against racial integration across the United States. Klansmen were once the dominant political force in Anaheim, holding four of five City Council seats before a recall effort led to their ouster in 1924.

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Михаил Ходорковский : "Этот режим не навсегда"by SvobodaRadio
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 9:15 AM

From: SvobodaRadio
Duration: 08:04

Речь Михаила Ходорковского в Лондоне в годовщину убийства Бориса Немцова. 27 февраля было объявлено о создании Фонда Бориса Немцова за свободу.
Ссылка на источник - http://www.svoboda.org/media/video/27577909.html

Нью-Йорк почтил память Немцова by SvobodaRadio
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 9:15 AM

SvobodaRadio's YouTube Videos

From: SvobodaRadio
Duration: 05:02

Сразу несколько акций памяти Бориса Немцова состоялись в Нью-Йорке
Ссылка на источник - http://www.svoboda.org/media/video/27578686.html

Guns mostly fall silent on first day of Syrian ceasefireby Reuters
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 9:14 AM

Russia | The Guardian

Russian air raids stop and the truce seems to be holding for the most part across the country

Guns mostly fell silent in Syria and Russian air raids stopped the first day of a cessation of hostilities on Saturday, that the United Nations has described as the best hope for peace in five years of civil war.

Under the US–Russian accord accepted by President Bashar al-Assad’s government and many of his foes, fighting should cease so aid can reach civilians and talks can open to end a war that has killed more than 250,000 people and made 11 million homeless.

Fragile Syria ceasefire enters second dayby Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 9:14 AM

Russia | The Guardian

Airstrikes reported in Aleppo and Hama but partial cessation of hostilities appears broadly intact

Syria’s fragile ceasefire has entered its second day with reports of scattered airstrikes and bombings, but overall the slowdown in fighting – regarded as the most successful effort yet to reduce the bloodshed in the five-year civil war – appeared to be holding.

Warplanes, believed to be either Syrian or Russian, bombed seven villages in the provinces of Aleppo and Hama, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Several airstrikes hit central and northern Syria on Sunday, a monitor said.

Guns fall silent in Syria - Reuters
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 9:14 AM

Reuters

Guns fall silent in Syria
Reuters
Under the U.S.-Russian accord accepted by President Bashar al-Assad's government and many of his foes, fighting should cease so aid can reach civilians and talks can open to end a war that has killed more than 250,000 people and made 11 million ...
US, Russia-brokered ceasefire goes into effect across SyriaThe Hindu

all 3,979 news articles »

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Here's What Happened in Russia on the First Anniversary of the Killing of Boris Nemtsov - VICE News
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 9:14 AM

VICE News

Here's What Happened in Russia on the First Anniversary of the Killing of Boris Nemtsov
VICE News
Exactly one year ago, Russian opposition leader and former deputy prime minister Boris Nemtsov was gunned down near the Kremlin in Moscow. Since then, history teacher Nadir Fatov and others have guarded a makeshift memorial at the place where he ...
Russia's anti-Putin activists mark Nemtsov murder, amid threats and attacksMashable
'Russia will be free!' Thousands march on Moscow to honour slain opposition leaderThe Globe and Mail
Thousands take to streets across Russia to remember Boris NemtsovDeutsche Welle
Washington Post -RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty -Newsweek
all 561 news articles »

'Global sherpa': Russia rooting for Hillary - WND.com
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 9:13 AM

WND.com

'Global sherpa': Russia rooting for Hillary
WND.com
NEW YORK – Russia's Vladimir Putin wants Donald Trump to lose the 2016 presidential race because he believes Russia would have a much easier time taking advantage of Hillary Clinton in the White House, according to an international adviser and expert ...

Syrian war: Russia reports nine truce violations - BBC News
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 9:12 AM

BBC News

Syrian war: Russia reports nine truce violations
BBC News
The truce in Syria has been violated nine times in the past 24 hours, says Russia, but is otherwise holding. A temporary cessation of hostilities was agreed as part of a US-Russian plan and is now in its second day. Reports say warplanes have attacked ...
Russia Grounds Its Warplanes in SyriaABC News
Russia reports 9 violations of Syrian ceasefire in 24 hoursRT
Russia, US hail Syrian ceasefireYahoo News
DefenseNews.com -PBS NewsHour -CBS News
all 4,425 news articles »

Prawit: Russia, Belarus visits tighten cooperation - Bangkok Post
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 9:12 AM

Prawit: Russia, Belarus visits tighten cooperation
Bangkok Post
Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said his visits to Russia and Belarus have tightened cooperation between Thailand and the two countries, particularly in the fields of economy and security. Gen Prawit was speaking at a press conference at Don ...

