One of the reasons France has backed Ukraine is that Russia has helped many of its former African colonies escape neo-colonial shackles, Dr. Stevan Gajic of the Institute of European Studies in Belgrade told RT on Thursday.

The economy will contract by 35% this year, while inflation will skyrocket, the report says Consumer prices in Ukraine may surge by more than 20% this year, according to an IMF forecast released on Tuesday. The fund also expects a significant slowdown in the country’s economy.

There is “no indication” that the attack has any connection to Ukraine, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby has said The White House has condemned a major terrorist attack outside Moscow which unfolded on Friday evening, as masked gunmen breached a concert hall northwest of the Russian capital, leaving scores dead and injured.