Latest news with #EasternEurope
Bloomberg
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Russian Overnight Drone Barrage Hits Ukraine's Kharkiv and Odesa
The cities of Odesa and Kharkiv were hit by massive Russian drone attacks overnight as Moscow continues its daily air attacks against Ukraine. In total, Russian forces sent a barrage of 86 drones and decoys overnight, 16 of which managed to evade air defenses, Ukraine's Air Force Command said on Telegram on Friday morning.
NHK
4 hours ago
- Politics
- NHK
Putin pressures Ukraine to accept memorandum for peace treaty
Russia's President Vladimir Putin has pressured Ukraine to promptly accept Moscow's memorandum on a potential peace treaty. Putin spoke to media representatives in St. Petersburg on Thursday. He referred to the direct negotiations with Ukraine that took place in May and June in Istanbul. Putin said: "If they don't reach an agreement, the situation may change for the worse for them. There is no need to drag it out." The two countries exchanged memorandums during the negotiations. Russia is seeking the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the four regions in Ukraine's east and south that Moscow claims it annexed. Russia is also calling for Ukraine's neutrality. Ukraine has dismissed the proposals, saying Russia only repeated its previous assertions. Russia's defense ministry said on Thursday that Russian troops had "liberated" a village in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk. Russia forces have repeatedly launched large-scale drone and missile attacks on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, while trying to expand the areas under their control in Ukraine's east and south.
News.com.au
6 hours ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Russian economy on verge of recession, minister warns
Russia's economy minister warned that the country was 'on the verge' of recession, issuing the downbeat message on the second day of a forum designed to bolster economic confidence. The Russian economy has been marked by volatility since it launched its full-scale military offensive on Ukraine in 2022, with growth now slowing after a period of what officials called 'overheating'. Moscow reported strong economic expansion in 2023 and 2024, largely due to massive state defence spending on the conflict. But economists have cautioned that growth driven by the defence industry is unsustainable and does not reflect a real increase in productivity. 'Overall, I think we are on the verge of a recession,' Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov told journalists at a panel on the second day of the Saint Petersburg Economic Forum. He said this view was based on 'current business sentiment and indicators' that were pointing to a slowdown. 'Everything else depends on our decisions,' Reshetnikov said, calling for the central bank to show a 'little love for the economy'. Russia's central bank jacked interest rates to an eye-watering high of 21 per cent last October to combat inflation and kept them at that level until earlier this month, when it eased them to 20 per cent. Economists had warned for months that the high interest rate and a downturn in manufacturing were weighing on the economy. Russia's economic growth slowed to 1.4 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025, the lowest quarterly figure in two years. Prices have also been rising across the Russian economy, driven up by the massive government spending on the Ukraine assault and widespread labour shortages. Annual inflation ebbed below 10 per cent in May but has been more than double the central bank's four per cent target for over a year.
BBC News
10 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
How Belarus dissidents in exile abroad are pursued and threatened
Dissidents who have fled Alexander Lukashenko's rule in Belarus have spoken of threats being made against them and their relatives at of thousands of Belarusians are estimated to have left their country since the brutal crackdown on widespread opposition protests in 2020, after Lukashenko, 70, claimed victory in presidential elections that were widely condemned as the exiles was journalist Tatsiana Ashurkevich, 26, who continued to write about events in Belarus. Then, earlier this year, she discovered that the door of her flat in the capital, Minsk, had been sealed up with construction guessed immediately who might be to blame. She decided to confront one of her followers on Instagram who had repeatedly messaged her with unsolicited compliments and views about the Belarusian opposition movement and journalism in exile."If there are criminal cases [against me], just say so," she said. "I have nothing to do with that apartment - other people live there. Why are you doing this?" The man immediately changed his tone to a more official one, saying criminal cases were not his responsibility, but he could ask the relevant he made a request: could she, in exchange for help, share information about Belarusians fighting for Ukraine, especially since she had written about them before?Ashurkevich blocked Belarus itself, tens of thousands of people have been arrested in the past five years for political reasons, according to human rights group hundreds of critics of Lukashenko's 31-year rule have also faced persecution and Belarusian state media often accuse opposition activists of "betraying" the country and plotting a coup with assistance from