and more »

Coal mine blast in Russia kills 5 rescuers, no survivors among 26 miners trapped underground - RT
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 9:12 AM

Coal mine blast in Russia kills 5 rescuers, no survivors among 26 miners trapped underground
RT
Another explosion has rocked a coal mine in Vorkuta, Russia, killing five people and injuring one , according to the emergency services. The blast occurred during efforts to rescue workers trapped when same mine collapsed earlier this week. Five coal ...
Six people die in new explosion in Russia's Arctic mine: officialYahoo News
North Russia Mine Likely to Be Flooded or Insulated to Battle FlamesSputnik International
Rescue Work Halted At Russian Mine, 'Almost No Chance' Of SurvivorsRadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty

all 20 news articles »

'As long as Russia is our neighbor': Latvia wants to host NATO tanks ready for battle - RT
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 9:12 AM

'As long as Russia is our neighbor': Latvia wants to host NATO tanks ready for battle
RT
The suggestion appears to be against the spirit if not the letter of NATO's agreement with Russiasigned in 1994, which bans the military alliance from placing “significant” forces in Eastern Europe on a permanent basis. NATO rotates troops deployed ...
Latvia wants greater NATO presence to offset RussiaUSA TODAY

all 18 news articles »

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Russia's Batmobile: Putin inspects latest in cutting-edge combat vehicles (VIDEO) - RT
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 9:12 AM

Russia's Batmobile: Putin inspects latest in cutting-edge combat vehicles (VIDEO)
RT
The latest addition to the Russian security services' arsenal comes in the form of a Batmobile. Informally known as 'The Punisher,' the armored combat vehicle was put on display for the president and is being touted as an answer to the American Humvee.

Russia ends search for dozens of miners trapped in Arctic - Deutsche Welle
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 9:11 AM

Deutsche Welle

Russia ends search for dozens of miners trapped in Arctic
Deutsche Welle
After days of search, however, Russian Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov proclaimed that the conditions in the affected part of the Arctic mine "did not allow anyone to survive." "In the underground space where the 26 miners were, there are high ...
36 People Killed As Explosion Causes Mine Collapse In RussiaBuzzFeed News
Coal mine blast in Russia kills 5 rescuers, no survivors among 26 miners trapped undergroundRT
Miners trapped after accident in Russia's Arctic pronounced deadReuters
ABC Online -Bloomberg -Yahoo News
all 100 news articles »

Assassination of Putin Critic Remembered in Moscowby IVAN NECHEPURENKO
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 9:11 AM

NYT > Europe

Tens of thousands of people joined a solemn march on Saturday to commemorate the first anniversary of the assassination of Boris Y. Nemtsov, a Russian opposition leader.

Российский Центр по примирению враждующих сторон в Сирии начинает выпускать ежедневный бюллетень о ходе примирения конфликтующих сторон
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 9:10 AM

RSS

В соответствии с достигнутыми соглашениями, российский Центр по примирению враждующих сторон на территории Сирии начинает выпускать ежедневный информационный бюллетень.

Putin can cash in on Syria gains with cease-fire - Stars and Stripes
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 8:59 AM

Stars and Stripes

Putin can cash in on Syria gains with cease-fire
Stars and Stripes
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin has a chance to cash in on his gains in Syria by scaling down his bombing blitz when a cease-fire takes effect Friday night so he can emerge as a peace broker with international stature. The Syrian army's ...
The road to Aleppo: how the West misread Putin over SyriaReuters
Vladimir Putin finds much to celebrate about Russia's role in Syria truceWashington Post

all 2,794 news articles »

Putin's Plans Beyond Ukraine into Syria - U.S. News & World Report
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 8:59 AM

U.S. News & World Report

Putin's Plans Beyond Ukraine into Syria
U.S. News & World Report
On the eve of a ceasefire agreement, U.S. news spoke with Agnia Grigas, author of "Beyond Crimea: The New Russian Empire" and nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council about Russia's President Vladimir Putin's goals in the region and why ...
How Putin Made Russia's Military Into a Modern, Lethal Fighting ForceThe National Interest Online (blog)
Putin's creeping aggression proceedsLewiston Sun Journal
Putin's Passive-Aggressive PutschNewsweek

all 54 news articles »

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Russians march to preserve opposition in Vladimir Putin's stronghold - The Globe and Mail
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 8:59 AM

