• Merkel plans to extend sanctions against Russia due to non-compliance with Minsk Agreements

    A joint press conference was held on Monday in Berlin with the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, and the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel in which Merkel stated that the sanctions against Russia will be extended due to the non-implementation of the Minsk Agreements.

    “We have to extend sanctions against Russia as we take into consideration the fact that the Minsk Agreements have still not been put into effect.  The implementation of these agreements should be a precondition for …

  • Gazprom's Position Falls in Ranking of World's Top Companies

    According to the analytical company Brand Finance, Gazprom has fallen in the rankings of the world’s most expensive leading brands.  The Russian gas monopoly has lost 187 positions from last year, to 299th place in the new ranking. This report was published on the 1st of February.

    First place on the list is currently held by Apple.  Second and third are held by Google and Samsung respectively.  There were also two fewer Russian companies in the updated list: sales network Magnit and …

  • Representative of Syrian Opposition: Russia is attempting to Occupy Syria

    A spokesman for the High Negotiating Committee, Salim al-Muslat, told an Anadolu Agency reporter that Russia, as a member of the UN Security Council, should make efforts to cease the bloody conflict in Syria, not try to occupy the country. Salim al-Muslat was in Geneva participating in the Syrian peace negotiations. Salim expressed his hope that the United Nations will put pressure on Moscow in order to end airstrikes in Syria.

    Al-Muslat also noted that the final decision on the participation …

  • Turkish Air Force at Highest State of Readiness

    All military airbases in Turkey were placed on an ‘orange’ alert level, meaning that pilots can act immediately without the consent of command.

    The ‘orange’ alert was issued for all Turkish Air Force bases on Sunday, January 31st, so the Turkish Air Force is ‘fully ready’ and pilots have the right to immediately open fire without prior coordination with command, the Anatolian News Agency reported.

    Previously, Ankara accused Russia of violating Turkish airspace over the border with Syria. As a …

  • Italian Construction Company Files Lawsuit against Gazprom

    A lawsuit against a subsidiary of the Russian energy giant Gazprom was filed by an Italian construction company.

    The Italian company, Saipem S.p.A., filed a lawsuit against a subsidiary of the Russian company Gazprom - South Stream Transport B.V. The claim, worth about 759 million Euros, was sent to the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris, as reported on the RBC website on Sunday.

    According to RBC, the lawsuit was filed on November 10th, 2015, and became the first major lawsuit against …