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Rosbalt: Boris Nemtsov told police of threats against him several months before his murder
The Co-Chairman of RPR-PARNAS (Republican Party of Russia), Boris Nemtsov, was killed in Moscow in February of 2015. A few months before his death, in the fall of 2014, he filed a report with the police in Yaroslavl indicating he had received death threats, as reported by the Russian Federal News Agency, Rosbalt, citing the case reports filed in connection with the murder.
Nemtsov’s assistant during his time as the Deputy of the Yaroslavl Regional Duma told investigators about this report …
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Poll: 64% of Russians would vote for the preservation of the Soviet Union
The results of a poll conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (RPORC) have shown that 64% of Russian citizens would vote for preservation of the Soviet Union in a hypothetical referendum. Only 20% of those polled would vote against the USSR.
The greatest support of the Soviet State was observed in citizens who are more than 45 years of age. Among Russians between the ages of 18 and 44 years old, only a quarter supported preserving the Soviet Union if it still existed today. …
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Ukraine coordinates preparation of Savchenko sanctions list
The President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, during a meeting with Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Linas Linkevičius, began coordinating the preparation of Savchenko’s sanctions list with the European Union and the US.
According to the press service of the Ukrainian President, during the meeting, Poroshenko commented on the positive efforts of Lithuania to secure the release of Nadiya Savchenko. The parties also coordinated the preparation of Savchenko’s sanctions list.
Poroshenko …
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The US urges Russia to return Crimea to Ukraine
On the occasion of the second anniversary of Russia's annexation of Crimea, US State Department spokesman John Kirby issued a statement which reiterated the US's commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
"The United States does not accept Russia's 'referendum' on March 16, 2014, and does not recognize an attempt of the annexation of Crimea, which violates the international law," a press release by the United States Foreign Service stated.
Kirby stressed that since …
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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. …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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, …
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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 …