• Media: The Kremlin decided to turn the election into a referendum on confidence in Putin

    Instead of holding a presidential election in 2018, Russia wants to hold a referendum on the Russian people’s confidence in Vladimir Putin.

    As reported by Dozhd TV Channel, the Kremlin is making plans for special procedures for the presidential election of 2018.

    “We expect a referendum on confidence in the national leader”…As was reported earlier by Dozhd, the presidential administration does not see any point in making an effort to choose opponents for Putin who have shown an interest in the …

  • The Pentagon: Military cooperation between US and Russia remains limited

    Military cooperation between Russia and the USA remains suspended, as it is enshrined in the country’s laws, Lt. Colonel Michelle Baldanza said, as reported by Interfax.

    "The Ministry of Defense has suspended military cooperation with the Russian armed forces after the illegal actions of Russia to annex the Crimea, and this limitation is spelled out legally under the law in the powers specified by the National Defense Authorization Act," - said Baldanza, commenting on the statement of Russian …

  • The SBU and the Prosecutor General's Office accused Russia of secretly promoting the federalization of Ukraine

    The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has accused Russia of bribing representatives of local and central government to secretly promote the federalization of Ukraine. This was reported at a briefing by the head of the SBU, Vasyl Hrytsak and by Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko.

    According to them, one of the main objectives of Russian policy towards Ukraine is to secretly federalize Ukraine breaking it onto free economic zones, carrying out elections of the local governors, providing Russian …

  • Putin has not confirmed his participation in the next Russian election

    RBC news agency reports that, according to Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin has so far refrained from saying whether he will participate in the presidential elections in 2018.

    "President Putin himself has repeatedly said that it is premature to make any electoral statements. He has not made any statements yet," Peskov said. "There is still enough time before the start of the election campaign; there is another agenda for now."

    Earlier, a federal official …

  • Stockholm International Peace Research Institute: Russia is supplying separatists with weapons and armor

    The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute or SIPRI recently released a report about weapons supplied to armed groups. The report stated that Russia has been supplying the separatists in Eastern Ukraine with heavy weaponry.

    According to the Institute, in 2012-2016 the number of weapons supplied to armed groups worldwide amounted to 0.02% of the total world weapons market. The report notes that during this period, Russia supplied arms to 50 countries, particularly the separatists in …