The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Vladimir Putin

  • U.S. slaps sanctions on Russian oligarchs, govt officials

    The United States on Friday hit Russian oligarchs, government officials and companies with sanctions, citing Moscow’s “range of malign activity around the globe.”

    Seven Russian oligarchs, 12 companies they control and 17 senior government officials are on the list announced by the Treasury Department.

    The move targets Russia’s elite and people in President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle.

    Among them is Kirill Shamalov, who is married to Putin’s daughter Katerina Tikhonova.

    The US claimed Shamalov’s “fortunes drastically improved following the marriage,” and a year later he was able to borrow more than $1 billion from state-owned Gazprombank, eventually joining “the ranks of the billionaire elite around Putin.”

    Also included on the Treasury list are a state-owned Russian weapons trading company and its subsidiary,a Russian bank.

    “The Russian government operates for the disproportionate benefit of oligarchs and government elites,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.

    He accused the government in Moscow of engaging in “a range of malign activity around the globe, including continuing to occupy Crimea and instigate violence in eastern Ukraine.”

    In addition, Russia supplies the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with “material and weaponry as they bomb their own civilians, attempting to subvert Western democracies, and malicious cyber activities,” Mnuchin said.

    In March, the U.S. imposed sanctions against five Russian entities and 19 individuals for cyber attacks and attempted interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

    It marked the first use of a law Congress passed in June to punish Russia for its alleged election meddling.

     

  • ‘Putin’s re-election to contribute to stability of Eurasian region’

    Russian President Vladimir Putin’s re-election will contribute to the stability of the Eurasian continent and prosperous development of Russia, Ngo Xuan Lich, the defense minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, said on Thursday.

    “The result of the recent election has shown the confidence and inspiration of the Russian people for the prosperous development of Russia.

    “We expect that such development of Russia will contribute to peace, stability of the entire Eurasian continent,’’ Ngo said at the Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS).

    Read Also: Obama doesn’t grasp Putin’s Eurasian ambitions

    The Russian presidential election took place on March 18 and resulted in incumbent President Vladimir Putin winning with 76.69 per cent of the vote.

    The seventh MCIS is being held in the Russian capital from Wednesday to Thursday.

    The conference is an annual event, which brings together defense ministers, representatives of international and non-governmental organizations and military experts.

    This year, it is focused on the defeat of terrorists in Syria.

    NAN

  • Civic participation, responsibility vital for country’s future – Putin

    President Vladimir Putin of Russia said on Friday that the large-scale civic participation and unification of the Russian people, as well as the fact that they act responsibly are very important against the backdrop of internal and external challenges.

    Putin made this known in his address to the nation, following the announcement of the final election results.

    Earlier in the day, the Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) announced the final results of the Sunday presidential election, which showed that Putin was re-elected with 76.69 per cent of the vote.

    “Taking into account the large-scale, unprecedented support you have given me … I feel the need to address you, the people who backed my candidature across the country, to all the Russian citizens.

    “I think that such large-scale civic participation, your responsibility, the consolidation is very important, especially nowadays, amid complicated internal and external challenges we face,” Putin said.

    Read Also: Al-Bashir invites Putin to visit Sudan – Kremlin

    According to the president, all the forthcoming steps made by the Russian authorities will strive to ensure the nation’s development.

    “I would like to stress that all future decisions, including the most complicated ones, would be determined by only one factor — the need to overcome the existing situation, where Russia falls behind in several spheres, to ensure the dynamic development of the country and new quality of people’s lives, and to address the historic challenges we face,” the president added.

    According to the Russian leader, all such decisions will be made on behalf of the country, Russian citizens and future generations.

    “We will act in an open way, we will discuss all key decisions with the people. We will explain the reasons behind our steps and the goals we want to achieve [to the people],” Putin said.

    The Russian presidential election took place on Sunday, in which a total of eight candidates ran.

    Communist Party candidate Pavel Grudinin came in second place with 11.77 per cent of the vote, while head of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia Vladimir Zhirinovsky came in third place with 5.65 per cent of the vote.

    NAN

  • Al-Bashir invites Putin to visit Sudan – Kremlin

    Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Friday that Sudanese President Omar Bashir invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit the country; the dates of the visit will be discussed via diplomatic channels.

    On Thursday, Sudan’s state news agency SUNA reported that Putin had accepted an invitation by Bashir to visit Khartoum.

    “Indeed, an invitation was accepted and indeed the president said that the possibility of such visit and its timeframes will be discussed via diplomatic channels,” Peskov told reporters.

    The news men report that for decades, Russia and Sudan have maintained a strong economic and politically strategic partnership.

    Due to solidarity with both the U. S. and with the Soviet Union and with the allies of the two nations,
    Sudan declared neutrality and instead chose membership in the Non-Aligned Movement throughout the Cold War.

    Russo-Sudanese relations were minorly damaged when, in 1971 members of the Sudanese Communist Party attempted to assassinate then-president Gaafar Nimeiry, and Nimeiry pegged the blame on the USSR, thus enhancing Sudanese relations with the West, and were damaged again when Sudan supported the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan when the USSR invaded in 1979.

