• EU extends sanctions against Russia until August 2018

    The Council of the European Union has extended sanctions against Russia until July 31, 2018.

    “On December 21, 2017, the Council extended economic sanctions against specific sectors of the Russian economy until July 31, 2018,” the report stated of the European Council.

    Initially, these measures were introduced on July 31, 2014 for a period of one year in response to Russia’s actions that destabilized the situation in Ukraine. They were strengthened in September of the same year and are …

  • Turchynov: murder of Okuyeva was ordered by Russia

    Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksandr Turchynov said that the murder of Amina Okuyeva, a volunteer of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, was an ordered professional hit executed by a Russian killer, UNIAN reports.

    On October 30, Amina Okuyeva was killed at a railway crossing near the town of Hlevakha not far from Kyiv. Her car was shot at by unknown assailants. Okuyeva died as a result of a shot in the head. Her husband Adam Osmayev was with her at the time, and he was …

  • Naftogaz of Ukraine expects to receive up to $16 billion from Russian Gazprom

    The national holding company Naftogaz of Ukraine expects to receive compensation in the sum of $6.5 billion to $16 billion from Russian Gazprom following the Stockholm Arbitration Court’s consideration of gas transit contracts, UNIAN reports citing the company's Chief Commercial Officer, Yuri Vitrenko, stated this.

    "The amount of our claim will be between $6.5 and $16 billion, depending on whether Ukrainian legislation is applied," he said.

    Vitrenko added that he anticipates the Stockholm …

  • Belarus to stop buying Russian electricity in 2018

    Belarus has decided not to buy electricity from Russia at the prices proposed by Russia, as announced by Energy Minister Vladimir Potupchik, Belta news agency reports.

     As of 2018, the country plans to completely stop importing electricity.

    The minister made this statement after concluding negotiations with Russia on the purchase of electricity. “We reached the conclusion that we will not buy it at Russia’s prices, instead we will replace it with our own generation,” he said.

    Previously, …

  • Putin signs bill allowing authorities to fine messenger services for non-compliance with Russian laws

    Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law which envisages fines for messengers that do not comply with Russian legislation.

    The relevant document was published on Russia’s official legal information portal.

    If messengers fail to meet the obligations established by the legislation on information, information technologies and information protection, Russian citizens will be faced with fines from 3 to 5 thousand rubles, officials with fines from 30 to 50 thousand rubles, and legal entities …