• Russia calls Ukrainian bill on reintegration of Donbas ‘preparation for war’

    The bill on the reintegration of Donbas, adopted by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in the second reading, legally allows Kyiv to solve the problems in the region by force, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

    The Russian Foreign Ministry noted that the joint operational headquarters, the creation of which is envisaged by the bill, will be able to use the armed forces “against civilians throughout the country” and “without the formal introduction of martial law.”

    “Poroshenko is receiving …

  • Net сapital outflow from Russia increased to $31.3 billion in 2017

    The net outflow of capital from Russia in 2017 grew to more than 1.5 times what it was in 2016, according to information from the Central Bank of Russia.

    “The net capital export by the private sector, according to the estimates of the Bank of Russia, was $31.3 billion ($19.8 billion in 2016),” reported the regulator. The message from the Central Bank notes that the main source of net capital export was the banking sector’s operations to reduce external liabilities. “Capital outflows associated …

  • NATO Commander: Alliance may lose 'dominance' in certain fields because of Russia

    NATO may lose "dominance" in some fields in five years, if it cannot modernize its armed forces and adapt to the threat from Russia, said General Curtis Scaparotti, the chief commander of the forces of the North Atlantic alliance in Europe, during the meeting of the NATO Military Committee.

    Scaparotti stated, "I think that as an alliance we dominate. There are challenging fields. I reckon that cyberspace is one of them. They [Russians – ed.] are very competent in this."

    Addressing the NATO …

  • European Parliament calls for new sanctions against Russia over interference in elections

    The European Parliament is urging the imposition of sanctions against the Russian Federation due to the interference of Russian hackers in elections, as discussed during debate in the European Parliament in Strasbourg (France) on the impact of Russian propaganda on the European Union.

    The head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, German MP David McAllister, stressed that the Russian disinformation campaign is aimed at undermining the foundations of objective journalism …

  • Ukrainian Naftogaz and Russia’s Gazprom to begin negotiations on gas delivery to Ukraine

    According to the Chief Commercial Officer of Naftogaz, Yuriy Vitrenko, Naftogaz of Ukraine and Gazprom will soon start negotiations on the implementation of the Stockholm Arbitration Court decisions within the contract of purchase of Russian gas, UNIAN reports.

    "Negotiations will start in the coming days. We won’t disclose the details. It’s about the implementation of the final decision on the gas contract,” he said.

    Vitrenko noted that according to the Stockholm Arbitration Court decision, …