Noted Russian nationalist says army has too few doctors
MOSCOW -
One of Russia's most prominent nationalist politicians said the Russian military does not have an adequate number of doctors among other problems, a message he delivered in a meeting Saturday with the mothers of soldiers mobilized for the fight in Ukraine.
The comments by Leonid Slutsky, leader of the populist Liberal Democratic Party and chairman of the foreign relations committee in the lower house of parliament, was an unusually public admission of problems within the military as Russian forces suffer a series of battlefield setbacks.
"There are not enough doctors in the military units; everyone says this. I cannot say they do not exist at all, but they are practically not seen there," Slutsky said at the meeting in St. Petersburg.
Olga Suyetina, foster mother of a soldier mobilized for the Ukraine conflict said she has heard from her son that the troops are underequipped.
"There are no gunsights, nothing, we have to buy them by crowdfunding," she said, referring to a device on a gun that helps to aim it. "There is nothing; they left Kharkiv, there was zero, there was not even polyethylene to cover the dugouts."
Slutsky, a strong supporter of Russia's fight in Ukraine, said he would address the Defense Ministry about problems that troops face in Ukraine.
"We must understand that the whole world is watching us. We are the largest state and when we do not have socks, shorts, doctors, intelligence, communications, or simply care for our children, questions arise that will be very difficult to answer," he said.
The meeting came a day after President Vladimir Putin met with another group of soldiers' mothers. At that meeting Friday he hit out at what he said were skewed media portrayals of Moscow's military campaign.
"Life is more difficult and diverse that what is shown on TV screens or even on the internet. There are many fakes, cheating, lies there," Putin said.
Putin said that he sometimes speaks with troops directly by telephone, according to a Kremlin transcript and photos of the meeting.
"I've spoken to (troops) who surprised me with their mood, their attitude to the matter. They didn't expect these calls from me," Putin said.
He added that the calls "give me every reason to say that they are heroes."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Advocates come together to help sailors stuck for months on tugboats in Quebec port
Groups that advocate for seafarers are expressing concern for 11 sailors who are spending a harsh Quebec winter aboard three tugboats that have been detained for months in the port of Trois-Rivières.
Canadians Drake, Michael Buble, Tobias Jesso Jr. among early Grammy winners
Singer-songwriter Tobias Jesso Jr. became a first-time Grammy Award winner at the pre-broadcast ceremony where fellow Canadians Michael Buble and Drake also picked up trophies.
Tiny wines find home in B.C.'s market, as Canadians consider reducing consumption
Wine lovers have growing options on the shelf to enjoy their favourite beverage as producers in B.C. offer smaller container sizes.
Canada sends military aircraft into Haiti's skies as gang violence escalates
Canada has sent one of its military planes to Haiti to help the country cope with escalating violence. A joint statement today from National Defence Minister Anita Anand and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says Canada has deployed a CP-140 Aurora aircraft to help 'disrupt the activities of gangs' in Haiti.
New study highlights increasing prevalence of muscle dysmorphia among Canadian boys, young men
Canadian researchers are drawing attention to the increasing prevalence of 'a pathological pursuit of muscularity' among Canadian boys and young men, with a new study that found one in four were at risk of developing what's known as muscle dysmorphia.
31,000 cards: Montreal woman passing along father's extensive collection of Expos baseball cards
A Montreal woman is passing along her father's extensive collection of over 31,000 Expos baseball cards. April Whitzman's father, Steve Whitzman, collected the cards from 1969 to 2016. A huge Expos fan, he's got every player covered.
Four Americans, two Canadians fined $50K for illegal moose hunting in northern Ont.
An investigation that lasted almost two years has resulted in moose hunting violation convictions for six people and a lodge in Red Lake in northwestern Ontario.
Charles Kimbrough, best known for role in 'Murphy Brown,' dies at 86
Charles Kimbrough, a Tony- and Emmy-nominated actor who played a straight-laced news anchor opposite Candice Bergen on “Murphy Brown,” died Jan. 11 in Culver City, California. He was 86.
China has reasons to keep cool after U.S. downs suspected spy balloon
China may respond to the U.S. shooting down its suspected spy balloon after warning of 'serious repercussions,' but analysts say any move will likely be finely calibrated to keep from worsening ties that both sides have been seeking to repair.
Canada
-
Four Americans, two Canadians fined $50K for illegal moose hunting in northern Ont.
