• IMF: Ukraine has proven itself capable of implementing reforms

    The International Monetary Fund believes that Ukraine is able to implement the necessary reforms that would stimulate economic growth. This was said by the Resident Representative of the IMF in Ukraine, Goesta Ljungman, during the Ukrainian financial forum in Odessa, Ukrinform reports.

    "What amazes me since I came to Ukraine is how much has been achieved over the past three years. In the historical context, it's a lot. I can say that we see, so to speak, the "appetite" for reforms. The last …

  • Journalist: Putin’s aide Surkov is a godfather of Zakharchenko’s son

    The Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation, Vladislav Surkov, who oversees the separatist republics in the Donbas, became a godfather to a child of the leader of the DPR (Donetsk People’s Republic), Alexander Zakharchenko, as reported on Facebook by journalist Denis Kazansky.

    "I heard earlier that Zakharchenko and Surkov have already become related. Now it is confirmed. Surkov baptized the son of Zakharchenko, who was born two years ago. So while Surkov oversees the Donbas in the …

  • Latvia: During Zapad-2017 exercises Russia rehearsed a blockade of the Baltics

    The Ministry of Defense of Latvia has not yet released an official assessment of the Russia-Belarus joint exercises but Latvian Minister of Defense Raimonds Bergmanis informed Delfi news agency that many facts point to the Baltic blockade scenario being worked out already.

    Zapad 2017 officially ended on September 20. Although the active phase of the exercises is over, the Russian armed forces activities will continue, Bergmanis said. He noted that much attention was drawn to the exercises and, …

  • Herashchenko: Ukraine is ready to exchange 313 separatists for 88 Ukrainian prisoners

    Ukraine is ready to hand over 313 people to separatists in exchange for 88 Ukrainian Ukrainian prisoners who are in captivity in the separatist-held territory of the Donbas, as stated at a briefing by the Ukrainian representative to the subgroup on humanitarian issues of the Trilateral Contact Group on the settlement of the situation in the Donbas, Iryna Herashchenko.

    "We managed to establish the location 88 of our hostages out of 144. We are ready to hand over 313 people in exchange for their …

  • Croatian Prime Minister has offered Ukraine Zagreb’s expertise to retake Donbas

    Croatia has practical experience in armed conflict on its territory from the 1990s that can be used to resolve the situation in Ukraine, said the country's Prime Minister, Andrej Plenkovic, while presenting at the UN General Assembly on Thursday. "We have this unique know-how and extensive expertise. This is a useful complementary contribution to the international community's efforts in similar situations, such as with the implementation of the Minsk Agreements in Ukraine, where we can draw …

  • Russian Prime Minister Medvedev says U.S. intends to bury Nord Stream-2

    The U.S. wants to bury the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline, as stated by Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Medvedev at a press conference following a meeting with his Finnish counterpart Juha Sipila, Interfax reports.

    “The most pragmatic is the position of the United States, which wants to bury this project with all sorts of legal decisions, instruments, sanctions, having an ambiguous impact on the European Union,” said Medvedev.

    He noted that the European Commission’s position on Nord Stream-2 is …

  • NATO: Suspicions about Russia’s Zapad-2017 exercises were justified, the scale of the drills was much bigger than declared

    NATO is confident that its suspicions concerning the Zapad 2017 Russian-Belarusian exercises were justified. "It will take several weeks for a full assessment, but it is already clear that the scale and the geographic coverage of the Zapad 2017 exercise turned out to be substantially larger than those declared initially by Moscow and Minsk," as relayed by NATO spokeswoman, Oana Lungescu, to Süddeutsche Zeitung on Thursday, September 21st.

    According to her, these maneuvers were held not only in …

  • U.S. embassy encourages Russians to apply for American visas in Ukraine

    Residents of Russia can obtain visas to America at the U.S. embassy in Kyiv, reported on the website of the U.S. embassy in Ukraine.

    “Those who live in Russia but could not apply for a U.S. visa in time can apply for one in Kyiv. Applicants do not have to be residents of Ukraine in order to get a visa, but must physically be in Ukraine to apply and receive the visa, because we cannot accept applications from residents through the mail if they are outside of Ukraine’s borders,” the report says. …

  • Kremlin: US behind Jabhat al-Nusra's attack on Russian military positions in Syria

    The Russian Ministry of Defense has accused the US of giving terrorists in Syria information which enabled them to surround a Russian platoon. Moscow believes this was done in order to halt the successful advance of the Syrian forces supported by Russia. The US, in turn, accuses Russia of carrying out airstrikes on its allies who are located near to American fighters, Meduza news agency writes.

    Together with Iran and Turkey, Russia has been trying since May 2017 to establish a de-escalation …

  • Turchynov: Ukraine will monitor withdrawal of Russian troops from Belarus after Zapad-2017 exercises

    Ukraine will monitor the withdrawal of Russian troops from Belarus after the completion of the Zapad-2017 exercises.

    This was stated by Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksandr Turchynov, as reported on the site of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC).

    “On September 21, after the completion of combat training in the Zapad-2017 exercises, Russian personnel, military equipment and weapons from the ranges located in the territory of Belarus will leave. Ukraine …