According to a press release issued by the OSCE’s Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, observers heard 139 undetermined explosions, 125 bursts of heavy machine gun fire, and 300 single shorts of small arms fire on Monday in the area between government-controlled Avdiivka and the town of Yasynuvata, which is controlled by members of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic.

The SMM noted “consistent but intermittent exchange of fire between 10:14 and 15:18hrs and noted a spike between 12:15 …

Japan expressed concern about the statement made by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu about the plans to deploy missile systems on the Kuril Islands. "We informed the Russian party through diplomatic channels that we are concerned about the statement of the Head of the Defense Ministry," the Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan, Suga Yoshihide, said on Monday. According to him, Tokyo made it clear to Moscow that the strengthening of the Russian military infrastructure within the disputed …

A monument to Belarusians who sacrificed their lives during the events during the Euromaidan protests and military campaign in eastern Ukraine was unveiled in Kiev on Belarusian Street, 22. According to Novoye Vremya, the sculpture is made in the shape of a cross in the colors of the Belarusian national flag. The center of the sculpture is decorated with the Belarusian coat of arms, the so-called Pahonia emblem.

The Memorial is specifically devoted to three Belarusians: Michael Zhiznevsky, who …

The representative of the State Border Guard of Latvia, Evgenia Poznyak, stated that the first three kilometers of a fence has been built along the Latvian-Russian border, Leta reported. The fence is three meters high and was built on the territory of the Ludza Border Guard Service.

The Ludza region borders with the Pskov region of Russia and the Vitebsk region of Belarus. Latvian authorities are planning to complete the construction of the fence in four years. The building of the fence was …

Russia has not strengthened its position in the Middle East after the intervention in Syria, as stated by the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, in an interview with CBS that was conducted on Sunday, March 27, 2016. In his opinion, this idea is "ludicrous."

Kerry stressed that Russia is not a US ally in Syria, although it helps Washington with other aspects that are in the "strategic interests" of the United States. In particular, according to him, Russia helped with Iran's nuclear agreement …

NATO fighter aircraft followed a plane carrying Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu on his way to the Kaliningrad region, TASS reported.

Shoygu’s plane flew over international waters with an escort of Russian Su-27 naval aviation fighters, and was followed by NATO Eurofighter Typhoons at a distance of approximately two kilometers.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, Shoygu travelled to Kaliningrad in order to inspect the Chkalovsk airfield as well as the Admiral F. F. Ushakov …

The press service of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) reported on Facebook that the strategic command and staff exercise, ‘Spring Thunder 2016’ has started in Ukraine.

"An important feature of the exercise is that all activities are carried out in a framework of the new organizational structure, which meets the standards of the NATO member countries that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are striving to implement in the course of the reforms," the report says.

It is noted that …

Viktor Yanukovich’s family has taken legal steps towards recovering compensation from Ukraine for legal expenses incurred by their family while challenging sanctions imposed against the former Ukrainian Preesident. “My father and I have taken legal steps towards recovering these funds from Ukraine,” Oleksandr Yanukovich (the elder son of Viktor Yanukovich) said, as reported by RBC.

On March 25th, the former Minister of Justice of Ukraine, Olena Lukash, reported that the EU Court granted …