Ukrainian intelligence forces have captured Vladimir Tsemakh, a former air defense commander in the separatist-controlled city of Snizhne, which is close to where the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down in 2014.

According to BBC’s Russian service, Tsemakh was arrested in his apartment in Snizhne on 27 July. According to his relatives and attorney, Ukrainian intelligence officers took him to Kyiv-controlled territory, where he was placed under arrest for two months.

“On 28 June, the …

Representatives of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) started an investigation against Russian athletes who are suspected of violating anti-doping rules, as reported on WADA's website.

It is noted that the case is conducted based on data from the Moscow laboratory, and 298 Russian athletes could fall under the sanctions. 578 samples were sent for testing, and 298 of them were classified as suspicious.

The audit will be completed at the end of 2019, and its data will be transferred to the …

Russia and the US are holding urgent consultations due to an encounter between their submarines, according to a report by the Israeli military news portal DEBKAfile.

Citing anonymous military sources, the site reports that the incident took place in American territorial waters near Alaska, when a US submarine intercepted a Russian nuclear submarine.

The Russian submarine that was escorting the strategic submarine reportedly responded with a Balkan 2000 torpedo, which breached the American …

The Ambassador of Ukraine to the Czech Republic Yevgeny Perebiynis, in an interview with Voice of Ukraine, said that the Czech Republic is investigating 20 of its citizens who were fighting on the side of the pro-Russian militants in the Donbas.

"There is an investigation conducted against almost 20 Czech citizens who possibly participated in military operations on the side of Russia in the Donbas," he stressed.

When the Ambassador was asked about how these people were detained and whether …

At a meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte during the G20 summit in Osaka, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia does not recognize the results of the investigation into the crash of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 in the sky over the Donetsk region in July 2014, as stated by the Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov

"I can confirm this dialogue: it was a very brief conversation, not an official meeting," said Peskov as quoted by UNIAN news agency.

"Putin …

A court in Genoa, Italy, has given prison sentences to three mercenaries who fought against Ukraine in the Donbas, the local news outlet La Stampa reports.

Antonio Cataldo (35, from Nola, Naples) was given 2 years 8 months; Olsi Krutani (39, an Albanian who relocated to Milan a long time ago) was also given 2 years 8 months; and Vladimir Verbitchii (26, a Moldovan who has lived in Parma for many years) was given 1 year 4 months in prison.

The three were found guilty of unsanctioned …

On Wednesday, July 3, Russia officially withdrew from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree that makes it the president’s prerogative to decide whether to resume participation in the agreement. The law was passed by Russia’s State Duma on 18 June and ratified by the Federation Council on 26 June.

The INF treaty was signed by the US and USSR in 1987, and sought to eliminate an entire class of missiles. The document prohibits the …

The delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), which arrived in Ukraine to assess the pre-election climate, has left the country ahead of schedule. PACE representatives explained that the premature departure was based on Ukraine’s withdrawal of its invitation to PACE to send observers for the country’s upcoming snap parliamentary elections.

“The pre-electoral delegation has decided to cease its activity prematurely,” PACE said in a statement published on …