Contents tagged with crimea

  • Crimean authorities report shortage of cement on the peninsula

    The Kremlin-controlled Minister of Construction and Architecture of the Crimea, Sergei Kononov, stated that there is a shortage of cement in the construction warehouses of the peninsula because of the queues at the Kerch ferry crossing, as reported by Kryminform news agency.

    "Unfortunately, there was a queue for ferries coming from Kerch, of which there were more than 200 railway cars carrying cement. Novorossiysk cement, which as a rule, is transported from there, was not able enter the …

  • Russia will block navigation through the Kerch Strait beginning August 28

    Russia plans to completely stop navigation through the Kerch Strait from August 28 to 31, 2017 due to the construction of the Kerch Bridge. The corresponding order has been published on the site of the Kremlin-controlled Black Sea Ports Administration.

    "Beginning 00:00 local time on August 28 to 00:00 local time on August 31, the navigation of all ships and vessels will be prohibited in the restricted area of construction within the waters of the Kerch Strait, with the exception of ships and …

  • Main Crimean bank may lose access to SWIFT payment system due to loss of its software license

    The British company Finastra, which produces software that allows banks to access SWIFT (Society for World Interbank Financial Telecommunication) system, discovered that one of its clients was the Russian National Commercial Bank (RNCB) operating in the Crimea and decided to stop this cooperation.

    According to Russian Vedomosti newspaper, the bank can switch to another interface for accessing SWIFT, but if it does not manage to do this before August 31 when the license for the Finastra …

  • Media: Siemens turbines for Crimea were resold in order to prevent court appeal

    The Russian news outlet Kommersant reported that its journalists have uncovered the scheme according to which Siemens gas turbines were transferred from Russia to annexed Crimea, in circumvention of EU sanctions. As the media claims, this took place by means of resale.

    According to the publication, it follows from the arbitration court documents that the scheme involved two Russian companies with the same name: JSC Foreign Economic Association Technopromexport, which is a subsidiary of the …

  • Media: Foreign athletes refuse to take part in sport events in Crimea

    Foreigners are refusing to participate in the Cliff Diving World Cup in the Russian-annexed Crimea. Thus, Colombian diver Orlando Duque and Mexican diver Jonathan Paredes will not come to the peninsula because of warnings issued by Ukraine, as reported by RIA Crimea citing the competition’s organizers.

    "In 2014, we encountered a similar situation when we held downhill competitions, so this year we tried not to advertise our event for as long as possible, although it is decreases participation …

  • Putin met Ukrainian MP Medvedchuk in Crimea

    The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, during a trip to the Crimea met with a representative of Ukraine from one of the subgroups of the Trilateral Contact Group, Viktor Medvedchuk, as reported by RBC news agency, citing sources.

    Putin was in the annexed peninsula for three days, as of Friday, August 18. He went to Sevastopol, visited the Chersonesus reserve and the Tavrida children's camp.

    During his visit, Putin made time for closed talks with Medvedchuk.

    "The leader of the Ukrainian …

  • Leader of German Free Democratic Party suggested ‘freezing the discussion on the annexation of Crimea’

    In an interview with Deutsche Welle on August 23, the leader of the liberal Free Democratic Party of Germany (FDP), Christian Lindner proposed to "freeze" the issue of the annexation of the Crimea by Russia, but not to legitimize the occupation of the peninsula.  

    "The annexation of the Crimea is a violation of international law. We do not recognize it. The sanctions remain in effect,” he emphasized. The leader of the German Liberals also proposed a return to the "traditional German policy of …

  • Dzhemilev: Crimean factory belonging to Ukrainian fugitive oligarch Firtash receives power and raw materials from mainland Ukraine

    The Crimean plant Titan belonging to Ukrainian businessman Dmytro Firtash receives a portion of the electricity it uses from the Kherson region, stated the representative of the President of Ukraine for Crimean Tatar people Mustafa Dzhemilev, Krym.Realii reports.

    "Why is this happening? There are several explanations. Some say that if we do not supply a certain amount of electricity there, then a technogenic disaster could occur," said Dzhemilev.

    He noted that a technogenic disaster is …

  • US Embassy in Russia: Crimeans should apply for an American visa in Kyiv

    Residents of the Crimea should apply for an American visa in Kyiv, as stated by the press service of the US Embassy in Russia, UNIAN reports.

    "The Crimea belongs to the consular district of the US Embassy in Kyiv. All applicants who permanently reside in the Crimea and are applying for immigrant visas and K (bride / groom) visas must apply for visas in Kyiv, regardless of their citizenship," the statement says.

    It is noted that consular fees paid in Ukraine can not be used for applying for a …

  • Russian strike forces carry out tactical exercises in annexed Crimea

    The Russian strike forces in annexed Crimea are carrying out tactical exercises, the Russian Defense Ministry press service announced. As reported, a test exercise is being done with a group of mixed strike forces in the Black Sea Fleet.

    “Today, according to the military training plan of the Black Sea Fleet ships, the armed forces have begun tactical exercises,” the report states. The report notes that during the exercises, there are plans to rehearse air bombardment and the launching of …