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Russia files lawsuit against Ukraine over $3 billion debt
On the 17th of February, the Ministry of Finance of Russia filed a lawsuit against Ukraine with the Supreme Court of London for the recovery of a $3 billion debt in the form of Eurobonds. Russia provided this loan to Ukraine in December 2013, the Minister of Finance, Anton Siluanov reported.
“The lawsuit was filed after unsuccessful attempts to contact Ukraine for a constructive dialogue with regard to debt restructuring,” Siluanov stated and was quoted by Interfax. He called a court …
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Ukraine’s ruling coalition disbands
The faction "Samopomich" (Self-Reliance) announced its withdrawal from the ruling coalition of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada, meaning that the coalition has effectively collapsed. Only two factions, “Bloc Petro Poroshenko” and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s "Narodniy Front" (People’s Front) remain in the coalition. The two factions combined compile less than half of the votes in parliament.
“The party leadership decided that it is impossible [for "Samopomich"]… to remain in an alliance with …
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Strelkov gives negative portrayal of leaders of pro-Russian separatists
Igor Strelkov (Girkin), the former Defense Minister of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, gave a destructive description of the so-called DPR and LPR leaders in an interview with the Novorossiya movement’s website
“For two years they were in limbo, being a kind of a bargaining chip, which everybody wanted to return in exchange for uncertain preferences or some goods. It has led to the fact that favorites came to power, those who were chosen not on the basis of their professional or moral …
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Moscow authorities reject proposal to hold rally in memory of Boris Nemtsov in city center
The Russian opposition has agreed to hold a demonstration in remembrance of Boris Nemtsov following an alternate route in Moscow. This was reported by Interfax on the 16th of February referencing one of the leaders of the People’s Freedom Party (PARNAS), Constantine Merzlikin.
“We were not allowed to hold the rally along the route through the Great Moscow River Bridge. They offered the traditional route along the Boulevard. Even though we held a meeting and agreed to this, I believe that …
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Georgia's path to NATO is through the Black Sea
The Head of the Ministry of Defense of Georgia, Tinatin Khidasheli, will take part in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) meeting, which has already begun in Brussels.
It was reported today that the city of Tbilisi can join the NATO-created security system of the Black Sea region. Georgia can now also play its part in ensuring the security of the region.
Khidasheli mentioned that with Tbilisi joining the system, it will assist in the process of strengthening the capacities of NATO …
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Moldovan Defense Ministry: Russia is the main threat to our national security
According to the Newsmaker news portal, the Minister of Defense of Moldova, Anatol Salaru, has said that Russia is the main threat to the security of Moldova.
In his opinion, the strengthening of the position of Russia in Moldova would jeopardize the security of Ukraine and even Turkey.
Salaru also believes that only NATO is capable of protecting the country from Russia. This is why he wants Moldova to become a member of the Alliance.
“The safety of the Republic of Moldova is a part of the …
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EU expresses concern over violation of rights of Crimean Tatars
The European Union expressed concern over the systematic violation of the fundamental rights and freedoms of the residents of the Russian-occupied Crimea and, in particular, the Crimean Tatars, the Press Officer of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, David Stulik, said.
In particular, the EU strongly condemned the illegal detention of thirteen Ukrainian citizens and representatives of the Crimean Tatars by the Russian authorities in the Crimea on February 11-12, 2016 he said in an interview with the …
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Finnish authorities surprised by influx of refugees across border with Russia
The Deputy Chief of the Finnish Border Guard, Ilkka Laitinen, is perplexed by the situation in which their border with Russia has quickly become one of the main crossing areas for refugees. It is noted that more than 20 asylum-seekers crossed the border on Monday, February, 15th.
"This phenomenon raises many questions, the answers to which we do not have. One question is why people are crossing the northern border of Raja-Jooseppi and Salla, while the southern border crossings remain the …
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Verkhovna Rada passes law disallowing Russian entities to take part in privatization
Last year's plan to privatize state-owned enterprises will begin this year.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has passed the law needed to start the privatization. However, it stipulated that Russian companies are not allowed to participate in privatization in Ukraine. 252 deputies voted for the amendments of Ukrainian laws concerning the clarification of provisions of №2319a.
According to a correspondent from LIGA.net, the amendment prohibits legal entities and associated individuals registered …
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EC wants access to Gazprom's contracts with European companies
In an effort to enhance cooperation on the energy market, the European Commission (EC) is seeking to study the contracts between Russia and European companies with regard to gas supplies. In the future, contracts longer than one year should be automatically disclosed to the EC if they are critical for ensuring gas supply to the European Union (EU).
This legislative initiative was proposed by officials in Brussels on the 16th of February. The European Energy Commissioner, Miguel Arias …