• Tokyo rejects Putin’s proposal to increase trade between Russia and Japan to $30 billion

    Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal made to increase trade between Russia and Japan to $30 billion made to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during the talks on the Kuril Islands was not greeted by Japan.

    The Japanese side did not give consent to Putin's plan, which called for an increase in investments in the Russian economy, to replenish it with technologies and to increase mutual trade by 1.5 times, the official representative of the Japanese Foreign Ministry told Kyodo.

    “Mr. …

  • Ukraine calls on PACE to adopt ‘Azov sanctions package’ against Russia

    Ukraine calls on European partners to increase pressure on Russia and adopt the "Azov sanctions package" for seizing Ukrainian sailors in the Kerch Strait, said Iryna Herashchenko, the First Vice-Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada during a speech at the PACE.

    “The Russian Federation has violated at least five articles of the European Convention on Human Rights. We urge our European partners to introduce new sanctions, namely the “Azov sanctions package” against the Russian Federation and the …

  • Russian Parliament approves draft law introducing punishment for disseminating fake news

    Thursday, January 24, Russian State Duma approved four draft laws  in the first reading. Among them were the laws on disseminating fake news, on criminal responsibility for insulting the government and on administrative penalties in both cases.

    The draft law regarding dissemination of "false public information" on the internet relates to information that can "be a cause for serious bodily injury and lead to other serious consequences," stated the Deputy from the United Russia party, Dmitry …

  • PACE calls on Russia to release Ukrainian sailors

    The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted the resolution "The escalation of tensions around the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait and threats to European security,” Ukrinform reports.

    In this resolution, PACE officially demands that Russia treats the captured sailors in compliance with the Geneva Convention on to the Treatment of Prisoners of War. "The Assembly urges Russia to immediately release the Ukrainian servicemen and ensure they are granted the necessary medical, …

  • Swedish Air Force: Russian warplanes violated Sweden's airspace

    A surveillance aircraft and two destroyers of the Russian Air Force violated Swedish airspace over the Baltic coast entering it for a short period, the Swedish Air Force reported.

    In the report published on January 24th, Swedish Air Force stated that the incident occurred on January 19th. An Il-20 surveillance aircraft and two Su-27 fighters flew near the city of Karlshamn, in south Sweden. The Russian aircraft entered Swedish airspace without permission, which the Swedish military reported to …