Author: Steven Sahiounie

The imposition of sanctions comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Monday that Moscow has recognised the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that the UK is imposing sanctions on Russian banks and individuals that the British government “has already prepared”. “Today, the UK is sanctioning the following five Russian banks: Rossiya, IS Bank, General Bank, Promsvyazbank, and the Black Sea Bank, and we’re sanctioning three very high net worth individuals”, Johnson told parliament on Tuesday. According to him, the individuals include Gennady Timchenko, Boris Rotenberg, and Igor Rotenberg, who will will…

Russia’s parliament voted overwhelmingly to recognize the breakaway republics last week The EU is planning to bring sanctions against the more than 350 Russian MPs who voted to recognize the two breakaway Donbass republics, German media has reported, one day after President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow would affirm the states’ independence. In a report on Tuesday, Hamburg’s Der Spiegel cited anonymous European officials who said that they were preparing measures that would hit every single lawmaker who voted to recognize the territories’ independence. The sanctions would also go after banks located in Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and…

By Andrew Korybko Kiev’s continued shelling of those newly independent republics as part of its ongoing genocide against their indigenous Russian people and its occupation of their territory that the Kremlin officially recognizes as falling within their sovereign borders could very likely provoke Moscow to militarily respond in self-defense. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky predicted on the day after Russia’s recognition of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) as independent states that “We believe there will be no war against Ukraine, and there will be no broad escalation on the part of the Russian Federation.” This suggests that he’s trying to avert…

In May 2018, the Trump administration unilaterally withdrew the US from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions on Tehran, who responded by abandoning its commitments under the agreement. Since April 2021, Vienna has been hosting talks to restore the accord. The US and other world powers are nearing an agreement to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, The Wall Street Journal has cited unnamed officials involved in the Vienna talks as saying. They claimed that the agreement “could be finalised in Vienna within the next couple of days” despite negotiators still…

The breakaway republics in Donetsk and Lugansk have ratified a friendship and assistance treaty with Moscow, formally opening the door to receiving military and financial support, after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognizing their independence. In statements released simultaneously on Tuesday, the parliament of the Donetsk People’s Republic and Lugansk’s People’s Council declared that the decision to ratify the ‘Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation with the Russian Federation’ had been passed unanimously by both assemblies. The day before, Putin held a televised national address in which he said “I deem it necessary to make a decision that should have been made…

The US announces a commercial ban that prohibits trading with the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics following Russia’s recognition of their sovereignty. The White House announced that US President Joe Biden signed a new decree of sanctions following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recognition of the sovereignty of the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) in the Donbass region. The signed decree prohibits “new investment, trade, and financing by US persons to, from, or in” the DPR and LPR, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed Monday. In a statement, Psaki added that the order will “provide authority to impose sanctions on any person…

The Security Council calls for an emergency session to discuss the Ukrainian crisis, and Russia focuses on avoiding war with a diplomatic solution. Vasily Nebenzya, Russia’s UN envoy, asked the UN Security Council to focus on ways to avert a war in Ukraine by forcing Kiev to cease shelling Donbass. “We have now listened to several very emotional statements, categorical assessments, and far-reaching conclusions in connection with today’s signing by the President of Russia of decrees recognizing the Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics. I will leave direct insults without reaction, now it is important to concentrate on how to avoid…

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has described as unlikely a scenario in which a “full-blown war” would break out between his country and Russia. However, should “military action against Ukraine and an escalation of the conflict begin,” his government would impose martial law, he revealed in a major address to the nation on Tuesday. “We believe there will be no war against Ukraine, and there will be no broad escalation on the part of the Russian Federation,” Zelensky announced. Kiev is calling on Moscow to assist in resolving the conflict through dialogue in any format, the president said. He went on to emphasize that Ukraine had to…

The Russian president was advised by top security officials to acknowledge the independence of the breakaway regions Following a meeting of Russia’s Security Council, President Vladimir Putin has announced that he will decide on Monday whether to recognize the two self-declared breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk in Ukraine’s war-torn Donbass region. Speaking at the end of the session, during which government ministers and the head of the country’s security agencies claimed that the humanitarian situation across the border is worsening, Putin said that “I have heard your opinions. A decision will be made today,” before ending the meeting.  Among the…

The President of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic confirms that a battle is taking place near the Russian border. The head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, Denis Pushilin, reported on the battle of the Republic’s popular forces with Ukrainian troops near the border with Russia. According to Pushilin, the situation in the direction of Mariupol has sharply deteriorated. Ukrainian Militants of the 36th Brigade attacked the positions of the People’s Police units in the Komenternovo region, according to a statement of the Donetsk Presidency, a copy of which was obtained by Al Mayadeen. The statement details that a battle is…