• NATO fighter approached Russian Defense Minister’s plane over Baltic

    On Wednesday, June 21, an F-16 fighter belonging to the army of a NATO state buzzed an airplane with Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu on board. The incident took place over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea. Shoygu was traveling to Kaliningrad for an off-site session of the Russian Defense Ministry College.

    The Minister of Defense’s plane was escorted by Russian Su-27 jets. After one of the escorting fighters approached the NATO F-16 and “tilted its wings to show its weapons”, the F-16 …

  • Russian Diplomat was appointed Chief of UN Counter-Terrorism unit

    The representative of the Russian Federation to international organizations in Vienna, Vladimir Voronkov, will head the UN Counter-Terrorism Office in the position of Deputy Secretary General. The appointment was made by the head of the international organization, Antonio Guterres, on Wednesday.

    “Mr. Voronkov has more than 30 years of experience in the international field, as well as dealing with issues of public diplomacy and social and economic development,” said Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman …

  • Russia opposes Ukraine's bill on reintegration of the Donbas

    Boris Gryzlov, the permanent representative of Russia to the Trilateral Contact Group, which was formed to facilitate the settlement of the situation in eastern Ukraine, said that the bill on the reintegration of the Donbas is an attempt to destroy the Minsk agreements.

    “At today's meeting of the contact group, the participants could not ignore the bill of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine to reintegrate Donbass. According to the available information, this bill being worked …

  • Belarus will buy Su-30SM fighter jets from Russia

    Belarus will purchase a batch of Sukhoi Su-30SM multi-role fighter aircraft from Russia, BelTA reported with reference to the press service of the Ministry of Defense.

    "In order to update the fleet of combat aircraft, a contract was concluded with Russia on the supply of a batch of Su-30SM aircraft," the military department said.

    Belarus plans to purchase 12 planes. The price of the contract was not specified.

    Su-30SM 4+ generation fighters are developed by the Sukhoi Aviation Corporation …

  • The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine announced its intention to recover a fine from Gazprom

    The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine is preparing requests to collect an antimonopoly fine from Gazprom PJSC, as stated at a briefing by Pavel Petrenko, the Ukrainian Minister of Justice, UNN reported.

    According to Petrenko, about USD 3,073,000 million in dividends which Gazprom was owed by Gaztransit PJSC has been recovered and returned to the Ukrainian budget. In addition, a block of Gazprom stock, valued at USD 1.279 million was seized from this company.

    The Minister of Justice of Ukraine …

  • 25 people were detained in the Ukrainian city of Melitopol on suspicion of destabilizing the situation in the city

    In Melitopol, Zaporizhia Oblast, 25 people were detained on suspicion of involvement in the destabilization of the situation in the city, the preparation of armed actions, arson and a series of daring crimes, as  reported by the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Arsen Avakov on his Facebook page.

    “Since March 2017 in Melitopol, massive arson attacks have been perpetrated on pharmacies and tents, then the buildings of the City Executive Committee, then robberies, kidnapping ... On May 9, …

  • Ambassador of France in Kyiv: In the near future Poroshenko will meet with Macron

    On the agenda for the upcoming meeting between the Presidents of Ukraine and France, Petro Poroshenko and Emmanuel Macron, will be a discussion of bilateral cooperation and interaction within the framework of the Normandy format, as announced by the Ambassador of France in Ukraine, Isabelle Dumont, Interfax-Ukraine reported.

    “When there are meetings at different levels, we will discuss bilateral relations, issues related to Ukraine’s future, relations with Europe, and of course, the situation …

  • White House: The U.S. will continue the policy of sanctions against Russia until it 'leaves eastern Ukraine'

    The USA intends to continue the sanctions policy towards Russia until it "leaves eastern Ukraine," as indicated on Tuesday by the White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, at a routine press briefing.

    On Tuesday, the U.S. Finance Ministry included 38 people and organizations, including "two Russian civil servants" and two of their assistants, in the sanctions list. Among the Russians on the list are the Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, Sergey Nazarov, a member …

  • Trump made a statement on the United States’ deep involvement in Ukrainian affairs

    Welcoming Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in the Oval Office on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said that it was "a great honor" for him to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart.

    According to President Trump, Ukraine was "a place that we've all been very much involved in." In turn, President Poroshenko said that his meeting with the US president was full-fledged and detailed.

    "A full-fledged, detailed meeting with US President Donald Trump was held. We have received strong support from …

  • The Pentagon blamed Russia for a dangerously close encounter between aircraft over the Baltic

    The US military department said that the interception of a US Air Force reconnaissance aircraft by a Russian Air Force jet in the Baltic Sea was unsafe.

    "On June 19, an American RC-135U aircraft flying in international airspace over the Baltic Sea was intercepted by a Russian Su-27. Due to the high speed of convergence and poor control over the aircraft during the interception, this interaction is regarded as unsafe," the Pentagon statement said.

    The agency also stressed that the American …