• Ukrainian Defense Minister: 65 NATO advisors work in Ukrainian Defense Ministry

    The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense appreciates NATO’s aid in reforming the country’s defensive capabilities, Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said on his Facebook page.

    “Our collaboration with the alliance in the last three years has acquired a broad scale in virtually all areas. Military and political dialogue has grown significantly, and the Ukraine-NATO commission operates regularly. We experience very good help in matters related to the reformation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” …

  • IMF: New tranche for Ukraine only possible once Ukraine has fulfilled its obligations

    The fourth revision of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) program as part of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) will be possible only once the Ukrainian authorities have fulfilled the obligations they have taken on, said IMF permanent representative Gösta Ljungman.

    “A fourth revision of the IMF board of executive directors’ program will be possible only after the necessary measures are taken for completing this revision. It will focus on pension reform, on measures aimed at speeding up …

  • Ukrainian eurobonds six times oversubscribed

    “The first Ukrainian sovereign Eurobond placement after a long interval, the results of which are now being presented, caused a sharp dispute among investors – it was six times oversubscribed,” said Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

    “This is clear evidence of the fact that today the entire world is voting with its money to trust Ukraine and the effectiveness of our reforms,” he said at a meeting with leaders of the Ukrainian community in New York on Monday.

    The Ukrainian government has …

  • Withdrawal of Russian troops from Transnistria included on agenda of UN General Assembly

    The UN General Assembly included on its agenda the issue of “the complete withdrawal of foreign troops from the territory of the Republic of Moldova”, as reported by the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Moldova.

    “The Foreign Ministry reports that the Republic of Moldova’s statement about including on the agenda of the 72nd General Assembly of the United Nations the additional issue of the complete withdrawal of foreign troops from the territory of …

  • Two Russian planes violate Lithuanian air space during Zapad-2017 exercises

    On Saturday, September 16, two Russian Il-76 military transport planes flew into Lithuanian air space, Delfi news agency reported, citing information from the Lithuanian Defense Ministry.

    It was reported that the aircraft were over Lithuanian territory for a period of two minutes. They were sent from the Russian mainland to one of the airfields in the Kaliningrad region.

    On Monday, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry registered a protest with the Russian ambassador in connection with the incident, …

  • Ukrainian ambassador to Turkey: Russia's Gazprom will stop at nothing to go through with Turkish Stream project

    Gazprom is accelerating the construction of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline, at a time when the United States’ willingness to use sanctions on the project is in question writes Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey Sergey Korsunsky article for the Zerkalo Nedeli newspaper.

    The author notes that at the start of September, Swiss Allseas Group S.A., which was contracted to lay the most complicated sea stretch of the gas pipeline, was joined by the British company Petrofac, which has signed a contract to …

  • Latvian Security Police have developed a guide for government employees on how to recognize spies

    The Latvian Security Police has developed recommendations for government officials on the detection of spies, reported DIENA newspaper.

    Civil servants were advised to pay more attention to foreigners who behave too affably and who try to move on to an informal style of communication. Also, officials should treat those foreigners who ask a lot of questions about the situation in the country, at work, or about their personal financial situation, with caution.

    The Latvian security police noted …

  • Crimean authorities warn of possible power outages in fall and winter season

    Sergey Bazhan, the Kremlin-controlled Deputy Minister of Fuel and Energy of the Peninsula reported that the Crimea might need to endure electricity cuts during the autumn-winter period, according to approved schedules.

    “We predict that during the autumn-winter period, the Crimea and Sevastopol will consume 1,467 MW of electricity. 1,181 MW will pass on to the other parts of the peninsula while 286 MW will go to Sevastopol. Last year, the highest level of evening electricity consumption for the …

  • Ukrainian general: Ukraine does not retake Donbas by force to avoid international condemnation

    Ukrainian Major General Oleg Mikats is sure that the retaking of Donetsk and Luhansk, which is currently occupied by separatist fighters, will lead to the condemnation of Ukraine by the international community and a full invasion by Russian troops.

    According to the commander of the operational and tactical group, "Luhansk", if the Ukrainian army retakes Donetsk and Luhansk, the international community will perceive that action as a violation of the Minsk Agreements.

    Ukraine will be accused of …

  • Russia: Peacekeepers in Donbas needed only for protection of OSCE

    Russian Federation Council Chairman Valentina Matviyenko said she sees no logic in the U.S. State Department’s proposal to deploy UN peacekeepers to the border of Russia and Ukraine.

    “I see no logic in this suggestion,” said the speaker of the Federation Council to reporters after a meeting with Speaker of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan Akja Nurberdiyewa, as reported by TASS news agency.

    Matvienko brought up the fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the Russian Foreign Ministry to …