• The EU calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Nadiya Savchenko

    The EU has called for the immediate and unconditional release of Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko on the basis of the Minsk Agreements which state that “all hostages and illegally detained persons” in connection with the Ukrainian conflict must be released.

    The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Federica Mogherini, stressed in a statement that Brussels is worried about the fate of not only Savchenko, …

  • John Kerry to discuss Syria, Ukraine, and Savchenko during visit to Moscow

    US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Moscow on Wednesday, where he plans to discuss the wars in Syria and Ukraine, as well as Nadiya Savchenko, who was found guilty and sentenced to 22 years in prison by a Russian court on Tuesday.

    The State Department also stressed that Kerry intends to discuss the implementation of the Minsk Agreements and the deterioration of the situation in eastern Ukraine.

    Kerry arrived in Moscow on Wednesday, and will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei …

  • Russia says its special forces are active in Syria

    In an interview with Rossiskaya Gazeta, Russian Colonel-General Alexander Dvornikov said that Russian special forces are actively carrying out reconnaissance missions and “other special tasks” in Syria.

    "I will not hide the fact that on the territory of Syria there is a division of our special operations forces," Dvornikov told the state-run news agency.

    "They perform supplementary reconnaissance on targets for Russian air strikes, they are engaged in guiding aircraft to targets in remote …

  • Poll finds Russians' trust in Putin is decreasing

    Over the past year, the number of Russians that trust President Vladimir Putin has decreased, according to a survey conducted by the Levada Center. According to sociologists, 21% "completely trust" Putin, 52% "somewhat trust", and 14% chose "somewhat not trust". Last year, the corresponding response options chose 26%, 57% and 14% respectively.

    Thus, the index of confidence has decreased by 10% overall. Dozhd reported the results of the survey conducted in March this year.

    When asked, "How …

  • Kremlin spokesman: Only Putin can make a decision on exchanging Savchenko

    According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, only Russian President Vladimir Putin can make a decision regarding an exchange of Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko for Russian prisoners held in Ukraine, RIA Novosti reported.

    “Russia will act in accordance with the laws of the Russian Federation. In all other respects, only the President can make a decision. What the decision is, I cannot say yet,” Peskov stated.

    After the Russian court ruled that Savchenko was guilty of killing two Russian …