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
As Canada's RCMP marks 150th anniversary, a look at what it says needs to change
After years of reports and allegations detailing a 'toxic' workplace, Canada's RCMP says it is trying to evolve, focusing on diversity in its organization and repairing relationships with communities as it marks its 150th anniversary.
Former Mississauga, Ont. mayor Hazel McCallion dies at 101
Former Mississauga, Ont. mayor Hazel McCallion, nicknamed 'Hurricane Hazel,' has died. She was 101 years old. Premier Doug Ford said McCallion died peacefully at her home early Sunday morning.
Once-in-a-lifetime discovery: Indigenous jacket that may be a century old turns up in small U.K. town
When 1990s suede fringe jackets started making a comeback last year, a U.K.-based vintage clothing company decided to order four tonnes of suede from a supplier in the United States. Along with that shipment came a once-in-a lifetime discovery.
'Cloud of dishonour:' Memphis police disband unit that beat Tyre Nichols
The Memphis police chief on Saturday disbanded the unit whose officers beat to death Tyre Nichols as the nation and the city struggled to come to grips with video showing police pummelling the Black motorist.
Trudeau remembers 'trailblazer' Hazel McCallion as tributes pour in for late Mississauga mayor
Late Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion is being remembered for the many ways she contributed to not only to the city she led for 36 years, but also the province and country following her death on Sunday morning.
Majority of affordable homes approved under federal program not yet constructed
The federal government has set aside billions of dollars to quickly build affordable housing across the country, but delays in construction suggest many of the projects approved for funding are missing their deadlines.
How to get over the 'mental hurdle' of being active in the winter
When the cold and snow have people hunkering down, these outdoor enthusiasts find motivation in braving the Canadian winter through community and sport.
'Don't be numb to this': Battling despair over gun deaths
When President Joe Biden signed a bill last year to fight gun violence -- the first such measure to pass Congress in a generation -- a substantial majority supported it. But 78 per cent said they believed it would do little or nothing at all, a survey by the Pew Research Center found.
W5 EXCLUSIVE
W5 EXCLUSIVE | Interviewing a narco hitman: my journey into Mexico's cartel heartland
W5 goes deep into the narco heartland to interview a commander with one of Mexico's most brutal cartels. W5's documentary 'Narco Avocados' airs Saturday at 7 pm on CTV.
Canada
-
Former Mississauga, Ont. mayor Hazel McCallion dies at 101
Former Mississauga, Ont. mayor Hazel McCallion, nicknamed 'Hurricane Hazel,' has died. She was 101 years old. Premier Doug Ford said McCallion died peacefully at her home early Sunday morning.
-
Trudeau remembers 'trailblazer' Hazel McCallion as tributes pour in for late Mississauga mayor
Late Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion is being remembered for the many ways she contributed to not only to the city she led for 36 years, but also the province and country following her death on Sunday morning.
-
As Canada's RCMP marks 150th anniversary, a look at what it says needs to change
After years of reports and allegations detailing a 'toxic' workplace, Canada's RCMP says it is trying to evolve, focusing on diversity in its organization and repairing relationships with communities as it marks its 150th anniversary.
-
Ceremony scheduled to mark 6th anniversary of Quebec City mosque shooting
A ceremony will be held this evening to mark the sixth anniversary of Quebec City's deadly mosque shooting. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, several senior federal cabinet ministers and Quebec Premier Francois Legault are among those expected to attend.
-
Majority of affordable homes approved under federal program not yet constructed
The federal government has set aside billions of dollars to quickly build affordable housing across the country, but delays in construction suggest many of the projects approved for funding are missing their deadlines.
-
Canadian police chiefs speak out on death of Black man beaten by U.S. officers
Canadian police chiefs condemned on Friday the death of a Black man who was savagely beaten by police during a traffic stop in the United States, saying the officers involved must be held accountable.
World
-
Russians gone from Ukrainian village, but fear and hardship remain
It has been more than 11 weeks since Ukrainian forces wrested back the village of Kalynivske, in Kherson province, from Russian occupation. But liberation has not diminished the hardship for residents, both those returning home and the ones who never left.
-
Tyre Nichols case revives calls for change in U.S. police culture
Tyre Nichols' fatal encounter with police officers in Memphis, Tenn., recorded in video made public Friday night, is a glaring reminder that efforts to reform policing have failed to prevent more flashpoints in an intractable epidemic of brutality.
-
Classified docs probe pushes Biden think tank into spotlight
As Joe Biden contemplated his next move in 2017 after decades in government, he considered a familiar path -- creating a Washington-based think tank to focus on international affairs and diplomacy. It proved an easy sell and a lucrative one, too.
-
U.K. leader fires party chairman over tax bill allegations
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak fired the chairman of the governing Conservative Party on Sunday for a 'serious breach' of ethics rules in failing to come clean about a tax dispute.
-
Taliban warn women can't take entry exams at universities
The Taliban on Saturday doubled down on their ban on women's education, reinforcing in a message to private universities that Afghan women are barred from taking university entry exams, according to a spokesman.
-
'Don't be numb to this': Battling despair over gun deaths
When President Joe Biden signed a bill last year to fight gun violence -- the first such measure to pass Congress in a generation -- a substantial majority supported it. But 78 per cent said they believed it would do little or nothing at all, a survey by the Pew Research Center found.
Politics
-
Feds pledge not to ‘micromanage’ provinces in health-care negotiations
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos insists the federal government is going to 'work flexibly' with the provinces on the terms of a possible health-care funding deal and avoid 'micromanaging' how they deliver health care to Canadians.
