• Media: Russia will replace top military commander in Syria

    The Russian forces in Syria will be commanded by 51-year-old General-Colonel Alexander Zhuravlev, reported news agency RBC, citing one of its sources.

    According to the report, Zhuravlev’s task will be to prepare for the completion of the military operation. A source close to the Russian Ministry of Defense told RBC that the relevant documents have already been prepared and await signing. Another of RBC’s sources stated that the decision to appoint Zhuravlev to the post of commander of the …

  • Draft bill on impeachment of the President submitted to Ukrainian Parliament

    The bill No. 7248 "On the President of Ukraine and the procedure for terminating his powers" was registered on the website of the Verkhovna Rada. Its author is a non-factional MP Yuri Derevyanko.

    At the moment, there isno text of the bill itself and no explanatory documents for it.

    According to the press service of Derevyanko, the purpose of the document is to eliminate gaps in the current legislation regarding the activities of the President.

    According to the Constitution, there are 4 …

  • Moldova approves joint control of its border with Ukraine

    The Moldovan government approved the Agreement on the introduction of joint customs and border control at the Moldovan-Ukrainian border, Ukrinform reports.It was noted that the joint checkpoints will work at all points of the Moldovan-Ukrainian border, and the main purpose of introducing joint control is to simplify procedures when crossing the state border.The agreement on joint customs border control was signed between the governments of the two countries in early October in Chișinău during …

  • Iranian President Rouhani stated that payments with Russia will be made in local currency

    Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan can switch to transactions in national currency, stated the President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, at the press conference in Tehran, TASS reported.

    As a result of the trilateral summit, the countries are also planning to create a customs corridor and comply with common customs standards. "During the Tehran summit, we talked about cooperation in the banking sector and the use of national currencies in trade between the three countries to use our national currencies both …

  • Chief Military Prosecutor of Ukraine: those responsible for the series of brazen terrorist acts that shocked Ukraine will be soon found

    The organization of a number of high-profile terrorist attacks in Ukraine was carried out by special centers created in the DPR (Donetsk People’s Republic) and LPR (Luhansk People’s Republic), as stated by the chief military prosecutor, Anatolii Matios, at a briefing in Kyiv.

    "As a result of the investigation conducted by the Military Prosecutor’s Office and the Security Service into the attacks against the Colonel [the head of the special reserve forces department of the Main Intelligence …

  • Russian Gazprom shows loss for first time in 19 years

    For the first time in 19 years, the Russian gas monopoly Gazprom has shown a net loss for a total of nine months straight.

    According to Interfax's calculations, based on Gazprom’s data, the amount of the loss was $157.8 million.

    Losses in individual quarters are not unusual for Gazprom. But the Russian gas giant has not suffered these kinds of losses in the last 19 years. The last time was in 1998 when Russia experienced an economic crisis. That year the joint-stock company ended the year …

  • Ukraine denies Saakashvili refugee status for the second time

    The State Migration Service has repeatedly refused to consider the former Georgian President and leader of the Movement of New Forces party, Mikheil Saakashvili’s application to obtain refugee status or as a person who needs additional protection, as indicated by his lawyer, Markiyan Halabala.

    "Today we received documents from the Migration Service. It is not a refusal to provide additional protection, but a refusal to accept the application," he said. According to him, the refusal was made …

  • Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN: new demands on Russia included in the updated 'Crimean' UN resolution

    The draft of the updated resolution "The Situation of Human Rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, Ukraine", which the Ukrainian delegation presented on Tuesday at the third committee of the UN General Assembly, contains a number of new demands on Russia, as well as an appeal to the organization’s Secretary-General regarding coordination of UN entities in the Crimea.

    This was discussed by Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the UN, Voldymyr Yelchenko, reports Ukrinform. …

  • International Olympic Committee suspends two Russian skiers for life over doping

    The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has banned Russian skiers Alexander Legkov and Evgeniy Belov from participating in the Olympic Games for life, Radio Liberty reported.

    The Russian citizens were found guilty of using dope, and the athletes' performance results at the 2014 Sochi Olympics have been annulled. Legkov and Belov intend to appeal against the IOC’s decision.

    Earlier, the national anti-doping agencies of 17 countries demanded the removal of Russia from the 2018 Olympics in …

  • Poroshenko called on the leaders of the Gulf States to stand up for the rights of Crimean Tatars

    During his visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, President Petro Poroshenko met with the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, as indicated on the administration’s website.

    According to the report, the both leaders discussed plans for the development of cooperation between Ukraine and the Arab Peninsula states.

    During the meeting, Poroshenko introduced Mustafa Dzhemilev, a former Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, leader of …