Russia pushes back western sanctions, revs up operation in Eastern Ukraine

Russian special operation in Donbass entered new phase The Russian President Vladimir Putin said defiantly on Monday that the western sanctions have proved to be “ineffective” in meeting their objective. In his words, “They (US and EU) expected these sanctions to rapidly produce a devastating effect on Russia’s finances and economy, sow panic in the markets, bring about a collapse in the banking system …

Russia’s Ukraine operation has no deadline

Fall is imminent of Azovstal iron and steel works, Mariupol, where thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and NATO officers are trapped. In his first extended remarks in nearly a month about the conflict in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that peace talks had reached a “dead end” and pledged that Russia’s “military operation …