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Russian media: mortars used in bombardment of Russian airbase in Syria were brought from Turkey
The Russian military base in Syrian Khmeimim was shelled using an 82-millimeter automatic mortar Vasilek (Cornflower), writes Russian newspaper Vestnik Mordovii (Herald of Mordovia) quoting military experts.
The mortar has a small weight (just over 630 kilograms) that allows to place it, for example, in a minivan, and high rate of fire (up to 120 shots per minute). Vasilek can fire in single and automatic mode using four-round clips. It can use high-explosive, armor-piercing and smoke shells, …
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Ukrainian Politician: in 2014 Kyiv considered detonating gas transit pipeline connecting Russia to Europe
The Deputy Minister for Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons of Ukraine, Yuriy Hrymchak, stated on ZIK TV that in 2014-2015, the Ukrainian authorities considered blowing up the Russian gas pipeline that goes through the entirety of Ukraine and brings gas into the countries of Europe.
“Look at 2014-2015.. Do you think there were no plans to blow up the gas transmission system? <...> I am telling you about the plans at the state level,” Hrymchak said.
According to …
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Carnegie Center: Putin and Russian Patriarch at odds over Ukraine
Disagreements have emerged between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kirill of Moscow, Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), following the start of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. This was noted by Andrey Pertsev, researcher from the Carnegie Moscow Center, as reported by Voice of America.
“It has long been known that the president and the patriarch’s relations became strained after the start of the Ukrainian crisis and the conflict in the Donbas,” the researcher observes. …
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Russia was a major coal supplier to Ukraine in 2017
In 2017, Ukraine imported over 19 million tons of coal, most of which came to the country from Russia, reported Lb.ua news agency with reference to the data of Ukraine's State Fiscal Service.
It is noted that Ukraine paid more than $2.7 billion for coal. Russian coal imports in 2017 cost $1.5 billion or 56.57% of the total supply, followed by US supplies worth $682 million or 24.85%, and Canadian coal worth $182 million or 6.64%. Other countries have also delivered coal to Ukraine, all worth $3 …
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Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls trip to Russia a 'one-way ticket'
In a Twitter post, the Consular Service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has called travel by Ukrainians to Russia a "one-way ticket".
"Travel by Ukrainians to Russia is often a one-way ticket. [This is] confirmed and documented. So is it worth risking your own freedom and causing suffering to your relatives? " the Consular Service’s post reads. The message was attached to a warning by the Security Service of Ukraine against travel to Russia.
The Security Service of Ukraine ( …