Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko stated that Russia has agreed to deploy an armed OSCE mission in the Donbas.

"I’m very glad that Ukraine’s firm position is supported by our partners in The Normandy Group, both the U.S.A. and Russia has agreed to this format. I think we will do it right," Poroshenko said in an interview with Ukrainian TV channels on Sunday evening.

The President emphasized that despite the Herculean efforts of the SMM OSCE, firing, especially in Avdiivka, Marinka and in …

The Russian Army is conducting exercises in the Arctic, where the troopers were tasked with overcoming the challenges of the North Pole. Paratrooper units from Novorossiysk and Ivanovo began the long hike to the North Pole, the Press Service of the Defense Ministry informs.

"Marines overcame the snow dunes of the North Pole, traveling on snowshoes and skis. The Russian Airborne Troops (VDV) hauled the materials necessary for conducting the mission and providing assistance on kayaks," the …

In Russia a case against a 74-year-old librarian, Larisa Ladatkina, was initiated for providing assistance to refugees from the Donbas region. According to Rosbalt, she faces up to three years in prison. The elderly woman is accused of providing assistance to refugees from Luhansk, a city in eastern Ukraine.

Reportedly, in the fall of 2015, the woman had registered and invited a family of Ukrainian immigrants to live in her apartment in Khimki (Moscow region). The registration period for the …

US President Barack Obama said that he and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have a common stance on sanctions against Russia because of its policy with regard to Ukraine: sanctions can only be lifted if Moscow fulfills the conditions of the Minsk Agreements. Obama said this on April 24th at a press conference in Hannover, after a meeting with Merkel as part of his 6-day trip abroad."Sanctions against Russia can and should be lifted only if Russia fulfills its commitments within the framework of …

Nine Cossacks of the Kuban Cossack Army received awards personally from Sergey Aksyonov, the de facto head of Crimea, on the 25th anniversary of the rehabilitation of the Cossacks. During a parade in Krasnodar, honorary watches were presented to them for the protection of the "referendum" in the annexed Crimea, TASS reports.

Aksyonov presented the honors "for the conscientious execution of the official duties and active participation in ensuring of law and order during the preparation and …

The headquarters of Ukrainian military operations in the Donbas reported that on April 23rd, Russian-backed separatists fired at Ukrainian military positions more than 41 times. This is more than double the number of attacks by separatists on April 22nd, when there were only 19 recorded.

"The most active was the Donetsk area where the gunmen fired towards Avdiivka using 82 mm and 120 mm caliber mortars. Kremlin supporters also ignored the ceasefire in areas near the Ukrainian positions in …

The leaders of the so-called People's Donetsk Republic (DPR) stated that any armed OSCE mission in eastern Ukraine will be viewed as military aggression against the self-declared republic.

This position was stated by the leader of the so-called DPR, Aleksandr Zakharchenko, at a media briefing. It was later published by separatist media sources.

"If they dare to show up here armed, I will consider it to be a military invasion. They only have a mandate to be a monitory mission," he stated. …

The US Air Force has sent F-22 Raptors from the UK to Romania to participate in exercises in the Black Sea region, Reuters reported.

Two of the 5th generation stealth fighters and one KC-135 tanker were sent to the Mihail Kogălniceanu Airbase in Romania in order to participate in exercises to support the eastern NATO member states.

Earlier, the US European Command (EUCOM) reported that the US Air Force had transferred the F-22s to the UK for exercises.

The US first deployed the multi-purpose …