On July 31, the state power generation company Centerenergo announced that it had made a contract to import American coal from the company Xcoal Energy and Resources.

As reported on Centrenergo’s website, the contract was signed as early as July 14, in keeping with the agreements between the presidents of Ukraine and the US which were achieved during Petro Poroshenko’s visit to the US.

According to the contract terms, Centrenergo is expecting to receive 700,000 tons of American coal by the …

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin tried to cross the Romanian air border to demonstrate that sanctions do not work, Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu said.

“In my opinion, the whole issue with the flight over Romania was a deliberate attempt to create problems between Romania and Russia,” he said on Monday on the Romanian television channel Antena 3.

Melescanu also said that the lives of passengers on board the aircraft were not in any danger.

The head of the Romanian …

Polish President Andrzej Duda sent the two laws on judicial reform which he had vetoed to the Sejm (the lower house of parliament) to be modified, as reported by the Polish president’s press service. The laws had caused massive protests in Poland.

“The President… refused to sign the law from 12 July 2017 to introduce changes to the law on the National Judicial Council, as well as several other laws, and sent it to the Sejm for reconsideration,” the report states.

In another report, the press …

Vitaliy Rudenko, acting judge of the Luhansk Court of Appeals, was released from captivity by separatists, announced the press service of the Security Service of Ukrain. According to the SBU, Rudenko was returned to Ukrainian-controlled territory the day before with the assistance of the Patriot volunteer group.

"For nine months he was illegally detained and subjected to torture by the LPR (Lunahsk People’s Republic) MGB. The leadership of the SBU informed the President of Ukraine about the …

Russian security forces released Vadim Pogodin, the former commander of the Kerch battalion of the DPR (Donetsk People’s Republic). He is suspected of murdering Stepan Chubenko, a 16-year-old resident of Kramatorsk, as well as of other murders and robberies in the Donbas.

Pogodin was arrested on June 20 in Yalta at the request of the Ukrainian Interpol National Central Bureau. According to one of his supporters who writes on Facebook under the name of Ioann Semenov, Ukrainian law enforcement …

For the longest time, Russia had hoped for positive changes in relations with the US, before introducing new measures against Washington, stated Russian President Vladimir Putin, Vesti.Ru reports.

"We waited for quite some time that maybe something will change for the better, had such hope that the situation will somehow change. However, judging by everything, if it changes, it will not be soon," the Russian leader said.

Putin noted that he considered it necessary to show that Russia "will no …

On July 30th, on the occasion of the Russian Navy Day, the Russian military presented more than 20 units of caterpillar and wheeled military equipment, facilities, and weapons in the center of the annexed Sevastopol.

As reported by Krym.Realii, the Bastion mobile coastal anti-ship missile system equipped with a Yakhont modernized self-directed missile, a mobile command and staff radio station, a floating wheeled armored personnel carrier, a S-300 Favorit anti-aircraft missile system designed …

Washington regrets Moscow’s decision to reduce the staff of American diplomatic missions in Russia and is considering a response, as stated to RIA Novosti by a U.S. State Department representative.

"This unjustified measure is regrettable. We are estimating the impact of this reduction and how to respond to it. There are no other comments at this time," the U.S. State Department representative said.

Russia responded to the passing of a new sanctions bill by the U.S. Congress by demanding a …