Su-27 fighters of the Southern Military District (SMD) were put in the air and flew in pairs, being put on alert in the Crimea and tested for combat readiness, said Colonel Vadim Astafyev, head of the press service of the SMD.

“Pairs of Su-27 fighters from the 4th Army Air Force unit and Air Defense of the Southern Military District, stationed in the Republic of Crimea, were put in the air by a snap order,” Astafyev said.

The combat readiness of the pilots of the fighter planes was checked by …

Lithuania's President Dalia Grybauskaite called the existence of Russia and Belarus in the east a major threat to the Baltic States and Poland. She made this announcement to the local press on June 5 before setting off on a state visit to Estonia.

The head of the Lithuanian state reminded journalists that the Baltic countries and Poland are the "eastern border area of NATO" and that having Russia and Belarus in the same neighborhood is a threat. The militarization of Kaliningrad region plus …

St. Petersburg authorities rejected all four applications for holding an anti-corruption rally on June 12, which were filed by supporters of the founder of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), Alexey Navalny. On Monday, June 5, Interfax reported this with reference to the head of the St. Petersburg Navalny campaign headquarters, Polina Kostyleva.

"We filed four different applications, including for holding the rally on Marsovo Polye and the square near the Bryantsev Youth Theatre. The number …