Alexander Lukashenko has approved updated guidelines for the regional contingents of Russian and Belarusian troops, reports BELTA news agency.

"No matter how much we say here, no matter how much the leadership of the United States, and now the leadership of NATO, will try to put us to sleep. They say, we are making excuses. No, we just train like that. But we are military people. Even if we train, it means something. That's why we can't be complacent. Even if we have a really powerful army …

Dutch authorities decided to expel two Russian diplomats suspected of espionage, reported the General Intelligence and Security Service of the Netherlands (AIVD).

"Recently, AIVD foiled a secret operation of an employee of the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation. The intelligence officer, who worked at the Russian embassy in The Hague with diplomatic accreditation, was involved in espionage activities in science and technology," the AIVD said in a statement.

It is noted …

On Monday afternoon, Russian TV channel REN TV reported that important components were stolen during a planned repair of  Il-80 aicraft, which experts have nicknamed the "Doomsday Plane".

According to the TV channel, on Friday the head of the security service of the Taganrog Aviation Scientific Technical Complex spoke to the police. He allegedly reported that during the inspection of IL-80, the plant officials noticed that the hatch to the cargo compartment was opened. 39 radio station blocks …

During the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, the electronic warfare systems purchased for $42 million did not work and failed to close the sky, stated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during a video address to the nation.

"The sky was not "closed," ladies and gentlemen, because in 2017 we purchased $42 million worth of systems for the Armenian army (apparently referring to the deal to purchase Russian-made Repellent electronic warfare systems) which, as it turned out, simply did not work. The co- …

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has decided to suspend the membership the Belarusian National Olympic Committee (NOC), headed by Alexander Lukashenko, thus banning the Belarusian National Olympic from taking part in the Olympic Games and other events of the organization, announced the IOC's Associate Director in the Strategic Communications Department Christian Klaue.

Lukashenko's son Viktor, who is the first vice-president of the NOC, will also be banned from visiting the Olympic …

The United States said that, for its Diversity Visa Program, residents of the South Kuril Islands will be considered to be natives of Japan.

In the instructions for the Diversity Visa Program published by the U.S. Department of State, it is noted that “persons born in the Habomai Islands, Shikotan, Kunashiri, and Etorofu are chargeable to Japan”.

At the same time, the program states  that “persons born in Southern Sakhalin are chargeable to Russia”.

In turn, the Russian Foreign Ministry …

If there is no progress in the Donbas negotiation by the end of the year, Ukraine may insist on strengthening sanctions against Russia, stated the head of the Ukrainian delegation in the Trilateral Contact Group on Donbas Leonid Kravchuk on air of  TV channel "Ukraine 24."

"If before the end of the year, as Christmas and New Year holidays are approaching, if it does not happen (progress in the negotiations), then I think the beginning of the new year will be the beginning of a new standard of …

The European Council condemns the possible expansion of U.S. sanctions against the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline, stated European Council’s spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano, RIA Novosti reports.

The European Union strongly opposes third-country sanctions against European companies doing legitimate business. "The extraterritorial sanctions run counter to the international law. European policy is defined in Europe, not in third countries," Stano said.

He noted that …