• Ukrainian President Poroshenko signs pension reform

    The adopted changes will mean that, as of October 1, the minimum pension amount will increase from 1312 ($49.52) to 1452 ($54.80) hryvnia.

    The pension reform envisages an incremental lengthening of the necessary contribution period before retirement to 25 years in 2018 and to 35 years in 2028.

    From 2019, there are plans to introduce a contributory scheme. Persons who, according to current legislation, will be subject to the statutory state pension contribution on January 1, 2019, will be …

  • Military expert: export of Ukrainian arms to the world market can grow up to $3 billion a year

    According to Ukrainian Center for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies (CACDS), the volume of Ukrainian arms exports to the global market can grow from the current 770 million dollars to 2-3 billion dollars, writes Valentin Badrak, director of the CACDS in his article for ZN.UA.

    According to the author, although state concern Ukroboronprom believes that Ukraine does not have the end products for such deliveries, the flexible private sector can produce them very quickly, expanding both …

  • Separatist LPR introduces criminal liability for failure to pay social security tax

    Authorities of the so-called LPR (Luhansk People’s Republic) have introduced criminal liability for non-payment of unified social contribution to compulsory state insurance, also known as the Unified Social Tax or UST, reported the terrorist-controlled online-resource LIC.

    The corresponding decision was made by "the deputies of the People's Council of the LPR", adopting the so-called law “On Introducing Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the LPR."

    The so-called legislative act amends " …

  • Russia creates department to fight internet anonymizers and Telegram messenger

    Russia’s Federal State Unitary Enterprise “General Radio Frequency Center” (GRFC) has created a special department which investigates and analyses means of blocking websites and online services, and how to bypass the blocking, said Roskomnadzor (Russia’s Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media) head Alexander Zharov, newspaper Izvestiya reports.

    “They [the department] practice blocking all the resources which would have to be blocked if they …

  • Khodorkovsky congratulating Putin on his birthday wished him ‘to separate himself from Russia’

    In an interview with TV Rain (Dozhd), founder of Open Russia political initiative Khodorkovsky said he was happy to congratulate Putin on his 65th birthday. "If Vladimir Vladimirovich found the strength to separate himself from the country (from the point of view of its management), then I think our country would finally see some prospects for the future, as would Putin himself. I really wish this for him," Khodorkovsky said.

    Khodorkovsky recalled that he also had congratulated the President …

  • Notorious arms dealer with links to Russia’s military industry suddenly dies in Ukraine

    A wealthy Odessa businessman, Boris Kogan, who started working as a taxi driver and got rich on the international arms trade, died at his home on October 6, as reported by a local newspaper, Dumskaya, with reference to sources close to the businessman. Kommersant reported that Kogan died suddenly due to heart problems.

    Kogan was a minority shareholder and a member of the RT-Logistics board, 51% of which belongs to the Russian state. The company is a part of the Rostec consortium, dealing with …

  • Russia conducts exercises of military aviation in the annexed Crimea

    Flight crews of Su-30SM multi-role fighter planes of the Black Sea Fleet of Russia have executed sea target bombings, the press service of the Russian Defense Ministry reported. A small-sized ship was used as a target for naval aviators to fulfill the task of destroying the mock enemy.

    "The results of direct hits are confirmed by telemetry and visually from unmanned aerial vehicles. To ensure the safety of combat exercises, more than 20 warships and auxiliary vessels, as well as aircraft of …

  • Amnesty International demands the release of people detained at protest rallies in Russia

    Amnesty International, an international human rights organization, demanded that the Russian authorities "immediately and unconditionally" release all detained protesters and investigate allegations of police abuse of power in St. Petersburg and Yakutsk, as reported by the Russian broadcast of Radio Liberty.

    The Amnesty International statement notes that the rallies took place in many cities in Russia on Vladimir Putin’s birthday.

    "The intention of the Kremlin is beyond doubt - to deprive the …

  • US representative for Ukraine Volker and Putin’s aide Surkov held talks in Belgrade

    Negotiations between Russian Presidential Assistant Vladislav Surkov and US State Department Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker were constructive, RBC news agency reports quoting Surkov as saying.

    "We discussed the draft resolution of the UN on the Donbas proposed by Russia, and understanding was found on a number of positions. Most of which were recognized as surmountable," Surkov said.

    He added that both sides stressed the need to carry out the Minsk deals, with the Normandy …

  • Pentagon questions ability of Russia and Syria to defeat the Islamic State

    Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon said that he is skeptical of statements made by the Russian Defense Ministry regarding its successes in the fight against the Islamic state (IS).

    TASS quotes Pahon as saying that "The efforts of the authoritarian regime of [Syrian President Bashar Assad], Russia and Iran are unlikely to lead to a complete defeat of IS."

    According to Pahon, the emergence of IS "is linked, inter alia, with the repressive measures of the Assad regime." Against this background, he …