• Russia to close UN High Commissioner for Human Rights office in Moscow

    Russian authorities intend to close the Moscow Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). This was stated by the UN Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, speaking at the Human Rights Council session in Geneva, the BBC reported.

    "I am concerned about the signals received from the government that indicate an intention to close our office in Moscow" Al Hussein said. According to him, it's necessary to intensify communication with the Russian authorities, including discussion of …

  • Savchenko's lawyer says letter sent to her client from Poroshenko is a fake

    Nadiya Savchenko’s lawyer, Mark Feygin, has reported that a letter sent to her from Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, is a fake. Feygin had previously published the letter.

    “This morning, the Consulate General of Ukraine, Vitaly Moskalenko, and I have been part of a special operation. The fake letter given to Nadiya, which was allegedly written by the President of Ukraine, was aimed at discouraging her from her dry hunger strike,” Feygin said.

    According to him, Moskalenko received a phone …

  • Dzhemilev: Turkish and Ukrainian cooperation may lead to the de-occupation of Crimea

    The national leader of Crimean Tatars, Mustafa Dzhemilev, said that Turkey has embarked on economic and military rapprochement with Ukraine. In his opinion, it may help the de-occupation of Crimea. Dzhemilev told Krym.Realli, commenting on the meeting of the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, and the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

    "We are heading towards economic and military rapprochement with Ukraine. It is certainly in our favor and I think in favor for de-occupation of …

  • Amnesty International: Russia fails to protect those who defend human rights

    Amnesty International released a statement on Friday in which it criticized the Russian government for failing to protect those who promote human rights.

    According to Amnesty International, the violent attack on human rights defenders and journalists in the Russian territory of Ingeshetia “is further evidence of the authorities’ abject failure to protect those who work to safeguard human rights.”

    The statement comes after members of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture as well as …

  • NATO chooses US Army General Curtis M. Scaparrotti as next Supreme Allied Commander

    The North Atlantic Council, NATO’s principal decision-making body, approved the nomination of General Curtis M. Scaparrotti of the United States Army as the next Supreme Allied Commander in Europe (SACEUR), as stated in a NATO press release.

    “Upon completion of national confirmation processes, he will take up his appointment as successor to General Philip M. Breedlove, United States Air Force, at a change of command ceremony at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Mons, Belgium, …

  • Kremlin responds to Poroshenko's offer to exchange prisoners for Savchenko

    The Press Spokesman for the President of Russia, Dmitry Peskov, has responded to Ukrainian President, Petro Poroshenko, with regard to the release of Nadiya Savchenko. RBC reported that Poroshenko has officially stated his readiness to exchange Savchenko for Russian prisoners.

    “We have noted President Poroshenko’s statements regarding Savchenko. I am not ready to say more. I can however state that we have recorded the statements of Savchenko’s lawyer, Mark Feygin. He has said that the …

  • Poroshenko expressed his willingness to work with any potential Prime Minister

    The President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, has announced an early election of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) and is ready to work with any potential Prime Minister. He said this in an interview with the Turkish channel TRT World, the Ukrainski Novini reported.

    "The Parliament should consist of the coalition. The coalition must be a majority. Three fractions have left the coalition. In accordance with the Constitution, a new coalition should be formed and, most likely, a new Prime …

  • 18 tons of Polish mushrooms were destroyed in Russia

    In a food storehouse in the Rostov region of Russia, police and officers of the Rosselkhoznadzor (Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance) discovered a truck loaded with fresh mushrooms—a food item on Russia’s sanctions list.

    Donnews.ru reported that according to the Rosselkhoznadzor, the cargo of fresh mushrooms were packed in plastic containers and weighed a total of 17 tons, 720 kilograms. Some of the package labels indicated Macedonian origin, but further …

  • Belarusian Foreign Ministry doesn't see a threat in Ukraine's cooperation with NATO

    As reported by RIA Novosti, according to the Belarusian Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Pavel Muraveyko, Belarus is not concerned with Ukraine’s cooperation with NATO and does not see any threat from Ukraine.

    “What is happening in its territory and the involvement of NATO countries at this time is not critical or challenging for our country. We should have a good understanding of these processes which take place and know that NATO is interested in increasing the number …

  • BP-Azerbaijan committed to transporting gas to Europe

    The BP-Azerbaijan Company remains committed to its plan to transport gas, which will be extracted during the second phase of the development of the Azerbaijan Shah Deniz gas condensate field, to Turkey in 2018 and to Europe in 2020, as said by the Regional President for BP-Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, Gordon Birrell. According to him, the Shah Deniz-2 project is at two-thirds compliance at this time.

    "The Shah Deniz gas condensate field remains stable and reliable. Last year nearly 10 …