Iran and the Russian Ministry of Energy signed a contract on the supply of Iranian oil to world markets through Promsyryeimport foreign trade organization belonging to the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation, as reported by Interfax.

According to the Iranian Minister of Oil, Bijan Namdar Zangeneh, the first oil tanker under this contract was sent in mid-November.

Russian Energy Minister, Alexander Novak, told Bloomberg that until the end of 2017, sales under this deal will be limited …

French media has published details of the case of Russian billionaire Suleyman Kerimov, who represents Dagestan in the Federation Council of Russia and whom the French authorities have accused of tax evasion and money laundering. The channel France 3 reports that the Russian senator has been accused of hiding about €400 million from taxation through the sale of real estate at a lower cost. The channel, citing the prosecutor of the city of Nice, added that the realtor involved in Mr. Kerimov’s …

Aide to the President of the Russian Federation, Vladislav Surkov, said that his next meeting with US Special Representative for Ukraine, Kurt Volker will be held next year.

"Most likely, in the new year, I hope that it will be at the beginning of next year," he said in an interview with TASS.

He also said that he does not see a subject for discussion. According to him, Russia "proposed a realistic and attainable peace initiative" on the security mission in the Donbas, and it must be accepted. …

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin said during his visit to Ivano-Frankivsk that biometric controls must be introduced at the border with Russia, reports Radio Liberty.

"We need, first, biometric control at the border, and second, control over all who enter from Russia, as it is in other countries - for example, in Israel," the Ukrainian Foreign Minister stressed.

According to Klimkin, if this is not sufficient, individuals will need "not just [to enter on] a visa, but on a …

The Secretary of the Security Council of Russia, Nikolai Patrushev stated that preparations for the withdrawal of the Russian military group from Syria were well under way.

As Gazeta.ru news website writes, Patrushev clarified that the pullout would take place "when ready". Earlier, the General Staff had already stated that Russia might reduce its military forces in Syria before the end of the year.

At the same time, the Chief of General Staff, Valery Gerasimov stressed that the ceasefire …

Lithuania’s provision of lethal weapons to Ukraine should send a signal to other former Soviet Union countries where there is still production of USSR's weapons, as stated by the acting Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Leonid Holopatyuk, Radio Liberty reports.

"Lithuania does not pursue just any security issues that are being discussed at the EU and NATO. This decisive step of Lithuania must be a signal to other post-Soviet countries, where the weapons of …

Russia plans to deploy the Voronezh radar missile attack warning system in Crimea, the Director of Russian “Radio Technology and Information Systems” company, Sergey Boyev told Russa’s Interfax.

“The main client, the Defense Ministry, has decided to deploy the Voronezh VHF station in Crimea. Work is currently underway to determine the place where it will be installed,” he said.

According to Boyev, the construction will begin in 2019.

On November 7, Chief of Russia’s General Staff Valery …

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev instructed the Russian Defense Ministry and Foreign Ministry to hold negotiations with the Egyptian government and sign an agreement on “the procedure for using the airspace and airport infrastructure of Russia and Egypt”. The text of the agreement preliminarily approved by the governments of both countries was published on November 30 on the official legal information portal.

The agreement will permit military planes to utilize the airspace of both countries for …