Follow South China Morning Post - Russia & Central Asia, filter it, and define how you want to receive the news (via Email, RSS, Telegram, WhatsApp etc.) https://follow.it/scmp22 Thu, 20 Jan 2022 22:59:56 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGOsv4qD_PnK03n9ye8UNv30 Kazakhstan’s leader-for-life Nursultan Nazarbayev made his first public appearance since deadly protests in early January led to a purge of his allies as President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev sought to reassert control in the central Asian nation.“There is no conflict or opposition within the elites,” Nazarbayev said in a recorded video statement posted Tuesday by his press office. “In 2019, I passed my presidential powers to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and have retired since.”Nazarbayev, 81, ruled…]]> Wed, 19 Jan 2022 00:06:18 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGOsv4qD_PnK03n9ye8UNv30 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGMIb-ax8FdMtyejEQ2Mq9rY US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet his Russian counterpart in Switzerland this week as tensions between the two superpowers escalate over a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, the State Department said on Tuesday.The State Department said Blinken will travel to Kyiv on Wednesday to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky, move on to Berlin and then meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva on Friday. The hastily arranged trip aims to show US support for Ukraine and impress…]]> Tue, 18 Jan 2022 20:52:54 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGMIb-ax8FdMtyejEQ2Mq9rY https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGOP9LmArMkzXezdsCmHakzH Kazakhstan’s ambassador to Singapore on Tuesday doubled down on claims that foreign militants had escalated initially-peaceful protests over fuel price hikes earlier this month, accusing them of wanting to “form a zone of controlled chaos” to seize power.The comments by Arken Arystanov, who has been the central Asian country’s envoy in Singapore since 2019, came as questions persist over the Kazakh government’s narrative around the unrest that left at least 225 people dead.Amid the chaos,…]]> Tue, 18 Jan 2022 10:40:48 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGOP9LmArMkzXezdsCmHakzH https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGMqiChwi4uE95VjH6qdYdAk Britain said on Monday it was supplying Ukraine with anti-tank weapons to help it defend itself from a potential invasion, during a stand-off with Russia which has massed troops near the Ukrainian border.Western countries say they fear Russia is preparing a pretext for a new assault on Ukraine, which it invaded in 2014.Moscow denies any plans for an attack, but has said it could take unspecified military action unless the West agrees to a list of demands, including banning Ukraine from ever…]]> Mon, 17 Jan 2022 22:49:48 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGMqiChwi4uE95VjH6qdYdAk https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGMSKf4BzpkSF8b1naedg1wr Ukraine said Sunday that Russia was behind a cyberattack that defaced its government websites and alleged that Russia is engaged in an increasing “hybrid war” against its neighbour.The statement from the Ministry of Digital Development came a day after Microsoft said dozens of computer systems at an unspecified number of Ukrainian government agencies had been infected with destructive malware disguised as ransomware. That disclosure suggested the attention-grabbing defacement attack on official…]]> Sun, 16 Jan 2022 21:32:38 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGMSKf4BzpkSF8b1naedg1wr https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGP4vdu8WpHtFeT5HJgy6HUf A top law-enforcement official in Kazakhstan said Saturday that 225 people died during the violent demonstrations that shook the country this month, a significantly higher number than previously announced.Serik Shalabayev, head of the criminal prosecution service in the general prosecutor’s office, said 19 police officers or servicemen were among the dead, news reports said. More than 4,300 people were injured, he said.The previous official death toll was 164.Kazakhstan unrest could further…]]> Sat, 15 Jan 2022 20:25:11 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGP4vdu8WpHtFeT5HJgy6HUf https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGOfh7CrRUNVJyejEQ2Mq9rY Police in Sweden deployed patrols and helicopters to the Forsmark nuclear plant to hunt for a large drone seen flying over the site late on Friday, but were unable to catch the unmanned vehicle, they said on Saturday.The incident came a day after Sweden’s military started patrolling the main town on the Baltic Sea island of Gotland amid increased tensions between Nato and Russia and a recent deployment of Russian landing craft in the Baltic.Tokyo embarks on nuclear projects with US that could…]]> Sat, 15 Jan 2022 16:17:19 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGOfh7CrRUNVJyejEQ2Mq9rY https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGMjPwl5OvDdXylmFkX7M1Jw In a sweeping operation, Russia detained members of a notorious ransomware gang at the request of the US, including a hacker behind last year’s attack on the Colonial Pipeline.Law enforcement raided the homes of 14 members of the gang REvil and seized currencies worth nearly US$7 million, cryptowallets and 20 luxury cars, according to a statement on Friday by Russia’s Federal Security Service, known as FSB. Authorities in the US have been informed that the group was shut down, it said.REvil,…]]> Sat, 15 Jan 2022 01:54:31 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGMjPwl5OvDdXylmFkX7M1Jw https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGPgRG2hgzZ1GezdsCmHakzH The Biden administration has determined a Russian effort is under way to create a pretext for its troops to potentially further invade Ukraine, and Moscow has already pre-positioned operatives to conduct “a false-flag operation” in eastern Ukraine, a US official said Friday.The administration believes Russia is also laying the groundwork through a social media disinformation campaign by framing Ukraine as an aggressor that has been preparing an imminent attack against Russian forces in eastern…]]> Fri, 14 Jan 2022 20:05:19 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGPgRG2hgzZ1GezdsCmHakzH https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGPqNp9Pz-p4zCejEQ2Mq9rY Kyiv on Friday reported a massive cyberattack on key government websites as tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine escalate following several rounds of unsuccessful talks.The education ministry said on Facebook that its website was down due to a “global (cyber) attack” that had taken place overnight.Other websites that were down included that of the cabinet and the foreign and emergencies ministries.No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.The foreign ministry website…]]> Fri, 14 Jan 2022 09:33:59 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGPqNp9Pz-p4zCejEQ2Mq9rY https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGN1NOM5uMZnfezdsCmHakzH The Biden administration responded to threats from Russian officials that Moscow could begin military deployments in Cuba and Venezuela if tensions continue to rise with the United States, vowing a “decisive” response if it sees any evidence that the threat is real.Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told state television on Thursday that he could “neither confirm nor exclude” the potential deployments.Russian media followed up on the remarks with a report that agents from Russia’s…]]> Fri, 14 Jan 2022 07:01:37 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGN1NOM5uMZnfezdsCmHakzH https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGOFQ_wJXw0wneT5HJgy6HUf Poland’s foreign minister said on Thursday that Europe was at risk of plunging into war as Russia said it was not yet calling time on diplomacy but that military experts were preparing options in case tensions over Ukraine could not be defused.US Ambassador Michael Carpenter said after talks with Russia in Vienna that the West should prepare for a possible increase in tensions with Moscow. “The drumbeat of war is sounding loud, and the rhetoric has gotten rather shrill,” he told reporters…]]> Thu, 13 Jan 2022 23:44:13 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGOFQ_wJXw0wneT5HJgy6HUf https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGO7tBV84ROTrSejEQ2Mq9rY More than 2,000 Russian-led troops began withdrawing from Kazakhstan after being deployed when peaceful protests over an energy price hike turned into unprecedented violence claiming dozens of lives.The decision to dispatch peacekeepers was a first for the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), often touted by Russia as a Nato equivalent but previously reluctant to interfere in unrest in Central Asia – a region with long historical ties to Russia.At a ceremony marking the…]]> Thu, 13 Jan 2022 13:26:46 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGO7tBV84ROTrSejEQ2Mq9rY https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGPGvAQS4AmaXSlmFkX7M1Jw With about 12,000 people arrested after anti-government protests in Kazakhstan last week, friends and relatives of those held by police waited outside a jail, hoping to learn their fate.Some even went to morgues to see if a loved one was among the scores killed in the unprecedented violence in the Central Asian nation.Authorities have refused to allow relatives or lawyers to see those in custody, giving little information about them, according to human rights activists.The demonstrations began…]]> Thu, 13 Jan 2022 05:49:26 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGPGvAQS4AmaXSlmFkX7M1Jw https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGPGvAQS4AmaXeT5HJgy6HUf With Russian troops massing and the spectre of war looming over the trenches of eastern Ukraine, soldiers in the dugouts have found solace in the unlikely companionship of stray cats and dogs.In a muddy and freezing trench near the town of Avdiivka, 21-year-old Ukrainian soldier Mykyta was petting a dog adopted by the troops as he explained how she had become a valued asset on the frontline.“She immediately barks or growls if the enemy is planning an attack. It’s safer and calmer with her – no…]]> Thu, 13 Jan 2022 05:15:07 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGPGvAQS4AmaXeT5HJgy6HUf https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGMFse3WaXDmhuT5HJgy6HUf A mild winter and muddy ground could complicate possible Russian plans to launch an invasion of Ukraine, potentially delaying plans for military action, senior Biden administration officials told The New York Times.Ukraine tends to experience a hard winter freeze by January at the latest, but this year, the ground has yet to freeze in various parts of the country due to mild winter weather.Frozen ground, which is neither ice nor mud, allows troops, as well as heavy military vehicles and…]]> Wed, 12 Jan 2022 07:58:32 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGMFse3WaXDmhuT5HJgy6HUf https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGOC_Usz1lOl25VjH6qdYdAk The United Nations has launched its biggest ever appeal – for over US$5 billion to help 22 million Afghans whose country is on the brink of a humanitarian crisis and economic collapse as well as 5.7 million Afghan refugees in five neighbouring countries.The UN said the appeal will be followed by a pledging conference in mid-March. But a number of nations announced new funding, including an additional US$308 million from the United States and US$500,000 from Israel, and there were indications…]]> Wed, 12 Jan 2022 06:14:48 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGOC_Usz1lOl25VjH6qdYdAk https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGPsJo_Y4wBMPilmFkX7M1Jw Russia staged live-fire exercises with troops and tanks near the Ukrainian border on Tuesday while sounding a downbeat note over the prospects for talks with the United States that Washington hopes will remove the possible threat of an invasion of Ukraine.A day after the US side urged Russia at talks in Geneva to pull back an estimated 100,000 troops from near the border, the defence ministry said about 3,000 servicemen had started combat training including mock battles in four regions of…]]> Tue, 11 Jan 2022 20:17:27 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGPsJo_Y4wBMPilmFkX7M1Jw https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGP0hRMhoDyrD5VjH6qdYdAk A Russian-led military bloc will begin withdrawing its troops from Kazakhstan in two days’ time after fulfilling its main mission of stabilising the Central Asian country after serious unrest, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Tuesday.Tokayev told parliament he was appointing a long-serving career public servant Alikhan Smailov as prime minister and spoke of initiatives to narrow the wealth gap, raise taxes on the mining sector, and eliminate irregularities in state procurement…]]> Tue, 11 Jan 2022 10:15:02 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGP0hRMhoDyrD5VjH6qdYdAk https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGMqF7lQzJiV0F1cWWor9YPv The United Nations on Monday criticised Kazakhstan after government soldiers there were seen wearing the UN peacekeepers’ blue helmets during last week’s violent unrest.“We have conveyed our concern to the Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan directly on this issue, and we’ve received assurances from them that this issue had been addressed,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.He added: “Any UN troop and police-contributing countries are to use UN insignia only when they are performing…]]> Tue, 11 Jan 2022 05:25:05 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/2dUZqRvPEGMqF7lQzJiV0F1cWWor9YPv