The Russian Defense Ministry has decided to withdraw the troops concentrated in the southern and western regions, including near the border with Ukraine.

From April 23, the troops of the Southern and Western Military Districts will begin to return to the places of permanent deployment, said the Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu.

The objectives of the combat readiness check, in which, according to the data, Russia transferred about 100,000 military personnel to Crimea and border areas, …

The Russian Foreign Ministry reported that it handed a note to the Deputy Chief of the U.S Diplomatic Mission, Bart Gorman, declaring persona non grata 10 employees of the U.S. diplomatic mission, whose expulsion was announced last week.

"On April 21, Bart Gorman, deputy head of the U.S. diplomatic mission in the Russian Federation, was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry, and was presented with a note declaring 10 employees of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow persona non grata. These persons …

Czech Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek protested against the expulsion of 20 Czech embassy employees from Moscow and demanded that all of them be returned to the diplomatic mission.

Prague awaits Moscow's decision until 12:00 (13:00 GMT) Thursday, April 22, Czech Foreign Minister told reporters.

"All expelled employees of the Czech Embassy must be allowed to come back to Moscow. A decision is expected by 12:00 On Thursday. If it is not taken, we will proceed with the option of bringing the …

Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has opened a website in the Darknet through which people not living in Russia are invited to send information about threats to Russia's security, reported the Current Time. According to the publication, last December, “Report Information” link appeared on the SVR website. Clicking on the link would bring up a message in English: "If you are outside Russia and have important information about threats to the security of the Russian Federation, you can …

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned the world against crossing red lines against Russia.

"Unfriendly actions against Russia do not stop. Some countries have started a custom, on any occasion, and most often without a reason, to pick on Russia. It's has become a sport of some kind! We are acting with the utmost restraint, we can say modestly," Putin said during the annual message to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.

He added that Russia wants to have good relations with …

Russia imposes temporary restrictions on flights over Crimea and the Black Sea, reports Interfax.

According to the Notice to Airman (NOTAM) issued by Russia, areas over the southern part of Crimea (from Sevastopol to Feodosia), areas adjacent to the southern coast of Crimea, and also some parts of international waters of the Black Sea have been declared “temporary dangerous”.

The restriction is in effect from April 20 to 24 and applies to flights at altitudes of up to 19,000 meters. Last week …

Negotiations in the "Normandy format" on the situation in southeastern Ukraine ended inconclusively, Interfax, Kommersant and RIA Novosti reported, citing a source in the Russian delegation.

The three-hour video conference, which was attended by advisers to the presidents of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany, failed to reach any agreements on the Donbas amid the ongoing transfer of Russian troops to the borders.

“At the initiative of the Russian side, the issues related to the ceasefire …

Russia continues to deploy equipment to the annexed Crimea and has built a new military camp there, reported the German newspaper Der Spiegel.

Der Spiegel published satellite images showing a military base 30 kilometers from the village of Maryivka in the Leninsky district, with more than a thousand trucks stationed in the fenced sections. Satellite photos show that on March 15 the field was empty, and as of April 13, the territory is completely jammed with Russian military equipment.

As the …