Real Madrid beat Liverpool to clinch the European Cup for the third consecutive year. The credit goes to Welshman Gareth Bale who came off the bench to score twice, including a stunning overhead bicycle kick.

Bale was substituted in the 64th minute and scored a jaw-dropping reverse kick to produced an outstanding goal and gave Real 2-1 lead.

The goal proved vital for Real Madrid as Sadio Mane's equalizer had given winning hopes to the Reds after the dramatic start to the second half in which Karim Benzema gave Real the lead as a result of a Loris Karius howler.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-goalkeeping-errors-that-cost-liverpool-champions-league-title-140070">Watch: Goalkeeping errors that cost Liverpool Champions League title</a>

Another Karius' blooper happened just after few minutes as a disappointing and lose attempt to save Gareth Bale's splendid effort gave Real 3-1 lead.

Watch the video Gareth Bale's overhead bicycle kick here:

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⚽?? <a href="https://twitter.com/GarethBale11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GarethBale11</a>, WHAT. A. GOAL!!!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHAMP13NS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHAMP13NS</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HalaMadrid?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HalaMadrid</a> <a href="https://t.co/1dciApRNyR">pic.twitter.com/1dciApRNyR</a>
— #CHAMP13NS ???? (@realmadriden) <a href="https://twitter.com/realmadriden/status/1000666121085865984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

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Bale’s crazy Bicycle Kick goal from a fans view ? How did you enjoy the game? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bale?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bale</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ramos?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ramos</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChampionsLeagueFinal?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ChampionsLeagueFinal</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Liverpool?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Liverpool</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/APorLa13?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#APorLa13</a> <a href="https://t.co/6Lo1iN2tfL">pic.twitter.com/6Lo1iN2tfL</a>
— TheSkillShow (@TheSkillShow) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSkillShow/status/1000559383774945284?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Jurgen Klopp's and Liverpool's own evening was marred by the loss of a distraught Mohamed Salah to injury in the first half, the Egyptian coming off half an hour in having damaged his shoulder.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/over-15-lakh-sign-petition-urging-punish-sergio-ramos-for-intentionally-hurting-mohamed-salah-140172">Over 1.5 lakh sign petition urging, 'punish Sergio Ramos for intentionally hurting Mohamed Salah'</a>

This was not to be Salah's night, with Real allowing Zinedine Zidane to become the first coach ever to win the Champions League three years in a row.

Gareth Bale came off the bench to score twice, including one of the all-time great goals in a Champions League final

Real Madrid beat Liverpool to clinch the European Cup for the third consecutive year. The credit goes to Welshman Gareth Bale who came off the bench to score twice, including a stunning overhead bicycle kick. Bale was substituted in the 64th minute and scored a jaw-dropping reverse kick to produced an outstanding goal and gave Real 2-1 lead. The goal proved vital for Real Madrid as Sadio Mane's equalizer had given winning hopes to the Reds after the dramatic start to the second half in which Karim Benzema gave Real the lead as a result of a Loris Karius howler. Watch: Goalkeeping errors that cost Liverpool Champions League title Another Karius' blooper happened just after few minutes as a disappointing and lose attempt to save Gareth Bale's splendid effort gave Real 3-1 lead. Watch the video Gareth Bale's overhead bicycle kick here: ⚽?? @GarethBale11, WHAT. A. GOAL!!!#CHAMP13NS | #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/1dciApRNyR — #CHAMP13NS ???? (@realmadriden) May 27, 2018 × Bale’s crazy Bicycle Kick goal from a fans view ? How did you enjoy the game? #Bale #Ramos #ChampionsLeagueFinal #Liverpool #APorLa13 pic.twitter.com/6Lo1iN2tfL — TheSkillShow (@TheSkillShow) May 27, 2018 × Jurgen Klopp's and Liverpool's own evening was marred by the loss of a distraught Mohamed Salah to injury in the first half, the Egyptian coming off half an hour in having damaged his shoulder. Over 1.5 lakh sign petition urging, 'punish Sergio Ramos for intentionally hurting Mohamed Salah' This was not to be Salah's night, with Real allowing Zinedine Zidane to become the first coach ever to win the Champions League three years in a row.

Watch: Gareth Bale's stunning & jaw-dropping overhead bicycle kick

As Liverpool takes on Real Madrid in the Champions League final at Kiev later today, all eyes are on none other than Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian has been unstoppable since he arrived at Liverpool from Roma last summer for $49 million, a bargain considering transfer market after Brazilian Neymar Jr's $263 million over-rated move to Paris Saint-Germain. Salah's performance has been awe-inspiring and he has proved every pundit, who expressed doubts over his ability to adapt the high-pressing style of Jurgen Klopp's football, wrong.

The Egyptian has scored 44 goals in 48 appearances this season for Liverpool- a record that does not look out of place next to the elite attacking players in the game like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar.

And there have been calls already for him to be the next winner of the most prestigious individual accolade in world football -- Ballon d'Or.

Red's talisman broke the back of his former club Roma, his former club, in the semi-final first leg scoring two goals and provided assists for Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, in the process setting up the summit clash with the 12-time winner Real Madrid.

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<h5>The dribbling, dancing and grooving Salah helped send Liverpool to the Champions League final but things could have been so different if Chelsea hadn't sold him</h5>
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The dribbling, dancing and grooving Salah helped send Liverpool to the Champions League final but things could have been so different if Chelsea hadn't sold him.

The Egyptian was on the books at the Blues, but his time was short-lived as he was shipped out on loan to Fiorentina and then eventually sold to Roma after a loan deal with the club.

Chelsea's loss is Liverpool's gain. Mohamed Salah has won the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year award for 2017-18. Salah has also won the Football Writers' Footballer of the Year award among many others after a stunning debut season with Liverpool. The Egyptian winger has become the first African to ever win the prize.

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<h5>Mo Salah has rapidly reached demigod level in Egypt because of his performances at Liverpool</h5>
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The Egyptian king's success in England is a source of immense pride to those back home. He has rapidly reached demigod level in Egypt because of his performances at Liverpool.&nbsp;In fact, according to reports, such is the adulation being heaped upon Salah that it earned him hundreds and thousands of write-in votes in March's presidential election.

His status quickly rose beyond the boundaries of sport, cementing him as a symbol of Egyptian potential and hope even amid a gloomy period for the country, with a troubled economy and few outlets for free expression.

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<h5>Mohamed Salah deserves to be mentioned for the Ballon d'Or</h5>
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Dejan Lovren, Salah's Liverpool teammate, recently in an interview showered encomiums on him. Lovren said that when people talk about Ronaldo and Messi they should also talk about Salah. He deserves it, he deserves to be mentioned for the Ballon d'Or, he said and added at the start of the season he didn’t know he could do this, but you see how he is working, how he wants the ball, he is just a different player to what he was.

Having said that, there is no denying that Salah calls for mention when people talk about contemporary greats like Messi and Ronaldo. But the question is whether the Egyptian will be able to do it consistently over several seasons as Messi and Ronaldo have been able to do?

If the Egyptian's performance this season at the Merseyside is anything to go by, the answer to the question yes, he can.&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

The Egyptian has scored 44 goals in 48 appearances this season for Liverpool- a record that does not look out of place next to the elite attacking players in the game like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar

As Liverpool takes on Real Madrid in the Champions League final at Kiev later today, all eyes are on none other than Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian has been unstoppable since he arrived at Liverpool from Roma last summer for $49 million, a bargain considering transfer market after Brazilian Neymar Jr's $263 million over-rated move to Paris Saint-Germain. Salah's performance has been awe-inspiring and he has proved every pundit, who expressed doubts over his ability to adapt the high-pressing style of Jurgen Klopp's football, wrong. The Egyptian has scored 44 goals in 48 appearances this season for Liverpool- a record that does not look out of place next to the elite attacking players in the game like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar. And there have been calls already for him to be the next winner of the most prestigious individual accolade in world football -- Ballon d'Or. Red's talisman broke the back of his former club Roma, his former club, in the semi-final first leg scoring two goals and provided assists for Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, in the process setting up the summit clash with the 12-time winner Real Madrid. The dribbling, dancing and grooving Salah helped send Liverpool to the Champions League final but things could have been so different if Chelsea hadn't sold him × The dribbling, dancing and grooving Salah helped send Liverpool to the Champions League final but things could have been so different if Chelsea hadn't sold him. The Egyptian was on the books at the Blues, but his time was short-lived as he was shipped out on loan to Fiorentina and then eventually sold to Roma after a loan deal with the club. Chelsea's loss is Liverpool's gain. Mohamed Salah has won the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year award for 2017-18. Salah has also won the Football Writers' Footballer of the Year award among many others after a stunning debut season with Liverpool. The Egyptian winger has become the first African to ever win the prize. Mo Salah has rapidly reached demigod level in Egypt because of his performances at Liverpool × The Egyptian king's success in England is a source of immense pride to those back home. He has rapidly reached demigod level in Egypt because of his performances at Liverpool. In fact, according to reports, such is the adulation being heaped upon Salah that it earned him hundreds and thousands of write-in votes in March's presidential election. His status quickly rose beyond the boundaries of sport, cementing him as a symbol of Egyptian potential and hope even amid a gloomy period for the country, with a troubled economy and few outlets for free expression. Mohamed Salah deserves to be mentioned for the Ballon d'Or × Dejan Lovren, Salah's Liverpool teammate, recently in an interview showered encomiums on him. Lovren said that when people talk about Ronaldo and Messi they should also talk about Salah. He deserves it, he deserves to be mentioned for the Ballon d'Or, he said and added at the start of the season he didn’t know he could do this, but you see how he is working, how he wants the ball, he is just a different player to what he was. Having said that, there is no denying that Salah calls for mention when people talk about contemporary greats like Messi and Ronaldo. But the question is whether the Egyptian will be able to do it consistently over several seasons as Messi and Ronaldo have been able to do? If the Egyptian's performance this season at the Merseyside is anything to go by, the answer to the question yes, he can. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Mohamed Salah - The Egyptian King who rules Liverpool

Kiev has closed five subway stations, mostly in the central part of the Ukrainian capital, after a bomb warning, the subway operator said in a statement.

"The stations are closed to passengers and checks are being carried out," it said on Facebook.

As per reports,&nbspa man phoned at&nbsp13:20 on&nbspSaturday, claiming that 5 stations would be destroyed by&nbspexplosions. The information wasn't confirmed, but&nbspthe passengers were immediately evacuated, while the security forces were checking the stations. However, no signs of&nbspexplosive devices were found by&nbspthe police.

Kiev is hosting the UEFA Champions League final later on Saturday in which Liverpool will play Real Madrid.

'The stations are closed to passengers and checks are being carried out,' it said on Facebook.

Kiev has closed five subway stations, mostly in the central part of the Ukrainian capital, after a bomb warning, the subway operator said in a statement. "The stations are closed to passengers and checks are being carried out," it said on Facebook. As per reports,&nbspa man phoned at&nbsp13:20 on&nbspSaturday, claiming that 5 stations would be destroyed by&nbspexplosions. The information wasn't confirmed, but&nbspthe passengers were immediately evacuated, while the security forces were checking the stations. However, no signs of&nbspexplosive devices were found by&nbspthe police. Kiev is hosting the UEFA Champions League final later on Saturday in which Liverpool will play Real Madrid.

Five metro stations closed in Ukraine capital after bomb warning

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah admitted it would be "a dream" to cap a sensational debut season at Anfield by ending Real Madrid's European reign in Saturday's Champions League final.

However, Salah says he would be happy if Roberto Firmino or Sadio Mane grabs the goal that takes the Reds to a sixth European crown.

Salah has won a series of individual prizes as he has contributed 44 of the 90 goals Liverpool's front three have scored this season.

But the goals have been far more evenly spread in the Champions League.

"It doesn't matter who scores," Salah told UEFA.com.

"Winning games, getting points, that's the most important thing for us because as you can see, I've scored ten goals in the Champions League, Sadio nine, Firmino ten, so all of us are the same.

"None of us is selfish or only wants to score. We try to help each other to score goals."

The Egyptian, who had a disappointing spell at Chelsea, has been a revelation since his return to England last summer from Roma.

His form has led to Saturday's clash in Kiev being billed as a Ballon d'Or decider against five-time World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo.

And he stressed the importance of maintaining that form for a number of years to match Ronaldo or Barcelona's Lionel Messi.&nbsp

"The most important thing is to maintain that level, to (keep) doing what I've done next season as well," he said.

"I believed (that I was capable of this form). I was at Roma for two years, had two great seasons there and everyone told me to stay, but it was in my mind to come and be successful in England."

The contrast in experience will be stark in the Ukrainian capital as Madrid seek a fourth Champions League in five seasons.

By contrast, despite Liverpool's storied history in the competition, none of Jurgen Klopp's squad have ever played in a Champions League final.

"They've won the Champions League three times in the past four years, so they have a lot of experience," Salah said.

But he said the single-game format improves Liverpool's chances.

"It's one game, not two, so we just need to focus and not think about anything in the past. When you get to the game it's just 11 against 11."

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah admitted it would be "a dream" to cap a sensational debut season at Anfield by ending Real Madrid's European reign

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah admitted it would be "a dream" to cap a sensational debut season at Anfield by ending Real Madrid's European reign in Saturday's Champions League final. However, Salah says he would be happy if Roberto Firmino or Sadio Mane grabs the goal that takes the Reds to a sixth European crown. Salah has won a series of individual prizes as he has contributed 44 of the 90 goals Liverpool's front three have scored this season. But the goals have been far more evenly spread in the Champions League. "It doesn't matter who scores," Salah told UEFA.com. "Winning games, getting points, that's the most important thing for us because as you can see, I've scored ten goals in the Champions League, Sadio nine, Firmino ten, so all of us are the same. "None of us is selfish or only wants to score. We try to help each other to score goals." The Egyptian, who had a disappointing spell at Chelsea, has been a revelation since his return to England last summer from Roma. His form has led to Saturday's clash in Kiev being billed as a Ballon d'Or decider against five-time World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo. And he stressed the importance of maintaining that form for a number of years to match Ronaldo or Barcelona's Lionel Messi. "The most important thing is to maintain that level, to (keep) doing what I've done next season as well," he said. "I believed (that I was capable of this form). I was at Roma for two years, had two great seasons there and everyone told me to stay, but it was in my mind to come and be successful in England." The contrast in experience will be stark in the Ukrainian capital as Madrid seek a fourth Champions League in five seasons. By contrast, despite Liverpool's storied history in the competition, none of Jurgen Klopp's squad have ever played in a Champions League final. "They've won the Champions League three times in the past four years, so they have a lot of experience," Salah said. But he said the single-game format improves Liverpool's chances. "It's one game, not two, so we just need to focus and not think about anything in the past. When you get to the game it's just 11 against 11."

It doesn't matter who scores, winning is important - Mohamed Salah

NATO on Wednesday denounced a new bridge linking mainland Russia to Moscow-annexed Crimea as "another violation" of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Atlantic alliance echoed the European Union's earlier condemnation of the bridge, which Russian President Vladimir Putin drove a truck over on Tuesday.

"NATO condemns Russia's construction and partial opening of the Kerch Strait bridge between Russia and Crimea," NATO deputy spokesman Piers Cazalet said.

"Crimea is part of Ukraine and this bridge represents another violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Cazalet said in a statement.

The bridge, which limits sea traffic to Ukrainian ports on the Azov Sea, amounts to "the infringement of its navigational rights in its territorial waters," he added.&nbsp

"Russia continues to demonstrate a clear disregard for international law," Cazalet said, adding that NATO will not recognise Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Russian state television showed Putin dressed in jeans and a casual jacket sitting behind the wheel of a construction truck to drive across the bridge and officially open it.

The 29-member NATO is pursuing a dual-track policy towards the Kremlin of defence and deterrence coupled with an offer of dialogue.

