• Agricultural production in Crimea decreased by almost half in 2015

    The harvest of vegetables and fruits in the Crimea in 2015 was nearly half of its average prior to the annexation of Crimea by Russia, according to political analyst and founder of the Free Crimea project, Taras Berezovets, as reported by Krym.Realii."Indicators of agricultural production are impressive. 213,000 tons of vegetables and 66,000 tons of fruit were produced in 2015. Before the occupation there were between 380,000 and 480,000 tons of vegetables and no less than 100,000 tons of …

  • Criminal proceedings initiated against Duma Deputy for criticizing Putin

    The Investigation Committee of Russia has initiated its second case against the Deputy of the Kursk Regional Duma, Olga Lee, for bringing accusations against Russian President Vladimir Putin and criticizing his actions. According to the Investigation Committee’s website, the case was filed under part 1 of article 282, “Inciting hatred or enmity.”According to the investigation, Lee posted her remarks on her Vkontakte social network page and published videos of her performances on the web that, …

  • Israel imposes complete economic blockade on the Crimea

    Although Israel attempts to avoid inflaming tensions between Ukraine and Russia, Tel Aviv officials do not recommend doing business in occupied Crimea. Shimon Briman, Israeli Editor-in-Chief of the Forum Daily and expert on Ukrainian-Israeli relations says that what the recommendation amounts to is a complete blockade in terms of Israeli business, Interfax-Ukraine reported."In general, the position of Israel, though neutral officially, is largely focused on the development of Ukraine, in …

  • Forbes Ukraine: Poroshenko's assets grew by $100 million

    Despite the sustained crisis in the Ukrainian economy, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko managed to increase his assets, as Forbes Ukraine stated. As reported on their website, as of March 31, the President ranked 6th on the list of the richest Ukrainians, with assets in the amount of $858 million. Analysts of the publication noted an increase in Poroshenko’s assets by $100 million compared to last year.

    Besides Roshen Corporation, which was transferred to a blind trust, he owns …

  • Poroshenko urges Washington to supply Ukraine with weapons

    Since 2014, nearly 10,000 people have been killed in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, including over 2,700 military personnel. On March 31, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko provided this data in Washington during a speech at the forum “Ukraine's Battle for Freedom Continues” at the US Capitol Building.

    According to Poroshenko, the number of people killed due to the conflict in the Donbas exceeds the military losses of the US in Afghanistan over 15 years. "1.8 million people have lost their …

  • Putin announces military conscription for 155,000 Russians

    Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on conscription of 155,000 citizens liable for military service. This is reported on the official web portal of legal information of the Russian Federation.

    "To be implemented from April 1 to July 15, 2016, the conscription of Russian citizens between the ages of 18 to 27 years, that are not in reserve and are liable to ... conscription, numbering 155 thousand people," says the statement.

    In the Spring of 2015, 150,000 people were called up for …

  • President of Poland: Russia must withdraw from Crimea

    Poland does not want a return to the Cold War, according to Polish President Andrzej Duda. Relations with Russia "must return to the way geopolitical relations were before the annexation of the Crimea," he added, according to his press service."We must demand the return to pre-annexation geopolitical relations. This means that Russia should withdraw from the Ukrainian peninsula," Duda said at the National Press Club in Washington, while visiting the US to attend the Washington Summit on Nuclear …

  • Foreign soldiers who fought for Ukraine have been abandoned by Kiev

    Photo: A Russian citizen and veteran of the War in the Donbas hands President Poroshenko an application for Ukrainian citizenship in November of 2015. His request was denied in February of this year. He is the husband of a Ukrainian citizen, and the father of ten Ukrainian children. He is now facing deportation to Russia.

    On Monday, March 28th, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree amending the procedure for granting citizenship to foreigners serving in the Ukrainian Armed …

  • Ukraine suspends agreement with Russia on the protection of technical information

    The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine suspended the agreement with Russia about cooperation in the sphere of technical protection of information. The Cabinet voted unanimously in favor of the decision. "No objections here could possibly exist," the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Arseniy Yatsenyuk said about the decision.

    The agreement on technical protection of information was signed in 1996 in support of the development of industrial cooperation between the enterprises and industries of the CIS …

  • UK Foreign Secretary: Georgia is a successful model in the region

    On the 30th of March, 2016, the British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond arrived on an official visit to Georgia. According to the Georgian Foreign Ministry, at the beginning of the visit, the Head of the British Foreign Office honored the memory of those who died for the territorial integrity of the country. Then he held meetings with the Prime Minister, the Speaker of Parliament and the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, as reported by Ekho Kavkaza.

    "We attach special importance …