President Petro Poroshenko enacted by decree the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine dated May 7, 2019 “on measures to strengthen the defense capabilities of the state”.

“In the document, it is recognized that there is a need to continue developing conceptual approaches to strengthening state defense in the face of prolonged aggression from the Russian Federation,” the press service of the presidential administration of Ukraine reported.

According to the issued …

President Petro Poroshenko has dismissed the commander of National Guard of Ukraine Yuriy Allerov.

The decree No. 196 of May 7 was published on the website of the head of state.

By another decree, the President appointed Mykola Balan as acting commander of the National Guard.

"Under Section 7 of the Law "On National guard of Ukraine" the commander of National Guard of Ukraine is appointed and dismissed by the President of Ukraine according to the recommendation of the Minister of Internal …

According to a bill published on the Russian government’s website of legal information, the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia suggested to raise the price of gas for residents of the Crimea and Sevastopol.  

The authors of the document indicate that the bill aims to solve the problem of the gap between the gas prices in the Crimea and Sevastopol and the prices in the southern regions of neighboring Russia.

The document does not specify what gas prices are being referred to – for …

Yamal Airlines, which already owns 15 Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft, decided not to purchase another 10 aircraft identical to the plane that carried 41 people in Moscow on May 5, reports Radіo Liberty.

Russian news agencies quote Yamal Airlines General Director, Vasiliy Kryuk, explaining that they made this decision because of economic reasons.

At the same time, until the end of the investigation into the aircraft crash at Sheremetyevo Airport, Yamal is planning to continue operating the …

During a meeting with CE Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland, French President Emmanuel Macron said that he hopes that Russia will remain a member of the Council of Europe despite its disagreements with the other members of the organization, reported in Le Figaro.

“I hope Russia will remain a member of the Council of Europe,” said Macron as he welcomed Jagland to the Elysée Palace.

France will take over the presidency of the Council of Europe in mid-May.

Previously, it was reported in the …

The press service of the Ukrainian national oil company Ukrtransnafta confirmed that Druzhba oil pipeline system in the Ukrainian direction began to receive high-quality oil from Russia.

The oil pipeline operator specified that the fuel for further transportation to the EU is supplied from the linear production control station Mozyr of the pipeline operator Gomeltransneft Druzhba.

Following Belarus, the Ukrainian side examined the sample and confirmed that the quality of the oil is now in …

After meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday 6 May, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters that no one in the world wants the Venezuelan crisis to end in war. However, he believes that any US military operation in the Latin American country could have catastrophic consequences.

“From my contact with American and other colleagues – European and Latin American – I do not see any proponents of a reckless military solution. I hope that this understanding which we …

On May 20, Marie Yovanovitch will be ceasing her role of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Ukraine, ZN.UA reported citing its sources.

“Marie Yovanovitch left for Washington in a hurry to attend meetings. This Saturday, May 11th, the ambassador is due to fly to Ukraine. And on May 20, as all the diplomats at the embassy were informed today, Yovanovitch will be returning to Washington,” the news agency writes.

According to the news agency, the …