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IMF to open new lending program for Ukraine
The price of gas may increase by 23.5% in October. The prices of gas for industry and the population must eventually equalize. Ukrainian authorities are discussing this scenario during negotiations with the IMF mission, reports Ukrainski Novyny News Agency, referring to its sources.
It is noted that the parties agreed upon a new Stand-by lending program for Ukraine, which will replace the current EFF (Extended Fund Facility) program and will help avoid default and a sharp increase in gas …
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Russia to fire Iskander-M missile systems during Vostok 2018 exercise
Troops from the missile unit of the 41st Combined Arms Army of Russia’s Central Military District, which is stationed in the Sverdlovsk region, will fire shots from Iskander-M mobile tactical missile systems at the Kapustin Yar training ground as part of the Vostok 2018 military exercises, said the Russian Defense Ministry on Wednesday.
“Iskander-M missile system crews were transferred earlier to the Astrakhan region by railroad transport. At the training ground, the troops marched to position …
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UN: Battle of Idlib could become worst humanitarian catastrophe of 21st century
The United Nations has warned that a full-scale war in the province of Idlib in north-western Syria could turn into the worst humanitarian catastrophe in the 21st century, because many thousands of the three million inhabitants of this region could be killed.
According to the UN, many civilians were already killed in the air and ground strikes by the Syrian army and its Russian allies last week, and more than 30,000 people were forced to abandon their homes.
Nearly half of Idlib’s three …
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Ukraine and the EU to sign macro-financial assistance program for €1 billion
As stated in the European Commission’s message, Ukraine and the European Union will sign a program of macro-financial assistance for €1 billion this week. On September 13, the Vice President of the European Commission, Valdis Dombrovskis will arrive in Ukraine to sign the deal.
He will also hold negotiations with the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Volodymyr Groysman and Minister of Finance of Ukraine Oksana Markarova, and will take part in the Yalta European Strategy forum during his two-day visit. …
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Kyiv may impose sanctions against Swiss ‘delegation’ for visiting Crimea
The Ukrainian Embassy may initiate sanctions against the Swiss delegation headed by Edward Belzer, a former member of the Council of States of Switzerland, for visiting the annexed Crimea.
As the diplomatic mission reported on September 10, this visit was “a violation of the Ukrainian legislation and contradicts Switzerland's official position on the non-recognition of the attempt to annex the Crimea to Russia”.
“We are sorry, but despite the well-known observance of the supremacy of the …
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Kremlin: Putin has no plans to visit Vostok 2018 military exercises with other leaders
Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to have no intention of inviting other world leaders to join him in attending the Vostok 2018 military exercises. His press secretary Dmitry Peskov said there are no plans “[to invite other leaders to visit the exercises] together with the President of Russia,” Interfax reports. Peskov added that does not know if the leaders of other countries will attend the exercises separately.
The Vostok 2018 exercises will be held in Siberia and in the Far East …
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Russia creates an offshore zone on an island that does not exist
One of the two newly created Russian offshore companies on Oktyabrsky Island, cannot be realized, since the island does not exist as a geographical entity, writes the newspaper Vedomosti.
The publication refers to the words of Deputy Finance Minister Ilya Trunin, who complained that his “Kaliningrad colleagues have a basic problem".
”As it turns out, there is no Oktyabrsky Island in the Kaliningrad region. This geographical entity does not exist,” the official noted.
According to the former …
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Russia’s real foreign debt five times higher than official figure
The Russian government’s nominally low foreign debt of $50 billion, at 3.6% of the GDP, is only the tip of the iceberg with respect to the government’s lending to western creditors, finanz.ru reports.
If one takes into account the loans of the state banks and the state corporations and structures which are more than 50% owned by the government, the total foreign debt of the government sector exceeds the official figure by a factor of five, at $255 billion.
These were the figures cited by the …
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Russia fines Crimean plant Titan $10 million for air pollution
The arbitration court of the annexed Crimea decided that the Titan plant in the Crimean town of Armyansk should pay 736.9 million rubles ($10.5 million USD) to the Russia budget for the negative impact on the environment, as reported by Rosprirodnadzor (Russia's Federal Service for Supervision of Use of Natural Resources) in a press release on their website. According to the report, the inspection found that the enterprise was discharging liquid industrial waste into the acid storage.
The …
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Ukrainian President Poroshenko buys 430 sniper rifles for paratroopers
With the assistance of the Roshen Company, 430 sniper rifles Zbroyar Z-10 and Savage-110 were acquired and handed over to paratrooper assault units of the Ukranian Armed Forces, reported on Facebook the Advisor of Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Yuriy Biryukov. Biryukov also reminded of the 98 sniper rifles sent directly by Petro Poroshenko to the soldiers of the Special Operations Forces a year ago.
Earlier, Roshen has repeatedly provided assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In …