Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed a decree to demilitarize the unfinished Ukrayina missile cruiser which is stationed in the anchorage area of the 61 Communards Shipyard in Mykolaiv.

Vyacheslav Bonia, Deputy Head of Mykolaiv City Administration, made a statement to this effect at a staff meeting, Hronika.info reports.

At the staff meeting, Bonia told the workers how the authorities plan to deal with the matter of the salaries they are owed.

“You have the cruiser Ukrayina here, …

The Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine for Humanitarian Affairs, Vyacheslav Kyrylenko, offered Russia the option to choose another participant for Eurovision-2017 that has not violated Ukrainian legislation, as stated on Ukrainian Radio, reports Ukrainska Pravda.

Kyrylenko stressed that from the very beginning Ukraine warned that no artist who had violated Ukrainian legislation would be able to participate in the song contest.

"Of course, we are ready to accept all 43 Eurovision participating …

 A meeting with the head of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), Mahmoud Abbas, is on Russian leader, Vladimir Putin’s schedule on May 11th. The Press Secretary for the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, confirmed that preparations are being made for the Palestinian head’s visit, Interfax reports.

"Yes. The meeting is planned," Peskov said. However, he also stated that so far there is no intent to organize a meeting between the PNA head with Israeli leadership in Moscow.

Previously, the …

The US State Department condemns the actions of Russian law enforcement agencies during protests against corruption that took place in dozens of Russian cities on March 26th and call for the immediate release of all peaceful rally participants, as stated by State Department spokesman Mark Toner, reports Reuters.

"We urge the Russian government to immediately release all peaceful demonstrators," Toner said in a statement.

The State Department spokesman noted that Washington “condemns the …

The Tabqa dam on the Euphrates, Syria’s largest dam has been partially destroyed by the fighting between the Syrian Democratic Forces or SDF coalition and the Islamic State terrorist group, as reported by RIA Novosti with a reference to the Lebanese TV channel Al Mayadeen.

The Tabqa hydroelectric power station was built in the early 1970s with the assistance of Soviet specialists. It keeps in check the Al-Assad, the largest reservoir in the country.

Al Mayadeen reported, citing informed …

President of Poland Andrzej Duda is disappointed with the reaction of Belarusian authorities toward participants of a protest rally held on Freedom Day, March 25th.

He said this at a meeting with the presidents of Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as reported by Onet, with reference to Polish Press Agency.

“I watched with great disappointment how the Belarusian authorities dealt with the protesters,” Duda said.

He also said that he is concerned about the detention of Polish citizens in …

Russia will not give a report to NATO about the deployment of Iskander missile systems in Kaliningrad, said Andrei Kelin, Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's European Cooperation Department as reported by RIA Novosti.

 “There will be no report at the upcoming Russia-NATO Council (RNC),” said Kelin in response to a question about an article in Spiegel.

Spiegel reporters wrote that at the Russia-NATO council, Brussels will require an explanation from Moscow about why the Iskander missile …

Chinese companies (including state-owned enterprises) are secretly entering the annexed Crimea as investors, providing services for the Crimean authorities and supplying the peninsula with the latest industrial equipment, according to an article written by Valentina Samar for ZN.UA.

According to Samar, the Kherson office of the Security Service of Ukraine has not yet completed the pre-trial investigation into the participation of the Chinese vessel JIAN JI 3001 in the construction of the so- …