• Russian MoD: The UN's 'unwillingness' caused the ceasefire in Aleppo to break down

    The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the reason for the breakdown of the humanitarian cease fire in Aleppo is the unwillingness of the UN, as was stated by the official representative of the Defense Ministry, Major General Igor Konashenkov.

    According to him, Russia has “repeatedly imposed” humanitarian pauses in Aleppo “for different periods of time.”

    “Each time they break down for two reasons: UN representatives are not ready to deliver humanitarian assistance, and terrorists in …

  • Spain puts Ukrainian businessman Dmytro Firtash on wanted list

    The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office of Spain has put Ukrainian tycoon and head of the Board of Directors of the DF Group, Dmytro Firtash, who is suspected of money laundering in large amounts, on the international wanted list, Deutsche Welle reported citing a representative of the Prosecutor’s Office.

    According to the edition, Firtash was declared wanted along with two accomplices, also citizens of Ukraine, whose surnames were not disclosed in the interest of the investigation. The …

  • Russian and Ukrainian aircraft help fight forest fires in Israel

    Both Russia and Ukraine have sent aircraft to Israel to help fight forest fires in Haifa.

    According to the Ukrainian State Service for Emergency Situations, two An-32P BFNC firefighting aircraft are active in putting out the forest fires that are raging near Haifa.

    The Russian Emergencies Ministry stated that Be-200 firefighting aircraft are also actively putting out the forest fires in Israel.

    Both Russia and Ukraine aircraft are often involved in fighting fires abroad, including in …

  • Expert: Iran would need UN approval to purchase Russian Su-30 aircraft

    In order to secure a supply of Russian combat aircraft, including the Su-30 fighters, Iran needs the UN Security Council’s decision to lift sanctions on certain arms contracts. This was communicated to RIA Novosti on November 26 by the former head of the international treaty directorate of the Ministry of Defense, Lieutenant General Yevgeny Buzhinsky.

    Minister of Defense of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hossein Dehghan said in an interview with the Tasnim news agency two days earlier that Iran …

  • Turkish Deputy PM: Ankara condemns the annexation of Crimea despite normalization of relations with Russia

    Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş said that, no matter how relations between Turkey and Russia may normalize, Ankara condemns the annexation of the Crimea.He said this at a press conference with journalists in London, Anadolu reports.

    According to him, the Crimea and Crimean Tatar issues are important for Turkey, which is closely monitoring the situation on the peninsula.

    “We declare at all levels that from the very beginning we have condemned Russia’s position regarding the …

  • Ukrainian official: The return of Crimea is impossible within the next five years

    Deputy Minister for the Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons Heorhiy Tuka does not believe that Russia will return the Crimean peninsula in the coming years.

    “I find it impossible [that Russia will] return the Crimea in the next 3-5 years. Let me explain why. My personal view is that Crimea [will be returned] to Ukraine when the economic forces begin moving again in Russia. Now it may seem nonsense and a fantasy, but you can watch the news from the mid 90s, how the …

  • Ukraine has not used Russian gas in a year

    As of Friday, November 25th, it has been one year since Ukraine last imported gas from Russia, as reported by the press service of Naftogaz Ukraine.

    "It’s a landmark date for an independent Ukraine, as three years ago gas was the main symbol of political and economic dependence of our country on our northern neighbor. This dependence was ensured through high volumes of gas deliveries and prices for Russian gas that forced Ukraine to make political and economic concessions," the company stated. …

  • Russia’s international reserves decreased by USD 6.3 billion after Trump's victory

    International reserves of the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) fell by USD 6.3 billion from November 4 to November 18.

    This is evident from data provided by the Bank of Russia, TASS reports.

    Donald Trump winning the presidential election in the United States led to the strengthening of the dollar and the reduction of the cost of US Treasury bonds, which make up a significant proportion of reserves of the Bank of Russia, experts say.

    This led to a negative revaluation of international reserves. …

  • Ukraine may sue the EU over OPAL pipeline decision

    Ukraine agreed with the European Union to hold additional consultations to consider granting permission to Gazprom to increase gas volume through the OPAL pipeline bypassing Ukraine. If negotiations at a political level do not yield results, Naftogaz may file a claim against the European Commission, as the Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration, Kostiantyn Yelisieiev, stated during a recent briefing.

    "We raised the issue related to the Nord Stream pipeline, particularly to the recent …

  • Drone presented to Medvedev provoked discord between Spain and Israel

    Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanded that Israel explain why Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was presented with a Spanish drone.

    According to El País, on November 10, the Russian prime minister visited the Agricultural Exhibition in Tel Aviv. In addition to fruits and vegetables, a Sniper drone produced in Spain was demonstrated to him.

    It was noted that Medvedev was so interested in the drone that the head of the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture, Uri Ariel, decided to give it …