• Poll: Nearly half of Russians fear Syrian conflict could start world war 3

    About half of Russians, 48 percent, are afraid that the escalation of relations between Russia and the West due to Syria may erupt into a third world war, as evidenced by a survey of the Levada Analytical Center that was issued on Monday, October 31. Replying to the relevant question, 38 percent of respondents stated that they have some fears regarding such developments. An additional 10 percent of Russians, in turn, express “great fear” regarding such a scenario. On the other hand, 31 percent …

  • Russian military plane accused of violating Estonian airspace

    On Tuesday, AN-148 of Russian Air Force crossed into Estonian airspace near the island of Vaindloo.

    This was reported by the website of the Estonian Ministry of Defense. The Russian plane stayed over the Estonian territory for about a minute.  The plane had its transponder on and provided a flight plan.

    According to the Estonian Ministry of Defense, at the time of entry there was no direct communication with the plane crew and Estonian air control services.

    The Estonian Ministry of Foreign …

  • Former Russian Finance Minister: The Kremlin doesn’t understand the new economic reality

    The former Russian Minister of Finance and Chairman of the Board of the Centre for Strategic Research, Alexei Kudrin, believes that the Russian government doesn’t have a clear understanding of the existing economic realities after the fall in oil prices and the reduction in budget revenues.

    “The price of oil has fallen; we have shortage of revenues and problems with our growth factors. We learned to spend money so easily, when Russia experienced economic growth, and now I want to say that the …

  • Ukrainian Defense Ministry reported that military equipment and fuel arrive to DPR from Russia

    According to Ukrinform, the speaker of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Andriy Lysenko, reported that equipment and fuel have been delivered to the separatist-controlled areas of Ilovaysk and Khartsyzk in the Donbas.“The railway station in Ilovaysk received a delivery of two trains with military equipment and logistical support for combat operations, as well as six tanks carrying fuels and lubricants. A total of nine wagons carrying ammunition, food and winter clothing also arrived at …

  • Syrian opposition explains why Clinton is a better choice for Syria than Trump

    Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton is better versed in the Syrian conflict than her rival from the Republican Party, Donald Trump, as stated by representatives of the Syrian political opposition, members of the delegation at the negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations, Khaled Khoja and Hind Kabawat, Voice of America reports.Clinton’s advantage is that she is aware of the differences between the groups fighting against Assad, opposition activists say. In their opinion, Clinton, …

  • Finland is concerned that Russia is buying Finnish property for military purposes

    The Finnish Security Intelligence Service suspects that the real estate acquired by foreigners might be used for military purposes.

    This was reported by the Finnish Iltalehti newspaper referring to the report of the Finnish Security Intelligence Service which was reportedly sent for review to the parliament of Finland.

    “These steps can be a part of the preparation to exert influence in critical situations. The concern is about land transactions which don’t have any business logic behind them,” …

  • The Russian State Duma threatened Norway with nuclear weapons due to the presence of U.S. Marines

    The Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council’s Defense and Security Committee, Franz Klinzewitsch, stated in his interview with Norwegian TV2 that the U.S. Marines stationed in Norway are part of U.S. preparations for global strikes and that Norway can become the target of Russian strategic weapons because of it.“It is very dangerous for Norway and its population. How we should respond to it? We have never before put Norway on the list of targets for strategic weapons. However, the …

  • Turkish and Russian army chiefs meet in Moscow to discuss cooperation in Syria

    The Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia, Valery Gerasimov, and his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar met in Moscow to discuss cooperation in Syria, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, RIA Novosti reported.

    "During the meeting, [the generals] discussed cooperation in the settlement of the Syrian conflict, including the normalization of the situation around the city of Aleppo,” the Russian Ministry of Defense announced in a statement.

    Gersimov highlighted the need …

  • New Ukrainian sanctions against Russia come into effect

    Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s decree to expand the list of sanctions against Russian citizens and companies has come into effect. The list of individuals affected by sanctions has increased from 347 to 682 people. The list of legal entities has increased from 104 to 271. This was reported by Segodnya.

    Individuals added to the list include: the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev; the Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Rashid Nurgaliyev; the …

  • Russian Military Analyst: The Russian Navy will not change the balance of forces in Syria

    Russian military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer stated on Radio Krym Realii that Russian warships will not significantly affect the situation in Syria. Commenting on the strengthening of the Russian military group in Syria, Felgenhauer noted that currently the Russian Fleet is struggling for an increase in military expenditures.

    “The Russian Fleet has no direct relationship to the Syrian conflict and there is nothing they can do there because Russian warships aren’t meant for such operations. …