Contents tagged with Russia
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US Ambassador to OSCE: Russia is escalating tensions in Ukraine to improve their position during negotiations
According to the US Ambassador to the OSCE, Daniel Baer, Russia is attempting to escalate the violence in eastern Ukraine in order to improve their position at the negotiating table and to gain concessions in their favor, Unrinform reported.
“Russia has escalated tensions on the line of contact in an attempt to wrest concessions from Ukraine by force,” Baer stated.
At the same time, he noted that fighting further complicates achieving political progress during the Minsk negotiations.
“If …
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Border Service of Ukraine: Russian warship blocked the way to drill rigs in the Black Sea
The State Border Service of Ukraine said that a Russian warship, Pytlivy, is blocking the path to oil rigs in the Black Sea. This was said by the Chief of Staff of the 1st Sea Guard detachment Captain Ihor Zapyantsev at a press conference in Odessa, UNIAN reported.
According to Zapyantsev, on December 1st, when the border guards conducted a special naval operation in the exclusive (maritime) economic zone in the Odessa gas field located in the Northwestern part of the Black Sea, the Russian …
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Ukrainian and Polish presidents condemn EU decision on OPAL pipeline, saying its benefits Gazprom
The Ukrainian and Polish Presidents, Petro Poroshenko and Andrzej Duda, released a statement in which they said they were shocked by the European Commission’s decision to expand Gazprom’s access to the OPAL pipeline, which provides an opportunity for the Russian company to increase their flow of gas to Europe, bypassing Ukraine.
"We believe that the decision contradicts the rules and principles of the energy community and contradicts the achievement of the organization’s fundamental goal: the …
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Norway calls on Trump to put forth clear and predictable policy toward Russia
Amid growing concerns in Oslo over Russia’s recent military expansion in the Arctic region, the Norwegian Defense Ministry has called on US President-elect Donald Trump to put forth a clear and predictable policy towards Russia as soon as possible, Reuters reported
"What is most important to us right now is to have both a predictable and a very clear policy on Russia," Norwegian Defense Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide told Reuters.
"The earlier and the clearer that the new administration comes …
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Lavrov: US has presented new proposals to resolve the situation in Aleppo
Russian Foreign MinisterSergey Lavrov stated the the American Secretary of State, John Kerry, while at the meeting in Rome, presented new proposals regarding the situation in Aleppo.
According to Lavrov, the previous proposals of the United States “supported the immunity of Jabhat al-Nusra, who is at the head of the terrorists in Aleppo, from any strikes.”
At the same time, the new proposals presented by Kerry, “are in line with the position of the Russian experts at the talks with the …
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Congress adopts ban on providing funds for bilateral military cooperation with Russia
The US House of Representatives adopted a draft defense budget for 2017. The document, published on the Congress’s website, establishes a ban on providing funds for bilateral military cooperation between the US and Russia.
In particular, the document states that it is prohibited to allocate funds for military cooperation between the two countries unless the Pentagon can assure Congress that Russia "has stopped the occupation of the territory of Ukraine and its aggressive actions that threaten …
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Lavrov: Russia is ready to cooperate with the Trump administration to combat terrorism in Syria
While speaking at the Mediterranean Dialogues forum on Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Moscow is ready to cooperate with US President-elect Donald Trump in countering terrorism in Syria, TASS reported.
"I cannot make guesses [about cooperating with the Trump administration in Syria]. I rely on facts only," Lavrov stated. "And the fact is that during his election campaign Donald Trump repeatedly said that one of his priorities would be combatting the Islamic State and …
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Ukrainian Border Guard Service: Russia is preparing a military rotation in the north of the Crimea
The Russian Federation plans to replace the paratroopers from Stavropol, who have served in the north of the annexed Crimea since August, with paratroopers from Tula, as stated by the Assistant to the Head of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Oleh Slobodyan, at a briefing on Thursday.
"Preparation for an immediate rotation of the Russian Armed Forces’ airborne troops, deployed on the front line in the north of the annexed Crimean peninsula, is being completed,” he said.
"The …
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US Congresses passes bill restricting the movement of Russian diplomats in the country
The US House of Representatives passed a bill that restricts the movement of Russian diplomats in the country.
The author of the initiative is the chairman of the United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Devin Nunes. It has been reported that 371 congressmen voted in favor of this bill, and 35 voted against it.
According to the bill, "Accredited diplomatic and consular personnel of the Russian Federation in the United States will not be allowed to travel further than 25 …
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Russian national jailed for sending text message on the movement of military equipment in 2008
Russian citizen Oksana Sevastidi was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment on charges of high treason. Several text messages were the cause for the criminal prosecution, Meduza reported.
Sevastidi reportedly sent the messages in 2008, shortly before the Georgian war.
Sevastidi texted her friend, who lives in Georgia, that she saw a train with military equipment travelling from Sochi to Abkhazia.
Sevastidi’s lawyer, Ivan Pavlov, discussed his client’s criminal case during his interview with …