The former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin, who was dismissed by the President in March, had a wealthy common-law wife and a child which were not listed in his declaration, as was reported in the TV investigative program Schemes.

Journalists noted that "the investigation revealed that he has both a child and a common-law wife. It would be his private affair, if it weren’t for the fact that a number of luxury apartments including some estates abroad are in his common-law wife’s and …

Two years after the beginning of Russia’s aggression in the Donbas, the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has temporarily suspended the foreign trade activities of 243 Russian companies doing business in the territories which are beyond Kiev’s control.

At the initiative of the SSU, the foreign trade activities of 243 Russian companies doing business with commercial entities in the temporarily occupied territories of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions have been suspended, the SSU press center …

U.S. Diplomats stress that Russia’s statements regarding their desire for peace in Ukraine differ from real events, as stated during by the U.S. Ambassador for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Daniel Baer, during a telephone conversation with European journalists as part of the Brussels Media Hub project.

He stressed that the number of victims and attacks from the territory controlled by separatists has increased due to Russia’s actions. "The situation has escalated …

The Russian weightlifting team was barred from participation in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) announced on their website on Friday, 29 July.

The Executive Committee has carefully reviewed the decision regarding the participation of Russian weightlifters in the Rio Olympic Games, says the statement. In particular, it reviewed a report by an independent expert, Richard McLaren, who, at the request of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) had …

The President of Russia can appoint a new ambassador to Ukraine only after Senate approval.

The Presidential Envoy of the Volga Federal District, Mikhail Babich, is likely to become a new Russian Ambassador to Ukraine. His candidacy was supported by the Federation Council, RIA Novosti reported. According to Russian legislation, the President should consult with the members of the Federation Council and State Duma Deputies before appointing a new ambassador.

After already having gone on leave, …

The inclusion of annexed Crimea into the Southern Federal District means that the peninsula has lost its special status, which, in particular, included provisions that excluded the enlistment of Crimeans into the Russian army. Now Crimeans will be drafted in the same way as citizens of the Russian Federation. This opinion was expressed by the coordinator of a Crimean human rights group, Olga Skrypnyk, Krym.Realii reported.

Before Crimea was included in the Southern Federal District, there was …

Latvian Armed Forces detected a Russian military ship near the country’s borders on Friday.

This was reported on Twitter by the National Armed Forces of Latvia.

“On July 29 at a distance of 2.5 nautical miles from the border of Latvia, a Russian Steregushchy-class corvette Stoykiy was found,” the statement says.

Since the start of the conflict in Ukraine and the aggravation of relations between the West and Russia, Russian warships and aircraft have been detected increasingly often near the …

Ukrainian soldiers of the 80th Airborne Assault Brigade will participate in NATO’s Flaming Thunder 2016 exercises in Lithuania, Evropeyskaya Pravda reported, citing the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

The annual Lithuanian-led live-fire exercise, which focuses on artillery and mortar fire training, will be held near Pabradė and will last from August 1st to 12th.

Military personnel from the US, Germany, Belgium, Latvia, Lithuania, and Portugal will also participate in the exercises.

“In two …