Contents tagged with Russia
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U.S. senators are preparing a bill on new sanctions against Russia
United States senators are preparing a bipartisan draft bill about additional sanctions against Russia in connection with its hacker attacks on American political institutions and its activities in Ukraine and Syria. The Voice of America reported that the lawmakers confirmed this information when the Senate convened for a new session of Congress.
Senator Ben Cardin, the leading Democrat of the Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters in Capitol Hill on January 3 that he was working on the …
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Istanbul terror attack: Russian citizens detained by police
On New Year’s eve, a gunman opened fire at the popular Reina club Istanbul. 39 people were killed and nearly 70 wounded. A couple days later, the so-called Islamic State took responsibility for the attack.
The Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, said that the law enforcement agencies have identified the terrorist, who is currently wanted, but did not name him.
Overall, more than 40 people have been detained in connection with the terrorist attack in Istanbul.
On January 4th, in a …
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Russian ground forces to receive new Iskander-M missile complexes
A military source told Interfax that the rearmament of missile brigades with tactical Iskander-M missile complexes will continue in 2017.
"In the new year, the scheduled rearmament of the missile units from Tochka and Tochka-U to the modern Iskander-M will continue,'' the source said.
Earlier, the head of the missile troops and artillery of the Russian Armed Forces, Lieutenant-General Mikhail Matveyevsky, reported that the rearmament of all existing units with the Iskander-M missile complex …
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NATO fighters made 110 flights from the Baltic states to escort Russian Air Force aircraft in 2016
Last year, NATO fighter jets stationed in Baltic countries scrambled 110 times to escort Russian military aircraft flying near the borders of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, as reported by postimees.ee, citing information from the Ministry of Defence of Lithuania. The activity of Russian aircraft still remains higher than before 2014.
According to data provided by the Ministry of Defense to the Baltic News Service, in 2013 NATO fighters scrambled 47 times, in 2014, 140 times, in 2015, about 160 …
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Lithuania called the militarization of Kaliningrad a challenge for NATO
The Lithuanian Foreign Minister, Linas Linkevičius, said in an interview with The Times that he considers the Russian military build-up in Kaliningrad a challenge for NATO.
Particularly, Linkevičius called on NATO to stop "Russian military hooliganism” stating that “the military build-up in Kaliningrad is a challenge for NATO."
Earlier, Lithuania stated that Russia is trying to limit the arrival of NATO allied ships to the Baltic States with the help of the new coastal missile complexes in …
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Putin orders government agencies to submit list of 'foreign agent' NGOs by March
Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed his administration, the Justice Ministry, and other state organizations to submit a list of non-governmental organizations that are classified as foreign agents by March 30th, 2017, TASS reported.
In 2012, the Russian State Duma adopted a law requiring all nongovernmental organizations engaged in political activity that receive funding from abroad to register as “foreign agents” with the Ministry of Justice, a designation that severely hinders an …
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CIA Director accuses Russia of having a 'scorched earth policy' in Syria
CIA Director John Brennan accused Russia of having a “scorched earth policy” in Syria, which had led to the death of thousands of civilians.
Speaking in an interview with PBS, Brennan said, “What the Russians have done in Syria in terms of some of the scorched-earth policy that they have pursued that have led to devastation and thousands upon thousands of innocent deaths, that’s not something that the United States would ever do in any of these military conflicts.”
When asked if the CIA …
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Media: Chechen security forces detained all who drank alcohol on New Year's eve in Grozny
In Grozny, on New Year's eve, anti-alcohol raids were conducted in cafes and restaurants. The security forces detained all who drank alcohol, Grozny residents told the Caucasian Knot news website.
"On the eve of January 1st, my friends and I were in a cafe in Grozny, gathered to celebrate the holiday. Suddenly the police stormed in and they detained three men, who were sitting at a table next to us and were drinking alcohol. Fortunately, we did not have any alcohol, otherwise, we would have to …
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In 2016, Russian military equipment was detected near the borders of Latvia 209 times
Last year, Russian military aircraft and ships approached the borders of Latvia 209 times, which was fewer times than in the previous year, Delfi news agency reported, citing the Latvian Defence Ministry’s data.
In 2015, Russian military hardware was noticed more than 270 times near the Latvian borders. The Latvian National Armed Forces identified more than 140 flights by Russian aircraft, as well as 130 cases of Russian submarines and ships appearing near the territorial waters of Latvia. …
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Ukrainian official: There are indications that the Kremlin is willing to give up the Donbas
The Ukrainian Deputy Minister for the temporarily occupied territories and internally displaced persons, George Tuka, is convinced that Ukraine will regain control over the occupied territory of the Donbas in 2017 or in mid-2018 at the latest. Tuka stated this in his interview with Novoye Vremya.
“Currently, Russia is ready to give back the Donbas only on its own terms. However, I am sure that Ukraine will manage to take over the initiative and implement its own scenario on the return of the …