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Around 400 clergymen of the Ukrainian Church under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Moscow collectively appeal to the Council of the Primates of the Ancient Eastern Churches (the highest “court” of Orthodoxy worldwide) against Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, In particular, the 400 clergymen of the Ukrainian entity of the Patriarchate of Moscow are pressing charges against Patriarch Kirill, claiming that Kirill preaches the doctrine of the “Russian world”, which deviates from Orthodox teaching and should be condemned as a heresy. They also stressed that Patriarch Kirill has committed moral crimes, blessing the war against Ukraine and fully supporting the...

A ‘sharp recession’ lies ahead for Germany should it be cut off from the Russian gas it is so badly addicted to. Germany’s energy situation does not appear to be getting any better, with a recently released report suggesting that the country would fall into a “sharp recession” should it suddenly lose access to Russian gas. While Europe as a whole appears keen to implement harsh embargos on Russian energy imports, Germany’s chronic addiction to Russian gas has put a wrench in such works, with authorities in the country having expressed disbelief as to how the addiction issue was ever...

VATICAN CITY, April 11 (Reuters) - The Vatican is studying the possibility of extending Pope Francis' trip to Lebanon in June so he can fly to Jerusalem to meet there Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, who has backed Russia's war in Ukraine, two sources told Reuters on Monday. It would be only their second meeting. Their first, in Cuba in 2016, was the first between a pope and a leader of the Russian Orthodox Church since the Great Schism that split Christianity into Eastern and Western branches in 1054. Kirill, 75, has given his full-throated blessing for Russia's invasion of Ukraine,...

Heavy fire tonight in Belgorod city, Russia as the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations stated that the situation is under control

CIA Director William Burns said Thursday the United States should not dismiss the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons in its war with Ukraine. Following a speech at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Burns said, "Given the potential desperation of (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin and the Russian leadership, given the setbacks that they've faced so far militarily, none of us can take lightly the threat posed by a potential resort to tactical nuclear weapons or low-yield nuclear weapons." "While we've seen some rhetorical posturing on the part of the Kremlin about moving to higher nuclear alert levels, so far we haven't...

Russia has moved its warships away from the Ukrainian coast, a United States defence official said today, after a double missile strike is believed to slammed into the navy's Black Sea flagship and caused it to 'start sinking'. In a sign the Kremlin may be withdrawing its naval forces out of missile range, the senior official said that Moscow's vessels are now 80 nautical miles from the coast after the Moskva - a Soviet-era Slava class guided missile cruiser - was 'seriously damaged' overnight by a fire and explosion. Russia's Defence Ministry attempted to downplay the damage to the warship,...

BEIJING -- China on Thursday said it would reject “any pressure or coercion” over its relationship with Russia, in response to a call from U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen for Beijing to use its “special relationship with Russia” to persuade Moscow to end the war in Ukraine. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian defended China’s position on the war, saying it had “made considerable efforts to de-escalate the situation, defuse the crisis and rebuild peace." “China is playing a constructive role in the Ukraine issue," Zhao told reporters at a daily briefing. “We oppose unfounded accusations and suspicions against China, nor...

Six weeks into Russia's invasion of Ukraine it can be argued that the full array of issues affecting the Russian military and its operational planning have been laid bare. Setting out to first seize Kyiv within days in order to have a strong position in negotiations with the West about the future status of Ukraine in exchange for a reduction of sanctions, it suddenly finds itself a month past that deadline with meagre territorial gains, an army in tatters and severe reputational damage, not to mention an economy buckling under some of the heaviest sanctions ever instated on a nation....

Russia has warned NATO that if Sweden and Finland joined the military alliance then the Kremlin would have to bolster its nuclear defences in the Baltic. 'There can be no more talk of any nuclear-free status for the Baltic - the balance must be restored,' said Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council. 'Naturally, we will have to reinforce these borders. Until today, Russia has not taken such measures and was not going to. If our hand is forced well... take note it wasn't us who proposed this.' The former president added Russia would 'seriously reinforce its group of...

Ukraine Sinks Battlecruiser Moskva in the black sea today with 2 Direct hits from Neptune Anti Ship Missiles. This is a huge defeat for the Russian navy, as the loss of the Black Sea Fleet's flagship can only be a serious loss to morale....

