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 …

Chechen ombudsman Nurdi Nukhazhiyev addressed the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (SKR) with an appeal to open a criminal case against Elena Milashina, a correspondent with Novaya Gazeta. From the ombudsman’s official website he accused Milashina of spreading false information about Magomed Daudov, Speaker of the Chechen Parliament. Nukhazhiyev alleged that Milashina’s aim was to discredit the speaker’s honor and dignity.

The issue is based on Milashina’s article published in …

Iraqi Kurds are expecting the delivery of hundreds of Russian ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft guns, according to a representative of northern Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Moscow, Aso Talabani, as reported by Interfax.

On March 14th, Russia gave the Kurdish Peshmerga forces five such anti-aircraft installations.

“I hope there will be more supplies. Russia delivered five installations the day before, and I think this is just the beginning,” Talabani told Interfax.

"We need hundreds of …

The Government of Georgia does not intend to abolish the law "On Occupied Territories", but this law may be eased for the Georgian-Abkhazian and Georgian-Ossetian families, said the Minister of Justice of Georgia, Thea Tsulukiani, on Wednesday, as reported by Interfax.

"The law 'On Occupied Territories' will be in force as long Georgian territories are occupied, because we need a special legal regime that governs the entry and exit of people on these territories, as well as many other issues," …

Dmitry Kargaev, the adviser of Igor Plotnitsky, the leader of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic, was found dead in Luhansk. This was reported on CXID.info by a source close to the Administration of the Head of the so-called LPR.

According to the source, Kargaev was killed in his home after being shot four times, including one to the head.

Since November 2014, Kargaev had worked as the Deputy Head of the Administration of Plotnitsky, led by Olga Tarash. After her dismissal, he was …

US Colonel Steve Warren, Director of Defense Press Operations and Spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the US military operation against the so-called Islamic State, claimed that it was hard to interpret Russian intentions towards the extremist group.

The US-led coalition, which has been fighting against the so-called Islamic State, notes that some Russian military aircraft and troops left Syria, but their main forces there remain mostly unchanged.

This was announced by Colonel …

On Wednesday, Russia expanded agricultural sanctions against Turkey, Radio Svoboda reported. According to the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, Rosselkhoznadzor, Turkish pomegranates and sweet peppers were added to the list of banned Turkish products. The agency emphasized that this includes all pomegranates and sweet peppers originating from Turkey, regardless of where the products were shipped from.

"Rosselkhoznadzor introduces on March 17 temporary …

During the meeting with the Minister of Defence of Latvia, Raimonds Bergmanis, the Polish Defence Minister, Anthony Macierewicz, confirmed that Poland will send a company of soldiers to the Baltic States, as reported by the main online news publication in the Baltic States Delfi, with reference to the Press Department of the Ministry of Defense of Latvia.

Currently the soldiers of the US Army, on a rotational basis in Eastern Europe, are stationed in Latvia. Previously, soldiers from other …