Ukrainian navy says a third of Russian warships in the Black Sea have been destroyed or disabled
Ukraine's navy spokesman says that Ukrainian forces have sunk or disabled a third of all Russian warships in the Black Sea, a major blow to Moscowโs military capability as the war has dragged into a third year.
Putin says he won't renew the grain deal until the West meets his demands. The West says it has
Russian President Vladimir Putin says a wartime deal that allowed Ukraine to export grain safely through the Black Sea wonโt be restored until the West meets Moscowโs demands on its own agricultural exports.
US challenges world to tell Russia to stop using Ukrainian grain as 'blackmail'
U_S_ Secretary of State Antony Blinken is challenging all countries to tell Russia to stop using the Black Sea and Ukraineโs grain as โblackmailโ and stop treating the worldโs hungry and vulnerable people as leverage in its โunconscionable war.โ.
Russia targets Ukraine's port of Odesa and calls it payback for a strike on a key bridge to Crimea
Ukraine said its forces shot down Russian drones and cruise missiles targeting the Black Sea port of Odesa in what Moscow called โretributionโ for an attack that damaged a crucial bridge to the Crimean Peninsula.
Russia halts landmark deal that allowed Ukraine to export grain at time of growing hunger
Russia has halted a breakthrough wartime deal that allows grain to flow from Ukraine to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia where hunger is a growing threat and high food prices have pushed people into poverty.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine leaves global trade in tatters
Sanctions on Russia are starting to wreak havoc on global trade, with potentially devastating consequences for energy and grain importers while also generating ripple effects across a world still struggling to overcome pandemic-induced supply chain disruptions.
Romania OKs holding Easter celebrations despite virus surge
As Romania battles against a surge of COVID-19 infections authorities announced on Thursday March 25, 2021, that Easter celebrations in the deeply Christian country will physically go ahead this year. AdThe Easter Service is one of the most important dates in the Christian calendar. On the night of the Resurrection, Romanian Orthodox worshipers attend a service at midnight when they receive the Holy Light. โPreventing physical Easter in an Orthodox country in times when people need safety but also hope is not one of those." The prime minister also said he used Thursday's meeting to urge religious authorities to support Romaniaโs vaccination campaign, which has delivered more than 2.6 million vaccines shot so far.
Turkey's president wishes to improve testy relations with US
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses his ruling party's supporters in the Black Sea city of Rize, Turkey, Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. Erdogan laid into the United States, accusing it of supporting Kurdish militants on Monday, days after Turkish troops found the bodies of 13 Turkish soldiers, police and civilians abducted by Kurdish insurgents in a cave complex in northern Iraq. (Turkish Presidency via AP, Pool)ISTANBUL โ Turkeyโs president says mutual interests with the United States outweigh their differences and has called for more cooperation with President Joe Biden's new U.S. administration. AdErdogan said Saturday the U.S. did not give Turkey the โdesired support and solidarityโ in fighting the PKK and linked groups, demanding a โclear stanceโ from Turkeyโs allies. He also repeated the frustration over the continued U.S. residency of Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric accused of orchestrating the bloody 2016 coup attempt.
Turkey vows to expand anti-PKK operations in northern Iraq
Turkish soldiers carry the national flag-draped coffin of Turkish soldier Er Sedat Sorgun, one of thirteen soldiers, police and civilians who had been abducted by Kurdish insurgents and found killed in northern Iraq, during the funeral in the city of Erzurum, Turkey, Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Tuesday to expand cross-border operations against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq, following the killings. (IHA via AP)ANKARA โ Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Tuesday to expand cross-border operations against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq, following the killing of 13 Turkish soldiers, police and civilians who had been abducted by Kurdish insurgents. Turkey has long been seeking to form a secure zone along its borders with Iraq and Syria to force Kurdish insurgents away from the frontier. Tens of thousands of people have been killed since the PKK began an insurgency in Turkeyโs majority Kurdish southeast region in 1984.
Turkey accuses US of backing PKK after Turks killed in Iraq
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses his ruling party's supporters in the Black Sea city of Rize, Turkey, Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said Blinken expressed condolences for the deaths of the hostages and โaffirmed our view that PKK terrorists bear responsibility." AdErdogan said 51 PKK militants were killed during the latest offensive and vowed to press ahead with cross-border offensives. โWe have the power, capability and determination to come down hard on the terrorists everywhere," Erdogan said. Three Turkish troops also died during the operation to free the hostages and three others were wounded, the defense ministry has said.
In Russia and Ukraine, no social distance on crowded beaches
People enjoy the beach in the Black Sea in Odessa, Ukraine, Saturday, July 4, 2020. Tens of thousands of vacation-goers in Russia and Ukraine have descended on Black Sea beaches, paying little attention to safety measures despite levels of contagion still remaining high in both countries. (AP Photo/Sergei Poliakov)SOCHI Tens of thousands of vacation-goers in Russia and Ukraine have descended on Black Sea beaches, paying little heed to public health measures despite the numbers of reported coronavirus cases remaining high in both countries. While popular vacation destinations in Europe are still closed to visitors from Russia and Ukraine as European nations move carefully to lift restrictions on foreign visitors, Black Sea resorts in Russia and Ukraine are filled to capacity from domestic tourism. Now, Russian sun-lovers are left with the narrow pebble beaches of Sochi or Crimea as their only beach vacation options.