• Russian Media: US sanctions could block the import of smartphones and tablets into Russia

    The sanctions imposed in December of last year by the United States against the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) can block the import of electronics with encryption abilities into Russia, as published on the RBC website, citing a statement made by the law firm of Baker & McKenzie.

    According to the statement, they have already warned their customers about possible problems. "Since the FSB carries out certain administrative functions such as examination and approval of commercial …

  • Poroshenko refused to give an interview to Russian journalists

    The President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, refused to give an interview to Russian journalists in Helsinki. According to Interfax-Ukraine, journalists from a Russian TV station came up to the Ukrainian President during his visit to the Finnish Parliament and asked him to answer their questions.

    “Stop killing Ukrainians and free the territory!” Poroshenko said in response to their questions.

    The President of Ukraine reported that seven Ukrainians have died in the Donbas in January alone. In …

  • Media: China has deployed missiles near the border with Russia

    China has deployed the newest Dongfeng-41 (DF-41) intercontinental ballistic missiles in the northeastern Heilongjiang Province on the Russian frontier, as reported by Apple Daily citing photos of the missile system published on the Chinese Internet.

    It is noted that the Chinese Army will station a total of three brigades with the DF-41 missiles. One of the brigades is already in Xinyang city in the central Hunan province.

    The second brigade was supposedly placed in the city of Daqing in …

  • The Belgian Parliament rejected a draft resolution on lifting sanctions against Russia

    The Belgian Federal Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee rejected the draft resolution calling on the Belgian authorities to initiate the lifting of economic sanctions against Russia by the European Union, RIA Novosti reported. The member of the Assembly from opposition People’s Party, Aldo Carcaci submitted the document for consideration of the Commission of the Lower House of Belgian Parliament in July 2016.

    On Tuesday, the author of draft resolution reported that the matter had been …

  • The last of eight new NATO mini-headquarters in Eastern Europe was opened in Slovakia

    The NATO Force Integration Unit, the last of eight mini-headquarters in Eastern Europe, was opened in the Slovakian capital of Bratislava, Radio Svoboda reported. Its main task is the preparation of rapid response measures at need. 41 servicemen—21 from Slovakia and 20 on rotation from other NATO countries—will work in the mini-headquarters. It is expected that the center will become fully operational in June 2017.

    “The signal is clear: NATO is here, in Slovakia. We are committed to protection …

  • Russia drafts new Syrian constitution

    Russian specialists have prepared a draft of the new constitution for Syria, as stated by the special representative of the Russian President on Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev.

    Lavrentiev stated that the draft constitution was given to the Syrian armed opposition for study. BBC reports that Russia is waiting for their reaction.

    "I wish to particularly emphasize: we did it solely for the reason that we want to speed up this process and to give some additional stimulating impetus without intruding …

  • Polish Foreign Ministry has declassified document from 2008 on the transition to a pro-Russian course

    The Polish Foreign Minister, Witold Waszczykowski, disclosed the details of a secret document about the country's transition to a pro-Russian course in 2008, the Polish news agency PAP reported.

    The document is dated March 4th, 2008, and is called the "Theses on the Polish policy towards Russia and Ukraine." In 2008, only four people had access to the document, among which was Radosław Sikorski, who was at that time the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

    "Even without mentioning huge economic …

  • International military inspectors note a Russian military build up near border with Ukraine

    An international military inspection was not allowed access to Russian artillery systems in the Rostov region in the area of Novocherkassk, Ukrainski Novyny reported, citing the leader of the inspection team, Oleksiy Vershygora.

    "Significant accumulation of artillery systems of various types was visually detected and have been identified. The inspection team was denied access to the facility, and they were also prohibited from taking photographs of the artillery,” he said.

    Vershygora noted …

  • The Deputy Head of Russia’s FSB Border Service accused Ukraine of provocations at the border

    On the 22nd of January, the Deputy Head of Russia’s FSB Border Service, Admiral Gennady Medvedev, accused Ukraine of violating the Russian State border and carrying out provocative actions. According to Medvedev, actions of the Ukrainian Naval Forces in the Black Sea pose a real threat to the security of maritime economic activities of the Russian Federation. Medvedev noted that Russian Security Services jointly with the Russian Navy curb such activities.

    According to him, Ukraine allegedly …

  • Ukrainian BTR-4M armored vehicle was tested in the tropics

    The BTR-4M armored vehicle which has been used in the Donbas from the very beginning of the conflict, has been successfully tested in the tropical climate in Indonesia.

    As reported by UNIAN, five Ukrainian armored vehicles were delivered to the Marine Corps of Indonesia as part of a contract signed in the beginning of 2014 between the Indonesian Defense Ministry and the State enterprise, SpetsTechnoExport, a part of Ukroboronprom.

    During the tests in the presence of Ukrainian specialists, the …