• US did not warn Russia about attack on Syria

    Voice of America reports that Russia was not warned about target strikes in Syria, despite the fact that the US military used conventional channels to avoid escalation.

    The US Military Command utilized its so-called "deconfliction" communication line with Russia on Friday, the day prior to the launch of its operation against Syria. However, the US Command did not disclose which objects would be targeted by the coalition forces.

    "We specifically identified these targets to mitigate the risk of …

  • Syrian sources: unidentified warplanes strike Iranian weapons depot in Syria

    Syrian Observatory for Human Right (SOHR) reports a powerful explosion in the area of Mount Azzan in southern Aleppo. The Iranian weapons storage facility, said to be one of the biggest in the country, is located in Mount Azzan and was reportedly used by Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, and other Iranian militias in Syria.

    Skynews Arabia and Al Jazeera claim that unidentified warplanes struck the Iranian weapons depot.

    Unidentified planes were seen in the area during the strikes. Syrian …

  • Media: Germany's most expensive villa belongs to a fugitive Ukrainian businessman

    The fugitive Ukrainian businessman Mykola Guta, who in the past managed the MRIYA Agro Holding, is selling his Villa Glory in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. The two-story mansion is up for 13 million euros, Deutsche Welle reports.

    In 2010, Guta purchased a 3,700-square-meter plot of land in Garmisch-Partenkirchen for 3.3 million euros. At the time, MRIYA Agro Holding, run by Guta, was actively developing. However, in 2014, after the change of power in Ukraine, the company defaulted, unable …

  • Russia's industrial conglomerate Rostec plans to switch to the Russian equivalent of SWIFT system

    Russia's Rostec State corporation and the Bank of Russia will switch over to a national system for the transfer of financial messages of the Bank of Russia (SPFS), an equivalent of the SWIFT (Society for Wordwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications) service. The press service of Rostec reported that the system will be used as a channel for the exchange of financial information between all participants of the SPFS. “The digital infrastructure will exchange data in an encrypted mode, which …

  • Kyiv: Russia plans large-scale invasion of Ukraine in fall

    The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has information on Russia's plans to foster preconditions for the deployment of Russian troops into Ukraine this fall, under the pretext of "protecting the Russian-speaking population."

    "We have information about Russia’s plans. We know of the agenda of…a group in Putin’s circle, who have set out to create the preconditions for the deployment of Russian troops in Ukraine this fall, on the pretext of protecting the Russian-speaking population," Viktor …

  • US offers alternative to Nord Stream 2 pipeline

    The United States can ensure delivery of energy resources at low prices. According to US Permanent Representative to NATO Kay Hutchison, such a solution could serve as an alternative for countries that are dependent on Russian gas.

    "I want to emphasize that we are all very worried about Nord Stream 2. We should not be dependent on Russia because of energy needs. We hope, many of us hope, that the US will be able to offer diversified energy resources," Hutchison said.

    According to Hutchinson, …

  • Ukraine intends to impose sanctions against companies participating in the construction of Nord Stream-2 pipeline

    International companies participating in the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline project may not be allowed to run business in Ukraine, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Arsen Avakov stated during his presentation at the 11th Forum on international security.

     “The French Company ENGIE is trying to build a gigantic power station in the Chernobyl area, and as my colleague-minister told me, is ‘a little bit’ involved in the construction of the Nord Stream. We don’t care whether it is ‘a little …

  • Media: another strike against Assad coming soon

    The newspaper Baghdad Post reports, citing its sources, that it is likely that the US and its allies will carry out another strike on Assad regime targets by the end of this month. According to the sources, the additional warships of the coalition that are located in the Mediterranean, show that the operation against Assad is not over yet.  "The next strike will be much more destructive for Assad and his allies," the Baghdad Post notes. The United States Ambassador to the United Nations, …

  • Israel closes air space over Golan Heights

    Israel has closed  the air space over the Golan Heights to air traffic, ordering all passenger flights and cargo planes in Israeli airspace and lose to Syrian border to remain under 5,000 ft. altitude.Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu  also warned Assad that any action against Israel will be dangerous for his regime.

    According to the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, the Israeli Defense Forces had been notified in advance about airstrikes on targets in Syria by the coalition.

    Israeli media …

  • Russia considers producing counterfeit American goods in response to US sanctions

    Members of the Russian State Duma have drafted a bill that suggests permitting manufacturing American goods without needing to obtain a license to use intellectual property. This was proposed as a way of retaliation for sanctions imposed by the United States, Interfax news agency reports.

    According to the report, the bill has been drafted by State Duma’s Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin jointly with leaders of parliamentary factions, and does not specify a list of goods that are intended to be …