• US Congress prepares to deal new blow to Russian economy

    The lull in sanctions which Russia enjoyed during US Congress’s interim elections and government shutdown is now coming to an end.

    After the four-month break, Congress is once again discussing new measures that can be taken against Russia. The possibilities range from a ban on investments in Russian government debt to a complete disconnection of Russian government banks from the global dollar transaction system.

    Congress’s first hearings following its elections will be held on 12 February in …

  • Russia plans to land on the moon in 2031 and build a lunar base in 2034

    Russia's first manned expedition to the moon will take place in 2031. Russia aims to send astronauts to the moon every year, RIA Novosti news agency reported, citing a document by the Russian Central Research Institute of Machine Building (TsNIIMash), a subsidiary of the Russian space agency Roscosmos.

    According to the explanatory note of the document, the first expedition crew will conduct astronauts' activities on the moon and implement tasks set by the Russian Academy of Sciences.

    In 2032, …

  • Estonia to install radar towers with cameras on border with Russia

    RIA Novosti reported, with reference to the press service of the Police and Border Guard Board of Estonia, that Estonia will install three radar towers with cameras on the border with Russia along the Narva River. 

    As noted by the head of the Bureau of the Estonian integrated border guard department Egert Belichev, it will make possible accurate overview of what is happening on the border water in a radius of 16 kilometers. 

    “Modern surveillance capabilities will also allow to quickly direct …

  • US ambassadors to Europe warn of dangers of Nord Stream 2 pipeline

    American diplomats are urging European countries to revise their Gas Directive and to adopt amendments that would extend the EU’s regulations to companies from third countries, including the Nord Stream 2 project. The US ambassadors to Germany, Denmark and the EU, Richard Grenell, Carla Sands and Gordon Sondland, wrote about this in an opinion article for Deutsche Welle.

    “The EU should revise the Third Energy Package's Gas Directive so that the bloc's laws also apply to projects like Nord …

  • EU diplomats warned about Russian and Chinese spies in Brussels

    The European Union External Action Service (EEAS) warned European diplomats and military about espionage by Russian and Chinese intelligence services, Die Welt reported with a reference to diplomats and the data of the EEAS.

    According to the European Union External Action Service, there are about 250 Chinese and 200 Russian spies in Brussels. Diplomats told the newspaper that they have been warned against visiting certain places, in particular, a cafe near the European Commission (Berlaymont) …