• Israeli strike on Syria kills nine pro-Iranian militants

    At least nine pro-Iranian fighters loyal to Lebanon's Hezbollah were killed last night in a missile strike near Palmyra in Homs province, reported the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), referring to its activists on the ground.

    The organization, which is in opposition to Assad's regime, regularly reports on what is happening in Syria, drawing information from its own independent sources, which are not subject to strict state censorship.

    The Observatory said in a statement that the …

  • Saakashvili offered to become deputy prime minister of Ukraine

    Mikheil Saakashvili, the former president of Georgia and ex-governor of the Odesa region, said he had received a proposal from Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to join the Ukrainian government as deputy prime minister for reforms.

    "I approach this proposal and my decision with a very high responsibility, because it is a very difficult time for the country. We have a very difficult period ahead of us both in the economy and in the whole life in the country. We now have more than ever to be …

  • Russian media publishes footage of Wagner mercenaries’ crimes in Syria

    Russia's Novaya Gazeta has published video footage showing members of the Wagner Private Military Company (PMC) with the severed head of their victim, a Syrian man who was severely tortured before his death.

    The publication names one of the alleged perpetrators of the massacre: Stanislav Dychko, born in 1990. According to Novaya Gazeta, he has been a Wagner mercenary fighter since 2016.

    The material was published under the headline "Thugs 2.0." It opens with Novaya Gazeta reminding that six …

  • Israeli warplanes bomb Syrian troops near Palmyra

    Israeli combat aircraft, successfully bypassing the Syrian S-300 Russian S-400 air defense systems, managed to break into the central and northern part of Homs province and attack at least three populated areas. The reason for the attack remains unknown, however, neither the Syrian nor the Russian military was able to detect the attack in advance. The Syrian air defense systems were activated only after the first wave of the air strikes.

    The areas near the settlements as Al-Sukhnah, Al ' …

  • Russian federal troops amass along Chechnya border

    On April 20, a large number of Russian federal troops were seen in the Nadterechny District of Chechnya, bordering Ingushetia, North Ossetia and Stavropol region, Novaya Gazeta reported, citing eyewitnesses.

    The video, published by Novaya Gazeta, shows a number of Ural trucks and military tents, lined up along the highway in the vicinity of the villages of Bratskoye, Beno-Yurt and Znamenskoye in the north-west of the republic.

    Local residents suggested that the appearance of military …

  • Russia blocks Ukrainian Ministry's website

    Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor blocked the website of the Ukrainian Ministry of the Temporarily occupied territories, reported the press service of the ministry.

    “The website of the Ministry has been blocked at the request of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation. The reason is the publication on the Ministry’s website of the information stating that Russia conceals the number of COVID-19 patients in the annexed Crimea and in the separatist-controlled part of the …

  • Putin discusses coronavirus and oil prices with Maduro

    Russian President Vladimir Putin has held telephone talks with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the Kremlin’s press service reported.

    The conversation took place at Maduro's initiative. He expressed gratitude to Putin for his help in combating the spread of coronavirus, as well as for the supply of test kits to Venezuela.

    In addition, the presidents discussed the agreement to reduce oil production, reached as part of the OPEC deal, and touched on the current aspects of further …

  • Russian fighter jet intercepts U.S. reconnaissance plane off Syrian coast

    A Russian military aircraft escorted a U.S. reconnaissance plane that was flying over the neutral waters of the Mediterranean Sea toward Russian military facilities in Syria. The Russian fighter jet was scrambled from Khmeimim airbase to intercept the American aircraft, reported TASS with reference to the Russian Ministry of Defense.

    According to the report, Russian radars spotted the American plane on April 19. "A fighter jet from the on-duty air defense forces of Khmeimim airbase was sent to …

  • Russia agrees to restructure loan provided to Belarus for nuclear power plant construction

    Moscow is ready to restructure the loan which was provided to Minsk for the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant, reports Interfax news agency citing a source familiar with the draft amendments to  the intergovernmental agreement between the two countries.

    According to him, Russia has prepared and tentatively agreed with the Belarusian side on changes to the agreement. The document envisages an extension of the loan term by 2 years - until the end of 2022, as well as the …

  • Head of annexed Crimea asks Russians not to come to peninsula

    The head of Crimea Sergey Aksyonov urged Russians not to come to the peninsula either on vacation or on business trips.

    "I never thought that I would make such a request, but there is no other way today. I urge all our citizens to refrain from coming to the territory of the Republic of Crimea both for business and for recreation purposes, as all Crimean resorts and all recreation places are closed. As our president said, self-distancing is the only medicine for today," Aksyonov said in a video …