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Germany and France accuse Russia of the OSCE drone disappearance
According to Ukrinform, Germany and France, as Normandy format participants strongly condemned the downing of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission drone in Eastern Ukraine on October 27 and accused Russia of being responsible for it.
A joint statement by the two countries in the OSCE Permanent Council of November 1 stated, “Evidence collected by the SMM suggests that Russia and the separatists it backs bear responsibility for the targeting and downing of the LR UAV.” They emphasized that those …
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Kremlin: Russia will need huge military expenses if Georgia joins NATO
The accession of Georgia to NATO, which is expected to take place in 2021, will require “huge” expenses from Russia, stated Andrey Kelin, Director of the Department of European Cooperation of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
According to Kelin, Georgia's decision to become a member of the North Atlantic Alliance is viewed by Moscow as a problem and to resolve it Russia would require additional investments in defense.
“We will have to form a defense zone near Sochi,” Kelin said, adding that "it …
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Russian politician proposes shooting down US planes over Syria
The Russian military may shoot down more than just US-guided drones if there is another assault on its air base in Syria, warned Vladimir Shamanov, head of the State Duma Defense Committee. Russia may even target the American aircraft from which the drones are believed to be controlled.
Shamanov stresses that Moscow’s accusations that Washington attacked the Khmeimim Air Base using drones controlled from a US Poseidon 8 aircraft are based on “reliably gathered information”.
“Next time, this …
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Investors refuse to lend to Russian government
The Russian government continues to struggle to borrow money on the market due to the mass exodus of foreign investors and the reluctance of the major Russian banks to risk US sanctions, finanz.ru reports.
At the auction which was held on Wednesday, the Russian Finance Ministry failed for the second consecutive week to raise the targeted capital through Federal Loan Bonds (OFZs).
Investors were offered 15 billion rubles of 3-year bonds and 5 billion of 11-year bonds, but the budget was only …
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Russia introduces sanctions against Ukraine
The Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a government decree introducing sanctions against Ukraine.
Based on the document published on the Russian government’s website, the list includes more than 300 Ukrainian citizens and 68 companies.
Starting November 1st, their funds, property and bonds will be blocked in the Russian Federation, and transferring capital out of Russia will be restricted.
The imposition of sanctions is “aimed at countering unfriendly actions against Russian …