• Russian Ministry of Defense: Two military helicopters returned to Russia from Syria

    Two Ka-52 helicopters returned to Russia after carrying out military tasks in Syria, RIA Novosti reported, citing the Ministry of Defense. The helicopters and their crews were transported by an An-124 Ruslan military transport aircraft from the Khmeimim aerodrome.

    As indicated by the military department, after returning to Russia, the pilots and helicopters will be sent to permanent deployment bases.

    Russian newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta previously reported that over the past week, 11 planes …

  • Media: Ukrainian special services are looking for dirt on Prime Minister Groysman

    The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has begun to search for compromising information on the country's Prime Minister, Volodymyr Groysman, the Obozrevatel news outlet reports referring to unnamed sources.

    According to their information, this happened after the head of the Ukrainian government announced the beginning of the fight against corruption at the Ukrainian customs. "In fact, those who directed the smuggling flows, realizing that they are losing money, want to incriminate the prime …

  • Media: Osama bin Laden’s bodyguard lived on welfare in Germany for 10 years

    German police arrested a Tunisian national who was once a bodyguard of Osama bin Laden, the notorious terrorist leader killed by US Special Forces, reports the German publication Bild.

    The man was 42 years old and lived in Bochum.

    The unnamed man first came to Germany in 1997 and from 2008, he received allowances in the amount of 1,200 euro every month. Members of his family also obtained German passports.

    The ex-bodyguard was arrested when he came to the police to get a registration stamp. …

  • Hungary names conditions necessary for Ukraine-NATO Commission to resume work

    Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has named three conditions under which Hungary would agree to unblock the activities of the Ukraine-NATO Commission.

    "The first condition [is that] the transitional period for the language of education should be extended until 2023, and during this time [Ukraine will] have to negotiate with the minority on what changes will be implemented. The second condition, which also fully meets the Venice Commission’s proposals, is that [the norm on the language …

  • Washington: Russia must do its part to uphold the ceasefire in Syrian southwest de-escalation zone

    Washington believes that the Syrian authorities are fighting in the southwestern portion of the country, in violation of a de-escalation regime that has been in place there since summer 2017. The US is hoping that Moscow will help reduce resultant tensions, stated US Deputy Representative to the United Nations Jonathan Cohen during an open debate at the UN Security Council on the topic of the "Maintenance of International Peace and Security: [A] Comprehensive Review of the Situation in the …

  • Company owned by Putin's friend demands dismissal of charges made by special prosecutor Mueller

    On Monday, Russian company Concord Management and Consulting, accused of financing a Russian campaign of influence on American elections, demanded that the Court drop charges made by special prosecutor Robert Mueller on the grounds that, according to the company, he was appointed illegally and does not have appropriate prosecutor’s powers.

    The company is controlled by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessman close to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Prigozhin stated in court documents that Deputy …

  • Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Trump Advisor John Bolton to meet in Moscow

    Interfax reports that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will meet with US National Security Adviser John Bolton on June 27 in Moscow. Information about the upcoming meeting was released by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    On June 21, White House spokesperson Garrett Marquis announced on his Twitter account that Bolton would visit Moscow in preparation for a meeting between the Presidents of the United States and Russia. Information about the forthcoming visit by the official was …

  • Human rights activists fear growth of forced prostitution during World Cup 2018 in Russia

    Women from Asia and Africa may be brought into Russia under the guise of soccer fans for the purpose of forced prostitution, anti-slavery NGO “Alternativa” believes.

    The human rights activists warn that there is a danger that forced prostitution will increase in Russia while it is hosting the FIFA World Cup.

    “This tournament inflates the demand for prostitutes and attracts clients,” the chairperson of Alternativa told the German Press Agency on Tuesday, June 26.

    The NGO representative …

  • Peskov: Putin works regardless of ratings

    Russian President Vladimir Putin is pragmatic about changes in his ratings, he carries on doing his job without looking at these indicators, Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

    “I would not want to exaggerate. Undoubtedly, the government’s initiative with respect to the pension reform is an extremely socially significant and socially prominent topic. It will be subject to further scrupulous clarification,” Peskov replied, when asked whether the Kremlin is concerned about …

  • Putin to ramp up surveillance of Russians’ travels abroad

    The Russian government is preparing to take steps to increase the monitoring of Russian citizens’ tourist travels abroad.

    In order to do this, they plan to increase usage of the Electronic Pass system, which will collect data on tours purchased by citizens through tourist companies.

    The system, which has been under development since 2015 as part of the law “On the fundamentals of tourist activity”, was initially intended to be voluntary.

    Now, however, the Federal Agency for Tourism ( …