Contents tagged with Russia

  • Russia Today organizes tour to the Crimea for foreign journalists

    Russian state-run TV channel Russia Today is organizing a trip for foreign journalists to visit the annexed Crimea. The visit is scheduled for the 16 of July. This was reported by a representative of the Independent Media Trade Union of Ukraine (from 2011 to 2016) Yuriy Lukanov, in his blog for the online edition of Detector Medіa.

    Lukanov says he has a list of journalists who are planning to visit the occupied peninsula. It consists of 15 names. Among them are representatives of Radio Zones ( …

  • EU to fund pipeline to help Finland reduce its dependence on Russian energy

    The European Union will provide €187.5 million for the construction of a gas pipeline which will allow Finland to reduce its dependence on Russian energy, Deutsche Welle reported.

    On Friday, July 15, EU member states excepted the proposal of the European Commission to finance the construction of the pipeline, which will connect Estonia and Finland. This was reported on the website of the European Commission. The pipeline, which will begin operating in 2020, aims to reduce Finland's dependence …

  • NASA doesn't plan to extend contact with Russian Space Agency to deliver astronauts to ISS

    NASA does not plan to extend its contract with the Russian Space Agency to deliver astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) after 2019. The final decision will, however, be made in the near future. Russian RIA Novosti news agency reported that this was stated by the associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Directorate at NASA Headquarters, William Gerstenmaier.

    “As of now, we do not plan to extend the contract but we are reviewing it and will make a decision …

  • Estonian Air Force: US may deploy F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to the Baltic

    The Commander of the Estonian Air Force, Colonel Jaak Tarien, stated that U.S. fifth generation F-35 fighter jets could soon be deployed in the Baltic States. According to him, the aircraft will be invisible to the Russian anti-aircraft defense system in Kaliningrad.

    “This aircraft is called a flying supercomputer. For example, the F-35 can stay invisible to the Russian anti-aircraft defense system that is located in the Kaliningrad region,” Tarien noted. According to him, if F-35 fighter jets …

  • US may extend sanctions against Russia

    The U.S. Congress approved the draft law that strengthens anti-Russian sanctions, as stated in the report published on the website of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs.

    It was reported that the Committee endorsed the draft law on the support of stability and democracy in Ukraine that provides for deterrence of Russian aggression in Ukraine and assistance in holding democratic transformations. The draft law will be submitted for consideration of the House of …

  • US representative in the OSCE accused Russia of hypocrisy

    On Thursday, at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Geneva, the U.S. Representative to the OSCE, Ambassador Daniel Baer, referred to the Russian actions that instigate the continued conflict in eastern Ukraine in recent days as obstructionism, incitement and hypocrisy, Ukrinform reports.

    "Over the past week, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have suffered the heaviest losses since the signing of the ceasefire agreement in September 2015," the representative of the United States said.

    He …

  • Russia to deploy new batch of S-400 anti-aircraft systems to the Crimea

    Next month, a new batch of Russian S-400 Triumpf anti-aircraft systems will be transferred to the Crimea, TASS reported.

    The 18th Air Defense Missile Regiment of the 31st Air Defense Division, already stationed on the annexed Peninsula, will receive the new systems which can engage targets at a distance of up to 400 km.

    "Upon completion of initial live-firing exercises on the ground of the Air Defense Research and Testing Center of the 4th State Central Combined Arms Practice Range in August 2 …

  • American officials criticize Kerry’s plan for coordination with Russia

    American officials from the intelligence and defense sectors criticized US Secretary of State John Kerry’s proposal for coordination between the US and Russia in Syria, The New York Times reports.

    Even though Kerry believes in possible cooperation with Moscow, many representatives from American intelligence agencies and the Pentagon are suspicious of this plan.

    According to one of the officials, it remains unclear why Kerry is confident that Russia will support the White House’s goals in …

  • Media: Russia will develop a new ballistic missile

    Izvestia has reported that the Makeyev State Rocket Design Bureau (SRC) has received a government contract to develop a new ballistic missile. This missile will, most likely, be created for nuclear fifth generation Husky-class submarines.

    “At the moment, we are working on several contracts with the Ministry of Defense on the development of land and sea ballistic missiles. The new Sarmat heavy ballistic missile will update the armament of the land forces, and there is work being done on a …

  • German Cabinet adopts new defense strategy due to Russian foreign policy

    On July 13, 2016, the German Cabinet of Ministers approved a new white paper which outlined the country’s security and defense strategy, Deutsche Welle reports. This document, developed under the auspices of the Ministry of Defense, is of crucial importance for the future role of the Bundeswehr (the unified armed forces of Germany, their civil administration and procurement authorities).

    The new white paper takes into account changes in the security sector that have occurred since 2006, when …