Russian Prosecutor General Yuriy Chaika has referred to the release of the Panama Papers as “carefully planned and coordinated by authorities of the western states”. He said this while at the Federation Council of Russia on the 27th of April.

According to Chaika, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office had sent a request to Panamanian authorities to verify the information in the documents. “We are part of an information war and there will be no secrets,” Chaika said.

On the 3rd of April 2016, …

According to preliminary data from the monitoring mission, the OSCE has confirmed the deaths of four civilians at the Elenovka checkpoint in the Donetsk region last night. This was reported by the UNIAN news agency.

OSCE observers arrived at the Elenovka checkpoint at approximately 10 am in response to media reports about the deaths. The observers then conducted a preliminary analysis which determined that “three vehicles were damaged, four civilians were killed and an unconfirmed number of …

As reported by the Association of International Road Carriers, Russia received documents from Kiev approving the transit of goods through Ukraine.

The Association noted that the documents have several limitations. In particular, the approval does not include cargo transportation through Ukraine to Italy or Turkey, and some of the permits are not valid for delivery of cargo to Germany.

Carriers can get permits in designated offices. The Association of International Road Carriers recommends …

The Acting Head of the OSCE, German Minister of Foreign Affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier, expressed concerns over the increase in ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine including incidents involving OSCE observers.

“The SMM is a civil, unarmed mission. It plays an important role in the implementation of the ceasefire agreement. SMM observers’ security should be guaranteed by both sides. The persons responsible for threats and use of force against observers must be brought to justice,” …

Smolensk customs officials have destroyed 97.7 tons of Polish apples and pears that were smuggled into the region. This was reported to Interfax by the department’s Chief State Inspector, Vladimir Safonov. According to him, the fruit was buried at the RudnyaKomUslugi waste disposal site.

Safonov also reported that the department had destroyed a total of 189 tons of sanctioned goods in April. These consisted of apples, pears and cabbages.

"All of these Polish items were officially imported as …

The Presnensky District Court of Moscow has extended the detainment of the Director of the Library of Ukrainian Literature, Natalya Sharina, until July 29th, 2016. Sharina is accused of distributing extremist literature and embezzlement.

This update was posted on Facebook by Sharina’s lawyer, Ivan Pavlov.

The court has also denied the request that Sharina be allowed to take short outside walks during her detainment.

Investigators had searched the Library of Ukrainian Literature on the 28th …

Well-known Russian media manager, journalist and public figure, Anton Nosik, was indicted for "inciting hatred or hostility, resulting in the humiliation of human dignity" on Tuesday, April 26, in Moscow. He was released on his own recognizance and ordered not to leave the country, reports Interfax.

According to investigators, on October 1, 2015, Nosik, "using his personal computer posted on a blogging platforms, with the aim of arousing hatred and hostility towards a group of people on a …

Boris Vyshnevsky, the Deputy in St. Petersburg’s legislative assembly and Russian political analyst reported that, for the first time in many years, the opposition wasn’t allowed to hold a rally dedicated to the Spring and Labor Festival. “Petersburg democratic opposition received a refusal to hold the procession dedicated to the 1st of May and rally in the center of Petersburg for the first time in recent years,” the public figure wrote on his Facebook page on the 25th of April.

According to …