Tensions between NATO and Russia are at levels not seen since the Cold War, including over Moscow's support for pro-Russian separatists in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

The Atlantic alliance echoed the European Union's earlier condemnation of the bridge, which Russian President Vladimir Putin drove a truck over on Tuesday

NATO on Wednesday denounced a new bridge linking mainland Russia to Moscow-annexed Crimea as "another violation" of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Atlantic alliance echoed the European Union's earlier condemnation of the bridge, which Russian President Vladimir Putin drove a truck over on Tuesday. "NATO condemns Russia's construction and partial opening of the Kerch Strait bridge between Russia and Crimea," NATO deputy spokesman Piers Cazalet said. "Crimea is part of Ukraine and this bridge represents another violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Cazalet said in a statement. The bridge, which limits sea traffic to Ukrainian ports on the Azov Sea, amounts to "the infringement of its navigational rights in its territorial waters," he added. "Russia continues to demonstrate a clear disregard for international law," Cazalet said, adding that NATO will not recognise Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea. Russian state television showed Putin dressed in jeans and a casual jacket sitting behind the wheel of a construction truck to drive across the bridge and officially open it. The 29-member NATO is pursuing a dual-track policy towards the Kremlin of defence and deterrence coupled with an offer of dialogue. Tensions between NATO and Russia are at levels not seen since the Cold War, including over Moscow's support for pro-Russian separatists in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

NATO 'condemns' Russia bridge to Moscow-annexed Crimea

A Ukrainian MP who was once hailed as a symbol of resistance against Russia but now stands accused of plotting a terrorist attack in Kiev was stripped of her immunity by parliament on Thursday.

Nadiya Savchenko planned &quot;a large-scale terrorist act in the centre of the Ukrainian capital,&quot; general prosecutor Yuriy Lutsenko told lawmakers in parliament.

He claimed she had made a deal with leaders of Russian-backed separatist republics in the country&#39;s east to &quot;obtain the weapons necessary for such an attack, in particular mortars of 120 mm caliber, small arms, sniper rifles, combat grenades&quot;.

Lutsenko said the planned attack would have brought a &quot;sea of blood, chaos&quot; to central Kiev.

He also showed lawmakers a 30-minute video of a woman who looked like Savchenko talking to two apparently Ukrainian officers about plans to attack parliament.

The parliament authorised the lifting of immunity and, in a separate vote, the arrest of Savchenko by 268 votes to 10, minutes after Lutsenko&#39;s speech.

In 2014, the 36-year-old former combat pilot was captured while fighting against Kremlin-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine and found guilty of involvement in the killing of two Russian journalists in the country&#39;s war-torn east.

She spent around two years in a Russian prison and became a symbol of Ukraine&#39;s resistance, launching several hunger strikes.

Savchenko returned to a hero&#39;s welcome to Kiev in May, 2016 as part of a prisoner swap with Russia.

But her political star has faded since her return to Kiev, where she became a lawmaker for former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko&#39;s political party.

She has regularly stirred controversy and contradicted President Petro Poroshenko&#39;s policies by supporting direct talks with pro-Kremlin separatists and visiting rebel-held territory.

A Ukrainian MP who was once hailed as a symbol of resistance against Russia but now stands accused of plotting a terrorist attack in Kiev was stripped of her immunity by parliament on Thursday

A Ukrainian MP who was once hailed as a symbol of resistance against Russia but now stands accused of plotting a terrorist attack in Kiev was stripped of her immunity by parliament on Thursday. Nadiya Savchenko planned "a large-scale terrorist act in the centre of the Ukrainian capital," general prosecutor Yuriy Lutsenko told lawmakers in parliament. He claimed she had made a deal with leaders of Russian-backed separatist republics in the country's east to "obtain the weapons necessary for such an attack, in particular mortars of 120 mm caliber, small arms, sniper rifles, combat grenades". Lutsenko said the planned attack would have brought a "sea of blood, chaos" to central Kiev. He also showed lawmakers a 30-minute video of a woman who looked like Savchenko talking to two apparently Ukrainian officers about plans to attack parliament. The parliament authorised the lifting of immunity and, in a separate vote, the arrest of Savchenko by 268 votes to 10, minutes after Lutsenko's speech. In 2014, the 36-year-old former combat pilot was captured while fighting against Kremlin-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine and found guilty of involvement in the killing of two Russian journalists in the country's war-torn east. She spent around two years in a Russian prison and became a symbol of Ukraine's resistance, launching several hunger strikes. Savchenko returned to a hero's welcome to Kiev in May, 2016 as part of a prisoner swap with Russia. But her political star has faded since her return to Kiev, where she became a lawmaker for former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko's political party. She has regularly stirred controversy and contradicted President Petro Poroshenko's policies by supporting direct talks with pro-Kremlin separatists and visiting rebel-held territory.

Ukraine allows arrest of MP over parliament attack plot

Russians living in Ukraine will be unable to vote in Russia&#39;s presidential election because access to Moscow&#39;s diplomatic missions will be blocked, Kiev said Friday.

&quot;On Sunday, March 18, 2018, security arrangements for Russia&#39;s Ukraine-based diplomatic missions in Kiev, Kharkiv, Odessa and Lviv will not provide access to these facilities for Russian nationals voting in the election,&quot; Ukraine&#39;s interior minister Arsen Avakov said.

The ministry said that elections &quot;on the sovereign Ukrainian territory&quot; are inadmissible.&nbsp;

The announcement came in retaliation for Russia&#39;s annexation of Crimea, which votes in a presidential election for the first time since it was taken over in 2014.

&quot;Ukraine&#39;s interior ministry states that conducting illegal elections on Ukraine&#39;s sovereign territory in violation of all norms of international law is unacceptable,&quot; Avakov said on Facebook.

He also pointed to &quot;Russia&#39;s aggressive hybrid war against Ukraine&quot; and &quot;the occupation of parts of Donetsk and Lugansk regions&quot; in eastern Ukraine.

Moscow&#39;s foreign ministry responded by criticising what it called Ukrainian &quot;overt interference in the internal affairs of the Russian Federation.&quot;&nbsp;

It accused Ukrainian authorities of displaying &quot;righteous indignation&quot; and &quot;taking their revenge on ordinary Russian citizens.

According to the Ukrainian interior minister, access to Russian diplomatic institutions will be granted only to people enjoying diplomatic status.

(WIth AFP inputs) 
&nbsp;

The announcement came in retaliation for Russia's annexation of Crimea, which votes in a presidential election for the first time since it was taken over in 2014

Russians living in Ukraine will be unable to vote in Russia's presidential election because access to Moscow's diplomatic missions will be blocked, Kiev said Friday. "On Sunday, March 18, 2018, security arrangements for Russia's Ukraine-based diplomatic missions in Kiev, Kharkiv, Odessa and Lviv will not provide access to these facilities for Russian nationals voting in the election," Ukraine's interior minister Arsen Avakov said. The ministry said that elections "on the sovereign Ukrainian territory" are inadmissible. The announcement came in retaliation for Russia's annexation of Crimea, which votes in a presidential election for the first time since it was taken over in 2014. "Ukraine's interior ministry states that conducting illegal elections on Ukraine's sovereign territory in violation of all norms of international law is unacceptable," Avakov said on Facebook. He also pointed to "Russia's aggressive hybrid war against Ukraine" and "the occupation of parts of Donetsk and Lugansk regions" in eastern Ukraine. Moscow's foreign ministry responded by criticising what it called Ukrainian "overt interference in the internal affairs of the Russian Federation." It accused Ukrainian authorities of displaying "righteous indignation" and "taking their revenge on ordinary Russian citizens. According to the Ukrainian interior minister, access to Russian diplomatic institutions will be granted only to people enjoying diplomatic status. (WIth AFP inputs)

Russian nationals barred from voting in Ukraine presidential elections

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that under no circumstances would he give Crimea back to Ukraine, speaking in a new documentary released Sunday ahead of his expected re-election in next week&#39;s poll.

&quot;What, have you gone mad?&quot; he told a journalist who asked him if there were any circumstances under which the Russian leader would be ready to give up Crimea.

&quot;There are no such circumstances and never will be,&quot; he said in the new two-hour documentary &quot;Putin&quot;.

It was published on the social media accounts of notorious pro-Kremlin TV host Dmitry Kiselev ahead of a presidential election on March 18.

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and supported Russian-speaking insurgents in the east of the ex-Soviet country after a Western-backed popular uprising ousted a Kremlin-backed regime from power in Kiev.

The peninsula&#39;s annexation led to European and US sanctions against Moscow amid the most serious crisis in ties with the West since the end of the Cold War.

The documentary -- produced by journalist Andrei Kondrashov, who is a spokesman for Putin&#39;s campaign -- features interviews with a number of the Russian leader&#39;s allies including former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and childhood friend cellist Sergei Roldugin.

The secretive chief executive of oil giant Rosneft, Igor Sechin, said he had served under Putin in various capacities for nearly 30 years and that the president was &quot;a very careful person&quot;.

&quot;Honestly speaking, I don&#39;t know a single mistake he has made over these years,&quot; Sechin said in rare public comments.

&quot;He is very careful at making decisions.&quot;

Speaking on everything from his family to childhood to love and happiness, Putin said he was capable of forgiving.

&quot;But not everything,&quot; he quickly added, noting he could not forgive a betrayal.

&quot;Generally speaking, I cannot complain that I&#39;ve come across any serious events that could be called a betrayal,&quot; Putin said.

Running against a motley crew of seven challengers, Putin is expected to take nearly 70 percent of the vote with a turnout of more than 60 percent, according to state-run pollsters.

The peninsula's annexation led to European and US sanctions against Moscow amid the most serious crisis in ties with the West since the end of the Cold War

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that under no circumstances would he give Crimea back to Ukraine, speaking in a new documentary released Sunday ahead of his expected re-election in next week's poll. "What, have you gone mad?" he told a journalist who asked him if there were any circumstances under which the Russian leader would be ready to give up Crimea. "There are no such circumstances and never will be," he said in the new two-hour documentary "Putin". It was published on the social media accounts of notorious pro-Kremlin TV host Dmitry Kiselev ahead of a presidential election on March 18. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and supported Russian-speaking insurgents in the east of the ex-Soviet country after a Western-backed popular uprising ousted a Kremlin-backed regime from power in Kiev. The peninsula's annexation led to European and US sanctions against Moscow amid the most serious crisis in ties with the West since the end of the Cold War. The documentary -- produced by journalist Andrei Kondrashov, who is a spokesman for Putin's campaign -- features interviews with a number of the Russian leader's allies including former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and childhood friend cellist Sergei Roldugin. The secretive chief executive of oil giant Rosneft, Igor Sechin, said he had served under Putin in various capacities for nearly 30 years and that the president was "a very careful person". "Honestly speaking, I don't know a single mistake he has made over these years," Sechin said in rare public comments. "He is very careful at making decisions." Speaking on everything from his family to childhood to love and happiness, Putin said he was capable of forgiving. "But not everything," he quickly added, noting he could not forgive a betrayal. "Generally speaking, I cannot complain that I've come across any serious events that could be called a betrayal," Putin said. Running against a motley crew of seven challengers, Putin is expected to take nearly 70 percent of the vote with a turnout of more than 60 percent, according to state-run pollsters.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he will 'never' give Crimea back to Ukraine

New tensions between Moscow and Kiev flared Thursday after Russia&#39;s Gazprom said it will not restart gas supplies to Ukraine and Naftogaz accusing its counterpart of violating agreements.

The March shipments would have become the first Russian supplies to Ukraine since November 2015 when Kiev ceased purchasing Russian gas in favour of Europe.

Since a popular uprising ousted a Kremlin-backed regime in Ukraine in 2014, the two gas companies have been locked in a furious legal battle that led them to lodge multi-billion dollar claims against each other in the Stockholm arbitration court.&nbsp;

In December last year, the court lowered the price Russia can claim for its gas, but also required Kiev to buy 5 billion cubic metres of Russian gas annually from 2018.&nbsp;

On Thursday, Gazprom said supplies would not be restarted because an additional agreement to the current contract had not been finalised.

&quot;Obviously, no gas deliveries will be made to Naftogaz Ukraine from March 1,&quot; Gazprom deputy head Alexander Medvedev said in a statement.

He added that the Russian gas giant had returned the prepayment that Naftogaz had made for March supplies.

In response, Naftogaz accused Gazprom of violating its contractual obligations.

&quot;Gazprom&#39;s position surprises us,&quot; Naftogaz chief Andriy Kobolev said in a statement.

&quot;We are buying gas because we are implementing a court decision,&quot; he said, adding that Naftogaz intended to claim damages from the Russian company.

&quot;Gazprom&#39;s announcement gives European partners a new reason to ask if they can trust a partner who can bill you, receive money and refuse to supply gas,&quot; Kobolev said.

The new flare-up in tensions came after the Stockholm arbitration court ordered Gazprom to pay $2.56 billion to Naftogaz for &quot;failure to deliver the agreed transit gas volumes&quot;, the Ukranian company said on Wednesday.

Gazprom covers about one-third of the European continent&#39;s gas needs, a share that has increased in recent years despite the European Union&#39;s intention to reduce its dependence on Russian gas supplies.

After the 2014 popular uprising, Moscow annexed the peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine and supported an anti-Kiev insurgency in the east of the ex-Soviet country.&nbsp;

More than 10,000 people have been killed in the fighting since April 2014.

New tensions between Moscow and Kiev flared Thursday after Russia's Gazprom said it will not restart gas supplies to Ukraine and Naftogaz accusing its counterpart of violating agreements

New tensions between Moscow and Kiev flared Thursday after Russia's Gazprom said it will not restart gas supplies to Ukraine and Naftogaz accusing its counterpart of violating agreements. The March shipments would have become the first Russian supplies to Ukraine since November 2015 when Kiev ceased purchasing Russian gas in favour of Europe. Since a popular uprising ousted a Kremlin-backed regime in Ukraine in 2014, the two gas companies have been locked in a furious legal battle that led them to lodge multi-billion dollar claims against each other in the Stockholm arbitration court. In December last year, the court lowered the price Russia can claim for its gas, but also required Kiev to buy 5 billion cubic metres of Russian gas annually from 2018. On Thursday, Gazprom said supplies would not be restarted because an additional agreement to the current contract had not been finalised. "Obviously, no gas deliveries will be made to Naftogaz Ukraine from March 1," Gazprom deputy head Alexander Medvedev said in a statement. He added that the Russian gas giant had returned the prepayment that Naftogaz had made for March supplies. In response, Naftogaz accused Gazprom of violating its contractual obligations. "Gazprom's position surprises us," Naftogaz chief Andriy Kobolev said in a statement. "We are buying gas because we are implementing a court decision," he said, adding that Naftogaz intended to claim damages from the Russian company. "Gazprom's announcement gives European partners a new reason to ask if they can trust a partner who can bill you, receive money and refuse to supply gas," Kobolev said. The new flare-up in tensions came after the Stockholm arbitration court ordered Gazprom to pay $2.56 billion to Naftogaz for "failure to deliver the agreed transit gas volumes", the Ukranian company said on Wednesday. Gazprom covers about one-third of the European continent's gas needs, a share that has increased in recent years despite the European Union's intention to reduce its dependence on Russian gas supplies. After the 2014 popular uprising, Moscow annexed the peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine and supported an anti-Kiev insurgency in the east of the ex-Soviet country. More than 10,000 people have been killed in the fighting since April 2014.

Russia's Gazprom refuses to restart gas supplies to Ukraine

A topless woman activist caused a furore on Thursday as she reached the red carpet of a high-society ball in Vienna.&nbsp;

The woman burst onto the red carpet of the Opera Ball -- being telecasted live on television -- to protest the attendance of the Ukrainian President&nbsp;Petro Poroshenko at the event.&nbsp;

She reached the ball topless with only the words &quot;Poroshenko get the fuk out&quot; written on her torso.

She was seen shouting the slogans and protesting vehemently even as she was dragged away by&nbsp;several Austrian policemen.&nbsp;

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko was one of several thousand guests at the Opera Ball.&nbsp;Some of the other high dignitaries who attended the ball were: Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, President Alexander Van der Bellen,&nbsp;Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, activist and former model Waris Dirie and American actress Melanie Griffith. Griffith was the guest of construction magnate and Opera Ball stalwart Richard Lugner. The 85-year-old Lugner is known for his wide network of friends. Some of his previous celebrity invitees have included Pamela Anderson, Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian.

Like every year,&nbsp; the Vienna State Opera opened with a dance by 150 &quot;debutants&quot;, the women in snow-white gowns and the men in white tie and tails. Making it an inclusive event, the organisers this year also gave their go-ahead to include&nbsp;performances of opera arias and ballet, with the participation of a couple with Down&#39;s Syndrome.

