Contents tagged with Russia

  • Five EU countries call on Moscow to protect homosexuals in Chechnya

    Germany and four other EU countries called on Moscow to protect the LGBT community in Chechnya. In a letter addressed to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel and his colleagues from France, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Sweden expressed deep concern over the reports of international organizations about the situation in the Caucasian republic, AFP agency reported on Wednesday.

    "We urge the Russian government to investigate horrendous accusations …

  • Tillerson: There is currently no trust between the USA and Russia

    U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says that at the present time, there is virtually no trust between Washington and Moscow. He referenced the agreements on arms control and the situation in Ukraine as the areas in which Russia "is not being particularly helpful today."

    At the same time, he mentioned the necessity to restore a certain level of trust with Russia. He stated there was a need to work on a long list of things – from military and nuclear agreements to Ukraine, the Crimea, and …

  • Media: Russia proposes to deploy foreign military contingents in 'security zones' in Syria

    Foreign military contingents may be deployed in the “security zones” that Russia has proposed to establish in Syria, reports Kommersant newspaper, referring to a draft memorandum submitted by Moscow to negotiators in Astana.

    In this memorandum, Russia, Turkey and Iran are called “guarantors of the ceasefire in Syria”.

    Four "de-escalation zones" have been proposed - in the province of Idlib, north of Homs, in eastern Ghouta, as well as in southern Syria.

    The exact location of these zones …

  • Russia conducts exercises in Crimea, airborne units participate

    Helicopters from the airborne unit of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet conducted exercises that were designed to find enemy submarines that might be in the Crimea. This was reported by the press service of the Russian Defense Ministry.

    “Scheduled training exercises of the crews of Ka-27 and Mi-8 helicopters were held in the Crimea with the participation of servicemen and local personnel of the air commandant’s office together with the regiment of Naval Aviation of the Black Sea Fleet,” stated the …

  • Putin and Erdogan agree to mutual lifting of sanctions with the exception of the ban on tomatoes

    During the meeting in Sochi on Wednesday, May 3, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to lift virtually all mutual trade restrictions.

    The only exception was the ban on the import of Turkish tomatoes in Russia. According to Putin, this will be lifted once Russian producers recover the investments caused by the closing of the market.

    Putin emphasized that he and Erdogan had achieved an agreement regarding the “complex resolution of all the problems …

  • The Constitutional Court of Moldova recognized the presence of Russian soldiers in Transnistria as illegal

    On Tuesday, May 2nd, the Constitutional Court of Moldova recognized the stay of Russian soldiers in the Transnistrian region of the republic as unconstitutional.

    The court emphasized that Moldova is a neutral country, and the principle of neutrality does not contradict its constitution and legislation. At the same time, the judges noted that "about 11% of Moldova’s territory has been occupied and the Russian army has not withdrawn from the Transnistrian region."

    The Constitutional Court also …

  • Russian military advisor killed in Syria

    Russian military adviser Lieutenant-Colonel Alexey Buchelnikov was killed in Syria as a result of sniper fire by militants.  This was reported on Tuesday, May 2nd, by the Ministry of Defense of Russia, according to Interfax.

    “Alexey Buchelnikov was in Syria as part of a group of Russian military advisers who are training Syrian artillery unit personnel," the Russian Defense Ministry said.

    During a session on combat training, the Syrian unit came under fire from snipers. Buchelnikov will be …

  • NATO warship blocked the path of Russian frigate in the Baltic Sea

    NATO warship blocked the path of Russian frigate Admiral Makarov, reports Zvezda TV channel. Incident reportedly occurred in neutral waters of the Baltic Sea.  

    The NATO ship belongs to Polish Navy and was 14 kilometers away from the Russian frigate.

    The Russian frigate was conducting test firing of Russia’s newest Shtil-1 surface-to-air missile system when the Polish warship approached it.

    The channel states that as a result of the presence of the foreign vessel in the training zone, the …

  • Kremlin: Putin and Trump want to meet at G20 summit

    The Presidents of Russia and the United States, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, have held telephone talks, the Kremlin press service reported.

    The leaders of the two countries discussed the prospects for coordinating the actions of Russia and the United States in the fight against terrorism in Syria, as well as "thoroughly discussed the situation on the Korean peninsula."

    It is noted that Putin called for restraint and a reduction in the level of tension. The presidents agreed to "establish …

  • In meeting with Putin, Merkel called for Ukraine to be given back control over its borders

    German Chancellor Angela Merkel held a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, May 2. As planned earlier, the meeting in Sochi took place before the G20 summit on May 7-8.

    During the press conference at the conclusion of the meeting, the politicians spoke about matters pertaining to bilateral relations, the fight against terrorism, as well as the situation in Syria and in Eastern Ukraine.

    Angela Merkel said that there is no need to make a new agreement regarding a peaceful …