• Canadian Foreign Minister: We will continue to support Ukraine in its struggles against Russia

    Canada, together with the international community, will support Ukraine in the fight for the return of Crimea, as stated by the Foreign Minister of Canada, Stephane Dion.

    "Canada, together with our international partners, supports Ukraine. We will continue working with our partners to put pressure on Russia to force it to adhere to international obligations regarding the respect for the human rights and Ukrainian sovereignty as well territorial integrity," Dion said as quoted by UKRINFORM. …

  • Bill on countering Russian propaganda presented in the US Senate

    A new bill aimed at strengthening Washington’s efforts in countering propaganda and misinformation spread by Russia, China and other countries, was presented in the US Senate. The bill, entitled Countering Information Warfare Act of 2016, was created in response to calls by the US Congress, European governments and NATO to strengthen forces to counter misinformation campaigns.

    The new US legislation, developed by the United States Senator from Ohio, Rob Portman and the United States Senator …

  • Russian State Duma considering draft to 'rigorously punish' those who insult the President

    A bill is currently being drafted in the Russian State Duma "On protection of honor and dignity of the President of Russia". According to Izvestiya, the initiative was taken by LDPR Duma Deputy Roman Khudyakov.

    Today, insults against any Russian official, including the President of the country, are included in the Common Article 319 of the Criminal Code (Insulting the authorities). The article imposes various penalties up to 1 year of correctional labor. The Deputy proposed to elaborate a …

  • Ukrainian MFA: Ban of Crimean Tatar Mejlis is reminiscent of forced deportations in 1944

    According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign affairs, the attempts of the Russian-Crimean authorities to ban the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People is evidence that Russia is attempting to oust the Crimean Tatars from the occupied Peninsula, Interfax-Ukraine reported.

    "We regard the plans for the banishment of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People on the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea to be a deliberate imposition by Moscow of a sentence on the presence of the Crimean Tatar people …

  • So-called Donetsk People's Republic begins mass distribution of passports

    The self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic has begun to issue its own passports to the population in the separatist areas of the Donetsk region. The leader of the self-proclaimed state and rebel group, of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, Alexander Zakharchenko, called this an important step towards state building, as quoted by Interfax.

    According to Zakharchenko, who was one of the first to get the DPR issued document, passports will initially be issued to young people (including 34, …

  • Putin: Operation in Syria cost Russia $485 million

    Russia’s military action in Syria has cost about 33 billion rubles ($485 million), according to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    "The military operation in Syria, of course, required certain spending but the main part was from Defense Ministry’s resources - around 33 billion rubles. This was included in the ministry’s 2015 budget for holding drills and military training. We just redirected these resources for supporting the group in Syria," Putin said on Thursday.

    On March 14th, Putin …

  • Chechen ombudsman demands criminal case be brought against Russian journalist

    Chechen ombudsman Nurdi Nukhazhiyev addressed the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (SKR) with an appeal to open a criminal case against Elena Milashina, a correspondent with Novaya Gazeta. From the ombudsman’s official website he accused Milashina of spreading false information about Magomed Daudov, Speaker of the Chechen Parliament. Nukhazhiyev alleged that Milashina’s aim was to discredit the speaker’s honor and dignity.

    The issue is based on Milashina’s article published in …

  • Iraqi Kurds hope for more weapons from Russia

    Iraqi Kurds are expecting the delivery of hundreds of Russian ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft guns, according to a representative of northern Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Moscow, Aso Talabani, as reported by Interfax.

    On March 14th, Russia gave the Kurdish Peshmerga forces five such anti-aircraft installations.

    “I hope there will be more supplies. Russia delivered five installations the day before, and I think this is just the beginning,” Talabani told Interfax.

    "We need hundreds of …

  • Georgia denies Russia's request to abolish law 'On Occupied Territories'

    The Government of Georgia does not intend to abolish the law "On Occupied Territories", but this law may be eased for the Georgian-Abkhazian and Georgian-Ossetian families, said the Minister of Justice of Georgia, Thea Tsulukiani, on Wednesday, as reported by Interfax.

    "The law 'On Occupied Territories' will be in force as long Georgian territories are occupied, because we need a special legal regime that governs the entry and exit of people on these territories, as well as many other issues," …

  • Media: Adviser to the leader of the so-called Luhansk People's Republic killed

    Dmitry Kargaev, the adviser of Igor Plotnitsky, the leader of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic, was found dead in Luhansk. This was reported on CXID.info by a source close to the Administration of the Head of the so-called LPR.

    According to the source, Kargaev was killed in his home after being shot four times, including one to the head.

    Since November 2014, Kargaev had worked as the Deputy Head of the Administration of Plotnitsky, led by Olga Tarash. After her dismissal, he was …