World Europe 6 min read/ Four years on, Russia is still paying for a fatal miscalculation in Ukraine/ Updated 15 hr ago/ By Matthew Chance, Chief Global Affairs Correspondent/ Russia's President Vladimir Putin is shown in a photo illustration against the backdrop of the Russian flag/ Russia's President Vladimir Putin is shown in a photo illustration against the backdrop of the Russian flag Photo Illustration by Alberto Mier/CNN/Getty Images/ In the early hours of February 24 2022, standing on the freezing roof of a hotel in Kyiv, the idea that Russia would launch a full-scale assault on Ukraine, despite a troop buildup on the border, still seemed almost impossible to imagine./ Yes, Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin strongman, had developed a taste for wielding Russia’s hard power. Putin’s wars in Chechnya, Georgia and Syria, as well as military action in Crimea and eastern Ukraine, had delivered him success at a relatively low cost./ But invading the second biggest country in...
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Hungary Poses Unexpected Hurdle to Europe’s 90-Billion Euro Loan to Ukraine
While the delay may prove to be procedural, Hungary signaled that it could cause problems as the European Union works to send money to Ukraine. The Hungarian foreign minister, Peter Szijjarto, in Prague, Czech Republic, last month. Credit... Michal Cizek/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images By Jeanna Smialek Reporting from Brussels The New York Times , Published Feb. 20, 2026 Updated Feb. 21, 2026, 2:43 a.m. ET Hungary raised an objection to the European Union’s plan to loan 90 billion euros to Ukraine during a meeting of ambassadors on Friday, an unexpected hurdle that could make funneling needed money to Kyiv more difficult than anticipated. The Hungarian ambassador caused a delay in the plan — which would fund the loan by issuing debt backed by the E.U. budget — according to two European diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss diplomacy. The objection was previously reported by the Financial Times. Peter Szijjarto, Hungary’s minister...
From Quora: What were your impressions of visiting Russia?
Misha Firer · Follow Writes about Russia on patreon.com/mishafirer Updated 5y What were your impressions of visiting Russia? We have the saying, “If you ever lived in Russia, you don’t laugh at the circus.” I present a collection of photos of our roads so you could understand the true meaning of this expression. Can you count all the lanes? Bricks will do. A river runs through it. A utility pole and a plant. A steeplechase Trains have been canceled. Permanently. This road is for tanks only. A wooden floor solution to a pothole. An old tire can fix a pothole, too. After the rain, this street turns into a canal. A roadpool. Triple line means you can’t fly a plane over it. A tree grows in Kostroma. I know what you’re thinking: photoshop. In Russia we don’t need any - reality is being retouched in real time. Right, I mean, left. Fun in the mud. A man in the sinkhole! 908.9K views View 19,256 upvotes View 157 shares 1 of 31 answ...