David R. Sands

Nobel Prize-winning editor ‘suspends’ publication over Kremlin’s Ukraine reporting ban

Novaya Gazeta, one of the last prominent independent Russian media outlets willing to challenge the government's view of the war in Ukraine, said Monday it will suspend publication after receiving a second warning from the Kremlin about its coverage.

March 28, 2022

Biden not getting much backup in call for Putin’s ouster

U.S. President Biden's impassioned demand that Russian President Vladimir Putin step down for starting the war in Ukraine -- the climax of an emotional address in Poland over the weekend -- is not getting much support from the allies Mr. Biden is trying to unify for Kyiv.

March 27, 2022

U.S., South Korea wary of North Korean claims on new ICBM launch

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un says it was a new missile. Steel mill managers and agricultural engineers quoted in North Korea's rigidly censored official press say it was a new missile.

March 27, 2022

Biden not getting much allied back-up in call for Putin’s ouster

President Biden's impassioned demand that Russian President Vladimir Putin step down for starting the war in Ukraine is not getting much support so far from allies.

March 27, 2022

Top Zelenskyy aide expresses frustration with NATO summit

A top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday expressed frustration with the outcome of a series of meetings held by President Biden and other NATO leaders this week, saying many of the military requests Kyiv has been pleading for were not met.

March 25, 2022

U.S. joins condemnation of major new North Korean missile test

The Biden administration joined Asian allies Thursday in swiftly condemning North Korea's latest missile test, an intercontinental ballistic missile that experts say may be the largest Pyongyang has tested this year.

March 24, 2022

Biden, allies pressure Russia with new sanctions, deployment of NATO troops

President Biden arrived in Europe Wednesday for a series of high-level meetings on the war in Ukraine, with allies preparing to green-light a new round of sanctions on Russia and new deployments of NATO troops to Eastern European countries with a front-row seat to the fighting.

March 23, 2022

U.S. officially declares Russian forces guilty of war crimes in Ukraine

The Biden administration Wednesday officially declared that Russia's invading forces in Ukraine are guilty of war crimes, escalating the standoff with the Kremlin and potentially making a diplomatic deal to end the monthlong war even harder to strike.

March 23, 2022

Lawmakers press intelligence agencies to document Russian war crimes in Ukraine fight

A bipartisan group of lawmakers on the House Intelligence Committee is calling on the nation's intelligence agencies to ramp up their work with "Ukrainian and international partners" to document possible Russian military war crimes as the invasion of Ukraine nears the one-month mark.

March 22, 2022

India to host chess Olympiad after Russia’s bid is nixed

Russia's loss is India's gain. FIDE officials announced last week that the 44th Chess Olympiad, originally set for Moscow this summer, will now be held in the Indian city of Chennai. Russia lost the right to host the event as part of the backlash over its invasion of neighboring Ukraine last month. It will be the first Olympiad ever held in India.

March 22, 2022

Russian Nobel laureate auctions medal to aid Ukrainian refugees

The Russian journalist who recently shared the Nobel Peace Prize said Tuesday he will auction off his prize medal and donate the proceeds to aid Ukrainian refugees.

March 22, 2022

EU foreign policy chief accuses Kremlin of war crimes in Mariupol

The European Union's top diplomat on Monday said Russia is guilty of "massive war crimes" in its siege of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, echoing the words of President Biden that have infuriated the Kremlin.

March 21, 2022

Biden warns China of consequences if it helps Russia in the Ukraine war

President Biden warned Chinese President Xi Jinping of consequences for supporting Russia's war on Ukraine, a senior administration official said.

March 18, 2022

Biden talks with Xi, is expected to press China over supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine

President Biden held a virtual call Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping as the U.S. leader seeks to deter his Chinese counterpart from worsening the Ukraine crisis by bolstering its alliance with Moscow.

March 18, 2022

Sevian, Nyzhnyk share top honors at revived St. Louis chess tournament series

In a welcome return after two years of shutdowns and two weeks of depressing headlines, the St. Louis Chess Club revived its much-missed invitational Classic Chess series this month, with American GM Sam Sevian and Ukrainian GM Illya Nyzhnyk sharing top honors in the 10-player St. Louis Spring Classic A Tournament.

March 15, 2022

Iran nuclear deal on hold over last-minute snags

The European Union's foreign policy chief Friday requested a "pause" in multilateral talks on reviving the nuclear deal with Iran, apparently after a last-minute Russian gambit threatened to torpedo the nearly completed pact.

March 11, 2022

Nuclear watchdog sees no critical impact, despite Ukraine’s fears over Chernobyl

The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency expressed concern Wednesday about a loss of power at the contaminated site of the shuttered Chernobyl nuclear plant in northern Ukraine, but said it so far has seen "no critical impact" on safety from the still-smoldering radioactive facility.

March 9, 2022

Troubled by the war, struggling at the chessboard

Playing top-flight chess is hard enough; playing it with the weight of world events on your shoulder is infinitely tougher.

March 8, 2022

Pentagon to shutter fuel facility that leaked into Pearl Harbor tap water

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the permanent closure of the Navy's Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Hawaii, the final chapter in an embarrassing saga for the Pentagon after leaks from the massive facility contaminated Pearl Harbor's tap water.

March 7, 2022

Russia: We’re keeping track of who’s against us

Russia sent a message Monday to the U.S. and all other countries that have responded to the invasion of Ukraine with "unfriendly actions": We've got a list.

March 7, 2022