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Venezuela offers to give Russian oil giant Rosneft control over PDVSA
The Venezuelan government is considering handing over complete control of the state-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) to the Russian oil corporation Rosneft, the Venezuelan newspaper El Nacional reported, citing sources in the country’s energy sector.
According to the news outlet, the Venezuelan government proposed this initiative in exchange for writing off the country’s debt to Russia. Moscow apparently viewed the initiative positively, because it sent several commissions …
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Lithuania and Russia prepare to exchange captured spies
Lithuania and Russia have agreed to exchange a number of prisoners accused of espionage, the Lithuanian news agency BNS reported, citing informed sources.
Lithuania will hand over Nikolai Filipchenko, a Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) agent who was convicted two years ago. In turn, Russia will release the Lithuanian citizens Yevgeny Mataitis and Aristidas Tamosaitis.
The exchange agreement also includes a Norwegian citizen who was convicted in Russia and one other Russian citizen. …
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Kremlin calls Kyiv's proposal to dissolve DPR and LPR 'unexpected'
The Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov called Kyiv's proposal to dissolve the self-proclaimed republics of the Donbas (Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics) "very unexpected." According to him, these are some "new inputs" for Moscow, as well as for Berlin and Paris, reports RIA Novosti news agency.
After a meeting of a Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine in Minsk, the Press Secretary of the Kyiv's representative, Darka Olifer, stated that Ukraine is ready to fulfill its …
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Russian officials remove US diplomats from train during official trip to Severodvinsk
Three US embassy employees were removed from the Nyonoksa – Severodvinsk train in Russia since they lacked authorization to enter the restricted territory, Interfax reports, citing an informed source.
The US diplomats included Navy Attache Curtis, Attache Arriola and Attache Colonel Dann.
“Since this territory is restricted, the US embassy staff were removed from the train, and signs of an administrative offense have been perceived in their actions,” the report reads.
The source noted that …
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Russia begins large-scale military exercises in Arctic
The Russian Defense Ministry has initiated large-scale maneuvers with its Strategic Nuclear Forces (RVSN) in the Arctic.
The Grom-2019 (“Thunder-2019”) exercise will involve more than 12,000 military personnel, 213 RVSN launchers, 105 aircraft, including five strategic missile carriers, 15 surface ships and five nuclear submarines, as well as 310 items of combat and special equipment, the TASS news agency reports, citing a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry.
During the maneuvers, …