&nbsp;

She was protesting against the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's attendance at Opera Ball

A topless woman activist caused a furore on Thursday as she reached the red carpet of a high-society ball in Vienna. The woman burst onto the red carpet of the Opera Ball -- being telecasted live on television -- to protest the attendance of the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko at the event. She reached the ball topless with only the words "Poroshenko get the fuk out" written on her torso. She was seen shouting the slogans and protesting vehemently even as she was dragged away by several Austrian policemen. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko was one of several thousand guests at the Opera Ball. Some of the other high dignitaries who attended the ball were: Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, President Alexander Van der Bellen, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, activist and former model Waris Dirie and American actress Melanie Griffith. Griffith was the guest of construction magnate and Opera Ball stalwart Richard Lugner. The 85-year-old Lugner is known for his wide network of friends. Some of his previous celebrity invitees have included Pamela Anderson, Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian. Like every year, the Vienna State Opera opened with a dance by 150 "debutants", the women in snow-white gowns and the men in white tie and tails. Making it an inclusive event, the organisers this year also gave their go-ahead to include performances of opera arias and ballet, with the participation of a couple with Down's Syndrome.

Topless woman protests at high society Vienna ball

Ukraine&#39;s Elina Svitolina laid down her marker as a serious contender for the Australia Open when she demolished Belarusian qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2, 6-1 in the Brisbane International final on Saturday.

Svitolina won five titles on the WTA tour last year, more than any other woman.

She ended the year ranked sixth in the world, but will climb two places when the new rankings are released on Monday and will go into the year&#39;s first Grand Slam as the fourth seed.

Svitolina said she had worked hard in the offseason to improve her game and that work was now paying off.

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A special moment: Evonne Goolagong Cawley presents <a href="https://twitter.com/ElinaSvitolina?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ElinaSvitolina</a> with the Evonne Goolagong Cawley trophy ??<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BrisbaneTENnis?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BrisbaneTENnis</a> <a href="https://t.co/YLix8Mypoc">pic.twitter.com/YLix8Mypoc</a>
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&quot;I&#39;ve started to play more consistently and there are lots of things that changed,&quot; she said.

&quot;I&#39;m stronger physically. I have a different look at my game.&quot;

The 23-year-old had a tough path to the decider, having to overcome top-10 players Johanna Konta and Karolina Pliskova and former world number six Carla Suarez Navarro along the way.

&quot;I didn&#39;t have any expectations for this week -- I was just trying to take it one match at a time,&quot; she said.

&quot;The first match was quite tough against Suarez Navarro. And I had a very tough draw.

&quot;It was very important to use what I was working on during the offseason, and it was working.&nbsp;

&quot;I was playing better and better and my serve worked really good during this week.&quot;

Svitolina was far too strong for Sasnovich, who struggled to cope both with the Ukrainian&#39;s serve and her relentless barrage of groundstrokes from the back of the court.

Sasnovich was playing in her first final on the WTA tour and her nerves showed in the early stages as Svitolina broke her early and raced away to a 3-1 lead.

The Belarusian steadied the ship but she was always under pressure and serving at 2-5, she cracked.

Svitolina pounced, breaking her again and wrapping up the set in 31 minutes.

Sasnovich was also playing her eighth match in nine days and her movement around the court appeared slightly slower than in her previous outings.

Svitolina was even more dominant in the second set, racing to a 5-0 lead before Sasnovich even got on the board.

However, it was a minor reprieve as Svitolina held serve to love to claim her 10th title in just 65 minutes.

Sasnovich refused to blame her busy schedule for her performance.

&quot;I don&#39;t know why it&#39;s like this, why I played so bad,&quot; she said.

&quot;I don&#39;t know, to be honest. Sometimes it happens. I played some good matches and this one was bad.&quot;

But the Belarusian, who will rise 35 places in the world ranking to 53rd, said her efforts in making the final had made her reevaluate her goals for Melbourne.

&quot;I have time to prepare for Australia Open,&quot; she said.

&quot;I hope to be ready mentally, physically, to be good there.&quot;

&nbsp;

Svitolina crushes Aliaksandra Sasnovich in Brisbane final in straight sets 6-2, 6-1

Ukraine's Elina Svitolina laid down her marker as a serious contender for the Australia Open when she demolished Belarusian qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2, 6-1 in the Brisbane International final on Saturday. Svitolina won five titles on the WTA tour last year, more than any other woman. She ended the year ranked sixth in the world, but will climb two places when the new rankings are released on Monday and will go into the year's first Grand Slam as the fourth seed. Svitolina said she had worked hard in the offseason to improve her game and that work was now paying off. A special moment: Evonne Goolagong Cawley presents @ElinaSvitolina with the Evonne Goolagong Cawley trophy ??#BrisbaneTENnis pic.twitter.com/YLix8Mypoc — #BrisbaneTennis (@BrisbaneTennis) January 6, 2018 × "I've started to play more consistently and there are lots of things that changed," she said. "I'm stronger physically. I have a different look at my game." The 23-year-old had a tough path to the decider, having to overcome top-10 players Johanna Konta and Karolina Pliskova and former world number six Carla Suarez Navarro along the way. "I didn't have any expectations for this week -- I was just trying to take it one match at a time," she said. "The first match was quite tough against Suarez Navarro. And I had a very tough draw. "It was very important to use what I was working on during the offseason, and it was working. "I was playing better and better and my serve worked really good during this week." Svitolina was far too strong for Sasnovich, who struggled to cope both with the Ukrainian's serve and her relentless barrage of groundstrokes from the back of the court. Sasnovich was playing in her first final on the WTA tour and her nerves showed in the early stages as Svitolina broke her early and raced away to a 3-1 lead. The Belarusian steadied the ship but she was always under pressure and serving at 2-5, she cracked. Svitolina pounced, breaking her again and wrapping up the set in 31 minutes. Sasnovich was also playing her eighth match in nine days and her movement around the court appeared slightly slower than in her previous outings. Svitolina was even more dominant in the second set, racing to a 5-0 lead before Sasnovich even got on the board. However, it was a minor reprieve as Svitolina held serve to love to claim her 10th title in just 65 minutes. Sasnovich refused to blame her busy schedule for her performance. "I don't know why it's like this, why I played so bad," she said. "I don't know, to be honest. Sometimes it happens. I played some good matches and this one was bad." But the Belarusian, who will rise 35 places in the world ranking to 53rd, said her efforts in making the final had made her reevaluate her goals for Melbourne. "I have time to prepare for Australia Open," she said. "I hope to be ready mentally, physically, to be good there."

Tennis: Elina Svitolina clinches Brisbane title

United Nations Security Council ministers will meet on Dec. 15 to discuss North Korea&#39;s nuclear and missiles programs and the body will also meet separately this month to discuss human rights abuses in the North Asian country, an annual meeting that its ally China has tried to prevent for the past three years.

Japan&#39;s UN&nbsp;Ambassador Koro Bessho, president of the 15-member council for December, said several ministers were confirmed to attend the Dec. 15 meeting. He also said the meeting on human rights in North Korea could be held on Dec. 11.

China has unsuccessfully tried to stop three previous human rights meetings by calling a procedural vote. A minimum of nine votes are needed to win such a vote and China, Russia, the United States, Britain and France cannot wield their vetoes.

This year&#39;s meeting has the backing of nine members - the United States, France, Britain, Italy, Japan, Senegal, Sweden, Ukraine and Uruguay.

Last year, the United States angered North Korea by blacklisting its leader Kim Jong Un for human rights abuses.

A landmark 2014 UN&nbsp;report on North Korean human rights concluded that North Korean security chiefs - and possibly Kim himself - should face justice for overseeing a state-controlled system of Nazi-style atrocities.

Michael Kirby, chairman of the UN&nbsp;Commission of Inquiry that drew up the report, said at the time that the crimes the team had catalogued were reminiscent of those committed by the Nazis during World War Two. &quot;Some of them are strikingly similar,&quot; he told Reuters.

North Korea has repeatedly rejected accusations of human rights abuses and blames sanctions for a dire humanitarian situation. Pyongyang has been under UN&nbsp;sanctions since 2006 over its ballistic missiles and nuclear programs.

&quot;Despite persistent sanctions and pressure by the US&nbsp;and other hostile forces, my government concentrates all its efforts on improving people&#39;s livelihood and providing them with a better future,&quot; the North Korean Permanent Mission to the United Nations said in a statement on Nov. 14.

United Nations Security Council ministers will meet on Dec. 15 to discuss North Korea's nuclear and missiles programs and the body will also meet separately this month to discuss human rights abuses in the North Asian country, an annual meeting that its ally China has tried to prevent for the past three years

United Nations Security Council ministers will meet on Dec. 15 to discuss North Korea's nuclear and missiles programs and the body will also meet separately this month to discuss human rights abuses in the North Asian country, an annual meeting that its ally China has tried to prevent for the past three years. Japan's UN Ambassador Koro Bessho, president of the 15-member council for December, said several ministers were confirmed to attend the Dec. 15 meeting. He also said the meeting on human rights in North Korea could be held on Dec. 11. China has unsuccessfully tried to stop three previous human rights meetings by calling a procedural vote. A minimum of nine votes are needed to win such a vote and China, Russia, the United States, Britain and France cannot wield their vetoes. This year's meeting has the backing of nine members - the United States, France, Britain, Italy, Japan, Senegal, Sweden, Ukraine and Uruguay. Last year, the United States angered North Korea by blacklisting its leader Kim Jong Un for human rights abuses. A landmark 2014 UN report on North Korean human rights concluded that North Korean security chiefs - and possibly Kim himself - should face justice for overseeing a state-controlled system of Nazi-style atrocities. Michael Kirby, chairman of the UN Commission of Inquiry that drew up the report, said at the time that the crimes the team had catalogued were reminiscent of those committed by the Nazis during World War Two. "Some of them are strikingly similar," he told Reuters. North Korea has repeatedly rejected accusations of human rights abuses and blames sanctions for a dire humanitarian situation. Pyongyang has been under UN sanctions since 2006 over its ballistic missiles and nuclear programs. "Despite persistent sanctions and pressure by the US and other hostile forces, my government concentrates all its efforts on improving people's livelihood and providing them with a better future," the North Korean Permanent Mission to the United Nations said in a statement on Nov. 14.

UN council to meet in December on North Korea rights abuses, nuclear programme

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that a reported plan by Ukraine to cut all diplomatic ties with Russia would further deepen a crisis between the two countries and end up hurting the interests of both Ukrainians and Russians.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, speaking on a conference call with reporters, was responding to a report in Russia&rsquo;s Kommersant newspaper which said that the Ukrainian parliament was expected to vote to cut all diplomatic ties on Nov. 16.

Ties between Moscow and Kiev have been in crisis since Russia annexed Ukraine&rsquo;s Crimea region in 2014 and a pro-Russian separatist uprising broke out in eastern Ukraine that same year.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that a reported plan by Ukraine to cut all diplomatic ties with Russia would further deepen a crisis between the two countries and end up hurting the interests of both Ukrainians and Russians.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that a reported plan by Ukraine to cut all diplomatic ties with Russia would further deepen a crisis between the two countries and end up hurting the interests of both Ukrainians and Russians. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, speaking on a conference call with reporters, was responding to a report in Russia’s Kommersant newspaper which said that the Ukrainian parliament was expected to vote to cut all diplomatic ties on Nov. 16. Ties between Moscow and Kiev have been in crisis since Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea region in 2014 and a pro-Russian separatist uprising broke out in eastern Ukraine that same year.

Mutual damage if Ukraine cuts diplomatic ties: Russia

Ukraine denied on Monday that it had ever supplied defence technology to North Korea, responding to an article in the New York Times that said North Korea may have purchased rocket engines from Ukrainian factory&nbsp;Yuzhmash.

Concern that North Korea is close to achieving its goal of putting the mainland United States within the range of a nuclear weapon has raised global tensions in recent weeks. The United States is a key backer of Ukraine.

The secretary of the Ukrainian Security and Defence Council, Oleksandr Turchynov, said Ukraine &quot;has never supplied rocket engines or any kind of missile technology to North Korea.&quot;

State-owned Yuzhmash said it had not produced military-grade ballistic missiles since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

&quot;In the years of independence, Yuzhmash has not produced, and is not producing, missiles and military missile systems,&quot; it said in a statement published on their company&#39;s website.

President Donald Trump warned at the weekend that the US&nbsp;military was &quot;locked and loaded&quot; if North Korea acted unwisely after threatening last week to land missiles near the US&nbsp;Pacific territory of Guam.

North Korean officials, in turn, have accused the US&nbsp;leader of driving the Korean peninsula to the brink of nuclear war.

On Sunday, the head of the US&nbsp;Central Intelligence Agency said he would not be surprised if North Korea tested another missile after it conducted two tests in July.

State-owned Yuzhmash said it had not produced military-grade ballistic missiles since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991

Ukraine denied on Monday that it had ever supplied defence technology to North Korea, responding to an article in the New York Times that said North Korea may have purchased rocket engines from Ukrainian factory Yuzhmash. Concern that North Korea is close to achieving its goal of putting the mainland United States within the range of a nuclear weapon has raised global tensions in recent weeks. The United States is a key backer of Ukraine. The secretary of the Ukrainian Security and Defence Council, Oleksandr Turchynov, said Ukraine "has never supplied rocket engines or any kind of missile technology to North Korea." State-owned Yuzhmash said it had not produced military-grade ballistic missiles since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. "In the years of independence, Yuzhmash has not produced, and is not producing, missiles and military missile systems," it said in a statement published on their company's website. President Donald Trump warned at the weekend that the US military was "locked and loaded" if North Korea acted unwisely after threatening last week to land missiles near the US Pacific territory of Guam. North Korean officials, in turn, have accused the US leader of driving the Korean peninsula to the brink of nuclear war. On Sunday, the head of the US Central Intelligence Agency said he would not be surprised if North Korea tested another missile after it conducted two tests in July.

Ukraine denies selling missile technology to North Korea

US President Donald Trump resumed his attacks on Attorney General Jeff Sessions Tuesday, calling his onetime ally &quot;VERY weak&quot; in pursuing intelligence leaks and for failing to go after former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton over her email.

Trump&#39;s latest Twitter salvo followed a report in the Washington Post that the president and his advisers have discussed replacing Sessions, one of the Republican billionaire&#39;s earliest supporters.

&quot;Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes (where are E-mails &amp;DNC server) &amp; Intel leakers!&quot; Trump tweeted.

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Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes (where are E-mails &amp; DNC server) &amp; Intel leakers!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/889790429398528000">July 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Trump has openly criticised Sessions for recusing himself from overseeing a federal probe into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia to meddle in the 2016 US presidential elections.

Sessions has said he has no plans to resign.

With pressure mounting from the investigation led by former FBI director Robert Mueller, Trump has sought to revive an election year controversy over Clinton&#39;s use of a private server to send email while secretary of state.

The White House also alleged last week that the Democrats colluded with Ukraine during the 2016 campaign, adding another twist to the president&#39;s counter-offensive.&nbsp;

&quot;Ukrainian efforts to sabotage Trump campaign - &#39;quietly working to boost Clinton.&#39; So where is the investigation A.G.,&quot; Trump said in another early morning tweet Tuesday.

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Ukrainian efforts to sabotage Trump campaign - &quot;quietly working to boost Clinton.&quot; So where is the investigation A.G. <a href="https://twitter.com/seanhannity">@seanhannity</a>
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/889788202172780544">July 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&#39;Beleaguered&#39;

US presidents normally go to great pains to avoid being seen as influencing ongoing or possible investigations, making Trump&#39;s attacks on Sessions all the more extraordinary.

On Monday, Trump took to Twitter to declare his top law enforcement official &quot;beleaguered&quot; as he wondered out loud why Sessions was not investigating Clinton.

&quot;So why aren&#39;t the Committees and investigators, and of course our beleaguered A.G., looking into Crooked Hillarys crimes &amp; Russia relations?&quot; Trump asked.

Trump has expressed increasing anger with Sessions as his Justice Department&#39;s investigations into possible Trump-Russia collusion has quickened.

Last week, he publicly upbraided Sessions for stepping back from issues related to the probe.

Sessions recused himself because of his role on Trump&#39;s campaign and because he failed to tell the Senate during his confirmation hearings about contacts he had with the Russian ambassador in Washington.

Trump said he would never have hired Sessions had he known he would recuse himself.

&quot;I think is very unfair to the president,&quot; Trump told The New York Times last week. &quot;It&#39;s extremely unfair, and that&#39;s a mild word, to the president.&quot;&nbsp;

Widening probe

Trump&#39;s eldest son, son-in-law and top aides have become entangled in the widening investigation led by Mueller.

