Contents tagged with Russia
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Destabilizing factor: Why Russia needs the separatist-held territories of eastern Ukraine
Author: Dmytro Snegiryov, Head of Prava Sprava public initiative.
Moscow has the return of the separatists controlled territories of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions back to the jurisdiction of Ukraine on its agenda, but only under Russian conditions. Right now Russia does not need a large-scale attack by the separatist troops in the Donbas or the escalation of hostilities.
The intention of the Russian Federation is to create a zone of a permanent social and military tension within Ukraine by …
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The Kremlin says it did not receive an official letter from Yanukovych on the deployment of Russian troops
The presidential administration of the Russian Federation never received an official letter from former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych with a request for Russian troops to enter Ukraine. TASS reports that this was stated by Dmitry Peskov, Press-Secretary for the President of Russia.
"No letter was officially received by the presidential administration; no such letter was registered in the administration," Peskov said.
At the same time, the Kremlin spokesman declined to comment on the …
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European Parliament urges Russia to free Ukrainian political prisoners detained in the Crimea
The European Parliament adopted a resolution regarding Ukrainian political prisoners that are being illegally detained by Russia in the annexed Crimea.
The MEPs urged Russia to immediately release these Ukrainians and appealed to the EU with a call for new sanctions against those responsible for this harassment of Ukrainian citizens.
451 Eurodeputies voted for the resolution and 73 opposed it. 86 European parliamentarians abstained from the vote.
In a resolution called "Ukrainian prisoners …
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Russia will form a new army at the southeastern border of Ukraine
A new integrated 8th army will be formed in the Russian Southern military district, as reported by Izvestia daily citing representatives of the Russian military forces.
“The General Staff headquarters are planned to be established in Novocherkassk with the units stationed in Rostov and Volgograd regions,” Izvestia reports.
Izvestia’s source said that the formation of the new Army has already begun. It is expected that the first stage of the formation of the army will be completed by June 2017. …
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US State Department announces preservation of sanctions against Russia over the Crimea
The U.S. considers the Russian government guilty of violations of the rights of the inhabitants of the Crimea. Such a statement was made Thursday by official State Department spokesman Mark Toner. He also stressed that Washington still does not recognize the results of the referendum in the Crimea on March 16, 2014, as well as Russia’s “attempted annexation of Crimea and continued violation of international law."
“Russia…staged an illegitimate referendum in which residents of the Crimea were …
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Russia has begun to equip its Navy with new helicopters
The Ministry of Defense of Russia has launched a program to equip the Navy with new helicopters through 2025, the Department of Information and Mass Communications of the Ministry said.
"This means Ka-52K attack helicopters, Ka-31R radar surveillance helicopters, and Ka-226T shipborne helicopters capable of being deployed on ships of small displacement," said the Department's statement, which was posted on the Ministry's website.
According to the statement, the plans to equip the fleet with …
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Media: The Moldovan Intelligence Service suspects the FSB of creating a criminal plot in the country
The Moldovan Intelligence Service suspects employees of the Federal Security Service (FSB) in the creation of a criminal plot with the use of Russian funds withdrawn from a Moldavian bank. According to Reuters’ sources, FSB employees could be involved in the withdrawal of $22 billion through Moldova.
According to media reports, the withdrawn funds could be used for the promotion of Moscow’s interests in Chișinău. In early August, the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Moldova …
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Russia conducts snap readiness check exercises at its Black Sea Novorossiysk naval base
Bastion missile systems and Bereg artillery systems were deployed on the Black Sea coast during a testing of the Novorossiysk naval base, which involved more than 10 vessels and 100 pieces of equipment, announced Vyacheslav Trukhachev, head of the information support of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
According to Trukhachev, Bastion crews conducted simulated launches on surface targets. “Self-propelled Bereg artillery systems also moved forward in order to practice anti-amphibious actions,” …
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Russian reconnaissance ship seen off the coast of the United States
The Russia's Meridian-class reconnaissance ship "Viktor Leonov" is once again located in international waters off the eastern coast of the United States, as reported by the television channel Fox News.
According to U.S. intelligence, to which the media refers, the ship is approximately 23 miles southeast of the U.S. Navy submarine base in King's Bay, Georgia. American territorial waters start at a distance of 12 nautical miles from the coast.
The ship "Viktor Leonov" was first seen in …
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Head of Rostec: Despite sanctions against Russia, Americans buy Kalashnikov assault rifles
The U.S. continues to buy Russian Kalashnikov assault rifles despite sanctions against the Russian Federation, said Sergey Chemezov, head of Rostec State Corporation.
"Practically all countries buy [these weapons]. Even the Americans, while they do not buy directly, but nevertheless, they are happy to acquire these weapons for the Armed Forces based in Afghanistan," Chemezov said during the program "V Rabochiy Polden” (In the Working Noon) on Russia 24 TV channel.
According to Chemezov, the U. …