Latest news with #Russian-held
2 days ago
- Politics
Ex-Residents of Japan-Claimed Isles Hold Memorial at Sea
Newsfrom Japan Sapporo, July 21 (Jiji Press)--Former residents of Russian-held islands claimed by Japan have held a memorial service at sea for their ancestors for the fourth straight year because they remain unable to land on the northwestern Pacific islands. The event, held Sunday, was the first among the seven such functions set to take place between July and August. Former residents of the islands, called the Northern Territories in Japan, cannot return to their hometowns because exchange programs between the two countries have been suspended due to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. On Sunday, 46 people, including former islanders and their families, participated. A memorial ceremony took place around 2 p.m. aboard the exchange ship Etopirika, which arrived off Kunashiri, part of the Northern Territories. Yuzo Matsumoto, 84, from Etorofu, also among the Japanese-claimed islands, expressed his deep disappointment at being unable to visit the Northern Territories. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
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First Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
Russia imposes information blackout in Crimea to counter Ukraine's drones, missiles and sabotage bids
Authorities in Russian-controlled Crimea have imposed an information blackout to prevent the disclosure of military positions and Ukrainian attack details. read more Authorities in Russian-controlled Crimea said on Friday they were introducing an information blackout designed to counter Ukrainian drone, missile and sabotage attacks. Sergei Aksyonov, the head of Crimea - which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014 - said he had signed a decree banning media outlets and social media users from publishing any photos, video or other content that revealed the location of Russian forces or details of Ukrainian attacks on the Black Sea peninsula. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'The relevant decree was adopted to safeguard public security and military and other important facilities in the republic,' Aksyonov said in a statement on Telegram. Ukraine, which has said it wants Crimea back - something Moscow says it will not allow to happen - has repeatedly launched major attacks on Russian military assets in Crimea and targeted Russia's Black Sea Fleet, which is formally based on the peninsula. Aksyonov specifically mentioned the need to classify the location of Russian air defense systems, weapons, military equipment, and military personnel and not to share any GPS coordinates. He also said that the ban covered the sharing of any information detailing the location, nature or aftermath of any Ukrainian attacks on Crimea, including missile and drone or sea drone strikes and sabotage. Russian bloggers, media, and social media users frequently post images and details of Ukrainian strikes on Russian-held territory, often triggering criticism from both local and federal authorities.
The Star
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Russian-controlled Crimea brings in information blackout designed to counter Ukrainian drone attacks
MOSCOW (Reuters) -Authorities in Russian-controlled Crimea said on Friday they were introducing an information blackout designed to counter Ukrainian drone, missile and sabotage attacks. Sergei Aksyonov, the head of Crimea - which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014 - said he had signed a decree banning media outlets and social media users from publishing any photos, video or other content that revealed the location of Russian forces or details of Ukrainian attacks on the Black Sea peninsula. "The relevant decree was adopted to safeguard public security and military and other important facilities in the republic," Aksyonov said in a statement on Telegram. Ukraine, which has said it wants Crimea back - something Moscow says it will not allow to happen - has repeatedly launched major attacks on Russian military assets in Crimea and targeted Russia's Black Sea Fleet, which is formally based on the peninsula. Aksyonov specifically mentioned the need to classify the location of Russian air defence systems, weapons, military equipment, and military personnel and not to share any GPS coordinates. He also said that the ban covered the sharing of any information detailing the location, nature or aftermath of any Ukrainian attacks on Crimea, including missile and drone or sea drone strikes and sabotage. Russian bloggers, media, and social media users frequently post images and details of Ukrainian strikes on Russian-held territory, often triggering criticism from both local and federal authorities. (Reporting by ReutersWriting by Maxim RodionovEditing by Andrew Osborn)
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Russian-controlled Crimea brings in information blackout designed to counter Ukrainian drone attacks
Find out what's new on ST website and app. MOSCOW - Authorities in Russian-controlled Crimea said on Friday they were introducing an information blackout designed to counter Ukrainian drone, missile and sabotage attacks. Sergei Aksyonov, the head of Crimea - which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014 - said he had signed a decree banning media outlets and social media users from publishing any photos, video or other content that revealed the location of Russian forces or details of Ukrainian attacks on the Black Sea peninsula. "The relevant decree was adopted to safeguard public security and military and other important facilities in the republic," Aksyonov said in a statement on Telegram. Ukraine, which has said it wants Crimea back - something Moscow says it will not allow to happen - has repeatedly launched major attacks on Russian military assets in Crimea and targeted Russia's Black Sea Fleet, which is formally based on the