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~ Soviet cosmonaut Major Yuri Gagarin, first man to orbit the earth, is shown in his space suit. (AP Photo/File)
This April provided an opportunity to ponder two major anniversaries of events in the history of the Soviet Union, which collapsed 30 years ago. One was its zenith, and the other its absolute low point.
The zenith occurred on April 12, 1961 when 27-year-old USSR air force pilot Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space. He traveled aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft.
The low point arrived 25 years later, on April 26, 1986. On that date the No. 4 reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Ukrainian region of the USSR exploded. It became the world’s worst nuclear disaster.
I was shocked to open my inbox on Sunday, and receive a message that Harold Brackman had passed away. Harold.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytri Kuleba told the BBC, “We do not need war.” Neither does NATO. But the growing military build-up and drills, now also conducted by Ukraine, signal the failure of Moscow and Kyiv to move toward lasting peace. Naturally, Ukraine and Russia blame each other for provoking the new tensions.
There now appears to exist a new Cold War between Russia and the West one that could turn hot. According to independent Russian military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer, “This crisis has the potential to
Putin tightens grip on Russia s vanishing free press with latest attack on journalists theglobeandmail.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theglobeandmail.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.