• Zelensky wants to survey Ukrainians about negotiations with Russia

    At a meeting with public activists in the president’s administration, President Vladimir Zelensky said that putting the question of concluding peace agreements with Russia to a referendum has no legislative initiative, but this is a way to assess popular opinion, according to the President’s website.

     “We must listen to every person. This is not a legislative referendum, but an informational one. Citizens, what do you think? We are having a regular conversation with the people,” said Zelensky. …

  • Half of Russian regions in recession

    With the Russian Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) recording a slowdown of Russia’s GDP, which grew by only 0.5% in the first quarter, the least since 2017, half of the country’s regions have already plunged into a recession reports finanz.ru.

    At the end of March, an increase in economic activity was documented in only 42 of Russia’s 86 federal subjects, observes the Moscow-based Higher School of Economics (HSE) in its “Commentaries on the government and business”.

    The number of …

  • Kyiv: Russian Black Sea ports and Crimea suffer losses due to sanctions

    The Black Sea ports of annexed Crimea and neighboring Russia suffered a loss of more than 760 million rubles (around $11.8 million) in 2018 due to sanctions, reports the Ukrainian Ministry of Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons.

    “By comparison with other years, specifically 2015, 2016 and 2017, the annual revenue of the Black Sea Ports Administration was between 32 and 152 million rubles. In 2018, the Black Sea Ports Administration’s earnings were only 359.6 …

  • Media: Russia has disrupted Israel’s radars

    The Russian news site Avia.pro claims that Russia’s “Krasukha” electronic warfare systems have disrupted the Israel Defense Force’s radars.

    The site presents arguments to support its theory: the regular flights by Israeli reconnaissance aircraft in the Golan Heights region, and at least three cases of blimps being launched in the same territory to observe the positions of Syrian aerial defense systems. The Russian news outlet sees this as evidence that Israel’s ground radar systems are …

  • Russian Missile Forces receive first Avangard missile systems

    The commander of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces, Sergei Karakayev said that Russian Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN) started receiving Avangard missile systems, which will be on combat duty by the end of the year, reports RIA Novosti.

    "The commissioning of stationary and mobile Yars and Avangard missile systems of the fifth generation continues as well as their setting for the combat duty," said Karakayev.

    According to the commander, the Missile Division in the Orenburg region has …