• Macron warns Putin that sanctions will be tightened if the situation in the Donbas escalates

    French President Emmanuel Macron said that he is willing to tighten the sanctions against Russia if the situation in the Donbas escalates.

    He made a statement to this effect at a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Versailles.

    “If needed, we will have to intensify the sanctions, but (only) if there is an escalation. But if there is a de-escalation, this won’t happen, and I want there to be a de-escalation,” Macron emphasized.

    He also added that a discussion of the …

  • Moldova announces the expulsion of five Russian diplomats

    Five Russian diplomats have been declared persona non grata in Moldova, according to the Moldovan news outlet Publika, quoting Anna Samson, Press Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Moldova. The Russian embassy told RIA Novosti that they were examining a message about the declaring of five Russian diplomats as persona non grata, thus confirming its receipt.

    According to Interfax, the diplomats were ordered to leave the country within 24 hours. Russian …

  • Head of the Pentagon believes that Russia knows that NATO is not a threat

    US Secretary of Defense, James Mattis, in an interview with CBS said that NATO is not a threat to Russia, and stated that it remains a mystery why the Russians think differently.

    "It's clear that NATO is not a threat," said Mattis, noting that Russia chooses strategic competition with the West. "But the point is that NATO is not a threat, and they know it. They do not doubt this," the head of the Pentagon added.

    According to him, the new president of the United States, Donald Trump, intends …

  • Prosecutor General of Ukraine said that more large-scale anti-corruption operations are coming

    In his interview with Ukraina (Ukraine) TV channel, Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko stated that even more massive special operations  will be carried out against former tax officials.  

    "It was an important operation. We prepared for it for more than six months, from seven to eight months. It had been necessary to get evidence about where the crimes occurred, who was involved, what was stolen and how much the ill-gotten gains were worth. These are conclusions of the institutes, and then the …

  • Russia deployed newest Terminator helicopters to its Eastern Military District

    The first batch of Mi-8ATMSH Terminator attack helicopters was delivered to the District Army Aviation Unit in Vladivostok, as reported by Russia’s TASS news agency citing the District’s Press Service. This was the first of the year’s scheduled deliveries.

    “New helicopters were delivered to the District Army Aviation Unit in Zabaykalsky Krai. They were accepted by the Unit Technical Specialists at the manufacturing plant and pilots tested the helicopters during a flight to their permanent …

  • Turchynov asked Ukrainian border guard to establish ‘an insurmountable fortress in the east of Ukraine’

    The head of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine, Oleksandr Turchynov, has called for the creation of an insurmountable fortress on the eastern border of the country, RBC Ukraine reports.

    In congratulating Ukrainian border guards on their professional holiday, Turchynov said that it is important for Ukraine to equip the western border according to European standards - convenient and reliable, the NSDC press office reported. "And in the East to create an insurmountable …

  • Leader of the Crimean Tatars: The Crimea will return to Ukraine within our lifetime

    Refat Chubarov, Member of Parliament and the Speaker of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, believes that the Crimea will return to Ukraine during the lifetime of the present generation.

    "I always say very confidently here: it will happen much sooner than the Kremlin would like. It will be within our lifetime. We will return to the Crimea; it cannot be otherwise," he said in an interview with Apostrophe news website.However, he believes that it will happen as a result of diplomatic, rather …

  • Russia will form a UAV battalion at its military base in Tajikistan

    A battalion of drones will be formed at the 201st Russian military base in Tajikistan before the end of the year, as stated by the Commander of the Central Military District, Colonel General Vladimir Zarudnitsky, Interfax reports.

    According to the Colonel General, the battalion will be equipped with Orlan and Eleron UAV systems. The creation of the unit will make it possible to use considerable forces of unmanned vehicles "in a single information system” and improve the effectiveness of …

  • Ukraine submitted a report to NATO on Russia’s ties to ISIS and Taliban

    The People's Deputy of Ukraine from the Petro Poroshenko Bloc "Solidarity" and head of the Ukrainian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Iryna Friz, provided NATO leadership with a report on Russia's relations with Islamist terrorist groups, including the Islamic State.

    "During the NATO PA spring session in Tbilisi, I provided the Vice President of the organization, Rasa Jukneviciene, and each member of the national delegations with an analytical report on the Russian Federation’s …

  • Lithuanian foreign minister pushes for new sanctions against Russia

    Western countries must impose additional sanctions on Russia, since the existing ones are not working well enough to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, as stated by the Lithuanian Foreign Minister, Linas Linkevičius, at the GLOBSEC security forum in Bratislava.

    According to him, discussions on the lifting of sanctions are premature since the situation in Ukraine is not changing, and Russia is providing military support to militia in the Donbas.

    Since Lithuania borders with Russia, the situation …