• Savchenko pays fine as part of her sentence

    Nadiya Savchenko has paid a 30,000 ruble ($455) fine as part of the sentence that was issued by a Russian court in March, RBC-Ukraine reported. The payment of the fine was required for Savchenko to file the documents necessary for her extradition to Ukraine.

    According to Savchenko’s mother, her daughter at first refused to pay, as the documents stated that she had illegally crossed the border from Ukraine to Russia, a charge that Savchenko denies.

    The Ukrainian consulate reportedly provided …

  • In response to Moscow's criticism, Tbilisi says Georgia can carry out exercises with any partner on its sovereign territory

    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia issued a statement in response to the Russian Foreign Ministry’s comments on the joint Georgian-American exercise “Noble Partner 2016.” Moscow stated that Washington “appeases revanchist ambitions of Tbilisi.” The Georgian Foreign Ministry replied that Georgia is a sovereign and independent state and has a right to carry out training on its territory together with any partner.

    “It is worth noting that the exercises are not aimed at any country. Such …

  • Ukrainian journalist: Twenty-five Crimean Tatars were detained and interrogated in Yevpatoria

    Noted Ukrainian journalist and blogger, Osman Pashayev, reported on the 7th of May that Russian forces detained twenty-five Crimean Tatars in Yevpatoria and took them to the police station for interrogation. “All of them were taken to the city police station and got fingerprinted. They were taken into custody at the Central market near Vostochka restaurant. All detainees are Crimean Tatars,” Pashayev wrote on Facebook.

    According to Pashayev, Russian forces claimed to be hunting for the …

  • Senators fear that Arab states will purchase fighters from Russia instead of the US

    US Senators called on President Barack Obama to push through a contract for the sale of fighter jets valued at $9 billion to Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain. Otherwise, they say, the Arab states may instead purchase aircraft from Russia.

    According to The Wall Street Journal, the authors of the letter are Republicans John McCain and Bob Corker, and Democrats Jack Reed and Claire McCaskill. According to them, the decision on the sale of sixty F-16s, F-15s and F-18s has been delayed for too long. …

  • So-called DPR acknowledges their passports will not enable residents to travel to Russia

    The authorities of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic acknowledged that inhabitants of the break-away region won't be able travel to Russia using passports issued by the self-declared republic, Rosbalt reported.

    According to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of so-called DPR, it is possible to leave the rebel-controlled Donetsk region and enter the Russian Federation using only a Ukrainian passport.

    "Minor citizens under 16 years of age will need a birth certificate or a …