Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that the elections on the occupied territories in Eastern Ukraine can only be held if the conditions for fair and transparent expression of people’s will prevail there.

“At the moment we cannot hold elections on the occupied territories” - said the President in his interview to the Ukrainian TV channels on Sunday.

“Our key point is not the fact of simply holding elections as preferred by Russia but ensuring how these elections are held.”

The …

The European Union on Monday extended its sanctions against Russia until March of 2016. The sanctions are meant to punish Moscow for its military support for Ukrainian separatists and its annexation of Crimea.

The sanctions include asset freezes and travel bans against 149 people and 37 entities, the European Union announced in a statement. Without the EU action the sanctions would have lifted on Tuesday.

A separate set of European economic sanctions against Russia are in place until the end …

As reported by Dmitriy Tymchuk of Information Resistance , Russian troops began to hold public executions in the occupied regions of Donetsk and Gorlovka.

The chief of one of the checkpoints of the local community has been shot by Russian military for attempting an unauthorized firing of artillery.

Also, in the Petrovsky district of Donetsk, 2 militants were sentenced to death for insubordination. The sentence has been carried out by the Russian troops.

On the eve of the federal elections Canadian Group for Democracy in Ukraine has made a list of critical questions to ask their MP candidates. Questions concerning Russian aggression in Ukraine.

The activists seek to help Canadian voters, many of those ethnic Ukrainian, "to choose the most worthy and most competent" - those MPs whose political outlook is not limited to Canada only. The elections - is the best opportunity for the public to formulate their guidelines for Canadian politicians. It …

Silvio Berlusconi, Former Italian Prime Minister arrived with a "private visit" in the Crimea annexed by Russia.  

Berlusconi arrived on September 11 in Yalta, where he plans to take in the sights and have "several meetings".

As admitted in the Kremlin on September 9, during the trip Berlusconi could meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Berlusconi is also expected to visit Sevastopol, and then go to Moscow and return to Italy on 13 September.

Earlier this year Berlusconi, who is a …

As per Sir Andrew Wood, Chatham House

The received wisdom that Russia will always be ready to go further than the West in a confrontation over Ukraine is flawed.

‘The West could never prevail in a military confrontation over Ukraine with Russia, which would always be prepared to go further.’ This line, from a Financial Times editorial last week, reflects a commonly-held view among Western commentators about the crisis in eastern Ukraine. But if taken literally, it would imply that Vladimir …

According to a number of Lebanese sources, Russian forces have begun participating in military operations in Syria in support of government troops.

The unidentified sources, speaking to Reuters on Wednesday, gave the most forthright account yet from the region of what the United States fears is a deepening Russian military role in Syria's civil war, though one of the Lebanese sources said the number of Russians involved so far was small.

U.S. officials said Russia sent two tank landing ships …

Russian President Vladimir Putin could have an audience with Pope Francis at the United Nations on the sidelines of the development summit meeting later this month — but only, as per the Vatican envoy to the UN, if Mr. Putin gets here in time.

According to diplomatic protocol, the pope is to hold a bilateral meeting with the country that presides over the United Nations Security Council and only with its head of state. In September, that is Russia. Hence, Mr. Putin.

The pope is scheduled to …