• Ukrainian intelligence: Separatists blocked television signals in Mariupol

    Separatists of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic have blocked the signal of Ukrainian TV channels "1+1" and "Novy Kanal" in the occupied territory of the Donetsk region in Mariupol, as reported by the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine on its Facebook page.

    "Russian military propagandists from the Southern military district of the Russian armed forces have been observing the gradual change in the sentiments of the local people in the temporarily occupied …

  • State Department: The US will never recognize Russia's annexation of Crimea

    The United States will never recognize Crimea’s accession to Russia. This was declared by the USA State Department’s Coordinator for Sanctions Policy Daniel Fried in an interview with Delfi."We have never recognized the incorporation of the Baltic countries into the Soviet Union and I am proud of it. The United States is capable of incredibly long patience. In the case of the Crimea, I can confirm that the United States will never recognize the accession. In the Budapest Memorandum, Russia had …

  • Crimean authorities accuse Ukraine of terrorism for cutting the power supply

    The head of the State Committee of the Crimean government for International Relations and Deported Citizens, Zaur Smirnov, during a round table devoted to the Day of Solidarity in the fight against terrorism, said that stopping the supply of electricity from mainland Ukraine is considered "terrorism" on the Peninsula, as reported by the press service of the State Committee.

    "Today, a terrorist is not only a man with a gun in his hands. A terrorist is a person who has a powerful ideological …

  • Rasmussen: A Trump victory would weaken Ukraine's position

    A victory by U.S. Republican Party candidate, Donald Trump, will weaken Ukraine’s position, as stated by an advisor to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, ex-NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, in an interview with Apostrophe.

    "If Hillary Clinton were elected as President, I expect that she would exert pressure on Russia until it implements the Minsk Agreements. If Donald Trump is elected, I’m afraid it will weaken Ukraine’s position," Rasmussen stated.

    The advisor to the …

  • Contractor says Kerch Strait Bridge will be completed on time despite US sanctions

    The owner of SGM (Stroygazmontazh, the largest construction company for gas pipelines and electrical power supply lines in Russia), Arkady Romanovitch Rotenberg, who acts as the General Contractor for the construction of the bridge from Kuban to the annexed Crimea, is sure that the U.S. imposed sanctions against the company, SGM-Bridge, will not affect the timing of the project, as stated on the TV channel "Russia 24."

    "We were ready for this, and initially suggested that this may happen. …

  • State Department: Syria talks are dragging on because Russia rejected previous agreements

    The United States did not make the progress that President Barack Obama was hoping for in the negotiations with Russia about Syria, despite, according to him, working around the clock. “This is a very difficult matter,” he told reporters on Sunday, September 4. The US State Department said that the agreement was close to a conclusion, but it was again postponed due to a number of issues about which Russia renounced previously-reached arrangements.

    “The Russians have returned to their previous …

  • Latvian National Armed Forces spotted Russian submarines, warships and aircraft near its borders

    The representatives of the Latvian National Armed Forces reported that warships and submarines belonging to the Russian Navy were again spotted in the exclusive economic zone of Latvia. On the 3rd of September, Russian Kilo-class and Finik-class submarines were spotted at 10 nautical miles from the border of Latvia’s territorial waters. A Russian Kashtan-class SS-750 warship was also spotted at 20 nautical miles from the border of Latvia’s territorial waters.Russian Tu-134 aircraft and two Su-27 …

  • Latvian Foreign Minister: Debate about lifting sanctions on Russia was premature

    It’s too early to discuss abolishing the EU sanctions against Russia, said the head of the Latvian Foreign Ministry, Edgars Rinkēvičs, during an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Bratislava, as reported by the press service of the Foreign Ministry of Latvia.

    Rinkēvičs stressed that it was premature to talk about lifting sanctions against Russia and it is necessary to continue efforts to achieve full implementation of the Minsk agreements. In addition, the Latvian minister expressed …

  • German media: Steinmeier is making a mistake by seeking rapprochement with Russia

    The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper published a commentary by political observer Reinhard Veser, who evaluated the statements of German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier regarding a possible rapprochement of the West with Moscow.

    “Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has put himself in an ambiguous position. Through a variety of statements all summer he was creating the impression that the common position of the German authorities on the Russian aggression in Ukraine is in …

  • Russia's Caucasus 2016 military exercises begin

    Russia’s Caucasus 2016 military exercises have begun, involving the entire Southern Military District, the Crimea, and the Black Sea and Caspian fleets, Reuters reported. A total of 12,500 troops are expected to take part.

    Last week, Russia conducted a series of combat readiness checks in the lead up to the exercises.

    The Russian Defense Ministry said Caucasus 2016 is the last major military exercise of the year. It is scheduled to end on September 10th.

    An unspecified number of aircraft, …