Russian Shipping Company Denies Arms Deliveries to Syria

MOSCOW, June 16 (RIA Novosti)

Russia's Universal Cargo Logistics Holding (UCL Holding), owned by billionaire Vladimir Lisin, dismissed on Saturday media reports claiming that the company’s vessel had shipped weapons to violence-hit Syria, UCL Holding said.

“It was a general cargo of non-military purpose featuring electrical equipment and repair parts (rotor blades) in containers and wooden crates,” the company said in a statement, calling the reports “absurd speculations.”

Cyprus weighs bailout options: Europe or Russia?

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus faces the choice of asking for a bailout from its European partners in the euro or from Russia, and will decide where to turn after this weekend’s crucial elections in Greece, officials said Friday.

Government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou wouldn’t name the country where a possible loan could come from. But an official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, identified it as Russia.

Stefanou said Cyprus is looking at both options in order to have ‘‘flexibility to deal with the issue.’’
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The Cypriot government is wary of turning to the EU bailout fund due to fears that it might, like Greece, be forced to make painful austerity measures as a condition for the money. Cyprus is particularly afraid it might be asked to raise its 10 percent corporate tax rate, which attracts much foreign business.

Cyprus’ left-wing President Dimitris Christofias has repeatedly lamented what he described as Europe’s erroneously single-minded focus on austerity at the expense of policies that promote economic growth.

Because of these concerns, the government is again reaching out for a helping hand from Russia, a trusted ally with vested interests in the island’s economy.

Russians have billions stashed in Cypriot banks and Russian companies are looking to invest in natural gas exploration off the island’s south coast, where a large mineral deposit has already been discovered.

Bill for normal trade with Russia meets opposition

A Senate plan to lift Cold War restrictions on trade with Russia drew immediate resistance from Senate Republicans who said Congress must first address Russia's poor human rights record and existing economic and political policies.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., on Tuesday introduced bipartisan legislation to normalize trade relations with Russia by repealing the 1974 Jackson-Vanik act that tied trade with the then-Soviet Union to Moscow's allowing Jews and other minorities to leave the country.

The repeal of Jackson-Vanik is necessary if U.S. businesses are to enjoy the lower tariffs and increased access to Russian markets that will become available when Russia joins the World Trade Organization this summer. Supporters of normalized trade said it could lead to a doubling of U.S. exports to Russia.

"Jackson-Vanik served its purpose during the Cold War, but it's a relic of another era that now stands in the way of our farmers, ranchers and businesses pursuing opportunities to grow and create jobs," Baucus said in a statement.
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But eight Finance Committee Republicans, led by ranking Republican Orrin Hatch of Utah, wrote a letter to Baucus saying that Congress cannot ignore ongoing issues with Russia in moving to normalize trade relations.

"Many aspects of the U.S.-Russia relationship are troubling," they said, naming the "flawed election and illegitimate regime of Vladimir Putin," the suppression of public protests, Russia's support for the Syrian government and its threats to attack U.S.-led NATO missile defense sites in Eastern Europe. The letter also raised Russia's theft of U.S. intellectual property and its pervasive problems with bribery and corruption and questioned whether Russia would comply if the WTO handed down adverse rulings on its economic policies.

House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., on Tuesday, responding to reports that Russia was selling attack helicopters to Syria, said the administration's "string of concessions to Moscow must stop, including the latest effort to repeal the Jackson-Vanik amendment to give Russia preferential trade benefits."

Hooligan clashes in Poland leave 15 injured

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Violent clashes between Russia and Poland soccer hooligans left at least 15 injured before a soccer match between the bitter rivals.

Police later fired rubber bullets at a group of fans who attacked them in a separate incident near an outdoor fan zone while watching the emotionally charged match between the bitter rivals. The game ended in a 1-1 draw and the day was considered a huge security challenge, with police bracing for possibly more trouble after the match.

More than 100 people were detained throughout the day, police said. None of the injured, which included a police officer, were in a life-threatening condition.

