Contents tagged with Russia

  • Head of Crimea wants to create Silicon Valley on the peninsula

    Crimean authorities believe that it possible to create an IT technology hub, similar to Silicon Valley in the American state of California, on the peninsula, as stated by the head of the republic, Sergey Aksyonov, TASS reports.

    Aksyonov noted that authorities in the region want "people” who will be engaged in the development of IT technologies “to come" to the Crimea. "We thought about creating a center here similar to Silicon Valley, and we are thinking about how this can be accomplished," …

  • Lithuanian Security and Defense committee investigates why Lithuanian trains are equipped with Russian security system

    The Lithuanian parliament’s Committee on National Security and Defense has begun an investigation into who decided to install the Russian “CLUB-U” security system on Lithuanian Railways trains during their modernization, stated Committee chairman Vytautas Bakas after a closed meeting in the Seimas, reports Delfi news agency.

    According to Bakas, the Russian system may pose a threat to national security, since it is linked to the Russian military industry.

    "We will find out the circumstances of …

  • Kremlin wants to verify that Facebook follows Russia’s data collection laws

    The officials of the Roskomnadzor, Russia’s Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media announced they intended to check whether the social network Facebook was complying with Russian legislation governing the processing of personal data. The announcement was made by the executive body’s press service, reported Interfax.

    "Soon, the Roskomnadzor will plan supervisory actions  aimed at analyzing the activities of the administration of the social …

  • Amendment on breaking of diplomatic relations with Russia introduced in draft bill on reintegration of Donbas

    A group of independent MPs introduced an amendment which proposes to obligate the Cabinet of Ministers to break off diplomatic relations with Russia, for the second reading of bill No. 7163 on ensuring Ukraine’s sovereignty in the Donbas.

    This was announced by MP Andriy Teterev (People’s Front), a member of the Committee on National Security and Defense, Interfax-Ukraine reports.

    “This amendment exists. It is with number 595. Introduced by a group of [independent] MPs from the UKROP political …

  • Russian FSB agent detained in Estonia

    Over the past weekend, the Internal Security Service of Estonia detained a Russian citizen at Narva checkpoint who is believed to be an agent of the Federal Security Service of Russia. The ERR Estonian news agency reports that the man was detained on cybercrime charges and that he was travelling from Estonia to Russia.

    On Monday, October 6, the Estonian Harju County Court issued an arrest warrant for the suspect. He is charged with non-violent actions aimed against the independence and …

  • Media: Russia to spend billions of rubles on fences and checkpoints for Crimean bridge

    The land sections of the Crimean Bridge will be fenced off, with access to the bridge controlled by checkpoints. Billions of rubles will be spent on this, Kryminform reported with reference to the Russian state purchases website.

    The news outlet notes that a competition is being held for the state enterprise Russian Ministry of Transport Departmental Security Administration (RMTDSA). The Kerch and Taman coasts and Tuzla Island will be fenced off.

    In addition, the Crimean Bridge is to be …

  • Media: Kyiv may break diplomatic relations with Russia

    The Verkhovna Rada may decide to sever diplomatic relations with Russia next week, reports Russian publication Kommersant, citing sources in the Ukrainian parliament.

    The newspaper claims that Ivan Vinnyk, an MP from the Petro Poroshenko Bloc, correspondingly amended the Law on reintegration of the Donbas.

    "In the Law on the reintegration of the Donbas, which the Rada should be considering in its second reading, Russia will be recognized as an aggressor country; I hope that [enough] votes …

  • Ukraine expresses concern over the visits of Serbian representatives to Crimea

    On November 7, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Pavlo Klimkin, held consultations with the Ukrainian Ambassador to Serbia Aleksandr Aleksandrovich, during which he expressed concern over Serbia’s contact with the annexed Crimea, as reported by the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.

    “Illegal contacts between representatives of Serbia and the occupied Crimea are causing considerable concern. It is hoped that Serbia will fully adhere to its declared principle of respect …

  • Ukraine introduced sanctions against 18 Russian companies

    The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine, at the request of the Security Service of Ukraine(SBU), imposed sanctions against 18 Russian companies. The corresponding orders No.1582 and 1583 were adopted by the Ministry on October 30th, 24 TV reports.

    Sanctions have been imposed on companies "for carrying out activities that could harm the interests of national economic security."

    18 Russian companies have fallen under the sanctions: Loli-Pak Exports, the Snack Group, Belgorod …

  • Russia refuses to extradite to Ukraine former commander of the Berkut special police suspected of killing Maidan protesters

    The Russian Federation refused the request of the General Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine to detain and extradite Serhiy Kusyuk, the former chief of the Kyiv regiment of the Berkut Special Police Force of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.

    "Russia refused to extradite him," the head of the special investigations department of the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine, Serhiy Horbatyuk, told Interfax-Ukraine news agency on Tuesday, October 7. Horbatyuk said the Russian Federation …