A Ukrainian journalist is released from Russian custody in occupied Crimea
Ukrainian Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko was released Sunday after more than four years in Russian custody in Crimea, according to RFE/RL.
Yesypenko was arrested and jailed on March 10, 2021, in Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, on suspicion of gathering intelligence for Ukraine, a charge he denied.
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Canada Standard
2 hours ago
- Canada Standard
NATO members to postpone spending hike Reuters
US President Donald Trump has demanded the blocs nations invest 5% of their GDP into their militaries NATO members have agreed to delay the timeline for raising defense spending to the level sought by US President Donald Trump due to Spain'sopposition, Reuters reported on Monday. Mark Rutte, secretary general of the US-led military bloc, had aimed to secure approval this week for a declaration increasing the defense spending target from the current 2% of GDP to 3.5%, with an additional 1.5% allocated to broader security initiatives, such as bridge renovations to support troop movements. Citing sources familiar with the matter, Reuters said the draft deadline was pushed back from 2032 to 2035, and the wording was changed from "we commit" to "allies commit," after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez publicly declined to endorse the proposal. Spain is among the NATO members not currently meeting the 2% threshold. On Sunday afternoon, Sanchez announced that Spain would not adhere to the bloc's new objectives and instead would raise military spending to 2.1% of GDP - "nothing more, nothing less." "We fully respect the legitimate desire of other countries to increase their defense investment but we won't do it," Sanchez said on national television. The remarks were reportedly made after amendments to the draft declaration had been finalized. Trump on Friday criticized Spain as "notorious" for failing to meet NATO's existing targets and argued that the US, unlike other members, should not be required to hit the 5% mark due to its historically high defense expenditures. Politico reported that the agenda for the NATO leaders summit in The Hague, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, had been modified to reduce the focus on Ukraine. Vladimir Zelensky was reportedly invited only to a welcome dinner, which he may skip, the outlet noted. On Saturday, Zelensky called on Western nations to pledge 0.25% of their GDP to supporting Ukraine's arms industry. READ MORE: NATO rearmament is completely pointless Putin Last week, Trump departed the G7 summit in Canada ahead of schedule, missing a session attended by the Ukrainian leader. No joint G7 statement on the conflict between Kiev and Moscow was issued. NATO maintains that rising defense budgets are a response to threats posed by Russia - a claim Moscow has rejected as fearmongering intended to silence public criticism over future declines in living standards caused by military spending. (
Winnipeg Free Press
4 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Dutch government says pro-Russian hackers target municipalities linked to this week's NATO summit
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Pro-Russian hackers launched a series of denial-of-service attacks Monday on several municipalities and organizations linked to a NATO summit this week in the Netherlands, the Dutch government announced. The National Cybersecurity Center said in a statement that many of the attacks were claimed by a pro-Russian hackers' group known as NoName057(16) 'and appear to have a pro-Russian ideological motive.' It did not elaborate. The cybersecurity center said it was investigating the attacks that flood a site with data in order to overwhelm it and knock it offline, and was in contact with 'national and international partners.' Raoul Rozestraten, a spokesman for the municipality in The Hague, the Dutch city hosting the summit Tuesday and Wednesday, said the attacks hit municipalities around the country. 'We noticed more traffic on the website of some of our service providers,' he told The Associated Press. 'As of now, everything in The Hague is working normally.' The government had launched a major security operation, named 'Orange Shield,' around the NATO summit.
Toronto Star
4 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Russian prosecutors seek 14 1/2-year sentence for former deputy defense minister
Russian prosecutors on Monday asked for a 14 1/2-year prison sentence for a former deputy defense minister jailed on bribery charges, according to Russian state news agency Interfax. Timur Ivanov, 49, was arrested in April last year. He was charged with taking an especially large bribe of 1.185 billion rubles ($15.1 million) but maintains his innocence.