-
Majority of affordable homes approved under federal program not yet constructed
The federal government has set aside billions of dollars to quickly build affordable housing across the country, but delays in construction suggest many of the projects approved for funding are missing their deadlines.
-
MPs prepare for return to Parliament as Ottawa marks one-year anniversary of 'Freedom Convoy'
Members of Parliament are making their way back to Ottawa ahead of resuming sitting on Monday, as the city prepares to mark the one-year anniversary of the arrival of 'Freedom Convoy' protesters.
Health
-
Health Canada sticks with Evusheld despite U.S. FDA dropping the COVID drug
Health Canada says it will continue to recommend COVID-19 prevention drug, Evulsheld, despite U.S. FDA pulling back its emergency use authorization due to concerns around its efficacy against Omicron subvariant 'Kraken.'
-
Doctors say surgical training, delayed by the pandemic, continues to be affected
Training of surgeons in Canada has taken a heavy knock from the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, and some doctors say their clinical education has been delayed again in recent months as many hospitals across the country cancelled elective procedures to keep up with emergency care.
-
Canadians worried about the state of provincial health systems: poll
A new survey suggests the vast majority of Canadians have concerns about the state of the health-care system, particularly in Atlantic provinces where hospitals have struggled to maintain emergency services for months. Leger and The Association for Canadian Studies surveyed 1,554 Canadian adults over a two-day period in January.
Sci-Tech
-
Bear on Mars? NASA satellite snaps a strange formation
What looks like a giant teddy bear’s face peering into space from the surface of Mars is actually a satellite image of some craters and a circular fracture, scientists say.
-
Nvidia CEO says AI will need regulation, social norms
Nvidia Corp Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang on Tuesday said that the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence will create powerful tools that require legal regulation and social norms that have yet to be worked out.
-
Ice Age relic found by Alberta woman out walking her dogs
A chance discovery by an Edmonton area woman who was walking her dogs has turned out to be a massive fossilized bone that likely belonged to an Ice Age mammoth.
Entertainment
-
Actress and former senator Viola Leger, best known as La Sagouine, dies at 92
Actress, teacher and former senator Viola Leger has died at the age of 92. A release from management company Le Grenier musique says Leger died Saturday in Dieppe, New Brunswick.
-
'It Ends With Us' movie casts Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni
BookTok is all abuzz with the news that Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni will be starring in a movie based on the bestselling romance novel, "It Ends With Us."
-
Sabato De Sarno named new Gucci creative director
Italian designer Sabato De Sarno has been named the new creative director of Gucci, and will unveil his first collection during Milan Fashion Week next September, Gucci and parent company Kering announced Saturday.
Business
-
FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried, DOJ tussle over his communications
Federal prosecutors are trying to prohibit FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried from privately contacting current and former employees of the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange to prevent potential witness tampering in a criminal case accusing him of bilking investors and customers.
-
Italy's prime minister visits Libya for talks, sign $8B deal
Italy's prime minister visited Libya for talks Saturday with officials from the country's west-based government focusing on energy and migration, top issues for Italy and the European Union. Libya is the third North African country Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited over the last two weeks as she seeks to secure new supplies of natural gas.
-
U.S. senators call for trade crackdown on Canada over dairy quotas, digital policies
A pair of senior U.S. senators is urging the Biden administration to get tough with Canada for "flouting" obligations to its North American trade partners.
Lifestyle
-
Once-in-a-lifetime discovery: Indigenous jacket that may be a century old turns up in small U.K. town
When 1990s suede fringe jackets started making a comeback last year, a U.K.-based vintage clothing company decided to order four tonnes of suede from a supplier in the United States. Along with that shipment came a once-in-a lifetime discovery.
-
How to get over the 'mental hurdle' of being active in the winter
When the cold and snow have people hunkering down, these outdoor enthusiasts find motivation in braving the Canadian winter through community and sport.
-
Lifelong Toronto Maple Leafs fan fulfils dream of seeing first game, passes away next day
Mike Davy always dreamed of going to a Toronto Maple Leafs game, and once it finally happened, he passed away the night after.
Sports
-
Djokovic beats Tsitsipas for 10th Australian Open, 22nd Slam
Only briefly challenged in the final on Sunday night, Novak Djokovic was simply better at the most crucial moments and beat Stefanos Tsitsipas for a record-extending 10th Australian Open championship and record-tying 22nd Grand Slam title overall. As a bonus, Djokovic will vault from No. 5 to No. 1 in the ATP rankings, a spot he already has held for more weeks than any other man.
-
Aryna Sabalenka beats Elena Rybakina for Australian Open women's title
Aryna Sabalenka, a 24-year-old from Belarus, who won her first Grand Slam title by coming back to beat Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 at Melbourne Park on Saturday night, using 17 aces among her 51 total winners to overcome seven double-faults.
-
New Vancouver tax intended to chip away at FIFA World Cup costs
The price of hosting the FIFA World Cup is rising in Vancouver, and the province is using a new tool to help cover the costs.
Autos
-
Canadian Hyundai vehicles unaffected by theft issue in the U.S., company says
Hyundai cars in Canada don't have the same anti-theft issue compared to those in the United States, a company spokesperson says, following reports that two American auto insurers are refusing to write policies for older models.
-
Some U.S. auto insurers are refusing to cover some Hyundai and Kia models
Progressive and State Farm, two of America's largest auto insurers, are refusing to write policies in certain cities for some older Hyundai and Kia models that have been deemed too easy to steal, according to one of the insurance companies and media reports.
-
See how Amsterdam built a massive underwater bike-parking facility
Amsterdam has shared a time-lapse video of the construction of its brand-new underwater bike-parking facility.
