Contents tagged with Russia

  • Moscow authorities reject proposal to hold rally in memory of Boris Nemtsov in city center

    The Russian opposition has agreed to hold a demonstration in remembrance of Boris Nemtsov following an alternate route in Moscow.  This was reported by Interfax on the 16th of February referencing one of the leaders of the People’s Freedom Party (PARNAS), Constantine Merzlikin.

    “We were not allowed to hold the rally along the route through the Great Moscow River Bridge.  They offered the traditional route along the Boulevard.  Even though we held a meeting and agreed to this, I believe that …

  • Georgia's path to NATO is through the Black Sea

    The Head of the Ministry of Defense of Georgia, Tinatin Khidasheli, will take part in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) meeting, which has already begun in Brussels.

    It was reported today that the city of Tbilisi can join the NATO-created security system of the Black Sea region.  Georgia can now also play its part in ensuring the security of the region.

    Khidasheli mentioned that with Tbilisi joining the system, it will assist in the process of strengthening the capacities of NATO …

  • Moldovan Defense Ministry: Russia is the main threat to our national security

    According to the Newsmaker news portal, the Minister of Defense of Moldova, Anatol Salaru, has said that Russia is the main threat to the security of Moldova.

    In his opinion, the strengthening of the position of Russia in Moldova would jeopardize the security of Ukraine and even Turkey.

    Salaru also believes that only NATO is capable of protecting the country from Russia.  This is why he wants Moldova to become a member of the Alliance.

    “The safety of the Republic of Moldova is a part of the …

  • EU expresses concern over violation of rights of Crimean Tatars

    The European Union expressed concern over the systematic violation of the fundamental rights and freedoms of the residents of the Russian-occupied Crimea and, in particular, the Crimean Tatars, the Press Officer of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, David Stulik, said.

    In particular, the EU strongly condemned the illegal detention of thirteen Ukrainian citizens and representatives of the Crimean Tatars by the Russian authorities in the Crimea on February 11-12, 2016 he said in an interview with the …

  • Finnish authorities surprised by influx of refugees across border with Russia

    The Deputy Chief of the Finnish Border Guard, Ilkka Laitinen, is perplexed by the situation in which their border with Russia has quickly become one of the main crossing areas for refugees.  It is noted that more than 20 asylum-seekers crossed the border on Monday, February, 15th.

    "This phenomenon raises many questions, the answers to which we do not have.  One question is why people are crossing the northern border of Raja-Jooseppi and Salla, while the southern border crossings remain the …

  • EC wants access to Gazprom's contracts with European companies

    In an effort to enhance cooperation on the energy market, the European Commission (EC) is seeking to study the contracts between Russia and European companies with regard to gas supplies.  In the future, contracts longer than one year should be automatically disclosed to the EC if they are critical for ensuring gas supply to the European Union (EU).  

    This legislative initiative was proposed by officials in Brussels on the 16th of February.  The European Energy Commissioner, Miguel Arias …

  • Kiev and Moscow agree to allow trucks to return to their countries of origin

    Over the next 10 days, more than 600 Ukrainian and just as many Russian truck drivers will be able to return home.  This is detailed in the framework of the aptly named deal, “going home”.

    On the 16th of February, Moscow and Kiev agreed on a procedure that will allow the blocked trucks to return home.  According to the agreement reached by the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine and the Ministry of Transport of Russia, the plan will be in force from the 16th to the 25th of February.

    Kiev …

  • Ukraine tells UN that Russia's annexation of Crimea is a threat to many other countries

    The Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations, Vladimir Elchenko, has said that the ongoing militarization of Crimea threatens not only the Black Sea region, but other countries as well.

    "The illegal occupation and subsequent militarization of Crimea is not just a threat with long-term consequences for the Black Sea region, southern Europe, northern Africa and the Middle East.  Events in Syria are proof of this," he said during a speech at the open debate of the UN Security …

  • Romania prevents Russian trucks from entering Ukraine

    The Romanian customs service on the border with Ukraine isn’t allowing Russian trucks to pass through the checkpoint into Ukrainian territory. The movement of the Russian trucks has been locked down on both sides of the border between Romania and Ukraine, reported the Ukrainian media.

    According to reports, the Romanian Customs announced a strike and are not allowing Russian trucks to cross the border with Ukraine to ensure Russian trucks are blocked from both sides.

    On Friday, Ukrainian  …

  • In Munich, Medvedev shows that he is no Longer the 'Good Cop'

    German media covered the International Conference on Human SecurityDebates on issues concerning world policy at the Munich Security Conference, as the Berlin newspaper Der Tagesspiegel observed, constantly varied between skepticism and hope; and often both would come from the mouth of the same politician. John Kerry, the United States Secretary of State, in describing the current international climate, stated pessimistically that the world may not have ever faced so many crises of troubled …