The Globe and Mail

Russians march to preserve opposition in Vladimir Putin's stronghold
The Globe and Mail
The guarding of the bridge reflects the defensive position Russia's beleaguered opposition finds itself in across the country. Rather than taking to the campaign trail to criticize President Vladimir Putin and the governing United Russia party for ...
As opposition marks 1-year anniversary of Boris Nemtsov killing, attacks against them get more bizarreCBC.ca
Anti-Putin Opposition Marks Nemtsov's Death Amid Fear and ApathyBloomberg
Lithuanian Capital to Name Street After Putin-Critic Boris NemtsovNewsweek
National Post
all 145 news articles »

Почему Путин и Медведев вместе уехали из России? - Собеседник
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 8:59 AM

Путин – Новости Google

Собеседник

Почему Путин и Медведев вместе уехали из России?
Собеседник
Sobesednik.ru выяснил, зачем Владимир Путин и Дмитрий Медведев уехали в Белоруссию, оставив Россию одновременно. Как ранее писал Sobesednik.ru, пресс-секретарю российского президента Дмитрию Пескову пришлось объяснять, почему Владимир Путин и Дмитрий Медведев ...
Владимир Путин и Александр Лукашенко утвердили бюджет Союзного государстваГазета.Ru
Песков: Путин и Медведев соблюли Конституцию, одновременно уехав в МинскМосковский комсомолец
Союз или междометиеLenta.ru
Ведомости- Российская Газета-Взгляд
Все похожие статьи: 1 039 »

Russia's anti-Putin activists mark Nemtsov murder, amid threats - Mashable
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 8:59 AM

Mashable

Russia's anti-Putin activists mark Nemtsov murder, amid threats
Mashable
Nemtsov, who was a staunch critic of President Vladimir Putin, was murdered on Feb. 27, 2015, as he walked with his girlfriend across a bridge to his home. The killing occurred on the eve of an opposition march against Putin that he was set to lead and ...
As opposition marks 1-year anniversary of Boris Nemtsov killing, attacks against them get more bizarreCBC.ca
Lithuanian Capital to Name Street After Putin-Critic Boris NemtsovNewsweek
Russians march to preserve opposition in Vladimir Putin's strongholdThe Globe and Mail
Chicago Tribune -National Post
all 260 news articles »

Die Welt: Путин нашел способ обхода западных санкций - Вести.Ru
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 8:58 AM

Путин – Новости Google

Вести.Ru

Die Welt: Путин нашел способ обхода западных санкций
Вести.Ru
Россия нашла способ обхода западных санкций. Как пишет немецкое издание Die Welt, Кремль хочет выпустить займы на три миллиарда долларов, получив деньги от европейских и американских банков и передав их российским предприятиям, на которые наложены санкции. Если этот ...
Die Welt: Путин бьет по доллару, скупая золотоКорреспондент.net
Почему Путин скупает золото в больших масштабахInopressa
Die Welt: Путин скупает золото и бьет по долларуFaceNews.ua
Рамблер Новости (Регистрация)
Все похожие статьи: 118 »

It's Putin Who Will Make or Break the Syrian Cease-fire - Haaretz
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 8:58 AM

Haaretz

It's Putin Who Will Make or Break the Syrian Cease-fire
Haaretz
It's Putin Who Will Make or Break the Syrian Cease-fire. Every party has an interest in observing the truce, but whether it leads to a longer-term dialog depends above all on Russia. Zvi Bar'el. Feb 27, 2016 9:54 PM. 0comments Print Zen Subscribe now.
Vladimir Putin finds much to celebrate about Russia's role in Syria truceWashington Post
Putin : the Ceasefire Will Prepare for the Political Process and the War on Terror Will ContinueAsharq Alawsat
Analysis: Putin Can Cash in on Syria Gains With Cease-FireABC News
Yahoo News
all 4,379 news articles »

A Year After His Murder, The Specter of Nemtsov is Haunting Putin - Daily Beast
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 8:58 AM

Daily Beast

A Year After His Murder, The Specter of Nemtsov is Haunting Putin
Daily Beast
Amazingly, the city's mayor, Ivan Karnilin, joined the anti-Putin memorial. Together with activists he marched with a long banner that said: “We'll never forget! We'll never forgive!” A recording of Nemtsov's voice played over loudspeakers in the city ...
Assassination of Putin Critic Remembered in MoscowNew York Times
Protesters mark first anniversary of Putin opponent's murderSanta Fe New Mexican
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia, Dec. 17, 2015. Photo ...Newsday
The Denver Post-Fabius Maximus website (blog)-Newsweek
all 633 news articles »

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Obama falls for Putin's act - Toledo Blade
Sunday February 28th, 2016 at 8:57 AM