Public figures in France have demanded that the Russian propaganda channel Russia Today halted broadcasting, and that the license given to it be withdrawn. They appealed to the head of the Supreme Council for Audiovisual Resources of France (CSA), Olivier Schrameck, in a corresponding letter,  reported the publication Le Monde.

"We appeal to you, Mr. Schrameck, with a request for the preservation of civil peace, to suspend the license for broadcasting rights in France issued to Russia Today," …

The Russian Minister of Sport, Pavel Kolobkov, has told journalists that his ministry will organize and carry out separate games for athletes banned from the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, in South Korea.

Kolobkov said the competition will not seek to obtain a new Olympic Games status because the exclusive rights to conduct the Olympics were owned by the International Olympic Committee.

“Currently we are considering organizing a number of competitions and inviting foreign colleagues. We …

The Russian-controlled administration of the Crimea held a tender for the sale of the spartkling wine plant, Novyi Svit (New World) in Sudak on Wednesday, December 20th. The winner was the Southern Project company, which is a 100% “subsidiary" of the Russia bank which is under sanctions and owned by Yury Kovalchuk (who is considered one of Vladimir Putin’s “purses”), RBC news agency reports.

The company was sold for 1.55 billion rubles (about 26 million dollars).

The Novyi Svit winery was …

On Thursday, December 21, Lithuania banned the use of anti-virus programs produced by the Russian company Kaspersky Lab on computers of government agencies and private companies.

Specifically, this has to do with computers that manage the energy, financial, and transport infrastructure sectors, reports Deutsche Welle.

Reuters news agency quotes the statement from the Lithuanian government which said that that using Kaspersky software can threaten national security. In response, the Russian …

Corruption and the absence of the rule of law in Ukraine are serious problems for potential foreign investors, stated the Swiss Ambassador to Ukraine and Moldova, Guillaume Scheurer, during his interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

"Corruption is an issue. It is a fact that there is no respect for the rule of law. These are the two elements that make many businessmen somehow uncertain about coming to Ukraine. They are ready to deal with competition, business issues and production problems, but not …

The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, spoke on the phone with the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel. The Kremlin's website indicated that the politicians discussed the situation in the Donbas. Merkel asked her Russian colleague why Russian officers left the Joint Center for Control and Coordination for the ceasefire and stabilization of the Contact Line (JCCC).

In response, Putin accused the Ukrainian authorities “who had made it difficult for the Russian military to work because of …

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) exposed a senior expert adviser from its central departments that had been cooperating with the Russian special services, as reported on the SBU website.

"The SBU operatives found that the Lieutenant Colonel had been handing over the classified information to the representatives of the aggressor country. He also assisted the Russian special services in conducting espionage and subversive activities to the detriment of the national security of Ukraine," the …

The Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, the state company Energoatom, the US Government's Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and the Central Storage Safety Project Trust bank have signed a loan agreement for $250 million for the construction of a used nuclear fuel storage facility in Ukraine, the country's Ministry of Finance website has reported. The loan has been granted for a term of 20 years.

The Ministry noted that this project will allow Ukraine to renounce its use of Russia's …