About 5,000 Russia fans marched to the match at the National Stadium in Warsaw to celebrate the Russia Day national holiday. It was seen as provocative to many Poles. The two countries share a difficult history, including decades of control by Moscow over Poland during the Cold War. Many Poles felt the Polish authorities should not have allowed the Russians to march as a group in Warsaw given the historical wounds.

The most violent incident occurred during the march. Polish hooligans attacked Russians, who responded violently. The two sides, made up of dozens of men, kicked and beat each other in the face, while flares could be seen exploding in their midst.

Associated Press journalists saw several people lying injured and bleeding on the ground, with one of them appearing to be seriously hurt. Poland and Russia fans were also seen fighting and throwing stones outside the stadium.

During the match, new fighting apparently unrelated to nationalist tensions broke out among Polish fans near a fan zone in the center of the city. Polish police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at a group of young Poles who attacked them with bottles near a fan zone where about 100,000 people were watching the game on huge screens.

Female One-Star General to Serve in Russia’s Defense Ministry

MOSCOW, June 12 (RIA Novosti)

A female staffer in Russia’s Defense Ministry has received a promotion to become the ministry’s sole female general, following a decree by the country’s supreme commander posted on the Kremlin website on Tuesday.

“To assign the rank of a major general to Knyazeva, Yelena Georgiyevna,” the presidential decree said.

Colonel Knyazeva worked as acting head of the ministry’s main department for international military cooperation in 2010-2011 and now holds the post of the department deputy head.

Tiny Montenegro on track to join NATO

GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — Blink, and you might miss the armed forces of Montenegro.

With about 2,000 servicemembers, little armor and a navy of old frigates, the tiny Balkan country seems an unlikely candidate to bolster the world’s most powerful military alliance.

Yet with help from the U.S. and a small deployment to Afghanistan, Montenegro is knocking on NATO’s door. Delegates at the alliance’s Chicago summit last month applauded the country’s progress and encouraged it to continue on the right path.

How can such a tiny force contribute to NATO and what does the alliance gain from investing in such countries with seemingly little to offer?

Montenegro’s bid is less about military might than building alliances and encouraging stability, experts say.

'Ukraine Has Not Yet Perished'

The spotlight hasn't always been kind to Ukraine as it hosts the Euro 2012 soccer championships, with international headlines drawing new attention to everything from Eastern European racism to the plight of jailed former leader Yulia Tymoshenko.

But on Monday, the start of the first Ukrainian game in the tournament highlighted the country's seemingly pessimistic anthem: “Ukraine Has Not Yet Perished.” The phrase started trending on Twitter shortly after the game began, as amused soccer fans joked that the Ukrainian anthem was somewhat short of uplifting.

"Saturday Night Live" comedian Seth Meyers quipped in one tweet, “The only way to make 'Ukraine Has Not Yet Perished' a more pessimistic anthem title would be 'Ukraine Has Not Perished (Yet).' "

The anthem, which comes from a 19th century patriotic poem written by Pavlo Chubynsky, begins, “Ukraine’s glory hasn’t perished, nor her freedom / Upon us, fellow compatriots, fate shall smile once more.” Though the impassioned lyrics have endured as a reminder of the nation's turbulent history and eventual independence, some Ukrainians lament that the words are dour and outdated.

Four years ago, the Kiev Post reported that musician Oleh Skrypka came up with an alternative version that replaced the opening lines with the cheerier, “Our dear Ukraine is flourishing like a spring field / We are glorious Ukrainians / We’ve got a happy fate.” Earlier this year, Ukrainian lawmakers reportedly weighed replacing the anthem with "Thank God Ukraine Has Justice and Freedom."

“Ukraine fought hard for its independence and Ukrainians have been killed in endless wars. But today, thank God, it is a peaceful country. It is time to put it in good order. And we must do it with God in our hearts,” lawmaker Dmytro Vetvitsky was quoted in Russian media as saying.

Despite repeated attempts to replace it, "Ukraine Has Not Yet Perished" has not perished. Neither, for that matter, has the anthem of its championship co-host Poland -- "Poland Is Not Yet Lost."