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Lithuanian special services: Belarus is a 'buffer state' in Russian military doctrine
According to the Annual Threat Assessment prepared by two Lithuanian special services, the Department of State Security and Military Intelligence of Lithuania, Russia consistently strengthens military facilities in the Kaliningrad region, however, the additional NATO forces deployed in the Baltic region and the growing national forces of Baltic countries reduce the likelihood of conflict, Interfax reported.
“The [Russian] military group deployed in the region is consistently being strengthened: …
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Lithuania blocks investment made by Russian oligarch because of threat of espionage
Delfi.it reports that the Department of State Security and Military Intelligence of Lithuania has blocked the investments of a Russian corporation into a Lithuanian company because the company is suspected of of collecting cartographic data for the Russian army.
According to the Lithuanian special services, the Russian oligarch Vladimir Yevtushenkov’s company Sistema was planning on acquiring a Lithuanian company through the investment firm of his son, specializing in cartography and aerial …
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Hungary may oppose EU arms embargo on Belarus
EU ambassadors will soon discuss the extension of the embargo on selling weapons to Belarus. The matter has been reviewed annually since 2011, and requires the consent of all 28 EU member-states.
However, this year there is reason to believe that the extension of the embargo may be blocked by Hungary, which has already exempt biathlon rifles and other sport weapons from the embargo.
Diplomatic sources told Radio Liberty that Hungary has already warned that, before supporting the arms embargo, …
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Russian oil giant Rosneft reports losses in Venezuela
In its annual IFRS report and presentation on Tuesday, the Russian energy company Rosneft reported that it has a total of $4.4 billion invested in the Venezuelan economy as of the start of 2019.
$2.3 billion, more than half of the total, is in the form of loans to the Venezuelan state-owned oil company PDVSA, which have been issued since 2014 as prepayments for oil.
PDVSA has received a total of roughly $6.5 billion from Rosneft, although two thirds of this debt has already been paid off. …
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Media: the US transferred military equipment to Syria
On Tuesday, February 5th, Turkish news agency Anadolu reported that the United States transferred about 150 trucks with armored vehicles and generators to the Kurdish-controlled territory of Syria.
At night trucks loaded with armored personnel carriers, working equipment and generators crossed the Simelka checkpoint on the Iraqi-Syrian border, Anadolu says.
On Tuesday, the trucks reached the US logistical centers in the Syrian districts of Harap Ishk and Sarrin, which Americans share with the …