Russia's Finance Ministry refuses to support a significant portion of the draft anti-crisis plan prepared by the Ministry of Economic Development. RBC reports that in the Finance Ministry’s address to the government it categorically objected to 37 items in the 86-point plan. The total value of rejected items was 210.2 billion rubles.

The most expensive demand rejected involves funding agriculture with an additional 23 billion rubles. A similar decision concerns an additional subsidy of …

Roskomnadzor, the Russian media regulation agency, issued a warning to The New Times magazine for the article "If Only There Was No War." The warning was received on the day they published an investigation into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s alleged eldest daughter.

The New Times received its first warning from Roskomnadzor in nine years. Chief Editor Yevgenia Albats told RBC that the breach was found in January's issue of the magazine (№ 392) in the category "January Of Our Anxiety." The …

Separatists in the Donetsk region are training for offensive ground actions in the area of Torez in eastern Ukraine.  This was reported on Monday by the Chief of the Ukrainian Intelligence Agency.

 “At the same time as showing a readiness to comply with the provisions of the Minsk Agreements, the Command of the Russian Forces has intensified measures to increase the combat capability of formations of the 1st and 2nd Territorial Army of the South Command,” the report stated.

 “The offensive …

Soldiers from Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland are involved in military exercises currently taking place in Lublin, Poland.

These “Brave Band” military exercises involves the participation of the national team of military servicemen from Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland.  This is according to the Press Service of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine.

“The combat training will last two weeks.  During this period, approximately 100 officers from Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland will acquire military skills …

Russian labor permit agreements in the cargo business with Poland and Turkey have expired. Negotiations to renew them have been unsuccessful for different reasons. Cargo transportation between Russia and the two nations has consequently stopped completely. 

Poland has not yet renewed permits for Russian freight forwarders from Kaliningrad due to dissatisfaction with Russia’s new legislative requirements. According to them, conditions for foreign freight companies appeared to be seriously …

A joint press conference was held on Monday in Berlin with the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, and the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel in which Merkel stated that the sanctions against Russia will be extended due to the non-implementation of the Minsk Agreements.

“We have to extend sanctions against Russia as we take into consideration the fact that the Minsk Agreements have still not been put into effect.  The implementation of these agreements should be a precondition for …

According to the analytical company Brand Finance, Gazprom has fallen in the rankings of the world’s most expensive leading brands.  The Russian gas monopoly has lost 187 positions from last year, to 299th place in the new ranking. This report was published on the 1st of February.

First place on the list is currently held by Apple.  Second and third are held by Google and Samsung respectively.  There were also two fewer Russian companies in the updated list: sales network Magnit and …

A spokesman for the High Negotiating Committee, Salim al-Muslat, told an Anadolu Agency reporter that Russia, as a member of the UN Security Council, should make efforts to cease the bloody conflict in Syria, not try to occupy the country. Salim al-Muslat was in Geneva participating in the Syrian peace negotiations. Salim expressed his hope that the United Nations will put pressure on Moscow in order to end airstrikes in Syria.

Al-Muslat also noted that the final decision on the participation …