Russia appoints new ambassador to UN

The Kremlin yesterday announced the appointment of Vasily Nebenzya as Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, replacing the previous long-serving envoy Vitaly Churkin who died in February. Nebenzya will start in the new post as relations between Russia and the West have hit post-Cold War lows over Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and its role in escalating the eastern Ukrainian separatist conflict.