Latest news with #St.PetersburgInternationalEconomicForum
Newsweek
13 hours ago
- General
- Newsweek
Putin Ally Says Ukraine Operation 'Grounds for Nuclear Attack'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Ukraine's audacious targeting of major Russian airbases is "grounds for a nuclear attack," a prominent Kremlin propagandist and ally of Russia's President Vladimir Putin has said. Why It Matters Ukraine launched simultaneous attacks on multiple Russian airfields on Sunday in an operation dubbed "Spiderweb," which Kyiv officials said was more than a year and a half in the making. Ukraine's SBU security service said it had struck four major Russian air bases, largely housing the country's long-range aviation fleet used to carry out extensive strikes on Ukraine and capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Russia has the world's largest nuclear arsenal, made up of strategic weapons designed to target distant cities and tactical, or nonstrategic, weapons. These are also known as tactical nuclear weapons, designed to be less destructive. TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov attends the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on June 6, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Russia. TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov attends the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on June 6, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Russia. OLGA MALTSEVA/AFP via Getty Images Russia's government reported attacks on five bases including the Ukrainka long-range hub in the far eastern Amur region, which Kyiv did not explicitly mention and declined to clarify when approached for comment. The region's governor said part of a truck had "caught fire" close to the village of Seryshevo, but denied the Ukrainka air base was targeted by drones. The Ukrainka base sits just outside of Seryshevo, and Ukraine said the drones were smuggled over the border into Russia and mounted on trucks with removable roofs. While the purported damage may not halt Russia's extensive aerial campaigns against Ukraine, the strikes have left a painful dent in a branch of the Russian military that had been largely unscathed by more than three years of war in Ukraine. It is likely Russia will retaliate with significant force, former SBU officer Ivan Stupak previously told Newsweek. The strikes came ahead of a second round of peace talks in Istanbul on Monday, which failed to yield concrete progress toward a deal but did produce a new agreement on prisoner swaps. What To Know Sunday's coordinated attacks are "grounds for a nuclear attack," Vladimir Solovyov, one of Russia's most well-known propagandists and state commentators, said in remarks reported by Ukrainian media. The TV presenter has repeatedly pushed nuclear weapons into Russian discourse around the more than three years of war in Ukraine, and has floated the idea of a nuclear strike on NATO countries. Shortly after Ukraine launched an incursion across the border into Russia's Kursk region in August 2024, Solovyov claimed the Kremlin had the "basis to start a nuclear war." Putin placed the country's nuclear deterrence forces on high alert as Moscow's forces invaded Ukraine in early 2022, and the Kremlin's veteran Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said a few months later that the risks of nuclear conflict had become "considerable." Moscow updated its nuclear doctrine in November 2024 to justify a nuclear strike in response to an attack on Russia by a nonnuclear country if they are backed by a nuclear-armed nation. Solovyov also called for the Russian soldiers who filmed the aftermath of Sunday's attacks to be executed, according to a translation published by the Russian Media Monitor project, run by journalist Julia Davis. In an ominous statement penned to "all who are worried and waiting for retribution," Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's former president and the current deputy chairman of the country's security council, said on Tuesday: "You need to worry." "Retribution is inevitable," he added in a post to messaging app Telegram. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky—who had deemed the operation "brilliant"—said on Monday that "no one cares whether Russia is angry," adding Moscow had launched a "massive overnight attack" on Ukraine into the early hours of Sunday. Ukraine's air force said at the time that Russia had fired 472 attack drones, three hard-to-intercept ballistic missiles and four cruise missiles at the country between Saturday evening and early Sunday. Early on Tuesday, Zelensky said Russia had launched a "savage" rocket artillery strike on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy overnight. Local authorities said at least three people had been killed and more than 20 injured. Russia's Defense Ministry said on Tuesday it had attacked Ukrainian troops in villages northeast of the city of Sumy and captured the village of Andriivka. This could not be independently verified. What People Are Saying The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank said on Monday that Moscow has upped its ground attacks around Andriivka. Russia is "intensifying efforts to widen the frontline" in the north of Sumy, to the north and northeast of the regional capital, the think tank added. What Happens Next Solovyov separately said it was "clear that there will be an escalation" after the strikes, but it would be up to Russia's leadership to "determine the scale of it."
Daily Tribune
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Tribune
Russia invites Bahrain to tap emerging market opportunities
TDT | Manama Russia's Minister of Economic Development, Maxim Reshetnikov, emphasized the vast untapped potential in tourism and investment between Russia and Bahrain during a press briefing at the Four Seasons Hotel in Manama. His official visit precedes Bahrain's upcoming participation as a guest country at the prestigious St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) this June. 'Bahrain is still relatively undiscovered by Russian tourists,' Reshetnikov noted. 'It offers premium services, modern infrastructure, and an appealing climate — all at competitive rates.' He highlighted how the complementary weather between the two nations creates ideal conditions for year-round travel in either direction. With direct flights now available between Bahrain and Moscow, both sides are optimistic that travel exchanges will expand — boosting not only tourism but also people-to-people connectivity. The minister also extended an open invitation to Gulf investors, including those from Bahrain, to take advantage of evolving opportunities in the Russian economy. 'With many Western firms exiting our markets, new spaces have opened up, especially in sectors like green energy, agriculture, manufacturing, and advanced technologies,' Reshetnikov said.
