• Russia warns of deteriorating security due to NATO drills in Baltic

    Russia has a negative perception of the Ramstein Alloy military drills being carried out by the air forces of NATO and its partners over the Baltic Sea, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told RIA Novosti.

    “Such drills diminish the regional security. This primarily concerns the Baltic region, which has been the calmest in a military sense for decades,” Grushko commented.

    The Ramstein Alloy drills, which are held three times a year, began on the morning of June 26. The Ämari Air …

  • European Commission President: lifting sanctions against Russia until the de-occupation of Donbas is out the question

    European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker promised that the question of abolishing EU sanctions against the Russian Federation would not be raised until the Minsk Agreements are implemented and the Donbas is de-occupied. Volodymyr Ariev, Chairman of the Ukrainian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), relayed Juncker's statement through a Facebook post.

    "The President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, promised that the EU would not …

  • Russian Ministry of Defense: Two military helicopters returned to Russia from Syria

    Two Ka-52 helicopters returned to Russia after carrying out military tasks in Syria, RIA Novosti reported, citing the Ministry of Defense. The helicopters and their crews were transported by an An-124 Ruslan military transport aircraft from the Khmeimim aerodrome.

    As indicated by the military department, after returning to Russia, the pilots and helicopters will be sent to permanent deployment bases.

    Russian newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta previously reported that over the past week, 11 planes …

  • Washington: Russia must do its part to uphold the ceasefire in Syrian southwest de-escalation zone

    Washington believes that the Syrian authorities are fighting in the southwestern portion of the country, in violation of a de-escalation regime that has been in place there since summer 2017. The US is hoping that Moscow will help reduce resultant tensions, stated US Deputy Representative to the United Nations Jonathan Cohen during an open debate at the UN Security Council on the topic of the "Maintenance of International Peace and Security: [A] Comprehensive Review of the Situation in the …

  • Company owned by Putin's friend demands dismissal of charges made by special prosecutor Mueller

    On Monday, Russian company Concord Management and Consulting, accused of financing a Russian campaign of influence on American elections, demanded that the Court drop charges made by special prosecutor Robert Mueller on the grounds that, according to the company, he was appointed illegally and does not have appropriate prosecutor’s powers.

    The company is controlled by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessman close to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Prigozhin stated in court documents that Deputy …