Contents tagged with Russia

  • Erdogan: Russia is not Bombing Islamic State Targets in Syria

    After Friday prayers at the Al-Imam Ali Mosque, Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told reporters that Russia doesn't attack the Islamic State, but it is bombing the Syrian opposition. In his comment, he criticized Russia’s actions in Georgia in 2008 and in Ukraine.

    “The actions that Russia is taking in Syria, what does Russia say they are doing? They say they are there at the request of the Syrian Government. Currently, the Syrian Government is not legitimate. The United Nations …

  • Ukrtransgaz: Ukraine Imports more Gas from Europe than from Russia

    As of the end of 2015, Ukraine had imported more gas from the European Union throughout the year than it has from Russia. The press center of the Public Joint Stock Company, Ukrtransgaz (a subsidiary of Naftogaz Ukraine) reported on January 6, 2016, that, "Ukraine has received 10.3 billion cubic meters of gas from European sources."

    "Most of the natural gas, 9.7 billion cubic meters, was imported through the ‘Slovak corridor’... while 6.1 billion cubic meters was imported from Russia to meet …

  • Russia Accused of Using Cluster Bombs in Syria

    A group of Russian activists claimed on Thursday that there was evidence that Russian aircraft in Syria are equipped with cluster bombs, despite the statements of the authorities.

    Last month, international human rights organization Human Rights Watch reported that Russia either used cluster bombs in Syria or provided the Syrian army with a new batch of such ammunition, or did both. The Russian Defense Ministry denied the reports of the HRW.

    However, on Thursday, the Conflict Intelligence Team  …

  • Patriarch Kirill: Russia's Actions in Syria are in Defense of the Homeland

    The Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill has expressed his support of the Kremlin’s actions in Syria. The Patriarch said that Syria is a neighbour of Russia and stated that Russian military action in Syria is in defense of the Fatherland. In his interview with TV channel, Russia-1, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church stressed that if the terrorists in Syria are victorious, it would result in misfortune and evil for Russia. Kirill explained that the war in Syria is defensive and …

  • Ukrainian Intelligence: There are 8,000 Russian Soldiers in Donbas

    According to various sources, the number of Russian soldiers within the territory of Ukraine has remained virtually unchanged for a quite some time. There are almost 7,700 Russian soldiers in the Donbas region, as reported by Vadym Skybytsky, representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, speaking on Ukrainian television.

    According to his data, in total there are 34,000 people in the so-called First and Second Army Corps.

    "The First and Second Army …

  • Ukraine Proposes New Trade Route to Bypass Russia

    Ukraine will try to circumvent the blockade of the transit of goods through Russian territory by using a "New Silk Road". The route will be put to the test on January 15th as a train departs from the city of Ilyichevsk for a demonstration. This information was provided by the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine, as reported by Apostrophe.

    The Ministry stated that on January 15th the first train will ride the new "Silk Road" from Ukraine to China. The container train will leave from …

  • Russians continue to buy real estate in Turkey

    Citizens of Russia continue to buy real estate in Turkey, despite the recent crisis in relations between the two countries following the incident in which a Russian plane that was shot down for violating Turkish airspace. Last year, real estate sales to Russians totaled $398 million  worth of property.

    Fatih Elibol, senior manager at the international real estate investment consultancy Realty-TR, noted in an interview with an AA reporter that Russians continue to buy property in Turkey despite …

  • Ukrainian Citizens Have Filed More Than 700 Human Rights Complaints against Russia

    According to the Justice Minister of Ukraine, Pavel Petrenko, the number of civil cases against Russia is constantly growing. Additionally, Kiev officials have filed three interstate suits against Russia.

    On Tuesday, January 5th, in an interview with national media, Petrenko announced that citizens of Ukraine have submitted to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) more than 700 lawsuits against Russia. Moreover, almost all of the lawsuits were filed by people from Crimea, Lugansk and …

  • Kiev Seeks To Resume Debt Negotiations with Moscow

    According to the Press Center of the Ministry of Finance, Ukraine has announced its readiness to resume negotiations with Russia on restructuring the Eurobond worth $3 billion.

    "Despite any legal actions and without bias towards the whole debt situation, Ukraine is ready to negotiate in good faith with Russia about the restructuring of $3 billion worth of Eurobonds, which should have been paid in December of 2015," the Press Center stated.

    The Ministry of Finance has taken into account the …

  • Dobriansky and Ryvkin: Russian Propaganda is Racist and Obscene

    Two former U.S. Presidential Administration staff members are encouraging the U.S. Government to improve the effectiveness of American foreign diplomacy.

    The former administration staffers, who both worked for prior Republican administrations, encouraged the U.S. Government and Congress, “to revitalize America’s public diplomacy infrastructure,” in the context of intensified Russian propaganda, which they characterized as, “racist and obscene.”

    “Consistent with our core values, the United …