• Russian Finance Ministry calls for reducing military expenditures

    The Russian Government will have to reduce military expenditures by 6% due to a reduction in revenues of the State Budget over the next three years. As reported by Vedomosti citing its own sources in the Federal Government, 1% of the savings will be reallocated for priority programs and projects under "National Defense," which in 2016 is expected to spend 3,157 trillion rubles.

    At the same time, according to Ministry of Finance estimates, the reduction in spending will allow them to save about …

  • Human rights group: Elections in Crimea could lead to new wave of repression

    The electoral process in the annexed Crimea could lead to a new wave of repression if the Crimean people publicly express their opposition to it, the chairperson of the Crimean Human Rights Group, Olha Skrypnyk, said in comments to independent Ukrainian radio broadcast Hromadske.

    “The so-called election process in the Crimea may lead to a new wave of repression. If people are going to publicly disclose or write that they do not agree with these elections, urging people not to go to those …

  • Joint Ceasefire Control Center announces escalation of situation in eastern Ukraine

    The Ukrainian contingent of the Joint Ceasefire Control Center (JCCC) drew attention to the fact that after the Tripartite Contact Group in Minsk’s decision on August 26 this year on an indefinite ceasefire, the "silence regime” started from midnight of August 31st.

    During the first two days the situation along the entire front line returned to a semblance of control. However, as early as September 2nd, separatist groups again began to use weapons prohibited by the Minsk agreements. One …

  • Latvia says it is ready to repel Russian 'little green men'

    The Latvian Army's Special Forces will increase threefold over the next few years against the backdrop of a Russian threat, as stated by Commander Juris Ušackis.

    According to him, soldiers are now training to conduct operations which “were never performed before” and that is why “creativity and thinking out of the box” are required from them, DELFI reported.

    “We have analyzed the experiences of special operations by the Special Forces of other countries. We are ready to repel little green men. …

  • Human rights group: Russia is forcing Crimeans to participate in election

    The authorities of Russian-occupied Crimea are forcing people to participate in the elections to the State Duma using threats of dismissal or decrease in wages in the event of failure to comply. Crimean Human Rights Group representative Olha Skrypnyk described the situation on 112 Ukraine TV.

    "We have several complaints about the fact that the de facto "Crimean government" uses the so-called administrative resources to force people to go to these elections, for example, under the threat of …

  • Ukrainian Intelligence: Russia has deployed tanks to the Donbas

    The Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported that another batch of military equipment and fuel arrived in the Donbas from Russian territory.

    Five platforms with military equipment, two tanks, two 120mm Grad multiple rocket launchers and a KamAZ truck arrived at the Dovzhanska Nova railway station near Sverdlovsk. Four tanks carrying 200 tons of diesel fuel and two tanks carrying 100 tons of gasoline were also transferred from the Russian Federation. …

  • France increases its military presence in the Black Sea

    French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, during his visit to Georgia, said that a French warship will soon arrive in Batumi. According to the Minister, this is one of the symbols of French-Georgian cooperation.

    "The main message of my visit is that we are planning to increase the number of ships in the Black Sea. A warship will be located in Batumi, and this fact signifies the historic partnership between our countries, imbued with trust," the Minister said at the press conference.

    The …

  • EU provides Ukraine with 250 million euros annually

    The European Union is the largest bilateral donor to Ukraine and provides the country with approximately EUR 250 million annually, the head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, Hugues Mingarelli, stated in his welcoming speech. According to the French diplomat, the European Union and Ukraine maintain a close and special relationship.

    “The relations between Ukraine and the European Union have become much stronger after signing and launching the ambitious EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, which …

  • NATO exercises in Georgia end

    Military exercises with the participation of NATO countries were completed in Georgia. Over 1,200 servicemen including dozens of soldiers and officers from the United States, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Latvia and Turkey took part in the Agile Spirit 2016 exercises that were conducted beginning on September 1st at the Orfolo range in southern Georgia, near the Turkish border.

    Aircraft and artillery were actively used. The exercises were carried out in two phases: rifle training on the Orfolo …

  • Umerov: Crimean Tatars will not take part in Russian elections

    The deputy chairman of the Crimean Tatar’s Mejlis, Ilmi Umerov, stated that Crimean Tatars will not take part in the Russian State Duma elections on September 18 in the Crimea.

    “It is absolutely clear that the majority of Crimean Tatars will not take part in the elections. We urge them to do that. The organization of elections in the occupied territories will result in recognition of the invalidity of Russian elections and these are huge costs [for Russia],” Umerov said.

    On September 8, the …