• Japanese Foreign Minister: Japan will take measures if Russia deploys missile systems to Kuril Islands

    Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida stated that Tokyo will take measures if Russia deploys Bal and Bastion missile systems to the Kuril Islands, TV Dozhd reported, referencing the Japanese NHK public broadcasting company.

    On Tuesday, Russia announced that the coastal missile systems will be deployed to the Iturup and Kunashir Islands, part of the contested Kuril Islands north of Japan and south of Russia’s Sakhalin Island.

    Bastion coastal missile systems are equipped with the Oniks …

  • Almost 150 organizations in Russia have been classified as foreign agents

    In the last four years in Russia, 148 organizations have been classified as “foreign agents.” Such numbers were cited by the Public Verdict Foundation in its report, Radio Svoboda reports.

    The foundation notes that recently in the Russian Federation there has been a practice of putting pressure on organizations that are on the list. The list includes environmental, non-profit, human rights, educational and medical organizations. Moreover, about 50 administrative cases have been initiated in …

  • Erdogan promised Ukraine to keep Turkish ships away from the Crimea

    The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Andriy Parubiy, raised the issue regarding informal entry of Turkish ships in the ports of Sevastopol during the meeting with the President of Turkey, Recep Erdoğan, according to Verkhovna Rada’s press service.

    Parubiy clarified that the two parties raised the issue regarding informal entry of Turkish ships in the ports of Sevastopol. In this context, President Erdoğan noted that even if this has happened informally, he would give all the …

  • Russia deploys 'Bastion' coastal missile complex to the Kaliningrad region

    The Kaliningrad special district division troops have been strengthened with the “Bastion” coastal missile complex, as reported by Russia's Interfax news agency citing a source familiar with the situation. The source stated that the Bastion complex was received by the Baltic Fleet’s missile unit.On November 19, the press-service of the Baltic Fleet reported that the missile units of the fleet "are conducting the preparation of the infrastructure and scheduled rearmament of the new onshore and …

  • NATO recognizes gaps in its defensive capability

    NATO-member countries have to fill certain gaps in their defensive capabilities, stated the chairman of the NATO Military Committee, General Petr Pavel in an interview with the television station SVS.  

    “We all realize that we should fill gaps, enhance deterrent capability and, when necessary, to defend. We know what these gaps are and should focus on filling them and maintaining the advantage in our military capabilities,” Pavel said.

    He added that, to achieve this, appropriate funding is …

  • NATO fighter jets scrambled twice last week to escort Russian military aircraft over the Baltic Sea

    Last week, NATO fighter jets performing patrol missions over the Baltic States scrambled twice to escort Russian military aircraft, according to the website of the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defense. “From the 14-20th of November, NATO fighter jets patrolling the Baltic airspace scrambled twice to intercept Russian military aircraft,” the statement read.

    On the 14th of November, NATO fighter jets escorted a Russian IL-76 through the international airspace over the Baltic Sea. The aircraft …

  • Putin: Russia will respond to NATO's expansion

    Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the practice of decision-making in NATO is a cause for concern. Based on this, Russia will take countermeasures in response to the expansion of NATO.

    RIA Novosti reported that Putin said this in an interview for the Oliver Stone film ‘Ukraine on fire’, which premiered on the 21st of November on REN TV.

    “Why are we reacting so sharply to NATO’s expansion? We are concerned about the practice of decision-making. I know how decisions are made. When a …

  • Chinese companies to build solar power stations in Chernobyl

    Thirty years after the Chernobyl accident, two Chinese investment companies plan to build solar power stations (SPS) in the 10-km exclusion zone around the Chernobyl reactor. The construction is expected to start in 2017, as was reported on Monday, November 21 by Reuters. GCL System Integration Technology, a subsidiary of the GCL Group, said it would cooperate with China National Complete Engineering Corp. The planned location of future solar power stations was repeatedly checked by technical …

  • Russia plans to keep Tartus naval base in Syria for 49 years

    Russia plans to reach an agreement with Syria on the creation of a naval base in Tartus for a term of 49 years. “We came to Syria with serious intentions and for a long time. That is why, the improvement of infrastructure at the airfield as well as in the area of its deployment is a challenge that we will have to face in the foreseeable future,” RIA Novosti quoted the Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security, Viktor Ozerov as saying.

    Ozerov added that the base will …

  • US, Swedish and German reconnaissance aircraft monitor Russia's Kaliningrad region

    US, Swedish, and German reconnaissance aircraft carried out simultaneous missions near Russia’s Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad, Interfax reported, citing websites that track the movement of military aircraft.

    On Tuesday, a US Air Force RC-135W reconnaissance aircraft with tail number 62-4139 took off from Mildenhall Airbase in the UK and proceeded to monitor the coast of Kaliningrad. Two Russian Su-27 fighters reportedly took off to monitor the RC-135W’s activities.

    At approximately the …