• Kremlin: 11 Russian aircraft and helicopters returned from Syria

    11 Russian military planes and helicopters returned from Syria last week, arriving at their permanent bases in Russia, the Russian Defense Ministry reported as quoted by to RIA Novosti.

    “Eleven aircraft have returned to their permanent bases in the Russian Federation from Syria over the past week,” the Ministry informed.

    According to the Defense Ministry, the Russian warplanes flew to their base while the army aviation helicopters were carried by military-transport aircraft. Additionally, the …

  • American congressmen seek sanctions against Russian oligarch over 'large-scale investments in Crimea'

    Shares of billionaire Vladimir Yevtushenkov's companies were pummeled on the Moscow Stock Exchange on Friday following news from the US that a group of congressmen is seeking sanctions against the businessman, who has already given the State key oil assets and lost 70% of his fortune due to a conflict with Rosneft.

    US Congressmen affiliated with the Republican Party, Mark Walker and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, argued that the inclusion of Yevtushenkov, as well as his companies AFK Sistema and MTS, in …

  • Russian companies prepare to be disconnected from SWIFT

    Russia’s largest companies continue to report that they are ready for a possible disconnection from the SWIFT international payment system.

    Gazprom Neft announced that it has followed Rostec and Rosneft in transitioning to the Central Bank of Russia’s SWIFT equivalent - the Financial Message Transmission System (FMTS).

    The nearly 100% Gazprom-owned company, which holds the 4th place for oil extraction in Russia, has begun to use the Russian SWIFT equivalent instead of the traditional one, …

  • Russia displeased by Canada’s legalization of marijuana

    Russia’s Foreign Ministry said that the Canadian parliament’s decision to legalize the recreational use of cannabis is a “gross and deliberate violation by the country of its international legal obligations”.

    The Russian foreign policy department drew attention to the fact that Canada has signed a number of conventions which obligate its member states to restrict the use of drugs exclusively to medicinal and scientific purposes. The obligations are not open to alternative interpretations, the …

  • Council of Europe Secretary General to officially request Sentsov’s release

    On June 25, Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe (CE), will send Russian President Vladimir Putin an official request to pardon Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov, a senior CE official told Deutsche Welle.

    “On Monday, Jagland will file a petition for the pardoning of Sentsov,” Deputy Secretary General Daniel Holtgen announced. He also pointed out that the Secretary General has a right to do so according to the European Convention on Human Rights.

    On June 20, Jagland …