Jared Kushner, the president&#39;s son-in-law and a top White House official, was questioned Monday by a Senate panel about contacts with then Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, a Russian financier and a Russian lawyer who offered dirt on Clinton.

Kushner made a statement denying collusion after testifying behind closed doors, insisting the string of undisclosed meetings with Russian officials were &quot;proper.&quot;

&quot;Jared Kushner did very well yesterday in proving he did not collude with the Russians. Witch Hunt. Next up, 11 year old Barron Trump!&quot; Trump tweeted on Tuesday.

In May, Trump fired FBI director James Comey over the bureau&#39;s investigation into Russia.

That led to Mueller&#39;s appointment as a special prosecutor.

The Post report said Trump associates see getting rid of Sessions as part of a potential strategy to fire Mueller and end the Russia investigation.&nbsp;

The website Axios reported that Trump was considering replacing Sessions with another early supporter, Rudy Giuliani, a former New York mayor.

But Giuliani dismissed the report and said Sessions was right to have recused himself from the Russia probe, CNN reported.

Sessions &quot;made the right decision under the rules of the Justice Department,&quot; CNN quoted Giuliani as saying as he arrived at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.&nbsp;

US presidents normally go to great pains to avoid being seen as influencing ongoing or possible investigations, making Trump's attacks on Sessions all the more extraordinary

US President Donald Trump resumed his attacks on Attorney General Jeff Sessions Tuesday, calling his onetime ally "VERY weak" in pursuing intelligence leaks and for failing to go after former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton over her email. Trump's latest Twitter salvo followed a report in the Washington Post that the president and his advisers have discussed replacing Sessions, one of the Republican billionaire's earliest supporters. "Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes (where are E-mails &DNC server) & Intel leakers!" Trump tweeted. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes (where are E-mails & DNC server) & Intel leakers! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017 × Trump has openly criticised Sessions for recusing himself from overseeing a federal probe into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia to meddle in the 2016 US presidential elections. Sessions has said he has no plans to resign. With pressure mounting from the investigation led by former FBI director Robert Mueller, Trump has sought to revive an election year controversy over Clinton's use of a private server to send email while secretary of state. The White House also alleged last week that the Democrats colluded with Ukraine during the 2016 campaign, adding another twist to the president's counter-offensive. "Ukrainian efforts to sabotage Trump campaign - 'quietly working to boost Clinton.' So where is the investigation A.G.," Trump said in another early morning tweet Tuesday. Ukrainian efforts to sabotage Trump campaign - "quietly working to boost Clinton." So where is the investigation A.G. @seanhannity — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017 × 'Beleaguered' US presidents normally go to great pains to avoid being seen as influencing ongoing or possible investigations, making Trump's attacks on Sessions all the more extraordinary. On Monday, Trump took to Twitter to declare his top law enforcement official "beleaguered" as he wondered out loud why Sessions was not investigating Clinton. "So why aren't the Committees and investigators, and of course our beleaguered A.G., looking into Crooked Hillarys crimes & Russia relations?" Trump asked. Trump has expressed increasing anger with Sessions as his Justice Department's investigations into possible Trump-Russia collusion has quickened. Last week, he publicly upbraided Sessions for stepping back from issues related to the probe. Sessions recused himself because of his role on Trump's campaign and because he failed to tell the Senate during his confirmation hearings about contacts he had with the Russian ambassador in Washington. Trump said he would never have hired Sessions had he known he would recuse himself. "I think is very unfair to the president," Trump told The New York Times last week. "It's extremely unfair, and that's a mild word, to the president." Widening probe Trump's eldest son, son-in-law and top aides have become entangled in the widening investigation led by Mueller. Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and a top White House official, was questioned Monday by a Senate panel about contacts with then Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, a Russian financier and a Russian lawyer who offered dirt on Clinton. Kushner made a statement denying collusion after testifying behind closed doors, insisting the string of undisclosed meetings with Russian officials were "proper." "Jared Kushner did very well yesterday in proving he did not collude with the Russians. Witch Hunt. Next up, 11 year old Barron Trump!" Trump tweeted on Tuesday. In May, Trump fired FBI director James Comey over the bureau's investigation into Russia. That led to Mueller's appointment as a special prosecutor. The Post report said Trump associates see getting rid of Sessions as part of a potential strategy to fire Mueller and end the Russia investigation. The website Axios reported that Trump was considering replacing Sessions with another early supporter, Rudy Giuliani, a former New York mayor. But Giuliani dismissed the report and said Sessions was right to have recused himself from the Russia probe, CNN reported. Sessions "made the right decision under the rules of the Justice Department," CNN quoted Giuliani as saying as he arrived at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Trump slams Jeff Sessions, questions Ukraine's role in US elections

The White House on Monday alleged that Democrats colluded with Ukraine during the 2016 election, turning the tables on its accusers amid an all-engulfing scandal over Trump&#39;s contacts with Russia.

White House spokesperson Sean Spicer repeated allegations that a Democratic operative had met with Ukrainian embassy officials during the campaign.

Spicer referred to several recent reports by conservative media outlets, alleging the Democratic operative sought dirt on then Trump campaign director Paul Manafort.

The allegations first came to light in a Politico story in January.

&quot;Obviously, there&#39;s been a lot more interest in recent days with respect to what the DNC (Democratic National Convention) did in coordination with the Ukrainian government to try to collude,&quot; Spicer said.

The White House spokesperson&nbsp;alleged that the Democratic National Committee collusion took place to &quot;achieve a goal of having someone removed, which ultimately did happen.&quot;

Manafort left his post in August 2016, as Trump&#39;s general election prospects looked dim and details of his own business dealings with pro-Kremlin leaders in Ukraine emerged.

Spicer was asked by a pro-Trump media representative whether the issue was raised when Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko visited the White House in June.

Spicer said he did not know, but claimed that &quot;the DNC&#39;s collusion with the Ukrainian government has definitely gotten a lot more attention since that meeting.&quot;

Adrienne Watson of the DNC accused the White House of deflecting.

&quot;The White House has been pushing this narrative to distract from the Trump campaign&#39;s willingness to work with a hostile foreign government to interfere in our election. No one is buying it.&quot;

The comments come as the White House reeled from Donald Trump Jr&#39;s confession that he and two other Trump senior aides knowingly met Kremlin-connected operatives to get incriminating information on rival presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

That admission, after months of denials, has prompted some Republicans to openly criticise the White House and venture that Donald Trump Jr may have broken the law.

US intelligence agencies believe that President Vladimir Putin ordered a vast influence operation to tilt the 2016 election in Trump&#39;s favor.

Trump himself has responded by describing his son&#39;s meeting as business as usual.

&quot;Most politicians would have gone to a meeting like the one Don jr attended in order to get info on an opponent. That&#39;s politics!&quot; he tweeted on Monday.

Spicer seemed to contradict his boss, by saying the meeting was actually about adoption.

In a statement, the Ukrainian embassy in Washington denied allegations it had &quot;colluded&quot; with Democrats against the Trump campaign.

The embassy &quot;neither coordinated with the DNC on opposition research nor taken any actions to undermine campaign efforts,&quot; the statement read.

&quot;While some politicians who are not part of the Ukrainian government might have taken sides or made comments during last year&#39;s election, the Embassy and the government of Ukraine did not.&quot;

&quot;We highly appreciate US administration support to Ukraine and the progress achieved in recent months in our bilateral relations.&quot;

White House spokesperson Sean Spicer repeated allegations that a Democratic operative had met with Ukrainian embassy officials during the 2016 campaign

The White House on Monday alleged that Democrats colluded with Ukraine during the 2016 election, turning the tables on its accusers amid an all-engulfing scandal over Trump's contacts with Russia. White House spokesperson Sean Spicer repeated allegations that a Democratic operative had met with Ukrainian embassy officials during the campaign. Spicer referred to several recent reports by conservative media outlets, alleging the Democratic operative sought dirt on then Trump campaign director Paul Manafort. The allegations first came to light in a Politico story in January. "Obviously, there's been a lot more interest in recent days with respect to what the DNC (Democratic National Convention) did in coordination with the Ukrainian government to try to collude," Spicer said. The White House spokesperson alleged that the Democratic National Committee collusion took place to "achieve a goal of having someone removed, which ultimately did happen." Manafort left his post in August 2016, as Trump's general election prospects looked dim and details of his own business dealings with pro-Kremlin leaders in Ukraine emerged. Spicer was asked by a pro-Trump media representative whether the issue was raised when Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko visited the White House in June. Spicer said he did not know, but claimed that "the DNC's collusion with the Ukrainian government has definitely gotten a lot more attention since that meeting." Adrienne Watson of the DNC accused the White House of deflecting. "The White House has been pushing this narrative to distract from the Trump campaign's willingness to work with a hostile foreign government to interfere in our election. No one is buying it." The comments come as the White House reeled from Donald Trump Jr's confession that he and two other Trump senior aides knowingly met Kremlin-connected operatives to get incriminating information on rival presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. That admission, after months of denials, has prompted some Republicans to openly criticise the White House and venture that Donald Trump Jr may have broken the law. US intelligence agencies believe that President Vladimir Putin ordered a vast influence operation to tilt the 2016 election in Trump's favor. Trump himself has responded by describing his son's meeting as business as usual. "Most politicians would have gone to a meeting like the one Don jr attended in order to get info on an opponent. That's politics!" he tweeted on Monday. Spicer seemed to contradict his boss, by saying the meeting was actually about adoption. In a statement, the Ukrainian embassy in Washington denied allegations it had "colluded" with Democrats against the Trump campaign. The embassy "neither coordinated with the DNC on opposition research nor taken any actions to undermine campaign efforts," the statement read. "While some politicians who are not part of the Ukrainian government might have taken sides or made comments during last year's election, the Embassy and the government of Ukraine did not." "We highly appreciate US administration support to Ukraine and the progress achieved in recent months in our bilateral relations."

White House accuses Democrats, Ukraine of 'collusion' during presidential elections

Three years after Flight MH17 was shot down by a missile over war-torn Ukraine, more than 2,000 relatives gather Monday to unveil a &quot;living memorial&quot; to their loved ones.

A total of 298 trees have been planted in the shape of a green ribbon, one for each of the victims who died on board the Malaysia Airlines flight en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima will join the government and international officials at a solemn ceremony to dedicate the memorial in the park of Vijfhuizen, close to Schiphol airport in Amsterdam where the flight took off from on July 17, 2014.

The names of all the 298 passengers and crew killed in the disaster will be read out by their families, and 17 local children will lay flowers.

While most of the victims were Dutch, there were 17 nationalities on board including Australians, Britons, Malaysians and Indonesians.

&quot;A tree symbolises &#39;hope&#39; and &#39;future&#39; in many cultures,&quot; the victims families association said in a statement.

&quot;We not only want to honour the MH17 victims, but also want to create a place where everyone can keep their memories of the 298 passengers alive.&quot;

Funded by donations, the project was designed by artist Ronald A&nbsp;Westerhuis and landscape architect Robbert de Koning after it was chosen out of three proposals by relatives in late 2015.

&nbsp;

&#39;Never forget&#39;

As the third anniversary of the tragedy dawns, no suspects have been arrested although it was announced this month that any trials will be held in The Netherlands.

About 100 people are wanted in connection with the disaster, after Dutch-led investigators concluded the plane was shot down by a Russian-made BUK missile transported from Russia into areas held by pro-Russian rebels.

The trees in the memorial will be surrounded by sunflowers, which bloom in July, and will &quot;radiate a golden glow&quot; over the trees, the foundation said.

The flowers also represent &quot;the sunflower fields in eastern Ukraine where some parts of the plane wreckage were found&quot;.

Each of the trees bears the name of one of the victims. And at the heart of the forest of 11 different tree varieties is a steel memorial shaped like an eye, turned upwards looking at the skies.

One apple tree has been dedicated to 16-year-old Gary, from Rotterdam, whose body has still not yet been identified.

&quot;It&#39;s nice to think that he has a tree, since we have not received his body. We don&#39;t want Gary to be forgotten. We don&#39;t want any of the 298 victims to be forgotten,&quot; his father Jan Slok, told the daily AD newspaper.

The 16-metre-long steel eyebrow above the eye represents &quot;the burden of the loss,&quot; the Trouw daily said, adding with time it will rust, a symbol of the slow passage of pain. The victims&#39; names are also engraved in the pupil of the eye.

&quot;If you look inside, you can see both yourself and the name of your loved one,&quot; Westerhuis told Trouw.

Relatives of the victims planted 298 trees in the shape of a green ribbon, one for each victim who died on board the Malaysia Airlines flight

Three years after Flight MH17 was shot down by a missile over war-torn Ukraine, more than 2,000 relatives gather Monday to unveil a "living memorial" to their loved ones. A total of 298 trees have been planted in the shape of a green ribbon, one for each of the victims who died on board the Malaysia Airlines flight en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima will join the government and international officials at a solemn ceremony to dedicate the memorial in the park of Vijfhuizen, close to Schiphol airport in Amsterdam where the flight took off from on July 17, 2014. The names of all the 298 passengers and crew killed in the disaster will be read out by their families, and 17 local children will lay flowers. While most of the victims were Dutch, there were 17 nationalities on board including Australians, Britons, Malaysians and Indonesians. "A tree symbolises 'hope' and 'future' in many cultures," the victims families association said in a statement. "We not only want to honour the MH17 victims, but also want to create a place where everyone can keep their memories of the 298 passengers alive." Funded by donations, the project was designed by artist Ronald A Westerhuis and landscape architect Robbert de Koning after it was chosen out of three proposals by relatives in late 2015. 'Never forget' As the third anniversary of the tragedy dawns, no suspects have been arrested although it was announced this month that any trials will be held in The Netherlands. About 100 people are wanted in connection with the disaster, after Dutch-led investigators concluded the plane was shot down by a Russian-made BUK missile transported from Russia into areas held by pro-Russian rebels. The trees in the memorial will be surrounded by sunflowers, which bloom in July, and will "radiate a golden glow" over the trees, the foundation said. The flowers also represent "the sunflower fields in eastern Ukraine where some parts of the plane wreckage were found". Each of the trees bears the name of one of the victims. And at the heart of the forest of 11 different tree varieties is a steel memorial shaped like an eye, turned upwards looking at the skies. One apple tree has been dedicated to 16-year-old Gary, from Rotterdam, whose body has still not yet been identified. "It's nice to think that he has a tree, since we have not received his body. We don't want Gary to be forgotten. We don't want any of the 298 victims to be forgotten," his father Jan Slok, told the daily AD newspaper. The 16-metre-long steel eyebrow above the eye represents "the burden of the loss," the Trouw daily said, adding with time it will rust, a symbol of the slow passage of pain. The victims' names are also engraved in the pupil of the eye. "If you look inside, you can see both yourself and the name of your loved one," Westerhuis told Trouw.

On third MH17 anniversary, families to unveil 'living memorial'

The primary target of a crippling computer virus that spread from Ukraine across the world this week is highly likely to have been that country&#39;s computer infrastructure, according to a top Ukrainian police official.

Cyber security firms are trying to piece together who was behind the computer worm, dubbed NotPetya by some experts, which has paralysed thousands of machines worldwide, shutting down ports, factories, and offices as it spread through internal organisational networks to an estimated 60 countries.

Ukrainian politicians blamed Russia, but a Kremlin spokesman dismissed &quot;unfounded blanket accusations&quot;. Kiev has accused Moscow of two previous cyber strikes on the Ukrainian power grid and other attacks since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.

A growing consensus among security researchers, armed with technical evidence, suggests the main purpose of the attack was to install new malware on computers at government and commercial organisations in Ukraine. Rather than extortion, the goal may be to plant the seeds of future sabotage, experts said.

International firms appear to have been hit through their operations in the country.

Slovakian security software firm ESET released statistics showing 75 percent of the infections detected among its global customer base were in Ukraine, and that all of the top 10 countries hit were located in central, eastern or southern Europe.

Arne Schoenbohm, president of BSI, Germany&#39;s Federal cyber security agency, told that most of the damage from the attack had hit Ukraine, and Russia to a lesser extent, with only a few dozen German firms affected.

&quot;In all of the known cases, the companies were first infected through a Ukrainian subsidiary,&quot; the German official said.

SMOKESCREEN

Ukraine&#39;s cyber police said that it had received 1,500 requests for help from individuals and companies in connection with the virus.

The malicious code in the new virus encrypted data on computers and demanded victims pay a $300 ransom, similar to the extortion tactic used in a global WannaCry ransomware attack in May.

