Contents tagged with Russia
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Syria confirms preparation of an offensive in the Idlib province
Syrian government forces are preparing a large-scale attack on insurgents in the province of Idlib, said the Minister of Foreign Affair of Syria, Walid al-Muallem, on August 30th after a conversation with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow.
According to him, the Syrian military “will make their way through Idlib,” and “the main objective” of the upcoming operation will be the Al-Nusra Front, which at a time had ties with Al-Qaeda.
The province of Idlib is the last of the de- …
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Russia to conduct extensive naval maneuvers in Mediterranean
Russia has been expanding its military presence in the eastern Mediterranean ahead of Syrian government forces’ expected offensive on the final rebel and jihadist stronghold in Syria, the Idlib Governorate. From 1 to 8 September, the Russian fleet in the Mediterranean will carry out drills involving 25 ships and around 30 Aerospace Forces aircraft, the Russian Defense Ministry announced.
The exercise will focus on a range of tasks relating to anti-air and anti-submarine defense, as well as …
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Czech President calls sanctions against Russia 'ineffective'
The sanctions of the European Union against Russia are ineffective and not beneficial, said the President of the Czech Republic, Miloš Zeman during a meeting with Ambassadors of the country, Zpravy news outlet reports.
The President expressed his approval of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s earlier statement on the need to lift sanctions against Russia. "These sanctions benefit no one. I am pleased that the Prime Minister publicly stated that they are not effective," he said. Zeman also stated …
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Ukraine prepares sanctions against builders of the Crimean Bridge
The Ukrainian Government prepared the draft regulation on the application of sanctions against those involved in the construction of the Crimean Bridge.
The Cabinets of Ministers will send to the National Security and Defense Council for consideration the list of organizations to be subjected to the restrictions, as stated by the Ukrainian Ministry of Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons. The government plans to introduce sanctions against nineteen Russian entities. …
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Ukrainian President’s representative claims Russia may have started development of chemical weapons in Crimea
Speaking about the environmental situation in the north of the Crimea, where an unknown substance was discharged on August 27, the representative of the Ukraine's President in the Crimea, Boris Babin, said that Russia could be producing components of chemical weapons in the territory of the annexed peninsula, Ukrinform news agency reports.
Babin said that environmental problems caused by the illegal activities of companies in the north part of the annexed Crimea, affect not only the residents …
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Media: Merkel will visit Kyiv to force Ukraine’s reconciliation with Russia's Gazprom
The key topic of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit to Kyiv, scheduled for early November, is the continuation of the Russian gas transit through Ukraine after the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline construction is completed, writes the Polish edition of Gazeta Wyborcza.
The publication notes that many European experts and politicians have criticized the intention to implement the Nord Stream-2 project, which will only strengthen the EU's dependence on Russian gas. After the launch of the new …
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Permanent Representative of Ukraine to UN: talks between Volker and Surkov are ‘on the verge of death’
Negotiations between Kurt Volker, a special representative of the US State Department for Ukraine, and Vladislav Surkov, Russian presidential aide, on the Donbas are "‘on the verge of death", Vladimir Yelchenko, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the US announced at a press conference in Kyiv, Hromadske reports.
“There is no unity or progress there. Progress depends on the Surkov-Volker track that seems to be ‘on the verge of death’. They have not met since January. They haven’t made any …
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Lavrov: Russia and Turkey agreed on joint operation in northern Syria
Russia and Turkey agreed to prepare an operation against the militant group al-Nusrah Front, in the Syrian region of Idlib, together with forces of the Syrian President, Bashar Assad, stated the Russian Minister of Foreign Affair, Sergey Lavrov, TASS reports. “I very much hope that our partners in the West will indulge in provocations and dramatizations, and will not oppose the antiterrorist operations in the de-escalation zone against the al-Nusrah Front,” he said.
Idlib, a refuge for …
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Germany to abandon Nord Stream 2 if US imposes sanctions
The German concern Uniper, one of Gazprom’s five European partners participating in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, will be forced to pull out of the project if it is placed under US sanctions, said Uniper board member Christopher Delbrück on Wednesday, as reported by Down Jones.
According to him, the risk of sanctions exceeds the possible losses for the concern if it withdraws from the collaboration with Gazprom.
“Of course, Uniper cannot risk US sanctions,” he said, “In …
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Kremlin: Russia uses anti-drone systems in Syria
The Russian Silok-01 and Zhitel anti-drone systems which were used in soccer stadiums during the FIFA World Cup 2018 have been put to use in Syria, press service of Russia’s Central Military District reported.
According to Central Military District Commander Lieutenant-General Alexander Lapin, the anti-drone systems “have successfully proved themselves during the operation in the Syrian Arab Republic”.
The systems were presented to the chiefs of general staff of the Shanghai Cooperation …