• Ukrainian MP Syroyid: Ukraine should recognize Russian occupation of its territories

    The deputy chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Oksana Syroyid, stated on-air with 112 Ukraine news channel that Ukraine should legally recognize the occupation of its territories by Russia. “There is only one way out – to make the legal decision to recognize Russian occupation of that part of the Ukrainian territory and to name the occupant,” Syroyid noted.

    According to her, if Ukraine fulfills the requirements of the Russian Federation (providing special status to part of the Donbas, granting …

  • NATO seeks faster response time to threats of hybrid warfare

    NATO’s leadership is preparing a new concept which will facilitate a faster response time to new kinds of threats, such as hybrid warfare.  This was reported by the Financial Times.

    “We are now faced with scenarios where the start of the crisis is not obvious.  An example is hybrid war scenarios where non-state and hidden forces take action,” NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT), General Denis Mercier, stated.

    He also said that ministers of member countries have had …

  • Ukrainian Intelligence: Separatists in Luhansk are at full combat readiness

    In response to the assassination attempt against the head of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People`s Republic (LPR), Igor Plotnitsky, the separatists are at the highest degree of combat readiness, according to reports by the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

    "In connection with an assassination attempt against Igor Plotnitsky, the separatists held counter-subversive activities and the 2AK units in Lugansk of the Center of the Territorial Army (Novocherkassk) …

  • Ukrainian Ambassador Chaly: The US could decide to send weapons to Ukraine after the presidential election

    According to the Ukrainian Ambassador in Washington, Valeriy Chaly, the question of whether or not the US will send lethal weapons to Ukraine could be decided after the presidential elections in November.

    During an interview with RBC-Ukraine, Chaly said “we now have confirmed the possibility of allocating funds for the purchase of lethal weapons in the amount of 50 million US dollars. But there is no political solution in the White House. I do not exclude that this issue can be taken up …

  • Closing of Crimea's administrative border is a 'shock' to local residents

    Hundreds of people meaning to cross the border into Crimea on August 7 were surprised at the sudden “closure” of Crimea that Sunday. Social networks overflowed with posts of their fear and confusion, Krym.Realii reported.

    “Today, hundreds of people at the Chonhar checkpoint were truly shocked. It was announced at the checkpoint that Crimea had closed down its borders for a few days due to a nighttime incident. Russian customs have not been working since 5 AM. However, local taxi drivers would …

  • US Air Force Secretary: Russia is the main threat to our national security

    The United States Secretary of the Air Force, Deborah Lee James, confirmed that Russia supports the hostilities in eastern Ukraine. In her interview with Fox News, James called Russia the number one threat to US national security, Voice of America reported.

    “Russia is one of a handful of [countries] that could pose an existential threat to the United States. They have nuclear weapons. They have been acting in very aggressive manners in recent years. And they’re also investing [in] and they’re …

  • Human Rights Group: Russia deployed convoys of military vehicles to Crimea via Kerch

    A large amount of Russian military equipment was delivered to the annexed Crimea via the Kerch ferry crossing, reported the Crimean Human Rights Group, referencing eyewitnesses. According to the organization, convoys of Russian military equipment proceeded deeper into the peninsula. It was noted that a whole railroad train loaded with military equipment was spotted on August 6 at the railway station in Kerch.

    The same evening, a large convoy of Russian military vehicles left Kerch, moving …

  • Russia finds way to circumvent Crimean sanctions to power the peninsula

    Russia has found an original way to provide electricity to the annexed peninsula using European technologies to circumvent the sanctions imposed by the European Union. As Reuters reported on 5 August, citing several sources, Russian companies have approved a plan to use turbines manufactured by Siemens Gas Turbine Technologies, LLC and a Russian company, Power Machines, which opened a plant in Saint-Petersburg last year, to construct power plants in the Crimea.

    Siemens categorically denied its …

  • Lawsuit filed against Ukraine over Malaysian Airlines flight MH17

    Several relatives of victims from the Boeing 777 crash filed lawsuits in the European Court on Human Rights (ECHR) against Ukraine for the crash of the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 over the Donbas on July 17, 2014, Kommersant reported. The lawsuit was filed by German citizens Elena Joppa and Tim Laushet, living in Australia, as well as Chris and Denise Kenke, relatives of passengers killed in the disaster. They hold Kiev partially responsible because the airspace over the territory where the …

  • Russian citizen detained in Ukraine for illegally transferring millions of dollars to Russia

    Officers of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) detained a Russian citizen suspected of illegally transferring funds in the amount of 16 million dollars from Odessa to Russian accounts.

    A statement posted on Saturday, August 6th, on the SSU website indicated that the as-yet unidentified Russian "created a mechanism of fake financial and business operations for the accumulation, transit and withdrawal of funds." The monthly turnover of the said fraud totaled more than $2 million. …