When conducting the West 2017 strategic exercises scheduled for September of next year, Russia and Belarus will take into account the increase in activity by NATO near the borders of the Union states [Belarus and Russia].

As Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu, who was in Minsk on a visit, specified, maneuvers will be carried out at several training sites in Russia and Belarus. “In developing scenarios and planning exercises, the situation related to increasing activities of NATO near the …

The Moscow-based daily newspaper Moskovskiy Komsomolets reported that the leader of the Ural biker’s organization "Night Wolves," Mikhail Kaigorodov, advised Russian President Putin’s Press Secretary, Dmitry Peskov, to make sure that all members of Peskov’s family returned home and that their American citizenship was dealt with.These comments were made in response to Peskov’s recent criticism of Alexander “The Surgeon” Zaldostanov, to whom Kaigorodov reports directly.The conflict between Peskov …

The President of Latvia, Raimonds Vējonis, discussed the deteriorating defense situation in the Baltic Sea region due to Russia’s actions, noting that it is necessary to strengthen both defense and cooperation with NATO, during a meeting with the President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, in Helsinki, Yle reports.

It was reported that both Presidents emphasized the importance of cooperation when faced with Russia building its military presence in the region.

According to the Latvian President, …

Moldova’s Socialist Party presidential candidate, Igor Dodon, stated that the Crimea is de-facto part of Russia. However, Dodon didn’t provide a clear answer to whether he will agree to recognize it in the event of his election as President, Radio Svoboda reported.“There is excessive speculation on this issue. The Crimea is de-facto currently a part of Russia. Legally, this fact hasn’t been recognized by the West and the majority of countries. I don’t know whether it will be recognized in the …

Heavy weapons of the self-proclaimed republics of Donbas should be returned to the Russian Federation, and should not be stored on site during the local elections. If not, Russia could potentially then have their own military bases in the area as per the OSCE mandate. This was stated by the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pavlo Klimkin, in an interview with Levyi Bereg.“One of the OSCE’s proposals is to establish a warehouse in Donbas where military equipment and weapons could be stored …

The Russian Federation has said that the start of the political process to restore peace talks on Syria has been postponed indefinitely. Interfax reported that this was stated by Russian Defense Minister, Sergey Shoygu.

"The prospect of the start of the political process, and the return of the Syrian people to a peaceful life, has been postponed for an indefinite period,” he said.

According to him, it is necessary to act together to destroy terrorist organizations in Syria, “and not to put …

The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) has limited the financing of Russian companies and financial institutions, Nikkei reports.

JBIC took this recent step as a show of agreement with the USA and the European Union, which has imposed relatively more severe constraints against Russia. The state bank will stop financing projects that European or American companies have pulled out of. The Japanese lender will also check to see that no private-sector peers will fund a potential …

International exercises involving servicemen from 32 NATO member states and partner countries began in Montenegro, as reported by Balkan Insight. About 680 participants, including those from Ukraine, will take part in exercises focused on responding to floods, chemical incidents, and other catastrophes.Montenegro's Deputy Prime Minister, Duško Marković, referred to these exercises – the largest NATO exercises in Montenegro’s history - as "a great moment for the country" which proved once again …