• Polish Defense Minister: Plane crash that killed Polish President in 2010 was an act of terrorism

    Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz said that the plane crash near Smolensk that took the life of President Lech Kaczynski and other Polish officials was an act of terrorism. Macierewicz said that the act was aimed at depriving Poland of the people who led the country to independence. The Minister did not directly say that Moscow was responsible, BBC reported.

    Earlier, an inquiry found that the plane crashed due to pilot error, but Poland recently opened a fresh probe into the crash. …

  • Kasyanov: Russian FSB didn't have a problem with Kadyrov's controversial Instagram post

    PARNAS Chairman Mikhail Kasyanov announced that the FSB told him that they did not find anything wrong with a video posted by Chechen head Ramzan Kadyrov that showed Kasyanov through the optical site of a rifle.

    The video appeared on Kadyrov’s infamous Instagram account on February 1st and showed Kasyanov and another PARNAS leader, Vladimir Kara-Murza, through the crosshairs of a gun. "Kasyanov arrived in Strasbourg to acquire money for the Russian opposition. Those who haven't understood it …

  • Yatsenyuk: Ukraine's political crisis was created artificially

    Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said the current political crisis in the country was created artificially, according to Glavnoe.

    Yatenyuk’s words came during a television program entitled “10 Minutes with the Prime Minister”.

    “The current political situation in the state is artificial. This is not just my assessment, but it is also the opinion of many respected world leaders, and professionals,” Yatsenyuk stated.

    According to him, there is no rational reason behind the current …

  • Ukrainian Ministry of Culture to issue an appeal to protect Lesya Ukrainka Museum in Crimea

    The Ministry of Culture of Ukraine intends to submit an appeal to international organizations for the immediate reopening of the Lesya Ukrainka Museum in Yalta, which was recently closed by Russian-Crimean authorities, as reported by Krym.Realii.

    According to a press release issued by the Ministry, the closing of the Museum is “a continuation of the aggressive policy of the Kremlin in relation to the history and culture of the Ukrainian people.”

    "It is obvious that the Kremlin's true …

  • SSU: 128 Ukrainian prisoners are being held in the Donbas and on Russian territory

    According to Yuriy Tandit, the Adviser to the Chairman of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), 128 Ukrainian prisoners are being held in the breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine and on Russian territory, as reported by UKRINFORM.

    "The list that we submitted (during the negotiations of the Trilateral Contact group in Minsk - Ed.) includes 128 names. It includes not only our people in Donetsk and Luhansk, but also those who are on the territory of Russia," Tandit said.

    He noted that women and …

  • Medvedev signs decree instructing government employees to travel using Russian airlines

    The Russian government has instructed civil servants to travel using Russian airlines, or air carriers of other members of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEC). The corresponding decree was signed by the Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, RBC reported.

    "These new regulations oblige persons whose air travel is reimbursed from the federal budget to buy tickets of Russian airlines," the government’s official website stated.

    The list of acceptable airlines is posted on the official website of Federal …

  • Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: We will not discuss an exchange for Savchenko until a verdict has been reached

    On Saturday, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that the question of transferring Nadiya Savchenko to Ukraine will not be discussed until after the court has made its decision.

    On the program "Vesti on Saturday with Sergey Brylev" on the TV channel Russia 1, Zakharova was asked to comment on the issue of a potential deal with Ukraine that would see the transfer of Savchenko and several other political prisoners currently being held in Russia.

    “This is not …

  • Prominent Belarusian businessman detained by KGB

    The Belarusian KGB confirmed on Sunday that it has detained prominent businessman Yury Chizh on suspicion of large-scale tax evasion, Interfax reported. 

    Chizh, the owner of the Belarusian firm Triple, has been a close adviser to President Alexander Lukashenko since the early 1990s, and has long been referred to as one of the President’s main sponsors.

    Sources indicate that Chizh has recently fallen out of favor with the Belarusian government.

    If convicted, Chizh could serve up to 7 years in …

  • Russia plans to set up legal entity to circumvent sanctions against Crimea

    The Russian Federation plans to set up a legal entity to work with foreign companies in the Crimea. This will allow companies to do business in Crimea without fear of violating economic sanctions, as stated by the Russian-controlled head of the Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, Krym.Realii reported.

    "The technicality of the arrangement provides for the creation of a legal entity within Russia that will work with foreign companies who wish to do business in Crimea,” said Aksyonov. He did not disclose …

  • Russian Federation Council does not support prohibiting Russian banks from operating in Ukraine

    Prohibiting national banks from opening branches in Ukraine and other unfriendly countries can disrupt their commercial and financial activities, as stated by Russian Federation Council member Sergey Kalashnikov.

    The Federation Council called the proposal made by the Communist party to prohibit Russian banks from opening branches in Ukraine and other unfriendly countries senseless. According to the Deputy Chair of the Economic Committee of the Russian Duma Sergey Kalashnikov, "so we can build …