Contents tagged with crimea

  • Russia opens a military center for schoolchildren in annexed Sevastopol

    The Russian military has opened a center in Sevastopol where they will teach schoolchildren how to handle weapons, reports news website Krym.Realii.

    According to the press service of the Russian Ministry of Defense "the military-patriotic center was established in accordance with the Ministry’s decision" on the base of the city’s House of Officers. The center was named the “House of Unarmia (the Youth Army)”.

    “Schoolchildren of Sevastopol, who joined the Unarmia movement, will receive the …

  • Russian landing ship conducts combat shooting drills in the Black Sea

    The crew of the large landing ship Caesar Kunikov of the Russian Black Sea Fleet carried out an artillery firing at the coastal, sea and air targets in one of the Black Sea training ranges, reports "Krym.Realii" news site with reference to the Russian Black Sea Fleet press service. 

    It is noted that the shooting took place in accordance with the combat training plan. 

    “When practicing combat actions to support naval forces during a landing on the coast, the ship crew performed firing from an …

  • Anniversary of Crimea's annexation will be celebrated for three days in Moscow

    The fifth anniversary of the annexation of the Crimea will be celebrated in Moscow with a three-day festival called the “Crimean Spring,” reported the website of Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin. According to the information provided on the website, the festival will take place from March 16 to 18. Other details, including the schedule and places of the events are not specified.

    Earlier, the Crimean authorities subordinate to the Kremlin published the plan of the events devoted to the celebration. …

  • German warship to enter Black Sea for NATO mission

    The Werra, a replenishment ship belonging to the German Navy, will travel to the Black Sea in February as part of a permanent NATO anti-mine group. The naval vessel will visit two Bulgarian ports, Burgas and Varna,  Deutsche Welle reports citing a spokesperson for Germany’s Defense Ministry.

    According to the source, the transfer has been planned for a long time. “There is no plan to deploy other German naval vessels in the Black Sea,” the spokesperson noted.

    After Russian special forces  …

  • US Intelligence dismisses possibility of large-scale Russian attack against Ukraine

    American Intelligence believes that a large-scale attack by Russia against Ukraine in 2019 is "operationally possible but not likely,” stated Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats during a hearing at the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Voice of America reported. 

    "We assess that a major offensive by either Ukraine or Russian proxy forces is operationally feasible but unlikely in 2019,” Coats stated. US intelligence services foresee increased tensions in the Black Sea and …

  • Ukrainian Supreme Court allows seizing Russian banks assets to recover losses in Crimea

    The Supreme Court of Ukraine allowed seizing shares of Russian financial institutions as compensation for the annexation of the Crimea, the press service of the Court reported. 

    In July last year, eighteen legal entities and one individual applied to the Kyiv Court of Appeals with the request to recognize and to grant permission for the implementation of the decision made by the International Court of Arbitration at the Hague. 

    According to the application, debtor banks hold some property in …

  • PACE calls on Russia to release Ukrainian sailors

    The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted the resolution "The escalation of tensions around the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait and threats to European security,” Ukrinform reports.

    In this resolution, PACE officially demands that Russia treats the captured sailors in compliance with the Geneva Convention on to the Treatment of Prisoners of War. "The Assembly urges Russia to immediately release the Ukrainian servicemen and ensure they are granted the necessary medical, …

  • Secretary General of Council of Europe speaks about the crisis in PACE due to the conflict with Russia

    Depriving Russia of the right to vote in the Parliamentary Assembly neither improved the human rights situation in Russia nor made Russia to return the Crimea. Instead, it caused a crisis in the Council of Europe, said Thorbjørn Jagland, the Secretary General of the organization, at the PACE winter session on Tuesday, January 22. A report on his speech was published on the website of the Council of Europe.

    Jagland noted that the Assembly’s decision to deprive the Russian delegation of the …

  • Kyiv: Ships that caught fire in Kerch Strait were used for illegal gas shipments to Syria

    The gas tankers Maestro and Venice, which caught fire near the Kerch Strait, have been involved in illegal gas shipments to Syria since 2016, Ukraine’s Ministry of Temporarily Occupied Territories reported, citing information from the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

    “According to the US Treasury Department’s OFAC, the ships Venice and Maestro have been involved in illegal gas shipments to Syria since 2016,” the statement reads.

    According to international monitoring systems, the …

  • Kremlin considers possibility of imposing fines for 'wrong designation' of annexed Crimea

    The Russian Federation Council is discussing the possibility of drafting and submitting a bill to the Russian State Duma, introducing responsibility for incorrect indication on maps of the territory of Russia, including the Crimea. At the same time, the senator from the Crimea, Sergei Tsekov, stated that there are no definite or specific deadlines, and the project itself may not happen, since “its relevance has become less acute.” 

    Earlier, Izvestia, citing Tsekov, stated that the draft law …