• German MPs: Expulsion of Russian diplomats from EU was done in a rush

    Representatives of the German Bundestag’s Left have criticized the decision made by Berlin and various other EU states to expel their Russian diplomats in connection with the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal in the UK. On Monday March 26, Foreign Policy Committee member Stefan Liebich from The Left party said that the expulsion of diplomats was “a wrong step, which needlessly exacerbates the escalation”.

    Berlin should make a greater effort to collaborate in the investigation, Liebich …

  • Warsaw: Russian Special Services have stepped up operations in Poland

    Polish Radio reports that Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Jacek Czaputowicz announced that Russian Special Services have intensified operations in Poland against the backdrop of the poisoning of double agent Sergei Skripal.

    "This is a manifestation of solidarity with the UK. But, irrespective of this, our relevant services attract considerable interest from Russian services…[Poland] sees their activities as contrary to the Vienna Convention. This is another signal that the threat from …

  • Russian warplanes intervene into NATO’s Arctic exercise

    The Russian newspaper Izvestia reports that Russian Anti-Submarine Aviation recently detected NATO’s submarines carrying out tactical drills in the Arctic.  Two maritime reconnaissance anti-submarine warfare aircrafts Tu-142 (NATO’s reporting name: Bear) had spotted and followed nuclear submarines of the Armed Forces of the United States and the United Kingdom participating in the Ice Exercise 2018 large-scale war games in the Beaufort Sea.

    Izvestia reports that the Russian warplanes also …

  • Lithuania bans entry to 44 Russian citizens

    On Monday, March 26, Lithuania banned the entry of 44 Russian citizens. The country’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has thus officially begun to implement the blacklisting of 21 Russian officials and functionaries specified under the country’s Magnitsky law.

    So far, the list includes 70 people, including Ramzan Kadyrov, head of Chechnya, and Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation. Vilnius authorities suspect those listed of human rights violations, …

  • Iceland announces diplomatic boycott of 2018 World Cup in Russia

    Iceland has declared a diplomatic boycott against the World Cup, which will take place in Russia in summer 2018.

    A statement on the boycott was released by the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday.

    "Iceland stands in solidarity with UK over the Salisbury attack, [and is] taking diplomatic measures against Russia. High-level bilateral dialogue with Russia [has been] postponed, resulting in Icelandic leaders not attending the FIFA World Cup. We urge Russia to cooperate with the …