• OSCE reported on the escalation of the situation near Mariupol

    On October 22, OSCE observers noted a deterioration of the security situation in the Donbas to the southeast of Mariupol. This was announced by the deputy chief monitor of the Special Monitoring Mission of the OSCE in Ukraine, Alexander Hug.

    “According to our reports, you can see that, indeed, we have recorded the escalation of the situation in the south of the Donetsk region, namely in the areas to the southeast of Mariupol. We recorded the use of heavy weapons, which is prohibited by the …

  • Klimkin: Elections in the Donbas are a 'distant prospect'

    Holding elections in the Donbas is a distanct prospect, as stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Pavlo Klimkin, to the Verkhovna Rada during an hour of questions to the government on Friday, October 21.

    "As of today, we are very far from being able to move to the question of organizing elections since it is necessary to achieve all the required security needs. And the accomplishment of these conditions will be assessed both by us and the OSCE, in particular, by the Office for …

  • Navalny reported that Putin's daughter received $14 million in government contracts

    The Innopraktika Fund, allegedly headed by the daughter of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, received 877 million rubles (about $14 million) from government contracts and earmarked contributions in 2015 – 2016, according to information posted by the head of the Anti-Corruption Fund (FBK), Alexei Navalny, on his website.

    According to the FBK, over a two year period, Tikhonova`s fund won competitive bids funded by state-owned companies in the amount of 451.6 million rubles …

  • Part of the Black Sea off the coast of the Crimea was allocated to the Russian military

    The Russian government has allocated a part of the Black Sea in Crimea to military unit #28735. According to TASS news agency the transfer of marine area to the military was carried out “to provide national defense and state security.”

    The corresponding decree from the Russian cabinet was published on its official website containing legal information.

    The document says that 0.5 square kilometers was allocated “for separate use for 20 years.”

    According to the governmental decree, the military …

  • Czech Foreign Ministry establishes special unit to combat Russian propaganda

    The Czech Foreign Ministry has established a unit to combat Russian propaganda and other external attempts to affect public opinion in the country, as was stated by the Czech Minister of the Interior, Milan Chovanec, during a conference on strategic communications.

    Participants in the event included guests from Great Britain, Germany, Sweden, Finland, USA, Slovakia, Poland, the Netherlands, Baltic States, NATO and the EU, representatives of law enforcement bodies, academics, diplomats and non- …