• Piontkovsky: More countries should participate in the Ukrainian peace process

    In an interview with espresso.tv, Russian historian and opposition leader Andrei Piontkovsky said that Ukraine should invite not only the heads of Germany and France to take part in the negotiations to find a solution to the war in the Donbass region, but also representatives of other Western countries.

    "Merkel and Hollande have already acquired some kind of Stockholm syndrome in relations with Russia and the Donetsk bandits… The Minsk Agreement is their child. They, as a father and a mother …

  • Russia Spend €1 Billion per Year on State Salaries and Pensions in DPR and LPR

    An investigation conducted by the German magazine, Bild revealed that Russia spends about 1 billion Euros on the salaries and welfare of citizens of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. According to Bild, this amount corresponds to 0.6% of the annual expenses of the Russian budget.

    Moscow spends nearly 79 million Euros every month on salaries of state employees and pensions in so-called DPR and LPR, Bild wrote. About 2.4 billion Rubles (approximately 30 million Euros) …

  • Daniel Fried: Russia is now Taking Sanctions Seriously

    Speaking at American University in Washington on January 15th, the U.S. State Department’s Coordinator for Sanctions, Daniel Fried, stated that the U.S. Government believes that sanctions are an instrument of international policy. According to Fried, economic influences have a greater effect than the use of military force in today’s political climate.

    In recent history, there are examples of both successful and unsuccessful sanctions. For the latter, Fried cites the blockade of Cuba, which, …

  • Ukraine Increases Gas Imports from Europe By 24 Percent

    The spokesman of Ukrtransgaz Company, Maxim Belyavsky wrote on his Facebook page that Ukraine increased its daily volume of gas imports through Slovakia and Hungaryby 24% to 36%. This marks an increase of about 3 million cubic meters.

    “On the 16th of January, Ukraine imported 36.3 million cubic meters from Europe. Of that amount, 34.9 million cubic meters were imported through the Slovak gas corridor,” Belyavsky wrote.

    The spokesman of Ukrtransgaz Company noted that the previous day, 29.3 …

  • US Delivers $23 Million in Communications Hardware and Medical Equipment to Ukraine

    Military communications and medical equipment with total value of $23 million have been sent to Ukraine by the US, as reported by the American Embassy’s press service in Kiev. The shipment was delivered to Boryspil Airport last night.

    The total package included $21 million worth of secure radio equipment to aid Ukrainian soldiers in communicating effectively to ensure their safety. It also included $2 million in medical equipment for saving lives on the battlefield, according to the official …