For Russian President Vladimir Putin, one of the main reasons for starting the war in the Donbas region was the ease with which Russian Special Forces were able to occupy and annex the Crimean peninsula in early 2014. This opinion was expressed by Russian opposition leader Boris Vishnevsky in an interview with Apostrophe.

"The hypothesis that seems plausible to me is that Vladimir Putin doesn't consider Ukraine to be a state, and it's possible that he seriously considered a scenario in which a …

The money laundering scandal in the Russian branch of Deutsche Bank expands.

According to new data, Russian customers conducted illegal bank operations worth 10 billion U.S. dollars, reported Reuters on Tuesday, December 22nd, citing sources familiar with the situation. Previously, the amount was estimated at about $6 billion but the internal investigation into the bank turned up new suspicious transactions.

This September the bank sent the results of the investigation to the authorities …

The US expanded sanctions against Russia in connection with recent events in eastern Ukraine. This was stated on the website of the US Treasury. Sanctions were imposed against individuals (including Ukranian citizens) and institutions alike.

The sanctions list includes the ministers that worked with former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, former Science and Education Minister Dmytro Tabachnik and Russian politician Vitaliy Zakharchenko. Sanctions were also imposed on Vladislav Dinega, …

Militants of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) are holding 140 Ukrainian prisoners, many of whom are sick or wounded. This information was posted on the Facebook of the Commissioner of the President for the Peaceful Settlement of the Situation in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Iryna Herashchenko.

"We presented the full information on all our efforts to release the hostages—according to SBU the number is 140 Ukrainians—among whom are many people …

Last week, leaders in the Defense Ministry of Ukraine were informed that Russian scouts had appeared in the village of Kominternovo near Mariupol.  As of today, Russian infantry have occupied the village.

When journalists commented on the presence of Russian scouts in the village last week, leaders of the Ukrainian Armed Forces dismissed the reports, with one Ukrainian general saying "You guys are confused, this is our position."  

According to media reports, on the morning of December 22nd, …

In response to U.S. sanctions against Russia, the First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Mikhail Emelyanov, proposed imposing sanctions against Coca-Cola, as well as Visa and MasterCard payment systems.

“We conduct business with some American companies that will be susceptible to these sanctions.  This applies primarily to the audit companies, financial companies and, of course, Coca-Cola," the Russian Deputy said.

Emelyanov …

The Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine (TCG) called for the parties in the conflict in the Donbass region to agree to a ceasefire beginning on December 23rd.  The last meeting of the year between Ukraine, Russia and OSCE ended on Tuesday in Minsk.

According to Daria Olifer, Press Secretary for former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, "There is an agreement on a full and unconditional silence starting at midnight on December 23, 2015. This initiative is needed primarily for the civilians in …

The press center of the ATO reports that mine disarming operations by Ukrainian forces have continued a few kilometers away from the conflict in the Mariupol region.

"In the direction of Mariupol, it has been relatively quiet for the last two days. This makes it possible for the Ukrainian military to actively dispose of mines. Recently, explosions were constantly heard in the vicinity. Taking advantage of a partial cessation of hostilities in the area, the Ukrainian military have begun to …