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Russian State Duma passes law on reciprocal sanctions
The lower house of the Russian parliament, in the third and final reading, passed a bill on counter sanctions.
In the final version of the bill, there is no mention of specific areas to which sanctions may apply. The law enables the government to ban the importation of any product or raw material, with the exception of necessary goods that are not produced in Russia.
Additionally, restrictions cannot be applied to goods imported for personal use, both by Russians and foreigners.
The bill …
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Ukraine does not exclude possibility of exchanging Sentsov for RIA Novosti editor-in-chief Vyshinsky
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry is considering all possible courses of action to ensure the release of Ukrainian filmmaker and social activist Oleg Sentsov from Russian prison, said Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Mariana Betsa at a briefing on Sentsov’s hunger strike, RBC-Ukraine reports.
Notably, when asked whether it was possible that Sentsov could be exchanged for Kirill Vyshinsky, the head of RIA Novosti Ukraine who was arrested on charges of high treason, Betsa said, “Anything is possible”. “ …
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Russia accused the Ukrainian Security Service of creating an extremist group in Crimea
The Federal Security Service of Russia claimed that it stopped the activity of an extremist group in the Crimea created by Erol Veliyev, an assistant to Verkhovna Rada lawmaker and Crimean Tatar Leader Mustafa Dzhemilev, Russian media reports.
According to the Russian special services, the group was established in Kharkiv under the supervision of Refat Chubarov and with the support of the Security Service of Ukraine. Two athletes, former boxers A. Steshenko and A. Tretyakov were named as co- …
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Kremlin calls British fight with dirty money from Russia 'Russophobia'
NTV reports that Russian Presidential Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said at a press briefing that the Kremlin believes the UK Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee’s recently released report on the risks associated with "dirty money" from Russia is "Russophobic mania.”
"We are witnessing rather unprecedented Russophobic mania in the UK, which manifests itself in many ways, including [this report]," he said.
According to Peskov, the calls to fight "dirty money" from Russia are the result of a “ …
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US Secretary of State urges Russia to withdraw troops from occupied regions of Georgia
During a meeting in Washington on Monday with Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the US condemns the Russian occupation of the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the Voice of America reports.
"The United States unequivocally condemns Russia’s occupation on Georgian soil. Russia’s forcible invasion of Georgia is a clear violation of international peace and security and goes against the basic principles of the Charter of the …