Russia began deploying military police in Syria to monitor compliance with the ceasefire in two newly established security zones, the Russian authorities said on Monday.

As Colonel General Sergei Rudskoy said, Russian forces deployed checkpoints and surveillance points around de-escalation zones in southwest Syria and in the East Ghouta near Damascus.

In May, Russia, Iran and Turkey agreed on a plan to create four de-escalation zones in Syria in an attempt to resolve the six-year conflict. In …

Personnel from the Russian Armed Forces have begun to arrive in Belarus in order to participate in special exercises in anticipation of the Russian-Belarusian Zapad 2017 maneuvers, the Belarusian Defense Ministry reported.

“Since July 23, logistic support divisions from the Western Military District of the Russian Armed Forces have been arriving to participate in special joint exercises,” the Belarusian Defense Ministry noted.

The Belarusian and Russian soldiers will have to jointly prepare …

Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis stated at a briefing that Turkey needs to explain its intention to acquire Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems.

"Turkey is a NATO ally, and one of the cornerstone things we like to have with any of our allies…. is the ability to have equipment that interoperates," said Davis. "The reports of the S-400, and Turkey's purchase of that…Turkey would need to explain that for itself," he added.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in turn, said that he sees …

Russian military contractor Viktor Ageyev’s mother, Svetlana and their lawyer visited the Administration of the President of Ukraine. Afterwards, they went to the Russian Embassy in Kyiv, as reported by Ageyev’s lawyer, Viktor Chevguz to Hromadske radio.

"The conversation was mainly about legal issues," Chevguz noted. When asked whether the diplomats promised to help, he replied that they said, "This is our duty. Yes, we addressed it. They refused to meet us at first..."

The lawyer clarified …

The President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, vetoed a controversial bill concerning the Supreme Court and the National Judiciary Council, reports Polskie Radio.

Duda stressed that changes in the judicial system of Poland are needed, but he is against the idea of strengthening the power of the Prosecutor General over the Supreme Court. He also called upon the protesters, who were opposed to the new laws, to keep the peace.

Duda noted that he had held numerous consultations with lawyers and …

In a joint statement by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron following a telephone conversation in the “Normandy” format, the leaders of the “Normandy Four” countries have urged an immediate stop to the violation of the ceasefire in the Donbas and insisted on the continuation of the truce.  

“Violations of the ceasefire must be stopped immediately. State and government leaders demand the implementation of the ceasefire agreement of July 21st, 2017 agreed upon by …

The Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation has expressed its readiness to consider the issue of making payments using cryptocurrency in the Republic of Crimea with an aim to attract foreign tourists, as announced on Saturday by Deputy Finance Minister Alexei Moiseev on Russia-24 news. He clarified that there were no serious discussions on this question yet.

"To stimulate foreign tourism in the Crimea, and to ensure that people who go there are not persecuted in their homeland for having …

Ukraine will demand that the German government and the European Union investigate and punish all perpetrators involved in the delivery of Siemens turbines to power plants in the annexed Crimea, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Pavlo Klimkin, wrote in an article for the Evropeiska Pravda.

“The only way out is a frank and public investigation and punishment of all accomplices - legal, political and reputational. This is exactly what Ukraine will demand from Siemens, the German …