    Read Also: Al-Bashir apologises for inability to attend Islamic-U.S. summit

    Due to a common enemy, diplomatic cooperation between the two countries dramatically got back on track during the late 1990s and early 2000s, when Putin was elected the President, and then the Prime Minister of Russia, and along with Chinese leader Hu Jintao opposed UN Peacekeepers in Darfur.

    Russia strongly supports Sudan’s territorial integrity and opposes the creation of an independent Darfurian state.

    Also, Russia is Sudan’s strongest investment partner (in Europe) and political ally in Europe and Russia has repeatedly and significantly regarded Sudan as an important global ally in the African continent.

    For decades there have been Sudanese college students studying in Russian universities.

    During the 2008 attack on Omdurman and Khartoum, Justice and Equality Movement rebels from Darfur killed a Russian mercenary pilot by shooting his plane down when he tried to strafe them.

    The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reports that only eight per cent of Sudanese arms are Chinese, and that Russian arms actually make up the majority, at 87 percent.

    Russia is the major weapons supplier to the Sudan.

    NAN

  • Buhari congratulates Putin on re-election

    President Muhammadu Buhari has extended “sincere congratulations” to President Vladimir Putin of Russia on his victory in the recent presidential election in the country.

    In a letter on behalf of himself, the government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the President said Putin’s success for the fourth time in the election is a clear testimony of the confidence Russians have in his leadership.

    Read Also: Buhari extols Late Senator Wakil’s dedication

    Buhari, in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina, also urged his Russian counterpart to see the victory as a base to continue to promote international peace and stability.

    President Buhari assured President Putin of “Nigeria’s commitment to a stronger and mutually beneficial relation with the Russian Federation under your watch.”

    He said he looked forward to continue working with the Russian leader “to strengthen our defence, trade and technical partnerships as well as promotion of private sector participation in all sectors of our economies.”

  • European impressed number of young voters in Russian presidential election

    The Russian presidential election had an excellent turnout, especially among young people, with many voting for the first time on March 18, Janice Atkinson, the vice president of the Europe of Nations and Freedom group in the European Parliament, said Monday.

    On Sunday, Russia held its presidential election.

    About three-quarters of all voters backed the re-election of Russian President Vladimir Putin according to preliminary CEC figures.

    “What struck me was the amount of young people that were voting, and those that were voting for the first time. A lot of proudness among those people…

    “You’re going out and doing your civic duty, so I was very heartened by that. You had an excellent turnout.
    “We’d love to have that in the UK. On average we get 60 to 65 per cent at the general election,” Atkinson told reporters.

    Atkinson also praised the turnout in Crimea, which rejoined Russia in March 2014 via a referendum.

    Read Also: European powers urge U.S not to abandon Iran nuclear deal

    “It was interesting to see the turnout here. I think in the end it was about 80 per cent. Putin got a fantastic turnout in Crimea, which I think says an awful lot,” Atkinson said.

    Atkinson compared the Russian presidential election to the elections in the United Kingdom, stating that the UK should adopt electronic voting systems similar to those used by Russia to save time.

    “It all seemed to work very well – your electronic voting system. We don’t have that in the UK. We have a piece of paper and it’s ‘mark the box,’ and it takes hours and hours to count.

    “So I think the way forward is electronic systems in my country,” Atkinson said.

    Atkinson added that voter fraud could be prevented in the UK if it used Russia’s system of providing identification before casting a ballot.

    The number of ballot paper processing systems was doubled to almost 13,000 for Sunday’s election, with around 1,000 touch-screen voting systems installed.

    About one-third of voters used these electronic voting systems.

    NAN

     

  • Putin on track for commanding win as Russians head to polls

    Russians voted in a presidential election on Sunday set to give Vladimir Putin a runaway victory, the only possible blemish for the Kremlin being if large numbers of voters do not bother taking part because the result is so predictable.

    Opinion polls give Putin, the incumbent, support of around 70 per cent, or nearly 10 times the backing of his nearest challenger.

    Another term will take him to nearly a quarter century in power — a longevity among Kremlin leaders second only to Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.

    Putin’s opponents alleged officials were trying to inflate the turnout.

    Many voters credit Putin, a 65-year-old former KGB spy, with standing up for Russia’s interests in a hostile outside world, even though the cost is confrontation with the West.

    A row with Britain over allegations the Kremlin used a nerve toxin to poison a Russian double agent in a sleepy English town, denied by Moscow, has not dented his standing.

    The majority of voters see no viable alternative to Putin: he has total dominance of the political scene and the state-run television, where most people get their news, gives lavish coverage of Putin and little airtime to his rivals.

    Galina Zhukova, a pensioner, came to polling station number 1512 in Zelenodolsk, about 800 km (500 miles) east of Moscow, with her husband, Alexei.

    They arrived soon after the doors opened.

    “We voted for Putin. Things are all right for us,” said Alexei. “And there’s no one else to vote for,” said Galina.

