Contents tagged with Russia
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PACE: Russia Awaits New Sanctions
The powers of the Russian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will continue to be suspended because of the annexation of Crimea and the war in the Donbas region.
State Duma deputies representing Russia at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) could receive a cold reception from some of their European colleagues during the opening of the winter session. It will begin its work on January 25th in Strasbourg. According to a source in the …
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Russia to Deploy Three New Divisions along Western Border
The Russian Minister of Defense, Sergey Shoygu, stated that three new divisions of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will be deployed along the Western border in 2016.
“I can’t but mention such a critical task, which is the formation of three divisions in Western direction. The task is extremely important,” Shoygu said. The Minister of Defense stressed that alongside the creation of the new divisions, there is a need to set up proper infrastructure including barracks, firing ranges …
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Obama: Ukraine is slipping away from Russia's orbit
During his eighth and final State of the Union Address, US President Barack Obama made two brief mentions of Ukraine, a topic that had been an integral part of his foreign policy assessment during his annual address last year.
One comment addressed the ailing Russian economy and the Kremlin's inisistence on providing military aid to separatists in eastern Ukraine and President Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria.
"Even as their economy contracts, Russia is pouring resources to prop up Ukraine …
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Russian Government Considering 10 Percent Budget Cut
The Russian Federation plans to start the year by again making budget amendments including a 10 percent spending cut due to the sharp decline in oil prices and the economic recession, Reuters reported. According to their sources, after a meeting with the Russian Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev, it was decided to adjust approved spending to 90% of the previously approved amount. "We have the minutes from the meeting. According to it, government offices are required to create new budget …
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Construction of the South Stream Pipeline Postponed
The construction of the South Stream Pipeline remains suspended, as reported by Bulgarian National Radio based on Russian sources. Earlier the Standard, a Bulgarian newspaper, stated that the construction of the South Stream Pipeline may resume in the next few weeks. They reported that their sources stated that the delay is due to the deterioration of Russian-Turkish relations and the refusal of the Turkish Stream project which was discussed as an alternative to the South Stream.
On Monday, a …
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Russia to Stop Exporting Electricity to Ukraine
Russia decided not to renew contract negotiations on the supply of electricity from Russia to Ukraine after its refusal to buy Ukrainian electricity for Crimea. According to the newspaper Kommersant, “Russia will stop commercial energy supplies to Ukraine. The contract will not be renewed in its last year.”
The Russian Federation’s Ministry of Energy stated that “Russia does not negotiate about the supply of electricity from Russia to Ukraine. We will not renew the present agreement, as …
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Finland Expects Thousands of Refugees to Enter Via Russia In 2016
Finland’s national public-broadcasting company, Yle, cited the Lapland border service, who predicted that in the year 2016 about 7,500 refugees could enter Finland through the border with Russia. This forecast was made based on the current rate of arrival of asylum-seekers.
Since the beginning of the year around 200 refugees crossed the Finnish-Russian border through the checkpoints Salla and Raja-Jooseppi. Most of the refugees were Iraqis, Afghans, Nepalese and Syrians. Last year 700 …
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France Calls on Russia to Halt Airstrikes against Civilians in Syria
After meeting with one of the coordinators for the Syrian opposition, Rayad Farid Hijab, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, Laurent Fabius, told reporters that Syria and Russia must halt military operations against civilians. According to the Minister they have discussed the absolute need to halt military actions which Russian and Syrian Government forces are taking against civilians. Fabius specified that the discussion was focused on the small Syrian town of …
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Russian Bombers Kill Seventeen in Aleppo
Seventeen people were killed and 35 more were injured as a result of a Russian Air Force attacks on the opposition-controlled districts of Sukari and Ameriye in the Syrian city of Aleppo, according to representatives of the Civil Defense of Aleppo. Among the dead and wounded are women and children.
Civil Defense teams conducted search and rescue operations in the area of the air strikes. The wounded have been taken to city hospitals. It is reported that as a result of Russian air strikes in …
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Russia to Test Sixteen Ballistic Missiles in 2016
The Strategic Rocket Forces of the Russian Federation (RVSN RF) plans to test launch 16 Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles in 2016.
According to the website of the Russian Defense Ministry, the purpose of these launches is to develop new weapons and test the technical readiness of missile systems.
Earlier it was reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin, during the Annual Expanded Board of the Ministry of Defence in December of 2015, announced that among the priority tasks of the Armed …