• Belarusian Ambassador in Kiev: There will be no aggression against Ukraine from Belarus

    Valentin Velichko, the Ambassador of Belarus to Ukraine, stated that there will never be aggression against Ukraine from Belarus. According to him, the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has repeatedly stated this, Radio Svoboda reports.

    “An unambiguous direction has been given to the heads of our state: there will never be aggression from our country. Moreover, any third party will not be allowed to commit aggression against Ukraine. Belarus has repeatedly shown support for Ukraine’s …

  • Report on crimes in the Donbas region was presented in the Polish Sejm

    On Wednesday, a report about Russian crimes in Donbas in 2014 was presented in the Lower House of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland. The report was based on over 60 interviews of prisoners, conducted by Ukrainian and Polish volunteers. UKRINFORM reports that the document was presented by the Deputy Head of the Sejm Commission for Foreign Affairs and one of the initiators of its creation, Małgorzata Gosiewska.

    "I hope that criminals will be punished as the war crimes have no statute of …

  • Transparency International calls for trying Yanukovych in absentia

    The Executive Director of Transparency International, Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, stated at a briefing that the international organization Transparency International Ukraine calls on authorities to initiate a trial in absentia of the former President Viktor Yanukovych in the autumn of this year.

    "We hope that...we will witness the conviction of Yanukovych and key figures of his regime, albeit at the initial stage...We will do everything to ensure proceedings begin this autumn," Yurchyshyn said.

    He …

  • Ukrainian Naval cadets to train with Polish Navy

    Cadets from the Faculty of Naval Forces of the Ukrainian National University, Odessa Maritime Academy, have started an internship aboard a Polish Naval training ship, Radio Svoboda reported with reference to a statement issued by the Navy Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

    "The internship, the purpose of which is to train future naval officers in specialty skills, runs until the end of July this year. As planned, in accordance with the route, Ukrainian cadets will travel together with …

  • Germany will support the Nord Stream II project under three conditions

    Germany will support the Nord Stream II gas pipeline project on three conditions, Bloomberg reports, quoting Minister of Economy and Energy of Germany Sigmar Gabriel. Gabriel made the statement in anticipation of a meeting with a member of the European Commission for Energy, Miguel Arias Cañete.

    "Germany has set three conditions for the project to happen. Nord Stream must meet the requirements of the law, does not threaten the transit of gas through Ukraine, and will not limit gas supplies to …

  • German private detective is suspected of contacts with the perpetrators of MH17 downing

    A German private detective was subject to search and seizure as part of the investigation into the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 that happened two years ago in the Donbas. Deutsche Welle reported on Wednesday that the detective allegedly contacted the perpetrators of the crash.

    According to the representative of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Netherlands, Wim de Bruin, investigators searched the detective's apartment in the German town of Bad Schwartau and a safe-deposit …

  • US Admiral: Aircraft carrier was transferred to the Mediterranean to send a message to Moscow

    The USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier was transferred from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea as a warning to Moscow, according to an article published in the Wall Street Journal that cited Rear Admiral Bret Batchelder.

    As the Admiral explained, the redeployment of the aircraft carrier is meant to demonstrate that the US, in partnership with its NATO allies, is committed to “maintaining the balance of forces in the Mediterranean”.

    “It is a demonstration of capability. That’s for sure. …

  • Media: Financing of the Kerch Strait Bridge construction has been suspended

    The financing of the Kerch Strait Bridge construction, conducted by Arkady Rotenberg's Stroygazmontazh LLC (SGM Group), is suspended, as reported by Forbes citing a letter from the head of the contracting company, Andrey Kirilenko, to the Russian Ministry of Transport.

    The letter states that the last time Stroygazmontazh received money for the construction of the bridge was in December 2015. The payment of nearly 65.5 billion rubles scheduled for 2016 has not been made yet, according to the …

  • British frigate intercepted Russian submarine in the North Sea

    NATO forces have escorted a Russian submarine in the North Sea. The Russian diesel-electric submarine Stary Oskol is making its way to the Black Sea Fleet.

    A Russian submarine was detected by NATO forces in the North Sea and then intercepted by a Royal Navy warship. The submarine, Stary Oskol was escorted by the HMS Kent frigate on its path through the English Channel, The Telegraph reported.

    According to the Secretary of State for Defense, Michael Fallon, the interception of the submarine …

  • French Senate proposes lifting sanctions on Russia

    The French Senate appealed to the government of France to gradually lift economic sanctions against Russia, Evropeyskaya Pravda reported. The decision was made at the evening session after a 4-hour discussion where 302 senators voted in favor while 16 voted against.

    While the decision has no binding power over the government of France, it is nevertheless a political position that puts forward the recommendations of the Parliament. Evropeyskaya Pravda noted that the final wording of the …