peninsula. Aksyonov specifically mentioned the need to classify the location of Russian air defence systems, weapons, military equipment, and military personnel and not to share any GPS coordinates. He also said that the ban covered the sharing of any information detailing the location, nature or aftermath of any Ukrainian attacks on Crimea, including missile and drone or sea drone strikes and sabotage. Russian bloggers, media, and social media users frequently post images and details of Ukrainian strikes on Russian-held territory, often triggering criticism from both local and federal authorities. REUTERS Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 30% of aviation jobs could be redesigned due to AI, automation; $200m fund to support workers: CAAS Singapore HSA looking to get anti-vape cyber surveillance tool with AI capabilities Singapore Alleged Kpod peddler filmed trying to flee raid in Bishan charged with 6 offences Singapore NTU upholds zero grade for student who used AI in essay; panel found 14 false citations or data Singapore Jail for contraband cigarette syndicate member over conspiracy to give bribes to security officer Singapore Residents in South West District get help to improve employability, find career opportunities Life Kinokuniya opens third bookstore at Raffles City, weeks ahead of schedule Business DBS shares rally to a new record as STI clocks yet another high
NDTV
03-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Jailed Russian Dissidents Call For Mass Prisoner Release As Part Of Ukraine Peace Deal
London: Eleven jailed Russian dissidents have written to world leaders appealing for a mass release of Russian political prisoners and Ukrainian civilians held by Russia - some 10,000 people in total, they say - as part of any peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv. In the letter, published via Reuters, the dissidents said that alongside prisoners of war, thousands of Ukrainian civilian "hostages" were being held by Russia, mostly in Russian-held areas of Ukraine. Talks in May and June on ending Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine made no progress towards a ceasefire, despite a pledge by U.S. President Donald Trump to end the war, but the two sides have exchanged captured soldiers and war dead. "We call on both sides of the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to immediately conduct an exchange of prisoners of war and civilians according to the formula 'all for all', including Ukrainian civilian hostages," the letter said. Among the signatories was Alexei Gorinov, 63, who in 2022 became the first person to go to prison under laws passed shortly after the Ukraine invasion that made it a crime to spread "false information" about the armed forces. The youngest to sign was Darya Kozyreva, 19, who was sentenced in April to two years and eight months in prison for using graffiti and 19th-century poetry to protest against the war in Ukraine. They placed themselves alongside thousands of Ukrainians who, according to human rights groups, have been detained by Russia, mostly in Russian-controlled regions of Ukraine. "There are at least 10,000 of us - Russian political prisoners and Ukrainian civilian hostages. We are all punished for one thing - for taking a civic stance," they wrote. Moscow has not commented on the alleged figure. The dissidents called for "the immediate and unconditional release of sick political prisoners who are dying in Russian prisons" in their statement, which was backed by a message from Russian Nobel Peace Prize winner Dmitry Muratov. Muratov's message and the letter urged leaders in Russia, Ukraine, the European Union, the United States and elsewhere to act. RUSSIA'S PEACE TERMS At the peace talks in Istanbul last month, Russia handed Ukraine a memorandum proposing "a mutual amnesty of 'political prisoners' and release of detained civilians" as a possible condition for a ceasefire in the three-and-a-half-year conflict. Asked about the status of the proposal and how many people it would cover, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday: "We don't publicly discuss the... content of the memorandum, which we haven't even discussed with the Ukrainian side yet. We believe that discussion through the media can only harm the process." The proposal was part of a wider package of Russian demands that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy described as an ultimatum. They include a halt to all Ukrainian troop movements except for withdrawals, and end to call-ups, foreign weapons supplies and martial law as well as the holding of new presidential and parliamentary elections. No date has yet been set for further talks. Describing their experience, the dissidents wrote: "The concepts of justice and fairness are absent in Russia today; anyone who dares to think critically can end up behind bars." Defendants in political cases had no chance of a fair hearing and were never acquitted, they said. Once in prison, their lives were in danger and they were at risk of denunciations from other inmates - something that led, in Gorinov's case, to an additional three-year sentence. The other signatories were sociologist Boris Kagarlitsky, self-described anarchist Azat Miftakhov, poet Artem Kamardin and activists Anna Arkhipova, Vladimir Domnin, Dmitry Pchelintsev, Andrei Trofimov, Ilya Shakursky and Alexander Shestun. The Kremlin says cases are a matter for the courts and the prison service and Russia needs to apply its laws firmly to deter what it sees as subversive, Western-backed activity. Elena Filina, an exiled opposition politician who helped gather the signatures from inmates scattered across Russia's vast penal system, told Reuters the prisoners felt the peace talks may provide their last chance to be free. "If peace agreements are signed without taking into account their amnesty, exchange or any other way of release, the window of opportunity will slam shut for a long time."
