Two former U.S. Presidential Administration staff members are encouraging the U.S. Government to improve the effectiveness of American foreign diplomacy.

The former administration staffers, who both worked for prior Republican administrations, encouraged the U.S. Government and Congress, “to revitalize America’s public diplomacy infrastructure,” in the context of intensified Russian propaganda, which they characterized as, “racist and obscene.”

“Consistent with our core values, the United …

The Ukrainian Justice Minister, Pavlo Petrenko, stated in an interview with the Ukrainian 5th Channel that Ukraine will file a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice against Russia for supporting terrorism (ICJ). “The next year will be associated with the initiation of a major lawsuit before the International Court of Justice, which is the principal judicial arm of the United Nations (UN),” Petrenko stated.

The Minister of Justice stressed that the evidence has already been collected …

Ukrainians have requested that the President revoke the citizenship of all separatists and their collaborators. On the 24th of September, a petition in support of this request was posted on an electronic petition website. Ukraine can make the decision to provide amnesty to some of the separatists from the DPR (Donetsk People’s Republic) and at the same time revoke their citizenship.

The self-proclaimed head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, Alexander Zakharchenko, fears that those involved in …

Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz stated that the Polish Defense Ministry plans to station three brigades along the eastern border of the country in 2016. Poland shares its eastern border with Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania.

“We have already started work on the creation of three defensive brigades along the eastern border of the country. These brigades will be an integral part of the Polish Armed Forces. They will become the fifth type of Polish Armed Forces,” Polish Radio quoted …

According to research by Gallup, 36% of Ukrainians consider themselves to be “suffering”, the highest figure among post-Soviet states. Only 9% consider themselves to be prosperous, compared to 21% in 2011.

Ukrainians estimate their quality of life by 4 points out of 10, according to a study by the sociological institute Gallup, the results of which were published on Monday, January 4th. This is the lowest quality of life rating for Ukrainians ever. In 2007, this mark reached its highest level, …

The head of the Directorate of the National Police in the Donetsk region, Vyacheslav Ambroskin, reported that 13 extremely dangerous criminals were declared internationally wanted by Interpol for serious crimes; including crimes against the peace and security of mankind, which have been committed in the ATO zone.

According to him, the involvement of these people in serious crimes was confirmed despite the inability of police to access this zone. “We work in close collaboration with law …

Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued fewer decrees for the third year in a row since his inauguration. He signed 638 decrees in the year 2015, a record low over the last 15 years.

The Center for Economic and Political Reforms reports that specialists have conducted an analysis of the yearly issued decrees from the year 1994, providing comparative analysis of the activities of Boris Yeltsin, Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev.

The research revealed that the average number of decrees of …

The Russian Government has required all Crimean drivers to change their documents and license plate numbers to Russian standards by April 1, 2016. However, the residents of Crimea have appealed this decision by Russia before the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, RIA Novosti reported.

“The Supreme Court will hear a complaint filed in connection with the government resolution requiring Crimean drivers to change their registration documents and license plate numbers to the Russian system,” …