Russia & Caucasus

During an interview with Nikkei on April 13, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias defended his country's decision to sell a 67% stake in one of the Mediterranean's most important ports to a Chinese company. (Photo by Tetsuya Kitayama)
Interview

Greek foreign minister says Chinese investment adheres to EU rules

Nikos Dendias urges Beijing to involve itself more in regard to Ukraine

14 April 2022
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meet in Vladivostok in 2019: With global attention focused on Ukraine, North Korea has conducted more missile tests.
Comment

Did Biden embolden new 'axis of evil' by tipping his hand?

Bush's 2002 speech offers template for taming Russia and North Korea

14 April 2022
A teddy bear hangs from a tree in front of a burned-out apartment building in Borodyanka. (Photo by Vadym Petrasiuk)
Ukraine war

'Too many to count' killed: Kyiv suburb left in ruins after invasion

Residents of Ukraine's Borodyanka still counting the cost of Russian attack

14 April 2022
The Mallnow compressor station which mainly receives Russian natural gas in Brandenburg, Germany, on March 29: Gas supplies are harder to reroute.
Opinion

A ban on Russian energy will hurt Europe more than it helps Ukraine

Western governments should avoid 'act now, think later' policies

14 April 2022
Containers are stacked at the Chinese port of Qingdao. Chinese imports from Russia grew 26% in March. (Xinhua via Kyodo)
Trade

China, South Korea lift Russian energy imports, eroding sanctions

Even countries opposing Moscow take advantage of discounts

14 April 2022
People walk past the Russia Central Bank headquarters in Moscow.
Currencies

Russia boosted yuan holdings over dollar just before invasion

Shift in foreign currency reserves made to minimize fallout from sanctions

14 April 2022
The response to the war in Ukraine has highlighted how corporations are focusing more what employees and clients want, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink said. (Photo by Tetsuya Kitayama)
Interview

Invasion of Ukraine will 're-imagine' globalization: BlackRock CEO

Larry Fink discusses stakeholder capitalism, energy security and Fed policy

13 April 2022
Burning buildings are seen in the east of Mariupol, Ukraine, on April 9. Maxar Technologies, which took the satellite photo seen here, says the image reveals continuous shelling. 
Ukraine war

Satellite images show Russia readying for push in eastern Ukraine

Battle for Donbas and southeast likely to intensify in 2 to 3 weeks

13 April 2022
Officials prepare flags before the G-20 summit in Rome in October 2021: Western powers are much less able to get their way.
Opinion

Indonesia's Russia dilemma raises doubts about G-20's future

Group's divisions are a symptom of dysfunctional multilateralism

13 April 2022
After seven Russian banks were banned from SWIFT following the invasion of Ukraine, China is hoping its own Cross-border Interbank Payment System, CIPS, will be enough to weather potential future sanctions from the West. 
The Big Story

China scrambles for cover from West's financial weapons

Spooked by sanctions on Russia, Beijing looks to build on its own international payments system

13 April 2022
Graves of civilians killed during the Russian invasion lie in the southern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol on April 10.
Ukraine war: Free to read

Ukraine from March 24 to April 12: Over 10,000 civilians killed in Mariupol siege, mayor says

All options on table if Russia uses chemical weapons, U.K. says; Fighting in eastern region to intensify

12 April 2022
Fishermen transport their haul at a port in northern Japan's Nemuro.
12 April 2022
An employee inspects a wellhead at an oil field in Irkutsk, Russia. Energy-related exports make up around half of Russian exports.
Ukraine war

Russian export shutdown would cut 28% of GDP: Nikkei estimate

Energy imports by West hold key to maximizing Moscow's economic pain

11 April 2022
People's Liberation Army Navy soldiers take part in a drill at a naval base in Hong Kong. 
Ukraine war

Russia's war struggles will delay any China move on Taiwan: expert

Beijing weighs cost of war, global outcry and limits of international sanctions

11 April 2022
An apartment complex in the Kyiv suburb of Borodyanka is destroyed by a Russian missile attack. (Photo by Eiij Furukawa)
Ukraine war

Russian troops randomly shot civilians: Bucha resident

'They think nothing of our lives': Ukrainians recount horrors of occupation

10 April 2022
The April 7 resolution to suspend Russia from the U.N. Human Rights Council drew 93 votes in favor, 24 votes against, and 58 abstentions.
International relations

Divisions exposed in vote to suspend Russia from U.N. rights council

Abstentions and 'no' votes jump after push by Moscow and Beijing

9 April 2022
Russian Ambassador to the U.N. Vassily Nebenzia reacts during a Security Council meeting on Apr. 5.
Opinion

Russia should lose its permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council

Moscow has voided its moral claim to such a privilege

9 April 2022
A completed resolution vote tally to affirm the suspension of Russia from the United Nations Human Rights Council is displayed during a meeting of the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday.
Ukraine war

U.N. suspends Russia from Human Rights Council; China opposes

Moscow quits after resolution passes in 93-24 vote; 58 countries abstain

8 April 2022
Disinformation from Russia's invasion of Ukraine can begin in the form of edited photos and videos before it spreads across social media platforms.
Ukraine war

How Russia spread its fabricated pretexts for invading Ukraine

Analysis of video and social media posts reveals extent of disinformation

8 April 2022
Samsung renamed phones including the Galaxy Z Flip in some markets after the letter "Z" became associated with support for the invasion of Ukraine.
Electronics

Samsung caught between rock and a hard place on Russia

Withdrawing would risk losing smartphone lead to China after years of investment

8 April 2022
The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in Lubmin, Germany. Its certification was suspended during the run-up to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 
Ukraine war

G-7 resists going after $1bn-a-day Russian energy revenue

Despite civilian killings, West and Japan avoid painful cuts

8 April 2022
Russia's invasion of Ukraine may have prompted China-linked cyberattacks against the Ukrainian government. (Nikkei montage/AP/Reuters)
Ukraine war

Chinese hackers launch cyberattacks against Ukraine amid war

Experts speculate strikes aimed at collecting information on refugees

7 April 2022
(Nikkei montage/Getty Images)
China up close

Analysis: Xi risks stumbling with Putin if he plays his cards wrong

If Russia fails in Ukraine, questions would arise over long-term authoritarian leadership

7 April 2022
Demonstrators take part in an anti-war rally in support of Ukraine in Almaty on Mar. 6: Kazakhstan has allowed large protests against the war.
Opinion

Western powers should exploit Central Asia's unease over Ukraine war

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have both distanced themselves from Moscow

6 April 2022
Vladimir Putin speaks during an event on the sidelines of the ASEAN-East Asia summit in October 2021: This is a time of existential crisis for ASEAN where fudging and muddling may not get by. (Handout photo from Brunei ASEAN Summit)
Opinion

Putin's war in Ukraine has deepened ASEAN disunity

10-member bloc needs to find a way to accommodate opposing points of view

5 April 2022