NATO will be able to provide assistance to Finland in the event of a crisis in the Baltic region. This was said by the Alliance’s Deputy Secretary-General, Alexander Vershbow.

“It is possible that a crisis in the Baltic Sea region could affect NATO members and Finland. NATO would then probably decide to respond to this by protecting member countries and by providing assistance to its close partners,” Lännen Media quoted Vershbow as saying.

Vershbow also spoke about the “very close ties” …

On September 25, pro-Russian separatists violated the ceasefire seven times. Separatists resorted to armed provocations using small arms, grenade launchers and machine guns.

This was reported by the Ukrainian Armed Forces press center.

In the Mariupol area, separatists violated the ceasefire in the areas of Marinka and Pavlopillia using small arms.

In the Donetsk area, separatists fired on Ukrainian positions in the area of Avdiivka. They used grenade launchers, machine guns and small arms. …

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he will visit Russia and China this year to create “open alliances” with the two countries in pursuit of an independent foreign policy, Reuters reported.

"I am ready to not really break ties [with the US] but we will open alliances with China and... Medvedev, he is awaiting there for my visit," Duterte said.

The President of the Philippines added that he would like to open up the "other side of the ideological barrier".

Duterte also noted that the …

Vice President of the United States Joseph Biden stated that Ukrainian authorities have agreed to the special status of the Donbas. The video of the politician’s speech at the Council of Foreign Relations in New York was published by the Ukrainian Service of Voice of America.

Biden noted the complexity of the decision for Kyiv, stating that it would be similar to Washington granting special status to Texas due to the growing influence of Mexico in the region.

“It’s like saying, ‘Texas will …

On Friday, Lithuania formally recalled the Defense Attaché in Russia, Saulius Pikturnu, because of his marriage to a woman from the Crimea. ”From this day forward, Saulius Pikturnu has been recalled as Defense Attaché. Starting tomorrow, he will be transferred to the Lithuanian Armed Forces reserve,” the Minister of National Defense, Juozas Olekas, said.

Pikturnu was asked to return to Lithuania for consultation after the revelation of the Colonel’s family status.

“The 2nd Department of …

Russia will establish a testing ground to test security equipment at the border in the annexed Crimea, as was discussed at a meeting of the Russian State Border Commission, which took place on 23 September in the Crimea.

As TASS reports, according to the Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Dmitry Rogozin, the Federal State Service has already obtained the approval of the Border Service.

“Instructions will be given, with the consent of the Federal Border Guard Service of Russia, to test, apply, and …

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev published an article entitled “New dynamics in Russia’s social and economical development” for the journal Economic Issues, in which he analyzed the current economic politics of Russia.

In the coming years the Russian economy will undergo “a far-reaching renewal,” provoked by the world’s “challenges and changes,” Medvedev wrote.

“We will have to establish a new form of development that is able to provide our country an important place in the modern world. …

The annexation of the Crimea by Russia and its continued military presence in eastern Ukraine is contrary to international law and OSCE principles, as was stated during a speech at the UN General Assembly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, Margot Wallström, Ukrinform reported.

"The illegal annexation of the Crimea by Russia and their military presence in eastern Ukraine undermines international law and the principles of European security agreed upon by all OSCE countries," she said. …