Contents tagged with Russia

  • Putin replaces Russian ambassador to Central African Republic

    Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree nominating Vladimir Titorenko as a new Russian ambassador in the Central African Republic (CAR).

    The previous ambassador, Sergei Lobanov has been relieved of his responsibilities. Lobanov was the Russian Ambassador in CAR from March 15th, 2011. Before that, he was the deputy director of the security department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He also worked in the Russian embassies in India and Ghana.

    On January 10th, the CAR Minister of …

  • Putin promises to assist Zimbabwe

    Russia is plunging deeper and deeper into the Soviet practice of granting multi-billion dollar assistance to loyal regimes abroad, both near and far.

    After writing off all of Kyrgyzstan and Cuba’s debts, restructuring Venezuela’s debt and forgiving $20 billion worth of African countries’ Soviet debts, the Kremlin is now willing to start assisting Zimbabwe.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his intentions after negotiations with his Zimbabwean colleague Emmerson Mnangagwa, Interfax …

  • US calls on Russia to release Ukrainian sailors

    The United States calls on Russia to release the Ukrainian sailors and not use them in their political game, reads the statement of the US Embassy in Ukraine published on Facebook.

    “Russia must release Ukraine’s sailors immediately, not use them as pawns in their political game,” the statement reads.

    It is noted that for over 50 days, Russia has unjustly detained Ukrainian sailors who were exercising Ukraine’s freedom of navigation in UKraine's territorial waters. The United States is deeply …

  • Russia eases Venezuela’s debt repayments

    Russia has agreed to restructure the loans it has issued to the Venezuelan government over the last few years, and has proposed a plan to revive the economy to Nicolás Maduro, Russian Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Storchak told RIA Novosti on the sidelines of the Gaidar Forum on Tuesday.

    According to Storchak, Venezuela’s repayments schedule has been changed, since it had become impossible for Maduro’s government due to the economic degradation, food shortage, and the collapse of oil …

  • Washington: negotiations on Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia failed

    The closed negotiations between Russia and the US on the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty have ended inconclusively.

    The American delegation is “disappointed” with the results of the meeting, which was held in Geneva on Tuesday, said US Under Secretary of State Andrea Thompson.

    According to her, the results of the negotiations – the first since the US threatened to withdraw from the INF Treaty - “have clearly shown” that Russia is still “in material breach of the treaty”, which …

  • Russia refuses to pay contributions to the Council of Europe

    After consultations with the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Liliane Maury Pasquier in Geneva, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Pyotr Tolstoy stated that Russia will not pay contributions to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe or PACE in 2019, TASS reports.

    "PACE will not receive Russian contributions. Russia is not going to buy tickets to a movie that we won’t watch,” Tolstoy stated. He also opposed the intentions of the Russian delegation to …

  • Detained Ukrainian sailors refuse to answer questions in Moscow Court

    On January 15, the Ukrainian sailors detained in the Kerch Strait refused to answer questions at Moscow's Lefortovo district court citing the Geneva Convention. The Court rejected the application to refer the case to the Moscow Garrison Military Court, Commissioner for Human Rights in Ukraine Lyudmyla Denisova told RIA Novosti. The Ukrainian lawyers are presenting the position that the sailors are prisoners of war.

    The court has yet to decide whether to extend the arrest of the Ukrainian …

  • Ukrainian General: Kyiv has a plan for liberation of Donbas

    The Lieutenant General of Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence, Vasily Bogdan stated in an interview with the news outlet Fakty that Ukraine has a plan to liberate the territories of the Donbas which are held by the pro-Russian militants, and the country’s leadership hopes this will be achieved without the use of force. 

    “As far as I know, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces prepared a plan for the return of Donbas to Ukraine. A military operation is also being considered. However, …

  • Russia strengthens air defense in Crimea with a division of Pantsir-S systems

    Russia strengthened the anti-air defense of annexed Crimea with additional Pantsir-S medium-range surface-to-air missile systems, Interfax reports. The new division went on combat duty in the Crimea in December, the press service of the Southern Military District told the agency. 

    New Pantsir syetms were used in military exercises in the Crimea involving practice defense against cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles. During the exercises, over 100 targets were destroyed. The Russian …

  • Kyiv classifies the list of Russians who fell under new Ukrainian sanctions

    The Ministry of Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons refused to disclose the list of citizens of the Russian Federation and the Russian companies that fell under Kyiv’s new sanctions, reported the Ukrayinska Pravda. 

    The ministry’s response to the official request of reporters stated that “the requested information is classified and is not subject to disclosure”. The document was signed by Serhiy Mokrenyuk, Head of Department for the Autonomous Republic of Crimea …