• NATO: Alliance exercises in Baltic are not directed against third countries

    NATO's large-scale naval military exercises in the Baltic sea named BALTOPS-2019 that have started on Sunday, "are not directed against third countries," said the official representative of the Alliance Oana Lungescu.

    Russia is the only country in the Baltic region that does not participate in these maneuvers. Two other vital Baltic states, Sweden and Finland, who are not members of NATO, also participate in the exercises as partners.

    "The Baltic sea has strategic importance for the Alliance. …

  • Iran unveils new air defense system

    On June 9 Iranian Defense Minister Amir Khatami presented a new and a modern air defense system Khordad-15 made in Iran, reports the Iranian news agency Tasnim. The system can hit various targets with Sayyad-3 missiles.

    "The system can detect up to six different targets at the same time, including military aircraft and drones in a 150 kilometers range and track them at a distance of 120 kilometers," the report said.

    It is noted that the system is designed to destroy enemy targets at an …

  • Moldova crisis: EU recognizes coalition and new government

    The statement of the Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy Johannes Hahn and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini says that the European Union considers the election of the new government of Moldova legitimate, reports the European Truth news outlet.

    "The European Union takes good note of the decisions taken yesterday by the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, including on the formation of the government coalition," said Hahn and Mogherini, taking the …

  • Poland confirms resumption of clean oil supply from Russia

    The Polish oil logistics company PERN has confirmed that the supply of clean oil from Russia has resumed, Polish Radio reports.

    “On the morning of 9 June, Russia resumed the supply of clean oil through Belarus to the Polish transmission system,” the report states.

    According to PERN spokesperson Katarzyna Krasinska, the company has implemented a mechanism to constantly monitor the quality of the oil arriving from the east.

    “This morning the supply of oil not contaminated with organochlorides …

  • IAAF extends Russian athletics ban

    The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has once again extended the disqualification of the All-Russia Athletic Federation (ARAF). In a session in Monaco on 9 June, the IAAF council refused to reinstate Russia’s membership, which was suspended in 2015 in connection with mass doping, DW reports.

    Rune Andersen, head of the IAAF work group that is supervising Russia’s efforts to rejoin the association, said that his team had advised the organization’s leaders to make this …