The Russian Navy plans to bolster its presence in the Crimea by transferring several Sukhoi Su-30sm jets and other pieces of military equipment to the annexed peninsula, as reported by TASS.

According to a representative of the Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet (BSF), Vyacheslav Trukhachev, 8 Su-30s were recently deployed to the Crimea, and several more aircraft of this type will be sent to the peninsula this year.

As stated by Trukhachev, following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, the …

Viktor Krasnov, a Russian citizen, may face imprisonment for a discussion on the internet in which he denied the existence of God, Golos Ameriki reports

The 38-year-old appeared in a closed hearing in a Stavropol court on Wednesday.  If the court finds him guilty of violating the 2013 law on insulting the feelings of believers, he may face a prison term of up to one year.

This controversial law was passed after an incident with punk band, Pussy Riot, in the main cathedral of Moscow.  Members …

The only functioning Russian aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov, will be deployed to the Mediterranean Sea in the summer of 2016 as reported by TASS citing a high-ranking source in the main command of the Russian Navy.

As the agency’s representative noted, while in the Mediterranean Sea, the cruiser will head a permanent grouping of the Russian Navy in the region.

He added that after a trip to the Mediterranean Sea, the Admiral Kuznetsov will be out of service for 2 – 2 ½ years for repairs …

The agreement on the additional supply of natural gas from Azerbaijan to Georgia has strengthened Georgia’s position in its negotiations with Gazprom.  One of the leaders of the Georgian parliamentary majority, Gia Volski, reported this to journalists on Saturday, as reported by Interfax.

“Azerbaijan has found technical resources which will strengthen our position on the market,” Volski said.  This was in reference to an agreement signed the day before between the Georgian government and the …

Ukrainian citizens will not be able to enter Belarus with their new plastic ID-cards, as stated on the website of the State Border Committee of Belarus. These cards have been issued to Ukrainians since the 1st of January 2016, as reported by Evropeyskaya Pravda.

“According to the 2009 bilateral agreement on visa-free travel between the Republic of Belarus and Ukraine, the new Ukrainian ID-card passport cannot be used when crossing the state border,” the statement said.

The Belarusian Ministry …

According to the Consul of Ukraine in Rostov-on-Don, Vitaliy Moskalenko, a group of three Ukrainian doctors have been sent to Russia in order to examine the condition of Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko, as reported by Glavnoe.

“Urgent measures have been carried out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the President, a group of doctors who examined her before has been identified. I think they will arrive tomorrow in Rostov,” censor.net quoted him as saying.

Moskalenko said that the doctors …

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has reported that there is an increasing threat of the Russian military invading the country from the Azov Sea coast.

This was reported by the representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Vadim Skibitskiy, during a briefing held on the 4th of March.

“The level of danger in the direction of Donetsk and Mariupol is increasing,” he said.

“The military is continuing with the creation of the so-called Azov fleet.  It …

Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak discussed the reform of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as reported  by the press service of the Ministry.

“We are beginning to actively reform the army. The President of Ukraine has given us such a task. That’s why I set the goal to the heads of structural units of the Ministry of Defense and General staff— to establish clear plans for the implementation of the reforms according to areas of activities specifying its objectives and responsible performers.” …