Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton has declared that Ukrainian Independence Day will be officially celebrated in Minnesota on August 24th, according to a proclamation posted on the state's website.

“The United States and the State of Minnesota have benefited tremendously from the innovative spirit, rich culture and heritage, and determined work ethic of our Ukrainian American residents,” the governor’s proclamation read.

As Dayton explained, nearly 30,000 Ukrainian-Americans live in Minnesota, …

Police in the Crimea dispersed a protest called “Deceived Crimea”, Ekho Moskvii reported.

The protest’s organizers hoped to attract 1,000 to the rally in opposition of the actions of the Russian-Crimean authorities.

Information about the protest was published in local newspapers before the event was held. The media, however, also published notices issued by the authorities stating that the demonstration was prohibited. Ultimately, several dozen participants gathered in front of the Palace of …

On August 21, the State Border Service of Ukraine reported that "a well-known Russian writer and public figure" asked for asylum due to political persecution in Russia. As Novaya Gazeta reported, this man is Roman Roslovtsev.

As Roslovtsev explained in an interview to Hromadske Radio, he asked for political asylum in Ukraine because of persecution by the Federal Security Service (FSB). According to him, he can no longer continue his protest activities in Russia. He also added that he arrived …

The pattern of events in Ukraine is similar to those of Estonia around the statue of the Soviet soldier—the so-called “bronze night”—several years before it was dismantled. However, the price that the Estonian community had to pay was relatively low. Former Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip expressed these sentiments to DELFI.

“This tension lasted for years. It has been stoked deliberately for many years and this is a culmination. If we had not solved this problem in 2007, the price that …

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has announced that Russia has stopped using the Hamedan airbase for the time being, Reuters reported.

Last week, Russian Tu-22M3 and Su-34 bombers took off from the Iranian airbase to carry out airstrikes in Syria, drawing condemnation from Washington and some lawmakers in Tehran. Critics claim the arrangement violates Iran’s constitution which forbids "the establishment of any kind of foreign military base in Iran, even for peaceful purposes".

Hossein Dehghan, …

The President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin assured him of Moscow’s readiness to hold direct negotiations with the leader of Palestinian National Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, and Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a report on Al Watan’s online portal.

“Russian President Vladimir Putin informed me that he is ready to meet with Mahmoud Abbas and Benjamin Netanyahu in Moscow to hold direct negotiations,” El-Sisi said. The …

The Minister of Defense of Iran, Hossein Dehghan, stated that Iran isn’t going to buy Russian S-400 air defense systems, although Moscow offered such weapons to Tehran, Tasnim reported. According to Dehghan, Russia offered S-400s and other air defense systems to Iran but Tehran declined.

The Minister reported that Iran has voluntarily withdrawn a lawsuit against Russia over undelivered S-300 systems.

“However, Iran retains the right to legally reopen the case if the S-300 air defense systems …

Ukraine can be awarded approximately 50 billion dollars from the Russian gas company, Gazprom, in the Stockholm arbitration, as was stated during an interview with Andriy Kobolyev, the Chief Executive Officer of Ukrainian state energy company Naftogaz, on TV Channel 5, Ukrinform reports.

"In September of this year we will have a final hearing of the case on the gas purchase and sale contract in Stockholm. After that, within six months of the completion of all procedures, we will have a …