• Poland to supply optics for Ukrainian Armed Forces armored vehicles

    The Polish state-owned company PCO S.A. will help modernize the optoelectronic equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

    According to a press release by Ukroboronprom, the contract states that Poland will supply modern optical and electronic equipment to Ukraine – including optical sights, periscopes and night vision devices – in order to re-equip more than 30 armored vehicles, including the BMP-1, BMP-1KSH, and BRM-1K.

    The report notes that the signing of the contract was preceded by almost …

  • Ukrainian police in the Donbas received metal detectors as a gift from the United States

    The National Police of Ukraine in the Donetsk region received 70 mobile metal detectors from the US Embassy, which will be used at the checkpoints, reported by Vyacheslav Abroskin, Chief of the Main Directorate of the Police in the region.

    “Yesterday, my friends from the US Embassy handed 70 mobile Garrett metal detectors to the police of the Donetsk region, that in the near future will be handed over to the police for work at the checkpoints, a kind of outpost,” Abroskin wrote on his Facebook …

  • Kyiv’s financial guarantees for Eurovision were seized at the request of Euronews

    The seizure of financial guarantees for the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest was made at the request of the international television channel Euronews, Zurab Alasania, chairman of the National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (UA:PBC), confirmed to journalists. To ensure the preparation and holding of the Eurovision Song Contest, Kyiv provided the European Broadcasting Union with 15 million euros in financial guarantees. The Debt Enforcement Office of Geneva seized these funds in June. …

  • Yanukovych says he would like the Crimea to return to Ukraine

    Former Ukrainian President, Viktor Yanukovych, who fled to Russia, said he would like the Crimea to return to Ukraine. Interfax news agency quoted him as saying that the "cowardly" Ukrainian authorities were afraid to "use force and bar the referendum [in the Crimea]."

    Yanukovych stated that he had met with the Crimeans and seen their alarm that the Maidan revolution could spread to the Crimea. According to him, Pro-Russian sentiment had been there already, it only needed an occasion – and …

  • The Head of Crimea to dismiss three ministers

    Head of the Crimea Sergey Aksyonov said that the recent resignations in the government of the republic are not connected to any criminal prosecutions.

    Earlier Aksyonov announced his intention to dismiss three regional ministers: Resorts and Tourism Minister Sergei Strelbitsky, Fuel and Energy Minister Svetlana Borodulina and Housing and Public Utilities Minister Sergei Karpov. He also spoke about the dismissal of the mayor of Yalta, Andrei Rostenko at his own request.

    The Head of Crimea noted …

  • Ankara: Turkey will stand up for the rights of Crimean residents

    Turkey will stand for the rights of Crimea’s residents and the Crimean Tatars, stated Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmet Yıldız at a conference dedicated to the reforms in Ukraine, Anadolu news agency reports.

    Yıldız expressed confidence that despite the tense situation in the Crimea and the Donbas, Ukraine will become stronger. He also emphasized the significance of implementing the Minsk agreements.

    “This agreement, despite the discontent over the process of its implementation, still …

  • Poroshenko signed a law on the course of Ukraine's accession to NATO

    President Petro Poroshenko signed a law amending several laws regarding foreign policy processes which listed Ukraine's accession to NATO as one of the bases of Ukrainian foreign policy, as reported on the Presidential website.

    The previous version of Article 11 of the Law of Ukraine "On the Basics of Domestic and Foreign Policy," the priority was "to deepen cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in order to meet the criteria necessary to obtain membership in this organization. …

  • Lavrov: Russia expects information from U.S. after Tillerson’s statements about no-fly zones in Syria

    Russia requested information from the U.S. about statements made by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson about no-fly zones in Syria, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as reported by RIA Novosti.

    The day before, Tillerson said that the United States was studying the possibility of implementing, with Russia, an agreement on no-fly zones, observers for keeping the ceasefire, and the delivery of humanitarian aid in Syria.

    “The United States is ready to consider the possibility of …

  • Russians picket in support of political prisoners

    A series of one-man protests in support of Russian political prisoners took place in St. Petersburg with about 10-15 people lining up with posters along Nevsky Prospect, Rosbalt.ru reports.

    "The signs demanded the release of political prisoners. We also tried to draw attention to the beginning of new mass political repressions in Russia. This is evidenced by the cases brought against the participants of the protests on March 26 and June 12. These events show that the ‘Bolotnaya Square Case’ is …

  • Siemens warns that it will not service illegally imported turbines in Crimea

    The German company Siemens AG has stated that it will not service its turbines that have been illegally imported from Russia to the annexed Crimea, if this information is confirmed.

    According to the company’s statement, Siemens has taken all possible legal measures to prevent such an import of the company's products into the Crimea, which is under sanctions, and will take appropriate operative measures to prevent illegal use of the equipment; namely, it will not provide any deliveries or …