• Belarus initiates 135 criminal cases against individuals who fought in Ukraine

    As the Head of the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption Nicolai Karpenkov said in an interview with the newspaper Zvezda on March 25th, criminal cases have been initiated against Belarusians fighting on both sides of the conflict in Ukraine, as reported by Radio Polsha.

    “It is important not to let in foreign militias-mercenaries, radicalized Muslims, members involved in military actions in Ukraine and in the Middle East to Belarus. We are developing operational records …

  • Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan begin negotiations over border dispute

    The Heads of the Customs Services of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan met to hold negotiations on the current situation at the borders between the two countries. According to the press service of the domestic border agency, the meeting was held on the initiative of Uzbek party at a checkpoint on Kyzyl-Kiya highway in the Batken region, Radio Azattyk reported.

    The Head of the Kyrgyzstan’s State Border Service, Raimberdi Duyshenbiev, is participating in negotiations on the part of Kyrgyzstan and the …

  • Three foreigners will be appointed as independent members of the Supervisory Board of Naftogaz

    The Nomination Committee has selected three foreign candidates to hold independent positions on the Supervisory Board of Naftogaz Ukraine, the Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine, Aivaras Abromavičius, announced at a press conference on Friday, March 25th, the press service of the Ministry reported.

    The supervisory board will consist of five members, three of whom are to be independent, and two are to represent the interests of the state. Approved candidates for the post of …

  • Hug: OSCE’s data indicate that Russia is directly involved in the war in eastern Ukraine

    The Principal Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, Alexander Hug, said information collected by the organization indicates that Russian troops have been directly involved in the war in eastern Ukraine since the conflict first erupted in the spring of 2014.

    At the same time, speaking at a press conference in Odessa, Hug stressed the mission itself only reports on what it sees and hears, and refrains from drawing conclusions.

    "From the beginning, we wrote in …

  • Russia to deploy newly-formed motorized rifle division to the Rostov region

    A new motorized rifle division with approximately 10,000 soldiers will be deployed by the end of 2016 to the Rostov region, as reported by TASS, citing a source from the Southern Military District headquarters.“The new ‘full-blooded’ motorized rifle division will be created by the end of this year in accordance with the directives of the Chief of General Staff and the Commander of the Southern Military District troops. Three military compounds are to be built in order to accommodate this new …

  • Tymoshenko: Obama and Merkel have convinced Putin to transfer Savchenko to Ukraine

    According to the leader of the Ukrainian political party Batkivshchyna (Fatherland), Yulia Tymoshenko, US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have convinced Russian President Vladimir Putin to transfer Nadiya Savchenko to Ukraine, as reported by Deutsche Welle.

    On Friday, on the TV program “Shuster Live”, Tymoshenko expressed confidence that the three leaders had reached an agreement that will allow Savchenko to be transferred to Ukraine.

    "According to our information, …

  • The Kremlin says an exchange for Savchenko is 'theoretically possible'

    The Chief of the Presidential Administration of Russia, Sergei Ivanov, stated that the case of Nadiya Savchenko has nothing to do with the Minsk Agreements, but a prisoner exchange including her is theoretically possible, Interfax reported.

    “Regarding a possible exchange, theoretically, it is possible. With full respect for the legislation of the Russian Federation, the decision on this issue can only be made by the President of Russia,” Ivanov said. He also addressed whether the exchange of …

  • Poll: More than half of Russians belive Stalin played a positive role in the country's history

    According to a poll conducted by the Levada Center, 54% of Russian citizens believe that Josef Stalin played a positive role in the country’s history, Vedmosti reported. Approximately the same number of respondents believe that Stalin was a wise leader who led the Soviet Union to prosperity. The majority of respondents (60%) would not want to live under such a head of state, falling from 74% in 2008.

    At the same time, two-thirds of respondents considered Stalin to be a tyrant, responsible for …

  • Mercedes decides to build plant in Poland instead of Russia

    Mercedes has abandoned its plans to build its car factory in Russia, favoring Poland.

    In January, the Head of Mercedes-Benz Daimler Dieter Zetsche stated that the construction of the Mercedes plant in Russia was still in the plans of the auto giant despite the situation with the Russian economy.

    In 2015, new car sales in Russia dropped to 36%, or 1.6 million cars. 2016 is likely to be more significant. The Hyundai plant in Saint-Petersburg brought 1 billion rubles ($14.6 million) inlosses to …

  • Putin advises Russian businessmen to wait to sell their assets in Ukraine

    On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the congress of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP), and later held a meeting with major businessmen behind closed doors. During the public part of the meeting, Putin praised the business leaders for their "mature and responsible" work, and assured them that the government is working on reducing the fiscal burden brought on by the economic crisis. The Russian President also said that he supports “easing the law” for …