The press center of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that the army repelled another separatist attack near the city of Avdiivka.  

According to the report, Russian-supported separatists opened fire near Avdiivka.  The weapons they used included 82-millimeter and 120-millimeter mortars, and tanks.  These weapons are strictly prohibited under the Minks Agreements.  “The separatists came from the direction of Yasinovataya.  They tried to attack one of the Ukrainian military positions but this …

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that Russia is attempting to divide the alliance using various means.

“What we have seen over long time is a more assertive Russia, using many different means to try to intimidate its neighbors and to try to also divide the NATO alliance,” Stoltenberg stated.

The Secretary General went on to explain that NATO is responding to the threat using several strategies.

“We are responding in a very unified way, adapting our …

The Dutch Prosecutor, who is leading the investigation into the people responsible for the downing of flight MH17, stated that the Netherlands has received all necessary information from the U.S.A. concerning the investigation of the Boeing-777 crash over The Donbas, Deutsche Welle reported.

Fred Westerbeke stated that it is impossible to predict the completion date of the investigation. However, he promised to report the exact site of the anti-aircraft missile launch and its model this summer. …

The former United States Ambassador to Ukraine, Steven Pifer, posted on Twitter that Natalie Jaresko could become the Prime Minister of Ukraine. “There is increased reporting from Kiev that the Minister of Finance of Ukraine, Natalie Jaresko, will be appointed as the Prime Minister of Ukraine, perhaps, as soon as this week,” Pifer wrote.

Earlier, the Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine, Aivaras Abromavičius, who resigned from his post because of political pressure on his …

The Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Jens Stoltenberg, in a meeting with the Ukrainian Minister of Defense, Stepan Poltorak, stressed the need to make decisions on reforms of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and their effective implementation, according to the published report of the March 8th meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission.

Jens Stoltenberg also assured him of NATO’s support of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and noted that the Alliance will …

The Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jareeda recently published an article that claims that Russia has delayed shipment of S-300 anti-aircraft missile system supplies to Iran for reasons other than financial difficulties. According to Al-Jareeda, Moscow is displeased with Iran’s breach of obligations not to provide missile weapons to Lebanese Hezbollah. The story was quickly circulated by the Israeli media, in particular, by The Jerusalem Post, Maariv and Israel Hayom.

The Hezbollah allegedly received …

The Fitch international ratings agency revised the forecast on Russia’s gross domestic product or GDP. As reported on the Fitch website, experts believe that the Russian GDP will fall by 1.5% this year.

As early as last December, they forecasted 0.5% GDP growth but in February 2016 this changed to a 1% decline. Low oil prices in Russia reduced oil company profits that led to budget tightening policies.

Meanwhile, high interest rates and declining salaries are reducing consumption, the Fitch …

The EU sanctions against Russian and Ukrainian citizens will be formally extended, without debate, on Thursday.  Brussels holds these citizens accountable for undermining the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

It is predicted that the list will contain 146 people and 37 entities.  This was reported by RIA Novosti, citing EU sources.  Three people have been excluded from this list as they are now deceased.  These sanctions will be extended until the 15th of September.

According to diplomatic …