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New START treaty expiry boosts fear of arms race
Fears of a new arms race have emerged after the last remaining atomic arms control treaty between Russia and the United States expired. The New START treaty was signed in 2010 in 2010 by former U.S. president Barack Obama and Russian president at the time Dmitry Medvedev. It capped the number of deployed strategic warheads for each party to 1,550 and established some transparency, including data transfer, notifications and on-site inspections. The expiry of the treaty means Moscow and Washington will be free to increase missile numbers and deploy hundreds more strategic warheads. Due to logistical challenges, this will take time, but the expiry of the treaty still signals potential for a dangerous new era. While Russia suspended the treaty three years ago when tensions grew with Ukraine, both countries were thought to be abiding by the treaty. According to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the U.S. didn’t respond to current Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to keep observing the missile and warhead limits in the treaty for another 12 months. “We assume that the parties to the New START treaty are no longer bound by any obligations or symmetrical declarations within the context of the treaty,” the
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Medvedev says Russia does not want a global conflict
Senior Kremlin security official Dmitry Medvedev said that while the world is getting dangerous, Russia does not want a global conflict. In 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, triggering the largest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the Cold War, as U.S. envoys are trying to negotiate an end to the conflict. Medvedev, who served as Russian president from 2008 to 2012, has also praised Trump, saying it was encouraging that contacts had resumed with Washington. However, he has also hurled much criticism towards Ukraine and Western powers while warning of the risks of an escalation of the war towards a nuclear “apocalypse”. "The situation is very dangerous," Medvedev told Reuters, TASS and the WarGonzo Russian war blogger in an interview at his residence outside Moscow. "The pain threshold seems to be decreasing." "We are not interested in a global conflict. We're not crazy," "A global conflict cannot be ruled out." This comes as the New START treaty, signed in 2010 by former U.S. president Barack Obama and Medvedev, is set to expire on 5 February. Russian officials have said they have had no official response from Washington on a proposal from President Vladimir Putin to stick to existing missile a
Russia
Russia Railways ordered to sell US$2.4bn skyscraper
Russian Railways has been ordered by the Kremlin to sell it's gigantic skyscraper in Moscow due to billions in debt. State owned Russian Railways is in approximately US$50 billion in debt, according to reporting from Reuters. The nation's biggest commercial employer is now reportedly being told to sell it's 62 storey ‘Moscow Towers’, worth around $2.4 billion, to settle some of that debt. Other measures were discussed by the Russian government last month to support the railway giant and it's enormous debt, including, debt restructuring, state subsidies and a reduction on tax payments. No decision has been reached on these options.
Russia
Russia found responsible for MH17 plane crash: UN
The United Nations has found Russia responsible for the downing of flight MH17 in 2014, in a landmark ruling. The Council of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST) ruled that Russia broke international aviation law under the Chicago Convention, the foundational treaty governing international civil aviation, and was responsible for downing the civilian aircraft over a decade ago. The Malaysia Airlines flight was travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014, but was shot down over eastern Ukraine, with an investigation determining that it was hit by a Russian surface-to-air missile. All 298 on board were killed, including 38 Australian citizens and residents. Credit: RB Photos via FlickrInitially the Netherlands established a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) in August 2014 together with Australia, Malaysia and Belgium, as well as Ukraine, but in 2022 the case that saw results this week was brought forward to the ICAO by Australia and the Netherlands. Foreign Minister Penny Wong welcomed the ruling, describing it as “a historic moment in the pursuit of truth, justice and accountability". “In reaching its decision, the ICAO Council has upheld the fundamental principl
Russia
Russia apologies for Kazakhstan plane crash
Russian President Vladimir Putin has not claimed responsibility for an Azerbaijani Airlines plane crash, which killed 38 people. Putin spoke to Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev on Sunday after speculation that Russian air defence may have accidentally shot down the plane, which crashed in western Kazakhstan on Wednesday. Mr Aliyev told Mr Putin that the plane was first hit by "external physical and technical interference" over Russia. Putin confirmed the plane had tried to land in the southern Chechnya region “several times” and that Russian air defence was active when the plane tried to land before it crashed. He did not claim responsibility for crash, but apologised to Mr Aliyev that it occurred in Russian airspace. The Kremlin issued a statement that the two leaders had discussed questions around the crash “in detail” and that it was "closely" cooperating with Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan on the crash. “Vladimir Putin had presented his apologies that the tragic incident happened in Russia's air space and again expressed his deep and genuine condolences to the families of the dead, wishing a quick recovery to those affected,” the Kremlin said.

Russia
Russia suspected as 38 die in Kazakhstan plane crash
Russia has been blamed for shooting down an Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in the Russian republic of Chechnya on Wednesday, killing 38 people. Another 29 people survived the crash of the Embraer 190 aircraft that took off from the Azerbaijani capital Baku heading to Grozny in Chechnya before being diverted 450 kilometres east to Aktau in Kazakhstan because of fog. Although Moscow officials tried to dampen speculation about the cause and Russian state-controlled television blamed a bird strike, unidentified sources attributed it to Russian air defences. “No one claims that it was done on purpose. However, taking into account the established facts, Baku expects the Russian side to confess to the shooting down of the Azerbaijani aircraft,” Reuters quoted a source as saying. Film shows the aircraft diving towards the ground at high speed before bursting into flames on landing. Experts said aircraft usually glide toward the nearest airfield even with a loss of control after striking birds but in this case it flew off course. Azerbaijan held a national day of mourning on Thursday for the victims with President Ilham Aliyev quoted by the BBC as saying: "This is a great tragedy that has become a tremendous sorro
Russia
Moscow makes arrest over killing of Russian General
Moscow has detained a citizen of Uzbekistan over the killing of a top Russian General. The Kremlin says the man arrested confessed to planting the bomb that killed Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, who was chief of Russia's Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops, on Ukraine's orders. Kirillov was killed outside his Moscow apartment building on Tuesday when a bomb hidden in an electric scooter went off, making him the most senior Russian military officer Ukraine has assassinated inside Russia. Ukraine's SBU intelligence service took responsibility for the killing and accused Kirillov of being responsible for the use of chemical weapons against Ukrainian troops. Russia's Investigative Committee released a statement on Wednesday saying the suspect had told them during questioning that he had come to Moscow where he placed an improvised explosive device on an electric scooter that he parked outside the entrance to the apartment block and remotely detonated. The statement also said the unnamed suspect had been offered the equivalent of A$158,000 and residency in a European country for his role. Other people are still reportedly being identified and Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said
Russia
Russian 'shadow fleet' of oil ships sanctioned by the EU
Russia's "shadow fleet" of oil tankers has been targeted by the EU's 15th package of sanctions. Ships like these, often uninsured, transport Russian oil in violation of international sanctions. A total of 75 tankers will be barred from EU ports under the updated sanctions. Sanctions also target Russians and third-country entities who assist Russia in evading export restrictions. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, praised the sanctions, reaffirming the EU's commitment to pressure the Kremlin. Sanctions include restrictions on shadow fleet operations and penalties for military and technology assistance to Russia. Russia's economic output and ability to sustain the war in Ukraine are under threat from the EU's ongoing efforts. EU member states have been engaged in intense negotiations to approve the sanctions package. In brokering the deal, Hungary, which holds the EU presidency, played a crucial role. Sanctions will take effect shortly after the EU foreign ministers approve the package. As a result, the EU's latest sanctions package marks a significant step forward in efforts to curb Russia's illicit oil sales as a source of funding for war. It is the EU's goal to further iso