• German regulator reduced Gazprom's access to the OPAL system

    The German energy regulator, Bundesnetzagentur, has reduced the limit of use of the OPAL gas pipeline for Russian Gazprom to the same level that was installed before, to 50%. As stated in the press-service of the company on Facebook, "The German regulator reduced the limit for Gazprom to use the OPAL pipeline to its former 50% but the actual amount of this reduction has not yet affected the actual volumes."

    In late October, the European Commission allowed Gazprom to increase its pumping gas …

  • Russian missile defense regiment armed with S-400 Triumfs assumes combat duty in the Crimea

    A missile defense regiment armed with S-400 Triumpf missile systems has assumed combat duty in the Crimea, TASS reported.

    The regiment is part of Russia’s Southern Military District.

    According to the Commander of the 4th Air Force and Air Defense Army Viktor Sevastianov, "It is for the first time, that a unique air defense complex assumed combat duty in Crimea - it will raise the combat opportunities of the air defense. It would be a reliable air defense for the people in Crimea."

    The S-400 …

  • Berlin invites Russian minister to attend G20 agriculture meeting in Germany despite sanctions

    Through a series of diplomatic maneuvers, the German government hopes to circumvent the EU’s travel ban for Russian Minister of Agriculture Aleksandr Tkachov, the DPA news agency reported.

    Tkachov is on the list of Russians who are subject to sanctions and is thus prohibited from entering the EU due to Russia’s annexation of the Crimea in 2014. However, according to the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to host the Russian minister on January 22. …

  • Human Rights Watch: Crimeans are losing their rights

    The world-wide independent international human rights organization, Human Rights Watch, has released their report for 2017, which indicated that after the Russian Federation’s occupation of the Crimea, the human rights situation in the peninsula deteriorated, as stated by its representative in Ukraine, Tatyana Cooper, during the presentation of the report in Kyiv on Thursday, Interfax-Ukraine reports.

    "Since Russia began taking control of the peninsula, the human rights situation there has …

  • Russian Defense Minister: In the future, precision nuclear weapons will be a major force of Russian army

    The Defense Minister of the Russian Federation, General Sergey Shoygu, stated during a lecture for the executive personnel of the Defense Department that in four years, the foundation of Russian precision weaponry will be ships equipped with Kalibr cruise missiles as reported by Russia's Izvestia newspaper.

    Shoygu indicated that the modern all-purpose surface ships and submarines equipped with these complexes will become part of the naval forces. He also noted that at the same time, the …