Speaking at the Vostochny space launch facility, Putin charged that Ukraine was turned into an “anti-Russian bridgehead” where “sprouts of nationalism and neo-Nazism were being cultivated”. “This new generation of Ukrainian nationalists are especially clashing with Russia. You see how Nazi ideology became a fact of life in Ukraine,” he argued. Ukraine and its Western allies have dismissed such claims as a cover for aggression. No far-right party was represented in Ukraine’s parliament before the war.

Moscow, April 11, Interfax - The Russian Orthodox Church cannot yet report the exact time and venue of a meeting between Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and Pope Francis, but says it may take place in the Middle East. "From the very beginning, the Pope and the Patriarch wanted to meet where there are problems, where the Christian population needs support, so, of course, the Middle East is seen as one of the priority areas for such a meeting," head of the Synodal Department for External Church Relations Metropolitan Hilarion said during the Church and World program on...

WASHINGTON, April 13 (Reuters) - China should help end Russia's "heinous war" in Ukraine or face a loss of its standing in the world, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Wednesday, warning that those who seek to undermine Western sanctions face economic consequences. Reporting by Andrea Shalal and David Lawder; Editing by Andrea Ricci and Alistair Bell Video at link

ABOARD THE MOSKVA MISSILE CRUISER (Reuters) - This Russian warship left the shipyard 25 years ago and it shows: the electronics consoles look like museum exhibits and its hull carries a thick crust of paint from years of running repairs. Its shortcomings reflect the Russian navy’s many problems, highlighted again this month by an accident on a nuclear submarine that killed 20 people. But looks can deceive. Hidden beneath the decks of the Moskva cruiser are 16 “Bazalt” guided missiles, which travel faster than the speed of sound and can strike an enemy aircraft carrier group 500 km away. The...

The United States has supplied Ukraine with thousands of Javelins, the anti-tank missiles that have become the iconic weapon of the war, but the U.S. inventory is dwindling. The United States has probably given about one-third of its stock to Ukraine. Thus, the United States is approaching the point where it must reduce transfers to maintain sufficient stockpiles for its own war plans. Production of new missiles is slow, and it will take years to replenish stocks. The Russians have numerous armored vehicles, but their supply of trained crews and level of morale are declining. Will Ukrainian anti-tank weapons inflict...

Listen to this article 0:00 / 2:50 1X BeyondWords Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson aims to bring her country into NATO in June this year as Finland also signals intent to join the Western alliance following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Andersson told Swedish outlet SvD that her party, the Swedish Social Democrats, had made a decision on "the NATO issue," with party informants telling the outlet that the plan is to submit its application at the June 29 NATO meeting in Madrid. Any application would require 75% support in the legislature. "This is an important time in history," said Andersson,...

WASHINGTON, April 13 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Wednesday appealed to China to take action to help end Russia's war in Ukraine, warning in a landmark speech that Beijing's standing in the world would suffer if it fails to do so.In remarks prepared for delivery at the Atlantic Council in Washington, Yellen said she "fervently" hoped that China would make something positive out of its "special relationship" with Russia and help end the war.

Russia has demanded Ukrainian forces still fighting to defend the besieged city of Mariupol lay down their weapons. The apparent ultimatum comes as Russia continues its relentless and devastating attack on the southeastern city. Russian state media Ria reported that "without exception" all "Ukrainian armed units and foreign mercenaries" must exit from 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Moscow time (same as local time) "without any weapons and ammunition," citing the Russian Defense Ministry. An estimated 100,000 people remain in Mariupol and its immediate surroundings, which are reported to be largely under Russian control, with Ukrainian troops confined to pockets of...

As the Czech Republic continues to arm Ukraine, Russia has told the country that it cannot transfer Soviet-made weapons without its consent. hrough a diplomatic letter, Russia has warned the Czech Republic against supplying other countries with weapons of Soviet origin without its consent, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský told journalists this afternoon. Lipavský called the Russian demand "nonsense," and said the Czech Foreign Ministry would not react to it. There is no clause banning re-export of weapons from the former Soviet Union, he added. Earlier this week, Russia officially warned the United States and other countries that supporting Ukraine...

The relatives of the doomed crew of Russia's Black Sea flagship Moskva defied Russian censors to hold an unofficial memorial today, as Ukraine claimed that all 510 servicemen onboard died - including the ship's captain. -snip- As a result 'all the crew of the cruiser Moskva died'. This included the ship's captain, Anton Kuprin, Gerashchenko said. The battleship had a usual crew number of 510 sailors. He claimed: 'The leadership of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation have deliberately hidden the truth from relatives and friends of the crew members.' His account contradicts other earlier versions, including that...