    A day of voting across Russia’s 11 time zones began at 2000 GMT on Saturday on Russia’s eastern edge, in the Pacific coast city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

    There, voters were handed small plastic flags with the slogan: “I love Kamchatka. We are the first.”

    Voting will run until polls close at the westernmost point of Russia, the Kaliningrad region on the Baltic Sea, at 1800 GMT on Sunday.

    In an address to the nation broadcast on national television on Friday, Putin said voters held the fate of the country in their hands and urged them to vote. (Reuters/NAN)

  • Russia deploys hypersonic missile system to south of country

    Russia deploys hypersonic missile system to south of country

    The new Russian hypersonic aviation and missile system dubbed Kinzhal (Dagger) has been successfully tested and deployed to the south of the country, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.

    “The creation of the high-precision hypersonic aviation and missile system, which has no analogues in the world, is very important.

    “Its tests have successfully been concluded. Moreover, since Dec. 1, 2017, the system has been on the mission at the airfields of the South military district,” Putin said during his annual address to the parliament.

    The unique characteristics of the high-speed carrier aircraft allow for delivering the missile within minutes, Putin continued.

    Putin said the missile, the speed of which exceeds the speed of the sound by 10 times, is able to overcome the existing and potentially-created air defence and anti-missile systems, reaching the target located up to 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles) away with ordinary and nuclear warheads.

    Read Also:   Russia Olympic ban after Pyeongchang

    “The creation of the strategic missile system with the essentially new military equipment, which is the maneuvering winged unit, the tests of which have already been completed, is a true technological breakthrough,” Putin pointed out.

    He said the work to strengthen Russia’s defence capability is carried out within the framework of international agreements.

    “For my part, I will note that all work to strengthen Russia’s defense capability has been carried out within the framework of existing arms control agreements. We do not violate anything,” Putin said.

    He said it took other countries centuries to achieve what Russia has achieved over the past 30 years.
    NAN

  • Russia meddled in U.S election, says George W. Bush

    Russia meddled in U.S election, says George W. Bush

    Former U.S. President George W. Bush accused Russia on Thursday of meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a “brilliant tactician”.

    Bush, interviewed on stage at a business conference in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, said there was clear evidence that the Russians had meddled but whether that affected the outcome of the election was another question.

    “But they meddled and that is dangerous for democracy,” he said, adding that Russia had done the same thing during the Cold War and was adept at trying to manipulate opinion in the U.S. and Europe.

    “Putin is a brilliant tactician, who has the capacity to detect weakness and exploit it,” Bush said.

    Read Also: George W. Bush frowns at new era of U.S isolationism

    The Kremlin has repeatedly denied accusations by U.S. intelligence officials and others of interfering in foreign elections, including the 2016 U.S. vote.

    In an apparent criticism of the immigration policies of U.S. President Donald Trump, Bush called for changes in U.S. immigration rules.

    According to him, it is important to recognise that the U.S. has a history of welcoming people regardless of their religion or their place of birth.

    “Our system is broken, but we have got to fix it. I had tried, but unsuccessfully,” he said without naming Trump.

    “It is important for our economy and also important for our soul that the immigration system functions well.”

    On Mexico, he said: “I view it as a relationship vital for our economy and our stability. We have got to enforce our borders and we have got to enforce our laws.

    “There are people willing to do jobs Americans won’t do. A lot of Americans don’t like picking cotton at 105 degrees.

    “But there are people, who want to put food on the tables of their families and are willing to do that.”

    NAN

  • 2018 Election: Putin submit documents to electoral commission

    2018 Election: Putin submit documents to electoral commission

    President Vladimir Putin of Russia on Wednesday submitted documents to the Central Election Commission (CEC) to be nominated as a candidate in the March 2018 presidential elections, a Sputnik correspondent reported Wednesday.

    The CEC accepted the documents from Putin, who will run in the elections as an independent candidate.

    The Russian leader said during an annual press conference earlier in December that he counted on the support on the part of parties and public organizations despite intending to run as an independent.

    In a similar development, President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan expressed his support for Russian President Vladimir Putin at the upcoming presidential election in Russia.

    “The year of 2018 is very important for Russia as the presidential election will be taking place in the country.

    “I do not want to forestall anything, but I have a right to express my own opinion, that in this period, there can be no other leader in Russia and you have proven this,” Nazarbayev said during his bilateral meeting with Putin.

    Putin is shifting Russia to a new level of development, the Kazakh president added.

    “I am sure that the Russian people will make the right choice. Speaking honestly, Kazakhstan is on your side. I wish you success,” Nazarbayev told Putin.

    During the meeting, Nazarbayev also praised the results of Monday’s informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

    Speaking about the bilateral relations between Russia and Kazakhstan, Nazarbayev noted a recent significant rapprochement between the two countries, and pointed to the positive influence of Moscow and Astana within the Eurasian Economic Union.

    The next Russian presidential election is scheduled for March 18, 2018.

    Putin has announced that he will participate in the election as an independent candidate.

    The incumbent president has, however, expressed hope that parties and public organisations, sharing his view of the country’s development, as well as the general public, would support him.