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Hug: OSCE’s data indicate that Russia is directly involved in the war in eastern Ukraine
The Principal Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, Alexander Hug, said information collected by the organization indicates that Russian troops have been directly involved in the war in eastern Ukraine since the conflict first erupted in the spring of 2014.
At the same time, speaking at a press conference in Odessa, Hug stressed the mission itself only reports on what it sees and hears, and refrains from drawing conclusions.
"From the beginning, we wrote in …
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Russia to deploy newly-formed motorized rifle division to the Rostov region
A new motorized rifle division with approximately 10,000 soldiers will be deployed by the end of 2016 to the Rostov region, as reported by TASS, citing a source from the Southern Military District headquarters.“The new ‘full-blooded’ motorized rifle division will be created by the end of this year in accordance with the directives of the Chief of General Staff and the Commander of the Southern Military District troops. Three military compounds are to be built in order to accommodate this new …
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Tymoshenko: Obama and Merkel have convinced Putin to transfer Savchenko to Ukraine
According to the leader of the Ukrainian political party Batkivshchyna (Fatherland), Yulia Tymoshenko, US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have convinced Russian President Vladimir Putin to transfer Nadiya Savchenko to Ukraine, as reported by Deutsche Welle.
On Friday, on the TV program “Shuster Live”, Tymoshenko expressed confidence that the three leaders had reached an agreement that will allow Savchenko to be transferred to Ukraine.
"According to our information, …
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The Kremlin says an exchange for Savchenko is 'theoretically possible'
The Chief of the Presidential Administration of Russia, Sergei Ivanov, stated that the case of Nadiya Savchenko has nothing to do with the Minsk Agreements, but a prisoner exchange including her is theoretically possible, Interfax reported.
“Regarding a possible exchange, theoretically, it is possible. With full respect for the legislation of the Russian Federation, the decision on this issue can only be made by the President of Russia,” Ivanov said. He also addressed whether the exchange of …
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Poll: More than half of Russians belive Stalin played a positive role in the country's history
According to a poll conducted by the Levada Center, 54% of Russian citizens believe that Josef Stalin played a positive role in the country’s history, Vedmosti reported. Approximately the same number of respondents believe that Stalin was a wise leader who led the Soviet Union to prosperity. The majority of respondents (60%) would not want to live under such a head of state, falling from 74% in 2008.
At the same time, two-thirds of respondents considered Stalin to be a tyrant, responsible for …