Contents tagged with Russia

  • Ukrainian Ambassador calls on Germany to condemn visit of German politician to Crimea

    Ukraine’s Ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, has urged the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs to condemn the visit of German politician, Andreas Maurer, to Crimea.

    Melnyk wrote this on Twitter.

    “I urge the German Foreign Ministry to strongly condemn the illegal visit of Andreas Maurer, a member of the Left Party, to Crimea. They should also condemn other illegal visits,” Melnyk wrote.

    Since last week, the Russian media and Russian-controlled Crimean officials have been reporting on the …

  • Russia to ease food embargo

    The Russian Government has decided to ease the food embargo and allow the import of beef, poultry and vegetables. All of these products will be used for baby food production, the Ministry of Agriculture told TASS on Wednesday.

    “In order to stimulate domestic baby food production, the Government regulation of 27 May 2016 excludes raw materials used for baby food production from the embargo,” as TASS cited a representative of the Ministry.

    These products will be allowed for import if its …

  • Moscow City Court upholds extension of house arrest for Director of the Library of Ukrainian Literature

    The Moscow City Court found the house arrest extension for the Director of the Library of Ukrainian Literature, Natalia Sharina, to be legal. Sharina is accused of embezzlement and extremism, as reported by attorney, Ivan Pavlov.

    “The Judicial Board dismissed our appeal and the extension of house arrest was found legal,” 112.ua quoted Pavlov as saying. Earlier, the Presnensky Court upheld the extension of the house arrest for Sharina until 29th of July.

    In October 2015, a search of the …

  • Lawyer: 2,200 inmates were transferred from Crimea to Russia

    According to Roman Martynovsky, a lawyer and expert from the Regional Center for Human Rights and the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, 2,200 prisoners were transferred from Crimea to Russia. He said this during an interview with Hromadske Radio.

    “Today, we have received reliable information confirming the fact that 2,200 prisoners were transferred from Crimea to Russia to serve their sentences. However, according to unconfirmed reports, that number could be as high as 7,000,” Martynovsky …

  • Lavrov: Peacekeepers will never be in the Donbas

    During an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that he categorically rejects Ukraine’s condition that security in eastern Ukraine be a precondition for elections in the Donbas. 

    "Now, security has suddenly become the main issue for Poroshenko, not only the ceasefire but also ensuring the presence of some security forces in the entire territory of the Donbas. I’d like to say: the Donbas will never agree to that," Lavrov stated.

    According to the …

  • Lavrov: Moscow's recognition of breakaway republics in eastern Ukraine would be 'counterproductive'

    The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, has said that recognizing the independence of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) in eastern Ukraine would be “counterproductive” at the moment. He said this during an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda.

    “Recognizing the independence of the DPR and the LPR is counterproductive. It will give the West a reason to stop pressuring Kiev to implement the Minsk II agreements,” TASS quoted Lavrov as saying.

    Lavrov also …

  • Ukrainian Prosecutor General's office considers trying Russian Black Sea Fleet Commander in absentia

    The Chief Military Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine received the decision of the Pechersk District Court of Kiev about the possibility of holding a special judicial investigation and the conviction in absentia of the Commander of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation, Vice Admiral Oleksandr Vitko.

    As a correspondent of Interfax-Ukraine reports, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Yuriy Lutsenko, made the statement during a press conference in Kiev on Monday. However, he stressed that " …

  • Russian billionaire Grygoryshyn to receive Ukrainian citizenship

    Konstantyn Grygoryshyn, a Russian billionaire of Ukrainian origin who is accused of tax evasion in Russia, will receive Ukrainian citizenship. The report of the State Migration Service of Ukraine on the official website of the Migration Service has indicated the possibility.Grygoryshyn Konstantyn Ivanovych, a citizen of the Russian Federation and of the Republic of Cyprus, turned to one of the divisions of the Migration Service with an application for citizenship in Ukraine in a simplified …

  • Ukrainian Intelligence: 24,000 Russian servicemen are stationed in the Crimea

    The Main Directorate of intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine stated that there are about 24,000 Russian servicemen in annexed Crimea. They also noted that Russia continues to increase its military presence on the peninsula.

    “The Russian Federation continues deploying powerful joint force groups of its armed forces on the Crimean peninsula, which as of May of this year includes about 24,000 troops, 613 tanks and armored personnel carriers, 162 artillery systems, about 100 combat …

  • Lavrov: Sanctions against Russia provide 'a window of opportunity'

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that sanctions against the Russian Federation provide a window of opportunity, Rosbalt reported.

    "We regard the economic restrictions that apply to us today as a window of opportunity… This window of opportunity should be used to strengthen our food safety and to continue to diversify the economic sector,” Lavrov stated.

    "I would say that a pressing question for us is not about when anti-Russian sanctions are lifted... For us the crucial issue is …