Gazprom, Shell, Uniper and Wintershall, which are all part of a consortium for the construction of Nord Stream 2 have withdrawn their application to create a joint venture. The group had already submitted the application to the Polish antimonopoly agency, as reported in the companies’ statement.

This decision will not affect the gas pipeline project, the report says. It also will not affect the Nord Stream 2 construction schedule.

The project will be implemented by a Swiss-registered Nord …

The Ukrainian Deputy Minister for the Temporarily Occupied Territories, George Tuka, stated on Channel 112 Ukraine that Russia is not ready for full-scale military operations with Ukraine.  

"Russia is not ready for full-scale military operations, and they have enough common sense not to do it. As for provocative actions, tactical actions with the aim to seize any locality; I suppose it may happen," Tuka said. According to him, servicemen from one of the sides may lose their composure.

"As …

Mikhail Samus, the Deputy Director of the Center for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies (CACDS), claimed in an interview with Krym.Realii that Crimea may be involved in a “big operation” in terms of air and sea power. He made reference to three groups of Russian shock troops stationed in the north, east and south of Ukraine, noting that Crimean land forces are not likely to comprise a main attack.

"The support of submarines and surface vessels by cruise missiles, sea-borne troop landings, …

Russia must admit observers, including Western journalists, to the military exercise which will be held in the south of the country and in annexed Crimea. According to Reuters, this was the hard line presented by Lieutenant General Frederick Benjamin "Ben" Hodges, the commander of the United States Army in Europe.

Hodges said that Russia could emulate military exercises that were held under the guidance of the USA and its allies in Europe, which allowed the country to send observers.

"The …

Radio Poland reports that the “Cooperation-2016” command and staff exercises started in the Pskov and Leningrad regions of Russia.

It is reported that the exercise will involve about 6,000 soldiers from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Also, one thousand units of weapons and military and special equipment are engaged in the exercise.

Such military exercises are held regularly in Russia, but this year more armed forces will participate and more units of military …

A systemic economic crisis is taking place in Russia and that is why lifting anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the West will not be enough to improve the economic status of the Russian Federation, Russia’s former Economic Minister Andrey Nechaev stated in an interview with UNIAN.

“I have said many times in the Russian media that we have a systemic economic crisis. As much as some Western and Ukrainian newsmakers would like to blame the sanctions, this isn’t the case. It is funny that some …

The head of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Viktor Nazarenko, stated in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine that the next stage of hybrid war between Russia and Ukraine has begun in the Crimea. According to him, provocative actions from Russia have the specific objective of increasing the level of confrontation in the territory. Nazarenko admitted that reserves from the Ukrainian Army, including heavy weapons, were deployed to the annexed Crimea.

The head of the State Border Guard …

The Russian and German Foreign Ministers, Sergey Lavrov and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, will meet to discuss the situation in Ukraine and Syria on August 15, RIA Novosti reported, with reference to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs press service. On that day, Steinmeier will visit Yekaterinburg for the opening of a Russian-German summer school in the Ural Federal University. After this event, his meeting with Lavrov will take place.

“The most relevant aspects of bilateral cooperation in the …