• The State Bank of Japan tightens sanctions against Russia

    The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) has limited the financing of Russian companies and financial institutions, Nikkei reports.

    JBIC took this recent step as a show of agreement with the USA and the European Union, which has imposed relatively more severe constraints against Russia. The state bank will stop financing projects that European or American companies have pulled out of. The Japanese lender will also check to see that no private-sector peers will fund a potential …

  • Russian Defense Minister: NATO's actions in Eastern Europe is forcing Moscow to take defensive measures

    According to Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu, the buildup of NATO forces in Eastern Europe is forcing Moscow to take defensive measures, TASS reported.

    At a meeting between the Russian and Belarusian defense ministries, Shoygu stated, "The United States and other NATO members are actively building up their offensive potential on the western frontiers of Russia's ally [Belarus], opening new bases and developing military infrastructure. There are incessant attempts to impose their will on …

  • Poll: Nearly half of Russians fear Syrian conflict could start world war 3

    About half of Russians, 48 percent, are afraid that the escalation of relations between Russia and the West due to Syria may erupt into a third world war, as evidenced by a survey of the Levada Analytical Center that was issued on Monday, October 31. Replying to the relevant question, 38 percent of respondents stated that they have some fears regarding such developments. An additional 10 percent of Russians, in turn, express “great fear” regarding such a scenario. On the other hand, 31 percent …

  • Russian military plane accused of violating Estonian airspace

    On Tuesday, AN-148 of Russian Air Force crossed into Estonian airspace near the island of Vaindloo.

    This was reported by the website of the Estonian Ministry of Defense. The Russian plane stayed over the Estonian territory for about a minute.  The plane had its transponder on and provided a flight plan.

    According to the Estonian Ministry of Defense, at the time of entry there was no direct communication with the plane crew and Estonian air control services.

    The Estonian Ministry of Foreign …

  • Former Russian Finance Minister: The Kremlin doesn’t understand the new economic reality

    The former Russian Minister of Finance and Chairman of the Board of the Centre for Strategic Research, Alexei Kudrin, believes that the Russian government doesn’t have a clear understanding of the existing economic realities after the fall in oil prices and the reduction in budget revenues.

    “The price of oil has fallen; we have shortage of revenues and problems with our growth factors. We learned to spend money so easily, when Russia experienced economic growth, and now I want to say that the …