A top Ukrainian police official told that the extortion demands were likely a smokescreen, echoing working hypotheses from top cyber security firms, who consider NotPetya a &quot;wiper&quot;, or tool for destroying data and wiping hard disks clean, that is disguised as ransomware.

&quot;Since the virus was modified to encrypt all data and make decryption impossible, the likelihood of it being done to install new malware is high,&quot; the official, who declined to be identified said.

Information Systems Security Partners (ISSP), a Kiev-based cyber research firm that has investigated previous cyber attacks against Ukraine, is pursuing the same line of inquiry.

ISSP said that given that few people actually paid the $300 demanded for removing the virus, money was unlikely to be the primary object of the attack.

&quot;It&#39;s highly likely that during this attack new attacks were set up,&quot; said ISSP chairman Oleg Derevianko. &quot;At almost all organisations whose network domains were infected, not all computers went offline,&quot; he said by phone. &quot;Why didn&#39;t they all go offline? We are trying to understand what they might have left on those machines that weren&#39;t hit.&quot;

Ukraine&#39;s National Security and Defence Council Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov said the virus was first and foremost spread through an update issued by an accounting service and business management software. &quot;Also involved was the hosting service of an internet provider, which the SBU (Ukraine&#39;s state security service) has already questioned about cooperation with Russian intelligence agencies,&quot; he said.

DESTRUCTIVE INTENT

Technical experts familiar with the recent history of the cyber escalation between Russia and Ukraine, say these latest attacks are part of the wider political and military conflict, although no &quot;smoking gun&quot; has been found to identify the culprits.

John Hultquist, a cyber intelligence analyst with FireEye, said the failed ransomware attack disguises an as yet unseen destructive motive. &quot;If it were an attack masquerading as crime, that would not be unprecedented at all,&quot; Hultquist said.

Some cyber security researchers have said the fact that the Kremlin&#39;s two flagship energy companies are victims of the attack could suggest Moscow was not behind it.

Russian oil major Rosneft was one of the first companies to reveal it had been compromised by the virus and sources told computers at state gas giant Gazprom had also been infected.

For technical reasons, NotPetya appears to be more targeted than last month&#39;s global ransomware attack, known as WannaCry. When first infected by WannaCry, computers scanned the internet globally for other vulnerable machines.

By contrast, NotPetya does not randomly scan the Internet to find new computers to infect. It only spreads itself inside organizational networks, taking advantage of a variety of legitimate network administration tools.

This makes it far harder for anti-virus software or network security technicians to detect. It also gives it the capacity to infect other Windows computers, even those with the latest security patches, several security firms warned.

&quot;Petya is proving to be more sophisticated than WannaCry in terms of scope, ability to be neutralized, and apparently, the motivation behind its launch,&quot; corporate security consulting firm Kroll has advised its clients.

So far, NotPetya appears only to have been distributed inside Ukraine via a handful of so-called &quot;watering hole attacks&quot; - by piggy-backing on the software updating feature of a popular national tax accounting program known as MEDoc.

Kaspersky, a global cyber security firm based in Russia, also said they found a second distribution point on a local news site in the city of Bakhmut, Ukraine, which infected visitors who clicked on the site with the ransomware-like attack.

&quot;Our analysis indicates the main purpose of the attack was not financial gain, but widespread destruction,&quot; said Costin Raiu, Kaspersky&rsquo;s global head of research. &quot;NotPetya ..combined elements of a targeted watering hole attack we&rsquo;ve traditionally seen used by nation states with traditional software exploitation to devastate a specific user base,&quot; Lesley Carhart, a Chicago-based security researcher, wrote in a blog widely shared online by top security experts.

Cyber security firms are trying to piece together who was behind the computer worm, which has paralysed thousands of machines worldwide

The primary target of a crippling computer virus that spread from Ukraine across the world this week is highly likely to have been that country's computer infrastructure, according to a top Ukrainian police official. Cyber security firms are trying to piece together who was behind the computer worm, dubbed NotPetya by some experts, which has paralysed thousands of machines worldwide, shutting down ports, factories, and offices as it spread through internal organisational networks to an estimated 60 countries. Ukrainian politicians blamed Russia, but a Kremlin spokesman dismissed "unfounded blanket accusations". Kiev has accused Moscow of two previous cyber strikes on the Ukrainian power grid and other attacks since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. A growing consensus among security researchers, armed with technical evidence, suggests the main purpose of the attack was to install new malware on computers at government and commercial organisations in Ukraine. Rather than extortion, the goal may be to plant the seeds of future sabotage, experts said. International firms appear to have been hit through their operations in the country. Slovakian security software firm ESET released statistics showing 75 percent of the infections detected among its global customer base were in Ukraine, and that all of the top 10 countries hit were located in central, eastern or southern Europe. Arne Schoenbohm, president of BSI, Germany's Federal cyber security agency, told that most of the damage from the attack had hit Ukraine, and Russia to a lesser extent, with only a few dozen German firms affected. "In all of the known cases, the companies were first infected through a Ukrainian subsidiary," the German official said. SMOKESCREEN Ukraine's cyber police said that it had received 1,500 requests for help from individuals and companies in connection with the virus. The malicious code in the new virus encrypted data on computers and demanded victims pay a $300 ransom, similar to the extortion tactic used in a global WannaCry ransomware attack in May. A top Ukrainian police official told that the extortion demands were likely a smokescreen, echoing working hypotheses from top cyber security firms, who consider NotPetya a "wiper", or tool for destroying data and wiping hard disks clean, that is disguised as ransomware. "Since the virus was modified to encrypt all data and make decryption impossible, the likelihood of it being done to install new malware is high," the official, who declined to be identified said. Information Systems Security Partners (ISSP), a Kiev-based cyber research firm that has investigated previous cyber attacks against Ukraine, is pursuing the same line of inquiry. ISSP said that given that few people actually paid the $300 demanded for removing the virus, money was unlikely to be the primary object of the attack. "It's highly likely that during this attack new attacks were set up," said ISSP chairman Oleg Derevianko. "At almost all organisations whose network domains were infected, not all computers went offline," he said by phone. "Why didn't they all go offline? We are trying to understand what they might have left on those machines that weren't hit." Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov said the virus was first and foremost spread through an update issued by an accounting service and business management software. "Also involved was the hosting service of an internet provider, which the SBU (Ukraine's state security service) has already questioned about cooperation with Russian intelligence agencies," he said. DESTRUCTIVE INTENT Technical experts familiar with the recent history of the cyber escalation between Russia and Ukraine, say these latest attacks are part of the wider political and military conflict, although no "smoking gun" has been found to identify the culprits. John Hultquist, a cyber intelligence analyst with FireEye, said the failed ransomware attack disguises an as yet unseen destructive motive. "If it were an attack masquerading as crime, that would not be unprecedented at all," Hultquist said. Some cyber security researchers have said the fact that the Kremlin's two flagship energy companies are victims of the attack could suggest Moscow was not behind it. Russian oil major Rosneft was one of the first companies to reveal it had been compromised by the virus and sources told computers at state gas giant Gazprom had also been infected. For technical reasons, NotPetya appears to be more targeted than last month's global ransomware attack, known as WannaCry. When first infected by WannaCry, computers scanned the internet globally for other vulnerable machines. By contrast, NotPetya does not randomly scan the Internet to find new computers to infect. It only spreads itself inside organizational networks, taking advantage of a variety of legitimate network administration tools. This makes it far harder for anti-virus software or network security technicians to detect. It also gives it the capacity to infect other Windows computers, even those with the latest security patches, several security firms warned. "Petya is proving to be more sophisticated than WannaCry in terms of scope, ability to be neutralized, and apparently, the motivation behind its launch," corporate security consulting firm Kroll has advised its clients. So far, NotPetya appears only to have been distributed inside Ukraine via a handful of so-called "watering hole attacks" - by piggy-backing on the software updating feature of a popular national tax accounting program known as MEDoc. Kaspersky, a global cyber security firm based in Russia, also said they found a second distribution point on a local news site in the city of Bakhmut, Ukraine, which infected visitors who clicked on the site with the ransomware-like attack. "Our analysis indicates the main purpose of the attack was not financial gain, but widespread destruction," said Costin Raiu, Kaspersky’s global head of research. "NotPetya ..combined elements of a targeted watering hole attack we’ve traditionally seen used by nation states with traditional software exploitation to devastate a specific user base," Lesley Carhart, a Chicago-based security researcher, wrote in a blog widely shared online by top security experts.

Global cyber attack likely cover for malware installation in Ukraine: Police official

India&#39;s SREI Infrastructure Finance hopes to sign a $500 million joint venture this week with Russian state lender Vnesheconombank, or&nbsp;VEB, to finance exports of equipment to India, managing director Hemant Kanoria said on Thursday.

Kanoria was speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of the St Petersburg economic forum where Russian and foreign businessmen gather every year in June.

&quot;We are looking at a joint venture with VEB which will be trying to support equipment exports from Russia into India. This would be heavy equipment going into the mining, construction and other industry in India,&quot; Kanoria said, adding that the machinery could be leased or purchased in India.

&quot;We are looking at half a billion dollars to do a memorandum of understanding with them.&quot; Asked if the venture could be announced at the St Petersburg forum, Kanoria said: &quot;Yes&quot;.

He said SREI had also mooted creating a joint infrastructure fund together with the state-run Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) but progress had been slow so far.

SREI&#39;s projects in Russia have stalled since Western sanctions were imposed on Moscow after its 2014 annexation of Ukraine&#39;s Crimea region, forcing partners in its Russian venture to pull back. These include the European Bank for Reconstruction (EBRD) and Development and Germany&#39;s DEG.

In early December 2016 Sergey Gorkov, the head of VEB, secretly met with US President Donald Trump&#39;s son in law&nbsp;Jared Kushner, who is also now a senior white house adviser. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/jared-kushner-now-a-focus-in-russia-investigation/2017/05/25/f078db74-40c7-11e7-8c25-44d09ff5a4a8_story.html?utm_term=.5ba3b2057406" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a> reported that the federal investigation into Trump&#39;s Russia probe is looking at&nbsp;Kushner, because of &quot;the extent and nature of his interactions&quot; with the ambassador and Gorkov.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attending this year&#39;s St Petersburg forum and also holding a bilateral summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

The Indian company's projects in Russia have stalled since Western sanctions were imposed on Moscow for annexing Crimea

India's SREI Infrastructure Finance hopes to sign a $500 million joint venture this week with Russian state lender Vnesheconombank, or VEB, to finance exports of equipment to India, managing director Hemant Kanoria said on Thursday. Kanoria was speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of the St Petersburg economic forum where Russian and foreign businessmen gather every year in June. "We are looking at a joint venture with VEB which will be trying to support equipment exports from Russia into India. This would be heavy equipment going into the mining, construction and other industry in India," Kanoria said, adding that the machinery could be leased or purchased in India. "We are looking at half a billion dollars to do a memorandum of understanding with them." Asked if the venture could be announced at the St Petersburg forum, Kanoria said: "Yes". He said SREI had also mooted creating a joint infrastructure fund together with the state-run Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) but progress had been slow so far. SREI's projects in Russia have stalled since Western sanctions were imposed on Moscow after its 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region, forcing partners in its Russian venture to pull back. These include the European Bank for Reconstruction (EBRD) and Development and Germany's DEG. In early December 2016 Sergey Gorkov, the head of VEB, secretly met with US President Donald Trump's son in law Jared Kushner, who is also now a senior white house adviser. The Washington Post reported that the federal investigation into Trump's Russia probe is looking at Kushner, because of "the extent and nature of his interactions" with the ambassador and Gorkov. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attending this year's St Petersburg forum and also holding a bilateral summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

SREI says to ink $500 million venture with Russia's state lender VEB

Ukraine&#39;s State Security Service (SBU) raided the Kiev and Odessa offices of Russia&#39;s top search site Yandex, accusing the company of illegally collecting Ukrainian users&#39; data and sending it to Russian security agencies.

Ukraine imposed sanctions on Yandex and several other Russian Internet firms this month and blocked access to their websites, saying it wanted to guard against cyber threats.

&quot;There are representatives of Ukraine&#39;s Security Service in our offices in Kiev and Odessa,&quot; Yandex said in a statement, saying its lawyers were willing to help with any investigation.

SBU spokeswoman Olena Gitlyanska said on Facebook &quot;investigative actions&quot; were being carried out in connection with a criminal investigation into suspected treason but gave no further details.

A Reuters witness at Yandex&#39;s Kiev office saw plain-clothes investigators sticking yellow labels onto a number of computers that appeared to have been seized.

Later, the SBU said in a statement that information had been passed to Russia for use in reconnaissance and acts of sabotage that undermined the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

Yandex has previously said it operates fully in accordance with Ukrainian law. It does not expect sanctions to have a materially negative impact on its business.

More than 450 Russian firms have been blacklisted by Kiev since Moscow&#39;s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the ensuing pro-Russian separatist uprising in eastern Ukraine.

Before sanctions were imposed, Yandex employed 320 people in Ukraine and had about 11 million Ukrainian users.

(Reuters)

Ukraine imposed sanctions on Yandex and other Russian Internet firms this month and blocked access to their websites to guard against cyber threats

Ukraine's State Security Service (SBU) raided the Kiev and Odessa offices of Russia's top search site Yandex, accusing the company of illegally collecting Ukrainian users' data and sending it to Russian security agencies. Ukraine imposed sanctions on Yandex and several other Russian Internet firms this month and blocked access to their websites, saying it wanted to guard against cyber threats. "There are representatives of Ukraine's Security Service in our offices in Kiev and Odessa," Yandex said in a statement, saying its lawyers were willing to help with any investigation. SBU spokeswoman Olena Gitlyanska said on Facebook "investigative actions" were being carried out in connection with a criminal investigation into suspected treason but gave no further details. A Reuters witness at Yandex's Kiev office saw plain-clothes investigators sticking yellow labels onto a number of computers that appeared to have been seized. Later, the SBU said in a statement that information had been passed to Russia for use in reconnaissance and acts of sabotage that undermined the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Yandex has previously said it operates fully in accordance with Ukrainian law. It does not expect sanctions to have a materially negative impact on its business. More than 450 Russian firms have been blacklisted by Kiev since Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the ensuing pro-Russian separatist uprising in eastern Ukraine. Before sanctions were imposed, Yandex employed 320 people in Ukraine and had about 11 million Ukrainian users. (Reuters)

Investigators search Ukrainian offices of Russia's Yandex

Ukraine is still suffering from the trauma of the world&#39;s worst civil nuclear accident at Chernobyl but has nonetheless turned the hazardous fuel into the backbone of its energy portfolio.

The crisis-torn country now uses atomic power for more than half of its electricity needs as it struggles through a coal shortage sparked by a three-year war against Russian- backed insurgents in the separatist east.

And that figure shot up to nearly three-quarters of all power consumed during natural gas price disputes with its eastern arch foe and energy superpower Russia from 2014 to 2016.

Ukraine Wednesday marked 31 years since the disaster in which thousands died with the country extending the lifespan of its communist-era nuclear reactors and turning atomic power into a workhorse that will be around for generations to come.

The Chernobyl plant&#39;s fourth reactor in the north of former Soviet Ukraine exploded in 1986 after a safety test went horribly wrong at 1.23 am on April 26.

Some Ukrainians remain worried that a similar catastrophe could hit their country again.

&quot;The main risk in using nuclear energy in Ukraine is associated with reactors that have exhausted their lifespans,&quot; says Iryna Golovko of the National Ecological Centre of Ukraine&#39;s energy projects department.

&quot;Today six of Ukraine&#39;s 15 operating reactors have surpassed their designed service lives,&quot; she told AFP. &quot;And by 2020, there will be 12 of them.&quot;

Ukraine enjoys abundant coal reserves that happen to lie mostly in regions controlled by Russian insurgents.

Kiev spent nearly three years in the uncomfortable position of fighting the rebels while enriching them by buying their anthracite coal to keep its thermal power plants pumping.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko bowed to public pressure and banned all trade with the separatist east on March 15.

Energy Minister Igor Nasalyk said shortly after Poroshenko&#39;s decision that nuclear power&#39;s share of total electricity production had jumped to 62 from around 55 percent.

It had stood at 46 percent before Ukraine was riven by war and economic crises in 2013.

The government has since allowed regional power companies to impose blackouts in case of weather-related surges in demand.

Ukraine is also negotiating a coal purchase agreement with the United States that Kiev hopes could fulfil two-thirds of its annual needs.

