• Sovereign internet drills cause major disruptions at Russian airports

    Russian airlines and airports were paralyzed for several hours due to a major disruption of the internet. As a result, the systems responsible for booking and buying tickets, flight registration and baggage and flight monitoring stopped working, Ura.ru reports, citing a source in one of the airlines.

    According to the source, the disruption could be linked to the testing of the “sovereign Russian internet”.

    “For several hours, the internet went down, as a result of which problems arose not …

  • Russia to ban entry to US citizens in response to Nord Stream 2 sanctions

    In response to the US’s sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 project, which halted pipe-laying operations in the Baltic Sea in a mere day, Russia could expand its list of US citizens who are banned from entering the country, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told Russian Interfax news agency.

    Unlike the US’s blacklists, Russia’s lists are not public. Thus the people on the list will only find out about it when they try to cross the border, Ryabkov explained.

    “The people who were …

  • Kyiv prepares for complete ceasefire in Donbas from January 1

    Ukraine is preparing for a complete ceasefire in the Donbas, starting on January 1, said Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Zahorodniuk in a press conference, as cited by Interfax-Ukraine.

    “We are preparing for a full ceasefire from January 1. That is, we are currently preparing for it, and will be working on it,” he said.

    The minister also said that Ukraine and the militants have identified new sections for the disengagement of armed forces and heavy weaponry.

    “Yes, we have identified our …

  • Moscow: Gazprom's $3 billion payment to Ukraine’s Naftogaz is ‘a drop in the ocean’

    Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak, who oversees the fuel and energy sectors, said in an interview with Russia-24 TV channel, that the Russian government considers that almost $3 billion, which the Russian gas giant Gazprom agreed to pay to Ukrainian company Naftogaz accorfing to the ruling of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, is "a drop in the ocean."

    "Neither Ukraine nor we can assume how much anyone has benefited [from the new transit agreement]. The $2.9 billion that we will pay …

  • Russia hopes for EU assistance with Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline

    Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak said that Moscow hopes that with the support of its European partners, it will be able to settle the situation around the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany. Earlier, the construction of the gas pipeline was suspended due to US sanctions against contractors. "We are confident that in cooperation with European countries and the European Union, we will solve this problem and find a compromise," said Kozak on December 25, as quoted by …