• Pentagon: Syria was liberated by the Us-led coalition, not by Russia

    Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon said that the liberation of most of the territories in Iraq and Syria from Islamic State militants is because of the efforts of the coalition and its partners, not Russia, reported Russian news agency RIA Novosti.

    “The Syrian regime and the Russian Federation have not demonstrated a serious approach or commitment to defeat ISIS. They carried out only a small part of the operations against ISIS, and most of the territory liberated in Iraq and Syria was liberated …

  • Prosecutor General of Ukraine: all agents of Ukrainian Anti-Corruption bureau operate outside of law

    Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Yuriy Lutsenko, believes that all agents of the National Anticorruption Bureau (NABU) are conducting illegal acts, according to his statements on the TSN Tyzhden weekly news show.

    “They are using illegal methods of provocation. None of them was sworn in to have access to state secrets, but they receive transcripts of wiretaps of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), which is a crime. Moreover, they use surveillance equipment imported and not registered in …

  • Ben Hodges: Reforms and transparency in spending are the key requirements for Ukraine to be able to join NATO

    Two key principles Ukraine should adhere to if it wants to join NATO are transparency in the use of budget means and reforms, as stated by the United States Army Commander in Europe, Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, as reported by Ukrainian 24 TV.

    He also noted that Ukraine has great potential for producing its own weapons.

    "Firstly, the decision to provide lethal weapons is being made at the highest level.  We are now providing recommendations on this issue. Let’s see how the situation …

  • Russia indignant that OSCE 'does not protect the rights of Russian speakers' in Ukraine and Baltics

    Andrei Kelin, Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department of European Cooperation (DEC) has stated that the Russian Foreign Ministry is in favor of reforming the OSCE over bias in the organization’s work, reports Gazeta.ru.

    "We are concerned about the way the specialized institutions of the OSCE work. The bulk of their activities are concentrated in the field of human rights, and are implemented in relation to countries east of Vienna," Kelin said.

    According to Kelin, the …

  • New head of LPR speaks about close cooperation with the Kremlin

    Leonid Pasechnik, who replaced Igor Plotnitsky as head of the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), has reported on "well-established" cooperation with Moscow.

    Pasechnik said that "I personally, and the entire leadership of the LPR, have constructive interaction with all Russian structures that render humanitarian assistance to our Republic at such a difficult time. I am confident that our cooperation will continue in the future,” reports Luhansk Information Centre.

    According to Pasechnik, the …

  • US Ambassador to Russia: American troops will leave Syria only when terrorists are defeated

    US Ambassador to Russia, John Huntsman, believes that it will be possible to talk about the withdrawal of US troops from Syria only after making sure that the war with the terrorists has been successfully completed, as he indicated in an interview with Vedomosti, which was published on Monday.

    "You can drive out all of the terrorists from Raqqa and the surrounding Euphrates river valley, but they can regroup and restore their resources, which means that premature departure can simply render …

  • European Parliament MP Rebecca Harms called for boycott of 2018 World Cup in Russia

    In an interview with the German publication Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung , Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Rebecca Harms has urged politicians and visitors to boycott the World Cup in Russia.

    "Politicians and visitors should stay away from the 2018 World Cup," Harms said.

    The MEP added that Russia is not a country where it is worth holding such competitions. She named former German President Joachim Gauck, who refused to attend the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi in 2014, as a model example. …

  • US general: Russia and China working on new weapons to challenge the US

    Russia and China are creating anti-satellite weapons to reduce the United States’ capabilities and to shift the balance of power in the world, said the Head of the US Strategic Command, General John E. Hyten, Interfax reports.

    "They have been building weapons, testing space weapons that can be controlled from Earth, electronic warfare weapons, laser weapons… and they make no secret of it," noted Hyten and added that in doing so, Moscow and Beijing defy the United States and its allies, …

  • New shipment of armored vehicles from Netherlands arrived in Estonia

    The second batch of CV9035 infantry fighting vehicles, purchased in the Netherlands, arrived in Estonia, reports ERR.

    On Saturday, more than ten CV9035 IFVs and three special-purpose armored vehicles modified from the Leopard 1 tank were delivered to the port of Paldiski.

    The IFVs will be delivered to the military town of the First Infantry Brigade in Tapa, the press service of the General Staff of the Estonian Defense Forces said.

    At the end of 2014, Estonia signed an agreement with the …

  • Saakashvili says he could be extradited next week

    In his interview on NewsOne TV Channel, the ex-head of the Odessa Regional State Administration, Mikheil Saakashvili can be extradited from Ukraine as early as next week.  

    According to Saakashvili, such a measure can be adopted if he chooses to return to Georgia instead of being expelled to Europe.

    "They plan to throw me out of the country. They have a joint special operation of the Georgian special services, Russian special services and Ukrainian special services... If they even throw me …