Contents tagged with Russia

  • US law firm to defend Ukraine in dispute with Russia over assets in Crimea

    The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs hired the U.S. law firm Covington & Burling for $3.676 million to the protect Ukraine's interests in the international arbitration dispute with Russia over the annexation of the Crimea. The company has a reputation for successfully protecting clients' interests at various levels against the Russian Federation.

    The contract with Covington & Burling was signed on May 5th. The term of the provision of legal services lasts until December 31, 2016.

    In …

  • US to unveil European missile defense system

    The US’s European missile defense system will be officially declared operational on Thursday, despite Russia’s objections, Reuters reported.

    The announcement will come almost a decade after Washington first proposed such a system.

    US and NATO officials will gather in Deveselu, Romania for the inauguration of the missile defense site, the construction of which was finished in 2015.

    Construction of a second site in Poland is slated to begin on May 13th, and is due to be completed in 2018. …

  • The EU wants Ukraine to remain a gas transit country

    The European Commission is ready to facilitate a new transit agreement between Russia and Ukraine

    As was stated by the EU Climate and Energy Commissioner, Miguel Arias Cañete, the European Union believes that Ukraine needs to remain a gas transit corridor, RIA Novosti reports.

    "Despite the economic and political challenges, Ukraine continues to be a reliable gas partner and a transit country. It is in the interest of all parties, including the Central and Eastern European countries, that …

  • Crimean Tatar Mejlis calls on the EU to strengthen sanctions against Russia

    The Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People and People’s Deputy of Ukraine, Refat Chubarov, called on the European Union to strengthen sanctions against Russia, including the imposition of a temporary embargo on oil and also to disconnect Moscow from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) as he stated on the Hromadske.tv TV Channel.

    “Against the background of increased oppression against Crimean Tatars, our task is to ensure that the international …

  • Authorities in Moscow removed memorial to Boris Nemtsov

    Moscow authorities have removed the makeshift memorial to Russian oppositionist Boris Nemtsov, who was shot dead near the Kremlin in 2015, Radio Liberty reports.

    As was reported, on the evening of May 8th on the Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge, two activists who were on duty near the memorial were detained. The activists were released in the morning on May 9th.

    Employees of the state company Gormost removed the flowers and portraits of Nemetsov from the bridge.  Russian authorities have not …

  • Deputy Secretary of State: The US will not lift sanctions on Russia

    The US Deputy Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has said that the US will not lift the sanctions against Russia until Moscow has fulfilled all of their commitments under the Minsk Agreements. Ukrinform reported that Blinken made these statements during a meeting with the Romanian media in Bucharest.

    “We stand by our previous decision that sanctions imposed against Russia by the US and the European Union will only be lifted once Moscow fulfills all of their commitments under the Minsk …

  • Pro-Kremlin journalist Graham Phillips confirmed that he was detained in Kerch

    Pro-Kremlin journalist Graham Phillips confirmed on his Twitter feed that he was detained by the Kerch police. "Quick comment - yes, I was briefly detained in Kerch, because my drone was flying," he wrote.

    Phillips clarified that he was arrested only for 15 minutes and was treated well.

    On May 8th, the Kerch website ''Argumenty Nedeli” reported that Phillips was arrested during a torchlight procession dedicated to Victory Day. According to the newspaper, the reason for the detention was that …

  • Lithuania denied entry to Russian bikers

    On Saturday, border guard officers in Druskininkai (Lithuania) denied entry to three Russian bikers, Delfi.lt reported. According to the edition, they didn’t have documents justifying their purpose or the conditions of their intended stay in the Schengen country. As it turned out later, these Russian citizens attempted to make their way from Belarus to Poland. However, Polish border guard officers have denied entry to them as well.

    This was the third time in a week that Lithuanian border …

  • Poroshenko calls on the West to impose more sanctions against Russia

    Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko stated that the countries that doubt the effectiveness of the sanctions against Russia should consider strengthening them.

    “From time to time, we hear that some European countries believe that the sanctions are not effective. Well, then, if someone considers them ineffective, they should not be lifted or eased, on the contrary, they should be extended and tightened!” Poroshenko said at the First Minute of Peace gathering in Kiev on Sunday evening. …

  • Turchinov urges the West to abandon its appeasement policy in regards to Russia

    As was stated in the address by the Security and Defense Council’s Secretary Alexander Turchinov, regarding a day of remembrance and reconciliation, he called on "the civilized world" to remember that an aggressor cannot be placated.

    "In the 30’s, when Hitler came to power, he violated the Treaty of Versailles, he started building his military forces... He was allowed to do that. But this was not just swallowed; an appeasement policy was implemented, believing Hitler’s assurances that it was ' …