Contents tagged with Russia

  • Ukrainian official: Crimea will be returned to Ukraine only after the fall of Putin’s regime

    The annexed Crimea can only be returned to Ukraine after the fall of the current political regime in Russia, as expressed by Heorhiy Tuka, the Deputy Minister for the Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons of Ukraine, during an interview with UNN (Ukrainian National News).

    According to him, the annexed peninsula can’t be returned through the adoption of laws or other documents.

    "I believe that if I see and understand the options to regain control over the Donbas, I …

  • Russia files counter-claim against Siemens on turbine deal

    On October 16, the Arbitration Court of Moscow considered a lawsuit filed by the German concern Siemens against Rostec regarding the supply of turbines to the annexed Crimea.

    The Germans have asked to invalidate the deal, following which the turbines entered the territory of the annexed peninsula.

    According to RIA Novosti news agency, the Russian company Technopromexport filed a counter-claim in which it requested the invalidation of a portion of the transaction dated March 10, 2015, during …

  • Russian court fines Telegram for refusal to cooperate with FSB

    Moscow's Meshchansky District Court has fined Telegram Messenger LLP (London) in the amount of 800 thousand rubles ($13,945 USD) over the company's refusal to comply with a request by the Federal Security Service (FSB) to provide information for decoding user messages. This has been reported by Interfax.

    "Telegram Messenger LLP is found guilty of committing an administrative offense, and is imposed with punishment in the form of an administrative fine of 800,000 rubles," the court said.

    The …

  • Victim mentioned in article on gay persecution in Chechnya speaks openly in Russia

    In Moscow a press conference was held with Maksim Lapunov, the first person to speak openly about the persecution of gays in the Chechen Republic without demanding anonymity, the BBC Russian service reports.

    Lapunov, a native of the Omsk province, said that he lived for two years in Chechnya. He claims that on March 16 he was arrested and held in a basement for 12 days. He has already written to the Russian Investigative Committee demanding a case be filed against the people who oppressed him. …

  • Financial system SWIFT will provide discount to Russian banks

    Russian newspaper Vedomosti has reported that Russia will receive a discount on the transfer of financial messages beginning in 2018, citing SWIFT Director for Central and Eastern Europe Matvei Gering. According to Gering, the discount will apply to financial message transfers between Russian organizations.

    The newspaper notes that SWIFT operations within the country accounted for 72.5% of all operations by Russian users in the international system, according to data from 2016.

    Vedemosti's …

  • Russian Defense Minister states that operation in Syria will soon be completed

    The operation in Syria is coming to an end, and there are several issues that need urgent attention, said Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu said on Monday during a meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

    “I would like to discuss each issue connected with Syria separately. The operation there is approaching its completion. There are several points that require urgent solutions, and discussions about the prospects for the further development of the situation in Syria are needed,” …

  • Russia imposes sanctions against North Korea

    President Vladimir Putin signed a decree adopting UN Security Council Resolution 2321in Russia. The decree was published on the official portal of legal information.

    “In accordance with the adopted resolution, in order to suppress the development and supply of resources to the forbidden programs in North Korea, additional international sanctions are being imposed that limit cooperation with that country in the areas of military technology, economic trade, finance, transport and education,” the …

  • Representative of Russian oligarch Deripaska threatens Manafort with 'legal consequences'

    There will be “serious legal consequences” for former head of Donald Trump’s electoral campaign Paul Manafort for “manipulating the investments” of Rusal president Oleg Deripaska. A representative of the Russian oligarch made such a comment with respect to NBC’s story on Manafort’s financial ties to Deripaska, Interfax reports.

    Deripaska has business contacts “with anyone and anywhere… exclusively in the interests of his business” the businessman’s representative added.

    In his opinion, NBC’s …

  • Russian private military contractor who fought in eastern Ukraine killed in Syria

    Russian Roman Solnyshkov, known as Solntse (The Sun), who previously fought in the Donbas, was killed in Syria, where he went as a military contractor hired by the Wagner private military company.

    It is reported that previously Solnyshkov served in eastern Ukraine in separatist Sparta battalion under the command of Arsen Pavlov (aka Motorola).

    Twitter user, Necro Mancer, confirmed the death of Roman Solnyshkov.

    "Solnyshkov Roman Viktorovich, known as Solntse (The Sun), was killed in Syria in …

  • Crimean authorities claim that 50 foreigners that are taking part in Youth Festival in Sochi will visit Crimea

    It was reported in Sevastopol that 50 foreigners who are participating in the festival of youth and students, which is held in Sochi, will be visiting Sevastopol.

    As reported by TASS on October 15th, a city tour, followed by an excursion through the bays of Sevastopol on the ship Dobrokhod, is planned for the participants of the festival.

    "As for the festival of youth and students, this has been planned for two years and today we are happy to see young people from different countries in …