• OSCE: Russia should end its occupation of Georgian territories

    On Tuesday July 5th, the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE in Tbilisi adopted a resolution entitled "Conflict in Georgia," which was provided by Georgia. The document consists of 17 paragraphs. It states, in particular, that Russia should "reverse their decision on the recognition of Georgian territories and end the occupation of Georgian territories."

    According to the resolution, Russia, in defiance of international requests, continues to violate international law, "and ignores the ceasefire …

  • Mitsubishi opens office in Ukraine

    New official distributor of Mitsubishi cars – the company MMC Ukraine - was introduced into the Ukrainian market

    A joint venture, MMC Ukraine, will import cars from the Japanese manufacturer, Mitsubishi, to Ukraine, as was reported by Liga.net citing the press service of the company. Mitsubishi Corporation’s share in the joint venture is 60%. The other 40% of the company belongs to the NIKO group of companies. Hiroaki Ozawa was appointed as the Director General of the joint venture.

    "The …

  • The French Foreign Ministry condemned French Parliament's intention to visit Crimea

    Paris called the French Parliament’s intention to visit the occupied Crimea an “illegal initiative” which has “nothing to do with the position of the French Foreign Ministry, the European Union or the entire international community.” This was stated by the French Foreign Ministry spokesman, Romain Nadal, UKRINFORM reports.

    “The French position is clear and consistent: together with the European Union and the entire international community, France does not recognize the illegal annexation of …

  • Lithuanian Army receives off-road vehicles from the Netherlands

    In late June and early July, Lithuania started receiving used military Mercedes-Benz GD SUVs from the Netherlands.

    This was reported by news portal Delfi with reference to the Ministry of the Defense of Lithuania.

    In total there will be 150 SUVs joining the Lithuanian army’s fleet.

    The vehicle delivery to Lithuania started on June 27 and the transfer will end on July 15.

    On the basis of a bilateral agreement, the Lithuanian army buys used military vehicles – Mercedes-Benz GD SUVs for …

  • British Defense Committee seeks to add more Russian officials to sanctions list

    The restrictive measures imposed “against Moscow have had very minimal effect on the military policy of Moscow” the British MPs believe.

    The Defense Committee of the British Parliament urged its government to put more Russian government officials on the sanctions list. This was stated in the Committee's report, published on Tuesday, July 5.

    The reports points out that the restrictive measure have had “minimal influence on the military polices of Russia”.

    The document recommends facilitating …

  • NATO defense expenses will rise noticeably in 2016

    Due to the strained relations with Russia and the fight against international terrorism, the defense spending of most of the NATO member states will grow significantly in 2016. The headquarters of NATO in Brussels reported on Monday, July 4 that the general increase in military spending of all allied nations, with the exception of the US and Canada, will reach almost 3%.

    NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the picture of defense spending in NATO countries is mixed, as some of …

  • Ukraine promises to impose counter-sanctions in response to Russia's transit restrictions

    The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine declared its intention to impose retaliatory sanctions in response to Russia's transit restrictions. The reaction of the Ukrainian Government to the transit restrictions imposed by a decree signed by the Russian President Vladimir Putin was expressed by the First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine and the Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Stepan Kibiv, on July 4th.

    According to Kibiv, imposing retaliatory sanctions is a common international practice in …

  • Putin prohibits foreign companies from polling Russian television audiences

    Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law prohibiting foreign companies and organizations from measuring the ratings of Russian TV Channels. The corresponding document was published on the official website of legal information. As stated in the document, foreign states, international organizations or organizations that are under their control, foreign legal entities and also Russian legal entities whose share of foreign capital is more than 20%, are not allowed to measure TV audiences.

    The …

  • Moscow asks Kiev to provide information on Russian prisoners in Ukraine

    Russia appealed to Ukraine with a request to provide data on detained Russian citizens, the Russian Foreign Ministry Special Representative for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, Konstantin Dolgov, said.

    "We sent a note to the Ukrainian Embassy in Moscow requesting comprehensive information about Russian citizens in Ukrainian jails and other detention facilities," he wrote on Twitter.

    He has previously stated that more than a hundred Russians are in detention or remand centers in …

  • Poltorak: Ukraine and Georgia are Europe's 'safety belt'

    Having met with the Chief of the General Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces, Vakhtang Kapanadze, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Stepan Poltorak stated that Ukraine and Georgia form a kind of security belt for European countries. As the press service of the Ministry of Defense reported on July 4th, the parties exchanged views on the policy pursued by the Russian Federation in Ukraine and Georgia during the meeting.

    Poltorak thanked the Georgian people for fully supporting Ukrainians. “The …