the West. Authorities have justified targeting activists abroad, arguing they are trying to harm national security and overthrow the people the BBC has spoken to have received messages and phone calls, sometimes seemingly innocuous, sometimes with thinly veiled threats - or promises with a catch. Anna Krasulina, 55, receives them so often she has become used to putting her phone in flight mode before going to bed."I can see who's handling me - it's a couple of people. Or maybe it's the same one using different accounts," she says. She's convinced the authorities are behind this. Ms Krasulina works as a press secretary for Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, an opposition leader believed by many to have won the 2020 election, now living in women have been sentenced in Belarus to 11 and 15 years respectively in trials held in absentia. Charges included preparing a coup and running an extremist organisation. Since such trials against exiled political opponents were made possible by a decree by Lukashenko in 2022, more than 200 cases have been opened, according to Viasna, with last year seeing a record allows authorities to raid the homes of the accused and harass their are being identified on photographs and videos made in opposition gatherings have now stopped taking part in them, fearing for their loved ones who remain in Belarus, says Ms opponents choose jail and exile, claims LukashenkoBelarus ruler claims landslide in "sham election"Several people the BBC spoke to report their relatives being visited by the authorities."It's terrifying when you can't help them. You can't go back. You can't support them," says would go on record or even reveal any details anonymously out of concern that their families could be fears are not unfounded. Artem Lebedko, a 39-year old who worked in real estate, is serving a three-and-a-half year jail sentence for "financing extremism". He had never spoken out in public, but his father was an opposition politician living in the ties between Belarusians who have fled and those who stayed behind is a deliberate strategy by Lukashenko's government, says journalist and analyst Hanna Liubakova, also sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison."Even if someone in Belarus understands everything, they'll think three times before talking to a 'terrorist'," she says, referring to a list of "extremists and terrorists" which the authorities populate with names of their critics. The BBC sent a request for comment to the Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs, but had not received a response by the time of of Liubakova's own relatives have also received visits from the security services, she says, and property registered in her name has been the BBC has spoken to believes the Belarusian authorities are seeking to exert maximum pressure on those who left in order to crush all opposition, wherever it Liubakova believes the persecution of dissidents stems from Lukashenko's personal revenge for the 2020 protests: "He wants us to feel unsafe even abroad, to know that we're being watched."One country that has proved particularly unsafe for Belarusian exiles is Russia. According to authorities in Minsk, in 2022 alone Russia extradited 16 people accused of "extremist crimes", a charge usually associated with Lukashenko critics."The methods used by Belarusian security forces are very similar to those of the Soviet KGB, just updated with modern technology, says Andrei Strizhak, head of Bysol, a group that supports Belarusian messages or promises of rewards for co-operation may not work on everyone, he adds. But by casting a wide net, the authorities may get a few who agree to share some useful calls the regime's efforts to hunt dissidents abroad a "war of attrition" that leaves many activists exhausted and wishing to get on with their lives."We're doing everything we can to stay resilient," Strizhak says, "but every year, it takes more and more effort."
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Visa Expands Stablecoin Reach in Europe, Middle East and Africa
Payment card giant Visa (V) has expanded its stablecoin capabilities across the Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa (CEMEA) region, and has also formed a strategic partnership with African crypto exchange Yellow Card. Visa appears to be doubling down on stablecoins, which are fast becoming the new payment rails of the Internet, having last month invested in stablecoin-based payments firm BVNK. In 2023, Visa became one of the first major payment networks to settle transactions in Circle's USDC stablecoin. To date, over $225 million in stablecoin volume has been settled through Visa across participating clients, according to a press release. 'In 2025, we believe that every institution that moves money will need a stablecoin strategy,' said Godfrey Sullivan, Visa's Senior Vice President and Head of Product and Solution for CEMEA in a statement. The Yellow Card partnership will explore cross-border payment options, streamlining treasury operations and enhancing liquidity management. 'Together with Visa, we're building a bridge between traditional finance and the future of money movement. We look forward to continuing to innovate new solutions that can transform how money moves for even more secure, efficient, and transparent payment solutions,' said Chris Maurice, Co-Founder and CEO of Yellow Card. Connectez-vous pour accéder à votre portefeuille
