Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the Kremlin will take certain measures in response to increased NATO activity in the Baltic region. According to Reuters, he said this at a meeting with Finland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Timo Soini, in Moscow.

Lavrov said this on the same day as NATO’s large-scale BALTOPS 16 exercises began. These involve NATO troops landing on Finnish soil for the first time.

“We do not hide our negative attitude towards the fact that NATO is moving their …

The Canadian government has received a petition calling to abolish short-term visas for Ukrainian citizens, Ukrinform reported.

“E-petition e-33, submitted by the House of Commons, came today to the government,” a statement issued by the Canadian Parliament read.

The petition to abolish visas for trips up to 90 days for Ukrainian citizens travelling to Canada was filed with the Parliament by a Canadian citizen of Ukrainian descent, Nikolai Kravets.

The government has 45 days to prepare a …

In the city of Mogilev in Belarus, mapmakers withdrew the sale of globes that indicated that Crimea was a part of the Russian Federation. Local authorities advised against selling maps and globes showing a Crimean territorial status that differs from the one generally accepted by the international community.

Initially, the appearance in stores of globes showing Crimea as a part of the Russian Federation drew the attention of the representative of the Belarusian opposition, Social-Democratic …

The senator is concerned that the United States buys rocket engines from Russian Energomash.

US Republican Senator John McCain thinks that the Obama administration selectively enforces sanctions imposed against Russia for the invasion of Crimea.

In a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, McCain writes about the special relations of the Obama administration with NPO Energomash, a Russian rocket manufacturer from whom the USA buys RD-180 rocket engines.

"I write to express my concern …

Chief of the General Staff and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) Viktor Muzhenko met with the Mufti of the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Ukraine, Sheikh Said Ismagilov, and afterwards instructed officials to coordinate the activities of Muslim military chaplains, Krym.Realii reported.

"The problem arose in connection with the imperfection of the regulatory legislation, which does not allow this category of military chaplains to fully carry out their pastoral work... …

The former United States Ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, stated that Russia should be ‘curbed.’ According to him, Moscow’s aggressive actions require the appropriate response, as reported by RBC.

McFaul stated his views in his interview with Estonian newspaper Postimees. According to him, Russia’s actions require a strong and specific response. “The United States should curb Russia according to need and respond to it,” the former Ambassador said.

McFaul was impressed by the more recent …

The UN Representative for Human Rights, Ravina Shamdasani, stated that the organization has reliable information about Russian troop movements in Ukraine, The Voice of America reports.

“We have received credible reports of Russia’s military personnel movements across the border both to and from Ukraine. It contains heavy weapons as well. And the information is reliable,” the UN representative stated.

Moreover, the UN report regarding the human rights situation in the Donbas states that about 2 …

The United States Secretary of State, John Kerry, stated during a working visit to Mongolia on June 5th that the Russian Federation needs to focus on the retention of country’s economy, the press service of the U.S. agency reported. In addition, Kerry noted that Russia’s economy has slowed down because of its policy in relation to Ukraine.

“In Russia, for example, there are no significant investments into the energy sector and the area of new technologies. The real slowdown of the economy has …