• Ukrainian Foreign Minister: Kyiv to take actions against German companies working in Crimea

    Ukrainian authorities are considering measures against German companies operating in the Crimea despite the EU sanctions, as stated by the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Pavlo Klimkin, in an interview with the German newspaper, Rheinische Post.

    "Any attempt to bypass sanctions against Russia, introduced as a result of the annexation of the Crimea, must be punished by law ... We have a wide range of legal mechanisms that we can use. We are in the process of finding a balanced solution," …

  • Russia to establish military air base on disputed Kuril Islands

    The Russian Ministry of Defense received permission from the government to use the airfield on the Kuril Island of Iturup as an air base, according to an order signed by the Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev.

    "The "Sakhalin Region" section of the list of joint base aerodromes of the Russian Federation to be supplemented with the following entry: Iturup - civil - the Ministry of Defense of Russia," the document says.

    In 2016, Bastion and Bal coastal missile systems were deployed to the southern …

  • German deputies visit Crimea in violation of Ukrainian travel ban

    Nine German Deputies from three regional parliaments of Germany came to the Crimea on February 3 in violation of Ukrainian legislation, as reported by RIA Novosti, citing the head of the German cultural autonomy of the peninsula, Yuri Gempel. "The delegation has arrived to the Crimea. We have already met them. Nine people have arrived," he said. The delegation will stay in the Crimea from 3 to 9 February and includes deputies from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party from three regional …

  • Media: Pilot of Russian Su-25 fighter shot down in Syria was from Crimea

    The pilot of the Russian Su-25 fighter that was shot down on Saturday over northern Syria was a former Ukrainian pilot from Simferopol, Major Roman Filippov, Novaya Gazeta reported with reference to a source in the Russian Defense Ministry.

    The newspaper notes that a letter was published on the Telegram channel WarObserver containing a photograph of a report stating that Major Roman Filippov is being given a state award for carrying out combat missions in Syria.

    The letter was supposedly …

  • Moscow asks Ukraine to allow opening of 4 polling stations for Russian presidential elections

    According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, it is reviewing the request of Russia to establish four polling stations in Ukraine for the Russian 2018 presidential elections, reports Interfax-Ukraine.

    "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs received a request from the Russian embassy in Ukraine to hold Russian Presidential elections on March 18, 2018 and establish polling stations for citizens of the Russian Federation residing in Ukraine... This request is now being reviewed by the …