Political analyst Andrey Piontkovsky: Russia's provocations in Crimea are just the beginning

Well-known Russian political analyst Andrey Piontkovsky believes that Russia’s provocations against Ukraine are just the beginning of the campaign, as stated in an interview with Obozrevatel.com.

"There have been lots of surprises already. They will be seen at least within a month before elections in Russia,” Piontkovsky stated. The State Duma elections are scheduled for September 18, 2016. He also reminded readers that threats—like “the death of our servicemen will not be unavenged”—against …


Russian military has been tasked with developing appropriate response to Ukraine's alleged terror plot in Crimea

At the Russian Security Council Meeting on the incident in the Crimea on Thursday, August 11th, the relevant ministries and agencies were tasked to develop and propose specific steps regarding Ukraine in response to alleged actions of "Ukrainian saboteurs" on the peninsula, as reported by Vedomosti, quoting a source close to the Ministry of Defense.The newspaper’s informant reported that the Security Council of the Russian Federation has identified measures to strengthen security on the …


Ukrainian who was charged with organizing terror attack in Crimea rejected the accusations

Volodymyr Serdyuk, a Ukrainian citizen suspected of organizing sabotage in the Crimea by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), has rejected all accusations against him.

On the 14th of August, an interview with Serdyuk was released on the website of the Ukrainian public TV channel, Hromadske.tv. During this discussion, Serdyuk said that the only true information given about him was his name, surname and place of military service.

He went on to confirm that he served in the 37th battalion. …


Ukrainian headquarters: Russia provided separatists with Tavolga anti-tank grenade launchers

The headquarters of the Ukrained Armed Forces reported on their Facebook page that a new, more powerful handheld antitank grenade launcher, RPG-27 Tavolga, is now being used by the separatists in the Donbas region.

"Separatists of the illegally armed groups have begun to use a wider range of anti-tank weapons, in particular ones that are more powerful," stated the message.

The staff noted that this weapon is a far more powerful and dangerous modification of the famous RPG-7B and is used to …


Lavrov: Russia is not interested in severing diplomatic relations with Ukraine

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Russia is not interested in breaking off diplomatic relations with Ukraine, RIA Novosti reported.

Speaking at a press conference following a meeting with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Lavrov said “I do not think that we are now in a situation in which someone is interested in severing diplomatic relations. This is an extreme measure.”

“I think the main thing now is to not succumb to emotions, not to fall into some extreme …