Contents tagged with Russia
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Detained Ukrainian sailors refuse to answer questions in Moscow Court
On January 15, the Ukrainian sailors detained in the Kerch Strait refused to answer questions at Moscow's Lefortovo district court citing the Geneva Convention. The Court rejected the application to refer the case to the Moscow Garrison Military Court, Commissioner for Human Rights in Ukraine Lyudmyla Denisova told RIA Novosti. The Ukrainian lawyers are presenting the position that the sailors are prisoners of war.
The court has yet to decide whether to extend the arrest of the Ukrainian …
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Ukrainian General: Kyiv has a plan for liberation of Donbas
The Lieutenant General of Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence, Vasily Bogdan stated in an interview with the news outlet Fakty that Ukraine has a plan to liberate the territories of the Donbas which are held by the pro-Russian militants, and the country’s leadership hopes this will be achieved without the use of force.
“As far as I know, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces prepared a plan for the return of Donbas to Ukraine. A military operation is also being considered. However, …
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Russia strengthens air defense in Crimea with a division of Pantsir-S systems
Russia strengthened the anti-air defense of annexed Crimea with additional Pantsir-S medium-range surface-to-air missile systems, Interfax reports. The new division went on combat duty in the Crimea in December, the press service of the Southern Military District told the agency.
New Pantsir syetms were used in military exercises in the Crimea involving practice defense against cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles. During the exercises, over 100 targets were destroyed. The Russian …
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Kyiv classifies the list of Russians who fell under new Ukrainian sanctions
The Ministry of Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons refused to disclose the list of citizens of the Russian Federation and the Russian companies that fell under Kyiv’s new sanctions, reported the Ukrayinska Pravda.
The ministry’s response to the official request of reporters stated that “the requested information is classified and is not subject to disclosure”. The document was signed by Serhiy Mokrenyuk, Head of Department for the Autonomous Republic of Crimea …
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Lavrov outraged by Abe's statements about US involvement in the peace treaty between Russian and Japan
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that statements by the Adviser to the Prime Minister of Japan about US interest in the negotiations in Moscow and Tokyo on a peace treaty were outrageous, Interfax reports.
“As for the statement by the Assistant Chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, Prime Minister Abe, that the US should be interested in concluding an agreement between Russia and Japan, since this will, as he described it, strengthen the bloc [of countries] which would …
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Kremlin: Russia showing 'goodwill' by discussing Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with US
Russia is demonstrating “goodwill” by going to the negotiating table with the US on the missile issue, said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov ahead of the consultations with the US in Geneva, TASS reports.
The deputy foreign minister stated that Russia is “by no means more interested than the US” in furthering the dialog. “Under conditions in which they have tried and continue to issue all kinds of ultimatums, preconditions and demands, we are demonstrating significant goodwill. …
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Saudi Arabia accuses Russia of sabotaging OPEC+ deal
The world’s largest oil producing countries, having signed another deal in December to maintain world oil prices, are now facing internal strife, finanz.ru reports.
Saudi Arabia, the largest member of OPEC in terms of extraction, and the only country in the world capable of rapidly upscaling or downscaling its oil extraction, believes that Russia’s efforts as part of the market stabilization agreement are inadequate.
By undertaking to reduce extraction by 228,000 barrels per day, Russia is …
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Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Abe to negotiate peace treaty on January 22
Negotiations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe are scheduled to take place in Moscow on January 22. The two leaders will discuss matters relating to the signing of a peace treaty between Russia and Japan, the Kremlin’s press service reported.
“The plan is to discuss the state and development prospects of a bilateral collaboration in the political, commercial, economic and humanitarian areas. As a follow-up to the agreements achieved during …
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Lavrov: Russia will not give the Kuril Islands to Japan
After the meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the Kuril Islands are and will remain Russia’s territory.
“The sovereignty over the islands is non-negotiable. We drew attention to the fact these islands are designated as a northern territory in Japan’s legislation, which is, of course, unacceptable,” Lavrov said.
He pointed out that no peace agreement can be concluded if Japan does not recognize the results of World War II.
“I …
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Belarusian opposition urges authorities to restrict broadcasting of Russian channels
The opposition party Belarusian Popular Front or BPF adopted a statement at a party’s meeting that demands that the authorities restrict broadcasting of Russian TV channels and replace them with programs of local production or a balanced set of foreign television programs from other countries, Interfax report.
The BPF declared 2019 the Year of the Belarusian language, calling it "an important factor of national security" in the face of "information attacks against Belarus." “We call on all …