• Russia sends warships armed with Kalibr missiles to the Black Sea

    Russia is sending small missile ships of the Caspian flotilla into the Black Sea, reported bmpd.livejournal.com.

    The ships Grad Sviyazhsk and Veliky Ustyug, project 21631 (class Buyan-M), accompanied by an RB-10 raid tugboat, made the trip along inland waterways from the Caspian to the Black Sea.

    The Grad Sviyazhsk (plant no. 631, entered into service in the Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy on July 27, 2014) and Veliky Ustyug (plant no. 633, entered into service in the Caspian Flotilla on …

  • Putin: Russia will not withdraw troops from Syria yet

    Moscow is not planning to withdraw its military contingent from Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during the Direct Line session which was broadcast by Russia 24 TV channel.

    “They will stay there as long as it is beneficial to Russia, and in fulfillment of our international obligations. We are not planning to withdraw the units yet,” the president said. According to him, Russian troops are carrying out important duties related to ensuring Russia’s security in the region and …

  • France rules out quick removal of EU sanctions against Russia

    French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian, stated that Paris is against a rapid review of EU sanctions imposed against Russia for its aggression towards Ukraine, Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty reports.

    “When there is progress [towards settling the conflict in Ukraine], then we will be able to raise the issue of sanctions, and that is what we will tell Italy,” he stated.

    Earlier, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte stated that his government will advocate a review of the …

  • Hundreds of Russian banks are at risk of collapse

    Based on the results of Russia’s Central Bank stress tests, problems were identified in 117 banks. There exists a risk of a gap appearing in their capital if oil prices go down sharply. Moreover, the bankruptcy of several organizations can lead to a domino effect that will affect another 107 banks, RBC reported with reference to the report of the Russian banking regulator.

    According to the Central Bank of Russia, these 117 banks account for about 30.6 percent of all banking assets. The Central …

  • Angela Merkel sees no reason why Russia should be restored in G8

    German Chancellor Angela Merkel feels that the decision to exclude Russia from the international G8 forum was correct, and she sees no reason why the country should be restored, despite tense relations with the U.S. Merkel said this in answer to a question asked by a deputy of the Bundestag who belongs to the right-wing Alternative for Germany party.

    According to Merkel, the G8 forum is based on respect for international law, which Russia has brazenly violated.

    “The annexation of Crimea was a …