But energy analyst Viktor Logatskiy of the Razumkov Centre research institute still thinks that the service lives of all 15 of Ukraine&#39;s existing reactors will be extended by 2030 as a long-term power source backup.&nbsp;

(AFP)

The crisis-torn country now uses atomic power for more than half of its electricity needs as it struggles through a coal shortage

Ukraine is still suffering from the trauma of the world's worst civil nuclear accident at Chernobyl but has nonetheless turned the hazardous fuel into the backbone of its energy portfolio. The crisis-torn country now uses atomic power for more than half of its electricity needs as it struggles through a coal shortage sparked by a three-year war against Russian- backed insurgents in the separatist east. And that figure shot up to nearly three-quarters of all power consumed during natural gas price disputes with its eastern arch foe and energy superpower Russia from 2014 to 2016. Ukraine Wednesday marked 31 years since the disaster in which thousands died with the country extending the lifespan of its communist-era nuclear reactors and turning atomic power into a workhorse that will be around for generations to come. The Chernobyl plant's fourth reactor in the north of former Soviet Ukraine exploded in 1986 after a safety test went horribly wrong at 1.23 am on April 26. Some Ukrainians remain worried that a similar catastrophe could hit their country again. "The main risk in using nuclear energy in Ukraine is associated with reactors that have exhausted their lifespans," says Iryna Golovko of the National Ecological Centre of Ukraine's energy projects department. "Today six of Ukraine's 15 operating reactors have surpassed their designed service lives," she told AFP. "And by 2020, there will be 12 of them." Ukraine enjoys abundant coal reserves that happen to lie mostly in regions controlled by Russian insurgents. Kiev spent nearly three years in the uncomfortable position of fighting the rebels while enriching them by buying their anthracite coal to keep its thermal power plants pumping. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko bowed to public pressure and banned all trade with the separatist east on March 15. Energy Minister Igor Nasalyk said shortly after Poroshenko's decision that nuclear power's share of total electricity production had jumped to 62 from around 55 percent. It had stood at 46 percent before Ukraine was riven by war and economic crises in 2013. The government has since allowed regional power companies to impose blackouts in case of weather-related surges in demand. Ukraine is also negotiating a coal purchase agreement with the United States that Kiev hopes could fulfil two-thirds of its annual needs. But energy analyst Viktor Logatskiy of the Razumkov Centre research institute still thinks that the service lives of all 15 of Ukraine's existing reactors will be extended by 2030 as a long-term power source backup. (AFP)

Coal shortage forces Ukraine to turn to nuclear power despite Chernobyl trauma

Ukraine said Thursday that a fire raging at a munitions depot in the country&#39;s east, which the military blamed on an &quot;act of sabotage&quot;, could continue for up to a week.

&quot;We can evaluate everything as the intensity of the fire decreases,&quot; Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said in televised comments. &quot;This can take up to one week.&quot;

Groysman said 550 emergency workers, medics and police officers had been dispatched to the scene to keep the fire from spreading to nearby populated areas.

However the fire&#39;s reach was still expanding, with the emergency workers unable to contain it.

Earlier in the day the crackling sound of detonations thought to be exploding munitions could be heard from some 20 kilometres (12 miles) away.

The fire broke out overnight in the town of Balakliya at a depot where missiles and munitions were kept, causing them to detonate.

Ukraine&#39;s Chief Military Prosecutor Anatoliy Matios said in a statement that the blaze had been caused &quot;as a result of an act of sabotage.&quot;

Ukraine&#39;s SBU security service said it had opened an investigation into a suspected act of &quot;diversion&quot;, while military prosecutors said they had launched a criminal case into possible &quot;negligence&quot; by servicemen.

Matios said witnesses had heard a sound resembling a drone in flight before the blasts began in Balakliya, which is located some 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the pro-Russian insurgent stronghold of Donetsk.

Defence Minister Stepan Poltorak said authorities were considering the theory that &quot;explosive devices dropped from an unmanned aerial vehicle&quot; could have caused the fire, Interfax Ukraine news agency reported.&nbsp;

As of Thursday afternoon 20,000 people living within a 10-kilometre radius of the depot had been evacuated, presidential spokesman Svyatoslav Tsegolko wrote on Facebook.

He added that there appeared to be no casualties in the explosions.

A 54-year-old woman sustained shrapnel wounds and was transported to a local hospital, the regional police force said in a statement.&nbsp;

Cloud of smoke 
 
Authorities had cut off road access to Balakliya, but locals in Yakovenkove, a village five kilometres north of the town, told an AFP reporter that shrapnel had flown all the way to their homes.

Photographs from the scene published by the emergencies ministry showed thick smoke billowing from the depot, forming a large cloud over Soviet-era apartment buildings.&nbsp;

President Petro Poroshenko has ordered increased security controls at Ukraine&#39;s military facilities, Tsegolko said.&nbsp;

The Ukrainian military has been fighting pro-Russian separatists in the country&#39;s east since April 2014 in a conflict that has killed more than 10,000 people.&nbsp;

The depot in Balakliya housed munitions and arms used by Ukrainian troops fighting the insurgents, according to Ukrainian television.

At least two civilians were killed and eight people injured in a similar incident in October 2015 in the government-held city of Svatove, some 60 kilometres outside rebel-held territory.&nbsp;

Soviet-era military warehouses usually contain large amounts of old weapons and ammunition that sometimes are stored in poor conditions.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

The crackling sound of detonations thought to be exploding munitions could be heard from some 20 kms away

Ukraine said Thursday that a fire raging at a munitions depot in the country's east, which the military blamed on an "act of sabotage", could continue for up to a week. "We can evaluate everything as the intensity of the fire decreases," Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said in televised comments. "This can take up to one week." Groysman said 550 emergency workers, medics and police officers had been dispatched to the scene to keep the fire from spreading to nearby populated areas. However the fire's reach was still expanding, with the emergency workers unable to contain it. Earlier in the day the crackling sound of detonations thought to be exploding munitions could be heard from some 20 kilometres (12 miles) away. The fire broke out overnight in the town of Balakliya at a depot where missiles and munitions were kept, causing them to detonate. Ukraine's Chief Military Prosecutor Anatoliy Matios said in a statement that the blaze had been caused "as a result of an act of sabotage." Ukraine's SBU security service said it had opened an investigation into a suspected act of "diversion", while military prosecutors said they had launched a criminal case into possible "negligence" by servicemen. Matios said witnesses had heard a sound resembling a drone in flight before the blasts began in Balakliya, which is located some 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the pro-Russian insurgent stronghold of Donetsk. Defence Minister Stepan Poltorak said authorities were considering the theory that "explosive devices dropped from an unmanned aerial vehicle" could have caused the fire, Interfax Ukraine news agency reported. As of Thursday afternoon 20,000 people living within a 10-kilometre radius of the depot had been evacuated, presidential spokesman Svyatoslav Tsegolko wrote on Facebook. He added that there appeared to be no casualties in the explosions. A 54-year-old woman sustained shrapnel wounds and was transported to a local hospital, the regional police force said in a statement. Cloud of smoke Authorities had cut off road access to Balakliya, but locals in Yakovenkove, a village five kilometres north of the town, told an AFP reporter that shrapnel had flown all the way to their homes. Photographs from the scene published by the emergencies ministry showed thick smoke billowing from the depot, forming a large cloud over Soviet-era apartment buildings. President Petro Poroshenko has ordered increased security controls at Ukraine's military facilities, Tsegolko said. The Ukrainian military has been fighting pro-Russian separatists in the country's east since April 2014 in a conflict that has killed more than 10,000 people. The depot in Balakliya housed munitions and arms used by Ukrainian troops fighting the insurgents, according to Ukrainian television. At least two civilians were killed and eight people injured in a similar incident in October 2015 in the government-held city of Svatove, some 60 kilometres outside rebel-held territory. Soviet-era military warehouses usually contain large amounts of old weapons and ammunition that sometimes are stored in poor conditions. (AFP)

Ukraine struggles to contain arms depot fire, blames 'sabotage'

A truce between government forces and pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine will come into force Monday, Moscow and Kiev said, though some separatists were already labelling it unfeasible.

Saturday&#39;s announcement comes after nearly 30 people lost their lives as violence flared again earlier this month in a conflict that has left more than 10,000 people dead since April 2014.

In another sign that tensions are far from easing up, Moscow signed a decree Saturday recognising passports issued by rebel authorities in Ukraine&#39;s separatist regions, triggering a protest from Kiev which called it a &quot;provocation&quot;.

The new ceasefire deal was announced after the foreign ministers of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France met on the sidelines of a security conference in Munich, with Russia&#39;s Sergei Lavrov calling it a &quot;positive&quot; development.

But the warring sides had already agreed on Wednesday that they would withdraw heavy weapons from the frontline by next Monday in line with a tattered peace plan, and Lavrov warned that there had been no &quot;major progress&quot; in Munich.

Ukraine&#39;s foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin confirmed the deal, warning that the ceasefire must turn into more than a &quot;political slogan&quot; in practical terms.

&quot;This has to be the real situation,&nbsp;and if that&#39;s not the case, we will have to have fresh negotiations,&quot; he told Ukrainian reporters in Munich.

Pro-Russian separatists on the ground declined to confirm they were planning to respect the new ceasefire, with some saying it was unfeasible for it to come into force as early as Monday.

&quot;There has been artillery fire all day,&quot; said Eduard Basurin, a senior official in the self-declared Donetsk People&#39;s Republic.

&quot;What truce are they talking about? I don&#39;t see the point in declaring a truce.&quot;

He added that &quot;for the moment on the Ukrainian side, we see no withdrawal&quot; of heavy weapons as detailed under the latest plan.

Several ceasefires have already faltered in a bid to end Europe&#39;s only armed conflict, thanks to regular flare-ups in fighting between the pro-Russian rebels,&nbsp;whom Moscow has furiously denied giving financial and military support, despite Western allegations,&nbsp;and Ukrainian troops.

The most recent violence earlier this month saw some 30 soldiers and civilians killed in the flashpoint town of Avdiivka.

&quot;Sometimes we must admit that there is a lack of willingness on the ground,&quot; French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Saturday.

In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin raised Kiev&#39;s ire again by signing a decree recognising passports issued by the self-declared Lugansk People&#39;s Republic and the Donetsk People&#39;s Republic.

&quot;Ukrainian citizens and stateless persons who live there&quot; will now be able &quot;to enter Russia and exit Russia without a visa,&quot; the decree said.

Moscow described the move as &quot;temporary&quot; until a &quot;political solution&quot; is found to bring peace to the region.

But Ukraine&#39;s President Petro Poroshenko blasted the decree as &quot;fresh proof of the Russian occupation and violations by Russia of international law&quot;, adding it was &quot;highly symbolic&quot; that it was published while he was meeting in Munich with US vice-president Mike Pence, who informed him of the move.

Ganna Gopko, head of the foreign affairs committee of the Ukrainian parliament, told AFP: &quot;It&#39;s a deliberate provocation by Putin.&quot;

(AFP)

&nbsp;

Ukraine's foreign minister?confirmed the deal, warning that the ceasefire must turn into more than a 'political slogan'?in practical terms

A truce between government forces and pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine will come into force Monday, Moscow and Kiev said, though some separatists were already labelling it unfeasible. Saturday's announcement comes after nearly 30 people lost their lives as violence flared again earlier this month in a conflict that has left more than 10,000 people dead since April 2014. In another sign that tensions are far from easing up, Moscow signed a decree Saturday recognising passports issued by rebel authorities in Ukraine's separatist regions, triggering a protest from Kiev which called it a "provocation". The new ceasefire deal was announced after the foreign ministers of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France met on the sidelines of a security conference in Munich, with Russia's Sergei Lavrov calling it a "positive" development. But the warring sides had already agreed on Wednesday that they would withdraw heavy weapons from the frontline by next Monday in line with a tattered peace plan, and Lavrov warned that there had been no "major progress" in Munich. Ukraine's foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin confirmed the deal, warning that the ceasefire must turn into more than a "political slogan" in practical terms. "This has to be the real situation, and if that's not the case, we will have to have fresh negotiations," he told Ukrainian reporters in Munich. Pro-Russian separatists on the ground declined to confirm they were planning to respect the new ceasefire, with some saying it was unfeasible for it to come into force as early as Monday. "There has been artillery fire all day," said Eduard Basurin, a senior official in the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic. "What truce are they talking about? I don't see the point in declaring a truce." He added that "for the moment on the Ukrainian side, we see no withdrawal" of heavy weapons as detailed under the latest plan. Several ceasefires have already faltered in a bid to end Europe's only armed conflict, thanks to regular flare-ups in fighting between the pro-Russian rebels, whom Moscow has furiously denied giving financial and military support, despite Western allegations, and Ukrainian troops. The most recent violence earlier this month saw some 30 soldiers and civilians killed in the flashpoint town of Avdiivka. "Sometimes we must admit that there is a lack of willingness on the ground," French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Saturday. In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin raised Kiev's ire again by signing a decree recognising passports issued by the self-declared Lugansk People's Republic and the Donetsk People's Republic. "Ukrainian citizens and stateless persons who live there" will now be able "to enter Russia and exit Russia without a visa," the decree said. Moscow described the move as "temporary" until a "political solution" is found to bring peace to the region. But Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko blasted the decree as "fresh proof of the Russian occupation and violations by Russia of international law", adding it was "highly symbolic" that it was published while he was meeting in Munich with US vice-president Mike Pence, who informed him of the move. Ganna Gopko, head of the foreign affairs committee of the Ukrainian parliament, told AFP: "It's a deliberate provocation by Putin." (AFP)

New Ukraine ceasefire deal due to come into force on Monday

Two years have passed since the signing of a deal aimed at ending the war in Ukraine but the bloody conflict has rumbled on, at the cost of another 5,000 lives.

The Minsk II accord saw Kremlin-backed rebels agree with Kiev and Moscow on a halt to the fighting and outlined a complex roadmap for securing peace.

It was hammered out by the presidents of Ukraine and Russia with the help of their French and German counterparts and signed on February 11 two years ago.

The deal was inked during a period of intense combat and rising fears of an open war between the two neighbours. Kiev was accusing the Kremlin of covertly sending in thousands of troops -- putting huge pressure on Moscow&#39;s ties with the West.

What Minsk II did was rein in worries of a broader war. But it never eliminated the violence and deep mistrust blocking progress toward a political solution.&nbsp;

Today&#39;s death toll stands at more than 10,000 and swathes of Ukraine&#39;s coal-and-steel-producing east are still controlled by the self-proclaimed &quot;people&#39;s republics&quot; of Lugansk and Donetsk.&nbsp;

And damaging Western sanctions against Moscow remain in place.

So where did Minsk II go wrong?&nbsp;

&quot;It is everyone&#39;s fault and there is no political will,&quot; one Western diplomat in Kiev told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The West is convinced that Russia sparked the conflict and is continuing to stoke it.

But it also believes Kiev must now share the burden over its refusal to handsome autonomy to the rebel fiefdoms in line with the terms of the deal.&nbsp;

13-point plan

Minsk II followed on from the collapse of a September 2014 agreement that triggered some of the heaviest fighting of the entire war.

The deal emerged from 18 hours of talks between Russia&#39;s Vladimir Putin and Ukraine&#39;s Petro Poroshenko. Their French and German counterparts acted as mediators between the two sworn foes.

But the real meat of Minsk II was a separate 13-point plan that called for an &quot;immediate and comprehensive ceasefire&quot; and the quick withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front.

It granted Kiev control over all of its border with Russia on condition that Ukraine change its constitution to grant the separatist regions near Russia &quot;special status&quot; and &quot;interim local self-government&quot; by the end of 2015.

But none of these conditions was met and the agreements have been repeatedly extended as international powers cling on to them as the only hope of ending the 33-month war.

One key factor is the refusal of the dominant nationalist and populist forces in Ukraine&#39;s parliament to grant extra powers to the rebels for fear they would hand the regions over to Russia.

The insurgents themselves have never held OSCE-monitored elections under Ukrainian law, &nbsp;as stipulated in the deal, and instead pushed ahead with their own local council votes that infuriated Kiev.

And the Russian-Ukrainian border remains open wide enough for the Kremlin to send in tanks and other weapons to assist the separatists.

Frozen conflict

The deal has succeeded in limiting the scope of clashes to specific hotspots. Flare-ups like this month&#39;s battle in Avdiivka that killed dozens are increasingly rare.

