Contents tagged with Russia
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Russian ruble hits lowest level in a year
On December 30th, the Russian ruble reached its lowest level against the U.S. dollar in a year, falling to 73 rubles and 20 kopecks to the dollar.
The ruble lost 40 percent of its value last year. Its present value is 20 percent lower than a year ago. This is an indication of how the Russian economy has suffered from Western economic sanctions and falling oil prices.
Russia's economy was hit hard by the sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union and other countries. The …
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Ukraine introduces a moratorium on payment of $3 billion to Russia
The Ukrainian Government confirmed its decision to impose a moratorium on the payment of debt to the Russian Federation worth $3 billion, that was loaned to the government of Viktor Yanukovych in 2013. In December of 2015, it was recognized as an official debt of Ukraine.
This was said by the Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk during a Cabinet meeting.
"We succeeded in stopping the military aggression of Russia, and now we are stopping the economic, financial and diplomatic …
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FSB agents now allowed to use force against women and children
The State Duma of the Russian Federation passed a bill expanding the Federal Security Service’s (FSB) the power to use weapons. The MPs approved the bill via an emergency order, which was then signed into law by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The new law authorizes officers of the FSB in some cases to use weapons "against women, persons with obvious signs of disability" and minors. The law was posted on the internet via the Russian Federation's official legal portal on Wednesday, December 3 …
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Despite ceasefire violations, Ukraine will not abandon Minsk Agreement
During a visit to the Aerotekhnika-MLT Company to examine the production and modernization of air defense systems, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Oleksandr Turchynov, spoke about ceasefire violations and the Minsk Agreements.
The news agency Ukrinform reported Turchynov as saying "Russia has completely disrupted the implementation of the Minsk Agreements. Of course, the Minsk process is not halted. It will continue next year and, hopefully, more effectively …
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Russia has destroyed 1,800 tons of food since August
From August 6th to December 28th, the Russian government destroyed 1,762 tons of goods as part of the government's counter-sanctions in response to those imposed by the European Union and the US. The Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) reported to the news agency Interfax that 1,647 tons were for crop production and 115 tons were for livestock breeding.
Since August 6th there may have been as much as 2,500 tons of smuggled goods destroyed including …
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Ukrainian Prosecutor’s Office investigates 30 abduction cases in Crimea
The press service of the Prosecutor’s Office reported that the Prosecutor General’s Office is investigating 30 criminal cases of abduction in occupied Crimea. The Prosecutor’s Office stated that the People’s Deputy of Ukraine, Mustafa Dzhemilev, has processed evidence relating to the abduction of 30 Crimean Tatars in Crimea.
“Currently, measures are being taken to locate the almost 30 missing citizens of Ukraine and bring the perpetrators to justice. The pre-trial investigation of these cases …
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German Foreign Minister calls for full implementation of Minsk Agreements
The German Minister of Foreign Affairs, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, wrote on his Facebook page that Berlin favors the full implementation of the Minsk Agreements, the holding of local elections in the occupied territories of eastern Ukraine, and the release of all prisoners.
Steinmeir made it clear that the increase in the number of skirmishes in the Donbas region during the winter holidays is cause for concern. The Minister noted that he asked the Special Representative of the OSCE in Ukraine, …
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6 Russian soldiers killed and 9 injured in eastern Ukraine
Six regular Russian servicemen were killed and nine were wounded in skirmishes in the Donbas region on Tuesday, reported the the Press Service of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
"As a result of friendly fire, six soldiers of the 9th Separate Motorized Rifle Regiment were killed and nine wounded," the Press Service stated.
The Main Directorate of Intelligence also reported that the main focus of Russian troops in the ATO zone is to provide logistical …
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Federov: Annexation of Crimea has brought us into a new era
Russian sociologist Valery Fedorov, head of the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (RPORC), compared President Vladimir Putin with Archimedes and called the President’s high ratings an important social fact. Fedorov said that Putin’s position only gets stronger as global crises develop.
"We have more and more opponents around the world, oil is getting cheaper, the ruble is fading, but voters believe in the President, support him and think that he will lead us out of troubled times," said …
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US accuses Russia of bombing civilian targets in Syria
According to the US authorities, hundreds of civilians were killed as a result of Russian air attacks on civilian targets in Syria.
Washington has accused Moscow of targeting civilians in Syria, killing hundreds including members of rescue services, US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said on Tuesday, December 29th in Washington.
According to Toner, Russian war planes attacked hospitals, schools and markets. In October and the first half of November, more than 130,000 Syrians were forced …