Russia makes it easier for residents of Transnistria to acquire Russian citizenship
Russia is carrying out a procedure which makes it simpler for residents of the unrecognized Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic to acquire Russian citizenship, and intends to make progress in this direction soon, said Konstantin Kosachev, head of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs, as reported by the Russian news agency Interfax.
“As I understand it, one of the pressing issues for the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic is the possibility of simplified acquisition of citizenship. …
Russia's Defense Ministry orders thousands of medals for personnel involved in Syria operation
The Russian Defense Ministry has announced a tendering process for the purchase of more than twenty thousand medals for those participating in military operations in Syria.
According to information provided on the procurement website, the agency will spend up to 45 million rubles on the medals. Twenty thousand medals will be awarded to "participants of the military operation in Syria," while another fifty medals will be given "for the liberation of Palmyra" and an additional fifty "for the …
Gazprom has increased gas supplies to the Donbas by 41%
In 2016, Russian gas monopoly Gazprom supplied 2.39 billion cubic meters of natural gas to the Luhansk and Donetsk regions that are beyond Ukraine’s control. That is 40.6% or 69 million cubic meters more than in 2015, as indicated in Gazprom’s quarterly reports, LIGA.net reported. According to the document, gas supplies to Ukraine in 2016 amounted to 2.39 billion cubic meters.
“At the same time, Naftogaz of Ukraine ceased the purchasing of gas from the Russian company in November 2015. …
The Parliament of Montenegro can lift diplomatic immunity of pro-Russian MPs
The Parliamentary Commission of Montenegro supported the request of the Chief Special Prosecutor to rescind the diplomatic immunity of two high-ranking opposition leaders accused of being involved in a pro-Russian plot to overthrow the Government, Radio Svoboda reported. The Parliament is scheduled to vote on the removal of diplomatic immunity from the MPs on the 15th of February.
The Chief Special Prosecutor of Montenegro, Milivoje Katnich, has already made the request which allows for Andrey …
Putin has no intention of meeting with the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy for Syria
A meeting with Staffan de Mistura, the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General for Syria, is not currently on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s agenda, as stated by Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, RIA Novosti reported.
Earlier, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennadiy Gatilov said that de Mistura would visit Moscow on February 16. The Special Envoy himself confirmed this, noting that he plans to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu. …