What Ukraine fears most is that the war will turn into a &quot;frozen conflict&quot;, like the situation in two Georgian regions seized by Russia and declared independent in 2008.&nbsp;

Georgia still considers them its own territory and had previously vowed to win them back through a new military offensive.&nbsp;

Kiev is also concerned that Western sanctions may be eased with the arrival of Donald Trump.

The new White House chief has taken a more conciliatory tone toward Moscow and Ukraine fears that this may result in US concessions over its future.

It is also frustrated that Western powers, fearful of inciting Putin, have refused to provide Ukrainian troops with the modern weaponry that could make Moscow&#39;s intervention more costly.

The past two years have seen every truce collapse and have left Poroshenko at a loss about what to do.

For now, all eyes are on Washington.

&quot;I think that inside the US administration, they are still looking for their Russian strategy,&quot; German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on February 4.

&quot;We all hope that (possible deals) between Russia and the US will not be made at the expense of Ukraine or Europe, and will lead to a detente between both global powers,&quot; he said.

(AFP)

The past two years have seen every truce collapse and have left Poroshenko at a loss about what to do

Two years have passed since the signing of a deal aimed at ending the war in Ukraine but the bloody conflict has rumbled on, at the cost of another 5,000 lives. The Minsk II accord saw Kremlin-backed rebels agree with Kiev and Moscow on a halt to the fighting and outlined a complex roadmap for securing peace. It was hammered out by the presidents of Ukraine and Russia with the help of their French and German counterparts and signed on February 11 two years ago. The deal was inked during a period of intense combat and rising fears of an open war between the two neighbours. Kiev was accusing the Kremlin of covertly sending in thousands of troops -- putting huge pressure on Moscow's ties with the West. What Minsk II did was rein in worries of a broader war. But it never eliminated the violence and deep mistrust blocking progress toward a political solution. Today's death toll stands at more than 10,000 and swathes of Ukraine's coal-and-steel-producing east are still controlled by the self-proclaimed "people's republics" of Lugansk and Donetsk. And damaging Western sanctions against Moscow remain in place. So where did Minsk II go wrong? "It is everyone's fault and there is no political will," one Western diplomat in Kiev told AFP on condition of anonymity. The West is convinced that Russia sparked the conflict and is continuing to stoke it. But it also believes Kiev must now share the burden over its refusal to handsome autonomy to the rebel fiefdoms in line with the terms of the deal. 13-point plan Minsk II followed on from the collapse of a September 2014 agreement that triggered some of the heaviest fighting of the entire war. The deal emerged from 18 hours of talks between Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Petro Poroshenko. Their French and German counterparts acted as mediators between the two sworn foes. But the real meat of Minsk II was a separate 13-point plan that called for an "immediate and comprehensive ceasefire" and the quick withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front. It granted Kiev control over all of its border with Russia on condition that Ukraine change its constitution to grant the separatist regions near Russia "special status" and "interim local self-government" by the end of 2015. But none of these conditions was met and the agreements have been repeatedly extended as international powers cling on to them as the only hope of ending the 33-month war. One key factor is the refusal of the dominant nationalist and populist forces in Ukraine's parliament to grant extra powers to the rebels for fear they would hand the regions over to Russia. The insurgents themselves have never held OSCE-monitored elections under Ukrainian law, as stipulated in the deal, and instead pushed ahead with their own local council votes that infuriated Kiev. And the Russian-Ukrainian border remains open wide enough for the Kremlin to send in tanks and other weapons to assist the separatists. Frozen conflict The deal has succeeded in limiting the scope of clashes to specific hotspots. Flare-ups like this month's battle in Avdiivka that killed dozens are increasingly rare. What Ukraine fears most is that the war will turn into a "frozen conflict", like the situation in two Georgian regions seized by Russia and declared independent in 2008. Georgia still considers them its own territory and had previously vowed to win them back through a new military offensive. Kiev is also concerned that Western sanctions may be eased with the arrival of Donald Trump. The new White House chief has taken a more conciliatory tone toward Moscow and Ukraine fears that this may result in US concessions over its future. It is also frustrated that Western powers, fearful of inciting Putin, have refused to provide Ukrainian troops with the modern weaponry that could make Moscow's intervention more costly. The past two years have seen every truce collapse and have left Poroshenko at a loss about what to do. For now, all eyes are on Washington. "I think that inside the US administration, they are still looking for their Russian strategy," German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on February 4. "We all hope that (possible deals) between Russia and the US will not be made at the expense of Ukraine or Europe, and will lead to a detente between both global powers," he said. (AFP)

Two years on since peace deal, war simmers in Ukraine

Opener Lokesh Rahul hit a career-best 199 to power India&#39;s strong reply as England bowlers struggled on day three of the fifth and final Test in Chennai on Sunday.

India were 391 for four at stumps with Karun Nair (71) and Murali Vijay (17) at the crease. The hosts still trail by 86 runs in response to England`s 477.

Rahul shared a 161-run fourth-wicket partnership with Nair before missing out on what could have been his maiden double century.

Rahul, who recorded his fourth Test century, was the ninth batsman in the world to get out on 199 after falling to leg-spinner Adil Rashid in the final moments of the day.

The 24-year-old batsman chased Rashid&#39;s widish delivery on the off-side to give away a catch to point as he crumpled into a heap with hands on head.

Earlier Rahul had surpassed his previous best of 158 as he entertained a raucous Sunday crowd with a couple of reverse sweeps.

He struck 16 fours and 3 sixes during his marathon knock, prompting England skipper Alastair Cook to rotate his bowling options.

The tourists took the second new ball in the 85th over of the innings but Rahul and Nair made sure that India continued to mount the runs.

Nair recorded his maiden Test fifty in just his third match to play the perfect sheet anchor role as Rahul piloted the Indian innings till his departure.

England pacemen worked hard on a batting-friendly MA Chidambaram pitch to claim two crucial wickets of Cheteshwar Pujara (16) and skipper Virat Kohli (15) in the afternoon session.

It was the first time in the series that Kohli, who leads the batting chart with 655 runs, had been out for less than 40. He chipped a drive to extra cover off Stuart Broad.

Overnight batsmen Parthiv Patel and Rahul made England`s bowlers toil earlier in the day with a 152-run opening stand, before Moeen Ali&#39;s off-spin prised out Patel -- the only wicket of the morning session.

It was India&#39;s first century opening partnership in 32 innings even though wicketkeeper Patel was filling in for regular opener Vijay, who got treated for a bruised shoulder before coming into bat.

Patel (71) was undone when he played against the spin of a flighted and sharply turning delivery from Ali to spoon a simple catch to Jos Buttler at cover.

India hold an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-Test series.

(AFP)

Unlike Trump, the Republican senator was angry Russia interfered with the US election. 'When you attack a country, it's an act of war'

Opener Lokesh Rahul hit a career-best 199 to power India's strong reply as England bowlers struggled on day three of the fifth and final Test in Chennai on Sunday. India were 391 for four at stumps with Karun Nair (71) and Murali Vijay (17) at the crease. The hosts still trail by 86 runs in response to England`s 477. Rahul shared a 161-run fourth-wicket partnership with Nair before missing out on what could have been his maiden double century. Rahul, who recorded his fourth Test century, was the ninth batsman in the world to get out on 199 after falling to leg-spinner Adil Rashid in the final moments of the day. The 24-year-old batsman chased Rashid's widish delivery on the off-side to give away a catch to point as he crumpled into a heap with hands on head. Earlier Rahul had surpassed his previous best of 158 as he entertained a raucous Sunday crowd with a couple of reverse sweeps. He struck 16 fours and 3 sixes during his marathon knock, prompting England skipper Alastair Cook to rotate his bowling options. The tourists took the second new ball in the 85th over of the innings but Rahul and Nair made sure that India continued to mount the runs. Nair recorded his maiden Test fifty in just his third match to play the perfect sheet anchor role as Rahul piloted the Indian innings till his departure. England pacemen worked hard on a batting-friendly MA Chidambaram pitch to claim two crucial wickets of Cheteshwar Pujara (16) and skipper Virat Kohli (15) in the afternoon session. It was the first time in the series that Kohli, who leads the batting chart with 655 runs, had been out for less than 40. He chipped a drive to extra cover off Stuart Broad. Overnight batsmen Parthiv Patel and Rahul made England`s bowlers toil earlier in the day with a 152-run opening stand, before Moeen Ali's off-spin prised out Patel -- the only wicket of the morning session. It was India's first century opening partnership in 32 innings even though wicketkeeper Patel was filling in for regular opener Vijay, who got treated for a bruised shoulder before coming into bat. Patel (71) was undone when he played against the spin of a flighted and sharply turning delivery from Ali to spoon a simple catch to Jos Buttler at cover. India hold an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-Test series. (AFP)

Senator McCain meets Ukraine president, says Russia must 'pay the price' for cyber attacks

Ukraine was on Tuesday due to unveil the world&#39;s largest moveable metal structure over the Chernobyl nuclear power plant&#39;s doomed fourth reactor to ensure the safety of future generations across Europe.

The giant arch&#39;s height of 108 metres (355 feet) makes it taller than New York&#39;s Statue of Liberty while its weight of 36,000 tons is three times heavier that the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

The 1.5-billion-euro ($1.6-billion) structure has been edged into place over an existing crumbling dome that the Soviets built in haste when disaster struck three decades ago on April 26.

Radioactive fallout from the site of the world&#39;s worst civil nuclear accident spread across three-quarters of Europe and promoted a global rethink about the safety of atomic fuel.

Work on the previous dome began after a 10-day fire caused by the explosion was contained but as radiation still spewed.

&quot;It was done through the super-human efforts of thousands of ordinary people,&quot; the Chernobyl museum&#39;s deputy chief Anna Korolevska told AFP.

&quot;What kind of protective gear could they have possibly had? They worked in regular construction clothes.&quot;

About 30 cleanup workers known as liquidators were killed on site or died from overwhelming radiation poisoning in the following weeks.&nbsp;

The toll from the accident caused by errors during an experimental safety check remains under dispute because the Soviet authorities did their best to cover up the tragedy.

A United Nations estimate in 2005 said around 4,000 people had either been killed or were left dying from cancer and other related disease.

But the Greenpeace environmental protection group believes the figure may be closer to 100,000.

Authorities maintain a 30-kilometre-wide (19-mile-wide) exclusion zone around the plant in which only a few dozen elderly people live.

Concerns over the safety of the disintegrating concrete shelter -- built by 90,000 people in just 206 days -- prompted the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to spearhead a 2.1-billion-euro ($2.2-billion) project to install a new safety dome.

The numerous problems with the Soviet-era solution included the fact that it only had a 30-year lifespan.

Yet its deterioration began much sooner than that.

&quot;Radioactive dust inside the structure is being blown out through the cracks,&quot; Sergiy Paskevych of Ukraine&#39;s Institute of Nuclear Power Plant Safety Problems told AFP.

Paskevych added that the existing structure could &nbsp;also crumble under extreme weather.

The new arch should be able to withstand tremors of 6.0 magnitude -- a strength rarely seen in eastern Europe -- and tornados that strike the region only once every million years.

Chernobyl&#39;s dangers are real but Kiev complains Europe&#39;s help took a long time coming.

The EBRD found 40 state sponsors to fund a competition in 2007 to choose who should build the massive moveable dome.

A French consortium of two companies known as Novarka finished the designs in 2010 and began construction two years later.

The shelter was edged towards the fourth reactor in just under three weeks of delicate work this month that was interrupted by inclement weather and other potential dangers.

It will later be fitted with radiation control equipment as well as air vents and fire protective measures.

That equipment inside the arch is due to start working by the end of 2017.

&quot;And only then will we begin to disassemble the old, unstable structure,&quot; the head of Ukraine&#39;s State Nuclear Regulation Inspections agency Sergiy Bozhko told AFP.

But he said no timeframe had yet been set for the truly hazardous work of removing all the remaining nuclear fuel from inside the plant or taking apart the old dome.

Novarka believes that its arch will keep the continent safe from nuclear fallout for the next 100 years.

(AFP)

The new arch, the old one is crumbling, will be taller than the Statue of Liberty

Ukraine was on Tuesday due to unveil the world's largest moveable metal structure over the Chernobyl nuclear power plant's doomed fourth reactor to ensure the safety of future generations across Europe. The giant arch's height of 108 metres (355 feet) makes it taller than New York's Statue of Liberty while its weight of 36,000 tons is three times heavier that the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The 1.5-billion-euro ($1.6-billion) structure has been edged into place over an existing crumbling dome that the Soviets built in haste when disaster struck three decades ago on April 26. Radioactive fallout from the site of the world's worst civil nuclear accident spread across three-quarters of Europe and promoted a global rethink about the safety of atomic fuel. Work on the previous dome began after a 10-day fire caused by the explosion was contained but as radiation still spewed. "It was done through the super-human efforts of thousands of ordinary people," the Chernobyl museum's deputy chief Anna Korolevska told AFP. "What kind of protective gear could they have possibly had? They worked in regular construction clothes." About 30 cleanup workers known as liquidators were killed on site or died from overwhelming radiation poisoning in the following weeks. The toll from the accident caused by errors during an experimental safety check remains under dispute because the Soviet authorities did their best to cover up the tragedy. A United Nations estimate in 2005 said around 4,000 people had either been killed or were left dying from cancer and other related disease. But the Greenpeace environmental protection group believes the figure may be closer to 100,000. Authorities maintain a 30-kilometre-wide (19-mile-wide) exclusion zone around the plant in which only a few dozen elderly people live. Concerns over the safety of the disintegrating concrete shelter -- built by 90,000 people in just 206 days -- prompted the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to spearhead a 2.1-billion-euro ($2.2-billion) project to install a new safety dome. The numerous problems with the Soviet-era solution included the fact that it only had a 30-year lifespan. Yet its deterioration began much sooner than that. "Radioactive dust inside the structure is being blown out through the cracks," Sergiy Paskevych of Ukraine's Institute of Nuclear Power Plant Safety Problems told AFP. Paskevych added that the existing structure could also crumble under extreme weather. The new arch should be able to withstand tremors of 6.0 magnitude -- a strength rarely seen in eastern Europe -- and tornados that strike the region only once every million years. Chernobyl's dangers are real but Kiev complains Europe's help took a long time coming. The EBRD found 40 state sponsors to fund a competition in 2007 to choose who should build the massive moveable dome. A French consortium of two companies known as Novarka finished the designs in 2010 and began construction two years later. The shelter was edged towards the fourth reactor in just under three weeks of delicate work this month that was interrupted by inclement weather and other potential dangers. It will later be fitted with radiation control equipment as well as air vents and fire protective measures. That equipment inside the arch is due to start working by the end of 2017. "And only then will we begin to disassemble the old, unstable structure," the head of Ukraine's State Nuclear Regulation Inspections agency Sergiy Bozhko told AFP. But he said no timeframe had yet been set for the truly hazardous work of removing all the remaining nuclear fuel from inside the plant or taking apart the old dome. Novarka believes that its arch will keep the continent safe from nuclear fallout for the next 100 years. (AFP)

Ukraine to unveil giant new safety dome over Chernobyl

US state department spokesman, John Kirby, on Friday said the&nbsp;United States &quot;does not recognise the legitimacy&quot; of Russian Parliamentary elections in Crimea.&nbsp; 
 
While addressing his daily conference, Kirby said: &quot;The United States does not recognise the legitimacy, and will not recognise the outcome of the Russian Duma elections planned for Russian-occupied Crimea on September 18th.&quot; 
 
He maintained that US position concerning Crimea was clear, it is a part of Ukraine and &quot;Crimea-related sanctions against Russia will remain until Russia returns control of Crimea to Ukraine.&quot; 
 
Kirby also expressed concern over human rights violations taking place, &quot;including the status of the ethnic Tatar community and widespread reports of missing persons and human rights abuses.&quot; 
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<h5>Despite Ukraine&#39;s opposition, Russia is holding the elections in Crimea, where for the first time in two-and-a-half years, local residents are getting ready to cast their votes on Sunday.</h5>
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Ukraine reacts 
 
Ukraine&#39;s foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin reiterated that the elections in Crimea were &quot;absolutely unacceptable.&quot; 
 
&quot;These elections are completely illegitimate. They are illegitimate in the political sense but they are also illegitimate in the purely legal sense and actually it&#39;s the Russian side now (that) opened up a kind of Pandora box because for me it puts a question mark on the whole issue of democratic legitimacy for the Russian Parliament,&quot; Reuters quoted him as saying.&nbsp; 
 
Despite Ukraine&#39;s opposition, Russia is holding the elections in Crimea, where for the first time in two-and-a-half years, local residents are getting ready to cast their votes on Sunday, according to media reports.&nbsp; 
 
Ukraine, along with Western countries has accused Russia of providing military support to Eastern Ukrainian insurgency after Russia annexed Crimea.&nbsp; 
 
However, Russia denied the charges and said it played no direct role in the conflict.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
 
&nbsp;

He maintained that US position concerning Crimea was clear that it is a part of Ukraine

US state department spokesman, John Kirby, on Friday said the United States "does not recognise the legitimacy" of Russian Parliamentary elections in Crimea. While addressing his daily conference, Kirby said: "The United States does not recognise the legitimacy, and will not recognise the outcome of the Russian Duma elections planned for Russian-occupied Crimea on September 18th." He maintained that US position concerning Crimea was clear, it is a part of Ukraine and "Crimea-related sanctions against Russia will remain until Russia returns control of Crimea to Ukraine." Kirby also expressed concern over human rights violations taking place, "including the status of the ethnic Tatar community and widespread reports of missing persons and human rights abuses." Despite Ukraine's opposition, Russia is holding the elections in Crimea, where for the first time in two-and-a-half years, local residents are getting ready to cast their votes on Sunday. Ukraine reacts Ukraine's foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin reiterated that the elections in Crimea were "absolutely unacceptable." "These elections are completely illegitimate. They are illegitimate in the political sense but they are also illegitimate in the purely legal sense and actually it's the Russian side now (that) opened up a kind of Pandora box because for me it puts a question mark on the whole issue of democratic legitimacy for the Russian Parliament," Reuters quoted him as saying. Despite Ukraine's opposition, Russia is holding the elections in Crimea, where for the first time in two-and-a-half years, local residents are getting ready to cast their votes on Sunday, according to media reports. Ukraine, along with Western countries has accused Russia of providing military support to Eastern Ukrainian insurgency after Russia annexed Crimea. However, Russia denied the charges and said it played no direct role in the conflict. (WION with inputs from agencies)

US: Will not recognise legitimacy of Russian polls in Crimea

Russian President Vladimir Putin today arrived in annexed Crimea, Russian news agencies reported, days after he accused Kiev of attempting an armed incursion into the peninsula. 
 
