Lithuanian faction: St. George Ribbon a symbol of 'Russian aggression and imperialist ambitions'

Lithuania has proposed that the St. George’s ribbon be listed as a symbol of totalitarianism.  They have also recommended that a fine be implemented for its use and demonstration.

This initiative was proposed today by the deputies of the Seimas from the faction of the Union of the Fatherland.  Lithuanian Christian Democrats have also decided to amend the Administrative Code of Lithuania with this initiative.

These amendments to the Administrative Code were registered in Lithuania.  It …


Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Concerned with Human Rights Situation in Crimea

Ukraine is deeply concerned about human rights violations by Russia in the Crimea, as well as in some areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, as reported in a statement by the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The reports from international organizations and human rights institutions unanimously record massive harassment by the Russian occupation forces of ethnic Ukrainians and the indigenous Crimean Tatar population of the Crimea for political and national motives; including …


Poroshenko: Ukraine has Survived First Winter without Russian Gas

The President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, said that the country has demonstrated its independence from Russian gas during the autumn-winter heating season, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine.

"Russia thought that they would bring us to our knees by offering gas at $212/cubic meter.  I discussed this with the Minister who called Russia and said: 'No, we will not take your gas,'" Poroshenko stated.

According to Poroshenko, Ukraine now buys gas from Europe, which costs less than buying gas from …


OSCE: Situation in Donbas region remains highly volatile

Deputy Chief Monitor of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, Alexander Hug, held a news conference in Kiev in which he outlined the general security situation in the Donbas region. Hug highlighted several areas in eastern Ukraine where tensions are rising between the Ukrainian Armed Forces and Russian-backed separatists of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR).

The …


Europe Plans to Close its Market to Russian Metal Imports

The European Commission plans to introduce anti-dumping duties on cold-rolled flat metal products from China and Russia, as reported by Reuters on January 28th, citing sources familiar with the plans of the commission.

Officially, the introduction of the new policy will be announced on February 14th, and will be finalized on August 12th, provided the anti-dumping investigation confirms the underpricing accusations, according to the website of the European Commission. Usually, anti-dumping …