An investigation that lasted almost two years has resulted in moose hunting violation convictions for six people and a lodge in Red Lake in northwestern Ontario.
-
Advocates come together to help sailors stuck for months on tugboats in Quebec port
Groups that advocate for seafarers are expressing concern for 11 sailors who are spending a harsh Quebec winter aboard three tugboats that have been detained for months in the port of Trois-Rivières.
-
Canada sends military aircraft into Haiti's skies as gang violence escalates
Canada has sent one of its military planes to Haiti to help the country cope with escalating violence. A joint statement today from National Defence Minister Anita Anand and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says Canada has deployed a CP-140 Aurora aircraft to help 'disrupt the activities of gangs' in Haiti.
-
Eastern Canada cold snap ends, but thousands in N.S. and N.B. still without power
Cold weather alerts that blanketed eastern Canada for the past two days have largely lifted, but some Nova Scotians and New Brunswickers remain without power due to outages caused by the frigid temperatures and high winds.
-
Governments, B.C. coastal First Nations endorse marine protection action plan
The federal and British Columbia governments, alongside 15 coastal First Nations, have officially endorsed the blueprint for a vast network of marine protected areas along Canada's west coast.
-
Defence minister says Canada supports U.S. downing of Chinese balloon
The federal defence Minister says Canada 'unequivocally supports' the United States government's decision to shoot down a high-altitude surveillance balloon that was suspected of spying for China, noting the balloon violated Canadian airspace.
World
-
Balloon bickering over Biden's actions, China's intentions
Republican lawmakers on Sunday accused China of deliberately surveilling sensitive U.S. military sites with a suspected spy balloon and said the Biden administration had given Beijing an intelligence opening by not downing the balloon during its high-altitude drift through American airspace.
-
Former Israeli PM: Putin promised not to kill Zelenskyy
A former Israeli prime minister who served briefly as a mediator at the start of Russia's war with Ukraine says he drew a promise from the Russian president not to kill his Ukrainian counterpart.
-
China has reasons to keep cool after U.S. downs suspected spy balloon
China may respond to the U.S. shooting down its suspected spy balloon after warning of 'serious repercussions,' but analysts say any move will likely be finely calibrated to keep from worsening ties that both sides have been seeking to repair.
-
Ukraine defence minister expects help from Western warplanes
Ukraine's defence minister expressed confidence Sunday that Western allies would agree to the country's latest weapons request -- warplanes to fight off Russian forces that invaded nearly a year ago.
-
Iraqis protest gender violence after YouTube star killed
Dozens of Iraqi protesters gathered Sunday to decry the so-called 'honour killing' of a 22-year-old YouTube star who was allegedly strangled by her father, adding fuel to calls for legal reforms protecting women.
-
Turmoil risks financial stability Peru long took for granted
Peru's democratic dysfunction, years in the making, accelerated with Castillo's surprise election in 2021. A rural schoolteacher, he rose from obscurity to fill a void left by a broken political system, widespread graft and deep-seated racism.
Politics
-
Five things to know about upcoming health-care talks between Trudeau, premiers
On Tuesday in Ottawa, Canada's 13 premiers and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will sit around the same table in person for the first time since COVID-19 hoping to find a path toward a new long-term health-care funding deal.
-
Canada sends military aircraft into Haiti's skies as gang violence escalates
Canada has sent one of its military planes to Haiti to help the country cope with escalating violence. A joint statement today from National Defence Minister Anita Anand and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says Canada has deployed a CP-140 Aurora aircraft to help 'disrupt the activities of gangs' in Haiti.
-
Justice minister open to amending bail laws, OPP commissioner says change 'needed now'
Justice Minister and Attorney General David Lametti says he is open to amending bail laws, which have come under increased scrutiny following the shooting death of an Ontario Provincial Police officer.
Health
-
New study highlights increasing prevalence of muscle dysmorphia among Canadian boys, young men
Canadian researchers are drawing attention to the increasing prevalence of 'a pathological pursuit of muscularity' among Canadian boys and young men, with a new study that found one in four were at risk of developing what's known as muscle dysmorphia.
-
'We need to do better': Survey finds cancer patient care remains inconsistent across Canada
The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) is calling on the federal government to do more for cancer patients, as the system continues to struggle nearly three years after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
-
Would you pay $300 a year for quick access to a nurse? Dealing with demand, Ontario doctors get creative
Paid subscriptions to on-demand care are among the many strategies primary health-care providers in Ontario are adopting in order to meet increased demand for access to doctors in the past year, while also managing staffing shortages.