Putin is to chair a meeting of his powerful security council in Crimea and visit a youth forum on his fifth visit to the strategic Black Sea peninsula since annexing it from Ukraine in March 2014. 
 
The visit comes after Putin last week lashed out at Kiev over an incident on the frontier between Crimea and Ukraine, accusing it of &quot;practising terror&quot; and sending a group of saboteurs into Crimea ahead of the elections. 
 
Two Russian officers were killed in the incident, in which Ukraine denied any involvement. 
 
Ukraine&#39;s President Petro Poroshnko on Thursday said he considered the likelihood of an escalation &quot;high&quot; and could not rule out a &quot;full-scale Russian invasion along all fronts&quot;. 
 
Kiev said Thursday heavy rebel shelling killed three soldiers in its east, where the government has been battling pro-Russian separatists since 2014.&nbsp;Western leaders expressed alarm at the possibility of any escalation. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The visit comes after Putin last week lashed out at Kiev, and accused it of 'practising terror'

Russian President Vladimir Putin today arrived in annexed Crimea, Russian news agencies reported, days after he accused Kiev of attempting an armed incursion into the peninsula. Putin is to chair a meeting of his powerful security council in Crimea and visit a youth forum on his fifth visit to the strategic Black Sea peninsula since annexing it from Ukraine in March 2014. The visit comes after Putin last week lashed out at Kiev over an incident on the frontier between Crimea and Ukraine, accusing it of "practising terror" and sending a group of saboteurs into Crimea ahead of the elections. Two Russian officers were killed in the incident, in which Ukraine denied any involvement. Ukraine's President Petro Poroshnko on Thursday said he considered the likelihood of an escalation "high" and could not rule out a "full-scale Russian invasion along all fronts". Kiev said Thursday heavy rebel shelling killed three soldiers in its east, where the government has been battling pro-Russian separatists since 2014. Western leaders expressed alarm at the possibility of any escalation. (AFP)

Putin arrives in Crimea after Ukraine incursion claims

Russia&#39;s accusation of Ukraine plotting terror attacks in Crimea was &quot;absolutely ridiculous&quot;, said permanent representative of Ukraine to the United Nations Volodymyr Yelchenko at the UN Headquarters on Wednesday. 
 
&quot;Today President Putin has made a statement in which he accused Ukraine of making provocations along the border with Crimea and turning to terror instead of seeking the peaceful solutions to the conflict, which sounds absolutely ridiculous,&quot; said Yelchenko. 
 
Ukraine condemns any form of terrorism, and will not resort to military means on the issue of Crimea, Yelchenko stressed. 
 
&quot;As you will know, first to the act was the minister of defense of Ukraine, which very clearly stated that there was absolutely no military activity along the border with Crimea&nbsp;and that Ukraine never sought to solve any issues with Russia by military means. Instead, this was called as a fake provocation by the Russian Federation,&quot; he said. 
 
Ukraine may submit the issue of east Ukraine for discussion at the United Nations Security Council based on the development of the situation, Yelchenko added. 
 
&quot;We still hope that it will not bring the conflict to another level. But it seems that it is quite possible, unfortunately,&quot; he said. 
 
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia would take additional measures to ensure safety in Crimea after it has succeeded in preventing a series of terrorist attacks on the peninsula. He accused the Kiev authorities of turning to &quot;terror&quot; instead of solving problems through negotiations while calling for attention from Western countries. 
 
Earlier in the day, the Russian Federal Security Bureau (FSB) said that Russia has prevented a series of terrorist attacks in Crimea planned by the Ukraine military intelligence service. 
 
An Ukrainian military intelligence officer and a group of Russian and Ukrainian citizens who were suspected to be Ukrainian military intelligence agents and assisted in preparing for terrorist acts were detained and interrogated, the FSB said in a statement. 
 
The claims made by the FSB were immediately rejected by the Ukrainian side. 
 
The autonomous republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol were absorbed into Russia in March 2014 following a referendum, which was recognized by Moscow but rejected by Kiev. 
 
(Reuters)

Will not use military means on Crimea issue, says Yelchenko, permanent representative of Ukraine to UN

Russia's accusation of Ukraine plotting terror attacks in Crimea was "absolutely ridiculous", said permanent representative of Ukraine to the United Nations Volodymyr Yelchenko at the UN Headquarters on Wednesday. "Today President Putin has made a statement in which he accused Ukraine of making provocations along the border with Crimea and turning to terror instead of seeking the peaceful solutions to the conflict, which sounds absolutely ridiculous," said Yelchenko. Ukraine condemns any form of terrorism, and will not resort to military means on the issue of Crimea, Yelchenko stressed. "As you will know, first to the act was the minister of defense of Ukraine, which very clearly stated that there was absolutely no military activity along the border with Crimea and that Ukraine never sought to solve any issues with Russia by military means. Instead, this was called as a fake provocation by the Russian Federation," he said. Ukraine may submit the issue of east Ukraine for discussion at the United Nations Security Council based on the development of the situation, Yelchenko added. "We still hope that it will not bring the conflict to another level. But it seems that it is quite possible, unfortunately," he said. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia would take additional measures to ensure safety in Crimea after it has succeeded in preventing a series of terrorist attacks on the peninsula. He accused the Kiev authorities of turning to "terror" instead of solving problems through negotiations while calling for attention from Western countries. Earlier in the day, the Russian Federal Security Bureau (FSB) said that Russia has prevented a series of terrorist attacks in Crimea planned by the Ukraine military intelligence service. An Ukrainian military intelligence officer and a group of Russian and Ukrainian citizens who were suspected to be Ukrainian military intelligence agents and assisted in preparing for terrorist acts were detained and interrogated, the FSB said in a statement. The claims made by the FSB were immediately rejected by the Ukrainian side. The autonomous republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol were absorbed into Russia in March 2014 following a referendum, which was recognized by Moscow but rejected by Kiev. (Reuters)

Ukraine rubbishes Russian accusations of resorting to terror

Russia&#39;s Federal Security Service said on Wednesday it had thwarted two armed Ukrainian attempts to get saboteurs into Crimea and dismantled a Ukrainian spy network inside the annexed peninsula. 
 
The FSB accused Ukrainian special forces of planning to carry out terrorist attacks inside Crimea targeting critical infrastructure and said an FSB employee and a Russian soldier had been killed in clashes with Ukrainian forces. 
 
&quot;The aim of this subversive activity and terrorist acts was to destabilise the socio-political situation in the region ahead of preparations and the holding of elections,&quot; the FSB said in a statement. 
 
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 in an operation that triggered U.S. and European Union sanctions. Ukraine says it wants the strategically-important peninsula back; Moscow says the matter is settled and closed forever. 
 
The FSB said it had tackled one group of saboteurs in an operation that spanned Saturday night and the early hours of Sunday morning and that an FSB employee had been killed while trying to detain them. 
 
It said it had found 20 homemade explosive devices, ammunition, mines, grenades and specialised weapons it said were commonly used by Ukrainian special forces. 
 
It said it had detained a Ukrainian spy network in the process, detaining citizens of both Ukraine and Russia. 
 
In the early hours of Monday, it said Ukraine had attempted to infiltrate two groups of saboteurs into Crimea by force, but that the FSB and other agencies had repelled the attempts. 
 
It said one Russian soldier had been killed in what it called a &quot;massive fire fight&quot; when Ukrainian forces with the support of armoured vehicles had tried and failed to break into Crimea. 
 
Security had been beefed up in areas popular with tourists, at key infrastructure, and along the border between Crimea and rump Ukraine, the FSB said.&nbsp; 
 
Ukraine issues denial, says &#39;this is fake information&#39; 
 
A spokesman for Ukrainian defence intelligence denied Russia&#39;s accusation today that special forces had attempted an armed incursion into&nbsp;Crimean territory.

&quot;This is fake information,&quot; a spokesman told Reuters.

Russia&#39;s Federal Security Service (FSB) said it had thwarted Ukraine&#39;s planned incursion that was supposed to target critical infrastructure. The FSB said that a Russian soldier and an FSB employee had been killed in the clashes.

The FSB said the attempted incursions had taken place over the weekend.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

Moscow accused Ukrainian special forces of planning to carry out terrorist attacks inside Crimea targeting critical infrastructure

Russia's Federal Security Service said on Wednesday it had thwarted two armed Ukrainian attempts to get saboteurs into Crimea and dismantled a Ukrainian spy network inside the annexed peninsula. The FSB accused Ukrainian special forces of planning to carry out terrorist attacks inside Crimea targeting critical infrastructure and said an FSB employee and a Russian soldier had been killed in clashes with Ukrainian forces. "The aim of this subversive activity and terrorist acts was to destabilise the socio-political situation in the region ahead of preparations and the holding of elections," the FSB said in a statement. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 in an operation that triggered U.S. and European Union sanctions. Ukraine says it wants the strategically-important peninsula back; Moscow says the matter is settled and closed forever. The FSB said it had tackled one group of saboteurs in an operation that spanned Saturday night and the early hours of Sunday morning and that an FSB employee had been killed while trying to detain them. It said it had found 20 homemade explosive devices, ammunition, mines, grenades and specialised weapons it said were commonly used by Ukrainian special forces. It said it had detained a Ukrainian spy network in the process, detaining citizens of both Ukraine and Russia. In the early hours of Monday, it said Ukraine had attempted to infiltrate two groups of saboteurs into Crimea by force, but that the FSB and other agencies had repelled the attempts. It said one Russian soldier had been killed in what it called a "massive fire fight" when Ukrainian forces with the support of armoured vehicles had tried and failed to break into Crimea. Security had been beefed up in areas popular with tourists, at key infrastructure, and along the border between Crimea and rump Ukraine, the FSB said. Ukraine issues denial, says 'this is fake information' A spokesman for Ukrainian defence intelligence denied Russia's accusation today that special forces had attempted an armed incursion into Crimean territory. "This is fake information," a spokesman told Reuters. Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said it had thwarted Ukraine's planned incursion that was supposed to target critical infrastructure. The FSB said that a Russian soldier and an FSB employee had been killed in the clashes. The FSB said the attempted incursions had taken place over the weekend. (Reuters)

Russia accuses Ukraine of armed Crimea incursion, says two killed

The leader of a self-proclaimed separatist republic in eastern Ukraine was injured in a suspected car bombing today, local media reported. 
 
Igor Plotnitsky, the head of the Lugansk People&#39;s Republic, &quot;was wounded this morning as a result of a powerful explosion that occurred near his car,&quot; the official pro-Russian rebels news agency said. 
 
Plotnitsky, 52, was being treated at a local hospital along with several other people who suffered injuries in the blast in the city of Lugansk, the report said.&nbsp; 
 
The rebels news agency claimed the explosion was an &quot;attempt on the life&quot; of their leader. 
 
A senior rebel official later told Russia&#39;s Interfax news agency that the explosion was a &quot;a terrorist act&quot; but did not go as far as to point the finger of blame at any individual or group.&nbsp; 
 
Plotnitsky did not sustain any life-threatening injuries in the blast and his condition remains stable, the rebel official said. 
 
Ukrainian authorities have already dismissed claims that they could have been behind the blast. 
 
&quot;The Ukrainian side is not involved in this assassination attempt,&quot; Ukrainian military spokesman Oleksandr Motuzyanyk told journalists, adding that the explosion was likely linked to an internal power struggle among rebel leaders. 
 
Plotnitsky, the former commander of a pro-Russian rebel group, was elected in November 2014 to head the Lugansk region in polls denounced by Kiev as a breach of a ceasefire agreement.&nbsp; 
 
Lugansk is the smaller of two breakaway pro-Russian provinces that have been fighting Ukrainian government forces for more than two years. 
 
A suspected car bombing in the Lugansk region in December killed pro-Russian leader Pavel Dremov in what rebels said was a &quot;terrorist act organised by the Ukranian security forces.&quot; 
 
In May 2015 Lugansk rebel commander Alexei Mozgovoi was killed in an attack against his vehicle. 
 
More than 9,500 people have been killed since Ukraine&#39;s mostly Russian-speaking eastern industrial regions revolted against Kiev`s pro-Western government in April 2014.&nbsp; 
 
Kiev and the West have accused Russia of supporting rebels and deploying troops across the border, claims that Moscow denies. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

Igor Plotnitsky did not sustain any life-threatening injuries in the blast and his condition remains stable, the rebel official said

The leader of a self-proclaimed separatist republic in eastern Ukraine was injured in a suspected car bombing today, local media reported. Igor Plotnitsky, the head of the Lugansk People's Republic, "was wounded this morning as a result of a powerful explosion that occurred near his car," the official pro-Russian rebels news agency said. Plotnitsky, 52, was being treated at a local hospital along with several other people who suffered injuries in the blast in the city of Lugansk, the report said. The rebels news agency claimed the explosion was an "attempt on the life" of their leader. A senior rebel official later told Russia's Interfax news agency that the explosion was a "a terrorist act" but did not go as far as to point the finger of blame at any individual or group. Plotnitsky did not sustain any life-threatening injuries in the blast and his condition remains stable, the rebel official said. Ukrainian authorities have already dismissed claims that they could have been behind the blast. "The Ukrainian side is not involved in this assassination attempt," Ukrainian military spokesman Oleksandr Motuzyanyk told journalists, adding that the explosion was likely linked to an internal power struggle among rebel leaders. Plotnitsky, the former commander of a pro-Russian rebel group, was elected in November 2014 to head the Lugansk region in polls denounced by Kiev as a breach of a ceasefire agreement. Lugansk is the smaller of two breakaway pro-Russian provinces that have been fighting Ukrainian government forces for more than two years. A suspected car bombing in the Lugansk region in December killed pro-Russian leader Pavel Dremov in what rebels said was a "terrorist act organised by the Ukranian security forces." In May 2015 Lugansk rebel commander Alexei Mozgovoi was killed in an attack against his vehicle. More than 9,500 people have been killed since Ukraine's mostly Russian-speaking eastern industrial regions revolted against Kiev`s pro-Western government in April 2014. Kiev and the West have accused Russia of supporting rebels and deploying troops across the border, claims that Moscow denies. (AFP)

Ukraine rebel leader injured in car blast: Reports

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