Author: Steven Sahiounie

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…

Canberra alleges that its P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft was targeted by a laser from a Chinese navy vessel in the Arafura Sea on 17 February. The sea is located off Australia’s northern coast, between its Northern Territory and the Indonesian province of Papua. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has rejected Australia’s accusation that a Navy vessel belonging to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA-N) aimed a laser at a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) plane last week. Responding to Canberra’s accusations, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a press briefing on Monday that Canberra’s charge didn’t “square with facts”. Wang also urged Australia…

Last week, the lower house of Russian parliament sent an appeal to Vladimir Putin asking him to recognise the Donbass breakaways as independent countries. However, in his talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz last Tuesday, the Russian president said he felt the potential of the Minsk Agreements has not yet been exhausted. Denis Pushilin and Leonid Pasechnik, the leaders of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, have appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging him to recognise their status as independent nations. “In the interests of determining our international legal standing and, as a result, the possibility for full-fledged…

The symbolic gesture comes as a sanctions bill against Russia has failed to make progress The US Senate has published a bipartisan but nonbinding statement expressing support for Ukraine and warning Russia not to invade the Eastern European nation, days after proposed legislation that would have sanctioned Moscow in the event of an attack hit an impasse. Lawmakers signed off on the resolution on Thursday, writing that the Senate “commends the courage, resolve, and restraint shown by the Ukrainian people in their pursuit of sovereignty and democracy, and pays tribute to the many men and women who gave their lives in…

Moscow says it has repelled an armed border incursion Ukraine has denied a Russian claim that five of its service personnel were killed on Monday during a firefight near the two countries shared border. Kiev added that none of its forces have a presence in Russia’s Rostov region, dismissing Moscow’s assertion as “fake news.” “I reiterate that the Ukrainian armed forces have not attacked Donetsk and Lugansk, have not sent saboteurs or APCs across the border, have not shelled Russia’s territory or its border checkpoint. All of these are the products of Russia’s fake factory,” Ukrainian military spokesman Pavlo Kovalchuk told reporters.…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator The western media is bombarding us with threats of imminent war, even giving out deadlines for when the invasion of Ukraine is to begin. NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg appears mild-mannered and quietly wonders out loud why Russian President Putin would think that NATO could be a threat to Russia. NATO has been in numerous wars in Europe, Afghanistan, Libya, and Iraq. They were not protecting member states from attack, but on the offense and instigating conflicts far from Europe and the North Atlantic. The first NATO attack was on Bosnia in 1995 involving 400…