On March 27th, pro-Russian separatists attempted to overtake the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Avdiivka in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, as reported by the press center of the Ukrainian Military.

According to the report, separatists initiated the attack, and Ukrainian forces returned fire.

"As a result of the combat, the sabotage and reconnaissance enemy group, that consisted of six fighters, retreated. There are no casualties among the ATO military [Ukrainian Armed …

The Prime Minister of Ukraine, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, said that the government crises actually do not exist. “However, the struggle for position distracts the public attention from the really fundamental problems,” Yatsenyuk said, expressing his criticism of the political elite of the country as well as his proposals in the program 10 Minutes with the Prime Minister on Sunday, March 27, 2016.

"The main cause of the artificial crisis is not a political one but an ethical and moral one. The crisis …

Montenegrin radio station Antena M reported on the 26th of March that the police detained 60 foreigners, including 55 citizens of Russia, during a special operation. All detainees are suspected of involvement in criminal activity. According to Antena M, the arrests took place at Hotel Perjanik, in the Montenegrin capital of Podgorica.

Fifty-five citizens of Russia and five citizens of Japan were detained during the operation. They are believed to be involved in “international organized crime”. …

A number of major European banks have decided not to participate in the placement of Russian Eurobonds in the amount of $3 billion, and Russia is finding it increasingly difficult to enter the foreign holdings market while being subject to sanctions, The Wall Street Journal reported.

In mid-March, the EU leadership, following the United States' example, advised European banks against attempting to purchase Russian government bonds. Formally, the placement of bonds is not in violation of the …

Pope Francis has called for an end to the war in Ukraine and for a release of all prisoners of war in the country. He said this during his Easter message “Urbi et Orbi”, as reported by Krym.Realii with reference to Radio Vatican.

"May the Lord of life accompany the efforts aimed to reach a final overcoming of the war in Ukraine, inspiring and supporting humanitarian assistance initiatives, among which include the release of prisoners," the Pope said.

On Sunday, Catholics around the world …

Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan stated that Russia will provide a discount on natural gas for Armenian consumers, reported Radio Azatutyun. He added that the extent of the discount has not yet been determined.

“This issue was discussed at the meeting between the President of Armenia and the President of Russia in Moscow. The agencies have been entrusted with carrying out a discussion on the issue of price reduction. It will become known to what extent the price can be reduced during …

During his visit to Kiev, Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev told his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko that Crimea belongs to Ukraine. He also stated that Nadiya Savchenko and other Ukrainian political prisoners held in Russia should be released immediately, Poroshenko’s Press Secretary Svyatoslav Tsegolko wrote on Twitter, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine.

"The President of Bulgaria: 'In every speech I emphasize that the Crimea is Ukraine. And Ukraine is Europe,'" Tsegolko wrote.

The …

An opposition rally was held in Minsk on Friday on the unofficial national holiday “Freedom Day”, which marks the anniversary of the creation of the Belarusian People’s Republic on that day in 1918, Zaxid reported. Estimates on the number of participants vary from 500 to as many as 2,000.

The protesters were comprised of representatives of various social groups including pensioners, students, and entrepreneurs. The demonstrators voiced their dissatisfaction with the current Belarusian …