The Director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR), Maya Lomidze, stated that most Russians have abandoned tourist trips abroad due to financial constraints during the New Year holidays.

“This is the first time that people don’t have enough money for a holiday abroad or even a holiday within the country,” Lomidze said. According to her,  tourism decreased by 30% in comparison with the same period a year earlier. Domestic tourism rose by 6-10 % at all resorts. Lomidze added …

The Estonian government supports the long-term presence of NATO troops in the Baltic States. Tallinn plans to invest in the construction of barracks and academic buildings for the alliance's troops.

The Estonian Prime Minister, Taavi Rõivas, expressed hope that during the NATO Summit in Warsaw in 2016 a decision as to the permanent presence of Alliance troops in "Estonia and neighboring countries" will be made. An interview with the Estonian Prime Minister was published on Monday, January 12th, …

Kirill Shamalov, the co-owner of the petrochemical holding company, SIBUR, who is also the son-in-law of Vladimir Putin, is a billionaire, as reported by Glavnoe on Tuesday, January 12th.

According to Forbes, the estate of Kirill Shamalov is estimated at 1.2 billion dollars. However, a representative for Shamalov has not confirmed this information. The publication notes that Shamalov is likely a billionaire as a result of the transaction between SIBUR and the Chinese State Company, Sinopec. …

The head of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al Khalifa, as a candidate for the presidency for the International Football Federation (FIFA), has announced his readiness to review the bidding processes for both the 2018 and 2022 World Cup sites as reported on Tuesday, January 12th, on insidethegames.biz.The Sheikh stated that if he was elected as FIFA President, the voting results of the elections that selected the host countries for 2018 and 2022 may be …

The Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States, Valeriy Chaly, said that in the coming months, Ukraine will start receiving military aid from the United States. He recalled that the U.S. Congress is introducing specific changes to the legislation on military assistance to Ukraine and that the U.S. budget for 2016 includes 658 million dollars of military aid to Ukraine. However, he said that in order to receive such assistance and specific resources for certain goals, special legislative …

The powers of the Russian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will continue to be suspended because of the annexation of Crimea and the war in the Donbas region.

State Duma deputies representing Russia at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) could receive a cold reception from some of their European colleagues during the opening of the winter session. It will begin its work on January 25th in Strasbourg. According to a source in the …

The Russian Minister of Defense, Sergey Shoygu, stated that three new divisions of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will be deployed along the Western border in 2016.

“I can’t but mention such a critical task, which is the formation of three divisions in Western direction. The task is extremely important,” Shoygu said. The Minister of Defense stressed that alongside the creation of the new divisions, there is a need to set up proper infrastructure including barracks, firing ranges …

During his eighth and final State of the Union Address, US President Barack Obama made two brief mentions of Ukraine, a topic that had been an integral part of his foreign policy assessment during his annual address last year.

One comment addressed the ailing Russian economy and the Kremlin's inisistence on providing military aid to separatists in eastern Ukraine and President Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria.

"Even as their economy contracts, Russia is pouring resources to prop up Ukraine …