russia

Russia cancels Syria lobbying mission to D.C.

"The speaker of Russia's national legislature said Friday that a plan to send a parliamentary delegation to Washington to try and convince U.S. lawmakers that a unilateral military intervention in Syria would be unwarranted and counterproductive had been cancelled. Sergei Naryshkin, speaker of the State Duma, said the delegation would no longer travel to the U.S. and called the decisions by House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to refuse to meet their Russian counterparts deplorable. Reid spokesman Adam Jentleson confirmed Thursday that Reid had turned down the offer. Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said the speaker had also declined the offer." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRussia cancels Syria lobbying mission to D.C.

Putin: Syria chemical attack is ‘rebels’ provocation in hope of intervention’

"The alleged chemical weapons use in Syria is a provocation carried out by the rebels to attract a foreign-led strike, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the G20 summit. There was no 50/50 split of opinion on the notion of a military strike against the Syrian President Bashar Assad, Putin stressed refuting earlier assumptions. Only Turkey, Canada, Saudi Arabia and France joined the US push for intervention, he said, adding that the UK Prime Minister’s position was not supported by his citizens. Russia, China, India, Indonesia, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa and Italy were among the major world’s economies clearly opposed to military intervention." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPutin: Syria chemical attack is ‘rebels’ provocation in hope of intervention’

Vladimir Putin: The US Administration is Lying Shamelessly about Syria

"The Russian President then said the Al-Nusra Front terrorist organization, which pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda, has been at the forefront of the rebel groups fighting Assad's forces, and that the US is well aware of that. 'Well, he [Kerry] lies. And he knows that he lies. This is sad,' Putin remarked. Speaking of Kerry's confidence in that Assad's forces used chemical weapons, Putin recalled former US Secretary of State Colin Powell's rhetoric on the eve of American invasion in Iraq. Powell even brandished some test tube with a white powder as he attempted to persuade the international community that Iraq has chemical weapons, Putin said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingVladimir Putin: The US Administration is Lying Shamelessly about Syria

Russia warns of nuclear disaster if Syria is hit

"A military strike on Syria could lead to a nuclear catastrophe if a missile were to hit a reactor containing radioactive uranium, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman warned. The remark comes as the US continues to push for a military strike on Syria. 'If a warhead, by design or by chance, were to hit the Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR) near Damascus, the consequences could be catastrophic,' Aleksandr Lukashevich said in a Wednesday statement. Russia’s Foreign Ministry urged the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to complete a risk evaluation as the US continues to seek support for military action." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRussia warns of nuclear disaster if Syria is hit

Russian legislators introduce bill to take children away from LGBT parents

"A Russian lawmaker has introduced a bill that would allow the state to remove children from homes headed by LGBT parents. The draft bill was published on the Russian parliament’s website Thursday morning and proposed to make the 'fact of nontraditional sexual orientation' grounds for removing or denying parental custody rights. The bill, if passed, would add sexual orientation to a list of disqualifying factors that includes alcoholism, drug addiction and a history of child abuse. Bill author Alexei Zhuravlev said that the law would be a natural extension of a law passed earlier this year that bans so-called 'homosexual propaganda.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRussian legislators introduce bill to take children away from LGBT parents

Russian report on chemical attack indicates similarity with rebel-made weapons

"Probes from Khan al-Assal show chemicals used in the March 19 attack did not belong to standard Syrian army ammunition, and that the shell carrying the substance was similar to those made by a rebel fighter group, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated. The samples taken at the site of the March 19 attack and analyzed by Russian experts indicate that a projectile carrying the deadly nerve agent sarin was most likely fired at Khan al-Assal by the rebels, the ministry statement suggests, outlining the 100-page report handed over to the UN by Russia." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRussian report on chemical attack indicates similarity with rebel-made weapons

‘Putin in drag’ artist seeks asylum in France

"A Russian artist said Thursday he has fled to France and is applying for asylum after police seized his painting of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in women’s underwear. Police on Tuesday raided an exhibition in the northwestern city of Saint Petersburg, which next week hosts the G20 summit, and confiscated works including a painting of Putin in a strappy nightie and Medvedev in a bra and skimpy knickers. The artist, Konstantin Altunin, 45, said by telephone from Paris that he had requested political asylum and was now gathering the necessary documents. The exhibition also included paintings of Lenin and Stalin." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Putin in drag’ artist seeks asylum in France

Putin: Edward Snowden ‘condemned himself to a rather difficult life’

"'You know, I sometimes thought about him, he is a strange guy,' ex-KGB spy Putin said in an interview with state-run Channel One television. 'How is he going to build his life? In effect, he condemned himself to a rather difficult life. I do not have the faintest idea about what he will do next,' Putin said. 'Well, it’s clear we will not give him up, he can feel safe here. But what’s next?' Putin said. 'And maybe some compromises will be found in this case.' Putin said while US special services consider Snowden a traitor 'he is someone with a completely different frame of mind and considers himself to be a fighter for human rights.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPutin: Edward Snowden ‘condemned himself to a rather difficult life’

Gorbachev urges US-Russia deal on Syria

"Gorbachev, 82, said the international community must be level-headed. 'I think that we've seen situations in the past that were more dangerous and where we were nevertheless able to find a solution and to find a way out,' he said. 'A lot will depend on the permanent members of the UN Security Council. They need to show the Cold War is over, that they are able to work together,' he said. Gorbachev took a jab at France, a vocal supporter of intervention in Syria. 'I was surprised that France, instead of supporting an international conference, is taking its current position on Syria,' he said. 'I think that France will have to change its position.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGorbachev urges US-Russia deal on Syria

Assad ally said to defect, Putin chides U.S. on Syria

"President Bashar al-Assad's former defense minister has fled Syria, opposition figures said on Wednesday, noting that General Ali Habib was the most senior of Assad's Alawite sect to defect. Habib had been under house arrest since resigning in protest at Assad's crackdown on demonstrators in 2011 but had managed to reach the Turkish border late on Tuesday with Western help, Kamal al-Labwani of the Syrian National Coalition told Reuters. Putin again questioned Western evidence. And he accused U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry outright of 'lying' when, in urging Congress to approve strikes on Syria, Kerry played down the role of al Qaeda in the rebel forces." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAssad ally said to defect, Putin chides U.S. on Syria