• Turchynov: Russia is testing new weapons in the Donbas

    Russia is continuing to use the occupied territory of the Donbas to test new weapons during the ongoing conflict. The press service of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine reported that this was said by its Secretary, Oleksandr Turchynov.

    According to Turchynov, Russian forces in the Donbas are testing new models of weapons and military equipment.

    “In July, we witnessed the attacks on our troops with the new Russian mortar KM-8 Gran system, which has guided 120-millimeter …

  • Moldovan Defense Minister: Russia's hybrid war cannot be stopped without NATO support

    Moldova’s Minister of Defense, Anatol Șalaru, said that, without the support of NATO, Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova will not be able to defend against a “hybrid war” that attempts to destabilize the situation in Eastern Europe, the Defense Ministry of Moldova press service reported.

    According to the report, during the opening ceremony of the active phase of the Sea Breeze 2016 military exercises in Odessa, the Minister said that cooperation between the NATO member states and their Eastern …

  • Russian Finance Ministry predicts increase in capital outflow from the country

    The volume of Russia’s net capital outflow in the second half of 2016 will be slightly higher than in the first half. This forecast was made on the 25th of July by the country’s Deputy Finance Minister, Maxim Oreshkin.

    According to him, “this is due to the heavier schedule of the external debt compared to the first half of the year”. At the same time, the Bank of Russia has reported that the net outflow of the capital in the first six months of 2016 is almost five times lower in comparison to …

  • Ukrainian Intelligence: Russia continues to send weapons and soldiers to the Donbas

    Russia continues to supply its troops in the Donbas with personnel and weapons, according to a report released by the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

    According to the report, on the 24th of July, four trucks carrying 110 personnel and three guns were identified coming from Russia en route to Sverdlovsk in the Luhansk region.

    Ukraine has contacted representatives of the Special Monitoring Mission of the OSCE and reported on the presence of tanks, …

  • OSCE mini drone comes under fire in LPR-controlled area

    A mini unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) belonging to the OSCE’s Special Monitoring Mission came under fire near Kalynove, an area controlled by the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic, according to a report released by the OSCE.

    “The SMM heard four shots which it assessed as being fired from an assault rifle targeting the UAV. At the time of the incident, the UAV was flying 800 meters south-west of the launch site. The shots were fired from a location assessed as less than one kilometer west of …

  • Ukraine calls on the West to increase pressure on Russia to implement the Minsk Agreements

    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is deeply concerned about the severe deterioration of the security situation in eastern Ukraine.

    “We appeal to our international partners to strengthen political and diplomatic pressure on the Kremlin to stop the dangerous escalation of tension in the Donbas,” reported the statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    The statement noted that Ukraine strictly adheres to its commitments; will continue to do everything possible to ensure that people …

  • Ukraine protests Medvedev's visit to Crimea

    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expressed their objection to the presence of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in the Crimea on 25 July as it was not officially approved by Kiev.

    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that the Crimea and Sevastopol was, is and will remain Ukrainian territory, that is why attempts by Russian officials “to refer to such ‘visits’ to Ukraine as domestic visits are meaningless.”

    “These regular visits by Russian officials to the Autonomous Republic …

  • Kerry: Progress is being made with Russia on Syria despite Defense Department's doubts

    US Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking after a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Laos, said that progress is being made in pursuing closer cooperation between the two countries in Syria, the Washington Post reported.

    Kerry hopes that Washington and Moscow will share intelligence to coordinate attacks against extremist groups in Syria. The Secretary of State also seeks to persuade the Kremlin to convince the Syrian government to focus its attacks on groups such as the …

  • Zakharchenko is ready to meet with Savchenko

    One of the separatist leaders in the Donbas, Alexander Zakharchenko, declared that he is ready to meet with the Batkivshchyna party deputy in the Verkhovna Rada, Nadiya Savchenko. This was reported in the separatists’ official statement on Monday, July 25, 2016.

    “A meeting is possible. However, first I need to understand what we would discuss. This neutral meeting [could be a PR strategy by] Savchenko. I'm willing to hear suggestions for the agenda. If Savchenko offers to discuss specific and …

  • British General: Russia could declare war on NATO

    British General Richard Shirreff, who previously held the post of NATO's Deputy Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, has presented a report to the analytical center of the Atlantic Council entitled “Arming for Deterrence (the armament in order to contain)”. In the report, he expressed his opinion that Russian authorities are ready for the “lightning” capture of Eastern Europe, which would result in devastating conflict on a global scale. This was reported by British newspaper, Express.

    Quoting …