Sci-Tech
-
Stars disappearing before our eyes faster than ever: report
A new research from a citizen science program suggests that stars are disappearing before our eyes at an 'astonishing rate.'
-
With frigid innovation, scientists make a new form of ice
Using a device that might be described as a super-duper cocktail shaker, scientists have fashioned a previously unknown form of ice - one that might exist on our solar system's icy moons - in research that sheds light on water's behaviour under extreme conditions.
-
Meet me in the metaverse: Some companies set up shop in a digital environment
Aaron Grinhaus' Toronto law firm is one of a growing group of companies setting up offices in a virtual world called themetaverse to push the envelope and learn more about the emerging technology.
Entertainment
-
Canadians Drake, Michael Buble, Tobias Jesso Jr. among early Grammy winners
Singer-songwriter Tobias Jesso Jr. became a first-time Grammy Award winner at the pre-broadcast ceremony where fellow Canadians Michael Buble and Drake also picked up trophies.
-
Charles Kimbrough, best known for role in 'Murphy Brown,' dies at 86
Charles Kimbrough, a Tony- and Emmy-nominated actor who played a straight-laced news anchor opposite Candice Bergen on “Murphy Brown,” died Jan. 11 in Culver City, California. He was 86.
-
List of Grammy winners in top categories
The list of winners at the 2023 Grammys includes Michael Buble, Beyonce and Harry Styles.
Business
-
Meet me in the metaverse: Some companies set up shop in a digital environment
Aaron Grinhaus' Toronto law firm is one of a growing group of companies setting up offices in a virtual world called themetaverse to push the envelope and learn more about the emerging technology.
-
Tiny wines find home in B.C.'s market, as Canadians consider reducing consumption
Wine lovers have growing options on the shelf to enjoy their favourite beverage as producers in B.C. offer smaller container sizes.
-
Ottawa expands price caps to Russian petroleum products to reduce revenues
The federal Finance Department says Canada is joining its fellow G7 countries plus Australia to expand caps on Russian oil to include seaborne petroleum products from that country.
Lifestyle
-
Tiny wines find home in B.C.'s market, as Canadians consider reducing consumption
Wine lovers have growing options on the shelf to enjoy their favourite beverage as producers in B.C. offer smaller container sizes.
-
'Bobi is special': Portuguese pooch breaks record for oldest living dog ever
A Portuguese dog named Bobi has been named the world’s oldest living dog by Guinness World Records, which claims the pooch is also the oldest canine ever recorded.
-
First-year university student from northern Ontario wins $48M in lottery, making history
Canada's newest millionaire, an 18-year-old university freshman from northern Ontario, has achieved a lot of firsts with a recent lottery win. Here is her story.
Sports
-
31,000 cards: Montreal woman passing along father's extensive collection of Expos baseball cards
A Montreal woman is passing along her father's extensive collection of over 31,000 Expos baseball cards. April Whitzman's father, Steve Whitzman, collected the cards from 1969 to 2016. A huge Expos fan, he's got every player covered.
-
Canadian Kyle Nelson fights to a controversial draw on UFC Fight Night card
Canadian featherweight Kyle 'The Monster' Nelson fought 'The Korean Superboy' Doo-ho Choi to a controversial majority draw early Sunday on a UFC Fight Night card.
-
Tony Hawk to donate photo proceeds to Tyre Nichols fund
Skateboard legend Tony Hawk says he will donate half of the proceeds of autographed photos of himself and BMX rider Rick Throne to the memorial fund for Tyre Nichols.
Autos
-
Jury: Musk didn't defraud investors with 2018 Tesla tweets
A jury on Friday decided Elon Musk didn't deceive investors with his 2018 tweets about electric automaker Tesla.
-
FIA confirms the six F1 engine suppliers for 2026-30 cycle
Formula One's governing body confirmed the six engine providers for the 2026-30 cycle on Friday which aims to use sustainable fuels and greater electric power.
-
Use of electric vehicles associated with fewer asthma-related ER visits on a local level, study shows
New research suggests that cutting fossil fuel emissions by adopting electric vehicles can improve air quality and potentially reduce respiratory problems in communities. But these benefits may not apply to all neighbourhoods in the same way.
