Contents tagged with Russia

  • Suspended OSCE monitor turns out to be a Russian GRU officer.

    As reported by Ukrainian TSN news service, a monitor from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine in the town of Sievierodonetsk in Luhansk region, who has been suspended for misbehavior apparently involving alcohol, has turned to be an officer from Russia's GRU Main Intelligence Directorate.

    A TSN journalist once heard an OSCE SMM monitor who later introduced himself as Maksim Udovichenko promoting Russian propaganda among locals in Luhansk region while being not on OSCE …

  • Russia's military casualties concealed.

    As reported by StopFake.org, Russia has been concealing its military casualties as part of propaganda war.

    In the four weeks since Russia entered the conflict in Syria, Moscow has waged a fierce campaign for the hearts and minds of ordinary Russians.

    Public support for the Syria intervention was initially limited. But as Russian war correspondents have filed patriotic reports from the urban front lines, and the defense ministry has posted bombing videos on social media, support has increased, …

  • Ukrainian ceise-fire shaken.

    As reported by a military spokesman Oleksandr Zavtonov, a Ukrainian soldier was killed by fire from Russia-backed separatists near the Donetsk airport on October 26.

    It is the first reported Ukrainian military death since mid-October, as the fragile cease-fire negotiated in Minsk in February has generally held.

    At the same time a separatists spokesman accused the Ukrainian military of launching an attack on the airport. Officials in Kyiv denied that claim.

    AFP reported that local residents …

  • Air traffic between Ukraine and Russia to stop.

    As announced by Andriy Pyvovarsky, Ukraine's Minister of Infrastructure, all flights between Ukraine and Russia will be stopped effective October 25."Technical consultations between the State Aviation Service of Ukraine and the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia) were held in Brussels today, but in spite of these consultations the sanctions imposed on Russian airlines that violated the laws of Ukraine will come into force," he said.

    Mr. Pyvovarsky also said that the Russian Federal Air …

  • Syria talks held in Vienna.

    Top diplomats from Russia, the United States, Saudi Arabia and Turkey arrived in Vienna for talks aimed at charting a new path toward ending the Syrian civil war. 

    The envoys from Washington, Riyadh and Ankara – all of which back groups battling against Assad – will look to sound out Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov after the embattled Syrian strongman made a surprise visit to Moscow to meet President Vladimir Putin this week.

    On September 30 Russia launched air strikes in Syria which …

  • Putin's approval rating hits new high.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin's approval rating has hit a record high of almost 90 percent, primarily as a result of his decision to launch air strikes against Islamist militants in Syria, Russia's state pollster said on Thursday.

    It is slightly smaller than the rating of the president of Romania, Nicolae Ceausescu, shortly before his execution, but higher than the rating of Hosni Mubarak, a few years before the Revolution of 2011, which resulted in Egypt's President resignation and trial. …

  • Russian military to be permanently stationed in the Arctic.

    Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told Russian news agencies on Thursday that a military unit will be permanently stationed in the Arctic by 2018. He said Russia is building several new bases in the Arctic as well as rebuilding six Soviet-era air bases there.

    "We are not hiding this from anyone: we have practically finished building bases on the Novosibirsk Archipelago and on Kotelny island," Shoigu said, adding that modern military technology was "necessary for guarding borders" in the …

  • U.S. to Ship Modified Radar Systems to Ukraine.

    As reported by The Wall Street Journal, advanced radar systems being shipped to Ukraine to counter artillery strikes by pro-Russia separatists have been modified to prevent them from peering into Russia.

    The modifications drew fire from a leading Republican critic of the Obama administration, who called it a misguided attempt to mollify Vladimir Putin.

    President Barack Obama signed an order on Sept. 29 to give Ukraine two radar systems worth $10 million each. U.S. officials said this week …

  • Moscow's ultimatum for mercenaries in Eastern Ukraine.

    As reported by The Informational Resistance group, Russian citizens taking part in the coflict in east Ukraine, both the Russian armed forces servicemen and mercenaries have received Kremlin's conditions for the return to their homeland. It is only through the signing of the contract with the Russian Defence Ministry for further deployment to Syria that they would be allowed return entry to Russia.

    For the signing of the contract such persons supposedly will have to provide three photos and …

  • Iraq does not want Russian help.

    According to the U.S. top military officer, Iraq is not planning to turn to Russia for airstrikes and other military assistance in its fight against Islamic State militants.

    “Both the minister of defense and the prime minister said absolutely there is no request right now for the Russians to support them,” Marine Gen. Joe Dunford, chairman of theJoint Chiefs of Staff, said following his visit to Iraq. 

    “I said it would make it very difficult for us to be able to provide the kind of support …