Al-Ahram Weekly
22-05-2025
- Business
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Egypt to participate in SPIEF 2025 in St.Petersburg in june - Economy
The organising committee of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) announced that more than 92 countries, including Egypt, have already confirmed their intention to attend the event, which is scheduled for 19-21 June. The committee added that the number of countries intending to attend the forum has increased by 5 percent compared to last year. An informed source in Russia told Ahram Online that the forum will hold a session entitled "Russia–Egypt," in which opportunities for cooperation will be explored in areas such as trade, investment, logistics, industry, and tourism. The Egyptian delegation will include key ministers and representatives of the business community. "Attesting to the fForum's growing significance as a global platform for forging new economic ties in a multipolar world. Particularly notable is the active participation of the Global South, whose contribution to the global economy is growing rapidly. We are witnessing more interest in the Forum agenda from Asia, Africa, and Latin America than ever before. SPIEF 2025 guest country is Russia's important partner in the Middle East, Bahrain. SPIEF's many participants and diverse range of topics favour the development of practical solutions based on shared values and mutual respect," Adviser to the Russian President and Executive Secretary of the SPIEF Organising Committee, Anton Kobyakov, said. The forum is held in St. Petersburg under the title 'Shared Values: The Foundation of Growth in a Multipolar World,' which reflects how international cooperation is changing and the role of shared values in sustainable economic development. The business programme consists of four thematic blocks: 'Development Economics: Ensuring Growth', 'Technology: Pursuing Leadership', 'The Living Environment', and 'The Individual in a New World'. Fifteen bilateral business dialogues on economic cooperation and global challenges have been planned as part of SPIEF with partners from Armenia, Africa, Bahrain, Vietnam, the EU, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Latin America, Moldova, Mongolia, Thailand, Uzbekistan, and EAEU–ASEAN. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
The Star
13-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Former China National Petroleum Corp chairman sentenced to 13 years in prison for bribery
FILE PHOTO: Wang Yilin attends a session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Russia June 6, 2019. -Photo: Reuters file BEIJING: Wang Yilin, a former chairman of state-owned China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC), was sentenced to 13 years in prison for bribery and fined 3 million yuan (US$416,667), state-run CCTV reported on Tuesday (May 13). State media reported in July 2024 that Wang, who retired from CNPC in 2020, had been expelled from China's ruling Communist Party for discipline violations. The report said he was under investigation for illegally accepting high-value assets and taking advantage of his position to help others seek benefits in project contracting. CNPC, which is the parent company of listed PetroChina , did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company said in a statement last year that it firmly supported Wang's expulsion from the Party, which it said showed the organisation's "zero-tolerance" stance on corruption. Prior to his role as CNPC chairman, Wang was at the helm of China National Offshore Oil Corp, or CNOOC, the parent of listed CNOOC Ltd. - Reuters ($1 = 7.2000 Chinese yuan renminbi)
The Star
08-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Russia promises to invest $1 billion in ally Cuba by 2030
Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko attends a session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia, June 4, 2021. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/File Photo HAVANA (Reuters) - Russia said its businesses would invest more than $1 billion in long-time political ally Cuba by 2030, Cuba's presidency said on Thursday, promising a lifeline for the communist-run Caribbean island amid a gruelling economic crisis. Russia had previously announced the so-called "Plan 2030" with Cuba, but for the first time put a price tag on a range of proposals to invest in key areas including electricity production, agriculture and public lighting. "Under this Plan, Russian companies and businesspeople have expressed their willingness and confirmed their readiness to invest more than $1 billion in the Cuban economy," said Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko. The statement immediately followed a meeting between Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and Russia's Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. Punishing sanctions from the United States, collapsing tourism and inefficient state-run production have hamstrung Cuba's economy, leaving it with little room to manoeuvre. Russia, which also faces stiff U.S. sanctions, has over decades provided Cuba with both financing and material goods, including cargoes of oil, infrastructure investments and, most recently, the promise of droves of Russian tourists. But Russia has often delayed and cancelled projects with Cuba in the past, saying the island nation has failed to make good on payments. Chernyshenko said Russia this time would subsidise interest rates for businesses interested in investing in Cuba as part of the plan, calling Cuba a "reliable partner". The timeline for the coming $1 billion in promised investment is unclear. "There's still a lot of hard work to be done, we'll advance little by little,' Chernyshenko told reporters in Moscow, adding that "it is impossible to achieve things immediately, as if by magic'. During his visit to Moscow and St. Petersburg this week, Cuba's Diaz-Canel also attended commemorative events for the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies over Nazi Germany. (Reporting by Dave Sherwood; Editing by Ewan Harwood)
