• NATO's Saber Strike exercises begin in Estonia

    The Saber Strike 2016 international military exercises have begun in Estonia. Approximately 10,000 soldiers will participate, of which 1,500 are from the US. The remaining soldiers come from Estonia, Denmark, Great Britain, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Luxembourg, Norway, France, Slovenia, Finland and Germany. The exercises are being held under the leadership of the US Army in Europe.

    The Saber Strike 2016 consists of several stages. The tactical stages will occur at the central polygon of the …

  • Mistral ship, originally built for Russia, sails to Egypt

    One of the two Mistral amphibious assault warships that were originally built for the Russian Navy left the port of Saint-Nazaire destined for Egypt, the Associated Free Press reports.

    The “Gamal Abdel Nasser,” a helicopter carrier formerly named “Vladivostok”, will travel along the Atlantic where it will sail through the Strait of Gibraltar and into the Mediterranean Sea. In total, the ship will cover about three thousand nautical miles. The Gamal Abdel Nasser is bound to take part in joint …

  • Financial Times: Poland and the Baltic States plan to create a regional air defense system

    The Minister of National Defense of Lithuania, Juozas Olekas, stated in an interview with the Financial Times that Poland and the Baltic States are negotiating the creation of a regional air defense system for protection from Russia.

    According to Olekas, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are discussing this initiative in response to the strengthening of Russian military forces in Kaliningrad and on the western borders.

    Such an air defense system is expected be commissioned in two to three …

  • Ukraine says foreigners are increasingly taking illegal trips to the Crimea

    The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reported that over the past five months, there were 12% more foreigners (253 people) prosecuted for making illegal trips to the annexed Crimea than all of last year (225 people), Krym.Realii reported.

    According to the Ukrainian State Border Guard Press Service, most of the cases involved citizens of Russia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Uzbekistan. "The Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol are an integral part of Ukraine, which is subject to …

  • President of Moldova called on the EU and US to continue sanctions against Russia

    The President of Moldova, Nicolae Timofti, called on the European Union and the United States of America to extend sanctions against Russia.

    During a meeting on Saturday with the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Bohuslav Sobotka, who arrived to Chisinau on a visit, the President of Moldova recalled that the separatist region of his country, Transnistria, was the Kremlin’s "first experiment" in instigating a Pro-Russian separatist conflict.

    Moscow supported the separatists in Transnistria …

  • Ukraine wants UN response to calls for peacekeepers in the Donbas

    The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Kislitsa, stated during his speech on the 10th of June at the UN Security Council that Ukraine holds the United Nations accountable for ignoring the direct request for the deployment of a peacekeeping mission in the Donbas, Ukrinform reported.

    “It is difficult to explain the lack of response by the Council to the direct request concerning a United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Donbas, whose presence in the field would ensure the additional …

  • Lithuanian Ambassador in Kiev: Cooperation between Ukraine and NATO continues to increase

    Marius Janukonis, Lithuania's Ambassador to Ukraine, stated in an interview with Apostrof that recently, the level of cooperation between NATO and Ukraine has increased significantly. The country appears certain of counting on the Alliance’s support in modernizing its defense system.

    "There are more events, more Ukrainian servicemen engaged in military exercises at NATO standards, more servicemen involved in joint exercises,” a diplomat described.

    “A serious reform of the Ukrainian Defense …

  • Russian Senator: Europe has 'gotten used to' Russian-Crimea

    A Member of the Russian Federation Council, Igor Morozov, congratulated inhabitants of the Crimean Peninsula during a segment on the radio program Sputnik v Krymu. He stated that Crimea will forever be under the control of the Russian Federation because “this was the will Crimeans expressed on the referendum in March 2014,” RIA Krym reported.

    “The pressure from Kiev on the situation concerning Crimea will run out soon because Europe has gotten used to the fact that Crimea returned to Russia …

  • German director may be denied entry into Russia over film about doping

    German journalist Hajo Seppelt, director of a film about doping in Russian track and field athletics, may lose the right to enter Russia if he does not execute the decision of the Basmanny Court of Moscow, according to which he has to compensate the All-Russia Athletic Federation (ARAF) for a lost lawsuit. This was reported to TASS by lawyer Artem Patsev, who represented ARAF at the trial.

    Last year, on December 16th, Moscow's Basmanny District Court found that the German television …

  • Poroshenko permits foreigners to serve in the Ukrainian Armed Forces

    The decree will allow foreigners and stateless persons to defend the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

    President Petro Poroshenko has signed Decree №248 / 2016 "On the approval of the regulations of military service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine by foreigners and stateless persons," as reported on Friday, June 10th, on the President’s website.

    "The decree is aimed at regulating the recruitment of privates, sergeants and petty officers for military service under the contract of the Armed …