Contents tagged with Russia

  • Russia launches airstrikes in Syria from Iranian base

    Russian Tu22M3 and Su-34 bombers that are based at the Hamadan airfield in Iran have conducted airstrikes in Syria, Interfax reported. The sorties were the first time Russian aircraft had taken off from Iranian territory and carried out airstrikes in Syria.

    The bombers were covered by Su-35 fighters which are based in Syria.

    "On August 16, Tu-22M3 long-range bombers and Sukhoi Su-34 aircraft, travelling with full bomb loads from the Hamadan airbase (in the Islamic Republic of Iran), carried …

  • Former separatist leader criticizes Russia's nationalization of industry in the Donbas

    The former leader of separatists in eastern Ukraine, Alexander Borodai, who led the separatists in the Donbas region at the beginning of the war and now heads Russia's "Union of Volunteers of Donbas", was interviewed by the Russian Free Press portal. During his interview he criticized the idea of the nationalization of Ukrainian businesses in the Donbas region. He has also recognized that the separatist republic exists thanks to the Ukrainian oligarchs and also said that Russia does not need …

  • More than 100,000 have signed petition against Russia's anti-terror law

    The petition, published on the website of the Russian public initiative, has been supported by 100,098 people; 1,439 people have opposed the petition. Expert decision should be taken less than two months from the day it was sent for consideration, the website says. The package of anti-terrorist laws, drafted by the United Russia Party member of the State Duma, Irina Yarovaya, and Senator Viktor Ozerov, was signed by the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, on July 7.

    Advocates believe that …

  • Norway: Russia is responsible for peace in the Crimea

    In response to the Russian accusations that Ukraine has prepared sabotage actions in the Crimea, the Norwegian minister of foreign affairs, Børge Brende, stated that Russia bears special responsibility for avoiding further escalation of the situation around the Crimea, the press service of the Embassy of Ukraine in Norway reported on Sunday.

    “Norway stands in solidarity with the rest of the global community concerning the international legal status of the Crimea. The Crimea is and will be a …

  • Shoygu meets with Serbian Defense Minister in Moscow

    Russia’s Minister of Defense, Sergey Shoygu, and his Serbian counterpart, Zoran Đorđević, met in Moscow to discuss the possibility of military and technical cooperation between the two countries. This was reported by the Russian Defense Ministry’s press service.

    Shoygu congratulated Đorđević on his recent appointment and also mentioned that the Serbian Defense Minister’s first foreign visit in his new role was to Moscow.

    “We appreciate your cooperation and hope that in your new role, you will …

  • German MEP Michael Gahler: Ukraine should be given defensive weapons

    MEP of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU), Michael Gahler, has said that Ukraine needs to be provided with intelligence equipment and defensive weapons due to the deteriorating situation in the Donbas, Radio Polsha reported.

    A similar opinion was expressed by the Chairman of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs Elmar Brok. However, he warned that the supply of defensive weapons should be implemented in such a way that Russia would not consider it to be a violation …

  • 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. …

  • 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 …