President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko met with the President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani after the signing ceremony of the decision to implement an EU visa-free regime for Ukrainian citizens, the presidential press service reports.

During the meeting, Poroshenko sharply condemned the cases of illegal visits by certain members of the European Parliament to the annexed territories of the Crimea and the Donbas, and asked Tajani not to allow such visits in the future.

It was noted …

Vladislav Surkov, aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, met with the Ukrainian oligarch Rinat Akhmetov in Donetsk on February 12, 2014, said Alexey Donskoy, prosecutor in the case of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

“The investigation has proven: Surkov saw Yanukovych on January 20, 2014, in Mezhyhirya. Surkov went there no later than seven in the evening and left around midnight. Surkov flew to Akhmetov in Donetsk much later, on February 12, 2014, and they met in Akhmetov’s …

Two Russian Su-24 bombers flew over the Dutch frigate Evertsen 3 times, as stated by the Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands.

It is noted that the incident did not constitute a threat to the air safety and the frigate itself, but the maneuvers of the Russian aircraft were closely monitored. The surveillance was carried out both from the frigate itself and by 2 Swedish fighter aircraft who responded to the approach of the Russian jets and escorted the aircraft.

The frigate Evertsen is …

Two gays have moved from Chechnya to Lithuania after being persecuted for their sexual orientation.

This was announced by Linas Linkevičius, head of the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry, as reported by the BNS news outlet.

He did not provide details, noting only that Lithuania is one of the first EU states to receive gays who have been subject to persecution in Chechnya. He added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is “coordinating actions with allies in the west”.

“We are gradually raising …

The Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia (FAS) filed a case against Deloitte and Touche CIS ZAO (Deloitte Representative Office in Russia) for failure to submit documents upon request.

According to the press service of the agency, in March, as part of the antitrust case on the cartel at the auction of the GAS "Vybory" (automated information system), the FAS requested information necessary for the full and comprehensive examination of the case, which the company did not provide. The company …

Russia’s armament program, expected to run till 2025, will be a crucial instrument in the implementation of the country's military and technical policy, as stated by the Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with the Ministry of Defense and Russian military enterprises in Sochi.

“The new program aims to ensure the balanced development of weapons systems for all the types of troops in the Russian Armed Forces and a gradual rearmament of all military units. This will significantly …

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order granting the FSB the right to seize land and real estate for government needs. The order was published on the legislative information website of the Russian Federation.

The text of the document says that the FSB "has within its authority, the ability to decide on the seizure of land and (or) real estate property located on it for the needs of the Russian Federation."

It is noted that in order to implement the order, the FSB can only use people …

The Baltic fleet is being actively replenished with new equipment and weapons, stated the commander of Russia’s Baltic fleet, Vice Admiral Alexander Nosatov.

“By the end of the year, we are also expecting the delivery of another new small missile ship.  The fleet will be also be supplemented by five new auxiliary vessels," said Nosatov in an interview with the Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star) newspaper on the eve of the Baltic Navy Day on May 18.

He said that, in 2017, the fleet has already …