• Ukraine's Foreign Exchange Reserves increase to 13.4 billion dollars

    As of January 2016, the international reserves of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) have increased from 100 million dollars to 13.4 billion dollars.This was reported by the head of the NBU, Valery Gontareva, at a parliamentary meeting held in Kiev on Wednesday.“We haven’t lost a single penny of our stocks in January, which is a good sign,” she said.Gontareva originally predicted reserve growth this year to be between 15 and 18 billion dollars.  However, this prediction failed due to the pause …

  • European satellites broadcast Ukrainian TV channels to Crimea

    The population of Crimea is presently viewing Ukrainian television channels via a satellite owned by a number of European companies.  At the same time, Crimean TV stations are trying to retransmit their programs through less popular satellites due to the current economic sanctions.

    The Adviser to the Minister on the Crimean Information Policy, Emine Jeppar, commented on the matter.

    “The Ministry on the Crimean Information Policy is aware of the issue of the channel retransmission by the …

  • German Media Uncovers another Case of Disinformation Planted by Russia

    Correspondents of the Russian news outlet, The Insider, have found people who assisted a Russian TV channel in creating a false story about refugees in Germany. The Police are denying the information provided in the channel’s report.

    The false story by the Russian TV channel, Star, which aired on the 14th of January, reported the rape and murder of a woman in a refugee shelter in Hannover. The police have denied the information concerning the murder, according to German newspaper Hannoversche …

  • The OSCE has Documented an Increase in Attacks in Eastern Ukraine

    On February 1st, the Special Mission of the OSCE recorded 337 explosions in the Donbas region and on February 2nd, almost five times more.

    The Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) of the OSCE observed numerous violations of the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine as stated in the observer’s report from February 2nd, published on the official website of the OSCE.

    In particular, the observers recorded 337 explosions on February 1st and 1,614 on February 2nd, including those fired from heavy weapons. "On …

  • Georgian President: There cannot be a stable Europe without stable Caucasus

    At the annual “State of the Country” address, Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili devoted a significant part of his speech to Euro-Atlantic integration and relations with Russia.

    The President of Georgia noted that “The stability of Europe is dependent on stable Caucasus.”

    Margvelashvili once again accused Moscow of “the occupation of 20% of Georgian territory.”  He also warned that Russia “will never be able to achieve its goals by capturing territories of neighboring states.”

    He …

  • Western ambassadors in Kiev 'disappointed' by resignation of Ukrainian Minister of Economy

    Diplomats say that Ukraine’s former Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Aivaras Abromavičius, and his advisers sought to overcome the corruption that hinders the development of Ukraine.

    Diplomatic representatives of six Western countries issued a joint statement in Kiev with regard to the resignation of Abromavičius.  The Ambassadors of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania and Sweden have expressed “deep disappointment” at the resignation of Abromavičius and his group of advisers. …

  • Russian military adviser dies in Syria

    A Russian Military Adviser died in Syria on the 1st of February.  The Military reported this to Interfax yesterday.

    According to the Defense Ministry, the Military Adviser was in Syria to assist the Syrian army in supplying new weapons under existing contracts of interstate military-technical cooperation.

    On the 1st of February, the officer received a mortal wound as a result of a mortar attack by terrorists of the so-called Islamic State.  This occurred at one of their military garrisons, …

  • Syrian Opposition Claims 8 High-Ranking Syrian and Russian Military Officers Killed near Turkmandagy

    Syrian opposition sources reported that 15 servicemen were killed in the Syrian region of Turkmandagy on the border with Turkey. Eight of these servicemen were Generals. According to the information provided, the meeting place of high-ranking officers of Assad’s regime and the Russian Army came under armed attack. The meeting was held last night in order to review the state of affairs in the region and to plan future actions.

    It was reported that 15 servicemen, including four Russian and four …

  • Turkey Refuses Russia's Request to Conduct Observation Flight along Syrian Border

    Russia accused Turkey of violating the International Open Sky Treaty. A representative of the Russian Ministry of Defence, Sergei Ryzhkov, stated that Turkish servicemen refused to allow inspectors to conduct an observation flight over regions bordering Syria and the area where the airfields for NATO countries are located.

    According to Ryzhkov, the Russian observation mission was denied prior to its members’ arrival in Turkey. Meanwhile, Turkish servicemen deferred to the instructions of the …

  • Ukrainian Minister of Economic Development and Trade resigns

    Ukraine’s Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Rivaras Abromavičius, has resigned from office. Speaking at a press conference, the Minister indicated his decision was motivated by the increased opposition to his ongoing reforms.

    “My team and I have no desire to be a cover for obvious corruption or controlled puppets for those who want to gain control of public money, as was the way with past authorities,” Abromavičius stated. He referenced a Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Igor …