According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, only Russian President Vladimir Putin can make a decision regarding an exchange of Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko for Russian prisoners held in Ukraine, RIA Novosti reported.

“Russia will act in accordance with the laws of the Russian Federation. In all other respects, only the President can make a decision. What the decision is, I cannot say yet,” Peskov stated.

After the Russian court ruled that Savchenko was guilty of killing two Russian …

Russian media has reported that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu arrived in the Crimea to inspect the combat readiness of Russian troops stationed on the Peninsula, as stated by a representative of the Defense Ministry, Igor Konashenkov. According to the spokesman, Shoigu will also inspect the construction of combat training facilities and social infrastructure in the annexed territory.

The Head of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, also visited the Crimea on Tuesday, where …

Russia’s economic crisis has driven the country’s poverty rate to a nine-year high, according to data provided by the Russian Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat).

In 2015, the number of people living in poverty reached 19 million (13.4% of the population), up from 16 million in 2014.

Rosstat reported that this is the highest rate since 2006.

The Statistics Service also reported that real incomes fell by 6.7% in February of this year compared to the same month in 2015.

As reported on Facebook, by the British Embassy press service in Kiev, the UK and Ukraine are to sign a 15-year defense partnership agreement.

“The agreement will be in place for 15 years. Areas that are covered by the agreement are supposed to exchange information about potential threats, participate in joint exercises, train members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and to cooperate in the sphere of military equipment,” the Embassy reported.

It was also stated that the UK is trying to increase …

The Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation and the former head of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB), Nikolai Patrushev, spoke on Monday about the threat of destabilization in the Crimea. "The threat of destabilization of the political situation in the Crimean Federal District still remains. Primarily, this is due to the political challenges and the economic pressure from our western opponents," Patrushev said at a meeting in Yalta on Monday.

The …

The General Military Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine estimated the damage caused by the annexation of the Crimea to be 1 trillion hryvnia ($38 billion), as stated by the head of the agency, Anatolii Matios, at a briefing on March 21st, reported Krym.Realii.

"According to the preliminary conclusions of the experts, the damage to the Ukrainian state caused by the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula by Russia amounts to more than 1 trillion hryvnia. This number takes onto account only the value of …

Russia began importing Syrian produce to partially replace Turkish products which have been prohibited for import by Russian authorities since January 1st, Kommersant reported.

General Director of Adyg Yurak Zao, Aslan Panesh, said last week that nearly 3,000 tons of citrus fruits, cabbage and tomatoes arrived in Novorossiysk. According to him, it was the second batch but there had been some problems importing from Syria. Supplies from Syria are organized by the French shipping company CMA CGM. …

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan suggested that Russia be stripped of its permanent UN Security Council member status. In addition, according to the Turkish leader, the institution itself is in dire need of fundamental reform, as reported by ghhauto.ru.

"This system must be reformed. Just think about it: five permanent and ten non-permanent UN Security Council members. They will perform their duty for another two years. The UN Security Council consists of Russia, Britain, France, the USA, …